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Price is a function of supply and demand. I used to think programming was of exceptionally high value, like intelligence or life itself, because it could augme

Price is a function of supply and demand. I used to think programming was of exceptionally high value, like intelligence or life itself, because it could augment your intelligence, by making tools and components. But getting the right concept, ui, design, implementation, debugging and documentation is so much work that it's not worth it unless for a whole commununity, open-source, commercial or internal. I speak as having made a commercially successful tool (and many small personal tools and components). Perhaps all makers - from knappers to geometricians - have had this realization.

pydry 5y ago
Outside of commodity goods and services (which programming certainly is not) I don't think there is a straightforward relationship between supply, demand and price.
- bruce343434 5y ago
  programming is a service: to create a good (software) for a client (maybe your boss)
- vorpalhex 5y ago
  Any programming market, such as Austin, Texas, will see salary offers increase when demand increases more than supply. Unless you are actively renegotiating your pay every year you won't see this as an employed engineer.
antoniuschan99 5y ago
That can be said for any profession. Actors or Musicians still have to be supported by roadies, sound people, videographers, editors, etc. Programming is elevated because it automates and scales services that are in the past done by humans. It also spans across many different industries in that the one skill touches on many different parts of our lives. And also, like in the liquidity example he mentioned comparing to creating Korean food, is that technology is insanely accessible now (anything digital really). But also, compared to musicians and actors, they still need to be at a certain place to perform their work (as we saw in the past year online concerts never really panned out).
- hyperpallium2 5y ago
  Which part of my comment are you replying to? After "price", my main point was that tool makers can make tools, that help them make tools. e.g. metal workers, stoneage knappers (striking stones to shape a blade), wood workers, theorem and lemma makers (including geometry), etc.
  - antoniuschan99 5y ago
    The part where you mentioned getting the right concept, ui, design, implementation, debugging and documentation. Like any craft there's still a supporting cast of skills that helps drive the main function (eg. singers have sound engineers, ghostwriters to focus on the song to the audience, etc. Same with movie making there's the actor but a long supporting list of people around that movie)

pydry 5y ago

Outside of commodity goods and services (which programming certainly is not) I don't think there is a straightforward relationship between supply, demand and price.

bruce343434 5y ago
programming is a service: to create a good (software) for a client (maybe your boss)
vorpalhex 5y ago
Any programming market, such as Austin, Texas, will see salary offers increase when demand increases more than supply. Unless you are actively renegotiating your pay every year you won't see this as an employed engineer.

antoniuschan99 5y ago

That can be said for any profession. Actors or Musicians still have to be supported by roadies, sound people, videographers, editors, etc. Programming is elevated because it automates and scales services that are in the past done by humans. It also spans across many different industries in that the one skill touches on many different parts of our lives. And also, like in the liquidity example he mentioned comparing to creating Korean food, is that technology is insanely accessible now (anything digital really). But also, compared to musicians and actors, they still need to be at a certain place to perform their work (as we saw in the past year online concerts never really panned out).

hyperpallium2 5y ago
Which part of my comment are you replying to? After "price", my main point was that tool makers can make tools, that help them make tools. e.g. metal workers, stoneage knappers (striking stones to shape a blade), wood workers, theorem and lemma makers (including geometry), etc.
- antoniuschan99 5y ago
  The part where you mentioned getting the right concept, ui, design, implementation, debugging and documentation. Like any craft there's still a supporting cast of skills that helps drive the main function (eg. singers have sound engineers, ghostwriters to focus on the song to the audience, etc. Same with movie making there's the actor but a long supporting list of people around that movie)