3 ms·
Summary: Software has no glitches, they are just there (and users are accustomed to them) because the process and the organisation around the software is not sa
by mtrn 16y ago
Summary: Software has no glitches, they are just there (and users are accustomed to them) because the process and the organisation around the software is not sane.
I share the pessimism - I've seen such things even in the smaller scale.
CS grads come to the interview (for a thesis) and say, well I'll design the system and write a spec, but I won't touch code (meaning I don't know what, maybe 'I'm no idiot' or the like).
I saw a PhD design a knowledge representation system and asking me (no PhD) where is the button in eclipse to run the code - ten lines of an API example from the docs (give me teh codez, eh?).
And I just learned that the official software development model for Germany's federal institutions is a modified V-model: I counted around 30-40 steps (excluding the artifacts) and just one read: "Coding the system". I laughed from the heart. Now imagine replacing this step with "Go for a walk" and the whole project, well, what would it be? Failed? Incomplete? I don't know.
In short: Organisations, as Nietzsche put it, are much more childish and immature as individuals. (Corporate) software development as a relatively new engineering discipline will have long years of struggle to come. Keep your heads up (and sane)!