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The JDBC substory is fantastic. Google built a database, works great internally, all well. They subcontract out to build an adapter layer for the wider world
by JonChesterfield 3y ago
The JDBC substory is fantastic.
Google built a database, works great internally, all well.
They subcontract out to build an adapter layer for the wider world which doesn't work properly, so the wider world gets to use a crappy database. A carefully engineered core Google uses, wrapped in broken nonsense, creating an emergent whole that is unnecessarily rubbish. Noone internally notices they've done this and the external people are poorly placed to work it out.
That seems absolutely on point for Google's open source strategy.
- datadeft 3y agoThis is due to the lack of vertical integration. Apple is winning in many ways because they got really good vertical integration.
- boxed 3y agoThe story of all their Python wrappers for their APIs.
- nightpool 3y agoAlso perfectly describes their business contracts for e.g. Workspace. A great core product wrapped in a worse-than-useless "support" contract through some of the worst consulting firms in the world skimming 15% or whatever off the top.
- jimberlage 3y agoYeah, that was the most interesting point for me as well. If you view it through a management lens, it makes sense; "we hire top CS people, let them do the top CS problems, JDBC drivers aren't a core competency so we can outsource that." The problem is that people can do a bad enough job at the non-core stuff that it doesn't matter that you're good at your core competency. Outsourcing is not a free ride.