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Counterpoint: the stack you choose initially will often follow you for years because switching costs are rising with every line of code and every developer on t
by raquo 11y ago
Counterpoint: the stack you choose initially will often follow you for years because switching costs are rising with every line of code and every developer on the payroll.
Personally I often go for a less familiar but more appropriate stack.
- hhandoko 11y agoI agree. I'd also like to add that as long as architectural best practices are followed, the switching costs and risk can be minimised.
- cweagans 11y agoYou can write bad code with a good stack, and you can write good code with a bad stack. Put another way, a pro football player will be pretty good with whatever he uses, but even if I had the exact same gear, I'd never get picked for even a high school team. It's about the person, not the tools.
- raquo 11y agoAbsolutely, but for non-experimental stacks good practices are well understood and are easy to pick up, especially if you don't focus your career on the one true stack. For 99% of the projects you don't need to know any stack at level 80. You're much better off having a more diverse experience. Most skills beyond intermediate level – defensive coding, good architecture, managing complexity, etc. – translate very well to other stacks.
- cweagans 11y agoThat's a valid way to look at things, but I take a different approach. I try to avoid easy projects as much as I can with my preferred tech, because it forces me to grow as a developer. I have a relatively diverse skillset which I can grow outward or upward if I need to, but I also have deep knowledge of 2-3 technologies that really pay the bills.