Slow it Down, Son!

I have been trying to tell programmers to 'just slow it down and think a bit' for years.

Whether you’re knitting or programming, working faster will only slow you down. Or at least that’s what Jeffrey Ventrella argues. In “The Case for Slow Programming“, the tech author makes the claim that software developers need to slow down if they want quicker results.

Nice article.  Take a look at it here.

Difficult Holidays - Yet Another Lesson on Enjoying the Simple Things in Life

Some lessons in simplicity come as gently as a Sparrow's feather landing on your arm.  Others are more difficult to accept.

We divorced back in 2007.  She liked the complex life, full of intrigue and lies and deceit and conspiracy.   It's not that she was happy with this, she never seemed happy, wanting things to be increasingly more complex.  She would spend days analyzing events and gossip to arrive at conclusions that seemed outrageous to a simple fellow like myself.

Aside from an occasional text, we had no communications, likely for the better as we were certainly not compatible.  She may have begun learning the pleasure that comes with simplicity a little too late.

A few days before Christmas she passed in her sleep, after a day of making cookies with a neighbor.

So, please take some time to enjoy the simplicity in your life.  So often our lives become twisted and complex.  That is not where peace thrives.  Find that peace and enjoy it.

KIFS - A New Software Development Paradigm

KIFS is a new software development paradigm or philosophy that emphasizes simplicity above all other factors.
KIFS is an acronym for Keep It Freakishly Simple.

Introduction
KIFS is not enumerable or objective.  It is sensitive to the context with which it is to be applied.  It is similar to the KISS philosophy but more specific. The goal of any software project developed using KIFS is simplicity in all aspects without affecting intended functionality.

KIFS is not exclusionary.  It may be used within the user interface where something large, overbearing and wasteful like an MVC design pattern can be used for other aspects of a particular project.  KIFS is there to help when needed.

Some advantages of KIFS are...

Argument for High-Tech Sabbaticals

This high-tech professional life is damned dynamic.  Stand in the same place too long and before you know it, high school graduates are able to out-geek you in nearly every aspect.  Staying current with technology is difficult at best.  The high-tech professional must balance life, work and education...  forever!  Yes, for those wanting to get into a high-tech career, take a little note from the CrazyOldProgrammer...  continual education is key to maintain relevancy in this insane world that melds hard technology, creativity and art.

Doctors, lawyers, scientists and college professors all have sabbaticals.  Why not high-tech professionals?  Seriously.  the world of medical science, law, sciences and education is quite dynamic.  So is the world of the high-tech professional.

So why shouldn't we have sabbaticals?  Seriously?  I spent nearly a year developing an internal data management package.  About 25% of that time was spent maintaining existing production code, about 15% was spent performing standard maintenance and performing administrative tasks.  60% was spent in heads-down development, testing and development.  No training, no mucking around with my own extracurricular code, very little surfing software development and data management forums I typically frequent.

Sure, vacations help us chill out and unwind.  But a sabbatical for a year...  six months...  3 months...  hell, a two week sabbatical where I could go nuts.  Mess around with any language or OS or platform.  Maybe take a formal & directed mini-class.  Something that I want to explore within my professional field, not something I must explore in the course of my employment.  Something to help keep that spark alive, at least until retirement.

Sabbaticals for high-tech professionals.  The time has come, oh yes it has.

Crazy's Complexity Corollary

The complexity of a system is directly proportional to just how screwed up it is.