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The text seems to imply that people on the "technical track" (only programming) are doing so because of some flaw in their personality. That is absolutely not t

by jpfr 5y ago

The text seems to imply that people on the "technical track" (only programming) are doing so because of some flaw in their personality. That is absolutely not the case! This is not a good way to launch "hermit programmer" as a new term. The term is not defined and mentioned only three times in the entire text (once in the title). I suppose most readers have different assumptions on its meaning. I know a few "hermits" (the way I interpret the term) that are excellent engineers and also excellent communicators. Only that they work via mailing lists and not in person. And that they are not willing to succumb to a manager bossing them around.

lucraft 5y ago
There's a part of the article at the bottom that defines a Hermit programmer more precisely: * they don’t plan how they're going to finish a task * they don’t document * they don’t test * they don’t refactor * they don’t know anything about production infrastructure * they don’t have good communication skills * they don’t try to diversify their skills I'd agree with the article that this kind of programmer is "dead".... but as far as I know they've been dead for a very long time already.
- qazpot 5y ago
  Maybe "Bad Programmer" is more apt instead of "Hermit programmer" and yeah it is a no brainer that they are "dead"
  - dagw 5y ago
    Maybe "Bad Programmer" is more apt Some of the very best programmers I've ever met tick all those boxes. They could deliver in a week something other teams would struggle with for months. The problem of course came when other people would try to understand and build on what they had done. If you believe the quote that "Real Developers ship" then they where absolutely Real Developers.
    - IlliOnato 5y ago
      I would not call such a programmer "best", or even "good". Maintainability is almost as important as code actually performing its task.
      - pjerem 5y ago
        For you and for me, sure. For management ? They delivered. And as they delivered, they are the number one choice for bootstraping this brand new important project they'll not have to maintain...
    - pdimitar 5y ago
      I suppose it depends how we define "good" and "bad". To me "good" means "produce working code that can be easily picked up by others". Because of that I suppose I don't fall into this mythical group of programmers that can crank out something in a week that teams struggle with for months. I've done it several times but it's not how I usually roll, plus teams can be super slow sometimes so single guy beating them isn't a huge achievement. I've gotten a lot of accolades because I've "left the garden better for the next guy", several times.
      - rob74 5y ago
        Consider yourself lucky for working at a place where you get recognition for "leaving the garden better for the next guy"! Of course, that also depends on the next guy taking the effort to understand your code and documentation instead of just thinking "I wouldn't have written it this way, so it must be bad", as many developers are wont to do unfortunately...
        pdimitar 5y ago
        Oh, it hasn't been the norm, sadly -- but those several times it happened it felt amazing. ^_^
    - vborovikov 5y ago
      The programmer's job is to produce code that works and is ready to change. So these real developers did only a half of the job.
- dragonwriter 5y ago
  Actually, I don't think they are dead at all in sub-first-tier environments. I think they are quite alive.
- _0ffh 5y ago
  The trouble I have with this "definition" is that none of these points seem to me to have a clear relation with the term "hermit". It reads more like a list of arbitrary suppositions. I could go and write a long rant about why "social programmers" are "dead" and base my conclusions on the same list of assertions and be equally as justified, i.e. not at all.
- seanmcdirmid 5y ago
  You’d be surprised. Someone like Notch getting a billion dollar payday on Minecraft whose support infrastructure came (Mojang) after the code was done still give some programmers like this hope. But Notch is an extreme exception, and his genius in novel game design probably made up for the working alone aspect.
nix23 5y ago
>Only that they work via mailing lists and not in person. Or you know just want to make a good job, and not have to "live" in a artificial and complete dishonest "family", like the googles of the world try to portrait them self's.

by jpfr 5y ago

lucraft 5y ago

There's a part of the article at the bottom that defines a Hermit programmer more precisely: * they don’t plan how they're going to finish a task * they don’t document * they don’t test * they don’t refactor * they don’t know anything about production infrastructure * they don’t have good communication skills * they don’t try to diversify their skills I'd agree with the article that this kind of programmer is "dead".... but as far as I know they've been dead for a very long time already.

qazpot 5y ago
Maybe "Bad Programmer" is more apt instead of "Hermit programmer" and yeah it is a no brainer that they are "dead"
- dagw 5y ago
  Maybe "Bad Programmer" is more apt Some of the very best programmers I've ever met tick all those boxes. They could deliver in a week something other teams would struggle with for months. The problem of course came when other people would try to understand and build on what they had done. If you believe the quote that "Real Developers ship" then they where absolutely Real Developers.
  - IlliOnato 5y ago
    I would not call such a programmer "best", or even "good". Maintainability is almost as important as code actually performing its task.
    - pjerem 5y ago
      For you and for me, sure. For management ? They delivered. And as they delivered, they are the number one choice for bootstraping this brand new important project they'll not have to maintain...
  - pdimitar 5y ago
    I suppose it depends how we define "good" and "bad". To me "good" means "produce working code that can be easily picked up by others". Because of that I suppose I don't fall into this mythical group of programmers that can crank out something in a week that teams struggle with for months. I've done it several times but it's not how I usually roll, plus teams can be super slow sometimes so single guy beating them isn't a huge achievement. I've gotten a lot of accolades because I've "left the garden better for the next guy", several times.
    - rob74 5y ago
      Consider yourself lucky for working at a place where you get recognition for "leaving the garden better for the next guy"! Of course, that also depends on the next guy taking the effort to understand your code and documentation instead of just thinking "I wouldn't have written it this way, so it must be bad", as many developers are wont to do unfortunately...
      - pdimitar 5y ago
        Oh, it hasn't been the norm, sadly -- but those several times it happened it felt amazing. ^_^
  - vborovikov 5y ago
    The programmer's job is to produce code that works and is ready to change. So these real developers did only a half of the job.
dragonwriter 5y ago
Actually, I don't think they are dead at all in sub-first-tier environments. I think they are quite alive.
_0ffh 5y ago
The trouble I have with this "definition" is that none of these points seem to me to have a clear relation with the term "hermit". It reads more like a list of arbitrary suppositions. I could go and write a long rant about why "social programmers" are "dead" and base my conclusions on the same list of assertions and be equally as justified, i.e. not at all.
seanmcdirmid 5y ago
You’d be surprised. Someone like Notch getting a billion dollar payday on Minecraft whose support infrastructure came (Mojang) after the code was done still give some programmers like this hope. But Notch is an extreme exception, and his genius in novel game design probably made up for the working alone aspect.

nix23 5y ago

>Only that they work via mailing lists and not in person. Or you know just want to make a good job, and not have to "live" in a artificial and complete dishonest "family", like the googles of the world try to portrait them self's.