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The common trait I've seen in all exceptional programmers is an ability to keep a tremendous number of details in memory at one time Would you care to elabo

by Chirono 15y ago

The common trait I've seen in all exceptional programmers is an ability to keep a tremendous number of details in memory at one time Would you care to elaborate on this? I'm a programmer with 'precise and mathematical mind' and I'd say that my one big weakness is exactly that: I struggle to large numbers of disconnected facts in my head at one time.

cageface 15y ago
Most programming tasks involve reconciling a bunch of competing constraints. Abstraction techniques make it easier to deal with subsets of those constraints but abstractions leak and even well abstracted software still involves the interactions of many small pieces. This is why it takes 20-30 minutes to get your head into a programming problem - you have to pull enough of that problem space into your head to start manipulating it. The best programmers can get into that space faster and pull a bigger chunk of a system into their heads at one time. This is why they don't necessarily write clean code because they don't have to. The less gifted of us need strong abstractions and code discipline or we just can't keep up. This is why somebody like Linus Torvalds can afford to be disdainful of a lot of common practices in software - he doesn't need the extra help those practices provide. And all this happens well above the level of a strong mathematical formalism.
cloudhead 15y ago
I'm not sure if that's quantifiable, or if it's a common trait. I'd say you either need that, or be really good at coming up with thought-efficient abstractions. The other way to put it is: you need to have great focus/concentration.
dcminter 15y ago
An interesting excerpt from Accidental Empires (a great read) where this is discussed in passing: http://books.google.com/books?id=QMrfJ-OVIp4C&lpg=PA321&dq=accidental%20empires%20%22the%20magic%20number%20seven%20plus%20or%20minus%20two%22&pg=PA23#v=onepage&q&f=false http://books.google.com/books?id=QMrfJ-OVIp4C&lpg=PA321&...
danielharan 15y ago
Same here - the best could just read APIs and start using them, while I was always referring back to them. I've started meditation again; dual n-backed games are next to try and improve my working memory and concentration. Also, just regularly re-reading the core APIs I'm working with.
- xom 15y ago
  On the usefulness of N-back (scroll to heading "Notes from the author"): http://gwern.net/DNB%20FAQ http://gwern.net/DNB%20FAQ

by Chirono 15y ago

cageface 15y ago

Most programming tasks involve reconciling a bunch of competing constraints. Abstraction techniques make it easier to deal with subsets of those constraints but abstractions leak and even well abstracted software still involves the interactions of many small pieces. This is why it takes 20-30 minutes to get your head into a programming problem - you have to pull enough of that problem space into your head to start manipulating it. The best programmers can get into that space faster and pull a bigger chunk of a system into their heads at one time. This is why they don't necessarily write clean code because they don't have to. The less gifted of us need strong abstractions and code discipline or we just can't keep up. This is why somebody like Linus Torvalds can afford to be disdainful of a lot of common practices in software - he doesn't need the extra help those practices provide. And all this happens well above the level of a strong mathematical formalism.

cloudhead 15y ago

I'm not sure if that's quantifiable, or if it's a common trait. I'd say you either need that, or be really good at coming up with thought-efficient abstractions. The other way to put it is: you need to have great focus/concentration.

dcminter 15y ago

An interesting excerpt from Accidental Empires (a great read) where this is discussed in passing: http://books.google.com/books?id=QMrfJ-OVIp4C&lpg=PA321&dq=accidental%20empires%20%22the%20magic%20number%20seven%20plus%20or%20minus%20two%22&pg=PA23#v=onepage&q&f=false http://books.google.com/books?id=QMrfJ-OVIp4C&lpg=PA321&...

danielharan 15y ago

Same here - the best could just read APIs and start using them, while I was always referring back to them. I've started meditation again; dual n-backed games are next to try and improve my working memory and concentration. Also, just regularly re-reading the core APIs I'm working with.

xom 15y ago
On the usefulness of N-back (scroll to heading "Notes from the author"): http://gwern.net/DNB%20FAQ http://gwern.net/DNB%20FAQ