3 ms·

Abstraction is necessary to deal with things at scale, on a programming focused site i think we all know that and know that often the trade off is inefficiency.

by tayo42 5y ago

Abstraction is necessary to deal with things at scale, on a programming focused site i think we all know that and know that often the trade off is inefficiency. Its probably to expensive to track all these peoples real value and really it doesn't even matter. What was the consequence of all these supposedly valuable people leaving? Did the stock drop after the guy saving millions a year left? Probably some pointless project was delayed that would have been delayed anyway. We are nothing but cogs in a machine that doesn't care about the cogs. I think you'll just drive your self crazy worrying about corporate waste and monetary inefficiency (environmental might be the only thing worth thinking about). There always going to be waste and there's no awards when its fixed. I used to be concerned about money being wasted, but now, IDK why I cared in the first place. Its not my money and I don't get any of it.

AnthonyMouse 5y ago
This depends entirely on what you're doing. If you're at some adtech company where the entire point of the advertising is to cancel out some competitor's advertising and you're only there for the paycheck, efficiency is irrelevant because the company could be destroyed by a giant meteor and nobody else in the entire would would have any reason to care. But not all jobs are like that. Some people make medical devices that save lives. If the company is inefficient, they don't save as many lives, and that matters. Some people are in charge of making loans to people or selling legally mandated insurance and the rate the customers pay has a significant effect on their economic well-being. Some jobs are in the production of food and the work impacts the quality and price of food. Some companies make fire suppression systems or automobiles or industrial equipment, and it needs to be safe without being unaffordable. Not all jobs are an exercise in futility.
yjftsjthsd-h 5y ago
> Abstraction is necessary to deal with things at scale, on a programming focused site i think we all know that and know that often the trade off is inefficiency. We also all know that abstractions leak, and sometimes... Not always! But sometimes, those leaks will kill you. CPU details are irrelevant, until per-opcode details give you a 10x speedup. Compilers are a magic black box, until a compiler bug breaks your code. Hardware is cheap, until someone notices a way to save millions by caring. And yes, sometimes developers are interchangeable, until they make or break the company.
civilized 5y ago
Today I worked with Company B, founded by former workers in Company A who were sick of Company A's dishonest, high-pressure, customer-hostile sales tactics (which I personally experienced). The guys who left Company A didn't stop Company A from continuing to be the #1 provider of widgets (for now). I'm sure the Company A stock price didn't care. I'm still very glad I get to work with Company B rather than Company A. There is still such a thing as honor among men.

by tayo42 5y ago

AnthonyMouse 5y ago

This depends entirely on what you're doing. If you're at some adtech company where the entire point of the advertising is to cancel out some competitor's advertising and you're only there for the paycheck, efficiency is irrelevant because the company could be destroyed by a giant meteor and nobody else in the entire would would have any reason to care. But not all jobs are like that. Some people make medical devices that save lives. If the company is inefficient, they don't save as many lives, and that matters. Some people are in charge of making loans to people or selling legally mandated insurance and the rate the customers pay has a significant effect on their economic well-being. Some jobs are in the production of food and the work impacts the quality and price of food. Some companies make fire suppression systems or automobiles or industrial equipment, and it needs to be safe without being unaffordable. Not all jobs are an exercise in futility.

yjftsjthsd-h 5y ago

> Abstraction is necessary to deal with things at scale, on a programming focused site i think we all know that and know that often the trade off is inefficiency. We also all know that abstractions leak, and sometimes... Not always! But sometimes, those leaks will kill you. CPU details are irrelevant, until per-opcode details give you a 10x speedup. Compilers are a magic black box, until a compiler bug breaks your code. Hardware is cheap, until someone notices a way to save millions by caring. And yes, sometimes developers are interchangeable, until they make or break the company.

civilized 5y ago

Today I worked with Company B, founded by former workers in Company A who were sick of Company A's dishonest, high-pressure, customer-hostile sales tactics (which I personally experienced). The guys who left Company A didn't stop Company A from continuing to be the #1 provider of widgets (for now). I'm sure the Company A stock price didn't care. I'm still very glad I get to work with Company B rather than Company A. There is still such a thing as honor among men.