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I'm all for work-life balance. I think that's at the heart of the 501 Manifesto. But there's an attitude of arrogance and entitlement in the 501 Manifesto that make it hard to support.

The 501 Manifesto has another problem. It says nothing about the requirement of people in this profession for continuous self-improvement and keeping up on emerging technologies. When I say "requirement", I mean that if you don't strive to be an effective developer, who adds value to his company, then don't be surprised if you get fired or laid-off and afterward find it difficult to get another development job with your outdated skills and attitudes.

Here are a few quotes from the manifesto that bug (nice pun;-) me:

* "Our personal creative projects over commercial products the world doesn't need"

Since when did developers become experts about commercial products the world does and does not need? The truth is, most developers don't know whether or not a product/app they work on has business or consumer value. That's what business people get paid to do and mostly likely are better at it than developers.

* "Not being a dick over being a rockstar"

Why does the manifest need to sound so vindictive and unprofessional on this item?

* "we respect you for it. There's probably some pity in there too"

This is just arrogant and judgmental. There are some folks who can manage to have a life outside of work as well as be well-known thought leaders in their profession. Once again, the manifesto ignores this non-malevolent possibility.

The 501 Manifesto is so flawed that it should be forgotten ASAP. It's an embarrassment to the software development profession. If non developers read and believe it, it will give software developers a bad reputation amongst our co-workers.

I believe your criticisms of the original 501 developers manifesto are valid. However, this post is about rejecting the original manifesto and replacing it. From this article not the original manifesto:
"We are individuals who take pride in our work, but value a process that encourages our continuous self improvement for both the betterment of ourselves and our craft. As such we value:

Pace over deadlines
Quality over quantity
Sustainability over death marching
Learning over constantly plowing ahead with what we already know (or think we know)

To say that we value the things on the left more than those on the right is a gross understatement."

This article represents what the original manifesto should have been.

You're right.