I’ve been noticing that often times, when getting or giving feedback on code, or browsing my favorite programming forum, or just reading posts about programming, that people often get very emotional about their code. I was wondering why this is, and because I am not a psychologist, I’ll just give you my thoughts.
Coding to me is like creating art, and there’s a great quote that backs me up on this:
Programming is an art form that fights back. —Unknown
Because code is like art, I get very attached to my code, as well as my style of coding. My code is like my baby, my something from nothing that wouldn’t be there if it weren’t for me. It’s just a bunch of characters on the screen that, from somewhere in the blue smoke, creates a function, or a game, or a website. I have received criticism on my code (as everyone has), as well as given criticism on other’s code (as everyone has), and those times when I’ve received criticism on my code, depending on how it was delivered, or what was said, it was almost like a personal attack on me. And I’ve noticed a few other coders react the same way to criticisms on their code. It’s like the person who called your code ugly or inelegant was saying that your child was ugly (and those of you who have kids know… that’s a huge no-no, punishable by any means available).
It may be because I think that my coding style is the best, it’s what I’m used to, and it’s the format I use because it’s the easiest for me to get at the information I need as fast as possible. I know this because I’ve tried other styles (sometimes flipping back and forth in the same day), and looking at someone else’s code that uses a different style from me, is often times hard to peruse easily. It’s what I like, and sometimes I have to hold myself back from reformatting code I come across into my own style.
So maybe we should stop thinking of code and coding styles as being “right” or “wrong”, and think of them more like the tool that they are, a means to an end. And the way you react to someone else’s means should be a little more like a suggestion for a different method of painting. Not a matter of fact, but just another tool for the tool box.
To continue the art analogy, it’s like everybody is given all the art supplies in the world, and told to make/paint/draw/create a box. Everyone will come up with a different way of doing it, some will be huge and bright red; others will be small and drawn in pencil; others still might be made of clay or brick. No matter what, it’s the way you chose to do it, and it’s no better or worse than the person’s next to you. You might think so because yours was faster, fancier, more elegant, or more “boxy”; but they might think the opposite. In the end, you still have a box, and so do they.
Lately I have been thinking about all the wonderful clients I have had a chance to work with. Each one has characteristics and qualities that make them unique and fun to work with. However, clients never cease to amaze me with their downright silliness and ignorance.
