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(40 years building software) I think the most significant aspect of building software that is rarely discussed is the business’s appetite for change. I can so

(40 years building software) I think the most significant aspect of building software that is rarely discussed is the business’s appetite for change. I can solve any architecture problem, but I can’t lead a horse to water. By far the biggest hurdle to building good software is gaining buy-in and trust from everyone. The actual architecture is like skiing a double black diamond. If you’re at that level of skiing, you can ski anywhere.

yard2010 2y ago
What is the europe equivalent of double black diamond, ungroomed black?
- sam_lowry_ 2y ago
  In Europe, we use black, red, blue and green colors. The rest is off-piste.
  - sam_lowry_ 2y ago
    The difference between piste and off-piste is that of insurance. You are usually covered by the generic insurance on-piste only.
MrMcCall 2y ago
It is intrinsically difficult for the know-nothing money guys to trust people whose expertise is of a vastly different order -- across various dimensions such as technical difficulty and creative explorative engineering -- than what it takes to make deals on a golf course. All they know is that the longer it takes us, the more money it costs them. And they don't want to know why, they just want us to wave the magic wand and deliver our systems, even though our best estimates are really just "guess a number, then multiply by three and add five." Their entire job is to wring money out of the peasants, even when we're well-paid, well-intentioned, and hard-working engineer-wannabes who love what we do. Hell, most people (including us) don't realize that every new significant software project is an sublime artistic endeavor cut from whole cloth with rusty, bent scissors in the dark on a bumpy train ride, under fire. It doesn't help that many of our peers are just paycheck-earners who only try their best to do the least they can to deliver the barest-minimum of quality, for the sole purpose of getting a better job somewhere else. I've never looked for a job while I had one. I call that "being honestly committed to the job"; the mediocre of the world (most people) call it "not playing the game". "So sick of complacence." --RATM
- pdimitar 2y ago
  > I've never looked for a job while I had one. Same, and that keeps biting me on the arse. EVERY TIME. As for the rest of your comment -- it is sadly spot on. I am extremely tired of complacence myself.

yard2010 2y ago

What is the europe equivalent of double black diamond, ungroomed black?

sam_lowry_ 2y ago
In Europe, we use black, red, blue and green colors. The rest is off-piste.
- sam_lowry_ 2y ago
  The difference between piste and off-piste is that of insurance. You are usually covered by the generic insurance on-piste only.

MrMcCall 2y ago

It is intrinsically difficult for the know-nothing money guys to trust people whose expertise is of a vastly different order -- across various dimensions such as technical difficulty and creative explorative engineering -- than what it takes to make deals on a golf course. All they know is that the longer it takes us, the more money it costs them. And they don't want to know why, they just want us to wave the magic wand and deliver our systems, even though our best estimates are really just "guess a number, then multiply by three and add five." Their entire job is to wring money out of the peasants, even when we're well-paid, well-intentioned, and hard-working engineer-wannabes who love what we do. Hell, most people (including us) don't realize that every new significant software project is an sublime artistic endeavor cut from whole cloth with rusty, bent scissors in the dark on a bumpy train ride, under fire. It doesn't help that many of our peers are just paycheck-earners who only try their best to do the least they can to deliver the barest-minimum of quality, for the sole purpose of getting a better job somewhere else. I've never looked for a job while I had one. I call that "being honestly committed to the job"; the mediocre of the world (most people) call it "not playing the game". "So sick of complacence." --RATM

pdimitar 2y ago
> I've never looked for a job while I had one. Same, and that keeps biting me on the arse. EVERY TIME. As for the rest of your comment -- it is sadly spot on. I am extremely tired of complacence myself.