Foreword

We can learn a great deal from observing others. Suppose you and a woman are walking toward the same building, with you several steps behind. As the woman enters the building, she momentarily holds the door open for you. That’s her expression of empathy and humanity. While she is focused on moving forward, she also cares about the person behind her and wants to make your journey at least a bit pleasant. You are total strangers and may never meet again, and yet she showed benevolence.

Programming is a passion for many, but it also deeply involves empathy and humanity.

When we write code, there is always someone behind us. Sometimes it’s ourselves after a few hours, days, weeks, or months. But it’s often a colleague who comes around to ...

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