Open fire
Author: Joel Spolsky Translation: Siyan Li Lisi Yan editor: Paul May Meipu Hua January 6, 2002
From time to time, there is always a while, I can't do anything.
I also go to the office of the office, sight, west, every ten seconds to check an email, online shopping. Perhaps dry things like paying the pass card bills don't need a brain. But go back, 哗 write programs, there is no door.
This kind of not active state is usually usually last or two days. When I have a few weeks in my software development career. As they said, I am not in the state, I can't enter the situation, I can't find the organization.
Everyone has emotional fluctuations, some people are gentle, and some can hit a big point, and some can make the whole set. But no matter what, that doesn't seem to have a little relationship with melancholy.
I can't help but think of those experts saying that people basically can't control what they eat. Any diet plan is not long. Everyone is always coming back to their normal weight. Maybe as a software engineer, I can't control when I can live. The only hope of hope is that the time to be caught, and it will eventually mix bowlons.
Since I do this, I have only two or three efficient times a day. This really makes me big. When I was in China, another intern told me that he was at 12 o'clock every day, and at 5 o'clock. 5 hours also included lunch time, but his colleagues were particularly satisfied with him. Because he is doing more than the general people. In fact, I am the same. I only have two or three hours a day. Looking at others, then doing the strength, there is a bit embarrassed. However, I am always living in the group. It can be seen that "human theory" and extreme programming are not going to work, only 40 hours per week, still a little reasonable. They all know that this will not reduce the production capacity of a group.
Every day I can only do two hours, I haven't made me too worrying, I really don't worry about those days that I can't do it.
I am thinking about what is going on. I have worked hard to recall my most active. It is estimated that Microsoft moves me to a beautiful new office. Comfortable luxurious office, the window of the window, the window is full of cherry blossoms full of stacked gardens. All everything is just right. I don't stop it for a few months, I will get the detailed design of Excel Basic in a breath. A stacked paper like a monument, detailed a super large target model and programming environment, meticulous work, is incredible. I have never stopped from beginning to end. When I went to Boston to participate in MacWorld I, I took a laptop and sat on the Windows category all files on the Harvard Business School.
It is not difficult to press steps. Usually I spent a day: 1, go to work. 2, check emails and internet access, etc. 3. Consider whether you should have dinner to work. 4. After eating, you will come back. 5, check the email. 6, finally decided to start working. 7, check the email, visit the east, west to see. 8. Decision once again does have to start working. 9. Open the dead editor. 10. I have been learning at night at 7:30 in the evening.
It seems a little defect between steps 8 and 9 of steps, because I don't have successfully per time.
For me, starting is the only problem. Still objects remain stationary without external force. Some substances in the brain are very unbelievable, let it accelerate too difficult. But as long as the speed is on, in the case of full speed, it is not necessary to continue to go. Just like a bicycle to make a self-funded trip, starting, you don't think about it to spend so much time, but once you move, let them continue to turn is not a difficult Things. Perhaps the key to high efficiency: start up. The pairing programming method is successful, and may not be able to start with two people, and forced each other to start.
When I was in Tranquard paratroopers, I had a general to tell us actual war tactics. He told us that the infantry tactics actually only one: Open fire. When you fire over the enemy, you can't let the enemies can't get up. When a soldier shouted: "Show me", he means "when I rushed over the street, you fierce the enemy Open fire, forcing him to get up, can't open fire to me). Go forward, you can occupy the position, close to the enemy, so your winning is much bigger. If you don't rush, the enemy has time to figure out the situation This is not wonderful. If you don't open the fire, the enemy will be fired toward you.
I have been thinking about this teaching for a long time. I want to pass the fighter air fighting or a large-scale fleet attack, most of the military strategic tactics are based on the fire. I have been in the fifteen years, I figured out that Into the fire is also a basic principle of success in real life. You have to get some every day, don't want you to write the procedure how bad, how can you sell it, as long as you keep writing, keep it, dripping can wear a stone. At the same time, pay attention to your competitors to open fire. Do they want you to cope with their scans, so that you can't walk forward?
Think about the information access methods developed in Microsoft, from OBDC, RDO, DAO, ADO, OLEDB until now ADO, .NET, non-refurbishment, technology is necessary? Still because the design group is really a feet, every time he is a year to reinvent the information access technology? (It is actually possible). The ultimate effect is actually a firepower, so that the competitors have no choice, only the valuable time to develop new features is used to transplant and upgrade. Take a closer look at the software industry, a good company relies on those who have rely on the big companies, don't use all the energy to rewrite the process over and over again, but have to modify those defects that only in Windows XP. . Those who spend too much time to guess Microsoft's future development direction, the days are fine. Some people have seen .Net, I can't help but press .NET to completely rebuild my architecture, think that I have no choice. Brother, see clearly, Microsoft is open to you, and this is just covering firepower. This game is like this. In this way, they can go a big step forward, but you can't. Do you want to support HailStorm? SOAP? And RDF? Is it because your customers need, so you support them? Still because someone is fired toward you, do you think should I still hit? The marketing department of the big company understands the fire coverage. They got to the guests, "You don't necessarily buy us. Whose products should be best to buy. However, we want to remind you, it is best to confirm their support before the order (XML / SOAP / CDE / J2ee). Otherwise you will be secured by their technology. " When the small company went to sell to this customer, the obedient CTO will ask them: "Do you have J2EE?". They have to go back and have to build their J2EE regardless of selling. They have no chance to show their own feature. In fact, this is just a tick function. Because there is a tinch to stop there, you must have this feature. In fact, no one needs it. This is the fire coverage. For a small company like me, it means that there is two things to open. Don't go with time, you have to make progress every day. God is not worried, you have a day. I spent a day yesterday just a little better to make the color of Fogbugz. This is not tight, as long as you don't stop. Most importantly, our software is getting better and better, and there are more and more guests. We don't need a Ton strategy before we reach the scale of Oracle. We only need to go to the office every morning, don't think more, open the programmer.
This article is first published in English, entitled Fire and Motion
Joel Spolsky is a founder of a small software company in New York City, founder of Fog Creek Software. He graduated from Yale University, once in Microsoft, Viacom, Juno, Software Designers and Manages.
