You might think that great programmers can type at a thousand words a second, have a mega-sized brain, and are fitted with a socket that lets them connect directly to a computer. This is not true. Especially the socket bit. In my experience, the best programmers are the ones who are the most fun to be with. The ones who you enjoy talking to. The ones who don’t get upset when you find a mistake in their programs and who will sometimes agree that your solution is better than the one that they had invented. I’d much rather work with someone like that than someone who can write a hundred lines of code a minute but who refuses to speak to me if I dare to suggest that one of those lines might be wrong. Great programmers take care to find out that what they are doing is the right thing. If they are working for a customer, they will make sure that the customer gets what the customer wants. They will not assume that they know the best way to do it and just do it their way. They will make sure that what they produce is tested and comes with helpful documentation. They will work in the team, make coffee when it is their turn, and do whatever it takes to make sure that the project has a happy ending. Of course, they might also fill your office with beach balls, superglue your keyboard to the desk, or cover your chair with aluminum foil, but these are all done with a friendly spirit.
I have secured the services of a great programmer who will be adding Programmer’s Points to our text. These are truly words of wisdom, so make sure to take note when you see them.
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Rob Miles
In his book : Microsoft XNA Game Studio 2.0 Learn Programming NOW
