An insightful editorial on "hackers"
This is an interesting essay on programmers and psychology by Paul Graham that I came across via Brains-N-Brawn's blog. I disagree with some of the points, particularly the stuff about platforms, but I'll highlight a few of the more interesting bits (note, Graham uses the term “hacker“ where most authors would write “programmer“):
- “After software, the most important tool to a hacker is probably his office. Big companies think the function of office space is to express rank. But hackers use their offices for more than that: they use their office as a place to think in. And if you're a technology company, their thoughts are your product. So making hackers work in a noisy, distracting environment is like having a paint factory where the air is full of soot.”
- My 2 cents: Yes! This is why I can get more done on at home in 4 hours than in 2 typical days at the office, particularly with tasks requiring more concentration!
- “when you have to customize something for an individual client's complex and ill-defined needs . . . to hackers these kinds of projects are the death of a thousand cuts.“
- “VCs are mistaken to look for the next Microsoft, because no startup can be the next Microsoft unless some other company is prepared to bend over at just the right moment and be the next IBM.“
- “ It seems like the only way to judge a hacker is to work with him on something.“
- My 2 cents: Yes! This is in line with my recent ravings about Certification
- “One difference I've noticed between great hackers and smart people in general is that hackers are more politically incorrect. To the extent there is a secret handshake among good hackers, it's when they know one another well enough to express opinions that would get them stoned to death by the general public.“
- My 2 cents: That's an interesting observation that I need to mull over. I can think of a few examples where this seems to hold true -- or I might be mistaking general abrasiveness for political incorrectness.