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Ask Slashdot: How To React To Coworker Who Says My Code Is Bad?

Posted by timothy on from the very-strong-lye-solution-coffee dept.

A week ago, you read the other side of the same question. Now, an anonymous reader writes "I have been with my company for 10+ years and have seen many development cycles on our projects. We have a developer intern who has not been on the team for very long. On day one he started ripping into my code on how terrible it is. We have a code base of roughly 50,000 lines of code. When he comes to me with a complaint about the code it is simply because he does not have the experience with it to actually understand what the code is doing. He is a smart guy with lots of promise, he is asking good questions, but how do I get him to look past his own self perceived greatness enough to slow down and learn what we are doing and how we have pulled it off?"

10 of 507 comments (clear)

  1. Tell him to write goddamn login page himself? by crazyjj · · Score: 5, Funny

    After all, he's fresh from a CS program where they taught him everything.

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    1. Re:Tell him to write goddamn login page himself? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Code Monkey get up get coffee / Code Monkey go to job / Code monkey have boring meeting, with boring manager Rob / Rob say Code Monkey very diligent / But his output stink / His code not functional or elegant / What do Code Monkey think? / Code Monkey think maybe manager ought to write god damn login page himself....

    2. Re:Tell him to write goddamn login page himself? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Code Monkey not say it out loud. Code Monkey not crazy, just proud

    3. Re:Tell him to write goddamn login page himself? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Code Monkey regret his lousy placement / Code Monkey recall his mama's basement / Code Monkey's chest still swell with pride / Recalling Natalie Portman statue, naked, petrified.

  2. Re:Is he right? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Maybe, but we know that he posts to Slashdot as well.

  3. Re:Is he right? by flatt · · Score: 5, Funny

    Whether he is right or not is immaterial. Now is the time to assert your dominance. Sucker punch him and urinate on him while he's down to put him back in check.

  4. Re:timothy is apparently easily trolled by gigne · · Score: 5, Funny

    yep.

    What next? "I am some code. How do I tell my new maintainers they suck?"

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  5. Re:Possibly related? by magarity · · Score: 5, Funny

    This questioner says he's been at the company 10 years and the new kid is hassling him. That prior question says the guy he's hassling has been at the company longer than the hassler has been alive. If they've hired a 9 year old as a coder then they deserve all the atttitude they get.

  6. Klingon Programmers by AlienSexist · · Score: 5, Funny

    "You dare insult my code!? I'll kill you where you stand!"

  7. Re:Is he right? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    This works and it's a good fundamental method, but it's not extremely efficient.

    I typically like to hire them in a groups. Initially, lay quiet and see who is the more uppity of the bunch. Let him have his moment in front of the new kids and really start to build an alpha status for himself.

    Shortly there after you really want to just casually stroll up to the fresh example and just stab him in the kidneys a few times. This will deal with the problem candidate and build your reputation as someone who gets things done. In fact, it is unlikely anyone will question your authority for some time.