do i fix computer?

Un post di Jonathan Wise che è ricco di riflessioni che personalmente condivido

Chi è veramente uno sviluppatore? Che cosa fa di preciso?

A software developer must be part writer and poet, part salesperson and public speaker, part artist and designer, and always equal parts logic and empathy.

Il software deve essere comprensibile

Once you know how the solution is going to work, or sometimes even before then, you need to figure out how people are going to work with your solution. Software that can’t be understood can’t be used, so no matter how brilliant your design, if your interface isn’t elegant and beautiful and intuitive, your project is a failure.

Ma anche il dettaglio è importante

The attention to detail required of a good interface developer is on par with that of a good painter. Every dot, every stroke, every color choice is significant.

Lo sviluppatore è in parte artigiano...

Only, unlike a salesperson selling someone else’s product, you are selling your own work, and are inevitably emotionally-attached to it. Still, you know criticism is good, because it makes the results better, so you force yourself to be logical about it.

...ed in parte artista

The purpose of code is to express a solution. A project consists of small stanzas, called “Methods” or “Functions” depending on what language you use. Each of these verses must be constructed in such a way that it is efficient, tightly-crafted, and effective. And like a poem, there are rules that dictate how it should be shaped.

Il software vive se viene pubblicato

Its been said that a scientist or researcher must “publish or perish.” The same is true of a software developer. A brilliant piece of code, if not used, is lost. Within months it will become obsolete, or replaced, or usurped, and your efforts will become meaningless, save for the satisfaction of having solved a problem on your own.

Chi programma solo quando DEVE farlo (lavoro o studio) è alla stregua di un mercenario o di un impiegato statale. Lo sviluppo, a programmazione, o meglio il seguire tutte le fasi di vita di un progetto, sono come la musica: sia scienza che arte.