When did we become "Developers" rather than "Programmers"
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When did we become "Developers" rather than "Programmers"? :confused::confused: And what the he*l are "Coders" and what is the difference? :confused::confused:
A rose by any other name.... something, something, something
When I was a young programmer (30 year ago), it was something like FULL STACK DEVELOPER. I think programmers become developers about ten years ago. DEVELOPER sounds cleverly than PROGRAMMER. :-)
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When I started out it was the systems analysts who did the design and logic. All the programmer needed to do was to convert the English instructions into lines of code. So it was a fairly basic function and any idiot (me) could do it. Since then the job has developed in line with ever more sophisticated hardware and software. So now, the 'programmer' has to understand much more and use his/her skills to develop products rather than be a 'code monkey'.
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When did we become "Developers" rather than "Programmers"? :confused::confused: And what the he*l are "Coders" and what is the difference? :confused::confused:
A rose by any other name.... something, something, something
We became developers when programs became "apps". Probably when the number of people developing apps for mobile devices started to outnumber programmers writing programs for desktops.
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When I started out it was the systems analysts who did the design and logic. All the programmer needed to do was to convert the English instructions into lines of code. So it was a fairly basic function and any idiot (me) could do it. Since then the job has developed in line with ever more sophisticated hardware and software. So now, the 'programmer' has to understand much more and use his/her skills to develop products rather than be a 'code monkey'.
Being ancient enough to remember the System Analyst days, I'd modify that a little: The profession started as Programmers - that meant we understood the mystic language of computers (COBOL, Algol, Fortran etc) and could translate detailed pseudo code into something that actually worked. In the modern parlance this is also referred to as Coders. Software Engineers - an evolutionary step where the programmers were actually trusted with writing their own pseudo code and doing some design. Of course letting the business people actually meet the coal face workers was still frowned upon. Developers - The current evolutionary step where the code jockeys actually can influence how the business should be using the software, rather than being told what to write.
An opinion is an opinion, it's my right to be wrong.
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I think it's because: - people don't know what your title means, - but it sounds pretty really important so you get to keep that job just in case something that matters breaks if you weren't there.
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You are not implying that there's anything wrong with being a 'code monkey'. :thumbsup:. I am implying that I like being a 'code monkey'. :thumbsup:.
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When did we become "Developers" rather than "Programmers"? :confused::confused: And what the he*l are "Coders" and what is the difference? :confused::confused:
A rose by any other name.... something, something, something
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You are not implying that there's anything wrong with being a 'code monkey'. :thumbsup:. I am implying that I like being a 'code monkey'. :thumbsup:.
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When did we become "Developers" rather than "Programmers"? :confused::confused: And what the he*l are "Coders" and what is the difference? :confused::confused:
A rose by any other name.... something, something, something
As someone working solo on a big project "developer" seems to fit better than just "programmer". In addition to programming I do UI/UX design, feature planning, testing, artwork, and even handle support email. As to "programmer" vs "coder", I can think of a couple of possible explanations. Some programmers are anal about efficiency. Clearly, "coder" is much more efficient than "programmer". Alternatively, given some of the "coders" I've known, it could just be that it's not as tricky to spell as "programmer".
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When did we become "Developers" rather than "Programmers"? :confused::confused: And what the he*l are "Coders" and what is the difference? :confused::confused:
A rose by any other name.... something, something, something
"Coders" annoys me the most. Makes us sound utterly menial.
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When did we become "Developers" rather than "Programmers"? :confused::confused: And what the he*l are "Coders" and what is the difference? :confused::confused:
A rose by any other name.... something, something, something
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When we stopped programming computers via wires.
And Assembly Language
So many years of programming I have forgotten more languages than I know.
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That part sounds like a marketing spin on the term "programmers". But there are practical distinctions between programmers (developers, coders, etc) and engineers. Programmers are those who know how to productively efficiently write code to accomplish a purpose. If a professional, they understand why they choose the coding solution they use for a given problem domain. Some very experienced, very knowledgeable people choose to stick to being programmers because it suits them and the type of work they want to do. As for software engineers, Merriam-Webster defines engineering (in general) as:
Quote:
a: the application of science and mathematics by which the properties of matter and the sources of energy in nature are made useful to people b: the design and manufacture of complex products
Software engineers are also programmers. But they look at a project beyond just the code at hand. They consider value engineering, systems requirements and limitations, the full software development life cycle, can manage a project, manage developers, do architecture, interface with customers, etc. That is not to say some programmers are not capable of doing all this, but we are talking about roles, not individuals. The reluctance to hire good software engineers is why development teams typically have a BA, a scrum master, as well as developers and QA folks. A good software engineer can replace the BA and scrum master functions and produce a better product quicker and better. Why? Because the software engineer has the BA and scrum master knowledge domains within their total knowledge domain. BAs and scrum masters do not have the software development knowledge domain within their knowledge domains. That means an inefficiency is introduced by communication and translation to BAs and scrum masters, and that leads to an accumulation of small delays, mistakes that have to be corrected, and sometimes missed deadlines. It is not about one being better than another. Software engineers need to trust the skills of their programmers, and communicate project details and status to all, as well as mentor programmers who want to grow into software engineers. Programmers who have not yet obtained the broader knowledge and experience of a good software engineer need to recognize that, and return the trust. Differences can be seen as competitive, or hierarchical. Or, they can be seen as complementary as all part of the whole.
This means that my daughter is a developer or maybe a software engineer. She has a master's in marketing and spends all day drawing web screens for business. She knows nothing about programming. She studies what the customer needs to know and how they react to screens.
So many years of programming I have forgotten more languages than I know.
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This means that my daughter is a developer or maybe a software engineer. She has a master's in marketing and spends all day drawing web screens for business. She knows nothing about programming. She studies what the customer needs to know and how they react to screens.
So many years of programming I have forgotten more languages than I know.
Sounds like your daughter is a UI/UX developer. That is not the broad area of software engineering, but it is a vitally important part making the project usable and look good.
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When did we become "Developers" rather than "Programmers"? :confused::confused: And what the he*l are "Coders" and what is the difference? :confused::confused:
A rose by any other name.... something, something, something
There are no differences between a developer and a programmer in terms of what each does. It is just a matter of the jargon being used. There is a difference between these two and a software engineer. The latter attempts to remain true to the principals and paradigms of software engineering when doing his or her development.
Steve Naidamast Sr. Software Engineer Black Falcon Software, Inc. blackfalconsoftware@outlook.com
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When did we become "Developers" rather than "Programmers"? :confused::confused: And what the he*l are "Coders" and what is the difference? :confused::confused:
A rose by any other name.... something, something, something
I think it was about the same time that we became "Entrepreneurs" rather than "Unemployed". also: https://2l90qdgid4-flywheel.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/linkedin2.jpg[^]
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And Assembly Language
So many years of programming I have forgotten more languages than I know.
Contrariwise, assembly language is coding.
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When did we become "Developers" rather than "Programmers"? :confused::confused: And what the he*l are "Coders" and what is the difference? :confused::confused:
A rose by any other name.... something, something, something
No one seems to have mentioned craftsman (or craftswoman?) Engineer yes, but I also view my career as plying my craft, and what I do as much an artform. Something on the other side of the bell curve of "code monkey". Well crafted code is clean, tight, follows best practices, isnt more clever than it has to be, but is clever when it needs to be, while never sacrificing maintainability. All the hallmarks of fine craftsmanship... no different than a fine painting, or a concerto, or even a well executed maneuver on a balance beam... ;) :)
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When did we become "Developers" rather than "Programmers"? :confused::confused: And what the he*l are "Coders" and what is the difference? :confused::confused:
A rose by any other name.... something, something, something
I see this as very simple. Coders do what they are told to do. Developers ask why things need to be done so they can solve the actual problem. Just about anyone can be taught to write code but understanding what the business whats to do and how they do it can mean a completely different solution is produced. e.g. a coder can be asked to produce a report and they build it. A developer should as if they can make it generic and have inputs such as a client Id so it can be reused. without building the same report 10 times for 10 different clients. (I see this sort of thing a lot).
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When did we become "Developers" rather than "Programmers"? :confused::confused: And what the he*l are "Coders" and what is the difference? :confused::confused:
A rose by any other name.... something, something, something
Hi Eddie, let's dig a little deeper: developers have already mutated to "Creators". The Creator will not allow any criticism. :cool::cool::cool:
