Writer's block

[christoph at linuxsoup.com (christoph at linuxsoup.com)]

markw at mohawksoft.com wrote:
> To anyone who says that writing software is nothing like writing a book
> has never experienced programming writer's block.
> 
> <SNIP>
> 
> Anyone else have this problem? What do you do to get around it?

My method for getting around a code writer's block is:

	+ sit and dwell on the problem for a relentless period of time
	+ realize the "elegant" solution may never come
	+ suffer
	+ make those around you suffer (lost sleep, irritable, 
	  total collapse of social skills)
	+ then, in the middle of night when your fast asleep, suddenly
	  rise up and scare the p*ss out of everyone around you.
          Quickly find a piece of paper to record the final solution.
	
	The magic is to program your sub conscience to do the work.
	I can only achive that state by applying steps 1-4.

The other method I found that works is to bring the problem to the
facilities.  My coined phrase is to "apply sufficient kohler minutes
to a problem".  There's the Mythical Man Month to explain project workloads,
and there's my software kohler-equation.   I haven't really worked out the
minutes / lines-of-code ratio yet ... but one of these days I'll get
famous with it ... it just need to work Reimann's Zeta function into
it and  we're all set...

PLUG! Don't forget about "non-linear-video-editing on linux with cinelerra"
at the blu meeting this month.