Subj : Re: do serious programmers have a life? To : comp.programming From : Christopher Barber Date : Fri Sep 23 2005 09:03 pm Randy Howard wrote: > Phlip wrote > (in article ): >>The myth that programmers can or should work more than 8 hours a day is >>tragic, and is responsible for an incredible amount of lost productivity, >>bugs, etc. > > > Oh bull. The myth that humans can only work 40 hours a week > (and wishing for 32) without losing productivity is socialist > claptrap. > > If you can't work 12 hours a day or more without having problems > then you have a medical condition and should seek attention. I can pretty much guarantee that if you work more than about 10 hours a day for more than a week or two that you will make a lot more mistakes. Of course, you may not realize that this is the case unless you actually measure the results. > I am not referring to chronically mismanaged businesses that > expect that 52 weeks a year. Professionals do what it takes to > accomplish the goals, just as doctors work triple shifts during > emergencies. Spineless windbags complain about their 'free > time' and go home early when crunch time arrives. Despite the fact that this is a common practice, there is a lot of research that shows that doctors make more mistakes when they are sleep deprived. You really don't want to be going to a doctor who has been up for 36 hours if you can avoid it. If I were paying a programmer by the hour, I would want to pay them a discounted rate for working too many hours in a day. >>When you work, as you get tired, you cross a point where you are not adding >>value but removing value from a program. Go home. Yes, but in my experience few people have a good sense of when they have reached that point. - Christopher .