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Bad programmers. Are they common, and how do they survive?

category: code [glöplog]
yeh yeh skomp. that's easily said. but some styles i just can't read. i know i suck beastly at pointer levels and that kinda stuff making it really hard sometimes.
added on the 2013-08-22 14:07:31 by yumeji yumeji
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Dunno, I think it's better to consider yourself a bad coder. This way you're always pushed to improve, and there's always more to learn anyway.

There's a difference between consider yourself as a bad/good coder or the worse/best coder.

I like to entertain the idea that I'm a good coder, but that some people are better than me. That helps me to know that I did not just do something I suck at just because I need to pay my rent at the end of the month :)

Plus, by considering myself as a good coder, I don't hesitate offering help. I would not do that if I considered myself as bad.
added on the 2013-08-22 14:32:33 by Dbug Dbug
dbug: full ack. i also consider myself a good coder, but that does not mean that i'm not willing to learn more and especially i don't think that i'm the best coder. it also depends on the context. when i write throw away code for some proof of concept, the code looks like shit, but the metrics there is: do it fast and correct, it's write only anyway. if i work in a team i even start commenting, not to mention that i stop naming my variables foo, bar, baz and shizzle.
added on the 2013-08-22 14:40:42 by skomp skomp
I'm a bad coder and I need to be punished.
added on the 2013-08-22 20:24:26 by trc_wm trc_wm
well at the very least you're all very entertaining
added on the 2013-08-22 20:28:24 by superplek superplek
Maybe there are many ways to be a good coder? Someone can be good because he makes optimal (for size/speed/whatever) code, someone can be good because he makes kilometers of ok code even if non optimal, someone can be good because his code is easy to read/reuse/maintain...

A real programmer does all this using an hex editor!

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What makes you bad is being unwilling to learn, and willfully staying ignorant. That's basically the qunitessence of this thread, and it all to much reminds me of this :/


Could we add: What makes you bad is being unwilling to learn when you should?
added on the 2013-08-22 20:28:54 by baah baah
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by baah:
Could we add: What makes you bad is being unwilling to learn when you should?

Personally, I don't think so. When would there be a case when you shouldn't (or can't) learn? There's a chance to learn from everything. Even bad stuff, you'll pick that up to know to avoid doing that in the future.
Well, i'm a bad programmer then: i refuse to make GUI (i did on RiscOS, but the OS is almost dead), i am reluctant to update my tools (i still use DJGPP o_O, ok this is a shame) and learn new tools with new bugs (i prefer my good old bugs), i have not yet been interested in OOP and know nothing about it: i code the way i was coding 10 years ago. I'm only coding combinatorics programs, command line tools for me, and other programs for fun. During parties (which is not often) i love to speak about code, i'm willing to know and understand, but not willing to learn when i don't have the use for it.
I'm sticking to c and LaTeX. They were here 30 years ago, they'll probably be there in 30 years.

But i'm not in the programming industry!

There's simply too much to learn in programming, and most of the time it's not perennial. Mathematics are perennial, it's better to learn them and CS.
added on the 2013-08-22 21:16:27 by baah baah
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I like to entertain the idea that I'm a good coder, but that some people are better than me. That helps me to know that I did not just do something I suck at just because I need to pay my rent at the end of the month :)

Plus, by considering myself as a good coder, I don't hesitate offering help. I would not do that if I considered myself as bad.


Yeah. That too. I guess there's 2 sides to it? On the personal level, I consider myself bad compared to where I want to be. Basically, on that big old ladder of learning, still near the bottom.

But on the other side, comparing with everyone else? I guess I'm "good" in some ways. Except maybe style, but hey, I work in a team of 1, I can write horrible code and nobody can say shit :D That said I always make sure my code is efficient (working on mobile platforms I'm always aware that there's not enough memory, the CPU/GPU are weak, and even if the code runs fine people will kill me if the app eats battery life :)

And yeah, I try to pass on some of what I've learned too, if nothing else because I hope people will help me out too. But I'm not handing out code for copy + pasting :D
added on the 2013-08-22 21:48:53 by psonice psonice
so in conclusion: appreciating the complexity of problems and willingness to learn

you guys sure aren't very concise for a bunch of selfproclaimed good coders ;)
added on the 2013-08-22 22:18:25 by superplek superplek
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... if the app eats battery life.


the first thing i implemented in my latest "framework" try is the not so busy loop. yeah. laptop. so... no button - no rendering - nothing. a cheap sleeper tho but it works. but i still haven't got any further with my "engine". XD
added on the 2013-08-22 22:52:07 by yumeji yumeji
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you guys sure aren't very concise for a bunch of selfproclaimed good coders ;)


We're paid by the KLOC.
added on the 2013-08-22 22:54:35 by revival revival
@OP: Everyone is an utter noob at start, copypasting or typing in listings is that same thing. Those who go on to be decent can get employment, those who become competent can have a career, and those who care about perfect code to the degree that they never release anything can become democoders... ;)

Those who don't go on to be decent do indeed go on to do other things, ranging from getting promoted to management to sucking on the welfare tit. :D
added on the 2013-08-22 23:14:42 by Photon Photon
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We're paid by the KLOC.

If that was my case, I would have to give money to my boss: I tend to delete more files and code in general than I write :)
added on the 2013-08-22 23:16:26 by Dbug Dbug
next time you're gonna stroke yourself, make it less obvious ok?
added on the 2013-08-22 23:19:03 by superplek superplek
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When would there be a case when you shouldn't (or can't) learn?

Perl.
added on the 2013-08-22 23:21:41 by Gargaj Gargaj
I had a good time reading about the real programmer ^^
added on the 2013-08-23 00:14:49 by Romain337 Romain337
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by Reomano58:
I had a good time reading about the real programmer ^^

Falsehoods programmers believe about time
Quote:
I had a good time reading about the real programmer ^^


i didn't wanna read it. some "bad coder" fucked up the font rendering in firefox so i could barely (actually not) read any letters cause i'm not using that aww so cool blurry true type shit anywhere. i get eye cancer of bad TT.

/random
added on the 2013-08-23 00:31:27 by yumeji yumeji
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Quote:
We're paid by the KLOC.

If that was my case, I would have to give money to my boss: I tend to delete more files and code in general than I write :)


that! in my opinion we should get paid the double for each deleted line.
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Quote:
When would there be a case when you shouldn't (or can't) learn?

Perl.


says the php coder *shrug*. i use perl quite often, but only for one line scripts mostly. if you know the implicit variables by heart they get fucking short. it's write only code though. php is like the bastard son of perl, except that it misses the elegance i see in perl. also it's used by too many script kiddies who say: hey, lets make a website with php. they end up with glow buttons and stuff. no offense, you can write good code in php (i.e. separating output into templates and keep the logic in plain php files), but it doesn't encourage you to do so as i see it. just google for
Code:mysql_connect ext:inc
if you want to see bad php stuff.
added on the 2013-08-23 10:10:53 by skomp skomp

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