toolsmith

2 definitions found

toolsmith - Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (26 May 2007) :

  toolsmith
  
     The software equivalent of a tool-and-die specialist; one who
     specialises in making the tools with which other programmers
     create applications.  Many hackers consider this more fun than
     applications per se; to understand why, see uninteresting.
     Jon Bentley, in the "Bumper-Sticker Computer Science" chapter
     of his book "More Programming Pearls", quotes Dick Sites from
     DEC as saying "I'd rather write programs to write programs
     than write programs".
  
     [Jargon File]
  

toolsmith - Jargon File (4.4.4, 14 Aug 2003) :

  toolsmith
   n.
  
     The software equivalent of a tool-and-die specialist; one who
     specializes in making the tools with which other programmers create
     applications. Many hackers consider this more fun than applications
     per se; to understand why, see uninteresting. Jon Bentley, in the
     "Bumper-Sticker Computer Science" chapter of his book More
  Programming
     Pearls, quotes Dick Sites from DEC as saying "I'd rather write
     programs to write programs than write programs".