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Programming is not a culture. There is a culture around programming similar to that of dulce et decorum est, which may explain why so many programmers see thems
by fleitz 15y ago
Programming is not a culture. There is a culture around programming similar to that of dulce et decorum est, which may explain why so many programmers see themselves as some kind of jedi knight fighting evil in a clearly delineated black and white world.
The world is not black or white, being a 501 programmer is not a binary answer, it is an answer with many subtle shades of gray.
Instagram didn't change the world, but it certainly did make 12 people very rich. Most people who work on a startup will not become stupidly rich, changing the world is something the people who own the stock tell people dumb enough to believe it. Programming as a culture is yet one more of those things. If it was a culture you would not get paid to do it, just like no one gets paid to be Italian.
501 programmers are akin to mercenaries, we believe in the almighty dollar and don't think that the King or country is something worth dying for, and especially not stock options. We go home at 5:01 because we aren't being paid to stay any longer, and we know that the vast majority of the benefits of staying past 5:01 will accrue to those who hold stock rather than to those who stay past 5:01. (If staying past 5:01 is even productive, which many studies think is not)
- jondot 15y agoThe point isn't being made about the values of going back home, or living life. Those, again, are generic things anyone, in any profession would be taking up and it would be very healthy. The point is the subtle-looking bash at open source, and people that hold it as a passion. Sure, you shouldn't spend your life making a certain someone's dream come true. And if you do, you should be sure you want to make that dream come true. But you can spend it doing something you love.
- nkohari 15y agoEven mercenaries need to train.
- stcredzero 15y agoSome mercenaries are more like, "Vive Le Mort," which is to say they are often disturbingly enthusiastic about what they do. That's understandable for a field where one risks their life and physical well being. Programming is not like that. Being a workaholic programmer should be a personal choice and not a culture. I think that's all the 501 guy is trying to say.
- jwoah12 15y agoIf it was a culture you would not get paid to do it, just like no one gets paid to be Italian. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jersey_Shore_(TV_series) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jersey_Shore_(TV_series)