Hacker News Reader

Comment by nullnullnull | Hacker News Reader

No, you have completely miss-represented that article. No where did I say to the effect that a group of non-genius can be the same as a genius. This is something that you injected (incorrectly). Now you are asking me to defend something that you incorrectly suggested and attributed to me!

The claim I made (if you actually read it carefully) is that in current field of software engineering (99.99% of software, boring Line Of Business software, OS, Kernels etc.) can and are done by average developers. And they do not require "super developers" with inflated ego's aka the a-holes.

You however taken away that to some how mean "geniuses". That is an error on your comprehension and interpretation.

So please do calm down your nerd rage :)

View on HN

I'll quote you again:

"There is nothing, in software engineering that can’t be done by other “non-genius” programmers. Further no one developer is greater than a community of developers. - Coding Ninja"

If you think that kernel programming is easy and can be done by "average" programmers then you are either so far ahead of the curve that you don't even realize it, or you are a prime example of the Dunning-Kruger effect. I strongly suspect that it's the latter.

The important stuff gets done by truly outstanding people. To deny this is nothing but laughable.

I didn't say anything about easy or hard (again you are injecting). Yes kernel programming is hard. However it is not "impossible" :

case in point-> The Elements of Computing Systems: Building a Modern Computer from First Principles (by Noam Nisan).

Your average CS student can do this (from nand to tetris). Kernel development is hard (without a doubt), but not impossible.

"The important stuff gets done by truly outstanding people. To deny this is nothing but laughable."

Once again, you are adding things that do not exist in the original article.

You must be joking! The book you are referring to accompanies a course called "CS116". What about digging through some graduate school course catalogues instead?

Of course Kernel development isn't impossible. Otherwise, there wouldn't be any kernels in the first place. But of course it is the domain of a rather small number of people.

I'm well aware of the course, what exactly is your point? Your second part of the sentence makes no sense either, what is your point?

I've demonstrated that kernel development, although "hard" is possible even by students (hence the reference to the book and its related course).

You have offered nothing in response.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com