Louise's thoughtful comment

Date: Mon, 20 May 1996 14:42 (EDT)
From: Louise Aitel 
To: clburke@passport.ca
Subject: how/why

hello Carolyn,

I read your how/why page... I see it as more of a continuum. Remember that page you wrote on how things, ideas, are continuums (continua? hmm)? So people can't screw you over as easily, because you can just move a jump to the left if they have good ideas that you agree with, while you still believe what you initially thought is basically right?

Well, take that into the realm of the how/why distinction. If I'm black/white one of those or another, I wouldn't have the abilities of the other camp at all. Maybe some people are like that. I think most are a mixture, although tending toward one side or the other.

Example: I write books about compilers (after many years of writing code I now write about code, which is a lot of fun). I need to attend to details to gather the info for the books, to learn the tools, to get my job done. BUT the books are better because I have a tendency to be a why person. I don't like giving users information on a new feature without telling them why they want to use it... what problems are best solved with this feature, why to use this rather than that, and when/why NOT to use the new feature. Etc. I've written design books, and really liked them, because they are even more in the "why" camp. But the people I'm getting info from have a very hard time with my questions, when I get into "ok, I see how the command works. Now, why would someone use it? Can you give me a real-life situation, so I can write a sample code bit that actually makes sense?"

The users like this sort of thing, though. They rarely get it in manuals.

I strive to be an incredibly successful blend of how and why, while realizing that the why questions are ALWAYS harder to answer. If you want real answers, not just pandering. That's why I love doing what I do for work. It's not JUST cut and dried "how" stuff, and there's enough "how"... so my feet are pretty well anchored on the ground while my head can be out in space.

--Louise Aitel
Chief Nit-picker, DNWO                 24 New England Executive Park Drive
Sr. Software Specialist                Burlington, MA  01803
UniPrise Systems, Inc.                 (617)229-1105 fax 229-0014