Become a better programmer: Watch this video

This is a great video. I think every programmer should watch it. It was given at “C++ on Sea”, a splendid conference that I’d love to go to one day. But you don’t have to know any C++ to learn from it. The video describes the way that emotions end up in program code. And how to make sure that the emotions that you put in what you write are positive ones.

If I was still teaching I would make sure that all my first year students watched this. And I’d also change the marking schemes for software projects to include some consideration of it specifically. Not because I think you can mandate this kind of behaviour, but because I would want my students to find out first hand the benefits of doing it.