How software companies die

[Mr. Analog]

I found this to be a fairly accurate read given my experiences in IT (both current and past).

http://www.zoion.com/~erlkonig/writings/programmer-beekeeping.html

The hive has been ruined. The best coders leave. And the marketers, comfortable now because they're surrounded by power neckties and they have things under control, are baffled that each new iteration of their software loses market share as the code bloats and the bugs proliferate. Got to get some better packaging. Yeah, that's it.

[Thorin]

Nice find.  I like this particular quote:

Instead of finding assembly lines of productive workers, they quickly discover that their product is produced by utterly unpredictable, uncooperative, disobedient, and worst of all, unattractive people who resist all attempts at management. Put them on a time clock, dress them in suits, and they become sullen and start sabotaging the product. Worst of all, you can sense that they are making fun of you with every word they say.

[Thorin]

Your link led me to this other one, about Microsoft from a person who worked there:

http://www.zoion.com/~erlkonig/writings/microsoft-depersonalization.html

Sounds like a horrible place to work as a contractor...

[Darren Dirt]

ugh.

IRONIC, though, considering the following was written by a Microsofter... perhaps so long ago that things weren't as MegaCorp/Initechish yet...

http://www.google.com/search?q=%22writing%20exceptional%20software%22

[Darren Dirt]

http://www.google.com/search?q=%22writing%20exceptional%20software%22

I'm right now being [essentially] forced to undergo the painful process of "performance contract/goal setting/career plan" getting-in-the-way-of-actually-doing-my-job BS... and so I just now took a "break" and re-read the above and zomg I forgot how AWESOME and timeless this article is...

...Finally, eliminate the dress code. I have never met an adequate programmer who wore a tie to work. I have met many very good programmers who wore shorts and sandals to work. If you require developers to wear ties, you are telling them that how they look is as important as what they do.

Can you imagine a book-publishing company working like a software company? Imagine telling William Shakespeare that he had to design a book with a committee of writers. Then he could write some of the chapters, but others would write the rest of the book. Weekly meetings would ensure that the chapters flowed together.

Software companies do this daily. When you think of writing software, think of what you would do if a best-selling author said he or she wanted to write a book for you. Software developers should be treated the same way. In the industry, most companies figure that if you have 10 people who aren't very good, have them work together and they will produce something better. It usually end up 10 times worse.

[Tonnica]

I have never met an adequate programmer who wore a tie to work.

Okay I lol'ed. I wear ties to work regularly but not for the sake of dress code. I wear 'em 'cause I want to. My former not-manager-manager Stephen put a brilliant idea in my head; dress smart just to annoy people. Being a bit of a passive-agressive jerk I hooked right on to the thought and have been getting laughs from being irritatingly well-dressed.

Ties themselves are bad. Just as the article gets across, it's the required wearing of ties that's bad. Much the same way that many people will enjoy a book read voluntarily more than one they're assigned to read as a task. It ruins the true enjoyment behind the exercise. For the former, looking nice & tidy and for the latter being able to enjoy literature at your own pace and purposes.

Mind you, I'm a girl so I can't really pull off the superprogrammer Lazlo look like a guy can. And for that matter don't want to.

Any more and this'll turn into a real rant on programmers and the crossable lines of appearance so I'll end it with this; I like Arrow ties. They're nice.

[Darren Dirt]

I wear ties to work regularly but not for the sake of dress code. I wear 'em 'cause I want to. My former not-manager-manager Stephen put a brilliant idea in my head; dress smart just to annoy people. Being a bit of a passive-agressive jerk I hooked right on to the thought and have been getting laughs from being irritatingly well-dressed.

you MANIAC! You're like something out of a punk-teenager KITH sketch