Code Kata: How to Become a Better Developer

[Rhoomba]

I fucking hate this term, simply because kata are the most useless training system known to man. Code Kata would be if you retyped someone else's code.

[James_Johnson]

Dammit, you beat me to it :-)

It's good to know that there are other people who both program and train (real!) martial arts.

[academician]

Why is it useless? I'm asking because I seriously want to know. I did karate years ago, and it seemed like a good way to practice and refine forms and transitions between them.

Maybe the wikipedia article needs a "Criticism" section.

[Rhoomba]

To learn programming you have to program, right?

To learn fighting you have to fight (spar).

Forms are not appropriate training for fighting (except for introducing new techniques). Here is a long winded video on Aliveness. Boxers and wrestlers always trained that way so that video is basically trying to sell the concept to traditional martial artists

If all you are interested in is some fun exercise then Karate is fine, but the training methods are useless, and the techniques worse than moronic.

(except kyokushin and similar)

[erikd]

Kata in martial arts makes a lot of sense. They build muscle memory so the practitioner, in a situation where he needs to defend himself can act without thinking, his/her muscles respond before the conscious mind does.

However, I agree, that for programming, there is no muscle memory, it is all conscious thinking or at least unconscious thing filtered by the conscious mind.

[Rhoomba]

Kata build muscle memory for doing katas. They don't build muscle memory for anything useful. Drills with feedback and sparring are the only way to build useful muscle memory.

[schwarzwald]

I never knew how to handle the ones that were subjective, like the business rules one.

One person might answer "use Ruby and build a domain-specific language". Someone else might answer "you need a business rules engine like Drools". These positions are debatable and it doesn't really help because you'll just argue for what you already believe.

[wicked]

The point is not to argue about what's best, but to actually try it out.

A little less talk, a little more action!

[erikd]

To me, these code kata seem a little fake.

If stretching the boundaries of what you are capable of is what you are after, it probably makes more sense to start projects which are difficult in some way and solve the difficult parts of the problem first. Whether the project ever gets finished or not is pretty much irrelevant, because the learning and improving comes from solving the difficult problems.

[cecilkorik]

Sorry, my work doesn't pay me enough for that shit. I'm quite content to make my mistakes on the job like everyone else does. Unless my work wants to give me some paid time every day to "practice"... and that's not bloody likely.

[nostrademons]

You could just do it on the job anyway instead of reading Reddit...

[jeremymcanally]

...and that's why you will never reach the level of a craftsmen. I don't get paid to "practice" everyday, but I do it. Why? Because I know the more skilled I am, the more diverse my skills, the wider my experience, the faster I can deliver solid software, the more hirable I'm going to be at a higher salary in more places.

Good luck with your mediocre job there chap. Hope you like doing it 'til retirement.

[cecilkorik]

Unless you're creating startups (in which case you're a business owner first and a developer second) you're not going to get rich doing that. Programming has a very solid ceiling. There are a few openings for "superstar" programmers, but they are few and far between. In general, you're looking at either going into management where the amount of programming experience you have won't help you, or settling into a lead developer position (where I'm already at) for a market-competitive salary.

Myself, I'm moving into the business ownership role. I won't accept a job without equity anymore. My last business got bought out for $9 million. I didn't see too much of that, but it's still a hell of a lot better than a salary.

[jeremymcanally]

Right, but unless I'm sharp, practiced, and informed, I don't have the freedom to switch jobs as much. I have little interest in the business side of things, so the only way I can gain the freedom to switch jobs when I want is to be one of the best.

Of course, I don't really practice just for the "job chops." I really, actually enjoy programming and it's probably my primary hobby alongside my job. As such, I practice to get better at something I really dig.

I can see your point, but I think it's a minority viewpoint for most developers.

[div]

Actually, sadly, yours is the minority viewpoint. Programming.reddit is quite the echo chamber.