Everyone talks about “rockstar developers.” And sure you might need some of those but not many.
Usually, you’re looking for the software equivalent of the session or studio musician. The folks who can turn out amazing stuff in varying styles, but can do it all the time, on demand, consistently. They’re not going to have design philosophies, or manifestos, or lofty-sounding stuff in their bios.
They’re going to have code, and a long list of folks who say “this engineer, you want them. Really.”
@ctp I have always maintained that a team of people who know their shit, are reliable, polite, and supportive, even if they aren’t the “best of the best” will clean the fucking clocks of a team full of hyper-individualistic superstars.
It’s like baseball. If I have 9 people who consistently get singles and have solid fielding, I’m going to win a lot of games without even needing a single home run hit. Won’t be as OMG, but that record will do all the work the press won’t.
@cocoadog @ctp one of the biggest reasons Led Zeppelin was as versatile a band as they were was that both Page and Jones had been studio musicians for years, so in a given day, they had to move between multiple musical styles.
Range is *critical* to success. a lot of breadth with just enough depth helps you be amazing.
Chris Parker
Bynkii
Andy Lee