I am so tired of hearing this word "hacker". Use, programmer, software engineer, coder whatever.
There are appropreate times to use the word "hack", when i am doing something really quick and dirty, just b/c it needs to get out asap, but probably I am not really proud of my solution, as it probably less maintanable on the long run.
When you heare phrases like: I did something "hackish", or my bug fix is kinda of a "hack", usually are not something programmers are proud of. Usually that means I did a quick and dirty solution to that problem, and not an elegant one.
In an early startup, i guess, being quick is the most important thing, but after a while you have to start caring about the long term of the code you are writting or end up like friendster, where their poor performance killed the company.
A good programmer will use a "hack" only as a last resort.
ardit, no offense, but your lack of knowledge about the etymology of the word is apparent. I hate to jump onto this flame-bait, but here's the real definition of a "hacker" from the illustrious jargon file:
1. A person who enjoys exploring the details of programmable systems and how to stretch their capabilities, as opposed to most users, who prefer to learn only the minimum necessary. RFC1392, the Internet Users' Glossary, usefully amplifies this as: A person who delights in having an intimate understanding of the internal workings of a system, computers and computer networks in particular.
2. One who programs enthusiastically (even obsessively) or who enjoys programming rather than just theorizing about programming.
There are appropreate times to use the word "hack", when i am doing something really quick and dirty, just b/c it needs to get out asap, but probably I am not really proud of my solution, as it probably less maintanable on the long run.
When you heare phrases like: I did something "hackish", or my bug fix is kinda of a "hack", usually are not something programmers are proud of. Usually that means I did a quick and dirty solution to that problem, and not an elegant one.
In an early startup, i guess, being quick is the most important thing, but after a while you have to start caring about the long term of the code you are writting or end up like friendster, where their poor performance killed the company.
A good programmer will use a "hack" only as a last resort.