ushidayo said:
I still find it hard to understand why people believe that writing a PLC program well is art...
To those that find PLC programs aesthetically pleasing, I suggest taking a vacation.
I love ya ushidayo!
At least you are not brown nozing anyone.
As for the
Art factor, I would perhaps use this word but find
The Zen of PLC programming much more suited.
Art, in our case is referred has all that makes the end result (i.e. the working code).
I allways use the term
ZEN because it mean "
BEING ONE WITH..." and this is th thrue nature of a respectable programmer.
To me it is not art but years of practice, study, respect of our own limitation and the world that surround us (in this case, the system, the management, the cost, the operators, the time, the futur, and more).
When one can be humble to the point where he is aware and be humble to the point where he is in tune with his inner and outer capacity only then can he acheive the Zen state.
He can be one with the PLC, the process, the management, the needs of all.
I always liked TW's post because he often uses his "
Be the PLC" approach and for me this is Zen.
Wether he likes it or not he is a Zen programmer.
A few years back I had to do a job for a very special guy. I was honored to do it and would have done it for free (almost) but this job that was ready for delevry after 8 weeks and stayed in my shop for 8 months (cargo ship delay).
So I had a lot of spare time to play
After 3 months I started to modify the code. Just for the fun of it. Just to make it nicer.
I would find small pieces that I would rewrite to make them look better.
The end results was working the same. Not better.
When this guy started the process he sent me an email that said "
Nice code Pierre".
He is a gran master coder of the older days.
I still sometimes look at them 400 pages of code. I beleive I achaeive Zen with that one.
I often whish I could have unlimited time and access to systems I program.
One clue on your Zen statue.
Ya know when nothing works and everyone has tryed and the manufacturer tells you it should work.
You change one parameter out of hundreds for no apparent reasons but the fact that you thought it was necessairy and then everything fall in its rightfull place and the system works!
Zen my friend.
Real good troubleshooters will tell you that its often how they find things. It a mix of experience and a lot more that cannot be logically explained.