Full Stack Developers: Renaissance Men of The 21st Century

One of these days, the blogging classes will notice that web development is just another specific application (though obviously now a very popular one) of much more general fields like software development, graphic design and typography, HCI, technical management, and so on. So is, say, iOS app development. It's strange, and I think very unfortunate, that a new generation is growing up as if these are entire industries in themselves or as if specialising in the current tools and trends in an even smaller, more specialised part of web work or mobile app development is somehow all there is to know or learn from. It means many enthusiastic newcomers aren't benefiting from the decades of collective experience we've gathered in the wider fields, and without that wisdom they inevitably repeat many old mistakes that could have been avoided.

Renaissance software creator, perhaps.<p>A true renaissance man (or woman) is someone proficient in much more diverse fields.

He still can't write a compiler, or do anything new with regards to Operating Systems. Think about the things we read on HN and say "Impressive" to. None of them are on the list.

<i>&#62; The renaissance man that emerged in the 13th century was someone who could “do all things if he will”. The renaissance man of the 21st century is the developer who’s capable of executing a software project from the bottom up.</i><p>Because the only thing anyone ever needs to do in the modern world is develop <i>software projects</i>, of course.

That list has nothing to do with being a full stack developer. It's a minimum set of responsibilities for a technical lead on a project.

So basically a Renaissance Man is what we used to call Web Developer back in the day?

&#62; market the resulting product or service<p>and<p>&#62; Understanding what the customer needs<p>Seem to be intended to go together but are really disjoint. Marketing the product isn't the same as understanding the needs of the customer. You can do both but they aren't implicitly the same thing.<p>Also, I don't quite understand how this is news worthy. It's an interesting thought, but there's no real discussion about any of this and as others have noted, there's no mention of Operating Systems or Systems Programming.

When I go back to the original list <a href="http://www.laurencegellert.com/2012/08/what-is-a-full-stack-developer/" rel="nofollow">http://www.laurencegellert.com/2012/08/what-is-a-full-stack-...</a>, full stack developer mainly seems to be backend developer + javascript &#38; knowledge of the browser context.<p>It does make me think that most people claiming to be full stack developers are jack of all trades, master of none.

That barely scratches the surface of being a renaissance man.<p>To be a renaissance man just of computers, one has to have a clear understanding of the material, philosophy, money and culture flows; to experience the plight being imposed on miners in developing countries exporting rare metals and other materials that are refined and put together by tireless hands at sweatshops called the assembly line as shiny devices, to commiserate with the people who design it under the ever changing requirements and availability and shipping dates, to argue with those who work with the abstract and absurd fashions and philosophies of programming, to share the responsibility of the managers for hiring and firing the students and the family men and friends, and to sweat with the sales people at every step along the way.<p>When the renaissance man understands this, not only because of reading about it, or observing it, but having experienced it all, from the mining of the elements to the laying of the cables back to the ground, from the fluffy cloud pictures on the whiteboard to the actual nebulous reality of internet, he seeks to improve his skill, the living conditions of his family and neighbour, and the economy of his current living quarters, city and country, by working more diligently and more wisely.<p>And whether he succeeds or fails, the renaissance man thanks and reveres his God, and lives jovially with his neighbours and honouring his enemies.<p>That currently certain type of software happens to work easiest on a specific set of technologies, is but a mere detail, if well understood and fully mastered, to the renaissance man of computers. Reading the article, he would be delighted in his neighbours' interest in learning more, but might also be saddened by their strong self-importance that reinforces their narrow-mindedness.<p>End of rant.

Funny, I just call them "engineers".<p>An Engineer (with big E, as in Designer, Doctor or Lawyer) <i>must</i> know the business side of things, <i>must</i> understand how to design technical solutions that solve real problems, and <i>must</i> know how to factor in the costs in his designs, and <i>must</i> have a fundamental grasp of science and technology so that he can be versatile when needed (if he is "too" versatile, he is a generalist).<p>Of course, as a designer, the Engineer's designs tend to be bold but generally not deeply aesthetically pleasing. IMHO, to be a "Renaissance Man" an Engineer must also master aesthetic beauty, have a classical education and a deep fundamental knowledge of the humanities.

How about full stack DBAs and full stack system administrators? A DBA may be specialized and only keep database servers running, or they may work at all levels from developing code to tuning disk and network I/O. It seems that developers, DBAs, and system administrators all have an equivalent in working the full stack.

Is any of the things on the list some kind of synonym for programming?<p>Update: If you click the "Credit" link at the bottom you are taken to another "full stack" list of items which I guess are assumed to be implicit prerequisites for this one. That seems like a pretty clear failure of items #5 and #6.

Are there any other developers out there? How can you develop something without understanding the big picture. When what you do is in isolation from the rest of the project it just works poorly ...

I think the list is incomplete. One needs to know how to sell your product too inorder to become a "Renaissance man".

How, exactly, does identifying full-stack developers as "Renaissance Men" change things in real life?

"full stack" is the new "ninja"

I would think anyone who isn't a "code monkey" should fit in this description.

[sudden-clarity-clarence] "full stack" is a pretty serious error condition...

No.<p>"Full-stack" has become trendy as slightly-with-it recruiters realize that the not-with-it rest of the corporate world encourages a certain combination of tight specialization and mediocrity in which people say, "I don't <i>do</i> 'back-end' " and that people who've been steeped in that world for a few years are undesirable employees. As it becomes an HRism, I'm starting to think that the new rule is: if you say "full stack", you're not.<p>I <i>aspire to be</i> competent over all sorts of technologies, but my definition of "the stack" is pretty expansive and I have a lot of gaps to fill.<p>Also, you're not a renaissance person if you don't understand science, mathematics, economics, history, art and literature (and much more) to, at least, a passable degree.