Timeline for Do some programmers know some secrets that we others don't?
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
11 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
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| Jun 9, 2011 at 20:32 | comment | added | Joeri Sebrechts | @Kevin: A master karateka uses only a handful of basic moves, but has learned how to apply those in endless variety. A master carpenter uses only a handful of chosen tools, but has learned to apply those in perfect combination. The more experience I gain, the more I think it's the same in programming. Not that you don't sometimes need something esoteric, just that it's very rarely the case. | |
| Jun 6, 2011 at 17:28 | comment | added | user3792 | @Kevin - I'm not so sure. Something a recent grad could understand is not the same thing as something the recent grad could actually write. Excellent code should be that easy to understand, given that the grad has a basic knowledge of the framework and using a debugger. Most decent code is pretty easy to understand, while it is usually the business logic that can be a challenge to learn for a recent grad. Most likely this person has zero domain knowledge, which can be tough to catch up on. | |
| Jun 6, 2011 at 17:20 | history | made wiki | Post Made Community Wiki by Andreas | ||
| Jun 6, 2011 at 15:31 | comment | added | Karl Bielefeldt | I've never thought of programming "secrets" as unmaintainable hacks. To me, a "secret" is more a design that is very easy to understand and maintain once you see it, but you never would have come up with it on your own. Sort of like being able to appreciate grandmaster chess or major league sports as a spectator, even if you can't play on that level. | |
| Jun 6, 2011 at 14:01 | comment | added | Kevin | I agree that maintainability is important but the assertion that everything should be simple enough for a recent grad to understand is patently absurd. It would mean that everything you learn post graduation should be tucked away and never used, except maybe on personal projects. | |
| Jun 6, 2011 at 8:49 | comment | added | Ross | to me 'secrets' does not all the little ins and outs.. it means all those things years of programming experience has brought out. Software Eng is an emerging field still and always changing, given input from people with many years experience. I am only 2 months into my first job as a software dev. I listen to my mentors like and hang on every word, absorbing their knowledge as much as possible... as well as their secrets.. all those words of advice about integration, good design and approaching problem solving.. Listen to the pro's!! | |
| Jun 6, 2011 at 7:02 | comment | added | webbiedave | @Bobby: I've run into this type of coding myself. I've heard it described as a stupid use of cleverness. | |
| Jun 6, 2011 at 6:13 | comment | added | Bobby Tables | @webbiedave: Both. Using obscure tricks and constructs, as well as seemingly deliberately making code hard to understand (obtuse). Some people like this seem to want to be elitist hackers of sorts - like code that's simple to read is some kind of defeat, while hard to understand code is their special esoteric jargon. | |
| Jun 6, 2011 at 4:05 | comment | added | webbiedave | Obtuse? Do you mean obscure? | |
| Jun 5, 2011 at 22:53 | comment | added | Job | +1, Also compilers change over time, while the no-longer-needed-hacks remain in their place. | |
| Jun 5, 2011 at 22:36 | history | answered | Bobby Tables | CC BY-SA 3.0 |