Quote

Beware of Methodologies. They are a great way to bring everyone up to a dismal, but passable, level of performance, but at the same time, they are aggravating to more talented people who chafe at the restrictions that are placed on them.

Joel Spolsky

Change background

T
T
T

Change font

TAGS & TOPICS

Joel Spolsky
Age: 59
Born: 1965
Born: January 1
Businessperson
Chief Executive Officer
Computer Scientist
Programmer
Software Engineer
Albuquerque
New Mexico
Avram Joel Spolsky
Way
Placed
Passable
Time
Performance
Aggravating
People
Performances
Dismal
Level
Methodology
Levels
Restrictions
Bring
Restriction
Everyone
Beware
Chafe
Great
Talented
Methodologies

More quotes by Joel Spolsky

Image
An idea isn't worth that much. It's the execution of the idea that has value. If you can't convince one other person that this is something to devote your life to, then it's not worth it.
Joel Spolsky
Image
Good software, like wine, takes time.
Joel Spolsky
Image
If your goals is to produce something of permanent value, you start to think differently about you want on the site.
Joel Spolsky
Image
Never put yourself in a position that will put yourself at risk if you make the wrong decision. We spent cash on everything. It's fashionable to make 'bet the company' decisions, but don't do it.
Joel Spolsky
Image
Shipping is a feature. A really important feature. Your product must have it.
Joel Spolsky
Image
Something is usable if it behaves exactly as expected.
Joel Spolsky
Image
Last week I was listening to a podcast on Hanselminutes, with Robert Martin talking about the SOLID principles... They all sounded to me like extremely bureaucratic programming that came from the mind of somebody that has not written a lot of code, frankly.
Joel Spolsky
Image
We just have to come in every morning and somehow, launch the editor.
Joel Spolsky
Image
Software development takes immense intellectual effort. Even the best programmers can rarely sustain that level of effort for more than a few hours a day. Beyond that, they need to rest their brains a bit, which is why they always seem to be surfing the Internet or playing games when you barge in on them.
Joel Spolsky
Image
Listen to your customers, not your competitors.
Joel Spolsky
Image
Life is a bit hard sometimes, and sometimes you have to step up and fight fights that you never signed up for.
Joel Spolsky
Image
That's another flaw with performance-based rewards: They are easy for one of your competitors to top.
Joel Spolsky
Image
So if you want to get things done, you positively have to understand at any given point in time what is the most important thing to get done right now and if you're not doing it, you're not making progress at the fastest possible rate.
Joel Spolsky
Image
Writing code is not production, it's not always craftsmanship though it can be, it's design.
Joel Spolsky
Image
Nothing works better than just improving your product.
Joel Spolsky
Image
People ridiculously overvalue aesthetics and beauty when evaluating products. It's one of the reasons iPods, and, for that matter, Keanu Reeves, are so successful.
Joel Spolsky
Image
I've been using Vista on my home laptop since it shipped, and can say with some conviction that nobody should be using it as their primary operating system - it simply has no redeeming merits to overcome the compatibility headaches it causes.
Joel Spolsky
Image
Design adds value faster than it adds cost.
Joel Spolsky
Image
Common programmer thought pattern: there are only three numbers: 0, 1, and n.
Joel Spolsky
Image
Entrepreneurship boils down to the simple fact that a team of really smart people who can get things done are going to get smart, useful things done.
Joel Spolsky