Why your programmers just want to code • Hacker News Board

Re: Why your programmers just want to code

#131

Post by danzig13 » Sun, Dec 03, 2017, 7:43 PM UTC

AstralStorm wrote: post #129

danzig13 wrote: post #124

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If the manager / CEO / businessy business person is holistically concerned with the health of the business and the software engineer is only concerned with their domain of expertise, they are relatively childish compared to that person that is expected to know enough about everything and sincerely takes it on.

And that person is either ignored or swamped in "the process". Or both.

Depending on how awful the process / culture is you might be right. However, it does go a long way to avoiding that outcome if technical types can juggle a couple business or other concerns outside of their narrow job description.

Re: Why your programmers just want to code

#132

Post by JoeAltmaier » Mon, Dec 04, 2017, 3:51 PM UTC

sdiupIGPWEfh wrote: post #126

JoeAltmaier wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree. I imagine the beginning of the end is, the agile standup/sprint process. Instead of addressing the code as a whole, we're reduced to picking at one piece at a time in isolation. No development without a customer issue to justify it! Especially the new guy. And to come in after a couple of years of this, and find a code base that is a pile of individual pieces in a loose spaghetti wad, is so absolutely disill…

Just realized this is now me. "A pile of individual pieces in a loose spaghetti wad" exactly describes what I've been made responsible for. Each source file shows scars of sprints where some poor fool was given a story and told "just make it work" with no concern for any big picture.

I'm so sorry! btw like the imagery 'shows scars of sprints' - well said

Re: Why your programmers just want to code

#133

Post by w_t_payne » Sun, Dec 10, 2017, 11:37 AM UTC

badminton1 wrote: post #13

w_t_payne wrote: post #4

The programmer in this story has realised this fundamental truth: The spoken word is ephemeral and easily forgot. The design of the product that pays the bills is not so easily undone. What people say in meetings; all the posturing and preening; the petty one-upmanship and power-play — none of this has any relevance to what actually gets done in the real world. When it comes to what actually gets implemented — all of…

A healthy team is a team with high social capital: a team that seeks the common good, where people clean up after themselves and volunteer to help others. Everyone wants the best idea to prevail. All this while preserving critical thinking and trusting other people with the feedback that is necessary to improve. Their most important competitor is another company. An unhealthy team is a team with low social capital: a…

I agree. I also think that there are far too many unhealthy teams in the world.