> it's also easy to assume someone is incompetent just because they were working from different constraints and experiences than you, and the way they did things just isn't immediately apparent.
I don't know if it's common, but I tend to judge competence by the bottom line: does it work? is it supportable? what was the cost of getting there?
If it doesn't work, or does work but cannot be supported/modified, and cost a lot, it is a product of incompetence. Possibly the manager's, and not the tech guys.
I've never heard anyone refer to djb as incompetent. Some people dislike his coding style, but I haven't heard any criticism about it that is not about style. And yet, he's working with different constraints and experiences than everyone else. And things are often not immediately apparent.
I don't know if it's common, but I tend to judge competence by the bottom line: does it work? is it supportable? what was the cost of getting there?
If it doesn't work, or does work but cannot be supported/modified, and cost a lot, it is a product of incompetence. Possibly the manager's, and not the tech guys.
I've never heard anyone refer to djb as incompetent. Some people dislike his coding style, but I haven't heard any criticism about it that is not about style. And yet, he's working with different constraints and experiences than everyone else. And things are often not immediately apparent.