Object Thinking...Where are the good developers?

I started reading "Object Thinking" this week. If you've got $30 laying around, buy it. Its an interesting read.

"Better tools, methods, and processes will allow you to create superior software using average human resources." Now that is a money statement; one I never took the time to think of or about.

"Their <managers> distrust of human workers led them to the idea that imposed process and method could compensate for weakness they felt to be innate in workers."

"The best programmers are up to 28 times better than the worst programmers.....Given their pay is never commensurate, they are the biggest bargains in the software field."

So, I think I need to get out of this industry now as I am one of those 'worst' programmers... ;-)

Seriously though, how do you measure best to worst?

Food for thought.

1 Comment

  • Hi Greg,



    Insteresting post this morning.



    The phrase &quot;Better tools, methods, and processes will allow you to create superior software using average human resources.&quot; is often heard in business classes or seminars, just replace &quot;superior software&quot; with the subject at hand, such as &quot;burgers&quot; in the case of McDonalds.



    If you want to have a great business at anything, you want to have the propert tools, methods, and processes in place so that you can turn out superior, or at least consistent, results without heavily relying on the expertise and knowledge of your help. The less you have to rely on manual effort (think code generation as a programming example), the more consistent the result will be and the less you will have to rely on others. This will help keep the salaries low and not have the business owner worry about losing a particular employee who knows a lot about the business. The business knowledge stays in the business as part of the tools and processes, not in a particular employees head.



    As far as best and worst programmers, the worlds needs all types of programmers so you and I are safe for the meantime until artifical intelligence becomes mainstream :)



    To say the best programmers are the biggest bargain assumes a certain budget, even if they are a bargain. You will pay a higher price for the experts, when all you may need is a good developer.



    The key is here is always the right &quot;tool&quot; or &quot;person&quot; for the job. You have &quot;software architects&quot;, &quot;lead developers&quot;, &quot;developers&quot;, &quot;code monkeys&quot;, etc., each playing a vital role in the process. Larger businesses hire each role, smaller businesses may be more conservative.



    They are all necessary, and certainly today's code monkeys will be tomorrow's developers, lead developers, and architects. Of course, nothing wrong with just being a code monkey, tool, if that is what makes you happy!

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