The One Thing Every Software Engineer Should Know

The title made me think about what my answer would be. If there's one thing a programmer should know, what is it? What is the most important thing I didn't understand about programming when I started doing it?<p>My answer would be: that code should be seen not as a static thing, like the answer to a math problem, but as an evolving effort to figure out the right question to be the answer to; and that it should thus be written to be easy to change.

This is true of many industries. I have a friend who is a wonderful painter. People who see his work tend to think highly of it. Problem is, he only knows people who are "into art." He refuses to market his product. I kind of see a parallel here. Great code is great art. The next step is presenting it to people in a way which shows how it benefits them.

An odd post from Jeff Atwood.<p>He (sort of) defines Marketing as:<p><pre><code> 1. people understand what you're doing 2. people become interested in what you're doing 3. people get excited about what you're doing </code></pre> I would say it was more about people understanding what your product can do for them, identifying it's value and thus parting with their money.

I like the fundamental premise of his post, but I am (metaphorically) downmodding it for presentation. His blog is beginning to look like it is hosted by INET-WEB: <a href="http://www.inet-web.com/creativeGeniusWebDevelopers.asp" rel="nofollow">http://www.inet-web.com/creativeGeniusWebDevelopers.asp</a>. Jokes aside, the danger I see here is that people might presume that when he says "marketing," he means bombarding people with gaudy images and superficial ornamentation.<p>That is <i></i>not<i></i> marketing. And furthermore, Jeff ought to know better. I suggest he read this: <a href="http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/000834.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/000834.html</a>.

Marketing vs. engineering is a common issue within a company and coming out of a failed startup - NOT marketing enough was part of the problem. The product did not sell itself, and many engineers mistakenly believe their product is simply that GREAT. It's often not (and I don't mean this negatively because engineering a GOOD product is very challenging to say the least), so be careful not to drink too much of your own kool-aid.<p>Historically, consumption has been driven by brand appeal which is defined by form (brand), function (product), and message (definition)... you'd be surprised how many great products have bad brands and lost in translation.

I may be one of the few hackers that loves marketing as much as I do programming. I often split my reading time between both subjects. (And personal development.)<p>For me, marketing is exactly like hacking code. Except that it's hacking for humans! Even though humans tend to appear inconsistent, there are patterns (just like in code!) that you can leverage.<p>The bottom line is this: my marketing allows me to do more of the programming I love.

nice article, though i'm not sure that's the One Thing. my one thing would be 'know your audience'. that's part message and part usability. if you're designing an app for engineers you design the ui very different than if you're designing it to allow residents of the local retirement community to self-schedule dinner deliveries.<p>that said:<p>if you're a resident in a company with a separate marketing team, it's key to speak their language -- after all, the people you're going to be marketing -to- is the marketing team. it's their job to get the message out, it's your job to be sure they know what the message is, and what it isn't. make sure you don't oversell, and let them know what would be overselling, and promote key features internally; they'll get external through the firm's marketing wing.<p>if you're a startup, marketing is doubly important. if you can't sell a friend on the idea of a product, you won't be able to sell the public. if your startup idea is complex, you're going to have to find a way to make it intelligible in ten seconds by picking the key features you want understood. and everyone in a startup is on the marketing team, whether they like it or not.<p>it's really worth it to read a book or two on marketing, if for no other reason than to get the lingo down. i've found my suggestions much better received when i could speak market-speak to the marketing team and sales team, and promote effectively to civilians. i recommend 'the culting of brands' by doug atkin as a good start.

My guess at the one thing:<p>Aim at the use, not the truth. Think about what it's supposed to <i>do</i>. This is helpful at all scales, from code snippet to a whole business. It's similar to finding the right question, before finding the right answer. Sometimes, it enables you to simplify dramatically.

I don't think that lack of marketing skills is a real problem. You could have a friend that would do it for you. Think Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs.<p>It's ok to be bad in marketing and good in hacking as long as you are not alone.

Part of the problem is that we look at marketing as being different than the hack. However, marketing is just social hacking. A true hacker isn't confined to one realm.

If that were true then software teams would be make up of marketing gurus, who code on the side.