code is a job

Writing great code is a challenge. We have to use the best frameworks, spend every hour of every day at the keyboard.. The key to writing great code, we're told, is passion. But what if, in order to write great code, we need to do exactly the opposite? Code is a job, after all. What if the simplest way to improve our code is to treat it like one?

Transcript

1. code is a job
   MediterráneaJS / @garannm
   

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2. buenas tardes
   • circa 1997
   • Etsy, Editorially, Joyent
   • community organizer
   • technical author
   • conference speaker
   

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3. please allow me to
   pick up where i left off
   

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4. “I

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5. but today tho
   • writing better code
   • ignoring nonsense
   • not believing the hype
   • doing a good job
   

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6. participate in
   your own
   exploitation
   

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7. meritocracy is
   a hell of a drug
   

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8. “we’ve been trying different things for a while, and these seem to
   be the common threads among ourselves, and the most successful
   and trustworthy people we’ve lived with before”
   

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9. falling off the
   level playing
   field
   

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10. self reinforcing
    • you didn’t learn the latest framework
    • you didn’t put enough time into open source
    • you didn’t stay late and let your outside interests atrophy
    • you weren’t “passionate” enough
    

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11. passion is
    poison
    

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12. too much “passion”
    ruins good code
    

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13. http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/ampp3d/bransons-holidays-right-graph-shows-4323133
    

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15. there is no right
    tool for the job
    

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16. you still have to
    get the job done
    

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17. JS templates
    • jTemplates
    • jQuery Templates plugin
    • Mustache
    • Angular / React / etc
    

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18. JS templates
    • jTemplates: independent
    • jQuery Templates plugin: ecosystem
    • Mustache: independent
    • Angular / React / etc: ecosystem
    

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19. JS templates
    • jTemplates: uses JS to produce HTML
    • jQuery Templates plugin: uses JS to produce HTML
    • Mustache: uses JS to produce HTML
    • Angular / React / etc: uses JS to produce HTML
    

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20. it’s all bike-
    shedding
    

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21. all that matters or
    will ever matter is
    the user’s experience
    

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22. performance
    • browser game?
    • news site?
    • collaborative tool?
    

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23. performance
    • eliminate bad performance in code
    • don’t make a bunch of requests
    • get whatever you can from cache
    • don’t block loading
    

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24. performance
    • eliminate bad performance in code: good judgement
    • don’t make a bunch of requests: good judgement
    • get whatever you can from cache: good judgement
    • don’t block loading: good judgement
    

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25. as coders, we
    work below the
    surface
    

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26. what makes a great
    coder isn’t code
    

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27. there are no
    natural coders
    

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28. pro code skills
    • ability to organize tasks
    • very simple logic
    • very simple math
    • rules of grammar and language
    • things you learn before your 20s
    

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29. pro code skills
    1. problem solving
    2. communication
    

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30. you don’t learn
    to code arguing
    about editors
    

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31. great code
    comes from not
    coding
    

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32. hot code tips
    • go for a walk
    • make friends
    • read a book
    • watch the news
    • make something physical
    

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33. myopic code
    makes a half-
    assed product
    

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36. “natural” just means
    you anticipated the
    problems
    

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37. a “natural” coder
    remembers people
    use their code
    

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38. but that’s design!!
    • code involves design work
    • building anything does
    • the more of the big picture you see, the better your design
    • hence, the better your code
    

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39. code experience is
    meaningless without
    human experience
    

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40. code is a
    living
    

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41. passion don’t
    pay the bills
    

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42. food, water, sleep
    safety and security
    friends, love
    respect
    code
    

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43. after a decade
    “good” code
    isn’t enough
    

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44. food, water, sleep
    safety and security
    friends, love
    respect
    a better
    world
    

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45. “just” a job
    • in capitalism, a job is essential
    • in a job, accountability is essential
    • if the code is important, make it a job
    

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46. stop pretending
    you’re going to
    cash out at 30/
    40
    

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47. #goals
    0k
    50k
    100k
    150k
    200k
    20s 30s 40s 50s 60s
    

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48. over your
    career, results
    matter most
    

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49. great code is
    more than just
    some typing
    

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50. great code gets
    you home in
    time for dinner
    

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51. someone is
    always wrong
    on the internet
    

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52. even the biggest tool
    authors will probably
    fade into obscurity
    

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53. usefulness is the
    only metric that
    matters
    

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54. just like any
    other job in the
    world
    

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55. gracias!
    @garannm
    !
    

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