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Poll: How much of your work time is typing code?

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Re: Poll: How much of your work time is typing code?

#36

Isn't this like trying to measure a coastline (approximates a fractal at larger scales). The finer interval that you measure the smaller the percentage will be: Level1: I spend 4 days out of five coding (80%) Level2: I spend 4 hours out of 8 on those days (40%) Level3: I spend 2 hours out of those 4, bathroom breaks, code sketching, extended thinking time (20%) Level4: I spend 1 hour out of those 2, reading notes as…

Exactly my problem with time spent typing code as a metric for efficiency/productivity.

Re: Poll: How much of your work time is typing code?

#37
Working on an implementation > working on a code by thinking of it > typing code.

Still, all activities above are strictly technical.

So, is your question really about whether we have as much time for technical activities (as opposed to bureaucracy, marketing, managing, selling...) as we'd like to? Or is your question about how our time devoted to strictly technical things is organized?

FWIW, I recommend RHickey's "Hammock-driven development" to think of it more..

Re: Poll: How much of your work time is typing code?

#38
I'd prefer if this question was "How much of your work time is spent developing?"

I spend very little of my day writing code. Yet it's the sole reason I'm employable. I do spend a majority of my workday working on design, development and implementation (code)... this does include meetings, emails and written documentation.

Re: Poll: How much of your work time is typing code?

#39

This is poignant as I just left a 3 hour scrum "sprint planning" meeting. I'm reminded of what Hal Abelson wrote in his recent Code Quarterly interview with Peter Seibel: "I’ve decided that from now on, I should be measuring the quality of my life by the ratio of the amount of time spent programming to the amount of time sitting in meetings." http://www.codequarterly.com/2011/hal-abelson/

Yeah it's hilarious how the original "let's get things done and plan this sprint" has been replaced by run-of-the-mill ass-covering and bean counting and pushing for sloppier software on shorter deadlines. If you can't change people's motivations, no process is going to help you produce better software.
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