Coders: why we do what we do

[Darren Dirt]

I just finished reading this fascinating, richly detailed story, and thought, WOW in a way he captures the essence of why some of us consciously choose to expend so much time and energy on such a stressful, burnout-risky endeavor.


i.e. anyone who craves being "in the zone" can relate to this guy's story... it's like Billy Crystal's character in Throw Momma From The Train, "A Writer Writes, Always", but it's code that we write... and in a way we have no choice, no ability to resist its siren song...
http://damienkatz.net/2005/01/formula-engine-rewrite.html

(followup: http://damienkatz.net/2005/01/formula-engine-response.html )

[Darren Dirt]

PS: Damien is the genius uber-coder mind behind CouchDB, which apparently allows helps web developers get JSON object results via a structure-less data storage with the same benefits and efficiency of Lotus Notes "flat" document design, without the "pain" of the Lotus Notes interface

[Mr. Analog]

Ooh, just had a skim this sounds like a great article DD! I often wonder what it is that keeps me coming back and trying to learn new things all the time.

It really is like a drug!