61–70 of 325 posts
It's a craft that can be used to solve a problem.
In my past I often emphasized the craft part too much. As if only writing perfect code is all you need to do in order to be successful. The really important stuff is understanding the problem you want to solve and being sure that software is the tool to solve this particular problem.
So, the author hijacks a perfectly good rule of thumb to build their grand theory of everything. It is all nice, clean, and wise, and besides the tortured turn of phrase is just rechewing of popular truisms.
Everything is new to someone, and even if this was just confirming my own biases I found it an interesting take.
TIL of ≹, which "articulates a relationship where neither of the two compared entities is greater or lesser than the other, yet they aren't necessarily equal either. This nuanced distinction is essential in areas where there are different ways to compare entities that aren't strictly numerical." ( https://www.mathematics-monster.com/symbols/Neither-Greater-... )
Likewise, TIL. In your link however it states "Example 1: Numerical Context Let's consider two real numbers, a and b. If a is neither greater than nor less than b, but they aren't explicitly equal, the relationship is ≹" How can that be possible?
\inf and $\inf + 1$ comes to mind but I don't think it really counts
machine > maintainer > author > user
TIL of ≹, which "articulates a relationship where neither of the two compared entities is greater or lesser than the other, yet they aren't necessarily equal either. This nuanced distinction is essential in areas where there are different ways to compare entities that aren't strictly numerical." ( https://www.mathematics-monster.com/symbols/Neither-Greater-... )
Earlier quoted context omitted.
You haven’t read the article past the headline, have you? It’s not about computers running code, it’s all about humans.
"It doesn’t matter how well written or maintainable the code is, nor how sophisticated the technology it uses if it doesn’t fulfill its purpose and provides a good experience to the user" This is what I was commenting on. And I do not agree with it because it underlines the dogma about how little craft quality means as long as someone finds it useful. You could also hammer 3 wooden boards together and call it a chair…
YMMV vastly based on industry (or in the lens of this post, the demands and requirements on the user end to satisfy). For media, it's fine; very few users are going to suffer over a few minor bugs or an unoptimal system. For aerospace, it's fatal thinking for obvious reasons (with sadly, many real world examples to point to). Both are valid career aspects and both provide value.
>it's simply too shallow a mindset for being a professional software engineer.
sounds like you fall under "the right thing", as the author calls it. A sadly dying aspect as elephants and late stage capitalism (again, as the author named them) run wild.
But I argue more that this is just fine for an engineer. You're thinking more like a professional computer scientist. scientists observe and model the nature around them. Engineers apply them, while taking into account the imperfections of nature and yes, humans. In my eyes, an engineer that can't adjust to the needs of the product (be it for biz, users, or someone that is not them) isn't an engineer, but a scientist. Or a craftman, as you deferred to ealier.
Again, not a slight nor compliment, just different roles with different philosophies.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Likewise, TIL. In your link however it states "Example 1: Numerical Context Let's consider two real numbers, a and b. If a is neither greater than nor less than b, but they aren't explicitly equal, the relationship is ≹" How can that be possible?
This doesn't really pass the small test for me either, but to play devils advocate: Imagine you have 2 irrational numbers, and for some a priori reason you know they cannot be equal. You write a computer program to calculate them to arbitrary precision, but no matter how many digits you generate they are identical to that approximation. You know that there must be some point at which they diverge, with one being larg…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Their working domain. If you're a developer in financial services, learn finance. If you're a developer in oil exploration, learn seismology. Don't constrict yourself to only being a programmer who writes whatever code you're told to. Be a holistic problem solver.
What's in it for me?
During my career I've had to study:
- electrical engineering (phase angles, current transformers etc)
- finance (payroll and accounting)
- building management (maintenance schedules etc)
- mining (terminology, how explosives are set in underground and open mines)
TIL of ≹, which "articulates a relationship where neither of the two compared entities is greater or lesser than the other, yet they aren't necessarily equal either. This nuanced distinction is essential in areas where there are different ways to compare entities that aren't strictly numerical." ( https://www.mathematics-monster.com/symbols/Neither-Greater-... )
Likewise, TIL. In your link however it states "Example 1: Numerical Context Let's consider two real numbers, a and b. If a is neither greater than nor less than b, but they aren't explicitly equal, the relationship is ≹" How can that be possible?
Contrived, but only thing I could think of.