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Ask HN: Why aren't you coding?

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Re: Ask HN: Why aren't you coding?

#191

Post by BurningFrog »

serial_dev wrote: post #118
anw wrote: post #96

Because Coding is not Working. Coding is not Planning. Coding is not Being Efficient. Coding is not Accomplishing Goals. Coding is not Saving Money. Coding is not Gaining Customers. I am getting paid to get things done in a good manner. If I wanted to have a house built for me, I would not expect to pay somebody and immediately have them start laying bricks without them looking at the land, taking soil samples, sketc…

Good point, happened to me today. The UI requirements to my ticket didn't make sense. The changes the other dev wanted would have took us possible days. I was hesitant to start, so I asked another dev... He said something totally different, he kept referring to something the designer wanted, but it didn't make sense to me, either. I called the designer and she told me she never said that and we agreed on something el…

Keep communicating with everyone, and you may lead this team in 6 months.

Re: Ask HN: Why aren't you coding?

#192

Post by BurningFrog »

ehnto wrote: post #184
tomxor wrote: post #13

I am paid to solve problems, programming is one part of that, thinking about the problem and the code is a prerequisite to programming. Sometimes one needs to step back and let things sink in rather than continuous action (programming)... while doing that you can even play games, I'll admit some activities are better than others for the purpose of de-focusing your subconscious - but sometimes you also just need a sho…

> For the same reason our job's don't stop when we go home (or turn off slack) either, we are essentially paid to think and our brains do not care about the arbitrary thresholds set by 9-5. Speak for yourself. Some of us have been there, burnt out and had to rebuild our relationship with work in a healthy manner. I think no matter what you do, if it is thought work and you don't find a wat to turn it off, you are doi…

One way to not care about the arbitrary thresholds set by 9-5 is to happily not think about work during those hours, just as much as you may think of it while falling asleep.

Re: Ask HN: Why aren't you coding?

#193

Post by BurningFrog »

daniellarusso wrote: post #122
markb139 wrote: post #116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’ve worked with 0.1x engineers, where the whole team is slowed down. It becomes very draining. This is why I’ve retired and am just doing my own projects

If you work with 0.1x engineers, and you are 1x, does that make you a 10x within the organization?

The way to be tall is to seek short company!

Re: Ask HN: Why aren't you coding?

#194

Post by 8note »

Usually im talking or drawing. Sometimes writing.

Most of the problems to solve involve multiple teams, and getting timelines and interfaces right takes a fair bit of talking, drawing and writing. Once that's done the coding is quick and simple

I'm not paid to code though, coding is incidental to the engineering

Re: Ask HN: Why aren't you coding?

#195

Post by at_a_remove »

Currently, I am waiting for inspiration to strike.

Sure, I am polishing up some other projects, slowly extending them. You know the drill -- better commentary, testing for more unusual conditions, making the "pipeline" reach further in both directions, that kind of thing.

However, I have a Difficult Problem that will require something special to get me going. The last time I was faced with a similar issue (some rather geometric issues, given that it is GIS), I kicked it around for months. One night I was ill and had to take my usual medications for it, and as I became very sleepy, the solutions began to appear to me as well-illustrated diagrams in different colors, with drafting-style callouts and such, a long parade of what I had been looking for. When I woke up, I drew them out and after then, I could begin to code.

Everything else I am doing is basically pick and shovel work of coding. For this, though, I await the call from my muse.

Re: Ask HN: Why aren't you coding?

#196

Post by 8note »

username90 wrote: post #158
swader999 wrote: post #141

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I write better non-trivial code when I get up and get away from the screen for a while. Go do something else to get my mind off it. Even sleep on it. Then the insights creep in. Hammering away at a hard problem usually makes a big mess. Sometimes three quarters of my time is spent understanding the requirements, negotiating the solution, researching, talking through the design.

> Hammering away at a hard problem usually makes a big mess How can this be? Did you never learn how to use source control? Coding is the best way to explore the solution space, doesn't mean you use whatever you write right now.

Code tends to be a liability rather than an asset.

A no code solution to a problem tends to be better than one with code

Re: Ask HN: Why aren't you coding?

#198

Post by 8note »

aiisjustanif wrote: post #183
kodah wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Came here to say this. Coding is one part of the job but mostly what I get paid to do is solve problems. I've worked on projects that were more process oriented and produced zero code whatsoever and still had the sort of outcomes good software does. The vast majority of my job, outside of writing efficient and secure code, is learning about other systems and domains. Software Engineers can be employed in anything fro…

I’d love to hear about a project that produced zero code. I can’t even imagine it outside of compliance or regulation maybe.

I think 1/3rd of the problems I solve involve no code changes?

Often it's showing people another way to use an existing feature

Re: Ask HN: Why aren't you coding?

#199

Post by lolinder »

username90 wrote: post #162
anw wrote: post #96

Because Coding is not Working. Coding is not Planning. Coding is not Being Efficient. Coding is not Accomplishing Goals. Coding is not Saving Money. Coding is not Gaining Customers. I am getting paid to get things done in a good manner. If I wanted to have a house built for me, I would not expect to pay somebody and immediately have them start laying bricks without them looking at the land, taking soil samples, sketc…

> I am getting paid to get things done in a good manner. If I wanted to have a house built for me, I would not expect to pay somebody and immediately have them start laying bricks without them looking at the land, taking soil samples, sketching up drafts of what the house should look like within the constraints available, and then plan the foundation of which to start building. In the software world most of those wou…

Prototypes are useful when you already have a pretty clear picture for what you're trying to build and just need to figure out how it's going to work. If you have yet to validate that you understand the what, you're better off talking and whiteboarding than taking time to code up a prototype.

Re: Ask HN: Why aren't you coding?

#200

Post by 8note »

hansvm wrote: post #167
PopGreene wrote: post #65

I finally checked out the link. You're looking for material to use in a comic? And I'm trying to give you a serious answer. Maybe these experiences will help: Had a coworker get promoted way past his level of incompetence. He never accomplished much before, but afterward he spent all of his time lobbying for his ideas and undermining those of us that were trying to get work done. Wasted a lot of time dealing with him…

> I'm sure a lot of people have this problem: naming things. Can't code until you figure out what that variable should be called. i, j, k, foo, bar, baz, and don't waste a moment thinking about it till your solution is finished and warrants a once-over (or till it has grown sufficiently complicated that a real name is finally necessary even if temporary -- try to work in small enough units that this never happens).

I generally think that if I can't find a good name for a thing, I don't actually know what it does yet, so Im not ready to code it.

I, j, and k have clear definitions as basis vectors, so they can be used, but I don't think I'd ever call a variable foo or bar

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