Re^2: what to do when you screw-up?

Some people advocate always writing the best quality code you can, at all times: this is a nice goal, but sometimes management won't let you do it.

Well, the 'best code you can' isn't an absolute -- it depends opn the resources available, like time, ability to talk with other developers and availability of test systems (one of my co-workers had to do Automated Teller Systems testing on a Production machine, taking real money out of a real account, then hand it all in at the end of the day). Oh, and there's another thing -- interruptibility -- if you're trying to keep your head down on a development job, but you *also* have to do support, double or triple your schedule. Or even tell your manager you can't do it unless someone else covers your support duties.

Anyway, those are just a fwe things to think about.

Alex / talexb / Toronto

"Groklaw is the open-source mentality applied to legal research" ~ Linus Torvalds

Comment on Re^2: what to do when you screw-up?

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Re^3: what to do when you screw-up? by Anonymous Monk on Feb 28, 2006 at 00:04 UTC
Well, the 'best code you can' isn't an absolute -- it depends opn the resources available Exactly; the best code that you can write, assuming infinite resources, is possibly (even probably) not the best code for limited resources. Oh, and there's another thing -- interruptibility -- if you're trying to keep your head down on a development job, but you also* have to do support, double or triple your schedule.* Lost focus costs time; at one job, I found that I was terribly unproductive, despite my best efforts, when I had a co-worker who cleared his throat, loudly and repeatedly, every five minutes. It wasn't really his fault, but it killed my ability to concentrate. Eventually, he was let go... I don't know if that was why... -- Ytrew	[reply]

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Re^3: what to do when you screw-up?
by Anonymous Monk on Feb 28, 2006 at 00:04 UTC

Well, the 'best code you can' isn't an absolute -- it depends opn the resources available

Exactly; the best code that you can write, assuming infinite resources, is possibly (even probably) not the best code for limited resources.

Oh, and there's another thing -- interruptibility -- if you're trying to keep your head down on a development job, but you *also* have to do support, double or triple your schedule.

Lost focus costs time; at one job, I found that I was terribly unproductive, despite my best efforts, when I had a co-worker who cleared his throat, loudly and repeatedly, every five minutes. It wasn't really his fault, but it killed my ability to concentrate. Eventually, he was let go... I don't know if that was why...

--
Ytrew

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