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Inside humor is a kernel of truth, and in the subtle washed-out humor of this article I think the kernel of truth is that people WANT tools that they can use fr

by dzdt 5y ago

Inside humor is a kernel of truth, and in the subtle washed-out humor of this article I think the kernel of truth is that people WANT tools that they can use from childhood to old age. Tools that will remain constant. Tools that can serve a variety of purposes. Tools that will be familiar even as the world changes. This is a challenge for software development. We are reaching the point now where there are tools like Microsoft Word which have been available with recognizable continuity for 30+ years. But even it isn't clear the right business model for software which is intended for a decades-lasting long term stable release. Is it the Office 365 subscription? Copyleft open source?

bitwize 5y ago
> I think the kernel of truth is that people WANT tools that they can use from childhood to old age. Tools that will remain constant. Tools that can serve a variety of purposes. Tools that will be familiar even as the world changes. People say they want tools like that... then whinge when said tools don't keep in lockstep with current-year UI fads. The example I think of is Emacs. It works more or less the way it did when I became an Emacs user over 25 years ago, with vastly improved functionality, and it's worked that way since long before I started using it. And yet Hackernews, Reddit, and the Emacs mailing lists themselves are awash with people whose only contribution is to declare that Emacs will die unless it is completely overhauled and to look and behave exactly like the poster's favorite current-year IDE. Which was Eclipse 20 years ago, Sublime Text or JetBrains 10 years ago, and VSCode today. Those other tools come and go, but Emacs is forever. Well, that is, until a successful campaign is launched to convince the world that its current UI is racist, misogynist, ableist, or otherwise harms some marginalized group, and the Emacs maintainership is disbanded and replaced with leaders more respectful of modern ESG guidelines.
- ogogmad 5y ago
  Emacs is criticised for its very steep learning curve, not just for being different.
  - frosted-flakes 5y ago
    (Shallow learning curve. A steep learning curve means you acquire proficiency quickly—imagine a graph of proficiency over time.)
    - ogogmad 5y ago
      Interesting: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Learning_curve https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Learning_curve The common expression "a steep learning curve" is a misnomer suggesting that an activity is difficult to learn and that expending much effort does not increase proficiency by much, although a learning curve with a steep start actually represents rapid progress. I originally said "high learning curve", but I started wondering what it meant for a curve to be "high". I then looked up the "correct" expression -- and copied it because it was a common usage -- but found it confusing for the reason you said. The confusion might come from climbing a steep hill: It's tiring.
    - vba616 5y ago
      Why can't I put time on the Y axis?
      - frosted-flakes 5y ago
        You can—but that would be unusual.
scollet 5y ago
I would personally replace "Tools" with "Cognitive models". A hammer and a nail gun really don't differ all that much when your task is binding wood.
- lapsed_pacifist 5y ago
  As someone in the trades, I really disagree. Most applications that require a hammer could not be accomplished with a nail gun. Nail guns are great for attaching thin materials over thicker materials, like putting MDX onto a frame or attaching roofing materials. You don't generally frame with a nail gun because you want to use larger and heavier nails driven a lot deeper. For very light or precision work on finished surfaces you go back to the hammer because it reduces the chance of scuffing or marking on the surface. "Binding wood" is much more nuanced than you make it seem.
  - mauvehaus 5y ago
    Oh man, if you haven't seen "Reality Contains a Surprising Amount of Detail", prepare to be delighted. Also: I thought there were framing nailers that fire larger coated sinkers like you'd drive with a hammer? When are those appropriate, and when should nailing framing be done by hand?
    - frosted-flakes 5y ago
      No one hammers framing nails by hand anymore, except occasionally. The framing nailer has completely taken over. There are even very good cordless framing nailers now, so no dragging an air hose behind you everywhere you go.
      - lapsed_pacifist 5y ago
        It's been a few years since I did any framing, so I could be wrong about the current state of the industry.
  - ZephyrP 5y ago
Steltek 5y ago
What analogy are you going for? Screwdrivers? Hammers? Even those haven't stayed the same. While I still have the old reliable Craftsman flat blade, I also have a very nice Wera bit driver and a box full of Torx screws. Drills have gone from corded-only to brushless lithium. You could tell me that I could stick to old tools but then I'm going to throw your drill chuck key into the lawn.

by dzdt 5y ago

bitwize 5y ago

> I think the kernel of truth is that people WANT tools that they can use from childhood to old age. Tools that will remain constant. Tools that can serve a variety of purposes. Tools that will be familiar even as the world changes. People say they want tools like that... then whinge when said tools don't keep in lockstep with current-year UI fads. The example I think of is Emacs. It works more or less the way it did when I became an Emacs user over 25 years ago, with vastly improved functionality, and it's worked that way since long before I started using it. And yet Hackernews, Reddit, and the Emacs mailing lists themselves are awash with people whose only contribution is to declare that Emacs will die unless it is completely overhauled and to look and behave exactly like the poster's favorite current-year IDE. Which was Eclipse 20 years ago, Sublime Text or JetBrains 10 years ago, and VSCode today. Those other tools come and go, but Emacs is forever. Well, that is, until a successful campaign is launched to convince the world that its current UI is racist, misogynist, ableist, or otherwise harms some marginalized group, and the Emacs maintainership is disbanded and replaced with leaders more respectful of modern ESG guidelines.

ogogmad 5y ago
Emacs is criticised for its very steep learning curve, not just for being different.
- frosted-flakes 5y ago
  (Shallow learning curve. A steep learning curve means you acquire proficiency quickly—imagine a graph of proficiency over time.)
  - ogogmad 5y ago
    Interesting: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Learning_curve https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Learning_curve The common expression "a steep learning curve" is a misnomer suggesting that an activity is difficult to learn and that expending much effort does not increase proficiency by much, although a learning curve with a steep start actually represents rapid progress. I originally said "high learning curve", but I started wondering what it meant for a curve to be "high". I then looked up the "correct" expression -- and copied it because it was a common usage -- but found it confusing for the reason you said. The confusion might come from climbing a steep hill: It's tiring.
  - vba616 5y ago
    Why can't I put time on the Y axis?
    - frosted-flakes 5y ago
      You can—but that would be unusual.

scollet 5y ago

I would personally replace "Tools" with "Cognitive models". A hammer and a nail gun really don't differ all that much when your task is binding wood.

lapsed_pacifist 5y ago
As someone in the trades, I really disagree. Most applications that require a hammer could not be accomplished with a nail gun. Nail guns are great for attaching thin materials over thicker materials, like putting MDX onto a frame or attaching roofing materials. You don't generally frame with a nail gun because you want to use larger and heavier nails driven a lot deeper. For very light or precision work on finished surfaces you go back to the hammer because it reduces the chance of scuffing or marking on the surface. "Binding wood" is much more nuanced than you make it seem.
- mauvehaus 5y ago
  Oh man, if you haven't seen "Reality Contains a Surprising Amount of Detail", prepare to be delighted. Also: I thought there were framing nailers that fire larger coated sinkers like you'd drive with a hammer? When are those appropriate, and when should nailing framing be done by hand?
  - frosted-flakes 5y ago
    No one hammers framing nails by hand anymore, except occasionally. The framing nailer has completely taken over. There are even very good cordless framing nailers now, so no dragging an air hose behind you everywhere you go.
    - lapsed_pacifist 5y ago
      It's been a few years since I did any framing, so I could be wrong about the current state of the industry.
- ZephyrP 5y ago

Steltek 5y ago

What analogy are you going for? Screwdrivers? Hammers? Even those haven't stayed the same. While I still have the old reliable Craftsman flat blade, I also have a very nice Wera bit driver and a box full of Torx screws. Drills have gone from corded-only to brushless lithium. You could tell me that I could stick to old tools but then I'm going to throw your drill chuck key into the lawn.