Lets face it, nobody is really smart enough to program computers. To fully understanding most programs requires an almost limitless capacity to absorb details and comprehend them all at the same time. The way you focus your intelligence is more important than how much intelligence you have. So why do some people place such a premium on trying to purport encyclopedic knowledge on a topic? One word; Ego.
Ego. It's what makes us jump up to answer questions without really understanding the topic. It's what drives us to believe that the other person is just plain ignorant to the facts. I'm right, your wrong and if you can't see things my way... You get the picture. We all know someone like this, but we are all like this in some shape or form. I know I can't help it, but unlike some people I strive to work on it because I'm not perfect.
There is a story about Thomas Edison's early attempts to come up with the right material for a light bulb. He had tried a thousand different elements and all had failed. A colleague asked him if he felt his time had been wasted, since he had discovered nothing. "Hardly," Edison is said to have retorted briskly. "I have discovered a thousand things that don't work."
It is that very same state of mind that is the essence of a great programmer. Every failure needs to be viewed as a learning experience. Every programmer starts out as a lump of coal and strives to be a diamond.. Only one thing makes a diamond; time and pressure.
There is a story about Thomas Edison's early attempts to come up with the right material for a light bulb. He had tried a thousand different elements and all had failed. A colleague asked him if he felt his time had been wasted, since he had discovered nothing. "Hardly," Edison is said to have retorted briskly. "I have discovered a thousand things that don't work."
It is that very same state of mind that is the essence of a great programmer. Every failure needs to be viewed as a learning experience. Every programmer starts out as a lump of coal and strives to be a diamond.. Only one thing makes a diamond; time and pressure.
Some people might be quick to think this "mantra" is part of an Agile mentality. Well, I'm telling you now, your wrong.
The principles of software truly stand the test of time; The Psychology of Computer Programming was written in 1971, the year I was born! In the book Jerry Weinberg established "The Ten Commandments of Egoless Programming"
- Understand and accept that you will make mistakes. The point is to find them early, before they make it into production. Fortunately, except for the few of us developing rocket guidance software at JPL, mistakes are rarely fatal in our industry, so we can, and should, learn, laugh, and move on.
- You are not your code. Remember that the entire point of a review is to find problems, and problems will be found. Don't take it personally when one is uncovered.
- No matter how much "karate" you know, someone else will always know more. Such an individual can teach you some new moves if you ask. Seek and accept input from others, especially when you think it's not needed.
- Don't rewrite code without consultation. There's a fine line between "fixing code" and "rewriting code." Know the difference, and pursue stylistic changes within the framework of a code review, not as a lone enforcer.
- Treat people who know less than you with respect, deference, and patience. Nontechnical people who deal with developers on a regular basis almost universally hold the opinion that we are prima-donnas at best and crybabies at worst. Don't reinforce this stereotype with anger and impatience.
- The only constant in the world is change. Be open to it and accept it with a smile. Look at each change to your requirements, platform, or tool as a new challenge, not as some serious inconvenience to be fought.
- The only true authority stems from knowledge, not from position. Knowledge engenders authority, and authority engenders respect—so if you want respect in an egoless environment, cultivate knowledge.
- Fight for what you believe, but gracefully accept defeat. Understand that sometimes your ideas will be overruled. Even if you do turn out to be right, don't take revenge or say, "I told you so" more than a few times at most, and don't make your dearly departed idea a martyr or rallying cry.
- Don't be "the guy in the room." Don't be the guy coding in the dark office emerging only to buy cola. The guy in the room is out of touch, out of sight, and out of control and has no place in an open, collaborative environment.
- Critique code instead of people—be kind to the coder, not to the code.As much as possible, make all of your comments positive and oriented to improving the code. Relate comments to local standards, program specs, increased performance, etc.
