Taco Bell Programming (2010)
I found myself nodding along (if not necessarily agreeing 100%) until I got to this:<p><i>I could have done the whole thing Taco Bell style if I had only manned up and broken out sed, but I pussied out and wrote some Python.</i><p>I know this article was written over 5 years ago, but I still feel the need to say: expressions like <i>manned up</i> and <i>pussied out</i> are a huge turn-off for me. Regardless of the ideas surrounding them or the author&#x27;s programming skills, the author loses a good chunk of credibility in my eyes simply by using them. Sure, it&#x27;s a stylistic choice, but it&#x27;s one that I feel is actively harmful to our industry, especially for those who are new to software development or interesting in learning.<p>So if you&#x27;re reading this and you&#x27;re one of those new or interested people: please don&#x27;t let this turn you off from discovering and learning tools like sed or Python. One is not inferior to the other—they are simply different tools that can be used for a wide range of different things. Don&#x27;t be afraid of using the &quot;wrong&quot; tool for the job (because even experienced developers do this sometimes), just keep on learning new tools and adding them to your own tool belt. Share your work with others, and then when someone tells you you&#x27;re using the &quot;wrong&quot; tool, ask them to explain why and to propose alternatives. Lather, rinse, repeat.