Chapter 1. A Pragmatic Philosophy
- Pragmatic Programmer - An attitude, a style, a philosophy of approaching problems and their solutions. They think beyond the immediate problem, always trying to place it in its larger context, always trying to be aware of the bigger picture.
- Take responsibility for everything they do. Don't sit idly by and watch their projects fall apart through neglect.
One of the cornerstones of the pragmatic philosophy is the idea of taking responsibility for yourself and your actions. Don't be afraid to admit ignorance or error. Be honest about our shortcomings-our ignorance as well as our mistakes. Don't blame someone else or make up an excuse. Have a contingency plan. Provide Options, Don't Make Lame Excuses.
- Learning is a continuous and ongoing process.
- Don't Live with Broken Windows。
Don't leave bad designs,wrong decisions, or poor code unrepaired. It's easy to slip into the mindset of "All the rest of this code is crap, I'll just follow suit." But if you find yourself on a team and a project where the code is pristinely beautiful-clean written, well designed, and elegant, you will likely take extra special care not to mess it up. Everyone dont't want to be the first one to make a mess.