Cowboy Coder
Cowboy Coders are programmers who write code according to their own rules. They may be very good at writing code, but it doesn’t generally follow the standards, processes, policies, or anything else derived from the group. Cowboy Coders work well alone, or in the old-style CaveProgrammer environment, but they rarely, if ever, work well in a team. Often times, they are a burr in the saddle that keeps the team from getting positive work done.
The above elicits mixed emotions. I have often been a CowboyCoder; in some circumstances I didn’t have a choice (I was the *only* coder on the project); in others, it was inherent in the context : no team rules, standards, or processes, and a division of labor which put senior developers in charge of different projects, with little opportunity to elaborate such standards as a team. I didn’t like having the pattern thrust upon me, and I’m pretty sure I’ll do much better in a team.
CowboyCoders are identified more by their attitude than by their circumstances. CowboyCoders prefer — nay, insist! — to avoid standards, processes, and policies, and hate working with others.
Some CowboyCoders work in packs as GuerillaCoders, self-supporting their behaviors. See RamboCoder.
The Cowboy Way:
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