Earlier quoted context omitted.
It is not infantile, it is just a different way of approaching a problem. Instead of telling you what things are, they just ask you questions so that by answering them you discover the things yourself. There is a big difference between two approaches. In the former you get facts as knowledge. In the latter your invent the knowledge yourself, and understand the processes, whys and hows you got there. The latter is a f…
How does the space reserved for jellybean stains guide the reader towards the desired problem-solving approach?
Books for Software Engineers in 2023
81–90 of 127 posts
Re: Books for Software Engineers in 2023
#82I recommend "Developer Hegemony". Coming from a career in FAANG, it's helped put words to what bothers me about the power dynamics and management practices. The book also presents a picture of what a healthier and more empowered "software engineering" role/world could look like (one of my 2023 goals is making significant career moves in that direction)
Really great to see a mention of "Developer Hegemony" here. The author compares software engineers to doctors or lawyers. In a law firm, the partners call the shots and the rest of the staff is there to support them. In tech companies, the structure is inverted. The engineers are at the bottom of the power hierarchy, even though it's the engineers that generate the most value. The author suggests that developers shou…
Law firms are a way of organizing game animals. Two zebras have no need to compete over eating from the same patch of grass. One zebra just moves over by a few meters. There's enough grass for everyone. Even if there isn't enough grass, fighting over grass is not energetically efficient. You burn more calories than the grass is worth. In law firms, a client is generally handled by at most one partner, and there are enough clients to go around to keep all partners busy while allowing them to work fairly independently. Tech companies that do agency work for non-tech clients may or may not be a little bit like that.
But most tech companies are in a situation more comparable to pack hunters. A single lion can't take on a buffalo. It takes a coordinated effort by a group of lions. When the buffalo is down, there's a pecking order determining who gets to eat first. In case of food shortages, animals lower down the pecking order are in a difficult situation. They can starve to death in a large successful pack, or start taking on risks by going it alone or in packs that are too small. (If the group of predators is too small given the size of their chosen prey, then predators themselves might easily suffer injury). So competition for rank is to them a matter of survival.
Social behaviour among game animals fundamentally differs from social behaviour among pack hunters and it's all a function of the ecological niche they inhabit.
Similarly, law firms are organized very differently from tech companies and it's a function of their products / markets / business models / stakeholders / general situations.
...so I'd be very careful about the law firm analogy.
Re: Books for Software Engineers in 2023
#83Re: Books for Software Engineers in 2023
#84Earlier quoted context omitted.
It is not infantile, it is just a different way of approaching a problem. Instead of telling you what things are, they just ask you questions so that by answering them you discover the things yourself. There is a big difference between two approaches. In the former you get facts as knowledge. In the latter your invent the knowledge yourself, and understand the processes, whys and hows you got there. The latter is a f…
How does the space reserved for jellybean stains guide the reader towards the desired problem-solving approach?
Basically all throughout the book(s), they authors use food names as variable, function names etc. It is indeed a nice idea because people do tend to associate good memories with delicious food. Especially if the food is greasy or sweet!
That quote This space is reserved for Jelly Bean stains is basically a filler sentence at the end of a chapter on a page, which happens to be high up in the page, the remainder of the page is basically empty, so they put it in as a joke.
This is not any different than the joke at the beginning of the 'Camel Book', Laziness, Impatience and Hubris, the three great virtues of a programmer.
You really should read those books, its one of those unique kinds of books that use a very innovative(albeit a very ancient) technique to teach you some very mind bending concepts. Its is possible that the approach will help you in understanding other things as well.
Re: Books for Software Engineers in 2023
#85Earlier quoted context omitted.
THIS PLACE IS RESERVED FOR JELLY BEAN STAINS . . . . . The whole The Little|Seasoned|Reasoned Schemer plus its other variants The Little ML'er|Java|Prover|Typer are some of the most mind bending books that you will ever read ever. And it is not the just the end result. Reading these books well will teach you socratic method of teaching/learning, which is great in itself. And will help you teach yourself a wide variet…
I don't like technical books that are infantile for no reason.
For example, someone wrote a book on Kafka streams for kids. It just dumb founded me that someone created it for that audience. The audacity to suggest that kids should learn about that/have something for them. It's a bit weird and doesn't teach lessons outside of the book material.
Re: Books for Software Engineers in 2023
#86Earlier quoted context omitted.
I don't like technical books that are infantile for no reason.
Learn You a Haskell, for Great Good! is the same way. Wonder what's up with functional languages that leads them to do this. Well, I suppose there's also why's (poignant) Guide to Ruby
One way to teach dry math'y concepts is to make them fun to learn. Serious Math people mind find them irritating but for the remainder crowd it is a fun exercise.
Re: Books for Software Engineers in 2023
#87Earlier quoted context omitted.
I don't like technical books that are infantile for no reason.
I've been saying and feeling this way for quite a while. For example, someone wrote a book on Kafka streams for kids. It just dumb founded me that someone created it for that audience. The audacity to suggest that kids should learn about that/have something for them. It's a bit weird and doesn't teach lessons outside of the book material.
Actually introducing some of these concepts in an abstract sense can help the kid appreciate subject at hand, and initiate them into more serious study.
Imagine telling a kid they could use a bunch of their friends and using map-reduce to count all the dogs in a park(send each to a section in the park, ask them to count the dogs[map], add all them at the end[reduce]).
Many of these concepts can get kids excited about STEM which is good!
Re: Books for Software Engineers in 2023
#88Earlier quoted context omitted.
Learn You a Haskell, for Great Good! is the same way. Wonder what's up with functional languages that leads them to do this. Well, I suppose there's also why's (poignant) Guide to Ruby
>>Wonder what's up with functional languages that leads them to do this. One way to teach dry math'y concepts is to make them fun to learn. Serious Math people mind find them irritating but for the remainder crowd it is a fun exercise.
Re: Books for Software Engineers in 2023
#89Earlier quoted context omitted.
How does the space reserved for jellybean stains guide the reader towards the desired problem-solving approach?
Well I'm guessing you haven't read the book yet. Basically all throughout the book(s), they authors use food names as variable, function names etc. It is indeed a nice idea because people do tend to associate good memories with delicious food. Especially if the food is greasy or sweet! That quote This space is reserved for Jelly Bean stains is basically a filler sentence at the end of a chapter on a page, which happe…
The previous commenter characterised the text as needlessly infantile. It seemed clear enough to me that they were referring to the jokes about jelly bean stains. I am confused why you interpreted their challenge as being about some approach to problem solving.
> Its is possible that the approach will help you in understanding other things as well.
This is either such a general statement that it isn't worth saying, or it is direct condescension which I don't appreciate.
Re: Books for Software Engineers in 2023
#90Earlier quoted context omitted.
How does the space reserved for jellybean stains guide the reader towards the desired problem-solving approach?
I've always seen a sense of humor as an essential component of problem solving. Stressy, serious, businesslike modes tend to get stuck in the weeds and miss the forest etc