Two of the best programmers I have worked with, and who I credit myself to becoming a "real" programmer, where PHD's, one was a tenured professor at MIT who fou

Two of the best programmers I have worked with, and who I credit myself to becoming a "real" programmer, where PHD's, one was a tenured professor at MIT who founded a computer learning start-up. I learned the elegance of simple black-boxed code from both of them and they both seemed to have a strong focus on that. I was young and a hot shot programmer at the time and they where both older patient men, who saw raw unfocused talent in me. I am a better person for having learned under them and for them having endured me, but I would absolutely place them hands down as two of the best and most productive programmers I have ever worked with. I am thankful I did not have hiring responsibilities in my 20's, as I would have been one of "those" pricks and would have a lot of regrets for the way I treated people now.