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How are you going to sell unpredictable software to a customer, and if you do manage that, how are you going to keep that customer without maintainable software
by aeternum 6y ago
How are you going to sell unpredictable software to a customer, and if you do manage that, how are you going to keep that customer without maintainable software?
- kthejoker2 6y agoAsk Facebook? "Move fast and break things" is in a literal sense orthogonal to predictable, maintainable software. If you are adding value and focusing on your customer's needs, they will put up with a little more unpredictability and extra maintenance. Again, you should really read that article, it says it better than I can summarize in an HN comment. Part of its definition of value is that you're addressing unmet need at a rate higher than you are introducing chaos. So the levels of predictability and maintenance in your software are tradeoffs of other ways to add value (insert "always has been" meme here). They are neither necessary nor sufficient for delivering value.
- aeternum 6y agoFacebook changed that in 2014 because it didn't work.
- patmorgan23 6y agoThey didn't say anything about unpredictable software. There are things you can do to systemize the software development process but if you go too far you reduce the ability of your programmers to find the optimal solutions. Creating and managing complex systems is an art.