/--[ What if Camus were a Computer Scientist? ]--------------------------------\ | | | ___ \\//\\// | | / \ Hey Al, you seem | | | | < --00 troubled. What's on Do you really (_(_) 3 | | | _\ / your mind? wanna know? | | | | \___/ \ |-- | | | / \ - Of course! That's why \____/ | | I'm asking! If you're / | | having any problems, then Well....I was doing some thinking | | let's talk about it. Chances last night, and I came to the | | are I've been there. conclusion that there is but one | | truly serious problem in software | | \ development, and that is the | | ....? question of suicide. | | | | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | | \\//\\// | | The software developer is trapped in a futile search | --- | | | for meaning and clarity in a world of imperfect tools (0)(0) 3 | | and techniques. Lest he is an arrogant fool, he knows | | | | that his work is imperfect. His code will surely \ |-- | | | contain bugs, security vulnerabilities will be found, \____/ | | holes will appear, and his system will bend and | | eventually break. | | | | He knows that one day his creation will no longer resemble | | the pristine artform that he had envisioned. In the beginning, | | his creation is analagous to DaVinci's Last Supper, as he | | boldly experiments with new mediums that distinguish his | | piece from the rest. But while his creation is beautiful, | | it is not durable. Over the years, layers of patches will be | | applied in an attempt to restore the crumbling masterpiece. | | But those who attempt to restore the piece will not be DaVincis, | | will not share his vision, and eventually little of the original | | creation will be left. | | | | He is enlightened to the fact that any non-trivial software system, | | no matter how well designed, is nothing more than | | a tenuously constructed scaffolding. Yet he ventures forth anyways, | | armed with the programmatic equivalents of crazy glue, duct tape, | | and cheap hacks mixed with glitter. He is much like Sisyphus | | in his quest, pushing his rock up the mountain, only to | | watch it roll down again for eternity. Faced with the realization | | of the absurdity of his situation, what should he do? | | | | | | ___ | | / \ Hmm....sounds interesting. | | < --00 Listen, I got a one o'clock | | | _\ / meeting to go to, so I gotta run. | | \___/ Oh yeah, and your self-eval is | | due by Friday afternoon, don't forget. | | | \---------------------------------------------[ http://www.killnine.com ]------/
/--[ comics ]------------------------------------------------------------------\ 03.11.2008 - [0027] Celebrity Worship at the SXSW Interactive Conference 01.17.2008 - [0026] People who take themselves too seriously 03.30.2007 - [0025] A summary of Mark Zuckerberg's speech at Startup School 03.07.2007 - [0023] Who needs white strips? 03.07.2007 - [0022] Tiresome conversations 03.06.2007 - [0021] Dreamer 03.02.2007 - [0020] No one ever responds to my personal ads 03.01.2007 - [0019] Stop software abuse 02.28.2007 - [0018] Steve's Debris 02.27.2007 - [0017] Programming Styles Compared 02.26.2007 - [0016] What Would Jay-Z Do? 02.24.2007 - [0015] My brain is a dumb terminal 02.21.2007 - [0014] What if Camus were a Computer Scientist? 02.21.2007 - [0013] Memorization vs. Understanding 02.20.2007 - [0012] An elegant proof of determinism 02.20.2007 - [0011] A tribute to geeks 02.20.2007 - [0010] Getting p0wned by your girlfriend 02.19.2007 - [0009] I don't understand social networking 02.19.2007 - [0008] Don't judge a book by its cover 02.19.2007 - [0007] The day I tried to learn Spring and Hibernate 02.18.2007 - [0006] Sometimes I hate web standards evangelists 02.18.2007 - [0005] Last year I quit my job to become an online poker player 02.18.2007 - [0004] Graffiti in the math building 02.17.2007 - [0003] Every geek's fantasy: Meeting a girl in a wi-fi cafe 02.17.2007 - [0002] What happens when you think in terms of computer programs 02.17.2007 - [0001] It's hard to answer questions honestly at work in your 20's \--[ rss ]-------------------------------[ killnine comics at gmail dot com ]--/