---
title: "Leon Pennings (@leon74) | Hashnode"
description: "Trying to put engineering back into software development. Read the latest articles by Leon Pennings on Hashnode."
url: "https://hashnode.com/@leon74"
---

@leon74

# Leon Pennings

@leon74 · Zoetermeer, The Netherlands · Joined November 2025

Trying to put engineering back into software development

### [Getting software to work is just the beginning](https://blog.leonpennings.com/getting-software-to-work-is-just-the-beginning?utm_source=hashnode&utm_medium=feed)

Everything will work In application development, and probably in every IT field, almost any tool will get you to a working result. Any tool, any combination of frameworks and technologies can be strun

9 min read · [blog.leonpennings.com](https://blog.leonpennings.com/getting-software-to-work-is-just-the-beginning?utm_source=hashnode&utm_medium=feed)

[Oct 13](https://hashnode.com/posts/getting-software-to-work-is-just-the-beginning/6ace0e49bde284a72441b9f0)

### [What AI Context Limitations Teach About Software Development](https://blog.leonpennings.com/what-ai-context-limitations-teach-about-software-development?utm_source=hashnode&utm_medium=feed)

Ask an AI coding assistant to fix a bug in one file, and there's a decent chance it patches the symptom at the call site rather than the logic several layers away that's actually causing it. That orig

19 min read · [blog.leonpennings.com](https://blog.leonpennings.com/what-ai-context-limitations-teach-about-software-development?utm_source=hashnode&utm_medium=feed)

[Sep 29](https://hashnode.com/posts/what-ai-context-limitations-teach-about-software-development/6abbaaa2843df015b10667ad)

### [Tech Debt Isn't a Backlog Problem. It's a "Done" Problem.](https://blog.leonpennings.com/tech-debt-isn-t-a-backlog-problem-it-s-a-done-problem?utm_source=hashnode&utm_medium=feed)

Technical debt is usually described as a bill that arrives later for a purchase made earlier: speed bought on credit, with the cost deferred to some future date. Ask practitioners why debt accumulates

10 min read · [blog.leonpennings.com](https://blog.leonpennings.com/tech-debt-isn-t-a-backlog-problem-it-s-a-done-problem?utm_source=hashnode&utm_medium=feed)

[Sep 7](https://hashnode.com/posts/tech-debt-isn-t-a-backlog-problem-it-s-a-done-problem/6a9e6b52ce59dcf815754bc4)

### [The Technical Candy Problem in Software Development](https://blog.leonpennings.com/the-technical-candy-problem-in-software-development?utm_source=hashnode&utm_medium=feed)

Goodhart's Law, software architecture, and the questions it lets teams stop asking

16 min read · [blog.leonpennings.com](https://blog.leonpennings.com/the-technical-candy-problem-in-software-development?utm_source=hashnode&utm_medium=feed)

[Aug 29](https://hashnode.com/posts/the-technical-candy-problem-in-software-development/6a92cea005e67584a9f961f6)

### [Tooling Is the Icing on the Cake, Not the Cake Itself](https://blog.leonpennings.com/tooling-is-the-icing-on-the-cake-not-the-cake-itself?utm_source=hashnode&utm_medium=feed)

There's a recurring message on LinkedIn: Java 8 is legacy. Java 21 is enterprise-ready. Upgrade, or fall behind. Ask the same people directly whether a better language makes for a better product, and

11 min read · [blog.leonpennings.com](https://blog.leonpennings.com/tooling-is-the-icing-on-the-cake-not-the-cake-itself?utm_source=hashnode&utm_medium=feed)

[Aug 20](https://hashnode.com/posts/tooling-is-the-icing-on-the-cake-not-the-cake-itself/6a86fd9935f7db4e83306876)