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This may be true, but it's also false. Many regular drivers have an understanding of how the machine they're driving works. Mechanical sympathy is one of the mo

This may be true, but it's also false. Many regular drivers have an understanding of how the machine they're driving works. Mechanical sympathy is one of the most important things I've ever learnt. It applies to software as well. Knowing how the data structures are laid out in memory, knowing how the cache works, knowing how the compiler messes with the loops and the variables. These aren't necessarily vital information, and good compilers mean that you can comfortably ignore much of these things, but this knowledge definitely makes you a better developer. Same as knowing how the fuel injection system or the aspiration of your ICE will make you a better driver.

yusina 1y ago
I'm totally with you that it's useful knowledge. One of the main differences between a Youtube/bootcamp trained programmer and a university-CS-educated software engineer, though either "side" has outliers too. But there is a fine line between having general understanding of the details of what's going on inside your system and using that knowledge to do very much premature optimizations and getting stuck in a corner that is hard to get out of. Large parts of our industry are in such a corner. It's fun to nerd out about memory allocators, but that's not contributing to overall improvements of software engineering as a craft which is still too much ad hoc hacking and hoping for the best.
- widdershins 1y ago
  > It's fun to nerd out about memory allocators, but that's not contributing to overall improvements of software engineering as a craft which is still too much ad hoc hacking and hoping for the best. I'm sorry, but it is. Understanding memory layout and (sometimes) using custom allocators can improve performance in ways that no compiler cannot do automatically. And when used correctly they contribute to code correctness too. This is the reason they are used in projects like Chromium. Regarding your car analogy, you have to remember that developers here are not driving the car: they're building the car. Understanding the differences between and ICE engine and an electric motor are very salient to designing a good car.

yusina 1y ago

I'm totally with you that it's useful knowledge. One of the main differences between a Youtube/bootcamp trained programmer and a university-CS-educated software engineer, though either "side" has outliers too. But there is a fine line between having general understanding of the details of what's going on inside your system and using that knowledge to do very much premature optimizations and getting stuck in a corner that is hard to get out of. Large parts of our industry are in such a corner. It's fun to nerd out about memory allocators, but that's not contributing to overall improvements of software engineering as a craft which is still too much ad hoc hacking and hoping for the best.

widdershins 1y ago
> It's fun to nerd out about memory allocators, but that's not contributing to overall improvements of software engineering as a craft which is still too much ad hoc hacking and hoping for the best. I'm sorry, but it is. Understanding memory layout and (sometimes) using custom allocators can improve performance in ways that no compiler cannot do automatically. And when used correctly they contribute to code correctness too. This is the reason they are used in projects like Chromium. Regarding your car analogy, you have to remember that developers here are not driving the car: they're building the car. Understanding the differences between and ICE engine and an electric motor are very salient to designing a good car.