Code Craft

Get Thinking

A detailed discussion of these questions can be found in the "Appendix A" section on page 532.

Mull It Over

1. How many programmers does it take to change a light bulb?

2. Is it better to be enthusiastic and less skilled (not incompetent) or to be incredibly talented and unmotivated?

   1. Who will write the better code?

   2. Who is the better programmer? (Not the same thing.)

      Which does more to shape the code you write: your technical competence or your attitude?

3. There are various different types of programs we write, differentiated by code “heritage.” How does writing the following types of code differ?

   1. A “toy” program

   2. A brand-new system

   3. Extensions to an existing system

   4. Maintenance work on an old codebase

4. If programming is an art, what is the correct balance ...