Re:You’re not writing code, you’re solving problems
by wpietri on Sunday March 29, 2020 @11:41AM
(#22719856)
This is also important to keep in mind, although I'd phrase it as, "You're feeding people." Or more specifically, "You're trying to make people healthy and happy."
I mean, think of all the mediocre, industrial-grade food you've eaten over the years. School lunches, maybe. Low-grade franchise food. Whatever's in the vending machine. How many people involved in making that are focused on the experience of the person eating the food? As opposed to maximizing revenue, or just doing whatever the manager says, keeping their head down, and getting out at quitting time?
Or let's think of all the food we've eaten that was made to please the cook, not the eater. A friend has an aunt that every year sends a giant box of absolutely terrible Christmas cookies. They're like iced cardboard. The important thing to the aunt is feeling like a big giver, not the experience of the eater. Or on the other end, consider fancy chefs who make tell-me-I'm-clever food, where the presentation is dramatic, but the actual taste is not so great.
Every time I cook for others, I see it as an opportunity to really see the person, to find the best intersection between my skills versus their desires and needs. And it's the same for software.
Re:You’re not writing code, you’re solving problems
by tcgv on Sunday March 29, 2020 @11:50AM
(#22719921)
Never thought this way about food preparation, and the different motivations people have for doing it, not always prioritizing the "eater". Nice comment!
I mean, think of all the mediocre, industrial-grade food you've eaten over the years. School lunches, maybe. Low-grade franchise food. Whatever's in the vending machine. How many people involved in making that are focused on the experience of the person eating the food? As opposed to maximizing revenue, or just doing whatever the manager says, keeping their head down, and getting out at quitting time?
Or let's think of all the food we've eaten that was made to please the cook, not the eater. A friend has an aunt that every year sends a giant box of absolutely terrible Christmas cookies. They're like iced cardboard. The important thing to the aunt is feeling like a big giver, not the experience of the eater. Or on the other end, consider fancy chefs who make tell-me-I'm-clever food, where the presentation is dramatic, but the actual taste is not so great.
Every time I cook for others, I see it as an opportunity to really see the person, to find the best intersection between my skills versus their desires and needs. And it's the same for software.