Egoless programming is a style of computer programming in which personal factors are minimized so that quality may be improved. The cooperative methods suggested are similar to those used by other collective ventures such as Wikipedia.
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The concept was first propounded by Jerry Weinberg in his seminal book, The Psychology of Computer Programming.[1]
To ensure quality, reviews of code by other programmers are made. The concept of egoless programming emphasises that such reviews should be made in a friendly, collegiate way in which personal feelings are put aside. Structured walkthroughs are one way of making such a formal review.[2]
Egoless programming explicitly minimizes constraints of hierarchy and status so as to enable the free exchange of ideas and improvements. It may be contrasted with the chief programmer team concept which emphasises specialisation and leadership in teams so that they work in a more disciplined way.[5]