3 ms·

Large companies don't seem to be able to produce good software consistently.

by gardenhedge 4y ago

metadat 4y ago
What are the exceptions to this proposed rule? I can't think of any off the top of my head. JPL isn't a large company.
- rotifer 4y ago
  Java and the JVM from Sun/Oracle. People may not like the language (or the company), but it's good, well-engineered software.
  - metadat 4y ago
    Yeah, the JVM is good. But unfortunately Oracle can't consistently produce good software. Java remains a fluke, successful in spite of Oracle.
- guidedlight 4y ago
  Oracle database is rock solid.
  - metadat 4y ago
    Lol, sure- for certain use-cases, it works fine. But the only way it stays consistently good is because Big-O severely limits the scope. The Oracle DB internal team culture is just plain depressing. Stuck 30 years in the past in terms of development practices, little or no innovation is allowed. Function names are limited to four or five characters, and the source control is literally from the nineties. Maybe that's the secret to success: Trap enough H1Bs and use the whip. I suppose it all depends on how you define "good quality". Across many dimensions, Oracle is somehow better than average. Maybe it's because, for all it's faults, Oracle does always prioritize security what "quality", whatever management decides that means. Sure beats the Google strategy of constantly murdering anything that isn't Gmail or Search. Is this even a real strategy, or just the lack of one?
    - nikau 4y ago
      I'm not sure what you are trying to convey here around "certain use cases". I hate Oracle culture and their licensing as much as the next person and will avoid their product and services as much as possible, but Oracle database is one of the most scalable and stable database products around.
- _yb2s 4y ago
  I've always had pretty good luck w/ Apple software just working and no real hassle. I would say they largely accomplish this with minimalism... it has far less features than any comparable products from MS, which can be annoying if you need those missing features. MS seems focused on adding features without extensively testing/debugging, so many of them don't work.
  - peterfarkas 4y ago
    So strange, I had the opposite experience with Apple software, particularly with macOS. I always envied those talking about the seamless experience - I had quite a lot of problems with it. iOS was great.
pxc 4y ago
Did Sun pretty consistently produce good software, or am I only remembering the greatest hits?

Large companies don't seem to be able to produce good software consistently.

metadat 4y ago

What are the exceptions to this proposed rule? I can't think of any off the top of my head. JPL isn't a large company.

rotifer 4y ago
Java and the JVM from Sun/Oracle. People may not like the language (or the company), but it's good, well-engineered software.
- metadat 4y ago
  Yeah, the JVM is good. But unfortunately Oracle can't consistently produce good software. Java remains a fluke, successful in spite of Oracle.
guidedlight 4y ago
Oracle database is rock solid.
- metadat 4y ago
  Lol, sure- for certain use-cases, it works fine. But the only way it stays consistently good is because Big-O severely limits the scope. The Oracle DB internal team culture is just plain depressing. Stuck 30 years in the past in terms of development practices, little or no innovation is allowed. Function names are limited to four or five characters, and the source control is literally from the nineties. Maybe that's the secret to success: Trap enough H1Bs and use the whip. I suppose it all depends on how you define "good quality". Across many dimensions, Oracle is somehow better than average. Maybe it's because, for all it's faults, Oracle does always prioritize security what "quality", whatever management decides that means. Sure beats the Google strategy of constantly murdering anything that isn't Gmail or Search. Is this even a real strategy, or just the lack of one?
  - nikau 4y ago
    I'm not sure what you are trying to convey here around "certain use cases". I hate Oracle culture and their licensing as much as the next person and will avoid their product and services as much as possible, but Oracle database is one of the most scalable and stable database products around.
_yb2s 4y ago
I've always had pretty good luck w/ Apple software just working and no real hassle. I would say they largely accomplish this with minimalism... it has far less features than any comparable products from MS, which can be annoying if you need those missing features. MS seems focused on adding features without extensively testing/debugging, so many of them don't work.
- peterfarkas 4y ago
  So strange, I had the opposite experience with Apple software, particularly with macOS. I always envied those talking about the seamless experience - I had quite a lot of problems with it. iOS was great.

pxc 4y ago

Did Sun pretty consistently produce good software, or am I only remembering the greatest hits?