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Because JavaScript rules web dev and the JS community has pushed so many mainstream ideas that have turned out to be duds. It’s a major echo chamber due to its
by LapsangGuzzler 3y ago
Because JavaScript rules web dev and the JS community has pushed so many mainstream ideas that have turned out to be duds. It’s a major echo chamber due to its size relative to other web dev communities.
I also partly blame the careerist obsession around always learning new technology, because it’s becoming obvious that a lot of the “new stuff” over the last decade created more problems than solutions. Don’t get me wrong, learning is an important part of the job, but we’ve created a culture of constantly pushing new technology to pad resumes and feed our insecurities around irrelevance instead of solving problems.
- bheadmaster 3y agoIt seems to me that the more people use <thing>, the less evidence of quality of <thing> is required by the people using <thing> - everyone just assumes everyone else knows what they're doing. It becomes something akin to a religion - after all, 2 billion Christians can't be wrong, can they?
- toyg 3y agoEat shit - billions of flies cannot be wrong. (cit.) More seriously: once a bit of tech becomes mainstream, it becomes politically easier to use it. Your manager has not heard of <cool tech>, but he did read about React in some business magazine. So when the choice is between React and bheadmaster's Funky Funkness Framework, he'll go with React.
- ricardobayes 3y agoNo one ever got fired for choosing React
- arrowsmith 3y agoBut some of them should have been.
- nonethewiser 3y agoCan you pick a less antagonistic example?
- bheadmaster 3y agoWould you prefer I used Judaism instead? Or Islam? Or do you consider my point about network effect in tech stacks being similar to religious beliefs to be antagonistic by itself?
- brightlancer 3y agoThe adage I learned decades ago was "a billion Chinese can't be wrong". If PP had used that, would it have been antagonistic? Racist?
- arrowsmith 3y agoI thought the origin of this expression was the Elvis greatest hits album 50,000,000 Elvis fans can't be wrong: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/50,000,000_Elvis_Fans_Can%27t_Be_Wrong:_Elvis%27_Gold_Records,_Volume_2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/50,000,000_Elvis_Fans_Can%27t_...
- ncallaway 3y ago> everyone just assumes everyone else knows what they're doing. It’s not just that. There are practical reasons to choose the bandwagon, even if you know it’s not the technically optimal approach. If you’re planning on hiring junior and mid level engineers, for example, it’s a great help if they already know the technologies involved. Your hiring pool for React is a lot bigger than for a more obscure tool. Additionally, the popular tools also tend to be stable and long lasting, with good support. So, there are compelling business reasons to choose what’s popular, even if you aren’t making assumptions about the technical quality just because its popular.
- jwells89 3y agoHype, which the web/JS community seems particularly vulnerable to, also plays a big part. Yes proven tech is safe and reliable, but choosing it is so much less fun than getting swept away by the tide of whatever the newest "revolution" is. Don't you want to be part of the wave?
- LapsangGuzzler 3y agoPersonally, not for the day job. I love experimenting with new stuff in my free time but when the pressure is on to deliver for the business, I want to go with what I know works.