+1 for missing the point.
I don’t think Jeff was trying to make a list of famous programmers…sheesh.
- Dead Programmer
… Your code has survived and transcended your death.
…
Examples: Dijkstra, Knuth, Kay
Yes, you did kill Knuth and Kay. Stop whining and correct that. =)
Not only is Alan Kay not dead, but he is still actively working and leading a team of researchers on a new project.
And Donald Knuth is active writing stuff programmers should probably be reading.
Less than a minute on Google gets you this.
Bonnie
Ooh. How many XP do we need to level up?
WOW #t=2m34!
Thank you, i didn’t know you could do that!
But will you be sitting in front of your computer programming when you’re 50? When you’re 60?
I’m 57. I work as a developer in a startup on a windows/mac desktop app, and I’m sitting in front of my computer programming. Ok, I should be programming, but I’m commenting here instead.
To be fair, this is a second career for me, I started professional programming in 1995.
I’m pretty happy to be sitting in front of my computer programming. It doesn’t bother me too much that I’m much older than the other devs here, but the fact that I’m older than some of their parents does nag at me a bit.
Why not just rename Dead Programmer to Immortal Programmer. It’s really what you are saying anyway.
I’m afraid 6 is the highest level I can achieve in my lifetime. I’m now between 5 and 6 though.
Oh my gosh, did you guys hear that Knuth and Kay aren’t dead?
The point was that if they were dead, died tomorrow, or quit everything and joined the circus (Do those exists anymore?) they have already guaranteed a spot in history beyond most people in computer science.
Also missing Ritchie.
Where’s Admiral Hopper?
Another coder tries to impose computer science style grouping on real life. Rookie mistake…
I feel bad for the programmers who think they’re 4s or 5s but are actually 1s. I wonder how high one’s self-perceived level could get with one’s actual level remaining at 1. Are there any people who think they’re 7s or 8s but are actually 1s?
Joel is going to cut your pay again for not listing him as a Successful Programmer. It seems that Joel and FogCreek are an exact match to your definition of Successful.
the fact that I’m older than some of their parents does nag at me a bit.
Ouch that hit home g. Same thing here, second career I started when I was 45. And now I am mid fifties and still having a great time.
Everyone should strive for two and see if providence leads to anything above that.
You think DHH is on the level of Gates and Carmack? There are a lot of examples you could have put on that category, but he isn’t one of them. Making one web application framework in a sea of hundreds doesn’t really elevate you past your famous programmer level. We’ll have long forgotten about RoR, and we’ll still be using Windows and playing FPSs.
Knuth isn’t dead.
But it’s not just that some programmers work faster; some programmers can do things that few other programmers can do. These are your visionaries and trailblazers. I call this sometimes-10X/sometimes-infinite advantage: The “Tenfinity Factor.”
This wide productivity gap results in five major classes of computer programmers:
- Visionary/Artist Programmer
- Trailblazer Programmer
- Workhorse Programmer
- Drone Programmer
- Idiot Programmer