PEP 526 - var annotations and the spirit of python

[Tim Daneliuk]

On 07/02/2018 06:22 PM, Gregory Ewing wrote:
> A
> truly good programmer will be able to learn about the language
> being used on the job.

Except that the current attempt is to use techniques like agile,
scrum, pair programming, and so forth to turn programming into
a factory activity.  High degrees of specialization are segmented
by architectural role (front end, back end, infrastructure,
DevOps ...), language, and even business unit.  In my view,
systems architecture, software design, and non functional
capabilities suffer thereby, but I am old and crabby :)

In particular, there is little interest in having programmers
learn on the job, only that they be as productive as possible
as fast they can.   Hiring specific languages skills - the theory
goes - means that the individual will be fluent in the entire
language ecosystem of libraries, tools, and so forth.  What gets
lost in this factory model is that fewer and fewer people are able
to stand back and ask, "Are we even using a good design, language,
toolkit, ..."

While it is true that a good programmer will pick up new things
out of personal curiosity, it is also true that this is not
as rewarded a behavior as we'd like to believe.