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Yes, that is a problem as well. They don't want to use libraries from the outside, so they develop a lot of stuff in-house. Which will have specific requirement

Yes, that is a problem as well. They don't want to use libraries from the outside, so they develop a lot of stuff in-house. Which will have specific requirements and getting someone up to speed takes longer then using an existing API, which is well known and used by millions of other companies and developers. Also most of the times these in-house APIs are developed by if not one, but a handful of people. So if they leave, you are stuck with code which nobody understands and you keep on adding on top of it and breaking it in many ways. Not to mention your developers will be stuck and get experience with code not used anywhere else. If you want to cripple their prospect to get better jobs and experience, this is the way to go. It is a vicious cycle and it seems nobody is willing to break it.

zeemonkee3 10y ago
Interviews like this are a two-way thing. In this case, I'd pick up the vibe that this was a company cursed with NIH and withdraw my application (unless I was desperate for a job or some other overriding factor, of course). Technical interviews (much as I hate the whiteboarding bullshit) do give some insight to the interviewee about the kind of work and codebase they'll be dealing with - like the time an interviewer told me "We're really enthusiastic about MongoDB!" - OK, thanks for the coffee, I'll see myself out....
epalmer 10y ago
Admittedly my situation is different than probably 95% of the HN readers that develop code. I write mostly Java code for my university job. I develop code about 30% of the time. The code I write and maintain are mostly ETL / Middleware solutions that stay in-house. I have an associate that is learning Java and will take over when I retire in 5 years. I have no one telling me what I can and can't use. My bosses expect me to make sure that the license for the libraries I use are compatible with our culture and risk profile. And most are apache 2 licenses. Without the use of libraries I could not get my job done. I rely on Apache Camel and Apache Httpcomponents heavily. In fact I am replacing a home grown Middleware solution with one that uses Camel right this month because the homegrown solution is just not extensible. I use other libraries as well like Jdom2. The risk in these libraries going stale exists but is low enough to outweigh the risk of me writing crappy code because my expertise is not that great in writing middleware, xml parsers and the like. My applications work as intended. My management is happy. I am productive in their eyes. I don't have a NIH attitude. Edit: added this statement. At 62 years old I think I am glad I don't foresee the need to change jobs and go through the "modern" developer interview process. I feel for those that have to do this dance.

zeemonkee3 10y ago

Interviews like this are a two-way thing. In this case, I'd pick up the vibe that this was a company cursed with NIH and withdraw my application (unless I was desperate for a job or some other overriding factor, of course). Technical interviews (much as I hate the whiteboarding bullshit) do give some insight to the interviewee about the kind of work and codebase they'll be dealing with - like the time an interviewer told me "We're really enthusiastic about MongoDB!" - OK, thanks for the coffee, I'll see myself out....

epalmer 10y ago

Admittedly my situation is different than probably 95% of the HN readers that develop code. I write mostly Java code for my university job. I develop code about 30% of the time. The code I write and maintain are mostly ETL / Middleware solutions that stay in-house. I have an associate that is learning Java and will take over when I retire in 5 years. I have no one telling me what I can and can't use. My bosses expect me to make sure that the license for the libraries I use are compatible with our culture and risk profile. And most are apache 2 licenses. Without the use of libraries I could not get my job done. I rely on Apache Camel and Apache Httpcomponents heavily. In fact I am replacing a home grown Middleware solution with one that uses Camel right this month because the homegrown solution is just not extensible. I use other libraries as well like Jdom2. The risk in these libraries going stale exists but is low enough to outweigh the risk of me writing crappy code because my expertise is not that great in writing middleware, xml parsers and the like. My applications work as intended. My management is happy. I am productive in their eyes. I don't have a NIH attitude. Edit: added this statement. At 62 years old I think I am glad I don't foresee the need to change jobs and go through the "modern" developer interview process. I feel for those that have to do this dance.