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  Are You a Good Programmer?

If someone asks you to recommend a good programmer, who comes to mind? Do you consider yourself a good programmer? What criteria do you use to judge? In thinking about this, I realized that there are different ways that a programmer can be good. So I present to you The Four Kinds of Good Programmers. And in celebration of Whyday, I include quirky Why-styled illustrations* for your viewing pleasure! The Philosopher The PhilosopherThe philosopher loves to write well-defined, well-structured...

   Programmer,Inventor,Philosopher,Conquero     2011-08-23 07:56:26

  Why Memorizing is Ineffective

The information-age has burst into life, creating a wake of social change. Young people are growing up faster and more sophisticated, as raw information, tailored-entertainment, and branded-marketing are streamed into their rooms. But this technological exposure has not necessarily made them savvier or more capable of handling tomorrow’s challenges.The debates in public education over “school-choice” and standardized testing have missed the far more important issue. The real c...

   Memory,Memorization,Ineffective,Career     2011-11-19 02:13:41

  Why Do So Many Gifted Kids Think They Don't like Math?

Why do so many bright and gifted kids think they don't like math? Experience and the reading of lots of research leads me to believe that boredom, under-instruction and poor instruction throughout elementary and middle school lie behind the problem. My best girlfriend since high school is a math teacher north of Philly. We've talked about this a lot. She and I are both aware that our own math instruction lacked a lot. As I give IQ tests, too, I see something that I thought many people woul...

   Bright kids,Math,Hate,Gifted,Boring     2011-12-06 09:00:49

  Good programmer made bad designers

I got an email request to publish this article a few days ago.I was actually on the verge of moving the email to the trash when I noticed the first name of the author: Rand.For those of you not familiar with the Wheel of Time series, the main character’s name is Rand.I admit that it’s an embarrassing weak reason to respond to a strange email, but reading some 10,000 pages of a fantasy series obviously messes with your mind.Then again, it’s probably no stranger than...

   Programmer,Designer,Comparison     2011-08-29 22:06:33

  Programming: the benefits of taking a break

This post lists several benefits of taking a break during programming.You work smarter, not harder. Once, I worked really hard on a feature. For two weeks, 12 hours a day, I put in a lot of effort. After those two weeks, I took a break and came up with several ideas that made much of the work unnecessary.You think more clearly. Being tired has a similar effect as being drunk. At the end of a day, I often kid myself that I’ll just get this one thing finished quickly to have a fre...

   Programming,Break,Rest,Refresh,New idea     2011-11-08 08:50:45

  Mastering a New Programming Language: A Professional Guide

Introduction Learning a new programming language can seem daunting, but with the right approach, anyone can become proficient in a new language. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced programmer, mastering a new language can open up new opportunities in your career and enable you to tackle new and exciting programming challenges. In this guide, we'll provide you with a step-by-step process for mastering a new programming language. Step 1: Choose a Language and Set Goals The first step in ma...

   PROGRAMMING,GUIDE,TIPS     2023-04-22 02:52:00

  Java Doesn't Need to Be So Bad

I do a lot of Java coding and I enjoy it. I admit that there is a lot of typing, often a lot of boilerplate and getting even simple tasks done can involve too much work. Most of the tools that try to fix these problems trade one moment saved for another lost. Maven's XML based configuration file is a good example: Thank you for making my project easier to manage and I won't forget that you made me edit XML to do so. These are the things that you live with, these are the things you trade for ...

   Java,Coding,Enterprise application,Tedious     2011-12-09 07:50:20

  What makes a great IT project manager

Since IT project management is a field in constant flux, there's no one universal definition of a great IT project manager. Still, there are some skills and features that can be easily adapted to any working environment, meeting new organizational needs and consequent challenges. A significant problem is the fact that project manager will mean different things to different people (even within the same organization!). Some say that the greatest IT project managers are those who are able to balanc...

   project management     2015-07-06 02:15:46

  Why programmers are not paid in proportion to their productivity

The most productive programmers are orders of magnitude more productive than average programmers. But salaries usually fall within a fairly small range in any company. Even across the entire profession, salaries don’t vary that much. If some programmers are 10x more productive than others, why aren’t they paid 10x as much?Joel Spolsky gave a couple answers to this question in his most recent podcast. First, programmer productivity varies tremendously across the profession, but...

   Productivity,Salary,Efficiency,Programmer,Not match     2011-11-16 08:12:00

  Frequently used explanations of programmers

As a programmer, I think many of us have something like these below in our daily work. From these explanations, we may get to know different programmer's characteristics. Below are something we may say frequently. Don't be too serious about them.It's working on my computerI never heard about this beforeIt was working normally yesterdayOk, this is a bugHow is it possible?This must be the problem of the machine or the environmentDo you update your operating system?Must be the problems of client...

   Explanation,Programmer     2012-04-25 08:07:43

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