C) it depends. each is the smarter choice in different situations.
Ask HN: Good enough vs excellence -- which do you favor?
21–24 of 24 posts
Re: Ask HN: Good enough vs excellence -- which do you favor?
#22Do I get paid more for more productivity? Releasing two good-enough products in the time it takes for one excellent product means I get twice the money. If no one sees source code, why be a perfectionist?
I used to clean slicing machines in a deli. It wouldn't have been too bad daudling around being absolutely perfect... pleasant, actually, but they pushed us.
Perfectionism is a luxury because it costs productivity. It's nothing to be proud of.
If your boss cares, he might schedule you some time to clean-up code.
Re: Ask HN: Good enough vs excellence -- which do you favor?
#23It depends. You cannot have a "good enough" with rapid iterations approach for a mission critical project. e.g. A software to control chemotherapy or a missile controller program
However for consumer facing products or in some cases for enterprise products, you can start with a minimal working version and then improvise.
Personally, i prefer A because the real feedback comes in from your consumers and you will find lot of your assumptions going wrong
Re: Ask HN: Good enough vs excellence -- which do you favor?
#24Good enough is never good enough. It leaves lots of room for mistakes and at that point "good enough" becomes "oops." Not worth the rapid iteration if there is room for it to come crashing down...
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