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That's the job. A business software developer's job is to help the people you described overcome those problems. Some have more money than others. Some are s

That's the job. A business software developer's job is to help the people you described overcome those problems. Some have more money than others. Some are smarter than others. Some are better people than others. But ultimately, that's the job.

ClownWorms 7y ago
I would rather just sit back, focus on nice code (even if it is not useful) and let my company bill. I work for a contractor that does government agency work so the longer we can't figure it out, the longer I get paid an absurd amount.
joe_the_user 7y ago
Yep, That's the job, it's a huge job taken a whole and to do that job, a variety of systems have arisen; object orientation, functional programming, agile process, etc, etc. All of these tools for helping to decrease complexity. And professions are generally studying at least some of these to "up their chops", so to speak. The thing is, I think the GP was responding to the OP's headline "customers do not ask for software complexity". And the thing is, of course customers ask for a variety things that imply complexity. And, unlike what the OP's discussion, the particular soft approaches that been partly, however much, successful in preventing customer demands from spiraling into unmanageable complex have been ways of dealing with discreet, defined, parts of the development process. The problem with the OP, the article, is that it's a panacea, a vague and general call to make complexity unnecessary with either only a vague explanation of how to do this or an explanation hidden under several layers of rhetoric. "But designing simple software solutions is not simple and requires good principles along with solid experience." I could substitute "supply chains" or "aerospace solutions" and have something plausible sound though I know little about these. Which is to say I don't see OP offering things to make my job (or my former job) easier.
- PaulDavisThe1st 7y ago
  > And the thing is, of course customers ask for a variety things that imply complexity. That's a claim one could make. If you're going to make it, you need to be ready to defend it. "A implies B" is typically not the case in the sense of "gravity causes objects to fall towards the ground".
stupidcar 7y ago
Nobody's questioning whether it's "the job". The point of contention is whether the job can always be done without writing complex software. And the answer is no.
- corpMaverick 7y ago
  It sounds to me that the list of things make the software difficult to make, not complex. We add a lot of complexity by the technical choices we make. See accidental complexity vs essential complexity.

ClownWorms 7y ago

I would rather just sit back, focus on nice code (even if it is not useful) and let my company bill. I work for a contractor that does government agency work so the longer we can't figure it out, the longer I get paid an absurd amount.

joe_the_user 7y ago

Yep, That's the job, it's a huge job taken a whole and to do that job, a variety of systems have arisen; object orientation, functional programming, agile process, etc, etc. All of these tools for helping to decrease complexity. And professions are generally studying at least some of these to "up their chops", so to speak. The thing is, I think the GP was responding to the OP's headline "customers do not ask for software complexity". And the thing is, of course customers ask for a variety things that imply complexity. And, unlike what the OP's discussion, the particular soft approaches that been partly, however much, successful in preventing customer demands from spiraling into unmanageable complex have been ways of dealing with discreet, defined, parts of the development process. The problem with the OP, the article, is that it's a panacea, a vague and general call to make complexity unnecessary with either only a vague explanation of how to do this or an explanation hidden under several layers of rhetoric. "But designing simple software solutions is not simple and requires good principles along with solid experience." I could substitute "supply chains" or "aerospace solutions" and have something plausible sound though I know little about these. Which is to say I don't see OP offering things to make my job (or my former job) easier.

PaulDavisThe1st 7y ago
> And the thing is, of course customers ask for a variety things that imply complexity. That's a claim one could make. If you're going to make it, you need to be ready to defend it. "A implies B" is typically not the case in the sense of "gravity causes objects to fall towards the ground".

stupidcar 7y ago

Nobody's questioning whether it's "the job". The point of contention is whether the job can always be done without writing complex software. And the answer is no.

corpMaverick 7y ago
It sounds to me that the list of things make the software difficult to make, not complex. We add a lot of complexity by the technical choices we make. See accidental complexity vs essential complexity.