jerry (06/08/82)
A major part of my job is programming and I immodestly think I am good at it. Like Charles, I do not want to be called a hacker. Why not? Because I try to do the following: I spend time testing my programs. I try to understand a bug before I fix it. This often means avoiding an "obvious" fix until I have satisfied myself that I understand the implications of a change. I spend time thinking about the problems my programs will solve (as opposed to thinking about the program). I spend time working on problems I don't find interesting, because somebody else (i.e. my boss) wants me to. I don't become attached to the first solution I find to a problem. I complete projects. This means all the diddly work of documentation, getting the last bug out, responding to users' complaints, etc. I try to structure my programs to make them easy to understand and easy to modify. I read journals. (I don't mean rumor rags like datamation, but semi-technical ones like Software Practice) I recognize that anything I do when I'm tired ought to be checked again when I'm not. I take care to maintain a history of what I've done. I don't make gratuitous changes in my programs. People don't like to relearn ways of doing things, even when the new way is "better". I know the difference between jargon used to compress communication, and jargon used to impress or show off. If somebody expresses a preference for an operating system or programming language I don't like, I try to understand the reasons o rather than ridicule his or her preference. I don't waste my time composing netnews items. (Well, I said I tried -- I admit it. I do sometimes hack.) Notice that these are statements of attitude, not of skill.