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This article seems to be more a series of backhanded complaints that managers make about software developers rather than any sort of useful comparison. Any sof

This article seems to be more a series of backhanded complaints that managers make about software developers rather than any sort of useful comparison. Any software developer who routinely had requests that were analogous to "make 100 swords" would undoubtedly kill themselves immediately. I mean, that's not really true; there's always a market for software developers who are expected to churn out the same program that they've written before (program, website, crud app) with slightly different branding. But it would be a stretch to call such a person a "great developer" unless they built a framework that would allow them to create each one while barely lifting a finger. Here are the points in the article, translated into whining about software developers: "He Loves What He Does" == "Why are good developers expensive?" Curiosity - "If a craftsman does not love what he does, he is usually working for money or prestige" == "I should not have to pay a developer very much money" Creativity - "The best ideas come when you walk home from work and your brain just cannot stop thinking about the exciting problems you are working on." == "My developer doesn't think my ideas are exciting" Long-term motivation - "His motivation comes naturally the process of building and creating new things" == "I should not have to pay a developer very much money" "He is humble" == "Why do my developers think they're smarter than me" "He is courageous and honest" == "Why can't my developers give me good estimates for how long things will take" "He is a team player" == "I want my developers to be instantly replaceable with another developer" "He is extremely customer-focused" == "Why do my developers keep saying that my ideas are bad?" and "Why can't my developers give me good estimates for how long things will take"

AllegedAlec 8y ago
> backhanded complaints that managers make about software developers Bad managers, I'd say.
- jchackert 8y ago
  Agree. Good managers are still relatively rare, even given all the attention being paid to improving management in tech lately.
sev 8y ago
Interestingly, what makes a great chef is when they can consistently churn out the same exact dumpling.
- Ngunyan 8y ago
  Adam Jones in Burnt would disagree with you. "....the problem with this place is it's too consistent. And consistency is death. A chef should strive to be consistent in experience, but not consistent in taste. It's like sex. It's like, you're always headed to the same place, but you got to find new and dangerous way of getting there."
awshepard 8y ago
Another translation for Creativity - "The best ideas come when you walk home from work and your brain just cannot stop thinking about the exciting problems you are working on." ==> "My developer should live, sleep, breathe the company, outside of the 9 to 5, even though I won't pay more for the additional time and creativity."

AllegedAlec 8y ago

> backhanded complaints that managers make about software developers Bad managers, I'd say.

jchackert 8y ago
Agree. Good managers are still relatively rare, even given all the attention being paid to improving management in tech lately.

sev 8y ago

Interestingly, what makes a great chef is when they can consistently churn out the same exact dumpling.

Ngunyan 8y ago
Adam Jones in Burnt would disagree with you. "....the problem with this place is it's too consistent. And consistency is death. A chef should strive to be consistent in experience, but not consistent in taste. It's like sex. It's like, you're always headed to the same place, but you got to find new and dangerous way of getting there."

awshepard 8y ago

Another translation for Creativity - "The best ideas come when you walk home from work and your brain just cannot stop thinking about the exciting problems you are working on." ==> "My developer should live, sleep, breathe the company, outside of the 9 to 5, even though I won't pay more for the additional time and creativity."