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> It seems that the market pays for garbage, and that a lot of people have gotten quite wealthy, selling it. The market pays for whatever solves their problem,

by sph 4y ago

> It seems that the market pays for garbage, and that a lot of people have gotten quite wealthy, selling it. The market pays for whatever solves their problem, even if it is garbage. What the "hype-driven hustle" modern software has forgotten, is that the market would pay even more for software that solves their problem AND is not garbage. People value quality. 2023 software engineers don't, they just value time-to-ship, so we have garbage software everywhere valued billions, because people need it. Want to disrupt any niche? Make really good software. Put power users first. Or at least this is the philosophy I strive to follow, we'll see if it pays off. Do not ship crap. But also recognise you'll never be truly happy with the most polished of gems either. This is a very hard skill to learn, and there's few role models to follow.

ChrisMarshallNY 4y ago
> Want to disrupt any niche? Make really good software. I really want you to be right. I've found that high Quality tends to be fairly pricey. There's a reason a Mercedes costs three times as much as a Toyota, and the car doesn't seem to have many more features. Incremental improvements in Quality can mean a great deal of extra time and detailing.
- sph 4y ago
  I see you enjoy Apple products, and I seem to remember you're older and you have more to teach me about the world but... Wasn't Apple once the paragon for software quality? Didn't people flock to it when it was still incredibly expensive because it was objectively better made than the competition? I remember wishing my parents were richer and would buy me a Macintosh instead of having to use a PC. A Ferrari costs more than a Toyota, but you have to decide if you want to make a car that sells a lot, or a premium car. Can't have both, but these days in software they're all making Ladas, and no one is shipping Mercedes, let alone a Ferrari.
  - ChrisMarshallNY 4y ago
    Yeah, I feel as if the shine is wearing off of Apple. I saw the company I worked for (once synonymous with "Quality") take a big hit, when they started making money, and selling in the millions, but they also got clobbered, and I hope they are going back to their Quality roots (although it may be too late).
    - sph 4y ago
      Quality starts at the top. A Cook will never become a Jobs, and they make very few Jobs in our fields. This is why I said we lack the role models. The philosophy of "ship, then fix" and VCs demanding a quick RoI creates a culture of Cooks. With all due respect to the guy, he is not a visionary nor an idealist.

by sph 4y ago

ChrisMarshallNY 4y ago

> Want to disrupt any niche? Make really good software. I really want you to be right. I've found that high Quality tends to be fairly pricey. There's a reason a Mercedes costs three times as much as a Toyota, and the car doesn't seem to have many more features. Incremental improvements in Quality can mean a great deal of extra time and detailing.

sph 4y ago
I see you enjoy Apple products, and I seem to remember you're older and you have more to teach me about the world but... Wasn't Apple once the paragon for software quality? Didn't people flock to it when it was still incredibly expensive because it was objectively better made than the competition? I remember wishing my parents were richer and would buy me a Macintosh instead of having to use a PC. A Ferrari costs more than a Toyota, but you have to decide if you want to make a car that sells a lot, or a premium car. Can't have both, but these days in software they're all making Ladas, and no one is shipping Mercedes, let alone a Ferrari.
- ChrisMarshallNY 4y ago
  Yeah, I feel as if the shine is wearing off of Apple. I saw the company I worked for (once synonymous with "Quality") take a big hit, when they started making money, and selling in the millions, but they also got clobbered, and I hope they are going back to their Quality roots (although it may be too late).
  - sph 4y ago
    Quality starts at the top. A Cook will never become a Jobs, and they make very few Jobs in our fields. This is why I said we lack the role models. The philosophy of "ship, then fix" and VCs demanding a quick RoI creates a culture of Cooks. With all due respect to the guy, he is not a visionary nor an idealist.