3 ms·
Although I'd agree with the second part (that PG and RTM were exceptionally more productive than the Joe Schmoe the programmer), I don't think the Trevor Blackw
by lethain 18y ago
Although I'd agree with the second part (that PG and RTM were exceptionally more productive than the Joe Schmoe the programmer), I don't think the Trevor Blackwell example is a good one.
I think it's routine for me, and most anyone, to write a first version of a system over a week or two and keep noticing ways the design could be improved. Over time cruft accumulates--and you continue to notice new problems you didn't anticipate when you first designed--and almost always it is much quicker to rewrite a second version than the first.
The 3 lines of code per day metric seems fishy to me, but it seems to be based on systems level projects (lets build a new operating system) rather than making a new PHP photoalbum for Grandma. It would be very interesting to see numbers which broke down LOC/day for different subsets of programming jobs.
- axod 18y agoI agree. The first write of anything is working things out. Feeling your way, experimenting, designing and iterating. A "Complete rewrite" sounds hard, and like a big task, but usually it's a simple operation of copying existing functionality. In my experience it's completely possible to spend 6 months writing version 1, and then completely rewrite it in a week.
- chollida1 18y ago> In my experience it's completely possible to spend 6 months writing version 1, and then completely rewrite it in a week. I'll bet Netscape wished you worked for them in 1997.
- deleted 18y ago[deleted]
- axod 18y agoI think quite often, rewrites are best done by 1 or maybe 2 people. I'm not sure they scale well to more.