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Signs that you are a bad programmer

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Re: Signs that you are a bad programmer

#11

Post by re_todd »

jwingy wrote: post #4

A lot of these make sense, but I would caution against being discouraged if you show any of these symptoms. Like another front page article that says IQ is not static, I think this also definitely applies to programming ability. I hope this isn't used by some to push the mantra that 'not everybody can code'.

Yeah, I think the title should have been "Signs that you are a mediocre programmer", which would have been less discouraging. I'm sure most good programmers have started out making many of these mistakes. At least it has a "Remedies" section, so it's not a total downer.

Re: Signs that you are a bad programmer

#12

Post by kenjackson »

ducktype wrote: post #6

> "Bulldozer code" that gives the appearance of refactoring by breaking out chunks into subroutines, but that are impossible to reuse in another context (very high cohesion) I feel like this might give people the wrong idea. Surely some amount of cohesion is desirable. Also, I'm not quite sure how one "gives the appearance of refactoring" without actually refactoring. Whether it's useful or not may enter into it, but…

Not only that, the purpose of refactoring isn't simply for reuse, but also for readability. If you break out chuncks that aren't reusable, but enhance the readability of the code then you've likely improved the code.

Given the choice between reusability and readability I'd say that readability should usually win (although it is a false choice).

Re: Signs that you are a bad programmer

#13

Post by Sodel »

rickmb wrote: post #3

The opposite approach is much simpler. There's only one sign that you are a great programmer: Clients and fellow programmers are still happy with your work two years after you've delivered it. (Of course: "still" implies that they we're happy at delivery, which includes actually shipping working software in a timely fashion.)

I would definitely stipulate that the clients applied to this metric need to be "clueful". You might give them exactly what you asked for, only to have them discover that what they asked for wasn't really what they wanted; "clients from hell" might ask you to re-write it for free, or at least be cross with you for not reading their minds. In any case, they won't be happy.

Ignore those.

Re: Signs that you are a bad programmer

#14

Post by mcknz »

"You're not reading this article."

But seriously, it probably never occurs to bad programmers that they should be finding articles like this.

Perhaps a better title/approach would be "A Bad Programmer Taxonomy, And How You Can Help."

Re: Signs that you are a bad programmer

#16

Post by skizm »

its_so_on wrote: post #8

There is one surefire sign you're a bad programmer: faced with a problem, your reaction is "pshaw, I see how I can solve this..." Whereas a good programmer has the reaction, "uh-oh. I see how I can solve this..." And knows that this is just half the battle, and what he's getting himself into.

Oy, I used to do this all the time... till I stared sitting down to solve some of those problems. That was about the time I started saying "uh-oh". I (think) I have moved on from this phase fortunately.

Re: Signs that you are a bad programmer

#18

Post by nhangen »

barce wrote: post #7

I paused for a bit when I read, "A programmer can't acquire this kind of knowledge without slowing down." It seems that many businesses that rely on programmers are unwilling to give them the time to be better. I have seen coders with CS degrees from top-tier schools believe that they couldn't code anymore when placed in environments that do not mentor them, that treat them as horses to be run until their backs break…

I'm in this position now. I'm not a great developer, and I love learning new tricks, but because I'm billed hourly, am constantly interrupted, and get brought in to useless meetings, I'm left with zero time to learn.

Re: Signs that you are a bad programmer

#19

Post by Okvivi »

A sign that I found missing from the list: you are totally devoted to a particular programming language and believe it's a silver bullet. All good programmers that I know understand that languages are just tools and all have tradeoffs of some sort.

Re: Signs that you are a bad programmer

#20

Post by chris_dcosta »

I think this stuff comes from someone who has a colleague with these "symptoms", and is either frustrated because they can't educate them into better techniques, or is a subordinate with no power.

In any case it's pretty unforgiving.

I have had a colleague who fits the bill here, but actually I just let them get on with their work and I got on with mine. Sure, it was hard when he delivered something that was excruciatingly poorly conceived and executed and I had the task of taking it to the the next stage. But you know this isn't a life and death business, he was a really nice guy, and I wasn't going to rock the boat. The next project, I was working with someone else and everyone was happy.

Contrast that with making an issue of it, and you might find yourself being labelled as a trouble maker, even if you did have the best intentions for the development.

If you run the show however, don't stand for it, because it's your business, and it calls for the best at all times.

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