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Three virtues of a great programmer

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1–10 of 141 posts

Re: Three virtues of a great programmer

#5
If you're not familiar with Larry Wall's style this might seem a bit off putting.

The first time I ever saw him speak was the 1997 first annual O'Reilly Perl conference. I remember thinking, "This guy is a jerk" while also thinking "I love this guy"

Re: Three virtues of a great programmer

#7

If you're not familiar with Larry Wall's style this might seem a bit off putting. The first time I ever saw him speak was the 1997 first annual O'Reilly Perl conference. I remember thinking, "This guy is a jerk" while also thinking "I love this guy"

Is there any publicly available talk of Larry Wall that might evoke it today?

Re: Three virtues of a great programmer

#8
post #3

I would say that the character arc of Perl, and the profession generally, leads me to this observation: laziness and impatience are virtues. Be careful with hubris.

I'd even go so far as to say !hubris

Pride often leads to unintentional blindness and irrational defensiveness. Humility is where the fun is.

Re: Three virtues of a great programmer

#10
Oh Larry, never change.

I often give a similar list as a glib answer in interviews when asked "what are your greatest strengths?"

Mine are usually: I'm stupid (not smart enough to overcomplicate), lazy (prefer turning MVP in on time rather than adding too many bells and whistles), and forgetful (document everything because I won't remember what I was doing the next day).

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