more about programming style (professionalism)

[Barry Shein]

Ok, ok, everyone calm down one minute.

There seems to be this neverending battle between people who call
themselves 'pros' and people who sneer at them as effete snobs.

First, I consider myself a 'pro', so maybe if you're really hot-headed
about this save your system some adrenalin and hit the 'n' key now.

The difference in attitude is largely this: Do you program for yourself
(or maybe a small group of compatriots) or strangers and the public
at large (who, of course, might include some friends, but not necessarily.)
There's one heck of a difference...try it sometimes.

If you have a bug in your code, do you make excuses/apologies and fix it

or do you get sued....or at least lose lots of $$ and/or reputation.

Trust me, it changes your attitudes about these things a lot!  It
changes, quickly, the 'everyone oughta program' types into
'it takes a pro to do it right type'.

Look, think of it like medicine, pros are enormously responsible to get
it right, or else all hell breaks lose. Your aunt edna tells you to take
aspirins for your brain tumor whaddya gonna do? Sue her?  Programming is
the same way.

To follow what I believe is a reasonable analogy, the doctor, sometimes
overcautiously, orders tests and hospital stays, expensive specialists.
Aunt Edna or your local health food guru listens for five minutes (10 if
you're upset) and prescribes something. Maybe correctly, maybe not, but
in either case, not with much accountability.

Look, I've done it, hacking a little (even hard) code in your science
lab or office gives you sense of pride, but it doesn't usually make you
a pro.  It's too easy for you to back out and say 'hey, I'm not really a
programmer, you just couldn't afford one so I filled in', like Aunt Edna
(who herself may be very good, no disparagement here, and she raised
three healthy boys! :-)

Pros are under too much pressure usually to rely on amateurs except in a
training relationship. It's not snobbishness (tho I agree, it sounds
like it often), it's accountability. Try to put yourself in a pair of
very tight fitting shoes and understand (block that metaphor.)

enough sermonizing.

	-Barry Shein, Boston University