With Great Humor Comes Great Developer Engagement (2312.01680v2)

Abstract: The worldwide collaborative effort for the creation of software is technically and socially demanding. The more engaged developers are, the more value they impart to the software they create. Engaged developers, such as Margaret Hamilton programming Apollo 11, can succeed in tackling the most difficult engineering tasks. In this paper, we dive deep into an original vector of engagement - humor - and study how it fuels developer engagement. First, we collect qualitative and quantitative data about the humorous elements present within three significant, real-world software projects: faker, which helps developers introduce humor within their tests; lolcommits, which captures a photograph after each contribution made by a developer; and volkswagen, an exercise in satire, which accidentally led to the invention of an impactful software tool. Second, through a developer survey, we receive unique insights from 125 developers, who share their real-life experiences with humor in software. Our analysis of the three case studies highlights the prevalence of humor in software, and unveils the worldwide community of developers who are enthusiastic about both software and humor. We also learn about the caveats of humor in software through the valuable insights shared by our survey respondents. We report clear evidence that, when practiced responsibly, humor increases developer engagement and supports them in addressing hard engineering and cognitive tasks. The most actionable highlight of our work is that software tests and documentation are the best locations in code to practice humor.

• The paper shows that humor significantly enhances developer engagement by analyzing projects like faker, lolcommits, and volkswagen.
• It employs a mixed-method approach with case studies and a survey of 125 developers to pinpoint effective integration points in code and documentation.
• The findings indicate that responsible, context-aware humor fosters better collaboration, higher developer satisfaction, and improved code clarity.

Introduction

The creation of software is a complex blend of technical prowess and social collaboration. Engaged developers are essential to successfully tackle formidable engineering tasks, such as those faced during the Apollo 11 mission. This paper investigates an unconventional but potent catalyst for developer engagement: humor within software.

The Role of Humor in Software

Humor has been a part of human creativity for millennia, and it plays a significant role in community-building and engagement. The paper presents a paper on humor's impact on software by examining real-world projects: faker, lolcommits, and volkswagen. Faker provides developers with amusing placeholder content for tests; lolcommits captures photographs of developers post-commit, often resulting in humorous visuals; volkswagen, initially created as a parody, led to the creation of practical tools like is-ci. These cases highlight humor's capacity to bolster developer interest and to foster collaboration.

Developer Survey Insights

Supplementing the case studies, a survey with 125 developers offers insights into where humor is most appropriately integrated into software. Overwhelmingly, comments and documentation are favored for humorous content, underlining the importance of not affecting the core functionality with jokes. Additionally, test inputs are recognized as suitable locations for humor, fostering engagement and providing a somewhat unexpected light-hearted moment for developers during the testing phase.

Practice and Responsibility

Despite the positive response towards humor in software, developers advocate for its responsible use. The appropriateness of humor, its audience, and the potential impact on software quality and community culture should be carefully considered. When appropriately managed, humorous elements can enhance communication, developer satisfaction, and even code understandability without compromising professionalism or inclusivity.

Conclusion

In software development, humor serves as more than just comic relief; it enhances engagement, facilitates communication, and nurtures a supportive developer community. The paper concludes that humor, when practiced with due consideration for its audience and context, is a valuable addition to the field of software engineering.