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It's alienating Distelli developers. The reason cited for the move is totally unacceptable in terms of the new skillset that their developers will need to acqui

It's alienating Distelli developers. The reason cited for the move is totally unacceptable in terms of the new skillset that their developers will need to acquire to continue development of the tool. The cost of effort their developers will have to put in to be as effective as a LUA developer as they were as a python developer is really not worth this move. There are more to moving to a different platform/language than just the end users.

Sanddancer 11y ago
The end users are the ones that keep the lights on though. It sounds a lot like that Python was more and more of an anchor around the team, and the costs of migration were smaller than the costs of the other options. Yes, some developers were probably upset that they couldn't use their preferred language anymore. However, it sounds like because they're now using a language designed to be embedded, they can focus a lot more on solving problems than fighting with a language that has a lot more platform-specific behavior.
rifung 11y ago
They only have a few developers, so it's really not a big deal. I think they only have 2 or 3, including the CEO who, obviously, has a lot of other things to do than write code. Being as the size of the team is so dependent on a small number of high performers, I don't think it's unusual that they picked a language one of the main people in the company is extremely fluent in. I've worked with Brian before and he is a beast. I don't know if 10x engineers exist, but if they do I would certainly consider him one.
- devishard 11y ago
  Describing him as a 10x developer makes me even more skeptical of the decision to switch. Developers who deliver 10x as many features inherently do so at the cost of maintainability.
  - rifung 11y ago
    > Developers who deliver 10x as many features inherently do so at the cost of maintainability I don't think what you say is completely true. People who are more experienced tend to be able to produce features much more quickly than those who are junior, just because they've already run into issues before so can anticipate them or solve them more quickly. If anything I would argue people like that actually write code more quickly that is more maintainable. I don't know if he can ship 10x as many features; I didn't think term 10x engineer was used literally. I just know I've worked with quite a number of people and he is one of the best developers I know.
    - Chris2048 11y ago
      > he is one of the best developers I know But then, we'd need to know how good your assessment skill/method is. Maybe you misjudge all the developers you work with? What feedback do you get?
      - brimworks 11y ago
        @rifung - Thanks for the kind words. @Chris2048 - Distelli is hiring. If you want to make your own assessment of my skill, then join us :).
fsloth 11y ago
"It's alienating Distelli developers." Are you in a position to speak for Distelli developers? "The cost of effort their developers will have to put in to be as effective as a LUA developer as they were as a python developer is really not worth this move." I suppose this could be true in a poisonous environment where scheduling does not accommodate the need to learn a new skillset. Unless you are familiar with the employer this is an incredibly hostile presumption. I.E. I would not work for such an employer nor would I want to be their customer
- Chris2048 11y ago
  What does accommodating for a new skillset make a difference to the cost? There will still be a minimum effort (e.g. in hours) that cannot be reduced by the nature of the employer. A dev will still have to put in the hours to learn a new language. It seems the cost being described here is cost to the employer, not to the developer.

Sanddancer 11y ago

The end users are the ones that keep the lights on though. It sounds a lot like that Python was more and more of an anchor around the team, and the costs of migration were smaller than the costs of the other options. Yes, some developers were probably upset that they couldn't use their preferred language anymore. However, it sounds like because they're now using a language designed to be embedded, they can focus a lot more on solving problems than fighting with a language that has a lot more platform-specific behavior.

rifung 11y ago

They only have a few developers, so it's really not a big deal. I think they only have 2 or 3, including the CEO who, obviously, has a lot of other things to do than write code. Being as the size of the team is so dependent on a small number of high performers, I don't think it's unusual that they picked a language one of the main people in the company is extremely fluent in. I've worked with Brian before and he is a beast. I don't know if 10x engineers exist, but if they do I would certainly consider him one.

devishard 11y ago
Describing him as a 10x developer makes me even more skeptical of the decision to switch. Developers who deliver 10x as many features inherently do so at the cost of maintainability.
- rifung 11y ago
  > Developers who deliver 10x as many features inherently do so at the cost of maintainability I don't think what you say is completely true. People who are more experienced tend to be able to produce features much more quickly than those who are junior, just because they've already run into issues before so can anticipate them or solve them more quickly. If anything I would argue people like that actually write code more quickly that is more maintainable. I don't know if he can ship 10x as many features; I didn't think term 10x engineer was used literally. I just know I've worked with quite a number of people and he is one of the best developers I know.
  - Chris2048 11y ago
    > he is one of the best developers I know But then, we'd need to know how good your assessment skill/method is. Maybe you misjudge all the developers you work with? What feedback do you get?
    - brimworks 11y ago
      @rifung - Thanks for the kind words. @Chris2048 - Distelli is hiring. If you want to make your own assessment of my skill, then join us :).

fsloth 11y ago

"It's alienating Distelli developers." Are you in a position to speak for Distelli developers? "The cost of effort their developers will have to put in to be as effective as a LUA developer as they were as a python developer is really not worth this move." I suppose this could be true in a poisonous environment where scheduling does not accommodate the need to learn a new skillset. Unless you are familiar with the employer this is an incredibly hostile presumption. I.E. I would not work for such an employer nor would I want to be their customer

Chris2048 11y ago
What does accommodating for a new skillset make a difference to the cost? There will still be a minimum effort (e.g. in hours) that cannot be reduced by the nature of the employer. A dev will still have to put in the hours to learn a new language. It seems the cost being described here is cost to the employer, not to the developer.