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>everything is constantly changing around you Like an ecosystem? ;)

• TeMPOraL 12y ago
  Well, ok. I guess my point is that programming is like gardening only if you deliberately decide to work in an environment that forces you to keep up with changes, like the Internet. Software for infrastructure can easily last unchanged for 20+ years.
  • saalweachter 12y ago
    I really like the ecosystem analogy. Ecosystems have a variety of niches which change at varying paces. A shark isn't better than a finch because it is more stable on the evolutionary timescale, it is well-adapted to a stable niche. More stable niches are not better or worse than transient, quickly-changing niches, they're just more stable. I think it is important to recognize that the stability of a niche is independent of its value or the care that should be taken filling it. A feed processor must be written carefully even though most often they only live a couple of years before the underlying need for it goes away. A compiler is of great value but without constant maintenance it will be worthless within a few years, as compiler techniques evolve, languages are restandardized, and machine architectures shift. Software written as part of scientific inquiry is frequently worthless and uninteresting after the questions being examined have been answered.