This slide deck takes a deep dive exploration into the common characteristics of the greatest developers of last century. As well as learning who the best of the best are. You can expect to cover a wide range of topics, from old school habits, to new school tricks, from wacky hacks, to vetted practices. Plan to leave with some new found insight into aspects you can put directly into your own work, all in hopes that you too can become one of the all time greats.

1. @daniel_davis
Common Characteristics
of the
Greatest Developers

2. Common Characteristics of the Greatest Developers
@daniel_davis
• Brief Intro
• Focus For The Session
• Some of the Greatest & Their Characteristics
• Common Characteristics They Share
• Habits, Tricks, Hacks & Best Practices
Agenda -

3. Common Characteristics of the Greatest Developers
@daniel_davis
• Founder/Lead Consultant at Elev8
• Business Improvement Consultant
• Developer & Technical Coach
• Innovator, Life Hacker, Maker
• Professional Snowboard Instructor
• Parent of 3 (Daughter 14, Twin Boys 12)
Brief Intro -

4. Common Characteristics of the Greatest Developers
@daniel_davis
• Discussion over Presentation
• Principles over Prescription
Focus For The Session -

5. Common Characteristics of the Greatest Developers
@daniel_davis
For the purposes of this session when we refer to
“developer”, it is synonymous with “programmer”,
“engineer”, or any other variations of the occupation
related to building computer programs/software.
Focus For The Session -

6. Common Characteristics of the Greatest Developers
@daniel_davis
This is a list built from my own opinions.
Please use it a base to start from, then consider
others you might add to the list and their important
characteristics we should be mindful of.
Focus For The Session -

7. Common Characteristics of the Greatest Developers
@daniel_davis
Some of the Greatest & Their Characteristics
Who:
Ada Lovelace
Characteristic:
Thinking Outside The Box
Predicted that one day computers would transcend from simply
being used for crunching numbers — totally against the popular
opinion of that time.

8. Common Characteristics of the Greatest Developers
@daniel_davis
Some of the Greatest & Their Characteristics
Who:
Niklaus Wirth
Characteristic:
Never Settle
Not settling for the status quo and always reaching for more. Most noted
for designing Pascal, but also designed 8 other languages, 2 operating
systems and a hardware design & simulation system.

9. Common Characteristics of the Greatest Developers
@daniel_davis
Some of the Greatest & Their Characteristics
Who:
Bjarne Stroustrup
Characteristic:
Determined
Credited with the creation of C++. He not only invented it, but also
evolved it, all by himself, writing its early definitions, producing its first
implementation, formulating its design criteria and its standard textbook.

10. Common Characteristics of the Greatest Developers
@daniel_davis
Some of the Greatest & Their Characteristics
Who:
Grace Hopper
Characteristic:
Visionary
Pioneered some of the first compiler related tools and believed that a
programming language based on English was possible. Popularized the
idea of machine-independent programming languages, leading to COBAL.

11. Common Characteristics of the Greatest Developers
@daniel_davis
Some of the Greatest & Their Characteristics
Who:
Jim Weirich
Characteristic:
Care for Craft
Besides being behind open source tools like Ruby’s Rake and Builder,
which support making other developers lives better. He was always active
speaking, teaching and contributing to our craft.

12. Common Characteristics of the Greatest Developers
@daniel_davis
Some of the Greatest & Their Characteristics
Who:
Ronda Bergman
Characteristic:
Care for Community
Diversification in the community is extremely important, but at the same
time it’s also super hard. Having the care to do what’s right, irregardless
of how challenging the situation is becomes truly crucial.

13. Common Characteristics of the Greatest Developers
@daniel_davis
Some of the Greatest & Their Characteristics
Who:
Martin Fowler
Characteristic:
Build With Intention
“Any fool can write code that a computer can understand. Good
programmers write code that humans can understand.”

14. Common Characteristics of the Greatest Developers
@daniel_davis
Some of the Greatest & Their Characteristics
Who:
Robert C. Martin (Uncle Bob)
Characteristic:
Strive For
Cleanliness
Source - “Clean Code” by Robert C. Martin

15. Common Characteristics of the Greatest Developers
@daniel_davis
Some of the Greatest & Their Characteristics
Who:
Rich Dammkoehler
Characteristic:
Code As Communication
There should be no need for comments of technical documentation if our
code and tests are articulated clearly.

16. Common Characteristics of the Greatest Developers
@daniel_davis
Some of the Greatest & Their Characteristics
Who:
Magnus Stahre
Characteristic:
Not A Jerk
Common mis-conception that to be really one of the greats, you have to
be arrogant, cocky and disrespectful to the lesser folk. That’s simply not
true. It’s up to us to decide our demeanor.

17. Common Characteristics of the Greatest Developers
@daniel_davis
- Integrity
- Honesty
- Passion
- Team Player
- Discipline
- Life Long Learner
Common Characteristics They All Share -

18. Common Characteristics of the Greatest Developers
@daniel_davis
- Be hungry for knowledge and always learning
- Relentless in the pursuit of excellence
- Try and try again, don’t except rejection
- Invest in yourself
- Constantly innovate
- Have a passion for what you do or don’t do it
Habits -

19. Common Characteristics of the Greatest Developers
@daniel_davis
- Fake it, until you make it (learn and grow, not cheat)
- Get an accountability partner
- Be a mentor, get a mentee
- Block out the distractions
- Embrace Automation
- Establish a struggle limit
Tricks -

20. Common Characteristics of the Greatest Developers
@daniel_davis
- Tackle the hard stuff first
- Invest in dual screens, then turn one off
- Stop thinking and start doing
- Use templates
- Master keyboard shortcuts
- Unfollow and/or unsubscribe
Hacks -

21. Common Characteristics of the Greatest Developers
@daniel_davis
- Have a “NO” strategy
- Check in early & often
- Focus on One to Done
- Seek to understand before making conclusions
- Practice radical candor
- Have a bias for action
Best Practices -

22. Common Characteristics of the Greatest Developers
@daniel_davis
Book: Clean Code by Robert C. Martin
Article: http://www.arkhitech.com/blog/12-greatest-programmers-of-all-time
Article: https://www.technotification.com/2018/05/top-10-female-programmers.html
Article: https://www.inc.com/larry-kim/these-24-productivity-tips-will-help-you-start-
off-2018-right.html
Resources -

23. Common Characteristics of the Greatest Developers
@daniel_davis
Q & A

24. Common Characteristics of the Greatest Developers
@daniel_davis
Thank you!
Daniel Davis
dan@elev8.services
@daniel_davis
linkedin.com/in/davisdaniel