Do developers really need social skills?

[cloverm]

The new Builder.com has a new tag line: "Beyond the code." The idea is that software developers can (and should) break out of their code silos and emerge as leaders in their organizations. But for that to happen, programmers need more than top-notch coding chops. They also need people skills and the savvy to navigate corporate politics.

Or, do they?

http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1107-861905.html

[Feztaa]

Screw you, you bloody fool! Coders don't need nothing but their own l33t skillz!

;D

Theo de Raadt has some cool communication and social skills

http://www.monkey.org/openbsd/archiv.../msg00027.html

[Feztaa]

Good link, Vince. I looked around a bit and found this:

(from http://cr.yp.to/slashpackage/studies.html)

What happened in this case is that someone wanted to use the perl interpreter. But what is perl's name? /usr/bin/perl works if perl is part of ``the system,'' but it fails if perl is ``local.'' The clumsy workaround is to invoke another program that searches for perl.

Well, he calls #!/usr/bin/env perl a 'clumsy workaround' -- I say that's a load of crap. It allows a script writer to write a script that will work on any system with the 'env' command -- considerably more flexible than writing a script that will only work on systems where perl is installed as /usr/bin/perl. What's this guy on, anyway?

What's this guy on, anyway?

He thinks that his views of how Unix should be are the best in the world. Therefore, he's trying to force Unix distributors to accept his conventions with a crappy license. When they do like Theo, and remove his packages, he gets angry, says that the OS is a "fringe OS" (OpenBSD? Yeah right boy...) and that if developpers were as enlightened as he is, Unix would be more secure, more sexy, more this, more than, more everything. As you may have seen, he's been recommended to start writing djbnix, but so far, he still uses OpenBSD. The guy may write good and secure software (qmail and djbdns), but his views are those of a guy who smokes crack with his anus (or with an old Mac)

[Feztaa]

He thinks that his views of how Unix should be are the best in the world.

Heh! I think this is the kind of personality trait that my mom is desperately trying to keep out of me

As you may have seen, he's been recommended to start writing djbnix

I'd like to see that. I bet it would be thoroughly humbling for him

The guy may write good and secure software (qmail and djbdns), but his views are those of a guy who smokes crack with his anus (or with an old Mac)

So I've heard. All I really know about him is that he writes excellent code, but he's got a world-view that's so distorted and people skills that are so lacking, nobody wants to have anything to do with him

Oh yeah, the flame occured in September. On his page, you can see that he's considering moving from OpenBSD to FreeBSD. Well, it's been about 6 months now, and netcraft.com still reports that he uses OpenBSD.

[Feztaa]

Lol, what a whiner.

[dalee]

Hey I think programers really need to develop "people" skills. I don't code, but I design and build machine tools for a local company called 3M. And what I've found is that if you want your ideas out in the front, you have to know how to handle the people who decide (the MBA's >). Otherwise you'll never be anything more than a "trained monkey". But if you can handle people, then the sky is the limit and you can write your own ticket.

Remember diplomacy - The fine Art of letting someone else have your way


dalee

social skills... isn't that what flamewars were invented to train ?? :P