What type of Programmer you are?
August 28, 2008
If you want to know what kind of Programmer or coder you are then you must read this funny article on IT/software programmers.
Read and Enjoi this !!!
1) The Eager Coder
Strengths
Eager Coders are productive, in terms of code quantity. They write a lot of code. They love learning new stuff and are really enthusiastic—even passionate—about programming. The Eager Coder loves his job, and genuinely wants to write good code.
Weaknesses
Because of his unfettered enthusiasm, the Eager Coder is hasty and doesn’t think before rushing into the code editor. He does write a lot of code, but because he writes so fast, it’s flawed—the Eager Coder spends ages debugging. A little forethought would prevent many silly errors and many hours ironing out careless faults.Unfortunately, the Eager Coder is a really bad debugger. In the same
way he rushes into coding, he dives straight into debugging. He’s not methodical,
so he spends ages chasing faults down blind alleys.He’s a poor estimator of time. He’ll make a reasonable estimate for the case when it all goes well, but it never does go according to plan; he always takes longer than expected.
2) The Code Monkey
Strengths
Give them a job and they’ll do it—reasonably well, reasonably on time.A Code Monkey is reliable and can usually be counted on to put in extra effort when it comes to crunch time.Unlike Eager Coders, Code Monkeys are good estimators of time.They are methodical and thorough.
Weaknesses
Although Code Monkeys are careful and methodical, they don’t think outside of the box. They lack design flair and intuition. A Code Monkey will follow the existing code design conventions unquestioningly, rather than address any potential problems. Since they are not accountable for the design, they don’t accept responsibility for any problems that arise and often won’t take the initiative to investigate and fix them.It’s hard to teach a Code Monkey new stuff; he’s just not interested.
3) The Guru
Strengths
Gurus are the experienced magicians. They know all the modern techniques and understand which old tricks are better. (Gurus invented all the cool techniques in the first place.) They have a wealth of experience and write mature maintainable code.A good Guru is a wonderful mentor—there’s so much to learn from him.
Weaknesses
Few Gurus can communicate well. They’re not always tongue tied, but their ideas fly so fast and at a level beyond mere mortals’, so it’s hard to follow them. A conversation with a Guru makes you feel stupid,confused, or both.
The poorer a Guru’s communication skills, the worse mentor he will make. Gurus find it hard to understand why others don’t know as much or don’t think as fast as they do.
4) The Demiguru
Strengths
It’s easy to assume that a Demiguru has no strengths, but his great asset is his belief in himself. It’s important to trust your own abilities, and to be secure that you write high-quality code. However . . .
Weaknesses
The Demiguru’s great weakness is his belief in himself. He overestimates his abilities, and his decisions will jeopardize your project’s success. He’s a serious liability.The Demiguru will haunt you, even after he’s moved on to new pastures. You’ll be left with the consequences of his bad design and overly clever code.
5) The Arrogant Genius
Strengths
The Genius has considerable technical skill. He can provide a strong technical lead and will catalyze a team when everyone agrees with him.
Weaknesses
The Genius doesn’t like to be proved wrong and thinks that he must always be right. He feels compelled to act as an authority; The Genius knows everything about everything. He can never say I don’t know,suffering from a full humility bypass.
6) The Cowboy
Strengths
Cowboy code works, but isn’t particularly elegant. Cowboys like to learn new things, but seldom get around to it (it’s too much like hard work).
Weaknesses
You’ll spend ages cleaning up after a Cowboy. His aftermath is not a pleasant place to be. Cowboy code always requires later repair, rework,and refactoring. They have a limited palette of techniques to use, and no real engineering skills.
7) The Planner
Strengths
They do design. They do think. They don’t hack out thoughtless code.
Weaknesses
When a Planner sets to work, there is a very real danger of over design.He tends to create very complex systems. Planners are the key cause of analysis paralysis—where development becomes more focused on methods and modeling than on prototyping and creating a solution. The Planner likes to generate endless documents and call meetings every other hour.He spends ages thinking and not enough time doing anything. He knows a lot, but it doesn’t all make the leap from theory to practice.
8) The Old Timer
Strengths
He’s been programming for years, and so he has considerable experience and wisdom. The Old Timer has a mature approach to coding. He has learned which qualities make good and bad programs and how to avoid the common pitfalls.
Weaknesses
The Old Timer won’t willingly learn new techniques. Fed up with fashionable ideas that promise much and deliver little, he’s a bit slow and can be resistent to change.
He has little patience, thanks to years of corporate ineptitude. He’s been at the receiving end of countless tight deadlines and unreasonable managers.
9) The Zealot
Strengths
He knows BigCo’s products inside out and will produce genuinely good designs based on them. He is productive with that technology, but not necessarily maximally productive—other unfamiliar approaches might be more effective.
Weaknesses
Being a Zealot, he’s neither objective nor pragmatic. There may be better non-BigCo designs that he will miss. Worse, though, are the Zealot’s continual rants about BigCo.
10) The Monocultured Programmer
Strengths
The Monocultured Programmer is focused and determined. He’ll ensure that the project works, or he’ll die trying. He’s willing to put in a lot of extra effort, and he’s really useful as deadlines draw near.
Weaknesses
He expects others to be as obsessive and focused as he is and might be disapproving of those who aren’t. His biggest danger is overlooking things, since he permanently lives too close to the problem.
11) The Slacker
Strengths
At least he knows how to have fun.
Weaknesses
A Slacker is an obvious liability. It’s hard to prove he’s slacking—some hard problems do take a while to sort out. A programmer might not be slacking; he just might not have enough skill to solve the problem quickly.
12) The Reluctant Team Leader
Strengths
The Reluctant Team Leader has a real sympathy for the programmer’s plight—he’s been there and now wishes he was back. Often, he is far too willing to take responsibility for late software delivery to prevent the programmers being picked on by management. Just as he’s not good at delegating work, he’s not good at apportioning blame.
Weaknesses
When a Team Leader tries to write code, it will be awful. He never has enough time to write, design, or test carefully enough. He naïvely plans himself a full day’s coding alongside team leading duties. He can’t fit it all in, and so the Reluctant Team Leader spends longer and longer in the office, trying to keep up. He can’t organize well, can’t explain things to managers, and can’t manage his team members properly.
13) The Ideal Programmer
The fabled Ideal Programmer is part:
Politician
He must be diplomatic, able to deal with the peccadilloes of these weird code monkeys and the many, many more creatures that inhabit the software factory—managers, testers, support, customers, users, and so on.
Relational
He works well with others. He isn’t territorial about his code and isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty if a task is for the common good. He communicates well—he can listen as well as talk.
Artistic
He can design elegant solutions and appreciate the aesthetic aspects of a high-quality implementation.
Technical genius
He writes solid, industrial-strength code. He has a broad palette of technical
skills and understands how and when to apply them.
Finally when we want to know diff between good and bad programmers:
Good programmers . . .
1) Are PRATs: politicians,relational, artistic, and technical
2) Are THICK: team players,honest and humble, improving constantly, considerate,and keen
Bad programmers . . .
1) Are not interested in writing good code
2) Do not work well on a team
3) Try to look better than they really are
4) Stagnate—they don’t seek to improve themselves
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Taste of India
August 27, 2008
If you are visiting India, you might have to look at the below image and has to eat all the specialties of each state. Even Indians won’t know many states food habits and their dishes names.
I was not aware of the many dishes till now. Of course this list includes veg and non-veg dishes.
Hope this would help all to know more about each state’s special dishes and must have items when you are visiting any state in India.
Taste of India
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Some Rules of IT
August 22, 2008
Lead or Bleed?: I haven’t been given the opportunity…? Seize the opportunity!
Invest in Your Intelligence
Be a Generalist: Generalists are rare … and, therefore, precious.
Don’t Put All Your Eggs in Someone Else’s Basket, which talks about the “professional services barrier” (more on this later).
Be the Worst:
be the worst guy in every band you’re in. a) you fit in, b) your playing gets transformed. works in the downward direction too!
The people around you affect your own performance. Choose your crowd wisely.
Love It or Leave It:
You have to be passionate about your work if you want to be great at your work.
Work because you couldn’t not work.
Find a Mentor
Be a Mentor: To find out if you really know something, try teaching it to someone else. Also, mentors tend not to get laid off.
Remember Who You Work For: Your manager’s successes are your successes. Solve your manager’s problems.
How Much Are You Worth? Ask “Was I worth it today?”
Learn How to Fail:
Every wrong note is but one step away from a right one.
Stressful times offer the best opportunities to build loyalty.
A craftsperson is really put to the test when the errors arise. learning to deal with mistakes is a skill that is both highly valuable and difficult to teach.
Rules: 1) Raise the issue as early as you know about it. 2) Take the blame. 3) Offer a solution. 4) Ask for help.
Me Rite Reel Nice: You are what you can explain.
Suit Speak: Market your accomplishments in the language of your business, and always have your elevator speech ready, just in case. Answer: “What are you working on?” and “What is the benefit of that?”
Change the World: Have a mission. Make sure people know it.
Let Your Voice Be Heard. With respect to the musician metaphor:
The best saxophonist doesn’t always get the gig.
Who you’ve played with is at least as important as how well you play; musicians are cool by association.
Sometimes, the better musicians are overlooked for work because everyone assumes they won’t be available or because they are too intimidated to ask.
Music works via a network effect. If your social/music network terminates before reaching someone, it’s not likely you’ll ever be asked to perform with that person until an intermediary connection is made.
Build Your Brand: Your name is your brand, and Google never forgets (don’t be a jerk).
Already Obsolete: Your shiny new skills are already obsolete. Investigate the bleeding edge.
You’ve Already Lost Your Job: You are not your job.
Path with No Destination:
Focus on doing, not on being done.
Bad processes create bad products.
It’s how you traverse the path that’s important – not the destination.
Watch the Market: Watch the alpha geeks, and try to be one, or at least “make the hang” with one. (Applies to research as well?)
That Fat Man in the Mirror: Developer, review thyself; do a 360 review: ask trusted people for feedback, using 10 characteristics you feel are important, get constructive info.
Think Global: If I have to depend on someone…I’m going to have better luck if that person feels that I respect them.
Out of Box – Images
August 17, 2008
Decision Making
August 14, 2008
It will not take more than 2 minutes – Must Read
A group of children were playing near two railway tracks, one still in use while the other disused. Only one child played on the disused track, the rest on the operational track.
The train is coming, and you are just beside the track interchange. You can make the train change its course to the disused track and save most of the kids. However, that would also mean the lone child playing by the disused track would be sacrificed. Or would you rather let the train go its way?
Let’s take a pause to think what kind of decision we could make…………….
scroll down
Most people might choose to divert the course of the train, and sacrifice only one child. You might think the same way, I guess. Exactly, I thought the same way initially because to save most of the children at the expense of only one child was rational decision most people would make, morally and emotionally. But, have you ever thought that the child choosing to play on the disused track had in fact made the right decision to play at a safe place?
Nevertheless, he had to be sacrificed because of his ignorant friends who chose to play where the danger was. This kind of dilemma happens around us everyday. In the office, community, in politics and especially in a democratic society, the minority is often sacrificed for the interest of the majority, no matter how foolish or ignorant the majority are, and how farsighted and knowledgeable the minority are. The child who chose not to play with the rest on the operational track was sidelined. And in the case he was sacrificed, no one would shed a tear for him.
The great critic Leo Velski Julian who told the story said he would not try to change the course of the train because he believed that the kids playing on the operational track should have known very well that track was still in use, and that they should have run away if they heard the train’s sirens. If the train was diverted, that lone child would definitely die because he never thought the train could come over to that track! Moreover, that track was not in use probably because it was not safe. If the train was diverted to the track, we could put the lives of all passengers on board at stake! And in your attempt to save a few kids by sacrificing one child, you might end up sacrificing hundreds of people to save these few kids.
While we are all aware that life is full of tough decisions that need to be made, we may not realize that hasty decisions may not always be the right one.
“Remember that what’s right isn’t always popular… and what’s popular isn’t always right.”
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Funny Question of the Day (?)
August 2, 2008
What you get free costs too much?
Why are boxing rings square?
A duck’s quack doesn’t echo, anyone knows why?
The longest recorded flight of a chicken is thirteen seconds?
The highest point in Pennsylvania is lower than the lowest point in Colorado?
I need someone really bad…Are you really bad?
Raises and promotions are given to people who generate trust and demonstrate competence to handle more complexity?
Why is it called a ‘building’ when it is already built?
Why is it called a TV set when theres only one?
Who is General Failure and why is he reading my hard disk?
Hard work never killed anybody, but why take a chance?
Tomorrow is a mystery, why try and fix it today?
The reverse side also has a reverse side?
If you are not supposed to drink and drive then why do bars have parking lots?
If it is true that we are here to help others, what are others here for?
Why doesn’t glue stick to its bottle?
Why does a round pizza come in square box?
If money doesn’t grow on trees then why do banks have branches?
If the shoe doesn’t fit, must we change the foot?
What’s wrong with being a boring kind of guy?
Hatred is love frustrated?
The average man does not want to be free. He simply wants to be safe?
The only risk of failure is promotion?
The average man does not want to be free. He simply wants to be safe?
Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers?
Why is this thus? What is the reason for this thusness?
How Many Roads Must A Man Travel Down Before He Admits He is Lost?
If We Quit Voting, Will They All Go Away?
Will the information superhighway have any rest stops?
Why are our days numbered and not, say, lettered?
Well, if crime fighters fight crime and fire fighters fight fire, what do freedom fighters fight?
At a movie theater which arm rest is yours?
Can animals commit suicide?
Do prison buses have emergency exits?
Do you yawn in your sleep?
Why do we press the start button to turn off the computer?
What is another word for “thesaurus”?
Truth is more of a stranger than fiction?
He who is not strong must needs be cunning?
The reverse side also has a reverse side?
Do you have trouble making up your mind? Well, yes or no?
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Chetan bhagat’s speech @ Symbiosis Pune
August 1, 2008
Good Morning everyone and thank you for giving me this chance to speak to
you. This day is about you. You, who have come to this college, leaving
the comfort of your homes (or in some cases discomfort), to become
something in your life. I am sure you are excited. There are few days in
human life when one is truly elated. The first day in college is one of
them. When you were getting ready today, you felt a tingling in your
stomach. What would the auditorium be like, what would the teachers be
like, who are my new classmates – there is so much to be curious about. I
call this excitement, the spark within you that makes you feel truly alive
today. Today I am going to talk about keeping the spark shining. Or to put
it another way, how to be happy most, if not all the time.
Where do these sparks start? I think we are born with them. My 3-year old
twin boys have a million sparks. A little Spiderman toy can make them jump
on the bed. They get thrills from creaky swings in the park. A story from
daddy gets them excited. They do a daily countdown for birthday party -
several months in advance – just for the day they will cut their own
birthday cake.
I see students like you, and I still see some sparks. But when I see older
people, the spark is difficult to find. That means as we age, the spark
fades. People whose spark has faded too much are dull, dejected, aimless
and bitter. Remember Kareena in the first half of Jab We Met vs the second
half? That is what happens when the spark is lost. So how to save the
spark?
Imagine the spark to be a lamp’s flame. The first aspect is nurturing – to
give your spark the fuel, continuously. The second is to guard against
storms.
To nurture, always have goals. It is human nature to strive, improve and
achieve full potential. In fact, that is success. It is what is possible
for you. It isn’t any external measure – a certain cost to company pay
package, a particular car or house.
Most of us are from middle class families. To us, having material
landmarks is success and rightly so. When you have grown up where money
constraints force everyday choices, financial freedom is a big
achievement. But it isn’t the purpose of life. If that was the case, Mr.
Ambani would not show up for work. Shah Rukh Khan would stay at home and
not dance anymore. Steve Jobs won’t be working hard to make a better
iPhone, as he sold Pixar for billions of dollars already. Why do they do
it? What makes them come to work everyday? They do it because it makes
them happy. They do it because it makes them feel alive. Just getting
better from current levels feels good. If you study hard, you can improve
your rank. If you make an effort to interact with people, you will do
better in interviews. If you practice, your cricket will get better. You
may also know that you cannot become Tendulkar, yet. But you can get to
the next level. Striving for that next level is important.
Nature designed with a random set of genes and circumstances in which we
were born. To be happy, we have to accept it and make the most of nature’s
design. Are you? Goals will help you do that. I must add, don’t just have
career or academic goals. Set goals to give you a balanced, successful
life. I use the word balanced before successful. Balanced means ensuring
your health, relationships, mental peace are all in good order.
There is no point of getting a promotion on the day of your breakup. There
is no fun in driving a car if your back hurts. Shopping is not enjoyable
if your mind is full of tensions.
You must have read some quotes – Life is a tough race, it is a marathon or
whatever. No, from what I have seen so far, life is one of those races in
nursery school, where you have to run with a marble in a spoon kept in
your mouth. If the marble falls, there is no point coming first. Same with
life, where health and relationships are the marble. Your striving is only
worth it if there is harmony in your life. Else, you may achieve the
success, but this spark, this feeling of being excited and alive, will
start to die.
One last thing about nurturing the spark – don’t take life seriously. One
of my yoga teachers used to make students laugh during classes. One
student asked him if these jokes would take away something from the yoga
practice. The teacher said – don’t be serious, be sincere. This quote has
defined my work ever since. Whether its my writing, my job, my
relationships or any of my goals. I get thousands of opinions on my
writing everyday. There is heaps of praise, there is intense criticism. If
I take it all seriously, how will I write? Or rather, how will I live?
Life is not to be taken seriously, as we are really temporary here. We are
like a pre-paid card with limited validity. If we are lucky, we may last
another 50 years. And 50 years is just 2,500 weekends. Do we really need
to get so worked up? It’s ok, bunk a few classes, goof up a few
interviews, fall in love. We are people, not programmed devices.
I’ve told you three things – reasonable goals, balance and not taking it
too seriously that will nurture the spark. However, there are four storms
in life that will threaten to completely put out the flame. These must be
guarded against. These are disappointment, frustration, unfairness and
loneliness of purpose.
Disappointment will come when your effort does not give you the expected
return. If things don’t go as planned or if you face failure. Failure is
extremely difficult to handle, but those that do come out stronger. What
did this failure teach me? is the question you will need to ask. You will
feel miserable. You will want to quit, like I wanted to when nine
publishers rejected my first book. Some IITians kill themselves over low
grades – how silly is that? But that is how much failure can hurt you. But
it’s life. If challenges could always be overcome, they would cease to be
a challenge. And remember – if you are failing at something, that means
you are at your limit or potential. And that’s where you want to be.
Disappointment’ s cousin is frustration, the second storm. Have you ever
been frustrated? It happens when things are stuck. This is especially
relevant in India. From traffic jams to getting that job you deserve,
sometimes things take so long that you don’t know if you chose the right
goal. After books, I set the goal of writing for Bollywood, as I thought
they needed writers. I am called extremely lucky, but it took me five
years to get close to a release. Frustration saps excitement, and turns
your initial energy into something negative, making you a bitter person.
How did I deal with it? A realistic assessment of the time involved -
movies take a long time to make even though they are watched quickly,
seeking a certain enjoyment in the process rather than the end result – at
least I was learning how to write scripts, having a side plan – I had my
third book to write and even something as simple as pleasurable
distractions in your life – friends, food, travel can help you overcome
it. Remember, nothing is to be taken seriously. Frustration is a sign
somewhere, you took it too seriously.
Unfairness – this is hardest to deal with, but unfortunately that is how
our country works. People with connections, rich dads, beautiful faces,
pedigree find it easier to make it – not just in Bollywood, but
everywhere. And sometimes it is just plain luck. There are so few
opportunities in India, so many stars need to be aligned for you to make
it happen. Merit and hard work is not always linked to achievement in the
short term, but the long term correlation is high, and ultimately things
do work out. But realize, there will be some people luckier than you. In
fact, to have an opportunity to go to college and understand this speech
in English means you are pretty damm lucky by Indian standards. Let’s be
grateful for what we have and get the strength to accept what we don’t. I
have so much love from my readers that other writers cannot even imagine
it. However, I don’t get literary praise. It’s ok. I don’t look like
Aishwarya Rai, but I have two boys who I think are more beautiful than
her. It’s ok. Don’t let unfairness kill your spark.
Finally, the last point that can kill your spark is isolation. As you grow
older you will realize you are unique. When you are little, all kids want
Ice cream and Spiderman. As you grow older to college, you still are a lot
like your friends. But ten years later and you realize you are unique.
What you want, what you believe in, what makes you feel, may be different
from even the people closest to you. This can create conflict as your
goals may not match with others. . And you may drop some of them.
Basketball captains in college invariably stop playing basketball by the
time they have their second child. They give up something that meant so
much to them. They do it for their family. But in doing that, the spark
dies. Never, ever make that compromise. Love yourself first, and then
others.
There you go. I’ve told you the four thunderstorms – disappointment,
frustration, unfairness and isolation. You cannot avoid them, as like the
monsoon they will come into your life at regular intervals. You just need
to keep the raincoat handy to not let the spark die.
I welcome you again to the most wonderful years of your life. If someone
gave me the choice to go back in time, I will surely choose college. But I
also hope that ten years later as well, your eyes will shine the same way
as they do today. That you will Keep the Spark alive, not only through
college, but through the next 2,500 weekends. And I hope not just you, but
my whole country will keep that spark alive, as we really need it now more
than any moment in history. And there is something cool about saying – I
come from the land of a billion sparks.
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