[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
Just like one can't estimate how one will do a math proof,
one can't predict the outcome of struggling to design a software app.
Hence, it would appear programming is mentally exhausting just like math right?
It very much depends on the work. Sometimes the work *is* math, but a
lot of the time it doesn't seem to much resemble math or seem similarly
mentally taxing (of course, some math isn't very taxing either I guess).
You can't just sit down and solve a software problem in a linear fashion right?
Again, it depends. A lot of the time I pretty much just do that. There
are problems for which that is totally not the case though.
1. Think hard for a bit until your brain is fried.
2. Do something else.
3. Psyche yourself up to repeat #1 again.
#2 is frequently to actually code up the solution and/or write tests for
it (or the next task).
Therefore, it seems unrealistic to pay a developer for a full days work for one
day! Why? *Because no developer can sit down and bang out a solution in 8
straight hours!* Instead, it is a inefficient process that often appears like
no work is getting done with lots of breaks just like math!
I honestly don't see how this follows. Certainly, you can compensate
people on a per task basis, but that doesn't prevent the use of
estimation and time-and-materials type payment. For most tasks, the
level of effort required can be determined empirically. If you think
about it, if one follows your logic, there isn't much use for software
development for most business needs, as it'd be impossible to know when
the projects would be done.
--Chris
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