Ask HN: Things programmers should get rid of in 2017

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13081098

by zatkin • 10 years ago

17 28 10 years ago

news.ycombinator.com

lfx• 10 years ago

Interesting question.

I would say - Password only ssh logins; Old / Vuln libs; non tests covered code; XSS and SQL Injection from all the code. - But this is really boring.

AI witch threatens to take over developers occupation - this is more interesting idea for future consideration.

But really I just want to see one thing to be destroyed - idea that creating new tools will solve all the issues (looking at you JS world) instead of improving existing ones or even real deep thinking about the problem beforehand. And then dropping it (new tool) after something new more shiner comes up.

odonnellryan5• 10 years ago

Password only ssh logins

Dear lord, this still happens? :)

dozzie2• 10 years ago

Of course not. Your SSH key on a server lands there magically using quantum entanglement-based key distribution protocol.

krapp• 10 years ago

Dear lord, this still happens? :)

For what it's worth, every time I've seen this question asked here, the answer has been yes.

auganov• 10 years ago

And unprotected keys while we're at it.

somecallitblues• 10 years ago

Their massive egos. It's you "I know algorithms and wouldn't touch a framework of any kind if kill me" boys and girls. Every second comment thread on this site ends like that.

odonnellryan5• 10 years ago

Hahaha, I'm sorry? Maybe elaborate, I don't see this much!

itamarst2• 10 years ago

Crazy long working hours. Work/life balance will make you a better human being... but it will also make you a better programmer (https://codewithoutrules.com/2016/11/10/work-life-balance-so...).

kzisme2• 10 years ago

Would you suggest taking more time off, or working less hours for less pay?

I always hear that during an 8 hour day you only really work for 4-6 of those hours, but if I was able to work 4-6, and get to see more sunlight during my day I would! Although I would dislike being paid less.

trcollinson• 10 years ago

Whoa whoa, why do we have to get paid less? Here in lies (one of) the problems with our industry. We should work 40 hours a week and be done with it. Seriously. In the United States we are (more often than not) paid as exempt employees. This has some interesting legal ramifications in that according to the Fair Labor Standards Act exempt workers professional knowledge workers essentially have no rights at all (under that Act. Other laws and standards at other levels may affect this in other jurisdictions).

Why is that? Well simple. We are Professional Knowledge Workers. In every place I have ever lived I have been on the correct side of the supply and demand curve. There has been a low supply and a very high demand for my particular type of professional knowledge work. The theory goes that if you are a professional knowledge worker you have the ability to move from one job to another with more ease that other classes of workers. Thus, we as professional knowledge workers don't need the level of labor protection that other classes of workers need. Not only that but my particular brand of professional knowledge work sure makes organizations a lot of money; far more than I take back in the form of pay.

So, why should I work a substantial amount of overtime in order to make them even more money faster and without any additional compensation? Good question, I don't. If my employers would like to try to guilt me into doing more, I don't let them. If my employer wants to threaten me, I threaten back. If I have a team (which I often have), I hold them to the same standard as me. It can be painful at first. Companies can get really touchy. But after they see the benefits they praise this way of working (Better, less buggy, more stable code. Higher engineer retention rates. More successful feature releases. To name a few benefits).

Have I had to put my money where my mouth is on this? Absolutely yes. Interestingly, I have never been fired or reprimanded for not working overtime. I have however walked out because I have gotten tired of being guilted, threatened, or harassed about it. It hasn't happen often, but it has happened.

Work 40 honest hours a week. Go home. Enjoy life. Let your brain relax. Stop being treated like a slave to the organization who pays you and start working like a highly sought after individual.

itamarst2• 10 years ago

1. As others said, don't work more than 40 hours a week (or find a job where that's the norm if you can't do that at current job).

2. Beyond that, depends what you want. I've traded shorter workweeks for less pay, but I've got enough experience that the base pay is pretty good. There's also consulting and other routes... I made full list in an excerpt from the book I'm working on: https://codewithoutrules.com/2016/09/16/sane-workweek/

Jugurtha• 10 years ago

I've seen a company where the most likely cause of death for engineers was a heart attack. There were two deaths in a short period (two months or so).

You could see it was a sensitive topic.

flukus• 10 years ago

Javascript. Let it go back to what it's good at, basic web interactivity.

sotojuan2• 10 years ago

Half of HN would be unemployed in that case :-)

dhogan• 10 years ago

I got my password emailed to me in plain text the other day. So that's still a thing.

gt565k• 10 years ago

What app / site did that? Please do share.

jetti• 10 years ago

Family Tree DNA did this at one point. Not only that but they took any password and converted it to uppercase. So aHa is the same as AHa and AHA, etc. I was less than ecstatic when I found that out

sotojuan2• 10 years ago

Building SPAs when they're not needed.

vayarajesh• 10 years ago

Over-architecting the software. Sometimes a simple problem can be solved with simple scripts.

ohgh1ieD• 10 years ago

Complexity

wineisfine• 10 years ago

Wordpress and Drupal

Ask HN: Things programmers should get rid of in 2017

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