is a great memory a requirement for great programming

Question

Do you think having a great memory is REQUIRED to be a great programmer?

I don't consider myself a great programmer but I do think I am decent. But my memory is REALLY bad so I find myself always having to remind myself how to do things. I mean I "know where to look" but sometimes it makes me feel like I am just a crappy programmer. What makes it even worse is that I am always forgetting where things are in my source code or what algorithm I used for certain situations.

Think back on the great programmers you have encountered in your life, didn't all of them seem to have amazing memories?

Answer 1

Treat your short term memory as stack (not static) and don't expect much more from it. I've come back to code that I wrote only a month ago and its almost like someone else wrote it .. it just takes a while to get back in the same zone.

I get teased, often for leaving comments for myself like breadcrumbs .. but it works. If I finish some function and say "AHA, that is absolutely BRILLIANT!", I immediately comment my complexity as I'm sure to forget.

So now, to answer a question with two questions:

1. What did you have for lunch last Wednesday?
2. What is the purpose for 'counter' in hash_foo() ?

At least, with #2, you can quickly go back and look / remember.

Answer 2

I can answer exactly this using just one word: NO. Having great memory to memorize all about programming is not a must. Experiences and the tedious learning by practice are the best.

I also have experienced this. If you have enough experience hours (or can be years) creating softwares with best practices applied, then you're a truly master on your own job or on programming languages you use to create softwares. Please don't be sad if you have bad memories, but striving to always learn and practice can defeat your memory weakness.

Answer 3

No. The ability to forget about what you know and continue learning is at least equally important in the long term.

Good notes and bookmarks and web searches go a long way.

Remembering the really simple things is required for great programming. Things as simple as "keep at it".

An interesting perspective from the other side of your monitor: Locality of Reference

Answer 4

As long as you can remember how g-o-o-g-l-e is spelt, you're fine. :)

But seriously, you do need to keep several things in yoru short term memory at once. Longer term memory is I think less important. As long as you're aware that something exists, you've seen something before, etc then when it becomes relevant you'll know you can dig it up.

Experienced programmers can generally regurgitate APIs, minor details and so forth but in my experience this has never been a case of sitting down and memorizing things by rote. It's a natural consequence of using things again and again.

Answer 5

I think having good memory is helpful for learning new things quickly.

This doesn't mean it is a requirement for being a great programmer.

In fact it is more about intelligence rather than memory capabilities, but it's too much of a complex subject to be able to identify certain qualities and compare them with programming skills, and be able to retrieve any relevant info.

That is the mystery of the brain.

Answer 6

Having a good memory is quite useful but certainly not required. I would say that it's not that great programmers have a great memory but rather, they have spent a lot of time investigating even the littlest issues which improved their understanding and improves recall. If you spend 4 minutes resolving a problem (Googling or asking in SO) then you probably won't remember the resolution when you hit it again 4 months down the line. IT could be an evolutionary trait or just a bad memory =)

Good programmers also have well thought out principles which allows them to work on auto-pilot without second-guessing themselves. A good set of principles also achieves consistency and predictability (which is a quality of memory) through reinforcement.

This also extends into other domains. Chess grandmasters can recall an entire game played 40 years ago. That's because they remember patterns (openings, variations, root cause and effect of moves which led to the end game, etc). which helps group individual moves into units.

In software, tools can like auto-complete or having a KB/Wiki and searchable check-in history etc can help.

Answer 7

I think it depends. Memory for a programmer is very very important. Both short and long term. However, what you use that memory for is the important thing. As a programmer, if you're using it to memorize ever nuance of an API then I'd say you're wasting your memory.

Ultimately, I try to use my memory to remember the important things and anything that I can't easily find at a later point in time. I'll usually put API stuff in short term memory and use google and intellisense to help me with the specifics. Design patterns, methodologies, lessons learned from experience, on the other hand are usually what I try to put into long term memory so I can use it effectively in the future without having to relearn everything.

In short, yes a programmer needs a good memory...both long and short term. But they need to be wise in how to use that memory...and that, I think, makes the difference in a great programmer.

Answer 8

No. But maybe it can make you great...

An art of programming (maybe the art) is being able to approach problems in such a way that you can grasp the whole of them, despite your limitations (such as imperfect memory). This is because everyone - including the smartest of us - has limitations. Bumping into your limitations is not a sign that you have limitations, but a sign that you are reaching further.

This art (insofar as I know it) includes things like divide and conquer (using modules of various kinds, to match the shape of the problem); using standard techniques to telegraph your intention (idioms, OO Design Patterns are just one); separating out the core of the problem (this one is not about the code: it's about the problem); and of course comments.

I used to believe that good code was self-documenting (and even, that code is truth), but recently I'm writing parsers, and including the CFG in a comment is a very helpful reference, because it is a much simpler representation of the intention of the code.

A coder's gotta know their limitations. It's unrealistic to expect to have the same grasp of something months later, as when you were in the thick of it. All the above involve accepting that problem, and working on a solution. Not only does it make your code easier for you to grasp later on, it makes it easier for someone else to grasp... but most importantly I firmly believe that clearer and simpler code is fundamentally, and transcendentally, better code.

The competent programmer is fully aware of the strictly limited size of his own skull; therefore he approaches the programming task in full humility, and among other things he avoids clever tricks like the plague. - Dijkstra

Answer 9

Surely apocrapful, but here's Einstein's number:

A reporter interviewed Albert Einstein. At the end of the interview, the reporter asked if he could have Einstein's phone number so he could call if he had further questions.

“Certainly” replied Einstein. He picked up the phone directory and looked up his phone number, then wrote it on a slip of paper and handed it to the reporter.

Dumbfounded, the reporter said, "You are considered to be the smartest man in the world and you can't remember your own phone number?”

Einstein replied, “Why should I memorize something when I know where to find it?”

Answer 10

I would say the opposite, having a good memory may lead to writing code which only the author can understand, because she remembers the details of its logic. On the other hand I, having bad memory, document my code and write it as clear as possible.

Answer 11

To me, there are two kinds of programmers in the world. The first were born to do it, the second learnt. In both groups they range from unbelievably poor to unbelievably great. Does memory denote those ratings? No, absolutely not. While a good memory can help you with learning, nothing helps you more than practice and understanding. After all, being able to remember the entire Encyclopaedia Brittanica means nothing without understanding. My server's storage is a classic example there.

Programming is about logic, both in the code and how you approach the problem. If you want clear, easy to understand code then chances are you'll break the problem into small manageable chunks (i.e. that fit in your head in their entirity) and work on each one. Each function then condenses down into a single command for your next stage of complexity. At the end of that next stage, if there is another, you'll have a set of single commands again to build on. Logical naming, logical partitioning, logical assembly... I think I'm getting my logical point across ;)

My memory is appalling, and I mean appalling. I can be introduced to 3 people and by the time #3's name is said I've forgotten who #1 is. I can still write some good code, not everytime or everyday; when you're in the zone it's something else, at that point it is art. So, put your memory to one side, get yourself either a really quiet space or a pink noise generator and dive in. The only thing that's going to make you a better programmer is practice, practice, practice. The only thing to remember is that programming is a skill and skills are practiced, and best practiced among friends who can give constructive criticism and advice... like Stack Overflow :)

Apologies for the tome level of this answer but I couldn't remember what I'd already written ;)

Answer 12

I have this coworker that writes really bad code that is incredibly hard to maintain. I've come to the conclusion that his problem is good memory. He's simply able to remember where he put what functionality. Therefore he doesn't have to write code that is self-explanatory. He simply remembers that crap. The rest of us have a really hard time figuring out his code.

I'm sure that good memory isn't that guys only problem. But I'm sure his code would improve if his memory got worse.

Answer 13

Honestly, I've found poor memory to be an asset, even poor short term memory. Poor short term memory really forces you to break out the separation of concerns. The end result is very clean, very simple, very well encapsulated code. I actually have pretty good short term memory, but I've learned to try really hard not to employ it after a few experiences writing code while I was distracted enough that I couldn't really retain much at once. I was actually shocked to observe that the code was actually far cleaner than code I'd developed im the past.

Poor long term memory is an asset, because you end up training yourself very well on how to find and learn techniques, API's, algorithm's, etc. It also tends to encourage you to find a small set of common themes to guide you in your work.

All in all, the mark of a good programmer isn't complexity (which is really difficult to achieve without good memory), but simplicity (which by nature doesn't require much memory).

Answer 14

I think one benefit to having a good memory (modesty point: I have a good memory) is the ability to be able to think on your feet when not actually in front of a computer.

For example, you might be in a meeting when some new kind of functionality for your app is suggested. Can it be done? How long is it likely to take? These are questions which are easier to answer if you can pretty much walk through 250k loc in your head.

That said, I find a grain of truth in others opinions that my own code might be less clear because I can remember it better.

Answer 15

Occam's Razor suggests that a simpler theory is likelier to be true.

If code is a theory, describing inputs going to outputs, then shorter code, using expected idioms and libraries, is more likely to be "true" - that is, it is more likely to capture the essence of the solution, so it will generalize to inputs that you didn't expect.

Shorter, unsurprising code is easier to remember.

Answer 16

Having a strong enough memory to hold the things you need to use today is the important part. If you are constantly searching for answers to the same question, you probably have a weak memory.

The most important thing is remembering where you can find the answers. I will sometimes blog on topics that are a bit more complex so I have a place to find them when I need them. But I don't try to hold onto them perpetually, because I can search my own blog and find them later. I do the same with other people's blogs and I know which blogs to hit for certain types of answers.

When all else fails, Google it!

Answer 17

I used to think having a good memory was a time saver because the more you remembered, the less time you spent looking things up, but tools and IDE have got so good now, many things that I used to memorize like syntax and various code snippets are quickly available in a few keystrokes. That, and the fact that the amount of information in the field grows way faster than any mortal programmer can keep up with, makes me think memory is less important any more. More important, is having good access and organization to useful information.

Answer 18

In allusion to Edsger Dijkstra, a competent programmer is fully aware of the limited size of his own skull. The more details you don't cram in your head, the better you can tackle the problem at hand.

Modularize your code very much, refactor code, package your nifty algorithms to objects, and use those objects, in that way, you don't always have to "micro-remember" each and every implementation details of your programs.

Answer 19

Some of the best-written code I've ever seen was written in such a way that each design decision was inevitable, and the code read as its own explanation. That's far better IMHO than code which requires the reader (or, worse, the maintainer) to keep tons of arbitrary detail memorized.

My own index of complexity in code is "How much stuff do I have to keep in mind to understand this one line?"

More is worse.

Answer 20

It all depends on what your good memory remembers..

I've worked on the same project for 10 years or so and I can't remember every line and who wrote it and why.

But... I can remember pretty much all the user requests and user issues. Who wanted what and when.

I can remember pretty much all the support issues we have had.

Finding old code is easy - we have great tools for that. Finding old issues is a much more abstract process: we have JIRA and Wikis but sometimes they don't cut it because they fail to provide the semantic meaning.

So. Pay attention to what REALLY matters and remember that.

Answer 21

Programmers with poor memory are like Universal Turing machines compared to practical computers: technically you can accomplish the same things by referring to information you or someone else has recorded somewhere... it's just that it may take a little longer....

Answer 22

I think it's possible to be able remember different types of things with differing degrees of aptitude.

For example, I sometimes find I have a pretty bad memory when it comes to random facts and figures, as well as things that I've done or will be doing - the latter meaning I find bug-tracking software an invaluable tool.

On the other hand, I can remember the structure of complex pieces of software I've written, and where to find specific things within that.

This may be about logical association. Well-designed software should (in theory) have a logical structure, which may make it easier to store in your memory if your brain is wired up that way.

Random piece of information, however, may not have these associations, making them harder to remember.

Answer 23

I would say its necessary for being great and fast. My memory for programming details is OK (but I have google for that). However, when I sit in front of applications that I've primarily written (~30-40 k lines of code) I'm able to load its structure almost completely into my memory. I can find the way I'm doing something in a couple of seconds and recall why I implemented it the way I did. That's invaluable. By 11 am I've been able to do more work than some others do all day. Now, that doesn't make me a great programmer, but it does make me an enormously productive productive programmer. This gives me time to refactor, write extra code, surf SO, grab an hour lunch, etc.

Answer 24

Just a simple comment "Repetition is the mother of learning", it doesn't matter if you have a good/bad memory. The function you use more in your programs you will remember the best. Also, in my case, i have the internet, when i don't remenber something i just ask, even if it is a bumd or easy question, and a lot of times I remember the answer after I post the question and then I quickly post the answer. The problem is how much time you put your mind to work....

:)