>without any realistic customer feedback loop This is so so true (I spent some time working as a post-doc in England). There are tables filled up this very mo

>without any realistic customer feedback loop This is so so true (I spent some time working as a post-doc in England). There are tables filled up this very moment with dignified scientists arguing about bikesheds in CRUD applications that wouldn't get three upvotes here on Hacker News. And remember: if you can't open it in MS Excel, that makes it "Big Data"! All joking aside though, what universities are doing with their postdocs is abusive and immoral and they're going to regret killing the golden goose when they've squandered all the prestige in these positions.