The Software Inferno

CowboyRobot writes "The Software Inferno is a tale that parallels The Inferno, Part One of The Divine Comedy written by Dante Alighieri in the early 1300s. That literary masterpiece describes the condemnation and punishment faced by a variety of sinners in their hell-spent afterlives as recompense for atrocities committed during their earthly existences. The Software Inferno is a similar account, describing a journey where 'sinners against software' are encountered amidst their torment, within their assigned areas of eternal condemnation, and paying their penance. Quoting: 'CANTO 6 - HERESY: ...The countess explained that these chaotically traveling souls were strongly at variance with well-established beliefs and laws of software engineering developed by experts on the subject. Their unabashed contempt for universally accepted truths spawned decision making that wrought great damage upon software projects in their charge. Some challenged Fred Brooks' sacred counsel in futile attempts to rise above their failings by adding new people with woefully insufficient qualifications to rescue already-late projects. Others flaunted their derision by disregarding software design patterns sanctified by the Gang of Four, instead opting for inelegance of their own in attempts to solve problems whose solutions were already proven, well known, and time-honored.'"

Comments

Re:Always a little creepy

[YrWrstNtmr]

Gives me chills when I see people talking about tech like it was a religion.

Walk by any Apple store.

Re:The Group of 4?

[phantomfive]

Those aren't the four things I look for in a program. I look for this:

1) Does the code work/fill the requirements? (high efficiency might be a requirement, or it might not. Same with cross-platform compatibility).
2) Is the code readable? If not, it doesn't matter how great your design is, people who come after you will rewrite it.
3) Is the code flexible? If not, your design is more a hindrance than a help.

Code that fills all three of those is rare and beautiful.

A good programmer is busy writing / testing code and doesn't have the time or the need to read and remember books

A good programmer is always looking to improve his skill in any way available, including reading.