Uminchu
04-03-06, 06:19 AM
I am currently reading the book "Twisted Network Programming Essentials" (O'Reilly). Twisted is a framework for building network applications written in Python. The foreward to the book is written by Matthew "the Glyph" Lefkowitz, the originator and lead developer of Twisted. In it, he says that writing this great framework was possible because of his ADHD:
You see, the majority of Twisted's core developers, including myself, suffer from Attention Deficit Disorder. This malady is the grease that makes the magic wheels of integration turn. While most developers—sane developers—would be content to write a perfectly good web server that could work only as a web server and leave it at that, we are always afraid we'll suddenly lose interest and need a chat application instead—or maybe it should be a mail server? Hey, there's a squirrel! I don't like this song.
What was I saying? Oh yes. The essence of Twisted is apparently paradoxical. Created on a whim by crazed eccentrics, designed to be a toy, and yet powerful enough to drive massive email systems, high-traffic web sites, transaction-processing systems, and inventory management applications.
However, the paradox is an illusion. People produce the best work when they are working and having fun at the same time. It takes a sense of humor to call yourself a crazed eccentric (whether it's true or not). You have to have a sense of fun to try and build a toy. In enjoying ourselves, we have brought to life a system that many of us have tried, and been unable, to create in more serious surroundings.
You see, the majority of Twisted's core developers, including myself, suffer from Attention Deficit Disorder. This malady is the grease that makes the magic wheels of integration turn. While most developers—sane developers—would be content to write a perfectly good web server that could work only as a web server and leave it at that, we are always afraid we'll suddenly lose interest and need a chat application instead—or maybe it should be a mail server? Hey, there's a squirrel! I don't like this song.
What was I saying? Oh yes. The essence of Twisted is apparently paradoxical. Created on a whim by crazed eccentrics, designed to be a toy, and yet powerful enough to drive massive email systems, high-traffic web sites, transaction-processing systems, and inventory management applications.
However, the paradox is an illusion. People produce the best work when they are working and having fun at the same time. It takes a sense of humor to call yourself a crazed eccentric (whether it's true or not). You have to have a sense of fun to try and build a toy. In enjoying ourselves, we have brought to life a system that many of us have tried, and been unable, to create in more serious surroundings.