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by "writing great software" do you mean writing software that other programmers will admire? or writing software that your users will love? you shouldn't let t
by choxi 15y ago
by "writing great software" do you mean writing software that other programmers will admire? or writing software that your users will love?
you shouldn't let the first one get in the way of the second.
- mgrouchy 15y agoI mean, writing software that is usable, useful, maintainable, robust and reliable. This is the type of code that both other developers AND your users will love.
- viscanti 15y agoIt really depends what problem you're solving. Not all problems require elegant solutions that other programmers will admire. If that's the case, you have several options: 1. Switch to a "harder" problem (however that's defined), that necessitates an elegant solution that will impress other programmers. 2. Ignore the desire to impress people who don't matter to your business. 3. There is no third option.
- j_baker 15y agoI agree in principle, but not in practice. Yeah, in an ideal world, everyone would set aside their own personal desires and wants to focus on the business's goals. And yes, you have to choose the customers' goals if the two should ever conflict. But in practice, human beings are needy animals who aren't always practical. I find that programmers (including myself) can be more productive if you indulge that side a little bit. In short, I think that you can have your cake and eat it too: code that programmers appreciate working on and also serves the customers' needs.