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Software engineers hate code

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Re: Software engineers hate code

#51

Post by lo_zamoyski »

JohnFen wrote: post #8

> This is the best-kept secret of the software engineering profession: engineers hate code. Especially code written by other people. It's why they love working on greenfield projects so much. No code, no maintenance, no headaches! Except that I've met lots of engineers who were the opposite. They hate greenfield projects and prefer maintaining existing code. I noticed this broad division of personality early in my ca…

Or someone who does both.

1. Only working on greenfield means you don't want to learn from others or have difficulty doing it. Lots of knowledge is expressed in the code you refuse to read and you need humility and patience with your own ignorance.

2. Only reading code is insufficient as you are not only a scholar of the code base, but a maintainer and developer who must extend and adapt it.

Working with a code base is more like a conversation. There's a back and forth, though not symmetrical. (1) is someone who monologues. (2) is an audience member only.

Re: Software engineers hate code

#52

Post by Supermancho »

formerly_proven wrote: post #13

I always say “one bug per if”.

I dont like this, but it's hard to find fault in it in the context of an aging (eg 50yrs+), large, corporation. There are always corner cases and workarounds that would require inverting the expected output of an 'if statement', requiring yet-another-one altogether.

Re: Software engineers hate code

#53

Post by edgyquant »

m3kw9 wrote: post #22
usrbinbash wrote: post #6

> Don't write new code when you can use, improve or fix what already exists. If you must write new code, write only what you need to get the job done. While the article resonates with me alot, I would like to, in the best spirit of the article, propose an addendum to that line: When modifying existing code, do a very careful cost-benefit analysis; On the one side is the cost of a rebuild. On the other side is the pro…

Reusing code cause issues if you are not very careful because if not checked people often keep adding to it or someone modified it for their use case and breaks others. Many times is just better not to reuse

This is what tests are for

Re: Software engineers hate code

#54

Post by rco8786 »

JohnFen wrote: post #8

> This is the best-kept secret of the software engineering profession: engineers hate code. Especially code written by other people. It's why they love working on greenfield projects so much. No code, no maintenance, no headaches! Except that I've met lots of engineers who were the opposite. They hate greenfield projects and prefer maintaining existing code. I noticed this broad division of personality early in my ca…

I’m pretty good at writing code but I consider one of my “superpowers” to be that I also love to read code. I cannot even begin to estimate how this has affected my career and abilities. It’s a task that most seem to dread, but is something that I do for fun.

Re: Software engineers hate code

#56

Post by djangelic »

soneca wrote: post #34
JohnFen wrote: post #8

> This is the best-kept secret of the software engineering profession: engineers hate code. Especially code written by other people. It's why they love working on greenfield projects so much. No code, no maintenance, no headaches! Except that I've met lots of engineers who were the opposite. They hate greenfield projects and prefer maintaining existing code. I noticed this broad division of personality early in my ca…

I am one of those who prefer working on existing code. I like making things better, understanding how a code works is thrill, adding new features on existing premises. I am also an amateur fiction writer, and I notice the same thing in it. I like planning, but the first draft writing is a chore to me. An effort to vomit all my ideas as words. Then, I love rewriting. Revisiting what I wrote and improving it, fixing it…

I'm similar, and I've found AI to help with this. I'm able to guide the AI to write the first draft, then I go in and rewrite it. It's helped remove that frustration at the first draft.

Re: Software engineers hate code

#59

Post by andrewl »

delusional wrote: post #37
JohnFen wrote: post #8

> This is the best-kept secret of the software engineering profession: engineers hate code. Especially code written by other people. It's why they love working on greenfield projects so much. No code, no maintenance, no headaches! Except that I've met lots of engineers who were the opposite. They hate greenfield projects and prefer maintaining existing code. I noticed this broad division of personality early in my ca…

[flagged]

If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe. Carl Sagan

Re: Software engineers hate code

#60

Post by j45 »

BossingAround wrote: post #41
bayindirh wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it's a spectrum. For example I like writing new code and designing new things, but I don't hate or dislike my or other people's old code. That code also has been written by a human, and it's disrespectful to approach somebody else's work with this prejudice. It might not be good code, by our standards, but who knows how it was written. Was the author under stress, under time obligations, or happy, or somethin…

> That code also has been written by a human, and it's disrespectful to approach somebody else's work with this prejudice. Not only has it been written by a human, but one should also remember that they're missing the context in which the code was written. Was the author stressed about their latest children being born? Fearful of possible layoffs? Under time pressure? Tired? I've definitely written code myself that c…

Brilliant summary and the parent comment.

Too many developers remain hyper committed to shiny object syndrome, or wanting to relearn lessons of the past as if they are the first to ever lay eyes on it.

No code is perfect, and lots can be learned even from a well intentioned approach gone wrong.

It’s far easier learning from other folks and their rattlesnake bites instead of insisting of recollecting that baggage yourself, first.

Greenfield is still useful, but too often it has to do with preference and interpretation or a lack of willingness to do so.

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