top | item 26201299

(no title)

pluto9 | 5 years ago

Do you doubt that even one does? Because if one does, it gives them such a ludicrous advantage that the others can't even be competitive if they don't.

discuss

order

smabie|5 years ago

modafinil and amphetamines give programmers a ludicrous advantage, and yet, "almost all" programmers aren't doing them.

amznthrowaway5|5 years ago

The evaluation of programmers isn't nearly as objective as the evaluation of athletes, and I'm not convinced modafinil and amphetamines have a statistically significant advantage (how much does programming ability even matter for getting ahead anywhere?), let alone a ludicrous one. On the other hand, the advantage from steroids is ludicrous on multiple factors including stamina, recovery, strength etc. The advantage from cheating and lying in the science game is also very high in my experience, although difficult to measure.

akvadrako|5 years ago

I don't agree. I've tried those and many other options and never found anything that provided a consistent advantage. The best physical advantage probably comes from good sleep and exercise.