4 ms·

>> if people listened to me at the start of the project. The dream of all software developers.

by twervle 7y ago

arethuza 7y ago
That assumes that the problem is best solved by developing new software - which quite frequently isn't the case!
- clarry 7y ago
  That assumes software developers think the problem is best solved by developing new software - which quite frequently isn't the case! Oh how I wish we could stop reinventing this same stupid wheel badly. And change the "wants" framed as requirements into something more reasonable, so that we could get away developing less bumpy wheels, perhaps even use one off the shelf.
  - arethuza 7y ago
    Well, in my experience a lot of developers do generally see the world in terms of opportunities to develop new software. Edit: I don't think is a bad thing and I am prone to it myself !
    - reallydontask 7y ago
      I am very much in agreement with you. At my previous place, after several times where the wheel was re-invented I asked one of my senior guys what did he think he got paid for. Perhaps unsurprisingly the answer was to design features, write code, review code and advise support. Whether any of this delivered any value to the company was, seemingly neither here nor there and he'd held my position before I joined the company, so it's not like he never had to think about these things or at least he should've thought about those things but the code would testify that he hadn't. Sadly, this is pretty common
    - lmm 7y ago
      I do think it's a bad thing. In my experience the best developers are those who view new software as a last resort (or rather a second-last resort, with manual work being the last resort).
  - jimmaswell 7y ago
    > Oh how I wish we could stop reinventing this same stupid wheel badly. And change the "wants" framed as requirements into something more reasonable, so that we could get away developing less bumpy wheels, perhaps even use one off the shelf. We'd be out of many jobs if this happened.
    - clarry 7y ago
      We'd be out of many jobs if people started breaking windows. Or maybe that time & money could be spent on something else, it's not like we're running out of things to do.

>> if people listened to me at the start of the project. The dream of all software developers.

arethuza 7y ago

That assumes that the problem is best solved by developing new software - which quite frequently isn't the case!

clarry 7y ago
That assumes software developers think the problem is best solved by developing new software - which quite frequently isn't the case! Oh how I wish we could stop reinventing this same stupid wheel badly. And change the "wants" framed as requirements into something more reasonable, so that we could get away developing less bumpy wheels, perhaps even use one off the shelf.
- arethuza 7y ago
  Well, in my experience a lot of developers do generally see the world in terms of opportunities to develop new software. Edit: I don't think is a bad thing and I am prone to it myself !
  - reallydontask 7y ago
    I am very much in agreement with you. At my previous place, after several times where the wheel was re-invented I asked one of my senior guys what did he think he got paid for. Perhaps unsurprisingly the answer was to design features, write code, review code and advise support. Whether any of this delivered any value to the company was, seemingly neither here nor there and he'd held my position before I joined the company, so it's not like he never had to think about these things or at least he should've thought about those things but the code would testify that he hadn't. Sadly, this is pretty common
  - lmm 7y ago
    I do think it's a bad thing. In my experience the best developers are those who view new software as a last resort (or rather a second-last resort, with manual work being the last resort).
- jimmaswell 7y ago
  > Oh how I wish we could stop reinventing this same stupid wheel badly. And change the "wants" framed as requirements into something more reasonable, so that we could get away developing less bumpy wheels, perhaps even use one off the shelf. We'd be out of many jobs if this happened.
  - clarry 7y ago
    We'd be out of many jobs if people started breaking windows. Or maybe that time & money could be spent on something else, it's not like we're running out of things to do.