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0 pointsmattcwilson4y ago0 comments

And, as the article says, your advice and the GP’s are contextual.

If you’re interested in creating software that makes people happy, solves their problems, gets cherished and recommended - then work hard to not lose sight of that goal in the thick of crafting a massive code edifice.

If you’re interested in pushing the limits of your own creativity, and building a technical structure capable of handling domain complexity with ruthless efficiency - then sure, don’t worry too much about how it looks, how it reads, or how others respond to it.

If you’re lucky, you might get to do both in the same body of code. But not likely.

0 comments

boffinAudio4y ago

Even if YOU are the only user, you're still writing software for a human.

Hopefully.

Jensson4y ago

With that argument you could say that everything humans ever did was for humans. So either it is a platitude or it is wrong.

boffinAudio4y ago

You could say that, but my cat thinks you'd be wrong.

However, I'm yet to see my cat boot up the computer.

Jensson4y ago

Ultimately pets are for humans, whatever you do for your cat you do for humans. The same logic works there.

1 more reply

ta9884y ago

My cat would often turn the computer on or the tv off, and I swear he did it on purpose because that's when he was complaining he didn't got enough attention.

SketchySeaBeast4y ago

My cat has turned off my computer on me - does that count?

ninkendo4y ago

You’re writing software for all of your future selves.

http://www.catb.org/~esr/writings/unix-koans/prodigy.html

pksebben4y ago

Thank you for posting this. I feel understood.

dynamite-ready4y ago

But then we can also go the other way, and forget how crazy and diverse humans are. So you will still, eventually, end up facing the same challenge, framed differently.

lucumo4y ago

Well, you could create software as art. Basically to create it for the fun of creating it, not to use it.

But yeah, the end result is useless then, and can be thrown out.

lazide4y ago

Or, like some art, of variable degrees of folks caring about it based on other interesting properties - and made for some purpose other than maintainability.

Demoscene, obfuscated coding contests, etc. seem to fall under that category.

Uselessness in the eye of the beholder or something like that.

lucumo4y ago

But in those cases you are creating for other people. The point was made about software that didn't have any use for any people.

In those cases, only the creation itself has a use, not the end result. By definition.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

0 comments

boffinAudio4y ago

Even if YOU are the only user, you're still writing software for a human.

Hopefully.

Jensson4y ago

With that argument you could say that everything humans ever did was for humans. So either it is a platitude or it is wrong.

boffinAudio4y ago

You could say that, but my cat thinks you'd be wrong.

However, I'm yet to see my cat boot up the computer.

Jensson4y ago

Ultimately pets are for humans, whatever you do for your cat you do for humans. The same logic works there.

1 more reply

ta9884y ago

My cat would often turn the computer on or the tv off, and I swear he did it on purpose because that's when he was complaining he didn't got enough attention.

SketchySeaBeast4y ago

My cat has turned off my computer on me - does that count?

ninkendo4y ago

You’re writing software for all of your future selves.

http://www.catb.org/~esr/writings/unix-koans/prodigy.html

pksebben4y ago

Thank you for posting this. I feel understood.

dynamite-ready4y ago

But then we can also go the other way, and forget how crazy and diverse humans are. So you will still, eventually, end up facing the same challenge, framed differently.

lucumo4y ago

Well, you could create software as art. Basically to create it for the fun of creating it, not to use it.

But yeah, the end result is useless then, and can be thrown out.

lazide4y ago

Or, like some art, of variable degrees of folks caring about it based on other interesting properties - and made for some purpose other than maintainability.

Demoscene, obfuscated coding contests, etc. seem to fall under that category.

Uselessness in the eye of the beholder or something like that.

lucumo4y ago

But in those cases you are creating for other people. The point was made about software that didn't have any use for any people.

In those cases, only the creation itself has a use, not the end result. By definition.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse