Why do developers adopt the base pessimistic mindset? There are many possible reasons, but I think the main one is that they have been burned by the code base before. They have experienced the pain of dealing with legacy code, spaghetti code, or code rot. They have wasted hours or days trying to figure out how something works, why something doesn’t work, or how to make something work.

They have faced the wrath of angry users, clients, or managers who blamed them for breaking something that was already broken. They have felt the pressure of tight deadlines, changing requirements, or unrealistic expectations. They have learned to distrust the code base and to doubt their own abilities.

This pessimistic mindset has a negative impact on the quality and productivity of software development. It leads to defensive coding, over-engineering, or under-engineering. It discourages innovation, experimentation, or refactoring. It reduces collaboration, communication, or feedback. It lowers motivation, satisfaction, or morale. It creates a vicious cycle of pessimism that feeds on itself and makes the code base worse over time.

How can we break this cycle and foster a more optimistic mindset? Here are some suggestions:

Adopt a growth mindset. Believe that you can learn from the code base and improve your skills. Don’t let your past failures define your future success. Embrace challenges as opportunities to grow.

Practice gratitude. Appreciate the good aspects of the code base and the people who contributed to it. Recognize the value and purpose of your work. Celebrate your achievements and those of your teammates.

Seek feedback. Ask for help when you are stuck or unsure. Listen to constructive criticism and learn from it. Share your ideas and opinions and welcome different perspectives.

Refactor continuously. Don’t be afraid to change the code for the better. Apply good design principles and coding standards. Remove duplication and complexity. Add clarity and simplicity.

Test thoroughly. Write automated tests that cover all the important scenarios and edge cases. Run them frequently and fix any issues as soon as possible. Use code analysis tools to detect potential problems and improve quality.

Deploy frequently. Deliver working software to your users or clients as often as possible. Get their feedback and incorporate it into your next iteration. Measure the impact and value of your work.

dYdX won’t profit from v4 as it becomes public benefit corporation.

dYdX, one of the leading decentralized exchanges (DEXs) in the crypto space, has announced a major change in its governance and business model. The platform, which recently launched its v4 protocol, has decided to become a public benefit corporation (PBC), a type of legal entity that prioritizes social and environmental impact over profits.

According to a blog post by dYdX founder Antonio Juliano, the move was motivated by the desire to align the platform’s values with its users and community. He wrote:

“We believe that decentralization is not only a technological innovation, but also a social one. Decentralization empowers individuals to take control of their own financial destiny and enables new forms of collaboration and coordination that can create positive change in the world.”

As a PBC, dYdX will have a fiduciary duty to consider the interests of all stakeholders, not just shareholders, when making decisions. This means that the platform will prioritize user experience, security, innovation, and social impact over maximizing profits.

Additionally, dYdX will allocate 10% of its revenue to a public benefit fund, which will be used to support projects and initiatives that advance the mission and vision of dYdX. The fund will be governed by a board of directors, which will include representatives from the dYdX community.

Juliano also clarified that becoming a PBC does not mean that dYdX will stop being profitable or competitive. He said:

“We believe that being a PBC will actually make us more successful in the long term, as it will help us attract and retain the best talent, partners, and users who share our vision and values. We also believe that being a PBC will give us a competitive edge in the market, as it will differentiate us from other platforms that may have conflicting incentives or agendas.”

The transition to a PBC is part of dYdX’s broader vision to become a fully decentralized and community-owned platform. The platform plans to launch its own governance token in the near future, which will enable users to participate in the decision-making process and benefit from the growth of dYdX.

dYdX is one of the most popular and innovative DEXs in the crypto space, offering users access to various trading products such as spot, margin, perpetuals, and options. The platform leverages layer 2 scaling solutions to provide fast, cheap, and secure transactions. According to its website, dYdX has processed over $40 billion in trading volume since its inception in 2017.