Short term focus within companies drives cost control and growth, not productivity gains.
The growth is the gremlin. Companies achieve monopoly/cartel status and they optimize for rent collection, which is the opposite of productive.
Why Doesn't Software Show Up in Productivity?
101–110 of 212 posts
Re: Why Doesn't Software Show Up in Productivity?
#102Earlier quoted context omitted.
I make jigs because I can't figure out how to do a project without it. I rarely make the same thing twice, but a lot of things need a special jig to do right.
There are two things here and the more important thing by far is that making something like a jig is nothing compared to making a programming tool. You can measure, scribe and cut a few times then drive self tapping screws and have something useful. Making something not only new but integrate with some existing tool doesn't take an hour, it takes weeks months or years.
I do a lot of jig like things when programming. Sometimes I spend months perfecting helper code, but sometimes I only need it to run once and I'm done in a few hours.
Re: Why Doesn't Software Show Up in Productivity?
#103Earlier quoted context omitted.
Perhaps. Why though? Why aren't HR, accounting or other such tasks more productive with computers than without?
With paper, you do it your way , which maps to the organisation's way at both ends (and is probably just a minor improvement over the organisation's way). With computers, unless you can reprogram the system (which is tricky even for programmers), you're doing it the computer's way, which is often worse than the way the organisation would want to have it set up.
"which maps to the organisation's way at both ends"
this isn't always a positive or benefit to an org as a whole, although sometimes it's a net benefit to a specific decision maker.
many times the "org's way" was set years ago by someone who doesn't even work there any longer, and they chose "steps XYZ" because it's all that was available at the time. As things grow, the org info changes, needs change, and people try to squeeze new exceptions and rules in to the existing process. No one has 'authority' to revamp the process (whether with computers or not), and it just gets weirder and weirder.
"If the customer number starts with W and their date is earlier than 2007, give them a 10% credit on any items they ordered from the summer catalog, then email joe@ourcompany.com".
"There's no Joe that works here... ?"
"Don't try to change anything - this works just fine as it is".
Re: Why Doesn't Software Show Up in Productivity?
#104This article makes me think of the woodworker's dilemma. You might start working with cutting, planing, joining and finishing wood because you want to make a chair or end table, and you like the idea of learning to do it yourself, maybe saving some money, or at least getting some extra tools out of the process, and having some pride in your work. But before you know it, you've spent 4 years accumulating tools, but mo…
Woah, I didn't realize I do this, but this really resonates. It seems to me that one "hack" to break out of the tool development cycle is to iterate chairs. If it's iteration itself that is intrinsically pleasurable and addictive, then perhaps simply switching what you iterate on can switch you onto a more productive path, without the usual resistance/procrastination that accompanies work.
Re: Why Doesn't Software Show Up in Productivity?
#105This is off topic a bit since the article was really talking about something tangently different, and it's probably a really unpopular thing to say, but it's been in my mind for a while. If you look at the worlds population growth rate, you can see that it is beginning to level off. That world of 10 billion that we were all preparing for several years ago is probably not going to come. If the population stabalizes, o…
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Re: Why Doesn't Software Show Up in Productivity?
#106I take issue with the basic assumption of the article. Sustained productivity growth is hard and would not have continued without the software revolution.
Let's take a look at agriculture.
https://www.ers.usda.gov/amber-waves/2018/march/agricultural...
Mechanization and the widespread adoption and improvement of mechanized farming has lead to staggering productivity / farmer growth over the last 70 years. But there is only so much you can do with "dumb" machines. Today growth is being driven by computerized information gathering, planning, monitoring, and precision planting / soil maintenance.
To maintain a growth curve takes constant innovation. Just because the growth doesn't significantly alter its slope does not mean that there is a missing improvement bump.
If you decomposed slopes like these you would see they are compound sigmoids where growth is driven by one technology and then another, or an adoption of a new process, etc.
So IMO if "software doesn't show up in productivity" you're not looking hard enough.
Re: Why Doesn't Software Show Up in Productivity?
#107This is off topic a bit since the article was really talking about something tangently different, and it's probably a really unpopular thing to say, but it's been in my mind for a while. If you look at the worlds population growth rate, you can see that it is beginning to level off. That world of 10 billion that we were all preparing for several years ago is probably not going to come. If the population stabalizes, o…
It doesn't look like world population growth is slowing at all:
https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL?end=2020&st...
What reason do you have to believe that the population will top off at 10 billion?
Re: Why Doesn't Software Show Up in Productivity?
#108Earlier quoted context omitted.
A few nits to pick as a woodworker: 1) You never save money building it yourself (at least not in comparison to a standard consumer option, like a chair or table from your local furniture store. This may hold up if you compare what you build to high-end hardwood furniture. But with the cost of tools, you're probably still losing money if this is just a hobby) 2) 90% of my enjoyment of woodworking is just being in my…
In stuff like car/van furnishings I tend to believe you can save a lot since its not yet an IKEA like market.
Absolutely. A van buildout gets crazy pricey when you contract it out. It's relatively easy and cheap to DIY.
Re: Why Doesn't Software Show Up in Productivity?
#109If software is process, then what does that say about the labor value of software?
Related: I think that software engineering is going to be the new blue collar warehouse or factory job that a good chunk of boomers enjoyed.
Re: Why Doesn't Software Show Up in Productivity?
#110This article makes me think of the woodworker's dilemma. You might start working with cutting, planing, joining and finishing wood because you want to make a chair or end table, and you like the idea of learning to do it yourself, maybe saving some money, or at least getting some extra tools out of the process, and having some pride in your work. But before you know it, you've spent 4 years accumulating tools, but mo…
It's a useful thing to ask yourself periodically -- at work or "play", programming or woodworking -- "Wait, what am I actually trying to accomplish/build here?".