Where is code created?
Are you surprised by this question? You are thinking the answer is so obvious, isn’t it? Of course, the code is created in the computer!
Just think about it. Is the code really created in the computer? In my humble opinion, No. The code is created in the head of the developer. “What happens (while creating code) in the mind is some discovery or decision. What we do at the keyboard is turning that discovery or decision into useful form". (credit: Paul Oldfield)
Profound, isn’t it? I cannot think of any argument against this fact.
If we accept this as a fact, several questions come to my mind:
- Given that people are the most important ‘resource’ for software creation, why are people treated like nonliving ‘things’?
- For something which people primarily create in their heads, why is intrinsic motivation not given the importance it deserves, and why is it (wrongly) believed that incentivizing with monetary rewards is the best way to motivate people?
- Why are we obsessed with applying manufacturing relevant productivity measures to people? E.g. Typing code for at least 6 hours a day.
- Why is effort spent towards communication and collaboration between team members seen as nonproductive/waste, when in effect this will actually lead to better product/solution?
- If we take into account the collective experience of the team and the fact that all human beings are capable of thinking, why are Managers more powerful than the teams?
Answers please, anyone?
I am extremely saddened by the colossal waste and non-utilization of human brain’s potential, in the IT industry. Hope to see a revolution happening for changing this. As of now, moving to the Agile mindset is my only hope.
Co-Founder and CTO @Fintaar.ai
7 å¹´This is where "BEST" organizations and "Regular types" vary! Organizations which understands "arts" side of "programming science" and encourage freedom- gets extra ordinary results! And we know what happens to other organizations- trapped in vicious circle- unhappy work force, not so good or average growth! So people who knows the answer-values developers- where managers are facilitators! And not drivers!
Thought Provoker / Founder @VXS
10 å¹´In Marketing, it is widely accepted that "you need space to be creative". However, in IT, cubicle farms are considered the most effective way to obtain feasible solutions. When will managers accept that creativity in IT is not only on the same level as in Marketing, it's not just about having ideas - but about turning them into something that actually works!
VP - Delivery
10 å¹´Hi Sunil, I would like to concentrate only on first two questions... the reason being, I do not think it is important to find where the code come from... as long as it caters to the need of the user... the source can vary. Why human resource are treated as non living thing, possible this is only in India as we have plenty of them. If you do not do it, someone else will... Why Incentives are the motivational factor, its simple... mass are working, inventing something for money.. only few of them has other objectives...and majority wins...
Lean/Agile Process and Architecture Coach
10 å¹´@Nilanjan asks: "Is there a reference for the comment from Alan Kay?" Start with the Scientific American (251/3) article they did on "Computer Software" in September 1984. There is an internal paper he wrote back in August of 1972 at Xerox PARC entitled, "A Personal Computer for Children of All Ages" that invokes most of the ideas I describe here. Here is a direct quote from the 1972 Kay paper: "Most of the notions have their root a number of theories about the child that lie much closer to Piaget than to Skinner. We feel that a child is a 'verb' rather than a 'noun', an actor rather than an object; he _is not_ a scaled-up pigeon or rat [a reference to the techniques being used by Skinner for "programmed learning"]; he _is_ trying to acquire a model of his surrounding environment in order to deal with it; his theories are 'practical' notions of how to get from idea A to idea B rather than 'consistent' branches of formal logic, etc. We would like to hook into his current modes of thought in order to influence him rather than just trying to replace his model with one of our own." Other research worth your consideration is that of O.K. Moore's "talking typewriter" and the work of Piaget, Dewey, Papert, whom Kay generously cites. Here's another quote from the same paper: "Papert's work in 'teaching kids thinking' through giving them an environment in which they can write programs for their own ends (animations, games, etc.) is strikingly similar in spirit to Moore's, although the philosophical background is that of AI and Piaget." Papert was the father of Logo, which many kids can use today to program their Lego creations. I've been working with Trygve Reenskaug for the past ten years or so, who was at PARC about four years later, and he relates most of these ideas and attributes them to Alan Kay.
IT Project Manager | Agile | Certified - Salesforce, AWS, Azure, AI/ML
10 å¹´Good Article. Very well summarized to explain the current state of IT industry.