(This is a snapshot of my old weblog. New posts and selected republished essays can be found at raganwald.com.)
Thursday, August 23, 2007
PG Nails It Again
Paul Graham explains in one paragraph what I have struggled to explain in three years of blogging:
Paul Graham explains in one paragraph what I have struggled to explain in three years of blogging:
There is a contradiction in the very phrase “software company.” The two words are pulling in opposite directions. Any good programmer in a large organization is going to be at odds with it, because organizations are designed to prevent what programmers strive for.
Comments on “PG Nails It Again”:
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Paul's essays are so polished it is frightening. Him "expressing in one paragraph what I've struggled for years to articulate" is a distressingly frequent experience :-(
Having worked at BigCo in a past life, I think his next 2 sentences are also quite poignant and worth reflecting on:
"Good programmers manage to get a lot done anyway. But often it requires practically an act of rebellion against the organizations that employ them."
So true...
"Good programmers manage to get a lot done anyway. But often it requires practically an act of rebellion against the organizations that employ them."
So true...
Nice and concise rather than flowery, cheeky rambling. Use of simple, understandable English to convey meaning. Instead of "hey, lookit how much I know", it's more like "hey--I think I've learned some stuff--check this out". Wish there was more like it.
# posted by 
: 11:40 PM
: 11:40 PM
Anonymous:
I don't know if you were describing my own writing as "flowery rambling," but if you were, thank you for the constructive criticism. I will try to improve.
I try to write from the perspective of hey--I think I've learned some stuff--check this out. I will work on my tone. Again, thank you for helping me to improve.
I don't know if you were describing my own writing as "flowery rambling," but if you were, thank you for the constructive criticism. I will try to improve.
I try to write from the perspective of hey--I think I've learned some stuff--check this out. I will work on my tone. Again, thank you for helping me to improve.
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