"Allied trades" widened to any people who willing/capable of programming some and "internal tools" (a) overlap in interesting way and (b) are still generally un

"Allied trades" widened to any people who willing/capable of programming some and "internal tools" (a) overlap in interesting way and (b) are still generally underserved and hence not programming enough, IMO. In some sense, programmers with no knowledge or interest in the work that's flowing through a workflow they are formalizing as a program... it's a lot like managers with no knowledge or interest in the work they're managing. In both cases the knowledge is not with the decision maker and the tools and an accumulation of small but many & frustrating mistakes is inevitable. Think of all the "understand your customer" and "build for yourself" advice, it's because insider, specialist knowledge and programming ability have to get together someplace and the advice wants to make it happen inside the programmers head. Well... there's another head this could take place in.