Rules of thumb for a 1x developer • Hacker News Board

Re: Rules of thumb for a 1x developer

#381

Post by tikiman163 » Thu, Apr 30, 2020, 6:47 PM UTC

A21z wrote: post #363

"Rule 11: Which database technology to choose: Choose SQL when you need to do ad hoc queries and/or you need support for ACID and transactions. Otherwise choose no-SQL" I think it should be the contrary: SQL by default, no-SQL if you have a specific need and know what you are doing.

To be completely frank, I'm seeing less and less reason to use traditional sql databases. MongoDB offers the ability to make sql queries and even has Acid transactions. Everything SQL can do, it does without slowing down when dealing with big data. The only thing it doesn't offer an efficient solution for is something SQL can't do either, and that's advanced search engine capabilities like Elasticsearch provides.

Some people will argue that PostGreSQL is better in certain ways, but the argument really always comes down to 2 factors. Are you going to hit the cost efficiency performance limits of traditional SQL servers, and do you require advanced searching capabilities like graph queries or synonym matching. Even if both answers are No, I'd still argue for Mongo because it makes it easier to distribute Acid compliant coppies of the data by region, providing backup redundancy as well as fast responses in multiple regions.

Re: Rules of thumb for a 1x developer

#382

Post by freewilly1040 » Thu, Apr 30, 2020, 6:48 PM UTC

danielovichdk wrote: post #377

This must be written by a developers with only very little experience. Generally very shallow advice and poor or no discussion on why.

Ironically this comment is quite shallow and lacks any contribution to discussion

Re: Rules of thumb for a 1x developer

#383

Post by dang » Thu, Apr 30, 2020, 6:51 PM UTC

cambalache wrote: post #364

dang wrote: post #343

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Self-respect?

If you tie your self-respect on how useful are you to the company that pays you, you are fucked. For them you are just a number.

Of course, but it could be the other way around: doing your best work as a consequence of self-respect, not the cause.

Re: Rules of thumb for a 1x developer

#384

Post by freewilly1040 » Thu, Apr 30, 2020, 6:52 PM UTC

stefanchrobot wrote: post #4

Quite surprising take on the languages. > When to use Python or Ruby > Python and Ruby seem to me to be pretty similar in that they’re scripting languages and dynamically typed and seemed like the greatest thing in the 00’s. You use them when speed is more important than legibility or debugging. I'd say you pick them when productivity and time to market is important. I personally find dynamic languages far more legib…

Well written code in dynamic languages is legible. The problem is when you encounter poorly written, illegible code in a dynamic language, the lack of strong types kneecaps your ability to figure out what it is supposed to do.

I loved Ruby until I inherited a project that was poorly written Ruby.

Re: Rules of thumb for a 1x developer

#385

Post by slg » Thu, Apr 30, 2020, 6:56 PM UTC

_ah wrote: post #357

slg wrote: post #342

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Java - first released 24 years ago. C - first released 48 years ago. Python - first released 30 years ago. C++ - first released 35 years ago. C# - first released 20 years ago. VB - first released 29 years ago. Javascript - first released 24 years ago. PHP - first released 25 years ago. SQL - first released 46 years ago. R - first released 26 years ago. Those are currently the top 10 most popular languages according t…

This is true, but for a pure dev role (writing code, closing tickets, no technical leadership) I maintain that a C expert with 10 (recent) years' experience is functionally indistinguishable for a C expert with 35 years.

Is that because the previous 25 years experience from the one dev is now obsolete or because you essentially know all it is you need to know to be a great dev after 10 years? The first comment stated the former, but this one seems to be implying that latter.

Re: Rules of thumb for a 1x developer

#386

Post by freewilly1040 » Thu, Apr 30, 2020, 6:57 PM UTC

paypalcust83 wrote: post #326

nickff wrote: post #316

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Those tests aren't really about engineering skill. The interviewer is checking to see how much you want the position, how hard of a worker you are, and how smart you are. If you really want the position, you will put a lot of effort into researching what the interview will entail. If you're a hard worker, you will intensively study for the interview. If you're smart, you'll be able to apply the material you studied t…

If Trivial Pursuit: Code Monkey and Engineering Edition is the interview game, that's not a place a sensible person would want to work. A sensible knowledge and performance evaluation would involve pair coding on limited scope, immediate, real problems, not BS trivia. Interviewing is a two-way street.. the signals given-off in the interview process should be taken in as a totality by the interviewee as well. If they…

This comment implies leverage that the OP probably doesn't have though. Everyone is picky to the extent that they can be.

Re: Rules of thumb for a 1x developer

#387

Post by octorian » Thu, Apr 30, 2020, 6:59 PM UTC

bearjaws wrote: post #11

I hate the notion of "10x developer". It focuses on hiring the best person, rather than firing individuals who undermine the team. The reality is, there are some 1x developers, and some .5x developers. Even worse though are the -1x developers. So many times I see a corporate culture of firing = bad, so lets just try to find someone who is a "10x", when really all you need is to remove the people who cause more work f…

I think whether someone is a 1x or 10x developer can depend a lot on what it is that they're working on. If its a codebase they're intimately familiar with, in an environment where they have a fair amount of experience, they can very easily be a 10x'er. Meanwhile, drop the exact same person into the middle of a large project they have little overall grasp of, and they instantly become a 1x'er.

Sure, there is a level of innate ability. And there are plenty of people who will never seem to progress in productivity no matter how much time you give them. But beyond that, how good of a fit the project is for the person can play a huge part in where they fall on the scale.

Re: Rules of thumb for a 1x developer

#388

Post by Youden » Thu, Apr 30, 2020, 7:00 PM UTC

tikiman163 wrote: post #381

A21z wrote: post #363

"Rule 11: Which database technology to choose: Choose SQL when you need to do ad hoc queries and/or you need support for ACID and transactions. Otherwise choose no-SQL" I think it should be the contrary: SQL by default, no-SQL if you have a specific need and know what you are doing.

To be completely frank, I'm seeing less and less reason to use traditional sql databases. MongoDB offers the ability to make sql queries and even has Acid transactions. Everything SQL can do, it does without slowing down when dealing with big data. The only thing it doesn't offer an efficient solution for is something SQL can't do either, and that's advanced search engine capabilities like Elasticsearch provides. Som…

> MongoDB offers the ability to make sql queries and even has Acid transactions. Everything SQL can do, it does without slowing down when dealing with big data. The only thing it doesn't offer an efficient solution for is something SQL can't do either, and that's advanced search engine capabilities like Elasticsearch provides.

You seem to be looking at this solely from a perspective of what kind of queries you can run but there's a lot more to it than that. For example how do you model and maintain relational data, which I'd argue is most data? Does MongoDB have support for foreign keys or something like them these days? A quick Google brings up DBRefs but these seem very soft.

Re: Rules of thumb for a 1x developer

#389

Post by OOPMan » Thu, Apr 30, 2020, 7:00 PM UTC

tikiman163 wrote: post #381

A21z wrote: post #363

"Rule 11: Which database technology to choose: Choose SQL when you need to do ad hoc queries and/or you need support for ACID and transactions. Otherwise choose no-SQL" I think it should be the contrary: SQL by default, no-SQL if you have a specific need and know what you are doing.

To be completely frank, I'm seeing less and less reason to use traditional sql databases. MongoDB offers the ability to make sql queries and even has Acid transactions. Everything SQL can do, it does without slowing down when dealing with big data. The only thing it doesn't offer an efficient solution for is something SQL can't do either, and that's advanced search engine capabilities like Elasticsearch provides. Som…

Riiiiiiightttttttt, because having well defined data is not useful at all.

Re: Rules of thumb for a 1x developer

#390

Post by cambalache » Thu, Apr 30, 2020, 7:01 PM UTC

discreteevent wrote: post #370

cambalache wrote: post #364

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you tie your self-respect on how useful are you to the company that pays you, you are fucked. For them you are just a number.

So is every professional you pay money to. But you will still recommend some and not others. When times get tight, those guys still make a living.

If you are an independent service worker yeah, I understand, go the extra mile with your customers, it is good for business. But if you are drone #139098123 in generic corporation X, you should not give a fuck on your reputation as long as you are doing your work. If they dump you, you go and get another job, there is a big world out there.