In this episode of Book Overflow, hosts Carter Morgan and Nathan Toups interview John Ousterhout and Robert "Uncle Bob" Martin about their published discussion analyzing the differences between their software design philosophies, specifically comparing Ousterhout's "A Philosophy of Software Design" and Martin's "Clean Code." The conversation explores the origins of their written debate, their motivations for engaging in it despite their established careers, and the specific topics they covered: method length, commenting, and test-driven development. They reflect on the value of intellectual conflict, the impact of social media on software engineering discourse, and seminal works that influenced their thinking. Both guests share insights into their personal coding journeys, their willingness to adapt their views, and their future projects.
