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> I also thought (naïvely, the historical record has shown so far) that RSpec wasn’t going to be the only lasting contribution I made to the software industry a

> I also thought (naïvely, the historical record has shown so far) that RSpec wasn’t going to be the only lasting contribution I made to the software industry as a whole. I was insistent, in 2007, that I wasn’t going to be a One Trick Pony. I still like to hope that I have many tricks left in me, but I’m less confident that I will be able to move the needle again in a similar way. I’ll be honest: this fact has caused me a lot of sadness over the years. It's humbling to see the creator of a widely used and loved library express these vulnerable - and relatable - thoughts. Thank you for RSpec and all that you do, Steven. It changed so many people's lives for the better. We all do what we can.

barrkel 5y ago
Impact is really about being in the right place at the right time with the right skills. If you don't have the skill to find another place and time - and it is a different, distinct skill which can depend on social and economic capital for the search - the one chance may be all you get. It doesn't necessarily speak to your capability or lack of it. For most of us, it's luck.
- bombcar 5y ago
  Someone like Linus being directly involved in TWO major projects is a rarity - most never even get to be involved in one. And it’s not for lack of skill or even ideas - often it’s time combined with luck.
- srbaker 5y ago
  Absolutely. I got lucky with RSpec. I was doing the thing that was needed at the time. The thing that causes me a lot of angst is that I used to feel like I was "on the frontier." Skating to where the puck is going. These days? I am confused by where the puck ends up, and am left scratching my head. They say "luck is the intersection of preparation and opportunity." As a straight white dude, opportunity is not my problem. But I increasingly find myself being ill-prepared for the weird places this industry is going. :/
srbaker 5y ago
Thank you. This is what I'd hoped would be (at least partly) the reception of this.
- Justsignedup 5y ago
  Been using RSpec for so many years. Also I still remembering picking jobs on their philosophy over testing. Today what we take for granted that testing is the solution to so many problems, yet in the past I had to have great lengthy debates over if testing has any value whatsoever. You were on the forefront of that battle. And thank you.

barrkel 5y ago

Impact is really about being in the right place at the right time with the right skills. If you don't have the skill to find another place and time - and it is a different, distinct skill which can depend on social and economic capital for the search - the one chance may be all you get. It doesn't necessarily speak to your capability or lack of it. For most of us, it's luck.

bombcar 5y ago
Someone like Linus being directly involved in TWO major projects is a rarity - most never even get to be involved in one. And it’s not for lack of skill or even ideas - often it’s time combined with luck.
srbaker 5y ago
Absolutely. I got lucky with RSpec. I was doing the thing that was needed at the time. The thing that causes me a lot of angst is that I used to feel like I was "on the frontier." Skating to where the puck is going. These days? I am confused by where the puck ends up, and am left scratching my head. They say "luck is the intersection of preparation and opportunity." As a straight white dude, opportunity is not my problem. But I increasingly find myself being ill-prepared for the weird places this industry is going. :/

srbaker 5y ago

Thank you. This is what I'd hoped would be (at least partly) the reception of this.

Justsignedup 5y ago
Been using RSpec for so many years. Also I still remembering picking jobs on their philosophy over testing. Today what we take for granted that testing is the solution to so many problems, yet in the past I had to have great lengthy debates over if testing has any value whatsoever. You were on the forefront of that battle. And thank you.