Ask HN:Is fixing real complex bugs worth less than shipping shiny new features?

Posted by fixing_bugs on Friday July 23, 2010 @01:00PM
from the ask-hn dept.

I joined my company at a stage where they just had a major release, so I was tasked with fixing bugs in the existing system. I was pretty good at tackling complex bugs that nobody else could, so the more bugs I fixed the more bugs I got assigned. I also worked with real customers who reported those bugs, and made sure the fixes got to them

After a while, new people joined the team, and some got to work on some new projects with some cool new features.

A couple years later, those working on new stuff got promoted faster and supposedly bigger raises.

They worked very little on the legacy code, if at all. They just implement new stuff, and ship, and get rewarded, even if nobody is really using what they implemented. Because nobody uses it, very little bugs are reported, so they can easily go on to the next cool new stuff. They have more visibility even though their work might not be that hard or valuable.

It seems this is the way things are, at least in my company. I wonder how things are in other places in the software industry? Is support/maintenance and keeping customers satisfied deemed less worthy and less valuable than shipping new features?

( 3 comments | 3 points | on HN )

Re:Ask HN:Is fixing real complex bugs worth less than shippi... by stonemetal on Friday July 23, 2010 @01:44PM (#1541864)

It really depends on who you r company is setup. It is really a question of out of sight out of mind. If bugs bubble up from QA without causing your manger heartburn then you aren't in his view | on his mind. When new features go out the door he has some sort of involvement in their release so those devs are in his office | in his head. When new stuff comes up it goes to the guys he can remember.

If your boss was more involved with defects then defect fixers would get more respect.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ask HN:Is fixing real complex bugs worth less than shippi... by matthewcford on Friday July 23, 2010 @01:12PM (#1541748)

Depends, I would say fixing bugs is equally important from a business perspective.

But it sounds like you need to talk to your boss if this your company's stance on support vs new features. As everyone knows fixing bugs is harder than green-field development, however people might be getting promoted above you for other reasons or they might just be asking for a promotion.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ask HN:Is fixing real complex bugs worth less than shippi... by isnoteasy on Friday July 23, 2010 @05:30PM (#1542460)

The only way I can think of for comparing positions is to allow people change roles.

My personal feeling is that new features require smart people. Keeping customers satisfied is following the old path (old good work). I think there is a mental bias, a preference for new features. You should find a way of showing that fixing bugs require smart thinking.

If you collaborate in the development of new features, making Unit Test, or a good framework for testing, people can see you in a new light.

[ Parent | on HN ]