Ask HN: What do top engineers you know do that others don't? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: What do top engineers you know do that others don't?

#11

Post by huffmsa » Tue, Dec 24, 2019, 1:51 PM UTC

ericb wrote: post #8

* Better googling. Time-restricted, url restricted, site restricted searches. Search with the variant parts of error messages removed. * Read the source of upstream dependencies. Fix or fork them if needed. * They're better at finding forks with solutions and gleaning hints from semi-related issues. * Formulate more creative hypothesis when obvious lines of investigation run out. The best don't give up. * Dig in to p…

> Assume hostile users (security-wise).

Ah, a personal favorite of mine which often makes other people uncomfortable.

1. Users are like Marines, if it can be broken, it will be broken. If it's use is not clearly marked, it will be used incorrectly. If it can be fucked (literally or figuratively), it will be fucked.

2. Users are malicious and are actively trying to backdoor everything you do. Why? Because it's the first thing I do with a new product / what I do with the competitions products.

3. It is the developers responsibility to mitigate the above cases.

Re: Ask HN: What do top engineers you know do that others don't?

#12

Post by huffmsa » Tue, Dec 24, 2019, 1:59 PM UTC

1. Knowing when it's okay to implement a "good enough" solution versus taking the time to implement the "academically correct" solution.

Or otherwise put, knowing when to do things by the book, and when it's okay not to.

Re: Ask HN: What do top engineers you know do that others don't?

#13

Post by FunnyLookinHat » Tue, Dec 24, 2019, 2:41 PM UTC

tetek wrote: post #3

1. Don't bitch about legacy software 2. Are willing to help with getting proper requirements 3. Don't need a JIRA task for everything 4. Don't say they are done if something is untestable 5. Are willing to do stuff other than their skill (eg. one of the graphics required for the project is too big, top engineer opens up gimp, resizes and continue. Bad engineer will report to manager that design team did shitty job, r…

> Don't need a JIRA task for everything

This! One hundred percent this!

However, sometimes the sign of a senior is the ability to distinguish when something isn't a fire and should go through the proper channels... so maybe I'd also add:

8. Knows when a JIRA task should be necessary before starting work.

Re: Ask HN: What do top engineers you know do that others don't?

#14

Post by twoquestions » Tue, Dec 24, 2019, 2:42 PM UTC

tetek wrote: post #3

1. Don't bitch about legacy software 2. Are willing to help with getting proper requirements 3. Don't need a JIRA task for everything 4. Don't say they are done if something is untestable 5. Are willing to do stuff other than their skill (eg. one of the graphics required for the project is too big, top engineer opens up gimp, resizes and continue. Bad engineer will report to manager that design team did shitty job, r…

> Are willing to do stuff other than their skill (eg. one of the graphics required for the project is too big, top engineer opens up gimp, resizes and continue.)

This kind of thing can be dangerous in the wrong sort of organization, be careful about stepping on other people's toes. What you call Bad engineering is adaptive behavior in an organization like this.

Bad organizations incentivize bad behavior and punish good behavior.

Re: Ask HN: What do top engineers you know do that others don't?

#15

Post by FunnyLookinHat » Tue, Dec 24, 2019, 2:43 PM UTC

* More interested in working methodically than frantically. (If the alarms are firing but they still follow method over shotgun approach.)

* Reads the docs of dependencies rather than blindly googling.

Re: Ask HN: What do top engineers you know do that others don't?

#16

Post by stinos » Tue, Dec 24, 2019, 2:44 PM UTC

codesternews wrote: post #5

tetek wrote: post #3

1. Don't bitch about legacy software 2. Are willing to help with getting proper requirements 3. Don't need a JIRA task for everything 4. Don't say they are done if something is untestable 5. Are willing to do stuff other than their skill (eg. one of the graphics required for the project is too big, top engineer opens up gimp, resizes and continue. Bad engineer will report to manager that design team did shitty job, r…

Also, Don't bitch about other's code. You don't know in what constraints they have to write it.

You mean apart from code review?

Re: Ask HN: What do top engineers you know do that others don't?

#17

Post by EsssM7QVMehFPAs » Tue, Dec 24, 2019, 2:45 PM UTC

Care about their responsibilities

Re: Ask HN: What do top engineers you know do that others don't?

#18

Post by hprotagonist » Tue, Dec 24, 2019, 2:45 PM UTC

* Consider ethics first.

* Happy to ask the uncomfortable questions early.

* Will ask technical questions proactively without caring about maintaining face.

* Has good discipline and communicates well.

Re: Ask HN: What do top engineers you know do that others don't?

#19

Post by AllegedAlec » Tue, Dec 24, 2019, 2:55 PM UTC

tetek wrote: post #3

1. Don't bitch about legacy software 2. Are willing to help with getting proper requirements 3. Don't need a JIRA task for everything 4. Don't say they are done if something is untestable 5. Are willing to do stuff other than their skill (eg. one of the graphics required for the project is too big, top engineer opens up gimp, resizes and continue. Bad engineer will report to manager that design team did shitty job, r…

> 3. Don't need a JIRA task for everything

Genuinely asking: how so? Tickets are not just some bit of bureaucracy, they are also a living log of what has been done and why that thing was done.

Re: Ask HN: What do top engineers you know do that others don't?

#20

Post by vidanay » Tue, Dec 24, 2019, 2:57 PM UTC

Have the ability to distinguish causes from symptoms.