Re: Not "Satanism;" realism.

[Brett Glass <brett@lariat.org>]

At 06:09 PM 12/31/98 -0600, Steve Cohen wrote:
 
>That's their problem.  I view programming as craftsmanship.  It's not
>significantly different than any other form of skilled labor.  I've been a
>skilled tradesman and the feeling you get from a job well done is identical in
>either arena.  The only difference is that in one you literally get your hands
>dirty and in the other, you don't.

Not so: there's a world of difference. When you build a house, you build
one physical object. When you create a design for a house, or invent a 
way to build a house better, you are doing something fundamentally different
and more productive and deserve to reap the benefits of having created
that new intellectual capital. Good programming is not just labor; it's
architecture and invention. And it deserves to be rewarded as such.

>It's not the end of the world.  The 
>world is
>not going to step aside just to let programmers maintain their entrepreneurial
>fantasies.

Nor will it go out of its way to reward you if you undervalue your work.
It's perfectly happy to accept it at a lower price if you are foolish enough
to give it away for less.

If you're willing to sell yourself short, you're the loser.

--Brett