Application / Code reviews for lone programmers?

Question

Are there any services that 'for a reasonable price' will give and provide good and technical advice on applications. On a lot of projects, I'm usually the only developer, and sometimes, I think some of my work needs to be improved for efficiency, better MVC interactions, etc. It would be great if there was a professional service that actually can and will do such reviews

Answer 1

Find someone else who's an indie and needs their code reviewing, and buddy up with them. Sitting next to each other in an office or pub is best, but you can use online paste bin services and videoconferencing if there's no one in your town.

Answer 2

There are a lot of software consulting companies out there which will do this kind of service for you. They're not free of course (and often not cheap) but I am working with one now and I find what I learn from them is worth the price.

Answer 3

Not really for lone developers, but as a silo programmer working with other programmers I was able to convince management to allow for cross-training time where we would review each other's code on a rotating basis.

I claimed it would ease problems if a contractor left and there was no one ready to take over his projects.

We did peer 4:1 reviews once a week. It kind of worked and I did get some good advice from the others. And learned what projects to stay away from.

Answer 4

This is not really 'professional', but it may help a little?

1. Try to explain your design to a 10 year old (and keep their engagement).
2. Have a 5 year old try to break your system (make it a game to make it crash).