3 ms·

> Because farmers depend heavily on software engineers to create and maintain highly complex software for their automated GPS navigated tractors. Yes, farmers

by xracy 5y ago

> Because farmers depend heavily on software engineers to create and maintain highly complex software for their automated GPS navigated tractors. Yes, farmers need Software engineers to make complex GPS software, which is why we didn't have farmers until after software engineers became a profession. Before software engineers made gps for tractors we were all hunter-gatherers. The first part of your comment is so absurd I legitimately can't tell if you're serious.

slt2021 5y ago
By farmers I was referring to modern farmers. You can certainly do farming in early 19/20th century style with horses instead of tractors, but let me know how that would work for farmer’s profit&loss
- xracy 5y ago
  In spite of stating my point, you're still missing it. Nothing Software Engineers are selling to farmers is necessary to do farming. I don't even have to go back that far to make this case. You don't need tractors with GPS on them to farm, because people in the 1960s had tractors without GPS. GPS might make things slightly easier, but it's not changing enough to justify the difference in salary between someone who does work that literally feeds the entire population of a country, and someone who tracks your location. One of those things is absolutely critical to survival, and the other might occasionally be helpful. It's the difference between a 'need' and a 'want'. I need food to survive, I want an app that can give me directions to an address.
  - slt2021 5y ago
    You are mistaken, market forces such as supply and demand already account for things like need and want. Thats why there is global demand for food and farmers can raise prices if fuel cost increase and still sell their crop. And not everyone needs farmers believe me, especially overpaid american farmers. Food can be imported dirt cheap from other countries. The short explanation is supply&demand dictates wage, big supply of farmer labor in an increasingly automated agriculture + low supply of IT labor doing that automation dictates pricing.
    - xracy 5y ago
      "When the last tree has been cut down, the last fish caught, the last river poisoned, only then will we realize that one cannot eat money." - Attributed as Cree Indian Proverb.

by xracy 5y ago

slt2021 5y ago

By farmers I was referring to modern farmers. You can certainly do farming in early 19/20th century style with horses instead of tractors, but let me know how that would work for farmer’s profit&loss

xracy 5y ago
In spite of stating my point, you're still missing it. Nothing Software Engineers are selling to farmers is necessary to do farming. I don't even have to go back that far to make this case. You don't need tractors with GPS on them to farm, because people in the 1960s had tractors without GPS. GPS might make things slightly easier, but it's not changing enough to justify the difference in salary between someone who does work that literally feeds the entire population of a country, and someone who tracks your location. One of those things is absolutely critical to survival, and the other might occasionally be helpful. It's the difference between a 'need' and a 'want'. I need food to survive, I want an app that can give me directions to an address.
- slt2021 5y ago
  You are mistaken, market forces such as supply and demand already account for things like need and want. Thats why there is global demand for food and farmers can raise prices if fuel cost increase and still sell their crop. And not everyone needs farmers believe me, especially overpaid american farmers. Food can be imported dirt cheap from other countries. The short explanation is supply&demand dictates wage, big supply of farmer labor in an increasingly automated agriculture + low supply of IT labor doing that automation dictates pricing.
  - xracy 5y ago
    "When the last tree has been cut down, the last fish caught, the last river poisoned, only then will we realize that one cannot eat money." - Attributed as Cree Indian Proverb.