3 ms·

I get it, it's cheeky to refer to someone who's very keen on automating as "lazy". That being said I'm really not a big fan of using "lazy" as a quality for a g

I get it, it's cheeky to refer to someone who's very keen on automating as "lazy". That being said I'm really not a big fan of using "lazy" as a quality for a good programmer. It's pejorative and it should stay that way. I've never met a "lazy" programmer who I enjoyed working with. Lazy people cut corners because it's less work in the short term. Being someone who finishes and completes automation is antithetical to lazy. It takes MUCH effort to take things from 80% to 100%.

kqr 6y ago
"Keen on automating" is one of the few definitions of lazy that actually make sense. If we need to get rid of anything, it's the pejorative meaning. Using the word that way is simply a way to get out of having to deal with the complex system that is human motivation. If someone is consistently lacking in motivation, there are two responses: 1. Figure out why and be able to do something about it; or 2. Call them "lazy" and hope the problem fixes itself. As a general rule, option 2 almost never works out productively. It just ascribes a systematic problem to a single person and nothing improves. If anything, things get worse because people's attitudes change, further reducing motivation.
Cthulhu_ 6y ago
The phrase is up for interpretation; how about a "not overzealous" programmer? Someone who'd rather pick a well-tested off-the-shelf thing over coding it themselves.