I've programmed probably only four or five serious projects in my lifetime. I've seen that—as I learn more about software architecture—the quality of my code increases, but my output decreases.
In a certain way I miss the early days when the thrill was just having something work, despite being ugly on the inside. Nowadays I'm constantly refactoring code to make it more elegant, extensible, and maintainable.
I often go back to an interview with Charles Eames, he's talking about Industrial Design, but it applies perfectly to software design:
Is design ephemeral?
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Some needs are ephemeral.
Most designs are ephemeral.
Ought it to tend towards the
ephemeral or towards permanence?
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Those needs and designs that have
a more universal quality will tend toward permanence.
I constantly try to keep perspective of my work in terms of who needs to maintain it, how often it needs to be maintained, and its lifetime. When I think about it in these terms, then I can keep on being crappy but productive.
In a certain way I miss the early days when the thrill was just having something work, despite being ugly on the inside. Nowadays I'm constantly refactoring code to make it more elegant, extensible, and maintainable.
I often go back to an interview with Charles Eames, he's talking about Industrial Design, but it applies perfectly to software design:
http://blog.gentry.io/eames-design-is-a-method-of-actionI constantly try to keep perspective of my work in terms of who needs to maintain it, how often it needs to be maintained, and its lifetime. When I think about it in these terms, then I can keep on being crappy but productive.