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I enrolled my wife and I in a local Permaculture Design Course as part of a Christmas present (she got us into bees last year). Unlike most 2-week intensives, o

I enrolled my wife and I in a local Permaculture Design Course as part of a Christmas present (she got us into bees last year). Unlike most 2-week intensives, ours is taught every other weekend for about 3 months. I think many people here on HN would be interested in permaculture. There’s a lot of the same design and systems thinking that appeal to computer programmers. As noted by others, permaculture is also really into the hacker ethic. It scales up and down really nicely, and can fit into your urban, small apartment lifestyle, or your suburban backyard, small acreage, or even big farms. What it has me thinking about most, is what set of ethics and principles can/should I take to my practice as a software engineer. Permaculture is a design method based in a set of simple ethics, that lead to a set of basic principles, that help you select, adapt, and use various practices. Is there a “earth share, people share, fair share” set of ethics that could become the basis for how you solve tech problems? Is anyone familiar with an existing author or community that seeks to address this in tech? Would love references.

intrepidhero 7y ago
Cool idea! I think permaculture encourages us to think in terms of large scale systems like ecosystems and societies and in terms of small systems, like individuals and families, and consider the consequences of our actions in terms of whether they weaken those systems or whether they strengthen them. As a simple example: we all have to eat. But if I grow food (or eat food that was grown) using methods that deplete the soil of nutrients that action weakens the overall system. Permaculture principles would teach me that I should grow my food using methods that improve the soil it is grown in. Attempting to translate this into software engineering, suggests to me we should design systems and code with an eye towards the future. Our programs should be readable, maintainable and robust to unexpected input. They should make careful use of resources. They should be secure. We should realize the things we build are not going to exist in a vacuum but within an overall system (of the internet and society at large) and it is our goal to strengthen rather than to exploit that system. I'm just brainstorming here. Would love to hear more considered opinions and thoughts if anyone has them to share.
SuoDuanDao 7y ago
Not quite what you're asking, but on a tangential note, I've found the 12 principles can be adapted to almost any complex system. I had a decent amount of success applying them to my jiujitsu class, so there may be a way to employ them in tech as well.

intrepidhero 7y ago

Cool idea! I think permaculture encourages us to think in terms of large scale systems like ecosystems and societies and in terms of small systems, like individuals and families, and consider the consequences of our actions in terms of whether they weaken those systems or whether they strengthen them. As a simple example: we all have to eat. But if I grow food (or eat food that was grown) using methods that deplete the soil of nutrients that action weakens the overall system. Permaculture principles would teach me that I should grow my food using methods that improve the soil it is grown in. Attempting to translate this into software engineering, suggests to me we should design systems and code with an eye towards the future. Our programs should be readable, maintainable and robust to unexpected input. They should make careful use of resources. They should be secure. We should realize the things we build are not going to exist in a vacuum but within an overall system (of the internet and society at large) and it is our goal to strengthen rather than to exploit that system. I'm just brainstorming here. Would love to hear more considered opinions and thoughts if anyone has them to share.

SuoDuanDao 7y ago

Not quite what you're asking, but on a tangential note, I've found the 12 principles can be adapted to almost any complex system. I had a decent amount of success applying them to my jiujitsu class, so there may be a way to employ them in tech as well.