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The vast, vast majority of software written is done at neither a startup struggling for survival nor a tech giant monopoly.

by gundmc 6y ago

6510 6y ago
If it moves fast and breaks things get rid of it asap.
- cvs268 6y ago
  (like a 10year old kid) ...encourage it to "grow-up" and mature.
dgb23 6y ago
I agree. I guess most of us, me included do client/project based work im some form. But the problem is still there, just in a different way: it is hard to convince people to pay extra for invisible results. Robustness, security, maintenance are often only visible some time after the initial proposal. So it becomes an issue of trust and communication rather than engineering.
bryanlarsen 6y ago
The vast majority of software is written at non-software companies. Software there is a cost centre and not a core competency, so craftsmanship is not valued there either.
- noir_lord 6y ago
  Welcome to my life, it pays well but the rewards aren’t in the work of writing software, I like mentoring though so it’s not all negative.
- dcposch 6y ago
  Imagine if buildings were bought by people who'd only ever see them from the outside. No inspection. They don't even see the plans, just an exterior render before they greenlight. Imagine how dysfunctional architecture and construction would be in that world. Software is uniquely intangible. Collectively we spend billions developing software every year, but often the decision maker never sees the codebase, only the UI. And you're right, the problem is multiplied at companies that consider software a cost. This is why projects like Jepsen are so powerful. Or Acid3 back in the day. They let a non-technical audience see the underlying implementation quality of different software efforts. We need a lot more where those two came from. Basic example. Why can't I go to any app in the app store and see the average hours between crashes? Software craftsmanship will suck until we make it visible.

The vast, vast majority of software written is done at neither a startup struggling for survival nor a tech giant monopoly.

by gundmc 6y ago

The vast, vast majority of software written is done at neither a startup struggling for survival nor a tech giant monopoly.

6510 6y ago

If it moves fast and breaks things get rid of it asap.

cvs268 6y ago
(like a 10year old kid) ...encourage it to "grow-up" and mature.

dgb23 6y ago

I agree. I guess most of us, me included do client/project based work im some form. But the problem is still there, just in a different way: it is hard to convince people to pay extra for invisible results. Robustness, security, maintenance are often only visible some time after the initial proposal. So it becomes an issue of trust and communication rather than engineering.

bryanlarsen 6y ago

The vast majority of software is written at non-software companies. Software there is a cost centre and not a core competency, so craftsmanship is not valued there either.

noir_lord 6y ago
Welcome to my life, it pays well but the rewards aren’t in the work of writing software, I like mentoring though so it’s not all negative.
dcposch 6y ago
Imagine if buildings were bought by people who'd only ever see them from the outside. No inspection. They don't even see the plans, just an exterior render before they greenlight. Imagine how dysfunctional architecture and construction would be in that world. Software is uniquely intangible. Collectively we spend billions developing software every year, but often the decision maker never sees the codebase, only the UI. And you're right, the problem is multiplied at companies that consider software a cost. This is why projects like Jepsen are so powerful. Or Acid3 back in the day. They let a non-technical audience see the underlying implementation quality of different software efforts. We need a lot more where those two came from. Basic example. Why can't I go to any app in the app store and see the average hours between crashes? Software craftsmanship will suck until we make it visible.