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A lot of comments here seem to suggest it's just because of people creating projects to get attention. I think this reason is massively overstated, and appeals

A lot of comments here seem to suggest it's just because of people creating projects to get attention. I think this reason is massively overstated, and appeals to the unfortunate HN meme of disparaging other people's work to signal that the commenter is smarter than the herd. However, I would suggest that we are now building applications at a level of complexity which has not previously existed on the web before (unless you include non-standard tech like Flash/Flex or Java Applets, which both had their shortcomings). If you accept that some of the things which are being built actually unlock new possiblities in terms of user interface fidelity, and therefore has at least some purpose, then I would point out that the level of churn can be explained by the following: 1. JS has become very widely used very quickly, which means that there have been lots of hastily built things, which have been replaced by better things (and for every 'better thing' there are many alternatives which fell by the wayside), and a larger pool of people to build them. 2. It's easier than ever to build new tools (or any kind of app, for that matter), because the npm ecosystem makes it trivial to combine existing smaller pieces of code into new combinations.

HelloNurse 10y ago
If you believe in things like the "npm ecosystem" you have already lost the war on immaturity. What's being disparaged is bending web technology to unsuitable purposes instead of adopting something better, not individual projects that, ignoring the often insufferable hype and smugness, are often technically clever, as good as a bad premise and a bad purpose allow.
- macawfish 10y ago
  The war on immaturity? What is this, chitty chitty bang bang? You sound like the child catcher. "Bending web technology to unsuitable purposes"... This could mean anything, it only depends on what specific orthodoxy you're implying. Good vs. Bad. Immature vs. Mature. The world is actually a colorful place if you open your mind and heart just a little bit!
dlandis 10y ago
I'm not sure which comments you are referring to, but there is a lot of truth to the idea that developers (especially frontend developers) are, in some cases desperately, trying to build their reputation by contributing to or starting GitHub projects. Notice I said "build their reputation" not "get attention". The fact is it is almost impossible to get a job as a non-junior frontend dev nowadays without a GitHub profile showing a long history of contributions. That leads to a lot of desperate and low-quality projects...and that's just reality not a disparagement. It goes hand in hand with the industry shift (especially for frontend tech) with considering one's GH as an essential aspect of one's resume.
- Silhouette 10y ago
  It goes hand in hand with the industry shift (especially for frontend tech) with considering one's GH as an essential aspect of one's resume. I wonder how much of that shift is also just perception within a certain bubble/echo chamber, though. There's certainly a trend in online forums and startups to ask applicants for their GH profile, but I suspect this is one of those things that some employers are doing because they think everyone else is. Are those employers really then reviewing all of those profiles to see which include projects where an applicant really made a meaningful contribution and which are just token updates or yet another ad hoc, informally-specified, bug-ridden, slow implementation of half of someone else's popular and established work? The only thing I know for sure about that sort of policy is that it would immediately rule out most of the best developers I've ever worked with. Most of those people are busy building working projects for their businesses/clients/employers during work hours, and then having a life at other times. Some do contribute back to OSS projects or help answering questions on online forums as well, but not as a resume-building exercise, and it's rarely where you'll find the best indications of what they are capable of building.

HelloNurse 10y ago

If you believe in things like the "npm ecosystem" you have already lost the war on immaturity. What's being disparaged is bending web technology to unsuitable purposes instead of adopting something better, not individual projects that, ignoring the often insufferable hype and smugness, are often technically clever, as good as a bad premise and a bad purpose allow.

macawfish 10y ago
The war on immaturity? What is this, chitty chitty bang bang? You sound like the child catcher. "Bending web technology to unsuitable purposes"... This could mean anything, it only depends on what specific orthodoxy you're implying. Good vs. Bad. Immature vs. Mature. The world is actually a colorful place if you open your mind and heart just a little bit!

dlandis 10y ago

I'm not sure which comments you are referring to, but there is a lot of truth to the idea that developers (especially frontend developers) are, in some cases desperately, trying to build their reputation by contributing to or starting GitHub projects. Notice I said "build their reputation" not "get attention". The fact is it is almost impossible to get a job as a non-junior frontend dev nowadays without a GitHub profile showing a long history of contributions. That leads to a lot of desperate and low-quality projects...and that's just reality not a disparagement. It goes hand in hand with the industry shift (especially for frontend tech) with considering one's GH as an essential aspect of one's resume.

Silhouette 10y ago
It goes hand in hand with the industry shift (especially for frontend tech) with considering one's GH as an essential aspect of one's resume. I wonder how much of that shift is also just perception within a certain bubble/echo chamber, though. There's certainly a trend in online forums and startups to ask applicants for their GH profile, but I suspect this is one of those things that some employers are doing because they think everyone else is. Are those employers really then reviewing all of those profiles to see which include projects where an applicant really made a meaningful contribution and which are just token updates or yet another ad hoc, informally-specified, bug-ridden, slow implementation of half of someone else's popular and established work? The only thing I know for sure about that sort of policy is that it would immediately rule out most of the best developers I've ever worked with. Most of those people are busy building working projects for their businesses/clients/employers during work hours, and then having a life at other times. Some do contribute back to OSS projects or help answering questions on online forums as well, but not as a resume-building exercise, and it's rarely where you'll find the best indications of what they are capable of building.