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My Biggest Regret as a Programmer

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Re: My Biggest Regret as a Programmer

#611

Post by GeorgeTirebiter »

tobltobs wrote: post #495
forgottenacc56 wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

JavaScript is actually an incredibly flexible and effective language.

Assembler is actually an incredibly flexible and effective language.

When I worked at DEC as an MIT intern many years ago, we wrote the PDP-10 OS in Assembly Language (MACRO-10); I wrote the spooler. Look at some things from http://pdp-10.trailing-edge.com/ - you can see how we did it: a lot of appropriate abstration, and great in-program documentation, built around a sound system architecture.

My question: IF we all (mostly) don't like JS, why don't we simply take Webkit or something and build-in our own (presumably) better language? Call it the "Hacker News Language for the Web" or something; the goal being to replace JS inside the browser. Naturally, we'd need a JS-to-HNL converter; but done properly, both front-end and back-end could be the same, and could be built on the 'natural' structures of The Web, 2020-style (and beyond!) (Maybe HNL is [a descendent of] ARC? Just riffing here...)

One more idea: If browsers would permit batches of signed and authenticated code to be made part of the browser semi-permanently (e.g. node.js, other JS/HNL libraries), then that would save the download time, speeding up sites. In fact, if the code were truly trusted, it could even be in assembly language(!!!! tie in, above) for some totally kick-ass performance. Assumes security issues properly solved.

Re: My Biggest Regret as a Programmer

#612

Post by d4rkph1b3r »

okyup wrote: post #140

I agree that programming is a dead end job. It's popular and relatively easy. It doesn't require any special skills. Anyone with an average IQ can learn it. There's low cost and barrier of entry to getting started. It's fun and addicting when you're a kid. Then you get trapped and it becomes monotonous. There's only so good you can get at programming. Beyond that, most of your time is spent on debugging trivial issue…

If this is true, why did the salary spreadsheet on HN last month show that some programmers are earning 3x, 4x, or even 5x others?

Non managers are pulling over 400k at companies just as engineers. Do you think this is untrue?

Re: My Biggest Regret as a Programmer

#613

Post by leshow »

askyourmother wrote: post #37

Regrets as a programmer: 1. Every piece of unpolished, unfinished code that management decided should ship to the customers regardless 2. Ever using node and npm. 3. Seeing and living through the train wreck of J2EE and the XML horrors that ensued. 4. Not seeing the beauty in simple functions early on. Not everything needs to be a class or module. 5. Most business problems are political/social - regret every time we…

> ever using node and npm

so you regret writing anything modern for the web?

Re: My Biggest Regret as a Programmer

#615

Post by angelbob »

carc wrote: post #490
angelbob wrote: post #482

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Companies know we want it, and have gotten better at talking the talk (e.g. technical career tracks.) But look into how that actually works. For most people it's much harder, if it happens at all. I speak as a guy at the end of the technical track, on my second consecutive job of "look, you make as much as we'll pay just-a-programmer, even an architect, here." Many managers are now convinced things are better. I neve…

"look, you make as much as we'll pay just-a-programmer, even an architect, here." Sorry but this line is almost always complete BS. Anyone that I know who has heard this line, gone out and gotten a (much better) offer somewhere else, and the original company instantly matched. Like, without even having to consult anyone, their manager said they'd match. You can't trust this line.

I don't trust the line. But I spent months trying to get this much to get to this company.

Re: My Biggest Regret as a Programmer

#616

Post by carc »

nunez wrote: post #553
carc wrote: post #420

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Anecdotal, but I am not exagerrating when I say about a quarter of the developers I'm friends with (i.e. hang out with outside of work) make substantially more than a new partner at a big firm. Source: They discussed their negotiations with me so I know their compensation, and I used to work as a CPA at one of the big 4

Given that total partner compensation is usually $1MM/year+ (on the low-end), those developer are HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGE outliers (or are mostly comp'ed in stock options, and we know how that goes)

At the big 4 firm I was at, I can say positively that total partner compensation did not start out anywhere close to 1 million/year

Re: My Biggest Regret as a Programmer

#617

Post by dang »

assocguilt wrote: post #558
askyourmother wrote: post #37

Regrets as a programmer: 1. Every piece of unpolished, unfinished code that management decided should ship to the customers regardless 2. Ever using node and npm. 3. Seeing and living through the train wreck of J2EE and the XML horrors that ensued. 4. Not seeing the beauty in simple functions early on. Not everything needs to be a class or module. 5. Most business problems are political/social - regret every time we…

Oh shit boy, these other comments schooled you!

We've banned this account for repeatedly violating the HN guidelines. If you don't want it to be banned, you're welcome to email hn@ycombinator.com.

Re: My Biggest Regret as a Programmer

#618

Post by rileymat2 »

didibus wrote: post #560

Sounds like the typical success anxiety everyone suffers from today. You could have been everything, successful, rich, famous, but you chose what you wanted and that's ok, it's for the best, that's true success, don't run after the carrot. Every programmer I meet dream of being CEO, having their own company, making more money. Yet over 90% of them don't enjoy any of their current profit. Literally, with my programmer…

Space tourism?

Re: My Biggest Regret as a Programmer

#619

Post by wallflower »

rlonstein wrote: post #444
citizens wrote: post #422

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's definitely outdated, or at least location dependent. The average rent in Manhattan in 2/16 was $3,850. Landlords won't rent to you unless you earn 40x the monthly rent which is $154k. In Brooklyn, the average is $2,716 which ends up being $108,640. ( http://www.mns.com/brooklyn_rental_market_report )

> Landlords won't rent to you unless you earn 40x the monthly rent I've recently seen 45x monthly in Manhattan and LIC (Queens).

The loophole is a sublet where the person subletting (this is probably illegally) assumes the financial and personal risk.

Re: My Biggest Regret as a Programmer

#620

Post by gbog »

forgottenacc56 wrote: post #64
romanovcode wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Javascript was designed so that clown on your website moves when you click on it.

JavaScript is actually an incredibly flexible and effective language.

> flexible

Flexibility is good for frameworks, not for languages.

I read once a list of good and bad adjectives applied to paintings by Chinese painter Shi Tao. In the same vein here is my list for our topic.

Good computer languages are:

- Expressive, readable, memorisable, deterministic, stiff, simple, obvious, clear, concise, precise, sharp, smooth, pedestrian, regular, parsable.

Bad computer languages are:

- Obscure, arduous, terse, stark, viscous, flexible, lumpy, bumpy, redundant, verbose, restrictive, poetic, foolish, extravagant, awkward.

(This is not to be take too seriously, but just this: all built-in "flexibility" in languages leads to nightmares)

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