4 ms·

I hate to say this, but you're never going to be very good (unless you change this). Someone good will have so many projects that they could never remember eve

I hate to say this, but you're never going to be very good (unless you change this). Someone good will have so many projects that they could never remember every detail of each of them, so every second you've spent burning this into your brain will be wasted. It's much better to use the tools as far as you can [1], use nice big descriptive names (since you never have to actually type them out this is win-win) and try to be as consistent as possible [2]. For projects I've been the driver on I never have to look at anything. I know how the project is going to be laid out, what the naming scheme will be like, etc. I can e.g. open up the Visual Studio solution file, Ctrl+n, type in the capital letters of the class I know will be of interest (e.g. WRI for WidgetRepositoryImplementation) and off I go. While you're still birthing out your first class I'll already be tightening up my tests. And there are people vastly better/faster than I am at this. [1] But be sensible about this. For me, big code generators are a no go. I use spring because it (a) doesn't sprinkle it's code anywhere I have to see and (b) regenerates the code every time so there is no sync issue between changing a source and regenerating a dependency. [2] Always refactor when you touch code, including making the code consistent with current coding standards.

edw519 16y ago
I hate to say this, but you're never going to be very good (unless you change this). I don't hate to say this, but responses like yours are the classic example of hn's biggest problem: people talking when they should be listening. I suppose your opinion could be accurate if we had a flux capacitor and you were making your prediction in 1979. But it's you versus 1,000,000 lines of code deployed, 1,000 successful projects, and 100 satisfied customers. They outrank you. FWIW, I made 2 posts yesterday. This grandparent which included intimate secrets of my success and earned nothing and this little joke: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1649922 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1649922 which earned 58 points. Gabriel Weinberg made wrote an interesting post which got my juices flowing and led me to share my experience (experience, not opinion). Then people like you tell me I'm wrong or worse, that what actually happened couldn't have. Any wonder why outliers with successes to share are reluctant to share them?
- loewenskind 16y ago
  >people talking when they should be listening. I don't care much for the "no true Scotsman" nonsense, but I don't agree that someone should be listening to out dated advice. If you meant it as a story about the glory years then ok. > This grandparent which included intimate secrets of my success and earned nothing and this little joke: The one where you showed you were good at real estate? Are you here to earn imaginary points or to communicate with like minded people? You need a couple hundred karma to get downvote ability but after that? Who cares. >Then people like you tell me I'm wrong Your methodology is no longer the most effective way to develop software. One can still do it, but one would be artificially limiting what they're capable of. EDIT: Edited to remove some of the unnecessary barbs. No one likes to be told they are what's wrong with anything but no one wins a flame war.
  - astine 16y ago
    "This isn't a dick size contest is it?" You're the one who started with unsubstantiated claims about how the OP was a poor programmer because he didn't follow your methodology. If edw has managed to find a method that works for him, why shouldn't he share it? You can take it or leave it. If you feel the need, you can also tell him where you think he is going wrong. But there is no need to start by insulting people or telling them that you can code circles around them. Edw may be the worse coder, but you've come across as the bigger dick.
    - loewenskind 16y ago
      Programming today isn't like programming in the 70's. We're dealing with vastly more complexity now. Edw's old school methodology may have served him well in his day but a new person taking this on will never be able to keep up for the same reason some guy with a mule and plow can't keep up with a modern farm. >you can code circles around them My point wasn't that I can code circles around him but that modern practice can code circles around him. Which is something he could take up as well.

edw519 16y ago

I hate to say this, but you're never going to be very good (unless you change this). I don't hate to say this, but responses like yours are the classic example of hn's biggest problem: people talking when they should be listening. I suppose your opinion could be accurate if we had a flux capacitor and you were making your prediction in 1979. But it's you versus 1,000,000 lines of code deployed, 1,000 successful projects, and 100 satisfied customers. They outrank you. FWIW, I made 2 posts yesterday. This grandparent which included intimate secrets of my success and earned nothing and this little joke: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1649922 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1649922 which earned 58 points. Gabriel Weinberg made wrote an interesting post which got my juices flowing and led me to share my experience (experience, not opinion). Then people like you tell me I'm wrong or worse, that what actually happened couldn't have. Any wonder why outliers with successes to share are reluctant to share them?

loewenskind 16y ago
>people talking when they should be listening. I don't care much for the "no true Scotsman" nonsense, but I don't agree that someone should be listening to out dated advice. If you meant it as a story about the glory years then ok. > This grandparent which included intimate secrets of my success and earned nothing and this little joke: The one where you showed you were good at real estate? Are you here to earn imaginary points or to communicate with like minded people? You need a couple hundred karma to get downvote ability but after that? Who cares. >Then people like you tell me I'm wrong Your methodology is no longer the most effective way to develop software. One can still do it, but one would be artificially limiting what they're capable of. EDIT: Edited to remove some of the unnecessary barbs. No one likes to be told they are what's wrong with anything but no one wins a flame war.
- astine 16y ago
  "This isn't a dick size contest is it?" You're the one who started with unsubstantiated claims about how the OP was a poor programmer because he didn't follow your methodology. If edw has managed to find a method that works for him, why shouldn't he share it? You can take it or leave it. If you feel the need, you can also tell him where you think he is going wrong. But there is no need to start by insulting people or telling them that you can code circles around them. Edw may be the worse coder, but you've come across as the bigger dick.
  - loewenskind 16y ago
    Programming today isn't like programming in the 70's. We're dealing with vastly more complexity now. Edw's old school methodology may have served him well in his day but a new person taking this on will never be able to keep up for the same reason some guy with a mule and plow can't keep up with a modern farm. >you can code circles around them My point wasn't that I can code circles around him but that modern practice can code circles around him. Which is something he could take up as well.