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I no longer build software

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Re: I no longer build software

#761

Post by Igelau »

kennu wrote: post #654
jschwartzi wrote: post #641

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What's often missed here is that the problem the lego is slotted in to is often subtly different each time. So you have a guy building an 8x2 lego brick that slots perfectly into his mansion and then someone else really needs to cut a corner off of it to fit their problem. But the original designer never gave you the option to do that so now you have to write an adapter to plug the 8x2 into an 8x2 without a corner. I…

I agree. You have to know your lego blocks well and understand where they fit and where they don't. But if you choose to remain ignorant of the available lego blocks, and instead write everything from scratch every time, you're wasting a lot of effort.

> But if you choose to remain ignorant of the available lego blocks, and instead write everything from scratch every time, you're wasting a lot of effort.

That's a good seam upon which to filet this analogy. A quick Google search turns up uncertainty as to how many different bricks there are. It could be in the 3000s, 6800s, or over 12000. We are all ignorant of the available lego blocks.

Re: I no longer build software

#762

Post by cinntaile »

EMM_386 wrote: post #760
ohitsdom wrote: post #576

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Seconded! Can you give a ballpark for how much you'd charge for a piece like this? Seems like an insane amount of work at incredible quality. I want to own it.

Price is on this one ... https://www.flickr.com/photos/fuller_craft/49837855711/in/al...

It looks great, it looks like it's priced as art and not furniture. Is this a correct interpretation?

Re: I no longer build software

#763

Post by lightelement »

mauvehaus wrote: post #123

Holy shit, this is me! A couple things to clarify: I posted the original issue as a minor complaint about the docker cli and promptly forgot about it. I never expected it to get any traction or follow-up. At the time I posted it, I was working as a contractor for my former full time employer. I had left full-time work there in early 2017 to attend the full-time program at the (sadly now-defunct) Furniture Institute o…

I'd love to know your thoughts on woodworking in a living space. Before the pandemic I took classes at a local art school. I'm considering upgrading to a two bedroom apartment (in a large apartment building) and using the spare bedroom as a workshop. I'm guessing I'll have to go all (or almost all) hand tools. Do you think this is feasible, or will I regret it? I'm worried about dust management and noise for my neighbors. Chiseling in particular seems like it would reverberate through the building.

Any tips would be much appreciated!

Re: I no longer build software

#764

Post by SahAssar »

adamnemecek wrote: post #714
SahAssar wrote: post #639

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not sure if you think all devs 15 years ago where stupid or all devs today are awesome, but either way I'd say you're wrong.

He means that tools have improved.

If tooling means a 15+x improvement then it seems like it is one or the other.

Re: I no longer build software

#765

Post by citizenpaul »

bcrosby95 wrote: post #325
nicbou wrote: post #251

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I didn't pick up woodworking to build a house. If that was my goal, sticking to programming would be the fastest way to get a house built. My ability to make money from programming far exceeds my ability to save money by doing anything else. If it was about the money, I wouldn't rent a garage, fill it with tools and spend my weekends building subpar furniture for twice the cost (a common woodworking trope). I'd just…

I probably average to about $50/hour programming. Last time I hired someone to fix something in my house I ended up paying about $350 for 1.5 hours of work. Physical materials was just a low voltage cable. I had a plumber quote me $1300 to replace a $250 part that just screws on/off. I did it myself in a few hours. Since I work on salary, one of the best ways for me to get more money is to save mine by not paying ove…

I had the same exp. I had a house with copper pipes and I thought well I don't want to learn welding....

What does the plumber do? Exactly what I would have done after watching a couple youtube vides -$500 in labor.

He didn't even try to repair the pipe he just cut it and used push on PEX connectors something I could have done myself.

Re: I no longer build software

#766

Post by kennu »

Igelau wrote: post #761
kennu wrote: post #654

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree. You have to know your lego blocks well and understand where they fit and where they don't. But if you choose to remain ignorant of the available lego blocks, and instead write everything from scratch every time, you're wasting a lot of effort.

> But if you choose to remain ignorant of the available lego blocks, and instead write everything from scratch every time, you're wasting a lot of effort. That's a good seam upon which to filet this analogy. A quick Google search turns up uncertainty as to how many different bricks there are. It could be in the 3000s, 6800s, or over 12000. We are all ignorant of the available lego blocks.

I'm not entirely sure what you mean. But if we're talking about AWS cloud services, there are certainly AWS experts who know how to develop software in a cloud-native way and utilize most or all of the relevant services. That knowledge is what we are paid for. It's also true that there are a lot of AWS services available and expertise is divided into different specialty areas, like ML, IoT, etc. Hard to be expert at everything.

Re: I no longer build software

#767

Post by coldtea »

tombert wrote: post #749
coldtea wrote: post #442

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> This is also wrong; anecdata, but at least one person (my dad) hated having to call up travel agencies in the 90s to book a plane ticket. Yeah, and I hate scratching my head when itchy. Doesn't mean an "automatic head stratcher" is the best use of our innovation, or adds anything significant to humanity...

Why does everything have to "add something significant to humanity"? It's not like "innovation" exists in a vacuum; if I figure out, I dunno, a new motor design for an automatic head scratcher, there's no reason that it can't later be used for something you deem to "add something significant to humanity". Also, who gets to determine what actually adds to humanity? If you really didn't like scratching your head, or it…

>Why does everything have to "add something significant to humanity"?

Everything doesn't have to.

A lot should have, though. Most, if possible.

And the reason is opportunity cost.

Re: I no longer build software

#768

Post by ayewo »

1f60c wrote: post #350

I’m clearly missing some context. Who is ebd2?

I think that's part of the point. I intend no offense towards @ebd2 on GitHub, but ebd2 can be said to be a "noname" developer turned wood worker.

I'm guessing the reason why ebd2's story struck a chord with the HN community is that he has figured out a way to manage to do what a lot of people here aspire to be able to do with their time some day.

The working assumption (which he has graciously corrected upthread as @mauvehaus on HN) is that his software career has afforded him to switch careers to something he is far more passionate about, a trait shared by many engineers who are forced to collect paychecks from work that is considered not very meaningful or fulfilling.

The trades, specifically stuff like woodworking, metalworking, farming etc involve a certain kind of craftsmanship that can be applied on real world objects but which was honed by years of coding on imaginary software objects. It's a visceral thing to be transfer the skill of using your hands to build virtual stuff to build physical stuff.

Re: I no longer build software

#769

Post by mcast »

poulsbohemian wrote: post #743
mcast wrote: post #453

Earlier quoted context omitted.

SawStop for the win!

After the way they went after Bosch, I have no interest in ever buying a SawStop. Good for them for making safe technology, but shame on them for going after someone else who made better technology. The world needs safer options for tools like these, and being litigious bastards helps no-one.

I've heard that SawStop's patents are expiring soon, so it seems we'll have some competition in the next 5 years. In the meantime, since there are no other saws which protect your fingers from being sliced off, it's the best insurance policy for a software developer who needs them the most.

Re: I no longer build software

#770

Post by selfhoster11 »

shrubble wrote: post #408
selfhoster11 wrote: post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's digital plumbing, but it pays well. My parents did physical work, and frankly I'd rather earn my keep with a keyboard than with my hands.

What do you use to strike the keys on your keyboard?

My fingers, of course. Are you seriously comparing hard physical labour to typing on a keyboard? One of those is back-breaking and seriously dangerous to personal health, depending on what you're lifting/operating. The other may earn you RSI or carpal tunnel syndrome if you're not careful. There's a whole world of difference between these two.
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