2 ms·
>The time scales are completely different: that HN feature that is schedule a week of dev time is incomparable to that probe feature that is scheduled years of
by jolux 9y ago
>The time scales are completely different: that HN feature that is schedule a week of dev time is incomparable to that probe feature that is scheduled years of dev time even if the amount of code involved is the same.
You missed the point though. Whether it takes you five minutes to code the feature or fifty years, you're still doing math. The so-called "engineering" principles might change, with regards to division of labor and so on, but the underlying science/math you're dealing with doesn't significantly.
- snovv_crash 9y agoAnd this is the difference between math and engineering: in engineering you just have to be close enough to perfect that it doesn't break in the real world. It can never be absolutely perfect, because that would be either physically impossible or too expensive. This is true for mechanical, civil, chemical, and yes, software engineering. In engineering the time it takes to implement the design/proof/code/output is one of the constraints. In math this constraint is ignored.
- seanmcdirmid 9y agoHow are you "doing math"? Math might be involved in the feature, but many features just require lots of pattern matching and decision making. Maybe for some vaguely definite non-specific definition of meth that also encompasses most of human thinking this is true, but I fail to see how that is useful.