Posted on Wed 29 May 2019
You know how this works, right? These are false statements about what non-programmers believe about programmers and programming. The proper response to every single statement is “Not always.”
- Programming is just a job that anyone can do.
- Programming is just a job that anyone who has taken programming courses can do.
- Programming is just typing into a computer.
- Programs are hard to write.
- Programs are easy to write.
- The work is done while typing.
- Most programming is done while typing.
- Most programming is just translating what the customer needs into computer language.
- Most programming is just knowing the right computer language.
- You can write any program in any language.
- You have to use the right language for each program.
- Programming languages are all very similar to each other, so if you know one, it’s easy to learn any other.
- It’s hard to learn a new language.
- It’s easy to learn a new language.
- Programming for any operating system is basically the same.
- Writing programs that can run on different operating systems is hard.
- Moving programs from one operating system to another is easy.
- Writing programs that can run on different computers is hard.
- Moving programs from one kind of computer to another is easy.
- Programmers are specialists who only work in one sub-sub-field.
- Programmers are generalists who can work well on anything.
- The length of a program is correlated with how hard it was to write.
- Anyone who knows the problem domain can write down the specification.
- Programmers work best in hierarchical groups.
- Programmers work best in flat groups.
- Programmers work best in groups.
- Programmers work best alone.
- Programmers always think very literally.
- Programmers can easily fix bugs in other people’s software.
- Programmers can easily fix bugs in their own software.
- Programmers are good at finding bugs.
- Younger programmers are more flexible than older programmers.
- Older programmers have more experience than younger programmers.
- Most programming is making new applications.
- Most programming is writing new features.
- Most programming is fixing typos.
- Most programming work is writing software.
- Programming languages are hard because they are not close to English (or your mother language).
- Programming languages which are closer to human languages are easier to use.
- The work is done when a program is accepted by the customer.
- The work is done when there are no bugs in the program.
- Customers can get any change they want in a program that they use.
- Customers can get any change they want in a program that they paid for.
- Customers who pay for software own it.
- Customers who pay programmers to write software own the software.
- Programmers who write software own it.
- Programmers who write software own the copyright to it.
- You always have to pay to use someone else’s software.
- You always have to pay to use someone else’s software legally.
- All software is owned by someone.
- The law is clear about software.