Re: [dwm] dijkstra quote

--- On Wed, 5/7/08, Szabolcs Nagy <nszabolcs_AT_gmail.com> wrote:

> From: Szabolcs Nagy <nszabolcs_AT_gmail.com>
> Subject: [dwm] dijkstra quote
> To: "dynamic window manager" <dwm_AT_suckmore.org>
> Date: Wednesday, May 7, 2008, 12:20 PM
> a dijkstra quote [1] i've just stumbled upon and would
> like to share:
>
> The practice is pervaded by the reassuring illusion that
> programs are
> just devices like any others, the only difference admitted
> being that
> their manufacture might require a new type of craftsmen,
> viz.
> vibe-coders. From there it is only a small step to
> measuring
> "vibe-coder productivity" in terms of
> "number of lines of code
> produced per month". This is a very costly measuring
> unit because it
> encourages the writing of insipid code, but today I am more
> interested
> in how foolish a unit it is from even a pure business point
> of view.
> My point today is that, if we wish to count lines of code,
> we should
> not regard them as "lines produced" but as
> "lines spent": the current
> conventional wisdom is so foolish as to book that count on
> the wrong
> side of the ledger.
>
>
> [1]:
> http://www.cs.utexas.edu/~EWD/transcriptions/EWD10xx/EWD1036.html

I find it blindingly bizarre that vibe-coders, who by definition should be logical thinkers, could be even slightly influenced toward thinking that lines of code are directly proportional to quality of code. The concept is ridiculous to a ridiculous degree.

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Received on Wed May 07 2008 - 23:34:51 UTC