Cowboys are cool. Hey this is Texas, so to say otherwise probably violates a few laws, local ordinances and such. But I’m bucking the whole Fort Worth, Texas thing (and stirring up some trouble in our neck of the woods) with this statement: cowboys don’t always belong. Now I know what you’re thinking, Ned Pepper – that’s mighty “bold talk for a one-eyed fat man.”
Let me explain a bit here, Ned.
Most folks think of cowboys as Lone Ranger, Marlboro Man, John Wayne types. Rugged individualism and that sort of thing. That’s all fine and dandy – unless you’re talking web development. Cowboy/girl coders and (their side-kick) maverick programmers don’t belong in any serious business environment that’s going to require programming maintenance. And trust me, all websites require programming maintenance and content updates.
What in tarnation is a “Cowboy Coder” or “Maverick Programmer?”
That’s someone coding any which way they want just to get the job done. Sounds okay…unless you know anything about web development. Ask any programmer if (s)he’s better than the average developer and know what you’ll get? The same “humble” opinion as asking folks if they’re smarter or better looking than average: “Of course, I am!” Then who’s bringing the average down if everyone’s above it?
When it comes to programmers, you have good ones, bad ones and (wait for it) ugly ones. At some point, someone else will have to touch the code of the other guy(s). So what happens when you have three Lone Ranger web developers, each doing their own “above average” thing? That, my friends, is the programming equivalent of a shootout at the Not-So-Okay Corral. Somebody’s gonna get hurt – and there’ll be more bloody victims than just the old squinty-eyed bartender.
What Sheriff Shawn recommends.
What’s needed is a method to the madness: a programming framework that bridges the differences between everyone involved. I’ve heard brilliant developers argue against using a framework. Okay, so they don’t always come right out and argue against it, but typically say things like “I have my own methodology.” In cowboy lingo, that means “I don’t need no stinkin’ framework!”
Horseshit!
I don’t care how remarkable a web developer or application programmer is; utilizing a programming methodology only helps. For starters, it a) puts rails around many of the tedious tasks, b) standardizes how things are done and c) organizes code so any hired hand pitching in won’t break stuff in the process.
Make sure you aren’t handing your important projects to some yahoo.
Thinking about hiring someone to create a custom web application or develop a new website? Job one: ask if they use a framework. If they hem or haw, move along pardner. Pronto.
There are a bunch of frameworks out there. Some are better than others, but I’d take a structured team using an “okay” framework over a posse of cowboy coders any day. The first group has a process. The second might as well be herding cats.
