The programmers and the ABCDEFG problem

Again and again I am reminded of the ABCDEFG problem I read in "The Nudist on the Late Shift -- and Other True Tales of Silicon Valley" by Po Bronson.

"The ABCDEFG Problem." I call it that because all good programmers have tons of choices to work on, A through G. Some choices seem cooler and some seem dumber, some possible and some improbable, but as to the payday lurking behind the door, they all look alike. They're just A through G, take your pick. Choice A may be 3DO, and choice G may be $2 million of Microsoft stock, and Choice C may be a quarterback with four Super Bowl rings, but you just don't know. It's sort of like choosing one million units of foreign currency by which country's paper bills have the splashiest colors, or making a million-dollar bet on the NCAA basketball tournament by whichever team has the sexiest cheerleaders. The variables that programmers have to go on (A-G) are not the variables that determine the outcome (X, Y, and Z).

And rightly said, "The variables that programmers have to go on (A-G) are not the variables that determine the outcome (X, Y, and Z)." So, do what you love and have fun coding 🙂

You can read an excerpt from the book here.

P.S. Hanisha, I still have the book I borrowed from you. Thanks 🙂