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Swearing is like typing in all-caps or using an exclamation point. It's usually not necessary but when it fits it really fits. (Hedberg only swears a few times

Swearing is like typing in all-caps or using an exclamation point. It's usually not necessary but when it fits it really fits. (Hedberg only swears a few times here but it sounds exactly right http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5-46bj8b4w http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5-46bj8b4w). Used incorrectly swearing suggests someone who doesn't have much control over their emotions or vocabulary and lacks range of expression. Yet this Heroku library, presumably created by someone who, stubbing their toe on that same problem over and over, is one big exclamation point all-caps rant, with all possible lines of code and input fields in Github (even the license!) filled with rage and satisfaction, and the nice thing is that the library ultimately fixes a problem and makes the solution available to all. Separately, to anyone thinking this "unprofessional", take a look at Philip Greenspun's definition of a software professional: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsPFdVrbGeE#t=41m20s http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsPFdVrbGeE#t=41m20s (incidentally, this entire lecture deserves to be bookmarked and watched). Edit: By the standards of Greenspun's definition the author of the library would be considered a consummate professional. For those without time to watch, here is the link for the presentation he used (though he's an excellent speaker and the presentation adds much more): http://philip.greenspun.com/ancient-history/professionalism-for-software-engineers http://philip.greenspun.com/ancient-history/professionalism-...

phillmv 14y ago
If you're a vim user, Tim Pope is a goddamn hero and I don't give a fuck what anybody thinks.
- dasil003 14y ago
  And if you're not a vim user then you don't know how good git integration can be (thanks to Tim Pope).
  - ajtaylor 14y ago
    I recently started using Tim Pope's git-vim plugin. The first time I used :Gstatus and added a file with one keystroke had me won over. Pure genius if you ask me!
    - dasil003 14y ago
      My favorite Fugitive workflow is: 1. git blame 2. move to the blame window and hit 'o' to open the commit 3. discover that the line in question was merely moved not created by this commit, then move to the --- line in the diff and hit 'o' to open the previous version of the file. 4. repeat from step 1 It's a few more steps than `git log -S` but it provides a different kind of flexibility. You can trace all manner of historic code migrations even without a common search term.
      - ajtaylor 14y ago
        That sounds super nifty! I'll have to give it a try next time I need to trace the history of a file.
- ams6110 14y ago
  I've never heard of Tim Pope and as I posted below, my first thought was "this guy must be 12 years old"
vacri 14y ago
That youtube lecture is confusing two terms. 'Being a professional' is being a member of a profession. "That surgeon is a great professional" is saying "that surgeon is a great member of her profession". 'Being professional' is acting in a way that is suitable for a member of a profession. You don't have to be a professional to be professional. Also, how divorced he is from his own example is when he says 'professionalism to [cosmetic sales] is nice car, clean clothes, no offensive language'... and then says 'but that's not professionalism to a surgeon - they have a lot of money so probably a nice car, but I don't expect them to be clean'. A surgeon!? This guy doesn't think it's in a surgeon's professionalism to be clean!?
- nswanberg 14y ago
  Greenspun first attempts to define what being "professional" does not mean in the context of software engineering (dress nicely, drive a clean car, don't offend), then discusses what makes one surgeon "more professional" than another (competence, innovation, and teaching account for full points), and finally describes how a software engineer would accommodate that standard. The talk does not hinge on the semantics of the term. And on a surgeon's cleanliness, note that Greenspun is referring to the surgeon's car, not hands or other parts. (Though perhaps some doctors could use help in that department: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/01/getting-doctors-to-wash-their-hands/ http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/01/getting-doctors-to-...)
  - vacri 14y ago
    I did mishear the comment, but immediately prior he's saying he doesn't expect the surgeon to be well-dressed. Which is wrong in itself - being well-dressed and looking orderly is important for surgeons because it helps put patients at ease and builds rapport with them. I didn't give the speech more than a few minutes because he seemed quite confused by the term - while the speech might not hang on the semantics, I was thinking 'what can he offer if he can't even keep his context straight'. Also, taking your summary as a pracie, it seems to be missing a fundamental part of acting professional: a measured response when acting with others, be it clients or other professionals. You can be competant, inovative, and teach and still be a histrionic, self-aggrandising arsehole that creates drama left, right, and centre. 'Being professional' includes downplaying drama that isn't directly related to the core work of the profession (if your lab is about to run out of a critical isotope, this isn't a drama you want to downplay).
dag11 14y ago
Here's a different Hedberg video where he swears rather excessively in my opinion: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t83LnfGHNBo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t83LnfGHNBo

phillmv 14y ago

If you're a vim user, Tim Pope is a goddamn hero and I don't give a fuck what anybody thinks.

dasil003 14y ago
And if you're not a vim user then you don't know how good git integration can be (thanks to Tim Pope).
- ajtaylor 14y ago
  I recently started using Tim Pope's git-vim plugin. The first time I used :Gstatus and added a file with one keystroke had me won over. Pure genius if you ask me!
  - dasil003 14y ago
    My favorite Fugitive workflow is: 1. git blame 2. move to the blame window and hit 'o' to open the commit 3. discover that the line in question was merely moved not created by this commit, then move to the --- line in the diff and hit 'o' to open the previous version of the file. 4. repeat from step 1 It's a few more steps than `git log -S` but it provides a different kind of flexibility. You can trace all manner of historic code migrations even without a common search term.
    - ajtaylor 14y ago
      That sounds super nifty! I'll have to give it a try next time I need to trace the history of a file.
ams6110 14y ago
I've never heard of Tim Pope and as I posted below, my first thought was "this guy must be 12 years old"

vacri 14y ago

That youtube lecture is confusing two terms. 'Being a professional' is being a member of a profession. "That surgeon is a great professional" is saying "that surgeon is a great member of her profession". 'Being professional' is acting in a way that is suitable for a member of a profession. You don't have to be a professional to be professional. Also, how divorced he is from his own example is when he says 'professionalism to [cosmetic sales] is nice car, clean clothes, no offensive language'... and then says 'but that's not professionalism to a surgeon - they have a lot of money so probably a nice car, but I don't expect them to be clean'. A surgeon!? This guy doesn't think it's in a surgeon's professionalism to be clean!?

nswanberg 14y ago
Greenspun first attempts to define what being "professional" does not mean in the context of software engineering (dress nicely, drive a clean car, don't offend), then discusses what makes one surgeon "more professional" than another (competence, innovation, and teaching account for full points), and finally describes how a software engineer would accommodate that standard. The talk does not hinge on the semantics of the term. And on a surgeon's cleanliness, note that Greenspun is referring to the surgeon's car, not hands or other parts. (Though perhaps some doctors could use help in that department: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/01/getting-doctors-to-wash-their-hands/ http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/01/getting-doctors-to-...)
- vacri 14y ago
  I did mishear the comment, but immediately prior he's saying he doesn't expect the surgeon to be well-dressed. Which is wrong in itself - being well-dressed and looking orderly is important for surgeons because it helps put patients at ease and builds rapport with them. I didn't give the speech more than a few minutes because he seemed quite confused by the term - while the speech might not hang on the semantics, I was thinking 'what can he offer if he can't even keep his context straight'. Also, taking your summary as a pracie, it seems to be missing a fundamental part of acting professional: a measured response when acting with others, be it clients or other professionals. You can be competant, inovative, and teach and still be a histrionic, self-aggrandising arsehole that creates drama left, right, and centre. 'Being professional' includes downplaying drama that isn't directly related to the core work of the profession (if your lab is about to run out of a critical isotope, this isn't a drama you want to downplay).

dag11 14y ago

Here's a different Hedberg video where he swears rather excessively in my opinion: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t83LnfGHNBo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t83LnfGHNBo