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DBs might not be glamorous but I'm sure there are many very interesting problems to solve when developing them. Of course on such a large, old project there's g

by simias 8y ago

DBs might not be glamorous but I'm sure there are many very interesting problems to solve when developing them. Of course on such a large, old project there's got to be a lot of tedious maintenance work as well, but that's true for all software in my experience. It's often a conversation I have with people looking to get into software development. Often they'll aim for video games or something like that but I often warn them that it might not be nearly as cool as they imagine. You're more likely to end up scripting crappy menu systems than being the next Carmack. On the other hand some of the most interesting pieces of software I've written were for very unsexy industrial applications. And I actually have good working conditions unlike people working in the videogame industry apparently.

pizza234 8y ago
Often they'll aim for video games or something like that but I often warn them that it might not be nearly as cool as they imagine. You're more likely to end up scripting crappy menu systems than being the next Carmack. Interestingly, Carmack himself said if he wouldn't write videogames, he would work on databases. I can't find the exact quote, but here's a similar reference: I enjoy lots of different areas of it [programming]... I'm taking a great deal of enjoyment writing device drivers for Linux. I could also be having a good time writing a database manager or something because there are always interesting problems.
- Twisell 8y ago
  And I recently had mindblowing moment when I realized that Civilization VI is heavily SQL based. I didn’t have time to dive into it but the Graphical UI is basically an interface to visualize and update a database. Seems afterwards quite logical and clever considering the turn based gameplay.
  - abledon 8y ago
    Now just design a civ style game with sql command-line interface but fancy autocomplete bright warcarft3 colors and a fun storyline . Have a generation of gamers learn sql

by simias 8y ago

pizza234 8y ago

Often they'll aim for video games or something like that but I often warn them that it might not be nearly as cool as they imagine. You're more likely to end up scripting crappy menu systems than being the next Carmack. Interestingly, Carmack himself said if he wouldn't write videogames, he would work on databases. I can't find the exact quote, but here's a similar reference: I enjoy lots of different areas of it [programming]... I'm taking a great deal of enjoyment writing device drivers for Linux. I could also be having a good time writing a database manager or something because there are always interesting problems.

Twisell 8y ago
And I recently had mindblowing moment when I realized that Civilization VI is heavily SQL based. I didn’t have time to dive into it but the Graphical UI is basically an interface to visualize and update a database. Seems afterwards quite logical and clever considering the turn based gameplay.
- abledon 8y ago
  Now just design a civ style game with sql command-line interface but fancy autocomplete bright warcarft3 colors and a fun storyline . Have a generation of gamers learn sql