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A collection of things software developers should know

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Re: A collection of things software developers should know

#161

Post by mr_mig »

oldandtired wrote: post #155
oldandtired wrote: post #26

This is what every programmer should know: 1. Life is too short, so get a life. 2. Know that you don't know everything, so get don't arrogant. 3. Don't get caught up in the various programming "religious" wars, there's more to life than a specific point of view. 4. Laugh and enjoy the the wonderful beauty in the world around us. 5. You're as much the idiot as the person you consider an idiot. 6. Sometimes the "import…

I have had some fun reading the responses. So I'll add some commentary to my list. 1. I have been programming for nearly 40 years, even though I now care full time for my wife, I still create and modify various programs nearly every day. I am a geek, but talking with people (especially the young, including my children, my grandchildren and my nephews and nieces) opens my eyes to different wonderful perspectives. Lear…

Thank you for sharing that. If you write an article, I will add a link to the list

Re: A collection of things software developers should know

#162

Post by psyc »

oldandtired wrote: post #157
psyc wrote: post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm unable to think of any definition for the word "idiot" that would make number 5 generally true. "Human" doesn't work. "Imperfect" is closer, but still doesn't quite work since almost everybody readily admits that already. It's certainly not true that everybody is equally incompetent. Nor is everyone equally rude, or equally impulsive, or equally stubborn.

See my explanation above. I have learned the hard way to recognise that though there are obtuse and pigheaded people who will not listen to anything you say and are extremely difficult to deal with, don't for a minute ever treat them as an idiot. I have dealt with various people over the years who are very intelligent and very expert in their fields of endeavour, yet will treat you as a idiot if you don't comport you…

Oh, I agree wholeheartedly with never treating anybody "like an idiot."

Re: A collection of things software developers should know

#163

Post by sitkack »

ATsch wrote: post #55
ritchiea wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My guess is in this case the original commenter means "get a life" if you feel pressured to only think about programming or work. If you are happy and fulfilled programming all day, go for it, program all day. Personally I would also encourage you to at least try and pursue some other interests because experiencing new things is fun & exciting, but if you're happy that's what's most important. But many of us, especia…

If this is how it was meant, perhaps a different phrase would have conveyed OPs opinion better. For me, "get a life" is strongly associated with "douchey jock" behaviour, bullying, nerd-shaming (is that word a thing? it is now) and phrases like "you like math? what a nerd, get a girlfriend bro", things I'm sure many people on HN have had to deal with.

Suck it nerd! Get a life! (kidding, seriously) As others have said, this HN, everyone here needs to "get a life"

Re: A collection of things software developers should know

#164

Post by sitkack »

nnd wrote: post #27
oldandtired wrote: post #26

This is what every programmer should know: 1. Life is too short, so get a life. 2. Know that you don't know everything, so get don't arrogant. 3. Don't get caught up in the various programming "religious" wars, there's more to life than a specific point of view. 4. Laugh and enjoy the the wonderful beauty in the world around us. 5. You're as much the idiot as the person you consider an idiot. 6. Sometimes the "import…

> 1. Life is too short, so get a life. Are you implying there is more to life than programming?

One can write a nice version in a couple hours.

Re: A collection of things software developers should know

#165

Post by ianai »

ATsch wrote: post #55
ritchiea wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My guess is in this case the original commenter means "get a life" if you feel pressured to only think about programming or work. If you are happy and fulfilled programming all day, go for it, program all day. Personally I would also encourage you to at least try and pursue some other interests because experiencing new things is fun & exciting, but if you're happy that's what's most important. But many of us, especia…

If this is how it was meant, perhaps a different phrase would have conveyed OPs opinion better. For me, "get a life" is strongly associated with "douchey jock" behaviour, bullying, nerd-shaming (is that word a thing? it is now) and phrases like "you like math? what a nerd, get a girlfriend bro", things I'm sure many people on HN have had to deal with.

The phrase "get a life" could make me feel that way, as well. As I age, though, I see the shortness of life more clearly. There is the distinct possibility that someone who enjoys programming 80 hours/week will in the future realize he/she devoted all of his/her time to work and never took a spin through the other aspects of life.

My bet, though, is that often enough people who are absorbed in their work also enjoy other things. I've seen plenty of posts on HN regarding going for a walk to think and clear his/her mind.

Re: A collection of things software developers should know

#166

Post by HeroOfAges »

leoharsha2 wrote: post #106

These are the other things that a developer should know - 1- Focus on the problem and not the tools ceremony around it. 2-Don't follow the herd and the hype. When given a problem, keep drilling the problem until it is absolutely clear to you and then only work on solution. Meta-habit: learn to adopt different habits for different situations. With that in mind, some techniques I've found useful for various situations:…

2-Don't follow the herd and the hype. When given a problem, keep drilling the problem until it is absolutely clear to you and then only work on solution

This is one of the most frustrating things I've had to deal with when developing with a team. No one wants to take the time to think about a problem before working on a solution. Almost always, the people I work with would rather spend weeks coding than spend a few hours thinking about the problem, just so they can present a solution "first". It drives me crazy!

Re: A collection of things software developers should know

#167

Post by thephyber »

bitshift955 wrote: post #6

Very glad to see "Falsehoods Programmers Believe About Names" included in this list [1]. I still struggle to always get this right. One thing I'd suggest including is something about not rolling your own crypto in the security section. Does anyone know a canonical article for this? I've got [2] bookmarked but not sure if a guide with the pitfalls of designing your own crypto scheme is right for this list. [1] http://…

> Falsehoods Programmers Believe About Names

So if you take these to heart, even a tiny weekend project will take near infinite time to handle all of these cases.

It would require infinite space, every possible supported character set, a massive fuzzy-logic search engine, etc.

Humans handle complexity by avoiding it until it becomes a pressing need. The first pass at understanding is always an oversimplified model. Usually we make additional passes, hopefully with progressively more nuanced and educated models.

Knowing that your system will run into problems in the future is sometimes enough. Deferring problems until they are actually significant business impacts is a reasonable strategy.

This applies to "Falsehoods Programmers Believe About {Names, Addresses, Phone Numbers, etc}".

Re: A collection of things software developers should know

#169

Post by thomastjeffery »

thephyber wrote: post #167
bitshift955 wrote: post #6

Very glad to see "Falsehoods Programmers Believe About Names" included in this list [1]. I still struggle to always get this right. One thing I'd suggest including is something about not rolling your own crypto in the security section. Does anyone know a canonical article for this? I've got [2] bookmarked but not sure if a guide with the pitfalls of designing your own crypto scheme is right for this list. [1] http://…

> Falsehoods Programmers Believe About Names So if you take these to heart, even a tiny weekend project will take near infinite time to handle all of these cases. It would require infinite space, every possible supported character set, a massive fuzzy-logic search engine, etc. Humans handle complexity by avoiding it until it becomes a pressing need. The first pass at understanding is always an oversimplified model. U…

> even a tiny weekend project will take near infinite time to handle all of these cases.

A "tiny weekend project" assumes, by definition, a tiny userbase. The point is to assume nothing about a dataset, because even dozens of seemingly reasonable expectations about names are wrong.

The point of the article is not to tell you to immediately write perfect code, but to make you aware of your code's limitations.

Re: A collection of things software developers should know

#170

Post by davemp »

TeMPOraL wrote: post #102
davemp wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not trying to offend, but . . . > If I enjoy xyz, who are you to judge me for that? I find this (common) sentiment troubling and frankly a bit arrogant. Whether or not you enjoy something is not always good metric for said thing's long term effects on your life. Other people have experienced different things than you and may have some really good insights. Assuming you know exactly what's best strikes me as arrogant.…

> Judgement and ostracization, while often misused, are effective tools for a society to encourage beneficial behaviours. Conforming behaviours. Not beneficial. One could argue that conforming to mainstream is beneficial for the society, though I personally don't buy it - if you look at what the average of human interests is, it's all pretty petty. If we were all stuck at the lowest common denominator, I'm not sure i…

I wasn't commenting on the particular issue. I was merely saying that "who are you to judge me?" is a peer in society. Our lives are interconnected to varying degrees and your life will definately affect others.

Everyone should definately recieve input on how they're living their lives. Some input may not be valuable, but unilaterally dismissing it is hubris.

I'm not arguing for some extreme where people are stoned in the streets. Just that you should entertain some feedback from society.

For example: I was eating lunch outside and staring at my phone the whole time. An older lady came up and said that I should put my phone away, slow down, and just enjoy the weather/my lunch. I gave it some thought and decided that she was right. Now I conciously try to use meals as a true break and it's been refreshing. Valuable input.

Another example: I was out on a rainy day. I was wearing a JHU raincoat (had for $3 from a clearance rack) + boat shoes and someone said I should be careful about what I wear lest people think I'm "white priviledged".

Personally, I think that's bullshit, but I was still respectful. I probably won't be taking their advice, but their input might actually be valuable.

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