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It's not about money, it's about providing value. Beautiful code that solves the wrong problem is just broken, because it doesn't do what it sets out to do. I d

by gizmo 13y ago

It's not about money, it's about providing value. Beautiful code that solves the wrong problem is just broken, because it doesn't do what it sets out to do. I don't see much beauty in code that's broken like that. "For every complex problem there's an answer that's clear, simple, and wrong."

chrismonsanto 13y ago
I don't disagree with what you are saying, but I think you are saying something different than the person I replied to. To me, the statement "What kind of a person even idolizes someone for writing great code?" suggests that programming is not an art, not worthy of further consideration, a mere means to an end to whatever product to be sold. To me, that statement is like saying "Who even idolizes <insert great painter here>? The guys who sold this art didn't even know how to paint!" I am not saying that is an invalid viewpoint. I just think it's a weird viewpoint to have on Hacker News. For me, mathematics, code, etc is not a means to an end, but its own reward. To me, that is part of what it means to be a hacker. I wish there was a place where everyone felt the same way. Hacker News used to be that place for me, but the demographic has changed a lot. That is sad.
- melling 13y ago
  I've been here over 4 years. And I certainly appreciate good coders, and there are times when they do make a difference. e.g. Bill Atkinson... http://folklore.org/StoryView.py?story=Negative_2000_Lines_Of_Code.txt http://folklore.org/StoryView.py?story=Negative_2000_Lines_O... However, what was really important is that Bill helped to make the Macintosh great. However, I don't think people will be studying his 68000 assembler in the future like a great math formula or a great painting. We are talking about him because of the results of his work.
- gizmo 13y ago
  Hmm, you're probably right that the other poster meant his disparaging remark about code quality literally. I also enjoy writing great code for the sake of it (artisanship), but from a business perspective bad, insecure, unreliable code typically won't hold you back much. Treating your employees badly is often good for business too. I'd much rather live in a world where great products win and doing the right thing matters, but we don't. I also agree that the tone of the community has shifted a lot in the past years. Still, given how much HN has grown the community has survived surprisingly well. It's a bit meaner and nit-pickier than it used to be, though.

by gizmo 13y ago

chrismonsanto 13y ago

I don't disagree with what you are saying, but I think you are saying something different than the person I replied to. To me, the statement "What kind of a person even idolizes someone for writing great code?" suggests that programming is not an art, not worthy of further consideration, a mere means to an end to whatever product to be sold. To me, that statement is like saying "Who even idolizes <insert great painter here>? The guys who sold this art didn't even know how to paint!" I am not saying that is an invalid viewpoint. I just think it's a weird viewpoint to have on Hacker News. For me, mathematics, code, etc is not a means to an end, but its own reward. To me, that is part of what it means to be a hacker. I wish there was a place where everyone felt the same way. Hacker News used to be that place for me, but the demographic has changed a lot. That is sad.

melling 13y ago
I've been here over 4 years. And I certainly appreciate good coders, and there are times when they do make a difference. e.g. Bill Atkinson... http://folklore.org/StoryView.py?story=Negative_2000_Lines_Of_Code.txt http://folklore.org/StoryView.py?story=Negative_2000_Lines_O... However, what was really important is that Bill helped to make the Macintosh great. However, I don't think people will be studying his 68000 assembler in the future like a great math formula or a great painting. We are talking about him because of the results of his work.
gizmo 13y ago
Hmm, you're probably right that the other poster meant his disparaging remark about code quality literally. I also enjoy writing great code for the sake of it (artisanship), but from a business perspective bad, insecure, unreliable code typically won't hold you back much. Treating your employees badly is often good for business too. I'd much rather live in a world where great products win and doing the right thing matters, but we don't. I also agree that the tone of the community has shifted a lot in the past years. Still, given how much HN has grown the community has survived surprisingly well. It's a bit meaner and nit-pickier than it used to be, though.