Comments on: What Kind Of Developer Are You? http://davybrion.com/blog/2009/09/what-kind-of-developer-are-you/ inquisitive: adjective. given to inquiry, research, or asking questions; eager for knowledge; intellectually curious Sun, 20 May 2012 21:55:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Dermot O'Logicalhttp://davybrion.com/blog/2009/09/what-kind-of-developer-are-you/comment-page-1/#comment-22710 Dermot O'Logical Wed, 14 Oct 2009 10:19:51 +0000 http://davybrion.com/blog/?p=1694#comment-22710 Hi there<cite>writing code that made the job of developers easier somehow was more appealing to me than writing code that made the job of our users easier.</cite>These aren't exclusive aims....I prefer to work on solving my current customer's individual problem. My guiding principle is to provide the user with the best possible experience - it's their system to use at the end of the day. If I've got to think a little harder for a little longer to make that happen, then so be it.But thanks to you for trying to help me to do so!Dermot Hi there

writing code that made the job of developers easier somehow was more appealing to me than writing code that made the job of our users easier.

These aren’t exclusive aims….

I prefer to work on solving my current customer’s individual problem. My guiding principle is to provide the user with the best possible experience – it’s their system to use at the end of the day. If I’ve got to think a little harder for a little longer to make that happen, then so be it.

But thanks to you for trying to help me to do so!

Dermot

]]> By: Thomas Wellerhttp://davybrion.com/blog/2009/09/what-kind-of-developer-are-you/comment-page-1/#comment-22641 Thomas Weller Fri, 02 Oct 2009 10:39:49 +0000 http://davybrion.com/blog/?p=1694#comment-22641 I don't want to, but it appears that I am commonly recognized as sort of spoilsport in a software project, with a big tendency to being overly pedantic. I'd describe myself of course a lot more positive: I care much about the internal quality of software (e.g. small methods, low complexity, as few as possible interdenpendencies, good style etc.), and I think that good software is the result of getting the details right. Similar to you, I was a <em>doer</em> in the beginning, always looking for new features and the cool new stuff, but after 10+ years of programming and quite some maintenance disasters, I tend more to see potential problems that may arise in the future. If I had to make a professional credo, it would be something like this: - Every line of source code is a potential error. - The best code is the one that's not written at all.And still, I call myself a 'software developer'... ;-)- Thomas I don’t want to, but it appears that I am commonly recognized as sort of spoilsport in a software project, with a big tendency to being overly pedantic.
I’d describe myself of course a lot more positive: I care much about the internal quality of software (e.g. small methods, low complexity, as few as possible interdenpendencies, good style etc.), and I think that good software is the result of getting the details right.
Similar to you, I was a doer in the beginning, always looking for new features and the cool new stuff, but after 10+ years of programming and quite some maintenance disasters, I tend more to see potential problems that may arise in the future.
If I had to make a professional credo, it would be something like this:
- Every line of source code is a potential error.
- The best code is the one that’s not written at all.

And still, I call myself a ‘software developer’… ;-)

- Thomas

]]> By: Dantsuhttp://davybrion.com/blog/2009/09/what-kind-of-developer-are-you/comment-page-1/#comment-22636 Dantsu Thu, 01 Oct 2009 13:32:04 +0000 http://davybrion.com/blog/?p=1694#comment-22636 Hi Davy,I really liked your post, and would like to give it to you as a present some of my favorite quotations:"Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler." -- Albert Einstein"The cheapest, fastest, and most reliable components are those that aren't there." -- Gordon Bell"A designer knows when he has reached perfection, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away." -- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry"In Jeet Kune Do, one does not accumulate but eliminate. It is not daily increase but daily decrease. The height of cultivation always runs to simplicity." -- Bruce Lee"Simplex Veri Sigillum" -- dunno... Hi Davy,

I really liked your post, and would like to give it to you as a present some of my favorite quotations:

“Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler.” — Albert Einstein

“The cheapest, fastest, and most reliable components are those that aren’t there.” — Gordon Bell

“A designer knows when he has reached perfection, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.” — Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

“In Jeet Kune Do, one does not accumulate but eliminate. It is not daily increase but daily decrease. The height of cultivation always runs to simplicity.” — Bruce Lee

“Simplex Veri Sigillum” — dunno…

]]> By: John Bubriskihttp://davybrion.com/blog/2009/09/what-kind-of-developer-are-you/comment-page-1/#comment-22622 John Bubriski Mon, 28 Sep 2009 16:43:21 +0000 http://davybrion.com/blog/?p=1694#comment-22622 I don't really consider myself as one type over the other. I equally agree with both sides. As a user, I often find frustrating interfaces that could (SHOULD) be solved with simple tweaks and added functionality. Why can't I mass-delete a tree of items, or mass edit them? I would be ashamed to ship a "full-featured" product like this. This seems like fundamental functionality to me.But as a developer I often see redundant, lacking, slow, and downright BROKEN API's. I'm not sure why some developers think of the API as an afterthought. If your application is well architected, YOU should be using the API!!! It enforces consistency, and allows your customer to enhance your product!!! Why would you NOT want your product doing all sorts of crazy things, and further ingraining itself with your customers!My current area of expertise is with CMS', so I'm not sure if my comments apply to most applications, but I'm guessing it does. I don’t really consider myself as one type over the other. I equally agree with both sides. As a user, I often find frustrating interfaces that could (SHOULD) be solved with simple tweaks and added functionality. Why can’t I mass-delete a tree of items, or mass edit them? I would be ashamed to ship a “full-featured” product like this. This seems like fundamental functionality to me.

But as a developer I often see redundant, lacking, slow, and downright BROKEN API’s. I’m not sure why some developers think of the API as an afterthought. If your application is well architected, YOU should be using the API!!! It enforces consistency, and allows your customer to enhance your product!!! Why would you NOT want your product doing all sorts of crazy things, and further ingraining itself with your customers!

My current area of expertise is with CMS’, so I’m not sure if my comments apply to most applications, but I’m guessing it does.

]]> By: Snealhttp://davybrion.com/blog/2009/09/what-kind-of-developer-are-you/comment-page-1/#comment-22620 Sneal Mon, 28 Sep 2009 15:48:10 +0000 http://davybrion.com/blog/?p=1694#comment-22620 I'm glad you posted this, I was beginning to think I was the only one with this "problem" of being focused on infrastructure and frameworks. I love writing code that makes everyone elses job easier. It's quite obvious that the code base I inherited never had someone like me working on it. I often wish I could focus more on end user features, but I feel like if I don't focus on quality and maintainability no one will. I feel at times my prestige is not what it could be because I don't focus on shiny things. I only came to this conclusion several weeks ago of what type of programmer I am; it took me 9 years to figure it out. I’m glad you posted this, I was beginning to think I was the only one with this “problem” of being focused on infrastructure and frameworks. I love writing code that makes everyone elses job easier. It’s quite obvious that the code base I inherited never had someone like me working on it. I often wish I could focus more on end user features, but I feel like if I don’t focus on quality and maintainability no one will. I feel at times my prestige is not what it could be because I don’t focus on shiny things. I only came to this conclusion several weeks ago of what type of programmer I am; it took me 9 years to figure it out.

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