Some Things I Believe (Mostly about Software)

I’m doing this exercise after seeing Nat Friedman’s site. Here’s a short list of things I believe:

• I think we (software industry) overemphasize speed. I’m firmly in the “Slow is Smooth, Smooth is Fast” camp. Find the right direction! Go in the right direction.

• You can probably make your livelihood off of $\leq 10000$ LOC. Aim to write the correct 10000 lines.

• If you have the opportunity, you should build things you’re proud of. Make things that add beauty to the world. Fix the broken things in your care. This is not strictly about software!

• People love talking about Pasteur’s Quadrant. I like Pasteur’s Quadrant, I want to stay there.

• My ideal job title is probably something to the effect of “Reliability Researcher”. Some mix of the work of Mor Harchol-Balter, Marc Brooker, and David Karger.

• I doubt I’ll make it to retirement fiddling on the computer. Lots of options out there.