News.com.com (no that isn’t a typo) has an article on how software developers are beginning to work normal hours like the rest of the working world as opposed to the 70-80 hour work weeks that made their population so famous. Glad to see that most people are starting to realize that hanging out with family and friends during your one lifetime of existence is much more important than working an insane amount of time only to find that you haven’t accomplished anything in the development process due to fatigue.
This could also mean that managers have come to grips with how to manage software projects. I have to wonder if the inclusion of XP development has anything to do with that or is it just experience with past mistakes.
“Software is a maturing industry,” Hoch said. “I don’t think the software industry will ever go to a 9-to-5 industry, but it is moving away from 15-, 17-, 20-hour days.”
I think I have worked a 15 hour day, but that was working on my sites. I could never do that in a job for someone else that I wasn’t passionate about. I can see how people could easily get lost in their programming though and just don’t feel like losing that rush. But what if you are forced to work that long and there is no rush? Screw that.
I’m glad you freaks are figuring out what we in the manufacturing world have known for decades: prime work productivity happens in an eight-hour day, and after ten hours, you’re toast.