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For me, at least, programming is simply the most profitable articulation of an underlying personality trait that involves productivity, play, mischief, sardonic

For me, at least, programming is simply the most profitable articulation of an underlying personality trait that involves productivity, play, mischief, sardonicism and critique all together. This is what people mean when they point out that "hacking" isn't about software. The tantalizing just-out-of-reach articulation of a compelling concept. Satiating.

awongh 3y ago
How is sardonicism involved in programming? It is a trait many in tech have, I'm not sure if you're saying that it's positively involved in doing programming....
- moffkalast 3y ago
  It's a very effective coping mechanism for dealing with constant problems would be my guess. Here's what GPT 4 has to say on the matter, I think it's pretty hilarious: "Programmers have such a sunny job, full of rainbows and unicorns, that they've taken to leaving little love notes in the form of sardonic comments within their code. It's their way of whispering sweet nothings to the universe about the sheer joy of tracking down that one pesky, elusive bug at 3 AM, or the pure elation they feel when the system crashes for the hundredth time for no apparent reason. They do it with such grace, wearing a smile that's as bright as their computer screens in a dark room. Indeed, who wouldn't want a slice of that pie?"
- aeturnum 3y ago
  I think there are lots of opportunities to be sardonic in programs! Either literally in comments or figuratively in programmatic structures you use, or at a higher level of project design. Any time the system is in a bad state, appearing like it's heading towards a crash, but you've prepared a clause to catch and diffuse the situation it feels a little sardonic to me.
- turtleyacht 3y ago
  It may describe a baseline cynicism about the problem or situation. It's a healthy skepticism, a low-priority thread on the mental backburner. Sometime later, something triggers it or an idea related to it. You can instantly jump back to it. You think "Hmm, I wonder if I can try X on it..." Where X is a technique, method, or process you may have done before, but in a different context.
badpun 3y ago
>The tantalizing just-out-of-reach articulation of a compelling concept. What out of reach concepts do you have? I've found that, with time, I could code almost anything (barring ultraspecialized programs like FEA analysis etc.). The only thing between me and the finished program is hundreds or thousands of hours of work. I don't see magic in that.
- scotty79 3y ago
  Aim for small things. Creating a small nice pleasant to use intuitive API is like a puzzle. Make a super nice component entity system that 12 year old could use with pleasure. Or a hierarchical finite state machine that an average developer would reach for because of its sheer simplicity instead of creating their own tangled mess out of classes, variables, ifs and loops. Those goals often feel like just out of reach.
- aeturnum 3y ago
  Oh - I was trying to gesture at that feeling you get right before you start implementing a solution. The one where you think you see it perfectly and all you need to do is write it down and it will work. It's the feeling you get right before you accidentally stay up until 2am.

awongh 3y ago

How is sardonicism involved in programming? It is a trait many in tech have, I'm not sure if you're saying that it's positively involved in doing programming....

moffkalast 3y ago
It's a very effective coping mechanism for dealing with constant problems would be my guess. Here's what GPT 4 has to say on the matter, I think it's pretty hilarious: "Programmers have such a sunny job, full of rainbows and unicorns, that they've taken to leaving little love notes in the form of sardonic comments within their code. It's their way of whispering sweet nothings to the universe about the sheer joy of tracking down that one pesky, elusive bug at 3 AM, or the pure elation they feel when the system crashes for the hundredth time for no apparent reason. They do it with such grace, wearing a smile that's as bright as their computer screens in a dark room. Indeed, who wouldn't want a slice of that pie?"
aeturnum 3y ago
I think there are lots of opportunities to be sardonic in programs! Either literally in comments or figuratively in programmatic structures you use, or at a higher level of project design. Any time the system is in a bad state, appearing like it's heading towards a crash, but you've prepared a clause to catch and diffuse the situation it feels a little sardonic to me.
turtleyacht 3y ago
It may describe a baseline cynicism about the problem or situation. It's a healthy skepticism, a low-priority thread on the mental backburner. Sometime later, something triggers it or an idea related to it. You can instantly jump back to it. You think "Hmm, I wonder if I can try X on it..." Where X is a technique, method, or process you may have done before, but in a different context.

badpun 3y ago

>The tantalizing just-out-of-reach articulation of a compelling concept. What out of reach concepts do you have? I've found that, with time, I could code almost anything (barring ultraspecialized programs like FEA analysis etc.). The only thing between me and the finished program is hundreds or thousands of hours of work. I don't see magic in that.

scotty79 3y ago
Aim for small things. Creating a small nice pleasant to use intuitive API is like a puzzle. Make a super nice component entity system that 12 year old could use with pleasure. Or a hierarchical finite state machine that an average developer would reach for because of its sheer simplicity instead of creating their own tangled mess out of classes, variables, ifs and loops. Those goals often feel like just out of reach.
aeturnum 3y ago
Oh - I was trying to gesture at that feeling you get right before you start implementing a solution. The one where you think you see it perfectly and all you need to do is write it down and it will work. It's the feeling you get right before you accidentally stay up until 2am.