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I think what the author says is true. The mass of digital workers use older, established and unfashionable technology, and are neither vocal nor particularly cu

I think what the author says is true. The mass of digital workers use older, established and unfashionable technology, and are neither vocal nor particularly curious about the work. But there's an implication of moral purity at play. Are those who just quietly "mind their own business" a good, wholesome but misrepresented group? On the contrary, I think that in matters with far reaching consequences, which computing is, silent majorities are the problem. Unreflectively going along with the programme becomes a kind of passive negligence which should not be lionised in a folksy way.

ThinkBeat 4y ago
The insane race to adopt any fad to be cool, is a mindset I find far worse morally than using tried and true tools. It enhances risk. The latest tool language and/or framework is uncharted territory A tried-and-true solution has had a lot of bugs and issues documented and some of them solved. It also mean the team must take a break from development to learn whatever the new thing is. Some will need more time than other, which may slow it down even further. A lot of systems are developed in domains where "go fast and break things", A/B testing etc. would not be at all advisable. The main selfish focus on "adopt whatever is hip this week" is to pad resumes with it, consultant can come in to help train people $$$. Consultants will fight for it to use the newest and greatest since it may increased development time $$$.
- tdeck 4y ago
  This is a false dichotomy though. Your comment makes it sound like the only options are to keep using the same tech stack for 30 years or to "race" to adopt the "newest fad". What about switching from a moribund 30 year old technology to a mature 5-10 year old technology every now and then, based on an assessment of the very real drawbacks of living in the past. Security is one of the biggest problems with outdated software that many people are only too happy to ignore.
  - wellokthen2 4y ago
    Protip: you're much better off writing something in straight C than in [latest fad language du jour]
  - cestith 4y ago
    Switching wholesale is often detrimental itself. Often the best thing is to leverage new tools for new development, and as certain older parts of your stack are retired move those from the legacy technology to something more modern. If something's getting so old that you're getting short on people who understand it, that part becomes more urgent to move to the newer technology. It doesn't kill a business to have two or even three generations of tech spread across teams so long as it's manageable. An older tech stack doesn't mean never updating the system. either. Perl still gets updates. Linux distros still get updates. In fact, often a newer piece of software will introduce bugs including security bugs that were fixed in older software long ago. All things being equal, though, using a language with better string handling and memory safety can be a boon if your old stuff is in something like C.
flarg 4y ago
Curious? Hell yes. Happy to keep quiet for as long as the money keeps coming? Hell yes.
- nonrandomstring 4y ago
  Fair play. Eyes on the road keep driving isn't a bad way. At least in your mind you're thinking about what next and where to turn the wheel.
treis 4y ago
It happens at the company level too. You end up with a lot of decisions being made by the minority that (1) feels strongly and (2) is willing to speak up. It's an interesting dynamic. I've been on both sides in my career. Silent is much easier but doesn't get you recognition & promotions.
- ejb999 4y ago
  >>You end up with a lot of decisions being made by the minority that (1) feels strongly and (2) is willing to speak up. ...and don't forget to include the wonderboy/girl from the overpaid consulting firms that come in and tell the CEO they are doing everything wrong and should move everything to: (pick the latest technology fad) and then 2-3 years later they come back and convince upper management to move to the next big thing...

ThinkBeat 4y ago

The insane race to adopt any fad to be cool, is a mindset I find far worse morally than using tried and true tools. It enhances risk. The latest tool language and/or framework is uncharted territory A tried-and-true solution has had a lot of bugs and issues documented and some of them solved. It also mean the team must take a break from development to learn whatever the new thing is. Some will need more time than other, which may slow it down even further. A lot of systems are developed in domains where "go fast and break things", A/B testing etc. would not be at all advisable. The main selfish focus on "adopt whatever is hip this week" is to pad resumes with it, consultant can come in to help train people $$$. Consultants will fight for it to use the newest and greatest since it may increased development time $$$.

tdeck 4y ago
This is a false dichotomy though. Your comment makes it sound like the only options are to keep using the same tech stack for 30 years or to "race" to adopt the "newest fad". What about switching from a moribund 30 year old technology to a mature 5-10 year old technology every now and then, based on an assessment of the very real drawbacks of living in the past. Security is one of the biggest problems with outdated software that many people are only too happy to ignore.
- wellokthen2 4y ago
  Protip: you're much better off writing something in straight C than in [latest fad language du jour]
- cestith 4y ago
  Switching wholesale is often detrimental itself. Often the best thing is to leverage new tools for new development, and as certain older parts of your stack are retired move those from the legacy technology to something more modern. If something's getting so old that you're getting short on people who understand it, that part becomes more urgent to move to the newer technology. It doesn't kill a business to have two or even three generations of tech spread across teams so long as it's manageable. An older tech stack doesn't mean never updating the system. either. Perl still gets updates. Linux distros still get updates. In fact, often a newer piece of software will introduce bugs including security bugs that were fixed in older software long ago. All things being equal, though, using a language with better string handling and memory safety can be a boon if your old stuff is in something like C.

flarg 4y ago

Curious? Hell yes. Happy to keep quiet for as long as the money keeps coming? Hell yes.

nonrandomstring 4y ago
Fair play. Eyes on the road keep driving isn't a bad way. At least in your mind you're thinking about what next and where to turn the wheel.

treis 4y ago

It happens at the company level too. You end up with a lot of decisions being made by the minority that (1) feels strongly and (2) is willing to speak up. It's an interesting dynamic. I've been on both sides in my career. Silent is much easier but doesn't get you recognition & promotions.

ejb999 4y ago
>>You end up with a lot of decisions being made by the minority that (1) feels strongly and (2) is willing to speak up. ...and don't forget to include the wonderboy/girl from the overpaid consulting firms that come in and tell the CEO they are doing everything wrong and should move everything to: (pick the latest technology fad) and then 2-3 years later they come back and convince upper management to move to the next big thing...