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Comment by memset | Hacker News Reader

It is interesting that all of us are getting a different takeaway from this list; something different resonates with different people.

It also surprises me that these lessons originated in 1971 (though I had not heard of this text until just now.)

Back then, IBM was hiring English majors and training them in assembly to work on OS/360 etc. It would not have occurred to me that developers back then would have cultivated a stereotype of a "prima donna."

Because to me, and perhaps this is a reflection of my age, it has only been recently that the popularity of joelonsoftware-esque "pamper your developers!" has led to a culture in small companies where we demand free beer and 36" Macs as a condition for employment.

Or has it always been that way for developers (of young tech companies; none of this really applies if you work at Fidelity Investments) modulo the greatest tech of the day?

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Prima donnas exist wherever they can carve out a niche. Anyone working in a specialized field naturally sees the immense benefits to be gained by fully realizing its potential, often out of proportion to the whole enterprise.

As a coder, I constantly see things that could be automated, relieving people of menial tasks so that they could apply themselves to problems that really need a human brain. If only everyone would recognize the importance of this!

As a coder, I can only laugh at the silly testers who want me to reorganize everything I do so that their job becomes easier! Such prima donnas, thinking the world revolves round them, when it's obvious their role can only be in support of development!

The above two paragraphs are somewhat tongue-in-cheek, but there's nothing there that can't be found in the wild written or said in earnest. Such attitudes are equally applicable to marketing, sales, HR, you name it.

I think this is just supply-demand of the current labor market. There are enough lawyers to go around, but not even close to enough good developers. I think it will continue to be that way for a long time

Interestingly, you have compared apples and oranges: "lawyers" and "good developers" (as opposed to "good lawyers".)

What I mean to say is - and, of course, this is all unsubstantiated - there are plenty of coders and lawyers to go around, but fewer good lawyers (with relevant experience in a field of business, for me it is the wine biz) and good developers (can you follow the instructions on our code test?)

Possibly good lawyers simply get paid more than good developers, and so that - combined with a different culture between the two professions - engenders a different sense of professionalism.

What is the essential quality about dev which causes our culture to be different than other professionals (lawyers?)

Well, as someone married to a lawyer I one thing that is completely different is that they have to worry about their professional license - if they screw up badly enough then it can be taken away and then they can't work as a lawyer anymore.

There is no sanction that can be applied to a developer that will mean that they can never get employed as a developer again.

Up until today, I never understand the term "good developers".

Good Developers seem like a mythical creature that exist in Atlantis.

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