Ask HN: What a programmer should *not* know?
A programmer should know this, should know that..., but what a programmer should not know? Knowing which would make a programmer less productive, less capable, less employable etc. Does something like that even exist?
2 comments
Yes, actually.
Ethics and morals.
It kind of works that way by definition, but if you're one of those people who have a firm grasp of the 2nd and higher order consequences of what you are being asked to do it can become exceedingly hard to find work you are willing to contribute to. There are industries you just won't be able to access or thrive in while keeping your conscience/nose clean.
Accounting is another one arguably, but I'd still endorse it anyway. You can become a thorn in some types of business's side when you can project beyond your primary job role. If you aren't careful, you could end up cracking a carefully crafted perception management game! Or ruin somebody's attempt at plausible deniability.
Oh yeah. A little bit of legal knowledge can be a bit of a buzzkill too. If you ever want to ruin the mood, a quick, "Has legal signed off on this?" can lead to interesting times as well.
You'd think a lot of places would value the extra insight, but in many cases, it isn't necessarily appreciated.
Ethics and morals.
It kind of works that way by definition, but if you're one of those people who have a firm grasp of the 2nd and higher order consequences of what you are being asked to do it can become exceedingly hard to find work you are willing to contribute to. There are industries you just won't be able to access or thrive in while keeping your conscience/nose clean.
Accounting is another one arguably, but I'd still endorse it anyway. You can become a thorn in some types of business's side when you can project beyond your primary job role. If you aren't careful, you could end up cracking a carefully crafted perception management game! Or ruin somebody's attempt at plausible deniability.
Oh yeah. A little bit of legal knowledge can be a bit of a buzzkill too. If you ever want to ruin the mood, a quick, "Has legal signed off on this?" can lead to interesting times as well.
You'd think a lot of places would value the extra insight, but in many cases, it isn't necessarily appreciated.
My two cents: You should not know a feature that has not been asked of you! Developers sometimes keep adding stuff because they think it is cool/needed but I think more is not always better...