The mindset of a coder and his three plateaus

tl;dr

I think, we should write code that is grokable by most people.

gory details

The first plateau - the infant mindset

Starting out, as a coder, every small win propels us to explore what possibilities lie ahead. Admittedly, our code is a hot mess, but it does the job and computers couldn't care less.

Overtime, we learn that our code cannot withstand unforeseen edge cases. The pain of rewriting our code is evident in our mood. And so, the experiment to write code, that is less messy, for our own sake, begins.

The second plateau - the teenager mindset

Through our experimentation, we discover certain patterns to produce readable code. But there are too much to be done given the time available.

There are many coders hacking away, if only they could be recruited and understand our code. And so, the experiment to write code, that is understandable to our peers, begins.

The third plateau - the adult mindset

We have learnt to accept criticism to get more work done. We are able to build out any features. Our imagination is our limitation.

Old men - a musing

Look at all these coders conspiring to build things that extend the influence of man over the Universe. So many infants, teenagers, adults, if they have some old men to lessen their experimentation time, then more can get done. Maybe I can be that old men?

Start coding!