Programmers, teach non-geeks the true cost of interruptions (2014)

Re:Programmers, teach non-geeks the true cost of interruptio... by rendall on Saturday July 10, 2021 @02:05AM (#27791479)

> Recovering quickly from interruptions is a skill that can be developed and learned

This is absolutely true. I no longer mind interruptions. I don't love them, but they aren't devastating productivity crashes either. Weirdly enough, friendly, helpful answers to the query seems to reduce interruptions. I think people don't mind interrupting grumpy programmers.

Also, adopting contemporary coding practice helps. Keeping functions to a single purpose. Not mutating data. Restricting side effects. Automated testing. Acquiring complete understanding of your tools and frameworks. These things help you grasp at a glance more quickly what's happening.

In short, committing to allow people to interrupt can alter your approach and work flow to accommodate interruptions

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Re:Programmers, teach non-geeks the true cost of interruptio... by dpritchett on Saturday July 10, 2021 @06:18AM (#27792430)

Firming up your tests, logging, observability, and debugging practices really does help here.

The only time I enter a desperate fugue state juggling too many disparate code modules in my head is when the system is a poorly factored enterprise monolith.

Those aren’t uncommon but I reflexively avoid jobs that make those the majority of my work.

[ Parent | on HN ]