I tend to agree with you as well. I think in a market where a given role is undervalued, you might get a better salary by "fishing" a little bit and letting the company guess. But software engineering is a highly valued profession and employers aren't likely to shortchange a good engineer. IMO playing these games can just seem unprofessional.
You're best off naming a range, with a stretch goal, and giving a little bit of context to the person asking. E.g., "I'm looking for $150-180k, but I'm interviewing with a few other companies, so anything in addition to that would really put this role at the top of my list. I'd really love to work for you, so I hope we can find something that works for the both of us."
Notice how there's an implied "+ $X" in there. That X-factor can make all the difference and with this approach you don't come off looking like someone who's just playing games.
You're best off naming a range, with a stretch goal, and giving a little bit of context to the person asking. E.g., "I'm looking for $150-180k, but I'm interviewing with a few other companies, so anything in addition to that would really put this role at the top of my list. I'd really love to work for you, so I hope we can find something that works for the both of us."
Notice how there's an implied "+ $X" in there. That X-factor can make all the difference and with this approach you don't come off looking like someone who's just playing games.