Developmental Generation Gap

There's no doubt software development ain't what it use to be. But is it any better? Here's my read on common practice then and now... -- WardCunningham

Old Guys: Take some integers, some byte addressing instructions and a reliable code generator and build a few layers of abstraction out of it. Then, if there is time left, think about the really cool things that could be built with a few layers above that.

New Guys: Takes some jpegs, some Director files and a GUI framework in beta and see if you can make some cool visualizations. Then, if there is time left, think about how you could put a program behind the whole thing to actually make it do something.

I kinda think today's programmers don't know the difference between elegant and baroque. They stuff their apps full of arcane, non-orthogonal features that intimidate an old-fashioned guy like me. -- JimWilson

Old guy: Stop bothering me with all these objects, and just tell me where the damn data structures are!

Older Guy: Data structures? -- DaveSmith

Knuckle-scraping Neanderthal: Source code? -- JonUdell

Old Guys: When the system crashes, they look at the last few system inputs and outputs, read some source code, figure out exactly what the program did that caused it to crash, then go fix it.

New Guys: When the system crashes, they fire up the source language debugger, step through every instruction the system executes, examine the values of various variables, watch the program crash, then go fix something. -- DouglasSurber

Newest Guys: When the system crashes, they fire up the GUI debugger, run to the point of the crash, see that it's in some code generated by some Wizard or Expert, then go ask an Older Guy how to fix it. -- DavidHooker

(an example of the SkewedBellCurve of programming talent in the industry)

Older Guy: When the system crashes, they look at the machine code dump for the last few instructions, find the corresponding source code, figure out exactly what the program did that caused it to crash, then go fix it. -- ShalomReich

Recent Grad: Post to comp.lang.whatever complaining that the development tool is broken. (Though if whatever = java, chances are good that the tool is broken, at least with the current generation of tools.) --DaveSmith

A problem for all developmental generations:

 HumptyDumpty sat on a wall.
 HumptyDumpty had a great fall.
 All the king's horses and all the king's men,
 Couldn't put Humpty together again. - old nursery rhyme  -- MartineDevos