

Does Software Culture Reward Failure? - pw0ncakes
http://www.skorks.com/2009/09/does-software-development-have-a-culture-of-rewarding-failure/

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bediger
I don't think that software culture per se rewards failure, but rather that
emergent behavior in large groups, particularly corporate IT groups does
reward _some_ failure.

If you, as a manager, can't point to _some_ failure, and the resulting heroics
to get the system back up, then you, the manager, can't stand up in a meeting
to receive pats on the back and "atta boys".

Of course, it's a narrow window. Too many failures, and you get in trouble.
Too much smooth sailing, and you have too many people, and your empire gets
shrunk forcibly.

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pw0ncakes
This article explains a lot about a problematic programmer I've had the
misfortune of working with. Although he presents the air of a "great
programmer", it's actually because his architectural abilities are absent.
Given a small project, he'll do a good job of it-- and very fast, since he
doesn't care about things like unit testing. Given a large one, he'll make a
mess that even he can barely sort out. I can see how, in some environments,
he'd look like a hero for being able to tackle supposedly complex problems
(although it's his terrible coding habits that make such problems seem so
complicated).

I hate hate hate "rockstar" programmers (and, yes, the Kefka-style "hate hate
hate" is appropriate).

I also think there's an inherent mismatch between management and technical
people regarding how to present the difficulty of one's work. Managers want to
present their jobs as easier than they are, because it makes them seem smooth
and astute. At least some technology people have a habit of overstating the
difficulty of their work, in order to make their efforts seem heroic.

