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We seem to be an industry with a severe lack of professionalism. We fail to manage risk, we neglect security, we rarely know we are regulated and we hold an ai
by marichards 9y ago
We seem to be an industry with a severe lack of professionalism.
We fail to manage risk, we neglect security, we rarely know we are regulated and we hold an air of contempt about the idea of being asked to pay for our failings like any other industry (car manufacturer, drugs, etc). It's too hard to make perfect software, but really easy to make everything else?
The list goes on... We have made huge innovations and made real impacts, but we largely aren't doing it safely or respectfully and our attitude to privacy is horrifying.
You might think you are okay, but look around you: look at the security of how you deploy, the missing tests, the broken accessibility, the trove of user data in your company, the code maintainability strategy, the lip service paid to copyright, the sheer number of hacks, etc. There are many who would like things to improve and many who challenge the norm, but that challenge will never be formalised until we lead from professional bodies spearheading how we should do things, rather than corporate bodies and celebrities pushing their agenda.
- KJBweb 9y ago/thread
- borplk 9y agoYou could also say that the observations that you point out is simply the outcome of economic forces at play. That degree of professionalism is not rewarded enough. Or the lack of it is not punished. So from the perspective of a business person, why go chase more burdens when you can hack together some polished turd on top of mostly free tools and sell it for millions? I guess this is embedded in the last part of the parent comment.
- open_bear 9y agoWhat makes it worse is that programmers don't have an ethical code, akin to what engineers and doctors have. CEO says we need to track every user? Sure, boss! Show invasive ads up every user's orifice? Can do! Ship it, who cares if we wipe out some poor bloke's photos. And as long as programmers have very big salaries (compared to the rest) and are in demand - they have no incentive to organize and fight for their rights and rights to not do unethical things.
- deleted 9y ago[deleted]