4 ms·

I think it's more naive to believe that large companies always make the right decisions. We see Microsoft make mistake after mistake (look at windows 8, windows

I think it's more naive to believe that large companies always make the right decisions. We see Microsoft make mistake after mistake (look at windows 8, windows vista). The only time they fix their mistakes is when they're made public. So there is no reason to fix their mistake of a code base.

CJefferson 10y ago
But, it seems all large companies (Facebook, Google, Microsoft) are using a mono-repo, and no-one is publicly admitting to using many small repos. If no company is using many small repos for truly massive projects, then it's hard to argue it would be a good idea. Could everyone who has looked at this problem make the wrong choice?
- keithlfrost 10y ago
  Note that Amazon is not on your list. They did not adopt the mono-repo approach. Their tools have their own advantages and disadvantages, to be sure, but mono-repo is not the only way.
  - CJefferson 10y ago
    I hadn't heard about Amazon. That's good to know.
    - krallja 10y ago
      Read Steve Yegge's Google vs Amazon rant: it's amazing. https://plus.google.com/+RipRowan/posts/eVeouesvaVX https://plus.google.com/+RipRowan/posts/eVeouesvaVX
- Sacho 10y ago
  This is also mirrored by many not-so-big javascript projects, i.e. see the adoption of https://github.com/lerna/lerna https://github.com/lerna/lerna
- aanm1988 10y ago
  > no-one is publicly admitting to using many small repos. Amazon. They built an entire system around managing versions so that they can make it work.
ska 10y ago
It would be naive to assume large companies always make the right decisions, which is why few people do that. However, when you see that a large company is doing something in a way that you thing is silly or strange, the logical thing to ask first is "what do they understand that I don't understand?". It won't always be the case, of course, but most of the time it will turn out you were missing something. Assuming off the bat that they are idiots and you know a better way is staggeringly naive.
- oz 10y ago
  >the logical thing to ask first is "what do they understand that I don't understand?". There's even a name for this: "Going from D to C - from disparagement to curiosity". I think I first heard it from @patio11.
  - ska 10y ago
    It isn't the snappiest label, but it does capture the idea well.
  - patio11 10y ago
    Doesn't sound like the way I would phrase the thought, so I checked: http://www.kalzumeus.com/2012/09/17/ramit-sethi-and-patrick-mckenzie-on-getting-your-first-consulting-client/ http://www.kalzumeus.com/2012/09/17/ramit-sethi-and-patrick-... <-- Ramit said it here, although I suspect it might be older.

CJefferson 10y ago

But, it seems all large companies (Facebook, Google, Microsoft) are using a mono-repo, and no-one is publicly admitting to using many small repos. If no company is using many small repos for truly massive projects, then it's hard to argue it would be a good idea. Could everyone who has looked at this problem make the wrong choice?

keithlfrost 10y ago
Note that Amazon is not on your list. They did not adopt the mono-repo approach. Their tools have their own advantages and disadvantages, to be sure, but mono-repo is not the only way.
- CJefferson 10y ago
  I hadn't heard about Amazon. That's good to know.
  - krallja 10y ago
    Read Steve Yegge's Google vs Amazon rant: it's amazing. https://plus.google.com/+RipRowan/posts/eVeouesvaVX https://plus.google.com/+RipRowan/posts/eVeouesvaVX
Sacho 10y ago
This is also mirrored by many not-so-big javascript projects, i.e. see the adoption of https://github.com/lerna/lerna https://github.com/lerna/lerna
aanm1988 10y ago
> no-one is publicly admitting to using many small repos. Amazon. They built an entire system around managing versions so that they can make it work.

ska 10y ago

It would be naive to assume large companies always make the right decisions, which is why few people do that. However, when you see that a large company is doing something in a way that you thing is silly or strange, the logical thing to ask first is "what do they understand that I don't understand?". It won't always be the case, of course, but most of the time it will turn out you were missing something. Assuming off the bat that they are idiots and you know a better way is staggeringly naive.

oz 10y ago
>the logical thing to ask first is "what do they understand that I don't understand?". There's even a name for this: "Going from D to C - from disparagement to curiosity". I think I first heard it from @patio11.
- ska 10y ago
  It isn't the snappiest label, but it does capture the idea well.
- patio11 10y ago
  Doesn't sound like the way I would phrase the thought, so I checked: http://www.kalzumeus.com/2012/09/17/ramit-sethi-and-patrick-mckenzie-on-getting-your-first-consulting-client/ http://www.kalzumeus.com/2012/09/17/ramit-sethi-and-patrick-... <-- Ramit said it here, although I suspect it might be older.