I am not naturally detail oriented. Some of my colleagues can easily find differences between nearly similarly looking pieces of code. I waste a bit of time trying to fix the errors caused by my detail blindness. Does this improve with more experience?
Ask HN: Can you be a good programmer if you are not details oriented?
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Re: Ask HN: Can you be a good programmer if you are not details oriented?
#2I would say the ability to eagle-eye bits of code is useful only to a point. Deductive reasoning will always be available when dead reckoning isn't.
Re: Ask HN: Can you be a good programmer if you are not details oriented?
#3Your pattern recognition skills will improve with use and experience with the language. It is a skill that you can absolutely develop.
When you're first starting out, you are spending mental energy all over the place. Over time, especially with conscious exercise, you become honed in on the places where important details often lie.
My detail-orientation varies widely. At work/in code, I have incredibly deep focus and can spot small details that are amiss. At home, my wife can ask me to clean up the kitchen counter, and I can't find what she's objecting to. :)
Re: Ask HN: Can you be a good programmer if you are not details oriented?
#4If you have problems comparing code,
you can adopt the practice of using a diff tool to highlight differences in code for you.
Re: Ask HN: Can you be a good programmer if you are not details oriented?
#5I am not detail oriented, this is a weakness but it is also the reason I can see the big picture and build generic & solid code architecture. As other said, don't worry, if you practice, practice, practice you'll get better with time. Pairing with a detail oriented devs is also very illuminating : ask them about their thought process.
Re: Ask HN: Can you be a good programmer if you are not details oriented?
#6How long have you been coding? I personally think this will improve, because most errors repeat themselves and you'll get more cautios when you write lines that are potentially error prone (boolean logic, off-by-1 errors etc.).
Re: Ask HN: Can you be a good programmer if you are not details oriented?
#7Yep, you'll get better.
In the meantime you should pick up a few organizational practices. For example before starting a tricky piece of code I like to list out as many edge cases as I can think of (this is like TDD, but you don't get tests at the end). Or when you're trying to debug something make a list of every scenario you can think of that will lead to that bug. In time this will sink in and you'll automatically know where to look when something unexpected happens.
Re: Ask HN: Can you be a good programmer if you are not details oriented?
#8Yup, I am (said by others) very good at architecture and the big picture, while I have never been great at details.
Some of the details oriented work is actually just habit, I can spot tiny issues in Ruby, but I need a diff to figure out Go code. Tools help a lot too.
Re: Ask HN: Can you be a good programmer if you are not details oriented?
#9"Absolutely! I was always bad at details, but I don't notice any impact!"
Re: Ask HN: Can you be a good programmer if you are not details oriented?
#10Try not to say "I am not X". I find that when I start thinking: "I will get better at X", it motivates me a lot more.
I think when I say "I am not X" I unconsciously blame it on my nature and see it as something that I cannot correct and have to live with. A subtle change in attitude about yourself can go a long way.