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The Duct Tape Programmer

Posted by kdawson on from the coders-at-work dept.

theodp writes "Joel Spolsky sings the praises of The Duct Tape Programmer, who delivers programming teams from the evil of 'architecture astronauts' who might otherwise derail a project with their faddish programming craziness. The say-no-to-over-engineering attitude of the Duct Tape Programmer stems not from orneriness, but from the realization that even a 50%-good solution that people actually have solves more problems and survives longer than a 99% solution that nobody has because it's in your lab where you're endlessly polishing the damn thing. Like Steve Jobs, Duct Tape Programmers firmly believe that Real Artists Ship."

18 of 551 comments (clear)

  1. So, does the Duct Tape Programmer... by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 3, Funny

    ...also protect you from sellers of snake oil and fake gems?

    --
    Ezekiel 23:20
    1. Re:So, does the Duct Tape Programmer... by goombah99 · · Score: 4, Funny

      ...also protect you from sellers of snake oil and fake gems?

      No but I have a one-line perl script for that.

      --
      Some drink at the fountain of knowledge. Others just gargle.
    2. Re:So, does the Duct Tape Programmer... by Ukab+the+Great · · Score: 4, Funny

      Not really. I've seen way too much duct tape python and ruby code.

    3. Re:So, does the Duct Tape Programmer... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      No, that is because nothing important is done in Ruby or Python.

    4. Re:So, does the Duct Tape Programmer... by gladish · · Score: 2, Funny

      Build a Man a Fire, and He'll Be Warm for a Day, Teach a mean to build his own fire and ruin a perfectly good business opportunity.

    5. Re:So, does the Duct Tape Programmer... by VisceralLogic · · Score: 5, Funny

      Build a Man a Fire, and He'll Be Warm for a Day, Teach a mean to build his own fire and ruin a perfectly good business opportunity.

      Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life!

      --
      Stop! Dremel time!
    6. Re:So, does the Duct Tape Programmer... by El_Muerte_TDS · · Score: 4, Funny

      What!? You can have multiple lines in a perl script?

  2. You can't measure Synergy by Dareth · · Score: 4, Funny

    You can't measure Synergy man, you just have to feel it!

    --

    I only look human.
    My mother is a halfling and my dad is an ogre, so that makes me an Ogreling
  3. Yeah but... by Alanis+Morissette · · Score: 2, Funny

    They don't even hold a candle to gaffer tape programmers.

  4. even better than the duct tape programmer by circletimessquare · · Score: 5, Funny

    is the duct tape manager

    trying to hop in his chair to the phone, arms bound to the armrests with duct tape, screaming MMMMPH MMMMPH through the glorious dull shiny grey of...

    what were we talking about?

    --
    intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
  5. Re:False dichotomy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    there doesn't have to be a choice between "crappy duct tape" programming and "crappy over-architected" programming.

    Indeed. I do crappy over-architected duct-taped bodgecode every day.

  6. Re:my employer's fault by fridaynightsmoke · · Score: 4, Funny

    "I will crush you!" says man hiding behind anonymity on Internet. More news at 11.

    --
    This is a substitute for a clever sig that fits within the maximum number of characters.
  7. Re:"Don't forget to ship your software!" by Tridus · · Score: 4, Funny

    Hey, it's a great piece of advice if ex Duke Nukem Forever programmers read the article!

    --
    -- "So they told me that using the download page to download something was not something they anticipated." - Bill Gates
  8. Re:WTF HAPPENED TO SLASHDOT? by zubiaur · · Score: 2, Funny

    Calm down, they just run out of duct tape.

  9. Re:Ruel of Thumb by gestalt_n_pepper · · Score: 5, Funny

    Well yes, but it's me and it's usually my own code. Perhaps this explains why I keep meeting myself in the halls.

    --
    Please do not read this sig. Thank you.
  10. Re:True that by dintech · · Score: 2, Funny

    when you misspell "have" as "ahve" three times

    Maybe he's French...

  11. Re:Ruel of Thumb by elfprince13 · · Score: 2, Funny

    and I always thought "if you can't read my code you just aren't 1337 enough" was the proper rule of thumb for software development.

  12. Re:Ruel of Thumb by oldspewey · · Score: 3, Funny

    Been done.

    --
    If libertarians are so opposed to effective government, why don't they all move to Somalia?