[DUG] [Off topic] Senior developer

[Eric A]

See the article by Richard Gabriel "Worse is better" - 

http://dreamsongs.com/WorseIsBetter.html

 

 

Gabriel himself has argued both sides of the "worse is better" concept.

 

His counter argument :

 

http://dreamsongs.com/Files/worse-is-worse.pdf


Eric

 
> From: johnkbird at paradise.net.nz
> To: delphi at delphi.org.nz
> Date: Wed, 13 May 2009 16:43:23 +1200
> Subject: Re: [DUG] [Off topic] Senior developer
> 
> Here is an example where even one line changed in a program may take months 
> and is yet considered high productivity:
> 
> For a fascinating description of how the upper echelons of software 
> developement work at the team who write the Space Shuttle software see
> 
> http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/06/writestuff.html?page=0%2C2
> 
> Quote:
> 
> What's going on here is the kind of nuts-and-bolts work that defines the 
> drive for group perfection -- a drive that is aggressively intolerant of 
> ego-driven hotshots. In the shuttle group's culture, there are no superstar 
> programmers. The whole approach to developing software is intentionally 
> designed not to rely on any particular person.
> 
> And the culture is equally intolerant of creativity, the individual coding 
> flourishes and styles that are the signature of the all-night software 
> world. "People ask, doesn't this process stifle creativity? You have to do 
> exactly what the manual says, and you've got someone looking over your 
> shoulder," says Keller. "The answer is, yes, the process does stifle 
> creativity."
> 
> and at the end:
> 
> "And that's the point: the shuttle process is so extreme, the drive for 
> perfection is so focused, that it reveals what's required to achieve 
> relentless execution. The most important things the shuttle group does -- 
> carefully planning the software in advance, writing no code until the design 
> is complete, making no changes without supporting blueprints, keeping a 
> completely accurate record of the code -- are not expensive. The process 
> isn't even rocket science. Its standard practice in almost every engineering 
> discipline except software engineering.
> 
> Plastered on a conference room wall, an informal slogan of the on-board 
> shuttle group captures the essence of keeping focused on the process: "The 
> sooner you fall behind, the more time you will have to catch up." "
> 
> 
> John
> 
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