---
title: "I don't write code the way I used to"
url: https://daily.dev/posts/i-don-t-write-code-the-way-i-used-to-2k1o9pbri
source_url: https://stitcher.io/blog/i-dont-code-the-way-i-used-to
type: article
source: "stitcher.io"
published: 2024-08-07T11:39:31.317Z
updated: 2024-11-08T08:21:31.581Z
tags: ["php", "functional-programming"]
reading_time: 3
upvotes: 180
comments: 12
language: en
---

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# I don't write code the way I used to

**[stitcher.io](https://daily.dev/sources/stitcher)** · 3 min read · 180 upvotes · 12 comments

## Summary

A seasoned programmer shares reflections on how their coding approach has evolved over the past decade. Key changes include a move away from abstractions, embracing a functional programming mindset, struggling but persisting with testing, opting for readability over shorthand efficiency, and the importance of static analysis tools. Despite the quirks, they continue to find value in using PHP.

## Full article

daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: <https://stitcher.io/blog/i-dont-code-the-way-i-used-to>

## Community discussion

Top comments from developers on daily.dev.

**@tanvirshaikh** · 6 upvotes

> PHP has evolved over the years, i like PHP not because it's easy but also it's a far less headache to deploy & run code on any hosting.

**@smurphy** · 4 upvotes

> So is experience just the realization that being less fancy = better?

**@timnekk** · 1 upvotes

> I've also found that embracing a functional programming mindset in PHP has significantly improved the maintainability and testability of my code - tools like PHPStan have been a game-changer in catching errors early on 🙌.

**@bullit2k** · 1 upvotes

> A nice honest review of where you're at. Testing is tricky. I sometimes get turned in circles trying to get a test to work. It usually leads to refactoring the code to make it more testable. But once you have a good coverage of tests you're almost bullet proof for making changes in future without breaking everything.
>
> Here's to your next ten years young man!

**@mzakrzewski** · 0 upvotes

> I would like to see your code without an abstraction.
>
> It is hard to argue without a specific part of code but from my experience, abstraction usually gives you better ways (and cleaners) to solve different problems.
>
> I don't say that you have to add abstraction everywhere of course.

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---

Tags: [#php](https://daily.dev/tags/php), [#functional-programming](https://daily.dev/tags/functional-programming)

[View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/i-don-t-write-code-the-way-i-used-to-2k1o9pbri)