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The Tao of Programming (1987)

mit.edu

21–30 of 64 posts

Re: The Tao of Programming (1987)

#21

> Thus spake the Master. It’s time for you to leave. Saying this to self often helps when making a career move, or an important decision in life, etc. Or when you are refactoring your code. The Master is the universe. Life is a trip visiting from Temples to Temples. We practice Programming because we are Disciples.

This is a reference to the old TV series "Kung Fu":

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/WhenYouSnatchThe...

Re: The Tao of Programming (1987)

#22

> Why are programmers non-productive? Because their time is wasted in meetings. > Why are programmers rebellious? Because the management interferes too much. > Why are the programmers resigning one by one? Because they are burnt out. > Having worked for poor management, they no longer value their jobs.

No personal responsibility?

Re: The Tao of Programming (1987)

#24

Enterprise dev still gets me. Having worked beneath its sheltering branches for years, and been dumped on by the big bird from HQ numerous times - it is just the best and worst. If all the craziness can be ignored it can be bliss, I just never managed to reach the tao.

The tao that can be reached is not the true Tao. You can only move towards it.

Re: The Tao of Programming (1987)

#25
post #14

Just my master degree finished laotze and now moved to chungtze. This copy is so bad that I am sorry it does not get Tao of programming at all. At least not tao. * I think at least have some story of debugging like dissect of the ox in zhungzi like in the beginning I hack the code with hardship, strgguking all the time with upgrades and ... finally I do not see the problem and I can fix whatsoever with whatever langu…

I'd be curious how you think about my favorite version: https://pastebin.com/raw/dXdZXnux

That's some hardcore licensing terms btw.

Re: The Tao of Programming (1987)

#26
post #24

Enterprise dev still gets me. Having worked beneath its sheltering branches for years, and been dumped on by the big bird from HQ numerous times - it is just the best and worst. If all the craziness can be ignored it can be bliss, I just never managed to reach the tao.

The tao that can be reached is not the true Tao. You can only move towards it.

Wise words. What I meant to say was - I constantly stumble and fall in such settings.

Even so it is also the type of setting where you can work completely sheltered from the real world, on problems you find interesting, without worry.

If you can separate “care for” from “interesting” and find a decent middle manager - tao can seem close by.

Re: The Tao of Programming (1987)

#27
post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Man I wish I could get out of the field and just return to it being my hobby. Every now and then I get those periods of excitement, focus, etc. with my personal projects, but 90% of the time I want nothing to do with development.

If your current job is your would-be hobby, and you still have to work +40h per week, chances are that it can't get better than this. It's just working itself that sucks.

> It's just working itself that sucks.

AKA alienation of labor, as Marx put it:

> labor is external to the worker. It does not belong to his nature. He does not realize himself in his work, that he denies himself in it. That he does not feel at ease in it but rather unhappy. He does not develop free physical and mental energy in it... The worker is only himself when he does not work, and in his work he feels outside himself. He feels at home when he’s not working. When working he does not feel at home...His labor is not voluntary but forced.

tl;dr:

> You don't hate Mondays, you hate capitalism.

Re: The Tao of Programming (1987)

#28
post #15

I went through a major book downsizing ~7 years ago when I moved unexpectedly. I don't know the exact book count, but something like 60+ linear feet, down to a single armload. The Tao of Programming and The Tao of Pooh both made that cut.

I moved abroad about ten years ago to a non English speaking country. Got the first kindle that came out and never looked back. I have hundreds of books I take with me everywhere now.

I have hundreds of books I take with me everywhere now

This is an underexplored cultural shift I think. In the past your books and your music on LP or CD and your movies on DVD or VHS were part of the decor, usually on prominent display in the living room, the room of the house where guests were entertained. Even your games carts for your console would be in that display. Seeing what was in your host's collection was a part of getting to know them better, and of course, they might choose to curate their collection knowing it would be perused by visitors. That doesn't happen so much any more, for some people, it has never been a part of their experience. I wonder what has replaced it.

Re: The Tao of Programming (1987)

#29
post #23

I have to say I also enjoyed The Codeless Code. A search reveals that stories from there have been submitted to HN several times, though hardly ever commented on. There have been no new stories since 2016. http://thecodelesscode.com/contents

The Codeless Code is great and very entertaining, and sometimes one can learn some lessons from the stories. One that I remember to this day and always consider when building an application is the The White Pearl[0].

[0] http://thecodelesscode.com/case/73

Re: The Tao of Programming (1987)

#30
post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If your current job is your would-be hobby, and you still have to work +40h per week, chances are that it can't get better than this. It's just working itself that sucks.

> It's just working itself that sucks. AKA alienation of labor, as Marx put it: > labor is external to the worker. It does not belong to his nature. He does not realize himself in his work, that he denies himself in it. That he does not feel at ease in it but rather unhappy. He does not develop free physical and mental energy in it... The worker is only himself when he does not work, and in his work he feels outside…

Are you implying that people somehow don't need to work in communist countries? I was too young to work during USSR times, but I can assure you my parents and grandparents hated Mondays as much as my generation do, if not more.
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