

The difference between a developer and a programmer.  - edw519
http://metaphorcrash.blogspot.com/2008/07/difference-between-developer-and.html

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swombat
Lengthy and arbitrary. I can make up definitions for two common terms and
write an article about that dichotomy too, but that won't make it worth
reading.

The article can be summarised in a simple sentence: To be a good technologist
(let's use a neutral term), you need to be able to do more than just write
code.

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dmv
I disagree that it is arbitrary, and with your summary. There is a very real
difference between what is labeled "programmer" and "developer". I have been
working with a very bright intern lately. He is a very technically proficient
programmer... but he lacks the big picture view. Every task is approached and
estimated by the time it would take to solve a comparable coursework
assignment; but the real world is messy. Figuring out the big picture of his
project -- the system -- took far more time than any of the interesting
technical challenges. Only in hindsight does he understand why certain
"obvious" high-level design decisions were as emphasized early on.

I liked the thesis that development gets harder as programming gets easier,
but I think it misses the mark as it strays toward 'because kids these days
don't know about coding to the metal'. I think the problem, as has been
lamented here in the past, is the speed of prototyping versus implementing. I
have had to sit through a few too many discussions across from a former
developer, or development manager, and having to explain that while he was
able to construct a mock-up that looks like what we want, in minutes!, we have
not even gotten started on a real solution. Within hours, almost anyone here
could simulate the basic Twitter functionality... but scaling it to half their
size?

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swombat
Sorry, maybe I didn't express myself correctly. The arbitrary part is the
naming. Since that's presented as the main insight of the article, it taints
the whole.

It would have been better, though less catchy, to talk about, say, junior
developers, and senior developers.

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Tamerlin
That would not have been better, because it implies that seniority implies
competence.

What differentiates a programmer from a developer in the author's parlance
isn't merely experience. A lot of newcomers to the field today build
prototypes and put them into production, and believe that they got it right
because their software is in production. That it's a maintenance nightmare
doesn't enter into their minds, and as a result, their next project also turns
into a maintenance nightmare.

That's a big problem where I work; we have a lot of software clear written by
people without even a vague clue about web development (e.g. they don't use
the HTTP session for anything, instead using lots of Java code to maintain
session data), and instead of learning to write better software, they learn to
repeat the same mistakes.

~~~
swombat
Just because you've been a developer for 10 years doesn't make you a senior
developer. In my first job, I was the junior (obviously), and was working with
this Iraqi guy who had the title "Senior Software Engineer", and had about 5
years of experience. His code was some of the worst I've seen in my life.
Particularly galling since his salary was 50% higher than mine (and I was on
the high end of junior!).

~~~
Tamerlin
"Just because you've been a developer for 10 years doesn't make you a senior
developer."

That was exactly my point. It makes you senior, but not a developer.

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jawngee
He should probably fix his wordpress theme before writing heady theories about
software development.

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projectileboy
Perhaps it's just semantics, but I prefer to be called a "computer
programmer".

