4 ms·

The same goes for me while I am at work. Debugging sucks the life out of you. I try to compensate by doing my personal side-projects/start-up a few hours a nigh

by wenbert 18y ago

The same goes for me while I am at work. Debugging sucks the life out of you. I try to compensate by doing my personal side-projects/start-up a few hours a night.

sho 18y ago
This is my side-project >_< and what better way to spend the Easter weekend than converting it to jQuery? But yes - there are moments of satisfaction! A good problem, within or near to your domain knowledge, where you can fly through it at a rate of knots, get in the groove and get it done - that can be wonderful. But I don't think it's programming per se that's delivering the satisfaction, it's the pleasure of applying your well-honed skills in an efficient and productive fashion. The two are separate, in my opinion. Playing Half-life is "fun". Creating things is good and satisfying but the actual process is often anything but fun. We still do it, of course. Then again, perhaps there's a type of person who really does think typing obscure commands into computers to try to make them do what you want is "fun" in and of itself, but that person is not me. I tell the computer to do things because I want them done, not because I find it fascinating to talk to the computer. Guess I'm outing myself as a bad programmer here, but hey, I would have told you that anyway.
- jlees 18y ago
  I tell the computer to do things because I want them done, not because I find it fascinating to talk to the computer. I was going to agree with this but then I remembered how awesome it is when you tell the computer to do things, and they get done, and it all works out like magic. That click! moment when the cogs all start turning together... in a way it's a means to an end for me, but the end is so beautiful sometimes.
jimbokun 18y ago
"Debugging sucks the life out of you." This made me think of a contrary point of view. "I like debugging: it's the one time that hacking is as straightforward as people think it is. You have a totally constrained problem, and all you have to do is solve it." http://www.paulgraham.com/hp.html http://www.paulgraham.com/hp.html I try to foster this attitude, now, when fixing bugs.
- wenbert 18y ago
  Hehe. I might have been over the top when I wrote my previous comment. But seriously, I would prefer working on things that I do not know yet than fixing other people's code.
frossie 18y ago
I am taken aback about this and other negative comments about debugging. I love debugging - the thrill of the chase, the dodging out of blind alleys, the moment of triumph when you track the bugger down, the know-it-all closing of the bug report... Takes all kinds to make the world I guess :-)

by wenbert 18y ago

The same goes for me while I am at work. Debugging sucks the life out of you. I try to compensate by doing my personal side-projects/start-up a few hours a night.

sho 18y ago

This is my side-project >_< and what better way to spend the Easter weekend than converting it to jQuery? But yes - there are moments of satisfaction! A good problem, within or near to your domain knowledge, where you can fly through it at a rate of knots, get in the groove and get it done - that can be wonderful. But I don't think it's programming per se that's delivering the satisfaction, it's the pleasure of applying your well-honed skills in an efficient and productive fashion. The two are separate, in my opinion. Playing Half-life is "fun". Creating things is good and satisfying but the actual process is often anything but fun. We still do it, of course. Then again, perhaps there's a type of person who really does think typing obscure commands into computers to try to make them do what you want is "fun" in and of itself, but that person is not me. I tell the computer to do things because I want them done, not because I find it fascinating to talk to the computer. Guess I'm outing myself as a bad programmer here, but hey, I would have told you that anyway.

jlees 18y ago
I tell the computer to do things because I want them done, not because I find it fascinating to talk to the computer. I was going to agree with this but then I remembered how awesome it is when you tell the computer to do things, and they get done, and it all works out like magic. That click! moment when the cogs all start turning together... in a way it's a means to an end for me, but the end is so beautiful sometimes.

jimbokun 18y ago

"Debugging sucks the life out of you." This made me think of a contrary point of view. "I like debugging: it's the one time that hacking is as straightforward as people think it is. You have a totally constrained problem, and all you have to do is solve it." http://www.paulgraham.com/hp.html http://www.paulgraham.com/hp.html I try to foster this attitude, now, when fixing bugs.

wenbert 18y ago
Hehe. I might have been over the top when I wrote my previous comment. But seriously, I would prefer working on things that I do not know yet than fixing other people's code.

frossie 18y ago

I am taken aback about this and other negative comments about debugging. I love debugging - the thrill of the chase, the dodging out of blind alleys, the moment of triumph when you track the bugger down, the know-it-all closing of the bug report... Takes all kinds to make the world I guess :-)