131–140 of 230 posts
Not sure I'd want to get my career advice from him.
[1] http://techcrunch.com/2008/01/01/zed-shaw-puts-the-smack-dow...
So true. I'm a aeronautical engineer and notice things everyday that could be revamped through coding. The problem is the vast majority of aeronautical/mechanical engineers aren't comfortable with code, and if anything broke or any improvements were needed after I left, no one could do anything with it. So we're back to our "database" of 200+ Excel files and nested folders for CAD "version control."
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I agree with this, but I guess I don't know who he thinks needs this advice. I assumed his advice was for the programmer lackey who wishes they had a more interesting job. I would assume a biophysics PhD in this day and age probably already has been exposed to programming, maybe even in Python. I mean, my sister has an MPH and she had to take SAS programming courses, and she graduated 8 years ago. It's 2011, not 1979…
Yeah, I'd generalize the advice to: don't be a programmer, be a domain expert who happens to write good code. I think that's still extremely valuable advice in a world where "hackers" are obsessed with the whizziest language, version-control system, editor, database flavor, etc., and other sorts of largely irrelevant technical ephemera that ages like dead fish. Meanwhile, nobody understands statistics. It's a problem…
If he thinks he can learn any programming language in a week, he's still ignorant about programming languages. I challenge his knowledge of/about Haskell, Agda, etc. Also, I am sure there are plenty of "old programmers" who are still excited about programming languages, and think they matter.
I've gone through http://learnyouahaskell.com/ and it wasn't too hard. About the only difficulty is the pointless and contradictory jargon like "point free" or the hand-waving about Monads and how they violate their purely functional execution model. Never heard of Agda, but then I sort of don't care. Obviously, there are old programmers who are into programming languages, but they usually sit around writing crappy p…
Ow ow - come on now, there are definitely practical applications of Haskell. It just has a painful learning curve, but it's very elegant in the end.
There are moments of doubtful introspection and unwelcome truths that are insightful and illuminating. Stop and listen to the perspective and perhaps just spend a moment with it... That is want it means to be human.
Spouting of some knee-jerk reaction shows you are not even beginning to listen and haven't begun to hear what this person is emoting. There is a lot more here that is heartfelt and true than simply what is written.
Wow, where have you been coding? I am not as proficient (and DEFINITELY not as prolific) as you are, but I've only had that feeling once working as a programmer in Singapore, and that was because the boss in question happened to be an asshole.
You know, half the reason Zed Shaw is so well known is not just that he is a prolific coder, but that he is quite an excellent writer as well. Well done Zed. I always appreciate what you write.
Well, other than that he's completely mistaken about the career advice he offers here. I'd be very curious to know if he's ever been the highly-respected programmer in a science lab, or personally knows anyone who is. My science friends tell me the job doesn't exist; any code that needs writing, a grad student will do it sufficiently well (on top of their lab work) for no more money.
I worked in academia for a decade and the code written by Hgrad students is a problem... but 95% of faculty are so clueless about computers they have no idea. And decent grad students know it.
I've worked in physics and chemistry and I've seen this code... It is like a ten year old with cheez whiz sealing your bathroom. It works for a while, but it is not professional code. Smart domain experts know they are just barely passing with respect to coding solutions in their field,
If he thinks he can learn any programming language in a week, he's still ignorant about programming languages. I challenge his knowledge of/about Haskell, Agda, etc. Also, I am sure there are plenty of "old programmers" who are still excited about programming languages, and think they matter.
You missed the point of his article. I believe Zed has shown that his mind is perfectly capable of seeing and processing the macro picture. Whether that be language theory, software engineering, or whatever he puts his energies towards. I may not agree with some of his opinions but the volume and quality of his output is indeed impressive. Haskell's type system _is_ complex, but so are most things that are looked upo…
The power of this field is in its infancy. There will be a day when "programming" as we call it is as natural part of the user experience of machines as browsing facebook might be today. In fact it will be expected, and products that do not allow this rich interaction from the user will be shunned. Programming will be second nature and humans will not desire it, nay they will demand it. It is akin to granting freedom to those subjected to slavery. It really changes ones entire world view.
But by dismissing these powerful constructs as mere simple tools this vision will never be realized.
This is the flaw in Zed's argument. Learning new languages may not have been valuable to him (which in reality I doubt) simply because he hasn't expanded enough into the areas less explored. There is so much room for innovation here that the journey hasn't even begun. He is writing off something so incredibly powerful and world shaping simply because he lacks the imagination to see it. The sad part is that he is inflicting this view on those new to the profession that may across his old "wisdom".