Item — HN Reader

False dichotomy.

I've known coders who would be lost without using a sophisticated IDE and who get stuff done, producing code that is clean, clear, easy to maintain, is well documented, passes all tests, and is generally superb.

On the other hand I've known coders who write code in vim and who also get stuff done, producing code that is clean, clear, easy to maintain, is well documented, passes all tests, and is generally superb.

The measure is in the work, not in the tools. The skills are not in how you produce the code, but in the code you produce.

Having said that, the very best coders I know don't use complex IDEs. But that's anecdote, not data.

1 comments

I asked someone to hand code. This guy was so used to Dreamweaver, that he could not just remember certain code, like mysql query. But on the DMW, he was fine, clicking away, getting stuffs done.

So the best coders are hand coders?

No. The best coders are the coders who produce the best code.

hmm...even if they cannot code or remember the syntax without the help of the IDE?

In that case it is their manager's responsibility to ensure they have access to the IDE. The important thing is how effective the combination of programmer + hardware + software + other working conditions is. I don't see that considering a coder in isolation is terribly useful.

If it is the testing process for an interview then?

It's the interviewer's job to decide what they're testing for. Some developers need an IDE - that does not make them bad developers.

An interviewer should ask

    How can we help you show us why
    you'd be good for this job?

Stupid tricks don't help you determine if someone can do a job. Tiny, trivial programming tasks don't tell you if someone can do the job, but can (sometimes) tell you if someone can't do the job.

Interviewing is hard, there are no short cuts. You need someone who is smart, will get things done, can interact usefully with others, and adds value. Sometimes using an IDE is the best way to accomplish that - why ignore someone just because they don't work the way you do?