Morons and Assholes, why we need a new kind of spec
Posted on August 20, 2004
Filed Under Software Eng |
Mark Pilgram has an interesting discussion on the different types of developers, and how they deal with software specifications. Read “Why specs matter“. According to Mark, there are 3 types of developers, 2 real: Morons and Assholes, and 1 imaginary: Angels. (The 2 real are to the right of the imaginary axis, thus it is an unstable situation) Personally, the issues of the Moron are unavoidable, dumbasses will be dumbasses. In the case of the Assholes, the problem is not the developer that is thorough and precise, it is that the traditional spec is not thorough and precise. This is not necessarily the fault of the spec writer, but it is a fault in the nature of today’s common spec.
If the spec is too convoluted for the writer to fully understand, how will the developer understand when the pieces don’t fit together. The process should not get to this point. The procedure for writing the spec should be well defined, and should facilitate the decomposition of the problem. At the spec stage inconsistencies need to be identified, and not when it gets to the developer. This is difficult to do by hand, but an automated tool can do this quickly and effectively. This will go along way to allow the Asshole to use his/her skills for good, like developing reliable code, instead of nitpicking over the spec (read: being an asshole to the spec writer).
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