Global Nerdy

Here’s the current xkcd comic:

Click the comic to see it on its original page at full size.

According to this quiz that rates a programmer’s personality type along four axes in a manner similar to the Myers-Briggs Personality Index, my programmer personality type is DHSB, which means:

• D as in doer: “You are very quick at getting tasks done. You believe the outcome is the most important part of a task and the faster you can reach that outcome the better. After all, time is money.” This is the opposite of a planner.
• H as in high-level: “The world is made up of objects and components, you should create your programs in the same way.” This is the opposite of low-level.
• S as in solo. “The best way to program is by yourself. There’s no communication problems, you know every part of the code allowing you to write the best programs possible.” This is the opposite of team.
• B as in liBeral. “Programming is a complex task and you should use white space and comments as freely as possible to help simplify the task. We’re not writing on paper anymore so we can take up as much room as we need.” This is the opposite of conservative.

If you’re curious as to what the various ends of the programmer personality type axes for this quiz are, here’s a page that lists them all.

Give the test a try and feel free to report your results in the comments!

This is an idea I’ve been holding since RailsConf 2006, and some of you may think that it’s a bit too early to unveil it. I think I’m just planning ahead.

The idea is called The Rails Pledge, and I strongly encourage all of you who are Rails developers — especially the more fanatical/fan-boyish types, the ones Chad Fowler referred to as “arrogant bastards” in his opening keynote at RailsConf 2007 — to take it.

It goes like this:

I #{stateYourName}
Do solemnly swear
That when the day comes
That a new application platform comes out
And developers flock to it like moths to the flame
That I will take it in stride
And remember the good times
And productivity
And camaraderie with other developers
That came about because of Rails.

I also swear that
If this platform suits my needs better
And makes me a more productive and happy coder
And makes it easy to make my users happy,
I will glady migrate to it
Without whining.

(Rails developers who are also Battlestar Galactica fans: feel free to add a little flourish to the Pledge by adding “So say we all” at the end.)

It’s a long shot that anyone will actually take the pledge, but on the very off chance that you do, feel free to use the “I Took the Rails Pledge” button shown here. If you decide to take the pledge and record it as a podcast or post it to YouTube, let me know! I’ll even come up with a prize for someone who gets a recording of DHH taking the pledge.