Ask HN: Why aren't you coding? • Hacker News Board

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

#271

Post by damagednoob » Sat, Feb 13, 2021, 10:56 AM UTC

Lack of motivation in my team and myself. A big merger has happened which has meant:

* various political machinations behind the scenes

* the gutting of the team I'm on

* the sunsetting of the project I'm on

* my contract coming to an end

The temptation to just browse reddit, twitter and youtube is one I'm struggling to resist.

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

#272

Post by timwaagh » Sat, Feb 13, 2021, 11:02 AM UTC

monster_group wrote: post #47

timwaagh wrote: post #38

Java websphere stack is such a waiting game. Besides I don't love code.

If you're running Websphere locally, exclude WS folders from anti-virus scanning. It will considerably speed up WS start up.

I don't think the system I use it on even has anti virus. What I mean is after I do a code change I have to remove all packages from the server, clean the server, run a build, add all packages to server. All of those take minutes.

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

#273

Post by wernercd » Sat, Feb 13, 2021, 11:05 AM UTC

"What's stopping you" It's a 3 day weekend?

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

#274

Post by huhtenberg » Sat, Feb 13, 2021, 11:07 AM UTC

Not being able to find good variable names of the same length.

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

#275

Post by byteface » Sat, Feb 13, 2021, 11:15 AM UTC

because im vacuuming the db, flushing the cache, rotating the logs, retrieving the stats, rebooting the server, teaching you to change the background in the chat, commenting on the tickets, adding to the docs, onboarding the noobs, upgrading the libraries, adding ips to the firewall, updating the ssl cert, installing, compiling, backing-up, migrating, doing my timesheets, ive got 3 'training modules' i haven't completed yet, 5 invites to a PMs weekly catchup I cant make, I've been asked to review the spec on some other project, still need to setup the VPN access, get passwords for the VNC, need to email support to put my keys on the new server so i can jump host as working remotely, editing crons, editing configs, security updates, replying to client emails... oh and that line of code i wrote this week. sadly I had to write that as there was no other solution. I mean I googled like fuck for ages but this is the only way.

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

#276

Post by huhtenberg » Sat, Feb 13, 2021, 11:16 AM UTC

xyzal wrote: post #36

Lack of sleep, have a young child at home ... can't really focus on anything else but documenting own older code or watching lectures right now.

Been through this and in retrospect this was a blessing in disguise.

Instead of sitting down and writing a draft code version, then reworking it, then reworking it again, then realizing there's a better way to do/structure the same, discarding it and making a clean version I was forced (by the baby-centric lifestyle) to think it all through in the head first. I would then sit down and emit the final version on the first try. The best part is that it also took noticeably less time than the iterative "hands-on" approach.

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

#277

Post by taurath » Sat, Feb 13, 2021, 11:29 AM UTC

arendtio wrote: post #244

serial_dev wrote: post #118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

Just in case you aren't aware, but this is what agile is actually about. Big part of it is communicating with the team. Not having a fixed plan and adjusting when having new insights is also part of it, but I think the communication part is often overlooked. In the classic methodologies, you had some document, that told you what to do. In agile you should talk about things and just use a few notes to summarize what s…

Why do you have to ascribe good practices such as confirming work necessities as being “Agile” or not? The word (as a proper noun) to me has lost all meaning having been inane different workplaces, all of which claim to be “Agile”.

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

#278

Post by amelius » Sat, Feb 13, 2021, 11:39 AM UTC

8note wrote: post #200

hansvm wrote: post #167

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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

Use an APL keyboard and you'll have more options.

https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=95872.0

I do think we need a modern hacking keyboard though.

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

#279

Post by chiefalchemist » Sat, Feb 13, 2021, 11:41 AM UTC

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…

Solid. Mind if I sum it up?

Coding is a means, not an ends.

Working hard is easy. Working smart is hard.

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

#280

Post by chiefalchemist » Sat, Feb 13, 2021, 11:45 AM UTC

arendtio wrote: post #244

serial_dev wrote: post #118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

Just in case you aren't aware, but this is what agile is actually about. Big part of it is communicating with the team. Not having a fixed plan and adjusting when having new insights is also part of it, but I think the communication part is often overlooked. In the classic methodologies, you had some document, that told you what to do. In agile you should talk about things and just use a few notes to summarize what s…

Perhaps. But methodology should be independent of being able and willing to ask questions. A close colleague recently left a company because the talk was "we're agile" but the walk was "don't ask questions, just do what you're told."