Top all-time · #3441
Neil on Software
Personal blog · neilonsoftware.com · on HN as neilonsoftwarecareerprogramming
Neil on Software is a personal blog at neilonsoftware.com about career and programming. Since 2015, 21 different Hacker News readers have linked it 41 times, most often “Personality Patterns of Problematic Projects”. The last post was in 2023, but the archive is still widely read.
Too few sampled comments (11) to say how often HN recommends it.?
Why HN links it
Essays on software careers and workplace dynamics, especially dealing with difficult people on software projects, plus soft skills and burnout. Commenters point to them as practical reads for team problems.
Summarised by Claude from a sample of 11 HN comments that link here. Each comment is marked recommending, critical or neutral (citing without judging); how this works.
My unedited ramblings on random topics that I find fascinating about the software industry. You can listen to my podcast on Spotify, Apple, Google, Amazon, and Audible. You can also add the RSS Feed to a podcast app or use the player below. To comment on a specific podcast you can find them on the [
Most-linked posts?
- Personality Patterns of Problematic Projects3 people · 4 mentions · first linked 2016-11-21
- A response to “How to never complete anything”3 people · 3 mentions · first linked 2017-03-10
- Are you a dysfunctional developer? (Quiz)2 people · 2 mentions · first linked 2018-10-26
- Teaching Programming with Shoe Laces and Coffee Cups2 people · 2 mentions · first linked 2015-10-29
What Hacker News says?
Right on the money this one: https://neilonsoftware.com/2017/03/10/my-response-to-how-to-... I have been developing professionally for 7 years now and had similar experiences. It's important to allow yourself to stand still, if vacations aren't possible, exercise and meditation might help you a lot too.
Comment linking /2017/03/10/my-response-to-how-to-never-complete-anything/
on “How to never complete anything”Submitted A response to “How to never complete anything” as a story · 270 points
HN discussionI wrote a blog post in reply: https://neilonsoftware.com/2017/03/10/my-response-to-how-to-...
Comment linking /2017/03/10/my-response-to-how-to-never-complete-anything/
on “How to never complete anything”Submitted My Response to “Are we overcomplicating software development?” as a story · 94 points
HN discussionToo much to say, so I did a blog post: https://neilonsoftware.com/2017/01/18/my-response-to-are-we-...
Comment linking /2017/01/18/my-response-to-are-we-over-complicating-software-development/
on “Ask HN: Are we overcomplicating software development?”Submitted Personality Patterns of Problematic Projects as a story · 29 points
HN discussionSoft skills every dev should know: * https://neilonsoftware.com/soft-skills-every-dev-should-know... This next one isn't life-changing. But, it has intriguing ideas in it, summarized from Fooled by Randomness: * https://jamesclear.com/book-summaries/fooled-by-randomness The last link has a trove of top-tier content if you go to the articles section. Smart lad!
Comment linking /soft-skills-every-dev-should-know/
on “Ask HN: What's the most life-changing blog post you've ever read?”Submitted Conference Call Sins: By Example as a story · 3 points
HN discussionI stayed 2 months on a 4 million LOC qt thing, it was quite awful. Like it was said, indeed, rewrite things slowly, or maybe rewrite the most essential parts. Or just quit that job, it might not be worth staying there. Resistance mean it is a situation of hostage taking: https://neilonsoftware.com/difficult-people-on-software-proj... It's very serious and coders do this for job security. Don't accept this BS.
Comment linking /difficult-people-on-software-projects/developers/the-hostage-taker/
on “Ask HN: Inherited the worst code and tech team I have ever seen. How to fix it?”Submitted How to Deal with Difficult People on Software Projects as a story · 3 points
HN discussion>The useful follow on to this essay, I would think, is to give a list, as long as possible, of places where "fierce nerds" are wanted, demanded, needed - both well-known institutions and startups. "How to Deal with Difficult People on Software Projects" is a pretty good read in this vain https://neilonsoftware.com/difficult-people-on-software-proj...
Comment linking /difficult-people-on-software-projects/
on “Fierce Nerds”Submitted How to learn soft skills (a practical guide) as a story · 2 points
HN discussionFWIW https://neilonsoftware.com/2018/07/12/my-response-to-as-a-te...
Comment linking /2018/07/12/my-response-to-as-a-team-lead-how-to-handle-project-going-off-the-rails/
on “Ask HN: As a team lead how to handle project going off the rails?”Submitted Redefining “Hero” Software Developers as a story · 2 points
HN discussionAuthor's podcast: https://neilonsoftware.com/category/podcasts/ p.s. interesting views, so am looking forward to learning more
Comment linking /category/podcasts/
on “How to deal with difficult people on software projects”Submitted Are you a dysfunctional developer? (Quiz) as a story · 2 points
HN discussionReminds me of Ira Glass's Quote. http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/309485-nobody-tells-this-to-... And for a different perspective. This was posted 5 days ago. https://neilonsoftware.com/books/personality-patterns-of-pro...
Comment linking /books/personality-patterns-of-problematic-projects/developers/the-idealist/
on “I don’t belong in tech”Submitted Giving Software Developer Career Advice to Bailey the Beargrammer as a story · 2 points
HN discussionThat's all well and good, as long as people aren't expected to produce a month's worth of software from 40 hours of nothing but meetings. Unfortunately, they are. Largely due to inexperience and incompetence at the managerial level (zero technical chops once you go any level above IC). I'm well aware most software companies aren't like this, though. They'd go out of business, like this one will. Almost every key eng…
Comment linking /2020/09/08/non-technical-development-managers-are-like-head-chefs-who-cant-see-taste-or-smell/
on “Why interruptions are frustrating to developers”Submitted The Incompetent as a story · 2 points
HN discussionTo OP's point, 9/10 times that happens... everyone in standup doesn't need to be in that conversation. E.g. https://neilonsoftware.com/difficult-people-on-software-proj...
Comment linking /difficult-people-on-software-projects/project-managers/the-meeting-scheduler/
on “The Daily Standup Is a Waste of Time”Submitted How to Deal with Difficult People on Software Projects as a story · 2 points
HN discussionOoo! I wrote another article talking about single date estimations: https://neilonsoftware.com/2016/07/13/a-far-too-brief-rough-... Yes, a specific date is absolutely what every manager at every level in the organization wants. As long a payroll is issued bi-weekly, and earnings reported quarterly, the desire for a fixed date will be a thing. The issue is, fixes dates when it comes to new software development is a f…
Comment linking /2016/07/13/a-far-too-brief-rough-outline-of-how-to-approach-single-date-estimation/
on “My Response to “Are we overcomplicating software development?””Submitted I pity Tim Cook as a story · 2 points
HN discussion(I'm Neil, the author) I do agree with you. I about learned Agile first from my mentor (his formative years were in the 80s) who I did and do still deeply respect, but over time he and I disagreed over the nature of what Agile is and what it should result it as I gained more real-world experience. I honestly have no answers as to specific suggestions that work for everyone. I've even asked teams where I implemented…
Comment linking /books/personality-patterns-of-problematic-projects/
on “My Response to “Are we overcomplicating software development?””Submitted “Artificial Intelligence” is deeply disappointing, and so are we as a story · 2 points
HN discussionI experienced awful tech debt combined with an hostage taker, meaning a guy who seemingly refrains from giving knowledge about the software or being able to make the project progress, which gives him eternal employment, while hardly helping his colleagues to get out of the situation. I wonder at what point a refactoring becomes just a waste of time and money compared to a slow rewrite. It becomes difficult to have a…
Comment linking /difficult-people-on-software-projects/developers/the-hostage-taker/
on “How Google measures and manages tech debt”Submitted Teaching Programming with Shoe Laces and Coffee Cups as a story · 2 points
HN discussionLove this site, it explains how to deal with all of the developer archetypes: https://neilonsoftware.com/difficult-people-on-software-proj...
Comment linking /difficult-people-on-software-projects/developers/the-diva/
on “Ask HN: As a dev manager, how do you deal with a prima donna?”Submitted Teaching Programming with Shoe Laces and Coffee Cups as a story · 2 points
HN discussion