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How to Criticize a Software Developer Without Getting Punched

softwarebyrob.com — We all know how to criticize; we learned a lot about it from our older brother or the bully at school. But the problem is how to critize well.

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  • BuddyTV, on 10/12/2007, -2/+14Just make sure their not packing a fortran manual....
    • 3monkeys, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5@BuddyTV, I'm not so worried about the fortran manuals, it's the COBOL references that scare me!
    • cliffzdude, on 10/12/2007, -4/+5Today on Digg TV.
      Corporate boxing.
      Today we have the Software Developers form Snugg Drawers Inc. taking on the Sales Team from Scho Low Tools LLC.

      Wait, the software guys just pulled out their computers, what's going on here? Uh-oh, the software team thought this was a LAN party? No, we're BOXING here guys. You know, PHYSICAL activity? Wait, no don't run, WAIT! Hold on! We had a deal! COME BACK HERE!
    • Grimdotdotdot, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4Dear sir or lady-sir,
      You do appear to have spelt 'criticize' 'critize' in your article summary.
      I hope this information can be useful to you.
      Yours,
      Grimdot Dotdot
    • Archer1980, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4You know, I'm a software developer, and i don't hear any complaints. Guess hanging my Martial arts awards in my office pays off.
    • GeneralFault, on 10/12/2007, -6/+1Thats a fairly narrow view of the world ya got there Alpha. Where did you get it, the narrow view store?
    • atroxodisse, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2@TheAlphaOne

      I'm a 6 foot 190 lbs hockey playing software engineer who enjoys knocking people's teeth out. The exception that proves the rule? No. Actually, I work in a large office with many software engineers and I wouldn't categorize any of them as out of shape. There's a few beer guts in the group but these people are far from fat and lazy. They're a hard working group.

      Anyhow, the point I came here to make was that the dude categorized porn as bad and that loses big points in my book.
    • lesskiller, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0Ok, I've gotta stir the pot for a minute (all in good fun, of course).

      @atroxodisse

      So you're 6' 190lbs and like to play hockey. That doesn't mean you're good at it and/or a threat to kick anyone's ass. My accountant is about 6'3" 250lbs and calls himself a golfer. He sucks at golf, even though he plays it a couple times per week. And even though he is 6'3" 250lbs, I'm sure he'd stand no chance against a 6' wannabe hockey-playing computer dork in a fight. Size and what one likes to do doesn't dictate how good one is in a physical confrontation.

      @TheAlphaOne

      Sure, the majority of software developers aren't a threat to stand up and knock anyone out. They are smart enough to know their limitations. However, if you piss one off enough to want to hurt you, chances are you won't see it coming. They're also smart enough to know how to get you without getting hurt/caught. You can call them sucker-punching little bitches while you are laying on the ground wondering where your teeth went. I don't think they'll care at that point.

      PS - I'm just kidding. I love both you guys.

    • lesskiller, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0@Archer1980

      Dude, you hang martial arts awards in your office? That's f'ing awesome. I wish I had a piece of paper that proves I kick ass. Maybe I can get one of our software developers to make me one on his 'puter.
    • zonk3r, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I didn't realize Uwe Boll quit making movies and became a programmer.
    • BDWong, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0"Say WHATEVER you want to them; if they are a SOFTWARE DEVELOPER, they are likely VERY out of shape; if they do throw a punch, they are probably going to get knocked out anyway."

      Quoted for truth.
  • rotten777, on 10/12/2007, -45/+4easy! put a gun to their head while criticizing their code.

    if they flinch, paint the walls with their brains!
    • RetroRufio, on 10/12/2007, -5/+31I'm working on a new article...

      "How to Criticize Moronic Digg Comments"
    • cmiller1, on 10/12/2007, -5/+25How to Criticize Moronic Digg Comments: Press the Red Thumbs Down Button
    • hackwrench, on 10/12/2007, -9/+1Well, step one is to not be a punch card.
  • UnglueD, on 10/12/2007, -2/+40Since when are people afraid of getting punched by software developers...
    • SuperDaveOz, on 10/12/2007, -10/+4I think we should punch the developer, instead of criticizing, to get our frustration out about lousy code.
    • cbreaker, on 10/12/2007, -4/+3No *****. I guess the way everyone else does it is just to tell us how ***** we're doing. Not sure why this guy thinks you need to walk to eggshells. Nobody else does.

      Software Developers and IT Engineers are basically thankless jobs in most cases. It sucks, but we deal with it, because it's usually fun work and it pays well.
  • trickrick1985, on 10/12/2007, -4/+16It's impossible. I'm a programmer, but I've noticed that all IT/programmer people have a bad/smart-ass attitude and each thinks they're smarter than the next guy. I vote for nuclear holocaust on IT people.
    • teh_toaster, on 10/12/2007, -8/+5Of course I'm smarter than you! I don't helpful criticism, I just want to make you you know how awesome I am.
    • theredbicycle, on 10/12/2007, -10/+3I'm so cool I'm frozen... go back to school n00b! haxxor 4 L1F3!

      /irony
    • Zunger, on 10/12/2007, -5/+1Im not sure what you're talking about...Of course IT people realize they're smarter then the next guy. Once you blame everything thats screwed up recently on the guy before you, you begin to realize that you are, in fact, smarter then him (or you're just totally full of *****)...Just like the next guy behind you will realize he is smarter then you.
    • mandarin, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1of course that is if there is electricity and a working network
    • caleb4mj, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4But the truth is everyone is honestly smarter than everyone else in IT. It is because there is so much technology and I can only focus on one thing at a time, someone must have more experience with most parts of it than I do, but I have more experience in Linux and Perl than 90% of you, including most developers. So its safe to say in every office almost every individual knows more or has more experience than every other individual with at least one piece of technology.
    • rax262, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I learned the same thing about Internet forums many years ago...
  • atomicham, on 10/12/2007, -6/+11"But the problem is how to critize well."

    Here is some constructive criticism: Learn how to spell, jerk.

    Isn't that how the article said to approach it, or should I RTFA?
    • GMorgan, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8You made it personal by calling him a jerk so you failed the criticise well test.
    • Bioshocker, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4The people burying this comment are missing the joke, me thinks.
    • fishbert, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Why isn't there a "Take Criticism Well" test?

      One cannot control everyone else's criticism, but one may control their own response to criticism.
  • godmode, on 10/12/2007, -4/+7Headline is misleading, software developers have neither the physical strength nor the confrontational skills to punch someone.
    • Paro, on 10/12/2007, -4/+0Came here to say the exact same thing.

      ZOMG oh noes! His pointy fist might poke my eye out!
    • ScottMitchell, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5But they may rant about your ignorance in their blog! Watch out!
  • mrtxaggiep, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Every IT person i've met seems like they would slap somebody rather than punch somebody... i don't see why anyone would care about pissing off you guys
    • Rikkochet, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6Have you ever faced a relentless flurry of two-handed up-down slaps? It's terrifying.
  • BillehBob, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6This article sucks!
    Not the author...just the article, don't misunderstand.
  • Bioshocker, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Anyone that punches (or "punches", be it taking grave offense or bitching about them for it or whatever) someone for offering professional criticism of their work is an ass. When a professional gets criticised, it's their job to learn to take that criticism professionally. It's not the criticiser's job to learn how to criticise them under threat of getting punched (or "punched") if they get it wrong.
    • Klaus777, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Don't get sidetracked by the phrase "Punch" in the title, this article is basically explaining how not to offend someone with criticism, but rather to motivate the worker to perform better in the future.

      Talented managers employ these skills and usually have more productive teams than managers who criticize negatively.
    • Bioshocker, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0"Don't get sidetracked by the phrase "Punch" in the title, this article is basically explaining how not to offend someone with criticism, but rather to motivate the worker to perform better in the future."

      Oh I know, but my point is that the job of avoiding criticism is shared equally by both parties. Yes a criticiser should know what to say to avoid causing offence. But equally, a criticised person should always be able to see that no one is trying to offend, they are just trying to improve. If they take offence, it is their fault and their failing too.
  • goostoff, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Uwe Boll haters should try to develop a way to criticize a movie director without getting punched.
    • hackwrench, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Hey, if you step into the ring you're just asking for it!
  • rodrigo74, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6The article in 2 lines:

    "- Criticize the Code, Not the Person
    - Be Constructive"

    Wow, thanks for those great tips!!!

    /sarcasm
    • Latka, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1Yes, totally lame, the code doesn't just automagically appear out of thin air, the PERSON writes the code!!

      I guess the title should say: How to criticize a Software Developer by acting like a wuss
  • Rikkochet, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5These tips are like Socialization 101 for social retards.

    Who knew that saying "I don't like how this part of your code works" is more tactful than saying "I don't like how your code because you're dumb and smell like twinkies"?!?
    • iFrank, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5I'd be flattered if someone told me I smelled like Twinkies. Twinkies are an olfactory delight.
  • cubiculum, on 10/12/2007, -8/+2I would accept criticism if it didn't come from someone who didn't know what the ***** they are talking about. And, in my experience, all the managers I have worked with are intellectually inferior to me and have little experience reading or writing code. So when I'm criticized, I consider the source.
    • rodrigo74, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7"And, in my experience, all the managers I have worked with are intellectually inferior to me and have little experience reading or writing code"

      If you're such a genius, why the heck do you accept those jobs then?
    • Coffeedemon, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6And idiots who also think too highly of themselves will mod you up.

      If you can't convey the intent and meaning behind your oh so cryptic and advanced subject to an individual that does not possess the same background as you in that subject you don't deserve to be in a position to answer questions at all.

      Genius is the ability to explain a complex idea in extraordinary simplicity so that it is understood by anyone without detracting from the idea.
    • cubiculum, on 10/12/2007, -8/+2Are you guys ***** retarded? The company I work for promotes morons. I sometimes wonder how these people manage tie their shoes. So a big ***** you for judging something you have no idea about. Seriously, you can suck my ***** for all I care.
    • lustre, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5With your attitude I'm surprised you even have a manager or a paycheck.
    • cubiculum, on 10/12/2007, -7/+1Well, you see, when you are good at what you do, people want to pay you money to do your job. And my "attitude" is a direct result of management's treatment.

      And I doubt management where I work is competent enough to even recognize a "bad" attitude in the first place.
    • rodrigo74, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6What a whiner.
      Dude, if you're such a great developer, just quit this miserable job of yours and get a new one, there is plenty of demand for real good developers out there, and then during the job interviews, check if your future manager is a good one.

      Stop whining already.
    • lustre, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6Then I think it's time you fired your job. I mean, why do you tolerate it? Blaming others for your attitude when you hold the power to change the situation is a bit of a cop out, methinks.
    • cubiculum, on 10/12/2007, -5/+1lustre, you're right.

      I plan on quitting. However, I'm stuck in an area with high housing prices, inflated cost of living, etc. I plan on getting the hell out soon, so I don't really want to look for a new job locally. I'm in the process of finding something like 400 miles away from here.
    • fishbert, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5@cubiculum
      You, sir, are a master of humility.
      From this day forward, I shall devote my every waking hour toward the effort of someday becoming your pupil. Under your patient guidance, I would be sure to learn the secret of cultivating such a humble attitude within myself as well.

      Would your humility be offended if I built a shrine in your name?
    • cubiculum, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1fishbert

      That, my friend, was ***** awesome!
  • detroitsux, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Some people just take themselves too seriously.

    The writer is just fishing for compliments by posting his story here. Does he believe that business decision makers and the entire user community would read this article and change their ways?

    How about writing an article called, "Coders: How to understand other human beings."

  • nstrupp2, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I think the first problem here is that you don't need to criticize. What you should do is provide feedback. I know that maybe it's just semantics, but when you're giving feedback you should only do so with the sincere attempt to help the person receiving the feedback. When you're criticizing your intent is likely to prove yourself more knowledgeable or tear down the other person. At least this is how I see it.

    The last part is the most useful. If you don't have an action (a suggestion to make the situation different or better) then you're just complaining, not criticizing.
  • jstroot, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2There is something I don't understand. More than a few people here are feeding into the stigma that ALL coders are scrawny, out of shape, and couldn't throw a decent punch to save their life.

    I know quite a few coders who work out religiously. If you start making that generalization, and you just might be in for a rude awakening when you try to approach a software developer that's built like a brick *****-house.
  • evilTak, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Good points, but not enough meat.

    1) Specify exactly what's wrong. "This crap doesn't work" isn't helpful. "I downloaded a PDF of a whitepaper ( http://ieee.org/somepdf.pdf ) and attempted to open it in YourApp's builtin PDF viewer; then it crashed" is helpful.

    2) If your criticism is a stylistic one, suggest an improvement and explain why your improvement would be better. "This UI is so unintuitive" is not helpful. "I think the UI would be more intuitive if users could tab from control X to control Y to control Z, because 99% of the users generally complete the fields in X and Y, then click Z - the other controls are rarely-used options" is helpful.

    3) If you can't fulfill 1) or 2), consider that your criticism may be unfounded. "This app sucks!" "OK, what's wrong with it?" "Uhh..."
  • jstroot, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1And one more thing. Half of the problem with many coders being socially inept is not their own fault, the schools are also at fault. If the CS departments around the world forced the idea into a CS student's mind that customer interaction is inevitable, there wouldn't be this issue.

    I know too many coders who think they can sit in a corner a write code without anyone bothering them, like they are some kind of elitist. Some of these guys watched "Hackers" too many times, and have developed a warped sense of reality when it comes to software development.

    I say, kill the problem at the source. Teach CS students social skills in school instead of trying not to hurt their feelings when their code is a smoking pile of rhinoceros crap.
    • skidooer, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0"I know too many coders who think they can sit in a corner a write code without anyone bothering them"

      Once the task has been conveyed to the programmer, the only communication related to the task should be initiated by the programmer should he/she have questions, or to indicate that it is complete. Any contact by the other party means they screwed up. While, this is fine on occasion, everyone makes mistakes, if it's happening every five minutes you've got a big problem.
    • iFrank, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0Social skills aren't the kinds of things people should be learning in a classroom. People need to learn to interact with people by interacting with people! It's the same thing with programming. The most desirable programmers are ones who have experience writing problem-solving code, thinking laterally, etc., not the ones who have spent half their "careers" buried in a book about how to program.

      This is ridiculous. Next year at Cornell's School of Engineering: How to Shower. Give me a break.
    • QuackQuack, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1"If the CS departments around the world forced the idea into a CS student's mind that customer interaction is inevitable, there wouldn't be this issue."

      Customer interaction? That's what project managers are for.
  • chubbymidget, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I thought they were all in India? How do you get punched thru the phone?
  • dosle, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2Developers haven't got the upper body strength to do any serious damage, there is nothing to worry about.
  • dalex1, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5Marge: Now Homer, it's very easy to criticize...

    Homer: It's fun, too!
  • mandarin, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Without who getting punched?
  • RidinDirty, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I used to have a boss who always took the same approach. He'd come in, talk about how much he liked feature X, or process Y, then go "hey, while I'm here I've got a question..." Then he'd ask a question about whatever it was he didn't like, wait for your response, then ease into the complaint. At first I thought, hey what a nice guy, hey doesn't come in and get all in your face all the time. After a while I got to the point where I just wante him to drop the BS & get to the point.
    • lustre, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Did he ever become direct? It's nice to ease into such things but, at some point, when you both knew and understood each other, he should have dropped the pretense.
  • lustre, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I once saw an ad for employment at a Bay Area game shop looking to fill three positions: coder, designer and producer, presented in that order. The coder job description closed with the phrase: "Must be able to work with designer without screaming." The designer job description closed with: "Must be able to work with developer without screaming." Finally, the producer job description opened with the line: "Must be able to scream at both developers and designers."

    Well, I thought it humorous.
  • cmiz, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I think it depends on who is doing the criticizing. I've had other coders tell me that my code isn't good and x,y,z needs to be fixed. That type of criticism i'll listen to.

    I've also had people who don't know anything about coding try to make suggestions using new buzzwords they've overheard from people they know are technical. "I think we should write this application in Linux, It's more secure." I've actually had that said to me. No, I'm not kidding.

    That being said, you really do need criticism from non-techies for things like UI, so listen to them.
    • lustre, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2You might have said "Great idea!" and asked them as a favor if they can find a book on "writing Linux" for you.
  • 1qazxsw2, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Dear Grimdot,

    You appear to have spelled spelled as spelt in your stupid ***** comment. Perhaps a basic understanding of the English language would be helpful in your future efforts at critcizing others for typographic errors.
    • QuackQuack, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Dear pot,

      meet kettle.

      Perhaps you should go and acquire a "basic understanding of the English language", you gimboid.
  • Scottamus, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5FTA: "I could also give you a list of bad things about the internet: ... pornography."

    You just lost all credibility.
    • envelope, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Yep, that's what I came in here to say.
  • jameshighmore, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1"It's easy to be negative. It's easy to come into a situation and compain. It's easy to point out the flaws in everything (have you ever read the comments on Digg or Slashdot?)."

    Heh.
  • mortrek, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Without getting punched?
    It's hard to be scared of most of the devs I've met...
    • porkstacker, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Agreed. The most menacing developer at my work is 5'7" and probably 130 lbs., and has girlie arms. I bet he hits like a girl too.
  • OrangeTide, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2When they go to punch you, just take a step backwards and watch them fall out of their chair.
  • jonbeckett73, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I can relate to this story - I'm working on a client project at the moment, and going through user acceptance testing. We typically receive about 5 pages of "bugs" (read : changes) every few days.
  • Tynan, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1"I could also give you a list of bad things about the internet: spam, viruses, poorly-designed websites, and pornography." - Whoa whoa whoa! Hold yer horses cowboy.

    Did he just say Internet porn is bad? I can now think of a lot more to "critize" about this article than the total lack of spell checking.

    The anti-pr0n rhetoric is worth a bury alone, not even counting the total inanity and ***** copyediting of this whole article. As though anyone thought that insulting people personally is a good way to supply criticism.
  •  

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