Signs you're a bad programmer, and how to remedy them | Hacker News Reader

Signs you're a bad programmer, and how to remedy them

badprogrammer.infogami.com

44 pointsnickb18 comments

This is more of a list of random things that upsets the author. If I were going to write an article about "signs you're a bad essayist", this essay would provide a lot of examples ;)

But mostly I agree. I think later on his emphasis on database-related things is too heavy. Databases are just a library that some programs use; they really have nothing to do with programming in general. Oh, and I like object databases. Guess that makes me a moron who shouldn't be programming.

I keep running into people who think that a table is a class, a row is an object, and a foreign key relationship is inheritance.

Then it's my fault (being a database type) when their code doesn't do what they think it does...

Databases are just a library that some programs use

And programs are just ones and zeros that some machines use.

This is witty, but incorrect. Not every program needs a database; think about web browsers or games. So if you are writing the physics backend for a new game, you can still be a "good programmer" without knowing what relational algebra is.

Databases are a weird beast; people are wayyyy too religious about them. I guess that's what happens when a technology bills itself as the solution to every problem.

more like careful design to DB than programming...

Skip to the end and read the alternative career suggestions!

From section 5 of the "Signs that you shouldn't be a programmer" section:

Your program produces output to be read by another (eg: a browser), or implements a network protocol, and relies on the other party's software to be significantly tolerant to spec violations.

Doesn't this describe most web applications?

I think the author is referring to programmers who produce "semi-correct" HTML, only test in 1 browser (if they test at all) and expect everything to be acceptable.

As a separate example, I know our customers expect the CSV files that they generate for our program to run to work despite ambiguous data, incorrect / inconsistent number of fields, spelling mistakes, etc...

Programmers don't produce HTML, that job is left to high school dropouts who aren't tough enough to work at Kwik Lube.

Real programmers write binary code using aluminum keyboards with just three buttons: 0, 1 and "Enter".

The most hardcore definition of 'real programmers' that I've ever read ;)

Read the story of Mel

http://www.cs.utah.edu/~elb/folklore/mel.html

You should really check these out, then...

http://xkcd.com/378/

What's the purpose of 'enter'? You have 00001010 for that.

"execute", you silly!

Why even use a keyboard when you can just use a switch? :O

If you're a real programmer, you're using an IBM Model M... which is a switch :)

The reality is that folks who work at the level discussed in the document probably don't have the desire to actually read the article and improve themselves.

I stopped reading the article because it was poorly written.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com