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> The availability of developers who know a language or tech isn't a limiting factor if you're willing to hire people and give them the time to learn. It is a

> The availability of developers who know a language or tech isn't a limiting factor if you're willing to hire people and give them the time to learn. It is a job satisfaction risk though. Just because a person is capable of learning a language or technology, it doesn’t mean that once they have learnt it they will find satisfaction in using it every day. Surely most people with a decent amount of experience has at least one language or technology they dislike? Only hiring people who have experience with the language or technology doesn’t just mean that they can be productive much sooner, it also means that you are selecting only the people who know they want to work with it every day whilst filtering out people who would end up disliking it.

onion2k 5y ago
it also means that you are selecting only the people who know they want to work with it every day whilst filtering out people who would end up disliking it Doesn't that imply that we all like the languages we use every day? I'm fairly sure that's not the case for a lot of developers. In fact, I'm certain loads would like the opportunity to use what they think is a 'better' language, but they can't because too few companies hire for it.
- JimDabell 5y ago
  If somebody is working with a language and applies for another job working with that language, then you have high confidence that they aren’t going to suddenly realise they dislike the language and therefore the job. If somebody hasn't worked with the language before, that confidence is not there at all. > I'm certain loads would like the opportunity to use what they think is a 'better' language Sure, but expectations and reality are not always in agreement. The grass is always greener on the other side, right? Those people might have a different opinion after working with the “better” language for a while.
- kodah 5y ago
  > Doesn't that imply that we all like the languages we use every day? Yes and no. I tolerate writing in Java, but for most applications I'm not a fan. I think what GP is alluding to is that developer ergonomics matter more than we give them mindshare for.

onion2k 5y ago

it also means that you are selecting only the people who know they want to work with it every day whilst filtering out people who would end up disliking it Doesn't that imply that we all like the languages we use every day? I'm fairly sure that's not the case for a lot of developers. In fact, I'm certain loads would like the opportunity to use what they think is a 'better' language, but they can't because too few companies hire for it.

JimDabell 5y ago
If somebody is working with a language and applies for another job working with that language, then you have high confidence that they aren’t going to suddenly realise they dislike the language and therefore the job. If somebody hasn't worked with the language before, that confidence is not there at all. > I'm certain loads would like the opportunity to use what they think is a 'better' language Sure, but expectations and reality are not always in agreement. The grass is always greener on the other side, right? Those people might have a different opinion after working with the “better” language for a while.
kodah 5y ago
> Doesn't that imply that we all like the languages we use every day? Yes and no. I tolerate writing in Java, but for most applications I'm not a fan. I think what GP is alluding to is that developer ergonomics matter more than we give them mindshare for.