You aren't getting any better • Hacker News Board

Re: You aren't getting any better

#91

Post by emiliobumachar » Tue, Mar 05, 2013, 11:11 PM UTC

ebbv wrote: post #55

emiliobumachar wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Important parts of programming are subjective, such as usability, code readability, maintainability, requirements elicitation.

Yes but totally irrelevant to my point.

Then I'm afraid I may have misunderstood you.

I enumerated those subjectivities because they make room for "interpretation or argument", and there is a kind of "randomness" involved. Even between "Your code either performs the desired function in the desired way or it does not", there's the classic case where it does what someone asked for, but not what they meant (bad elicitation).

If that's really irrelevant, please do explain your point a bit further.

Re: You aren't getting any better

#92

Post by Shorel » Wed, Mar 06, 2013, 2:57 PM UTC

przemoc wrote: post #73

coldtea wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Hackers are behind stories like You are probably a little behind the times. Like 15 years. The term "hacker" has stopped meaning exclusively these kind of guys for agres...

> You are probably a little behind the times. Like 15 years. The term "hacker" has stopped meaning exclusively these kind of guys for agres... No. What we're dealing here actually is the effect of the urge of wannabe-hacker kids using inflected forms of "hacking" in unheard before ways next to achievements often barely worth mentioning, especially under the "hack" hat. I'm hacking new code - I'm programming new code.…

For you and me, hacking means grokking stuff.

For the mass-media influenced population, who are about 90% of population, hacking means breaking into systems and damaging or controlling them.

Now what you mention is another different redefinition of hacking. Like a watering down effect, going from grokking to simply tinkering to even dabbling something.

I don't like it either, and I would rather have hacker to keep its original meaning, but it is what it is.

Re: You aren't getting any better

#93

Post by jamesrcole » Thu, Mar 07, 2013, 4:31 AM UTC

Dn_Ab wrote: post #25

edw519 wrote: post #18

After 34 years, my recipe for the best way to get better: Find customers. Satisfy them. Repeat. They will pull you kicking and screaming into your excellent future much faster than you can ever do it yourself.

After 15 years, my recipe for getting better. Remain curious and constantly confused. Do not use 'to be' verbs when describing interests or skills. Oh and most important. To do it all for fun not because you want to 'improve' yourself. The rest follows.

> do it all for fun not because you want to 'improve' yourself

Some skills/knowledge aren't fun to develop, yet it's worthwhile to keep learning them, so what you're saying sounds to me like it'd result in skipping some important things.

Re: You aren't getting any better

#94

Post by carbocation » Thu, Mar 07, 2013, 4:40 AM UTC

aviraldg wrote: post #57

carbocation wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The tool is not the goal.

If you were one of a few surgeons capable of performing highly specialised surgery, wouldn't you leave cuts and bruises for the interns and the nurses?

That's not how capitalism works.