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Best Testing, debugging & developer tools videos, as recommended on Hacker News

138 videos about testing, debugging & developer tools that Hacker News commenters keep recommending, mentioned between 2007 and 2026. Mostly talk, demo, tutorial. Channels that come up most: Strange Loop Conference, thoughtbot, Google TechTalks, ClojureTV. Sorted by how consistently HN recommended them over the years.

The most recommended is RailsConf 2014 - All the Little Things by Sandi Metz: HN treats it as a top-tier programming talk for learning refactoring and for the wrong-abstraction principle, recommended repeatedly over a decade.

• talkRailsConf 2014 - All the Little Things by Sandi MetzConfreaks · 15 HN recommenders · 2015–2025
• talk"Testing Distributed Systems w/ Deterministic Simulation" by Will WilsonStrange Loop Conference · 12 HN recommenders · 2014–2024
• talk🚀 TDD, Where Did It All Go Wrong (Ian Cooper)DevTernity Conference · 11 HN recommenders · 2018–2024
• talkBret Victor - Inventing on PrincipleRui Oliveira · 12 HN recommenders · 2013–2025
• talkSolving Problems the Clojure Way - Rafal DittwaldClojure/north · 10 HN recommenders · 2019–2025
• talkDebugging Under Fire: Keep your Head when Systems have Lost their Mind • Bryan Cantrill • GOTO 2017GOTO Conferences · 8 HN recommenders · 2018–2025
• talk"Performance Matters" by Emery BergerStrange Loop Conference · 12 HN recommenders · 2019–2025
• tutorialA Tour of the Acme EditorRuss Cox · 11 HN recommenders · 2012–2026
• talkTech Talk: Linus Torvalds on gitGoogle · 9 HN recommenders · 2007–2023
• talk"How NOT to Measure Latency" by Gil TeneStrange Loop Conference · 9 HN recommenders · 2015–2026
• talkRuby Conf 12 - Boundaries by Gary BernhardtConfreaks · 8 HN recommenders · 2015–2024
• talkUsing Python to Code by VoiceNext Day Video · 12 HN recommenders · 2013–2025
• talkHow to Do 90% of What Plugins Do (With Just Vim)thoughtbot · 10 HN recommenders · 2016–2025
• lectureLecture 6: Version Control (git) (2020)Missing Semester · 9 HN recommenders · 2020–2023
• demoLiterate Devops with EmacsHoward Abrams · 8 HN recommenders · 2015–2025
• talkDan Abramov - Live React: Hot Reloading with Time Travel at react-europe 2015ReactEurope · 12 HN recommenders · 2015–2022
• talk[Linux.conf.au 2013] - Git For Ages 4 And UpHackersOnBoard · 8 HN recommenders · 2013–2023
• demo7 minutes of Pharo Smalltalk for RubyistsAvdi Grimm · 5 HN recommenders · 2017–2026
• talk"Stop Writing Dead Programs" by Jack Rusher (Strange Loop 2022)Strange Loop Conference · 9 HN recommenders · 2022–2025
• talkMastering the Vim Languagethoughtbot · 5 HN recommenders · 2016–2026
• demo[EPILEPSY WARNING] How fast should an unoptimized terminal run?Molly Rocket · 6 HN recommenders · 2021–2026
• tutorialEmacs Rocks! Episode 14: Pareditemacsrocks · 8 HN recommenders · 2013–2022
• talk"Voice Driven Development: Who needs a keyboard anyway?" by Emily SheaStrange Loop Conference · 5 HN recommenders · 2020–2023
• talkI don't like notebooks.- Joel Grus (Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence)O'Reilly · 6 HN recommenders · 2018–2025
• demoVisiData Lightning Demo at PyCascades 2018Saul Pwanson · 6 HN recommenders · 2018–2025
• talkCppCon 2017: Matt Godbolt “What Has My Compiler Done for Me Lately? Unbolting the Compiler's Lid”CppCon · 7 HN recommenders · 2018–2022
• talk7 Habits For Effective Text Editing 2.0GoogleTalksArchive · 5 HN recommenders · 2013–2023
• talkCppCon 2017: Titus Winters “C++ as a "Live at Head" Language”CppCon · 7 HN recommenders · 2017–2022
• talkEmacs + org-mode + python in reproducible research; SciPy 2013 PresentationEnthought · 5 HN recommenders · 2014–2018
• talkDavid Kriesel: Traue keinem Scan, den du nicht selbst gefälscht hastmedia.ccc.de · 4 HN recommenders · 2019–2025
• talkI Like NotebooksJeremy Howard · 4 HN recommenders · 2020–2025
• talkThe Clean Architecture in PythonNext Day Video · 5 HN recommenders · 2017–2021
• talkEvil Mode: Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Emacsthoughtbot · 6 HN recommenders · 2015–2020
• talkCppCon 2015: Greg Law " Give me 15 minutes & I'll change your view of GDB"CppCon · 6 HN recommenders · 2018–2023
• demoStevey's Tech Talk E39 -- A guided tour of EmacsSteve Yegge · 5 HN recommenders · 2022–2024
• talkTigerStyle! (Or How To Design Safer Systems in Less Time) by Joran Dirk GreefTigerBeetle · 2 HN recommenders · 2023–2025
• talk"Controlling Time and Space: understanding the many formulations of FRP" by Evan CzaplickiStrange Loop Conference · 5 HN recommenders · 2014–2026
• talkInteractive notebooks ~ Pluto.jl | Fons van der Plas | JuliaCon 2020The Julia Programming Language · 6 HN recommenders · 2020–2021
• talkZebras All the Way Down - Bryan Cantrill, Uptime 2017Code & Supply · 6 HN recommenders · 2018–2025
• talkEmacs Org-mode - a system for note-taking and project planningGoogle TechTalks · 5 HN recommenders · 2009–2024
• demoTomorrow Corporation Tech Demoretrogameinternals · 5 HN recommenders · 2023–2026
• talkDtrace ReviewGoogleTalksArchive · 4 HN recommenders · 2013–2026
• talkRails Conf 2013 The Magic Tricks of Testing by Sandi MetzConfreaks · 5 HN recommenders · 2013–2019
• tutorialJavascript in 2015Glen Maddern · 3 HN recommenders · 2015–2017
• talkEmacs For Writersthoughtbot · 3 HN recommenders · 2016–2024
• talk"Finding bugs without running or even looking at code" by Jay ParlarStrange Loop Conference · 4 HN recommenders · 2019–2023
• talkAutonomous Testing and the Future of Software Development - Will WilsonThe Linux Foundation · 1 HN recommender · 2019–2024
• tutoriali3wm: Jump Start (1/3)Alex Booker · 4 HN recommenders · 2015–2020
• demoTwenty Minutes of Reasons to Use the RemedyBG DebuggerMolly Rocket · 4 HN recommenders · 2022–2024
• demoEmacs Rocks! Episode 17: Magitemacsrocks · 4 HN recommenders · 2017–2020
• talkDebugging with the Scientific Method - Stuart HallowayClojureTV · 4 HN recommenders · 2015–2023
• demoA quick tour of TeXmacsTeXmacs Videos · 3 HN recommenders · 2021–2023
• talk"Tree-sitter - a new parsing system for programming tools" by Max BrunsfeldStrange Loop Conference · 4 HN recommenders · 2018–2024
• talkStanford Seminar - Google's Steve Yegge on GROKStanford Online · 3 HN recommenders · 2013–2024
• talkJohn Hughes - Testing the Hard Stuff and Staying SaneClojureTV · 4 HN recommenders · 2016–2026
• demoConsistent Technical Documents Using Emacs and Org Modespudlyo · 2 HN recommenders · 2020–2025
• talkEmily Shea - "Perl Out Loud"The Perl and Raku Conference - Greenville, SC 2026 · 3 HN recommenders · 2019–2022
• demoTabs Outliner Overviewomnray · 3 HN recommenders · 2014–2015
• talkJ B Rainsberger Integrated Tests Are A Scam HDChristopher Cabanne · 4 HN recommenders · 2017–2023
• talkIntroduction to Git with Scott Chacon of GitHubInfoQ · 3 HN recommenders · 2012–2016
• demoNOTCURSES III: THE SAGA CONTINUES (1080P)Nick Black · 4 HN recommenders · 2021–2024
• demoShouting in the DatacenterBryan Cantrill · 4 HN recommenders · 2011–2026
• lectureAnders Hejlsberg on Modern Compiler ConstructionKasper · 4 HN recommenders · 2018–2023
• talkDan Abramov The wet codebaseeswarnichtsmehrfrei · 3 HN recommenders · 2023–2024
• tutorialLet Vim Do the Typingthoughtbot · 3 HN recommenders · 2017–2021
• tutorialEmacs From Scratch #1 - Getting Started with a Basic Usable ConfigurationSystem Crafters · 3 HN recommenders · 2021–2024
• talkHillel Wayne - Beyond Unit Tests: Taking Your Testing to the Next Level - PyCon 2018PyCon 2018 · 3 HN recommenders · 2018–2023
• talkLambda World 2018 - What FP can learn from Smalltalk by Aditya SiramLambda World · 2 HN recommenders · 2020–2023
• talkSaving Voyager 1! - Bruce Waggoner at !!Con 2024!!Con · 4 HN recommenders · 2024–2026
• talkBruce Hauman - Developing ClojureScript With FigwheelClojureTV · 3 HN recommenders · 2017–2022
• tutorialEmacs Doom Episode 1 - Getting StartedZaiste Programming · 3 HN recommenders · 2019–2020
• talkLinux Kernel Development, Greg Kroah-Hartman - Git Merge 2016GitHub · 3 HN recommenders · 2016–2023
• tutorialRedoing Make - Haskell from Scratch #1jekor · 3 HN recommenders · 2014–2021
• talk"The Clean Code Talks -- Inheritance, Polymorphism, & Testing"Google TechTalks · 3 HN recommenders · 2009–2023
• demoHow A Blind Developer Uses Visual StudioCoding Tech · 4 HN recommenders · 2019–2023
• commentaryTwitter and Visual Studio RantMolly Rocket · 3 HN recommenders · 2020–2026
• demoCode Bubbles: Rethinking the User Interface Paradigm of Integrated Development EnvironmentsAndrewBragdon · 2 HN recommenders · 2011–2024
• talkRustConf 2016 - A Modern Editor Built in Rust by Raph LevienConfreaks · 4 HN recommenders · 2016–2018
• tutorialGetting Started With Org Modethoughtbot · 3 HN recommenders · 2018–2022
• demoNeXT vs Sunhoffman60613 · 3 HN recommenders · 2015–2026
• talkWhy Google Stores Billions of Lines of Code in a Single Repository@Scale · 2 HN recommenders · 2016–2022
• talkRichard Hipp - Git: Just Say Nosoutheastlinuxfest · 3 HN recommenders · 2020–2021
• talkThe Unix Chainsaw - Gary Bernhardttimmonta · 2 HN recommenders · 2016–2022
• demoPTVS 2.0 Beta: Mixed-Mode Python/C/C++ Debugging overviewpython tools · 1 HN recommender · 2013–2015
• demoThe new Windows TerminalWindows Developer · 2 HN recommenders · 2019–2025
• commentaryGitHub Actions Feels Badfasterthanlime · 2 HN recommenders · 2024–2025
• talkHow I Fixed a 10 Year Old Guitar Hero Bug Without the Source CodeExileLord · 2 HN recommenders · 2017–2025
• talkOCaml Workshop 2020 - State of the OCaml Platform 2020OCamlWorkshops · 2 HN recommenders · 2020–2021
• talkSoftware Engineering's Greatest HitsGreg Wilson · 2 HN recommenders · 2021–2022
• talkGoogle I/O 2011: Chrome Dev Tools ReloadedGoogle for Developers · 2 HN recommenders · 2011–2012
• talkHow We Diagnosed and Fixed the 2023 Voyager 1 Anomaly from 15 Billion Miles AwayFlight Software Workshop · 2 HN recommenders · 2026–2026
• demoREBL - Stuart HallowayClojureTV · 2 HN recommenders · 2018–2021
• talkBarliman: trying the halting problem backwards, blindfolded - William Byrd, Greg RosenblattClojureTV · 3 HN recommenders · 2017–2024
• demoLisp Editing in the 80s - Interlisp SEditthoughtupquick · 2 HN recommenders · 2019–2021
• tutorialUsing Emacs - 1 - setting up the package managerMike Zamansky · 2 HN recommenders · 2020–2022
• talkDtrace ReviewGoogle TechTalks · 2 HN recommenders · 2011–2021
• demo15 Lazygit Features In Under 15 MinutesJesse Duffield · 3 HN recommenders · 2022–2026
• talkDebugging The Web (Chrome Dev Summit 2016)Chrome for Developers · 2 HN recommenders · 2016–2018
• demoCygnusEd Professional in Action on an Amiga 2000Casey Muratori · 1 HN recommender · 2016–2023
• talkVelocity 09: John Allspaw and Paul Hammond, "10+ Deploys PeO'Reilly · 2 HN recommenders · 2018–2023
• talkChatOps at GitHub - Jesse NewlandRubyfuza · 2 HN recommenders · 2013–2021
• talk"Cursorless: A spoken language for editing code" by Pokey Rule (Strange Loop 2023)Strange Loop Conference · 2 HN recommenders · 2023–2026
• talkPDE: A different take on editing codeTJ DeVries · 2 HN recommenders · 2022–2025
• commentaryThe Worst Typo I Ever MadeTom Scott · 2 HN recommenders · 2020–2026
• tutorialMarco Baringer's SLIME Tutorial Video손주일 (Cecil) · 2 HN recommenders · 2019–2024
• talkTree-sitter: a new parsing system for programming tools - GitHub Universe 2017GitHub · 2 HN recommenders · 2018–2022
• talkWeb Development in Emacs, Common Lisp and Clojurescript - Emacs SGEngineers.SG · 2 HN recommenders · 2018–2022
• podcastCursor Team: Future of Programming with AI | Lex Fridman Podcast #447Lex Fridman · 2 HN recommenders · 2024–2025
• tutorialVim universe. fzf - command line fuzzy finderAlexey Samoshkin · 2 HN recommenders · 2020–2023
• talkAnthony Scopatz - xonsh - PyCon 2016PyCon 2016 · 2 HN recommenders · 2016–2025
• interviewWhere GREP Came From - ComputerphileComputerphile · 1 HN recommender · 2018–2020
• talkIs TDD dead?Thoughtworks · 1 HN recommender · 2014–2022
• demoAlto System Project: Larry Tesler demonstration of GypsyComputer History Museum · 1 HN recommender · 2021–2025
• talkBuilding Software at Google Scale Tech TalkGoogle TechTalks · 1 HN recommender · 2013–2014
• demoLive ClojureScript Game Editoribdknox · 1 HN recommender · 2012–2016
• talkKeynote - Preventing, Finding, and Fixing Bugs On a Time Budget | Raymond Hettinger @ PyBay2018SF Python · 1 HN recommender · 2020–2022
• talk(ninth RacketCon): Andrew Blinn – Fructure: A Structured Editing Engine in RacketRacket · 2 HN recommenders · 2019–2021
• interviewJim Coplien and Bob Martin Debate TDDalexsmail · 1 HN recommender · 2014–2017
• talkGoingNative 2012 - Day 2 - Clangaghuttun · 1 HN recommender · 2015–2022
• talkTudor Gîrba - Moldable developmentCurry On! · 1 HN recommender · 2022–2024
• commentaryEx Microsoft Employee tells secrets on why Windows 10 bugs exist 👨‍💻 - @BarnaculesBarnacules Nerdgasm · 1 HN recommender · 2020–2024
• demoVimSpeak DemoAshley Feniello · 1 HN recommender · 2016–2026
• talkF8 2015 - Big Code: Developer Infrastructure at Facebook's ScaleMeta Developers · 1 HN recommender · 2015–2016
• talkKilling the Walk MonsterMolly Rocket · 1 HN recommender · 2021–2025
• talkAlen Ladavac - Taking CI and automated testing seriously - WebCamp Zagreb 2018WebCamp Zagreb · 1 HN recommender · 2020–2022
• demoS1E8: Show And Tell: Efrit: When Steve Gives Claude Full Access To 50 Years of Emacs CapabilitiesVibe Coding With Steve and Gene · 1 HN recommender · 2025–2026
• talkThe Remote Agent Experiment: Debugging Code from 60 Million Miles AwayGoogle TechTalks · 1 HN recommender · 2012–2024
• talkSo You Think You Know Git - FOSDEM 2024GitButler · 1 HN recommender · 2024–2025
• talk2016 LLVM Developers’ Meeting: D. Dunbar “A New Architecture for Building Software”LLVM · 1 HN recommender · 2017–2020
• talkPrioritizing Technical Debt as if Time & Money Matters • Adam Tornhill • GOTO 2019GOTO Conferences · 1 HN recommender · 2021–2022
• demoDebugging Lisp: fix and resume a program from any point in the stack - how Common Lisp stands out.vindarel · 1 HN recommender · 2023–2025
• demoEmacs Rocks! Episode 13: multiple-cursorsemacsrocks · 1 HN recommender · 2014–2026
• interviewTwo decades of Git: A conversation with creator Linus TorvaldsGitHub · 1 HN recommender · 2025–2026
• demoIntentional Programming demo (Part 1) - Editordftube · 1 HN recommender · 2007–2024
• podcastJohn Carmack: Best programming setup and IDE | Lex Fridman Podcast ClipsLex Clips · 1 HN recommender · 2022–2025
• tutorialNixOS VM on Mac SetupMitchell Hashimoto · 1 HN recommender · 2022–2024
• demoHow a Blind Developer Uses Visual Studio (Microsoft Build 2017)Kompetenzzentrum Digitale Barrierefreiheit · 1 HN recommender · 2024–2026
• demo800+ days of Minecraft in 8 minutesMinecraft · 1 HN recommender · 2016–2023