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"No, it's less effort than that"

(smartguess.is)
388 points replyifuagree | 1 comments | 21 Oct 23 04:43 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source
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ResearchCode ◴[21 Oct 23 13:38 UTC] No.37966699[source]▶
Why are you pushing software engineers for "estimates"? You don't ask mathematicians how long that conjecture will take to prove. It's done when it's done.
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latency-guy2 ◴[21 Oct 23 19:10 UTC] No.37969658[source]▶
Probably because software engineers are not mathematicians. Also, you're not doing foundational research or breaking away at the edge of human knowledge either. Similarly, mathematicians are not immune to deadlines either.
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1. ResearchCode ◴[21 Oct 23 19:44 UTC] No.37969925[source]▶
Software engineers are not assembly line laborers developing x cogs per hour either. There is no evidence that micromanaging software projects works.

Tenured mathematicians are immune to deadlines, and non-tenured ones don't "story point" conjectures. Your PI does not usually make you submit daily status reports. Targeting a submission date three to six months ahead and trying again if it doesn't work out is a framework that would work in software engineering too.