4 ms·

You mention a well-know process for designing a house. There is none that I know of, other than the word "design". My approach is to consciously absorb as muc

You mention a well-know process for designing a house. There is none that I know of, other than the word "design". My approach is to consciously absorb as much of the problem at hand as possible, then let my subconscious crunch on it for a while, the length of time depending on the complexity of the problem. Coming up with the big concept for a large design, both building or software, can take a few days if its revolutionary, or a few minutes if its not. The key is to have a process that helps you leverage the power of your subconscious. Trying to force a solution in your conscious mind on a harder problem can be both painful and a waste of time.

krschultz 19y ago
Exactly, he throws around "curing a disease" and "designing a house" as if they were easy. News flash, architecture is a 5 year program just to begin the apprenticeship to get your license, and you need a doctorate before you will start working on a disease. All that time doesn't teach you HOW to do your job, it teaches you the information you need at a minimum to start learning HOW to do it. Computer science on the other hand can be learned on your own or its a 4 year program, and then you get to that part of learning. Don't mistake the fact that there is less material to learn for saying it takes more intuition. It just takes less time to learn the material in a discipline that has been around for 40 years than one that has been around hundreds or thousands.
- scott_s 19y ago
  Don't confuse software development with computer science.
paulajohnson 19y ago
How much original thought is going into the floor plan of the next McMansion to be built? Or the next 3-storey steel-framed office block? Are these truly developed from scratch by deeply original thought every time? I admit I have no experience of the building industry, but I seriously doubt it. I believe they are created by following standard recipes and checklists (square feet per desk, maximum distance to restrooms, maximum distance to window). I work on a business park full of 3 storey office blocks. They are all minor variations on the same theme. I live in a housing estate where all the houses are also minor variations on the same theme. Thats what I'm talking about. Maybe architects don't design these buildings. Maybe I'm talking about a more junior part of the construction industry. Either way, it completely lacks any originality.
- notauser 19y ago
  I work in an office that has a doorway that opens onto a brick wall. Fortunately they knocked a new doorway into another wall before walling up the old one, but it's a bit of a hack. Even architects find it hard to plan for growth it seems :)
- scott_s 19y ago
  I think there are software analogs of your office park. You hit on a good insight in the essay: we don't know how we program. But I think you incorrectly assumed that this is unique to software development. Instead, I think it's an inherent part of any job that requires problem solving.
- gibsonf1 19y ago
  I think the ratio of meaningful architecture to buildings is about 1:10,000, maybe even more. To make architecture, almost exclusively original thought is needed. I spent most of my University days unlearning preconceptions about solutions to building problems for that very reason.
- pchristensen 19y ago
  Instead of comparing that to software written, compare it to software used. My copy of MS Office looks a lot like my neighbor's, my uncle's, my father's brother's nephew's cousin's former roommate's. While there are some unique combinations, the pieces are largely the same. The McMansions and office blocks aren't that different from 95% of people using Windows or Mac. It's just more painful in architecture because it's so visible.

krschultz 19y ago

Exactly, he throws around "curing a disease" and "designing a house" as if they were easy. News flash, architecture is a 5 year program just to begin the apprenticeship to get your license, and you need a doctorate before you will start working on a disease. All that time doesn't teach you HOW to do your job, it teaches you the information you need at a minimum to start learning HOW to do it. Computer science on the other hand can be learned on your own or its a 4 year program, and then you get to that part of learning. Don't mistake the fact that there is less material to learn for saying it takes more intuition. It just takes less time to learn the material in a discipline that has been around for 40 years than one that has been around hundreds or thousands.

scott_s 19y ago
Don't confuse software development with computer science.

paulajohnson 19y ago

How much original thought is going into the floor plan of the next McMansion to be built? Or the next 3-storey steel-framed office block? Are these truly developed from scratch by deeply original thought every time? I admit I have no experience of the building industry, but I seriously doubt it. I believe they are created by following standard recipes and checklists (square feet per desk, maximum distance to restrooms, maximum distance to window). I work on a business park full of 3 storey office blocks. They are all minor variations on the same theme. I live in a housing estate where all the houses are also minor variations on the same theme. Thats what I'm talking about. Maybe architects don't design these buildings. Maybe I'm talking about a more junior part of the construction industry. Either way, it completely lacks any originality.

notauser 19y ago
I work in an office that has a doorway that opens onto a brick wall. Fortunately they knocked a new doorway into another wall before walling up the old one, but it's a bit of a hack. Even architects find it hard to plan for growth it seems :)
scott_s 19y ago
I think there are software analogs of your office park. You hit on a good insight in the essay: we don't know how we program. But I think you incorrectly assumed that this is unique to software development. Instead, I think it's an inherent part of any job that requires problem solving.
gibsonf1 19y ago
I think the ratio of meaningful architecture to buildings is about 1:10,000, maybe even more. To make architecture, almost exclusively original thought is needed. I spent most of my University days unlearning preconceptions about solutions to building problems for that very reason.
pchristensen 19y ago
Instead of comparing that to software written, compare it to software used. My copy of MS Office looks a lot like my neighbor's, my uncle's, my father's brother's nephew's cousin's former roommate's. While there are some unique combinations, the pieces are largely the same. The McMansions and office blocks aren't that different from 95% of people using Windows or Mac. It's just more painful in architecture because it's so visible.