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While I agree with some of your arguments, I think your main mistake is calling it "factory" work - because IMO it isn't a valid analogy (and analogies are powe

While I agree with some of your arguments, I think your main mistake is calling it "factory" work - because IMO it isn't a valid analogy (and analogies are powerful! :) ). "Factory" work implies a far more constrained and monotone environment. Craft work is more apt, I think. I mean, to illustrate: Most of the work might be seen as just connecting pipes, but I'll be damned if a highly skilled and experienced plumber isn't worth their weight in gold. :)

StillBored 6y ago
Your right, I should have been clearer, both factory and craft imply the wrong thing IMHO. I think a better term would have been "skilled". Like the bricklayer, or plumber you don't want "creative" so much as reproducible quality which comes from experience. So in that regard craftsman is partially right too. Traditional factory work OTOH had painters, machinist, welders, etc. All of which were highly skilled labor, but their jobs like a blacksmith making nails or plumber brazing pipe frequently were just repetitive application of that skill. One might even say that these painting reproduction shops are in this camp as well despite being "art". So its the same with software, yes you have a framework, but the act of building out forms using that framework to CRUD up some data somewhere is frequently quite repetitive despite differing colors and button placement.