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Most tech content is bullshit (2020)

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Re: Most tech content is bullshit (2020)

#101

Post by shrimp_emoji »

rcurry wrote: post #100
ilyt wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I feel like classic object oriented tutorials talking about fruits and apples with no connection to actual apps you'd build are ones to add to this pile

Oh man, who can forget the interview questions back in the nineties. I go to an interview after spending all week writing trading systems in C++ and it’s always “let’s say you are building a car, how would you structure the classes?” LMAO, I always failed. Good times.

Reading that made me cringe.

I'd make the `Tire` class derive the `SteeringWheel` class, and `Tire::turn()` moves the car while `SteeringWheel::turn()` steers the car.

Re: Most tech content is bullshit (2020)

#102

Post by phkahler »

shortrounddev2 wrote: post #88

I think HN is a madhouse. Any article I click on, there's things I've never heard of that sound like made up techno-jargon, like programming languages which I've never seen used in a real job, let alone met anyone who uses them But I go to the comments and there's 150 people who all know every intimate detail of this technology already. Experts in the subject. I think most of you all are faking it

HN ia is read by experts in any number of fields from biotech, to medicine, physics, farming, or nearly anything else. If there are 150 people programming in Zig, most of them likely read HN. The more niche the tech, I think the higher the odds the users are here. But to your point, I don't know why some of these things rise to the front page in the first place.

My current frustration is links to blog posts. I'm starting to ask myself "who is this person and why should I care about their opinion?" It's one thing to link research, or even a book, but a few of the blogs lately.... The topic sounds interesting, but the content sometimes makes me realize it's just some dudes blog and not professional advice. I'd kinda like some kind of (opinion) tag on those.

Re: Most tech content is bullshit (2020)

#103

Post by humanrebar »

factorialboy wrote: post #56
spacemadness wrote: post #18

One devious form of bullshit is always using the simplest of examples to prove out an architecture pattern and call it a day. I’ve lost count on how many times I’ve seen patterns with glaring open questions and pitfalls the author avoids. Then the cacophony of likes follow from folks who’re likely very early in their career or hobby and don’t know any better. This is very prevalent on iOS development blogs as authors…

The fundamental deficiency with our society is that we value talking about X more than performing/implementing X. This is true for most fields, including programming. Most teams have folks to do the heavy lifting, and a small percentage of folks who talk about it. The talkers are considered more valuable than the doers, within the organization or without. These are our thought leaders, influencers, architects, you na…

Kind of?

In practice, communication is essential. We expect closed feedback loop in our technological systems. Turns out that systems made of humans also need feedback loops.

So I don't know if communicators are treated as "more valuable". Maybe. But it might be fair to treat to treat systems lacking closed feedback loops as missing value. In some cases, they may be borderline useless.

Point being, a great piece of tech needs [1] someone to demonstrate its value. Especially technologies that require many people to maintain them. That's how we close feedback loops in communities and organizations.

[1] OK. Technology-based performance art or side projects are possible. Just don't be shocked if nobody cares and the die off when original creators trade them for other interests.

Re: Most tech content is bullshit (2020)

#104

Post by epylar »

isaacremuant wrote: post #97
shortrounddev2 wrote: post #88

I think HN is a madhouse. Any article I click on, there's things I've never heard of that sound like made up techno-jargon, like programming languages which I've never seen used in a real job, let alone met anyone who uses them But I go to the comments and there's 150 people who all know every intimate detail of this technology already. Experts in the subject. I think most of you all are faking it

> I think most of you all are faking it. I think you're insecure about the extent of things you know nothing or so little about. It's normal but not an attractive trait to project.

I think the original comment was light hearted humor

Re: Most tech content is bullshit (2020)

#105

Post by milsorgen »

phkahler wrote: post #102
shortrounddev2 wrote: post #88

I think HN is a madhouse. Any article I click on, there's things I've never heard of that sound like made up techno-jargon, like programming languages which I've never seen used in a real job, let alone met anyone who uses them But I go to the comments and there's 150 people who all know every intimate detail of this technology already. Experts in the subject. I think most of you all are faking it

HN ia is read by experts in any number of fields from biotech, to medicine, physics, farming, or nearly anything else. If there are 150 people programming in Zig, most of them likely read HN. The more niche the tech, I think the higher the odds the users are here. But to your point, I don't know why some of these things rise to the front page in the first place. My current frustration is links to blog posts. I'm star…

I think you touch on a good example do why discernment is such a valuable skill, a skill that should forever be practiced and honed. I don't mind reading some dudes take on things for even if he's wrong he might drop an item or two that gets me thinking. For instance I've been reading (and re-reading) Robert Henri's The Art Spirit which if you judge the book by its cover is focused on painting yet I find ideas and advice that I can apply all across my life to great benefit. I've read a lot of blogs on here that may or may not be filled with good information but within many of them I have found what I find to be great ideas.

Re: Most tech content is bullshit (2020)

#107

Post by jrott »

ChrisMarshallNY wrote: post #45
spacemadness wrote: post #18

One devious form of bullshit is always using the simplest of examples to prove out an architecture pattern and call it a day. I’ve lost count on how many times I’ve seen patterns with glaring open questions and pitfalls the author avoids. Then the cacophony of likes follow from folks who’re likely very early in their career or hobby and don’t know any better. This is very prevalent on iOS development blogs as authors…

I’ve learned to wait a couple of years for dubdub hype to subside, and “lessons learned” to be shared. I get tired of the “write an app in five minutes” demos. As someone that regularly works on ship apps, I can report that there is a world of difference between academic demos, and something that can be shipped.

At this point I’d rather see the how to fix it when things go wrong demo. Of course very few tools can show that either because it’s messy or it’s to hard to show all the pieces.

Re: Most tech content is bullshit (2020)

#108

Post by hirvi74 »

factorialboy wrote: post #56
spacemadness wrote: post #18

One devious form of bullshit is always using the simplest of examples to prove out an architecture pattern and call it a day. I’ve lost count on how many times I’ve seen patterns with glaring open questions and pitfalls the author avoids. Then the cacophony of likes follow from folks who’re likely very early in their career or hobby and don’t know any better. This is very prevalent on iOS development blogs as authors…

The fundamental deficiency with our society is that we value talking about X more than performing/implementing X. This is true for most fields, including programming. Most teams have folks to do the heavy lifting, and a small percentage of folks who talk about it. The talkers are considered more valuable than the doers, within the organization or without. These are our thought leaders, influencers, architects, you na…

> The fundamental deficiency with our society is that we value talking about X more than performing/implementing X.

I am so guilty of this. I spend so much time on here and other platforms just mindlessly consuming and participating in discussions about software engineering, new technology, best practices, etc.. So much so that I basically barely program anymore (except for my job where none of this information is important for irrelevant and complex reasons).

I have ideas and projects I want to work on, but I think my brain has be rewired over my life to the point that I get the sense of reward of finishing something by actually just procrastinating/reading and not working towards whatever goal.

It's like information sugar -- sugars are easiest for the body to convert into energy. The body likes sugar because it can get "what it wants" while expending the least amount of effort. My brain has apparently has implemented the same logic when it comes personal projects.

Re: Most tech content is bullshit (2020)

#109

Post by roncesvalles »

shortrounddev2 wrote: post #88

I think HN is a madhouse. Any article I click on, there's things I've never heard of that sound like made up techno-jargon, like programming languages which I've never seen used in a real job, let alone met anyone who uses them But I go to the comments and there's 150 people who all know every intimate detail of this technology already. Experts in the subject. I think most of you all are faking it

"There's no way humans are that smart" is the worst form of anti-intellectualism.

Re: Most tech content is bullshit (2020)

#110

Post by samtho »

phkahler wrote: post #102
shortrounddev2 wrote: post #88

I think HN is a madhouse. Any article I click on, there's things I've never heard of that sound like made up techno-jargon, like programming languages which I've never seen used in a real job, let alone met anyone who uses them But I go to the comments and there's 150 people who all know every intimate detail of this technology already. Experts in the subject. I think most of you all are faking it

HN ia is read by experts in any number of fields from biotech, to medicine, physics, farming, or nearly anything else. If there are 150 people programming in Zig, most of them likely read HN. The more niche the tech, I think the higher the odds the users are here. But to your point, I don't know why some of these things rise to the front page in the first place. My current frustration is links to blog posts. I'm star…

There is very little in the blogosphere of 2023 that isn’t just some rando’s hot takes or a regurgitated idea that consists of a few Wikipedia pages sent through a word spinner.

The truly interesting blogs are those who are written by known subject matter experts with success in their field and something interesting to say such as original research or personal observation resulting from what they are an expert in.

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