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In my head, I translate that as "I don't want to think about whether my code actually helps anyone." Because if you do care, you necessary need to (1) learn wh

by ef4 14y ago

In my head, I translate that as "I don't want to think about whether my code actually helps anyone." Because if you do care, you necessary need to (1) learn what someone's problem really is, (2) figure out how to solve it, (3) explain your solution to them so they use it. And at that point, you're "doing business". Business is not accounting. It's problem solving. It's designing algorithms that run on people and processors. And you measure the performance of your algorithm in money, because money is the best measurable proxy we have for "what people value".

deleted 14y ago
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dgreensp 14y ago
It's completely possible to _care_ about whether your code actually helps anyone without ever thinking or worrying about it yourself. All you have to do is trust someone else to make sure you're not wasting your time, whether it's your boss, CEO, or co-founder, and perhaps they can make this determination better than you. It sounds like you feel you have to be in charge of the business to know you're not wasting your time, but not everyone feels this way. I support a world with strong organizations and separation of responsibility, where designers can design, programmers can program, and chefs can cook lunch, and if the company fails, well, at least lunch was delicious. It's not the back-end programmer's fault for not spending his shower time thinking about the business model. Most people aren't looking for a financially risky job; it's on the entrepreneur to take the risk. Alternatively, let's just get rid of salaries and everyone can work for equity. Then they'll _really_ be thinking about how much their work is helping the customer.
lisperforlife 14y ago
Sometimes you want to do things just for the sake of doing it without thinking about its use/utility. There is nothing wrong with that. Not everything you do needs to have a purpose but that may/may not lead to great things with purpose later. Richard Feynman was famous for working on the physics of wobbling discs that led him to a nobel prize later.

by ef4 14y ago

deleted 14y ago

[deleted]

dgreensp 14y ago

It's completely possible to _care_ about whether your code actually helps anyone without ever thinking or worrying about it yourself. All you have to do is trust someone else to make sure you're not wasting your time, whether it's your boss, CEO, or co-founder, and perhaps they can make this determination better than you. It sounds like you feel you have to be in charge of the business to know you're not wasting your time, but not everyone feels this way. I support a world with strong organizations and separation of responsibility, where designers can design, programmers can program, and chefs can cook lunch, and if the company fails, well, at least lunch was delicious. It's not the back-end programmer's fault for not spending his shower time thinking about the business model. Most people aren't looking for a financially risky job; it's on the entrepreneur to take the risk. Alternatively, let's just get rid of salaries and everyone can work for equity. Then they'll _really_ be thinking about how much their work is helping the customer.

lisperforlife 14y ago

Sometimes you want to do things just for the sake of doing it without thinking about its use/utility. There is nothing wrong with that. Not everything you do needs to have a purpose but that may/may not lead to great things with purpose later. Richard Feynman was famous for working on the physics of wobbling discs that led him to a nobel prize later.