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  3. Do Software Developers get Emotionally Attached to their code?

Do Software Developers get Emotionally Attached to their code?

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  • M MarcusCole6833

    Wondering on this? is it your baby or just the means to a livin'?

    R Offline
    R Offline
    realJSOP
    wrote on last edited by
    #2

    To my own personal code, yes, and that's why I still have zip files of pascal code that I wrote in the mid-80's (that I haven't looked at since I zipped it up in the early 90's). As far as work goes, more of my code is no longer used than is currently being used, and I don't give a rat's ass.

    ".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010
    -----
    You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010
    -----
    When you pry the gun from my cold dead hands, be careful - the barrel will be very hot. - JSOP, 2013

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    • M MarcusCole6833

      Wondering on this? is it your baby or just the means to a livin'?

      J Offline
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      Johnny J
      wrote on last edited by
      #3

      Of course it's like a baby! I can't wait for it to leave home and never get in touch again except for the odd family reunion I'd rather not go to anyway... :doh:

      Anything that is unrelated to elephants is irrelephant
      Anonymous
      -----
      The problem with quotes on the internet is that you can never tell if they're genuine
      Winston Churchill, 1944
      -----
      Never argue with a fool. Onllokers may not be able to tell the difference.
      Mark Twain

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      • R realJSOP

        To my own personal code, yes, and that's why I still have zip files of pascal code that I wrote in the mid-80's (that I haven't looked at since I zipped it up in the early 90's). As far as work goes, more of my code is no longer used than is currently being used, and I don't give a rat's ass.

        ".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010
        -----
        You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010
        -----
        When you pry the gun from my cold dead hands, be careful - the barrel will be very hot. - JSOP, 2013

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        CodeWraith
        wrote on last edited by
        #4

        John Simmons / outlaw programmer wrote:

        To my own personal code, yes, and that's why I still have zip files of pascal code that I wrote in the mid-80's (that I haven't looked at since I zipped it up in the early 90's). As far as work goes, more of my code is no longer used than is currently being used, and I don't give a rat's ass.

        Same here, with the addition that I am very glad that some of the stuff that I was forced to work on can't be traced back to be now. I was very careful about that. And I also have a few 40 year old yellowed sheets of paper with my first machine code program. Did not really work. The graphics leave the video buffer and move right into the program code (crash and burn). Very discouraging if you have to type everything in and have no way to save it. Not even cassette tapes at first.

        I have lived with several Zen masters - all of them were cats.

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        • M MarcusCole6833

          Wondering on this? is it your baby or just the means to a livin'?

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          raddevus
          wrote on last edited by
          #5

          Very good question. There are a couple of extremes here and I find them related to DevOps and Ownership. 1. Mic-Drop Software I wrote the thing. I'm out! This could/would be fun in many ways. Just writing code and sending it into the world and never looking back. Just make sure the money is in the bank account. That's all that matters. Obviously, Mic-Drop Software is for two types: 1. Genius Software Architects who write bug-free software 2. Posers who sell an idea, get paid and run 2. Complete Ownership Do not touch my code. If it breaks at 3am I will fix it. If it breaks at 3am because of a change you made, YOU will fix it! Team Ownership Somewhere in the middle of these two is a TEAM of people who work together so software doesn't bother them at 3am. But it's difficult to get a team to own something together. This one is based upon trust, social work, liking coworkers, knowing coworkers are intelligent, etc.

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          • M MarcusCole6833

            Wondering on this? is it your baby or just the means to a livin'?

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            thatraja
            wrote on last edited by
            #6

            My personal code stash is like my babies even though they're aged(old & obsolete) & in coma(sleeping in archive)

            thatraja

            Coming soon1 | Coming soon2 | Coming soon3New

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            • M MarcusCole6833

              Wondering on this? is it your baby or just the means to a livin'?

              Z Offline
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              ZurdoDev
              wrote on last edited by
              #7

              Attached? No chance. But judging from the responses so far I might be in the minority here. :wtf:

              Everyone is born right handed. Only the strongest overcome it. Fight for left-handed rights and hand equality.

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              • M MarcusCole6833

                Wondering on this? is it your baby or just the means to a livin'?

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                Maximilien
                wrote on last edited by
                #8

                No, not really. Sometimes I go "Wow this works!!" but that is probably it.

                I'd rather be phishing!

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                • M MarcusCole6833

                  Wondering on this? is it your baby or just the means to a livin'?

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                  Foothill
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #9

                  I think that attachment is proportional to time spent on it. If it's a program that I whipped up in a couple of hours or a day, I really don't care. Now, if it's code that I spent months working on it, of course I get a little attached.

                  if (Object.DividedByZero == true) { Universe.Implode(); } Meus ratio ex fortis machina. Simplicitatis de formae ac munus. -Foothill, 2016

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                  • M MarcusCole6833

                    Wondering on this? is it your baby or just the means to a livin'?

                    abmvA Offline
                    abmvA Offline
                    abmv
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #10

                    You have to learn to let it go

                    Caveat Emptor. "Progress doesn't come from early risers – progress is made by lazy men looking for easier ways to do things." Lazarus Long

                    We are in the beginning of a mass extinction. - Greta Thunberg

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                    • M MarcusCole6833

                      Wondering on this? is it your baby or just the means to a livin'?

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                      R Offline
                      Rick York
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #11

                      I do but just a little. The vast majority of what I have done has been automation systems and it is interesting to find that most of them are still in operation today, making the chips that go into our computers, phones, tablets, and who knows what else. I guess that's not exactly emotional attachment. They are thoughts similar to wondering how the kids are today.

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                      • M MarcusCole6833

                        Wondering on this? is it your baby or just the means to a livin'?

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                        Ehsan Sajjad
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #12

                        One of our team developer had a logger class which was wrote so many years ago and uses in every project needed. It used to open a file every time log method is called write line and close the file, another dev in my team modified the implementation for improvement purpose, and the original author didn't like that, the statement was : "I had been using this class since xx years ago and i am used to it, why have you modified it" and that dev then had to undo the changes to get it back to the original version :laugh:

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                        • abmvA abmv

                          You have to learn to let it go

                          Caveat Emptor. "Progress doesn't come from early risers – progress is made by lazy men looking for easier ways to do things." Lazarus Long

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                          Johnny J
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #13

                          If only it would! :doh:

                          Anything that is unrelated to elephants is irrelephant
                          Anonymous
                          -----
                          The problem with quotes on the internet is that you can never tell if they're genuine
                          Winston Churchill, 1944
                          -----
                          Never argue with a fool. Onllokers may not be able to tell the difference.
                          Mark Twain

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                          • abmvA abmv

                            You have to learn to let it go

                            Caveat Emptor. "Progress doesn't come from early risers – progress is made by lazy men looking for easier ways to do things." Lazarus Long

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                            MarcusCole6833
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #14

                            is that Latin in all your code comments?

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                            • T thatraja

                              My personal code stash is like my babies even though they're aged(old & obsolete) & in coma(sleeping in archive)

                              thatraja

                              Coming soon1 | Coming soon2 | Coming soon3New

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                              E Offline
                              Ehsan Sajjad
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #15

                              same here :laugh:

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                              • Z ZurdoDev

                                Attached? No chance. But judging from the responses so far I might be in the minority here. :wtf:

                                Everyone is born right handed. Only the strongest overcome it. Fight for left-handed rights and hand equality.

                                C Offline
                                C Offline
                                CodeWraith
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #16

                                Why would you waste your precious time on writing something you don't care about?

                                I have lived with several Zen masters - all of them were cats.

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                                • M MarcusCole6833

                                  Wondering on this? is it your baby or just the means to a livin'?

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                                  S Offline
                                  Slacker007
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #17

                                  Yes

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                                  • C CodeWraith

                                    Why would you waste your precious time on writing something you don't care about?

                                    I have lived with several Zen masters - all of them were cats.

                                    Z Offline
                                    Z Offline
                                    ZurdoDev
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #18

                                    CodeWraith wrote:

                                    something you don't care about?

                                    Where did I say I don't care about my code?

                                    Everyone is born right handed. Only the strongest overcome it. Fight for left-handed rights and hand equality.

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                                    • M MarcusCole6833

                                      Wondering on this? is it your baby or just the means to a livin'?

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                                      P Offline
                                      PIEBALDconsult
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #19

                                      Young ones maybe.

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                                      • M MarcusCole6833

                                        Wondering on this? is it your baby or just the means to a livin'?

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                                        P Offline
                                        patbob
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #20

                                        No. I never get attached to the code I write. I might be proud or apologetic about my accomplishment, but the code itself, no. Emotional attachment to the code itself usually means people start to act protective of it and create a boundary to keep others out. That kind of behavior is a red flag to me to get someone else into that code pronto. In every case I've seen where there's code that's considered off limits because it's someone's "baby", it has meant that they're doing it to hide how poor of a developer they are.

                                        I live in Oregon, and I'm an engineer.

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                                        • M MarcusCole6833

                                          Wondering on this? is it your baby or just the means to a livin'?

                                          M Offline
                                          M Offline
                                          Marc Clifton
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #21

                                          No, it's more like a fling, where if the other code finds out there's hell to pay, and like a fling, it gets dull pretty quick, at least until the next cool piece of code. Any long term relationship is quite rare.

                                          Latest Article - Code Review - What You Can Learn From a Single Line of Code Learning to code with python is like learning to swim with those little arm floaties. It gives you undeserved confidence and will eventually drown you. - DangerBunny Artificial intelligence is the only remedy for natural stupidity. - CDP1802

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