• lowleveldata@programming.dev
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    5 months ago

    As a programmer we sometimes might look like we are not doing much from the outside but actually we’re dead inside thank you

  • Yondoza@sh.itjust.works
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    5 months ago

    I honestly needed to hear this today, so thank you. I’m at work trying to work out someone else’s uncommented code and have just been staring at it mumbling to myself. I’m new to the position so I’m anxious my new coworkers will think I’m just dicking around… This is the validation I needed. Thanks everyone!

    • kersploosh@sh.itjust.works
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      5 months ago

      Say out loud to yourself, “What the hell is this?” or, “Why did they do it this way?” once in a while. Everyone around will think you know exactly what you’re doing.

    • ElCanut@jlai.lu
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      5 months ago

      From what I learned in my workplace, it seems that for most people the best way to appear competent is to continuously criticize the work of your colleagues

    • daddy32@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      I don’t know your circumstances, but it is usually OK to just ask. Especially if the original author is around. Don’t do it all the time and you’ll be OK. Even can come with positive image out of it, if you ask the right questions.

      Other than that, I found that the current llms like ChatGPT (and perhaps Claude) are very good at explaining code, most of the time, for some languages ;)

      • Yondoza@sh.itjust.works
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        5 months ago

        Hey, thanks for your concern. I’m asking tons of questions, don’t worry. Unfortunately the last 3 keepers of this code are no longer around to ask, thus the staring at code.

  • Lmaydev@programming.dev
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    5 months ago

    I find for coding problems it’s actually better to walk away and let it tick over in your mind.

    You’ll often get a shower thought type moment.

    • Dagwood222@lemm.ee
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      5 months ago

      That works for pretty much anything.

      Get up and do anything else for a while. School teaches us to sit at our desks and work on the problem. Stop acting like a sixth grader.

      • brbposting@sh.itjust.works
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        5 months ago

        That works for pretty much anything. Get up and do anything else for a while.

        This got me fired from the daycare

        • Dagwood222@lemm.ee
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          5 months ago

          You were just staring at the kids. You were supposed to be changing diapers and feeding them. Insert obvious misunderstanding here.

      • Deebster@programming.dev
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        5 months ago

        One place I worked had a small park, so sometimes I’d go for a lap or two to think something through - the fresh air, mild exercise, change of scenery and lack of distractions wroked wonders.

    • lennivelkant@discuss.tchncs.de
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      4 months ago

      Me, staring at my code, fiddling around, retrying it over and over: “WHY WON’T YOU WORK, DAMMIT?”

      Me, late at night, trying to sleep, suddenly wide awake: “Oh that’s why!”

      Me, the next morning, staring at my code: “…what was it again?”

    • blaue_Fledermaus@mstdn.io
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      5 months ago

      Once, the answer to a problem that was stumping me came while driving in the middle of nowhere at 01:00am back from a weekend trip.

  • dependencyinjection@discuss.tchncs.de
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    5 months ago

    A true software developer will also raise their hands in celebration when they finally solve a problem that’s been plaguing them.

    Even if you’re working from home, alone.

      • 🐍🩶🐢@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        I wish I understood how to use them. I have half written scraps of paper and random text in random text files. Notebooks are about the best I can do. I can’t write very well on a vertical board. It is really really uncomfortable and I end up obsessing on how bad it looks over solving the problem. Sometimes drawing on my iPad instead works, but that is another place to look for things.

        I do like using Markdown + Mermaid. Obsidian is a nice little note taking app once I got it configured. It just takes me forever.

        • Maggoty@lemmy.world
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          5 months ago

          They have smaller white boards you can just prop up at a nice angle on your desk. These are what I use. Bigger ones that have to hang are for scheduling because I also black hole anything more than a week away. Also the white board is just off loading my thoughts so people can’t interrupt me so badly. I still use note taking apps for tracking completed thoughts or things I have to come back to.

  • perishthethought@lemm.ee
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    5 months ago

    I used to work in an office with 4 other developers. It was a common occurrence to have the lights go off in the room, for energy saving.

    Simone would wave their arm, then go back to staring.

    • henfredemars@infosec.pub
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      5 months ago

      At least they’re moving. Sometimes it goes off and nobody reacts at all.

      Sometimes figuring out what you’re supposed to do is most of the project.

    • model_tar_gz@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      I work in a dedicated room in my house (remote developer). During the day I don’t really need to turn the lights on—windows and a skylight. The sun sets and sometimes I really just don’t notice. My wife will come in at some point and scold me for working in the dark, claiming it’s bad for my eyes (as if staring at a screen all day isn’t already).

      I actually rather enjoy that rather not-subtle marker of the passage of time and how entrancing “the zone” can be such that I fail to even notice that.

  • justme@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    5 months ago

    My math teacher in high school always said “math is 90% looking” and if you didn’t get the task directly: “look again” … Funny part is, that actually worked for most of the class xD

  • Leate_Wonceslace@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    5 months ago

    What I do is I read over something, take a nap, and then read it over again. If I don’t get it after that I’ll ask someone for help.

    • shastaxc@lemm.ee
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      5 months ago

      Taking a break helps a lot. I like to multitask for this reason and to not feel like wasting time. Also, important to remember to eat. There’s an obvious drop in my clarity of mind right before lunch.

    • The Giant Korean@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      100%. Really, just go do something other than what you’ve been focusing on, then come back to it. When I was coding, I would go take a walk when I’d get stuck. 9 times out of ten the answer would pop into my head when I’d stepped away. A few times I even dreamed of the answer while sleeping.

  • rockerface 🇺🇦@lemm.ee
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    5 months ago

    I refer to the process as “loading” and it helps so much when coding, debugging or even playing puzzle games

  • Hugh_Jeggs@lemm.ee
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    5 months ago

    Tbh a good builder/technician will do this too when faced with a complicated fix

    Same thing; every action has an opposite reaction, whether it’s code or physical engineering

    • Swemg@lemm.ee
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      5 months ago

      I’m a carpenter, I do high end stuff for rich people with really expensive pieces of wood. I’ll stare as much as I need to on the issues I have or even before starting anything. Need to think about every way it could go wrong.

  • GreyEyedGhost@lemmy.ca
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    5 months ago

    I had a theoretical math professor. He said something along the lines of, “Being a theoretical math professor is the best job in the world. You can lean back in your chair, put your feet on your desk and close your eyes, and no one can tell if you’re working or having a nap.”

  • dohpaz42@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    I’ve often been accused of looking angry when I’m thinking about a problem. Of course I’m angry! How dare the solution allude me! 😡

        • Aceticon@lemmy.world
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          5 months ago

          Maybe “aluding” is because the solution is both eluding and alluring at the same time, so one keeps following its syren song but when you get to where you think the solution is, it’s not there.

          Certainly it matches the feeling I got with some of the development problems I’ve faced.

  • MystikIncarnate@lemmy.ca
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    5 months ago

    I don’t like coding, so I became a systems administrator.

    Today, I spent about three hours “coding” a script. Before I started my testing phase to see if all the code put together would work as intended, I just did a pass over the code. I literally just stared at it for a solid 20+ minutes to make sure it made sense.

    I imagine any form of “real” programming is going to require a lot more staring for a lot longer just to make sure the code isn’t profoundly screwed up.