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Why do web sites and software take so long to build? And why is it so hard?

scottporad.com

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Re: Why do web sites and software take so long to build? And why is it so hard?

#11

Post by arocks »

> Plus, in the history of the world, he said, is there one thing you can think of that has been hand-made, and on such a large scale as software, that was as complex?

It is a testimony to the innovation in any field that leads to tools become outdated so quickly. Easy commoditisation is directly related to the tools one has at their disposal. Creative fields like photography or movie-making also face the same issues.

Interestingly, if we are given a choice to constantly upgrade our tools then we would always prefer to. For eg: I don't find most people using the cork screw on a swiss-army knife. I would rather have a lighter multi-tool. But redesigning, testing and manufacturing a new multi-tool takes a long time.

Software has relatively speaking a much shorter lifecycle. Most of the clients recognise this and sometimes have higher expectations of the turnaround times. This leads to unintentionally short timelines or bug-ridden software.

As in any uncertain venture, it is often better to go with iterative and agile methodologies rather than a big bang approach.

Re: Why do web sites and software take so long to build? And why is it so hard?

#13

Post by scottporad »

ranebo wrote: post #10
seldo wrote: post #5

I think getting a "DB Connection Refused" error when I clicked this link was wonderfully appropriate.

I actually laughed out loud and was a little disappointed to see that this wasn't intended. I'll go read the cached link now.

I wish I were that clever because, you're right, that would be funny!

Re: Why do web sites and software take so long to build? And why is it so hard?

#15

Post by jheitzeb »

Wow, thought-provoking post! I had three reactions to this.

1) Software is in it's early days (in the grand scheme of things.) Though things may seem "hand-made" now, it won't always be the case. In fact I'd say OO, design patterns, frameworks, cloud technologies and more are the early equivalents of regulations, well-accepted standards, etc.

2) What other profession is as egalitarian? What other profession has as much upside? Entire industries can be changed by a few smart people. That kind of opportunity makes the "hassle" worth it.

3) The hassle of having stakeholders/customers constantly wanting things faster and cheaper can easily be mitigated by being picky about what company your work, for, it's business model and it's culture. Not all software companies face that issue.

Re: Why do web sites and software take so long to build? And why is it so hard?

#17

Post by baddox »

I'm not sure I understand the author's definition of "handmade." My Rails web app runs on my handmade code with a bunch of handmade Ruby libraries, on the handmade Ruby language, on physical hardware that was made by handmade machines (or machines made by handmade machines, etc.). How is software any more handmade than any man-made technology, like a cellphone or automobile? The distinction sounds necessarily fuzzy.

Re: Why do web sites and software take so long to build? And why is it so hard?

#18

Post by ranebo »

My dad would start yelling at the screen if he read this article. He runs power tool manufacturing business, that requires each product to be tested and tested to perfection. If there is a fatal flaw the entire line may need to be recalled.

The fact I can push a software update to a million users in minutes makes him green with envy.

So yes software is hard... but cost free replication is an enormous upside.

Re: Why do web sites and software take so long to build? And why is it so hard?

#19

Post by maaku »

Except that software is written by machines these days. I stopped writing in assembly language after it stopped being cool in the 90's. Even still, you'd have to be hand-crafting machine code in a hex editor to really get all the machines out of the loop.

These days I write in an interpreted language using complex libraries that handle a multitude of protocol choices for me. Even if you argue that each of those tools were at one point hand-crafted, even down to the compiler, there are now development tools that help me write code, from basic code completion and tooltips to the most complex static and runtime analysis. That is machines writing software, with a human in the loop.

Re: Why do web sites and software take so long to build? And why is it so hard?

#20

Post by chrsstrm »

I think wanting a product cheaper and faster is a pretty universal sentiment. I think it can also be said that aside from cooking a meal or buying IKEA furniture, the typical consumer purchases a product that's ready to go with no assembly or lead time required. I like to think that if my (ordinary non-commercial) client assumes something is easily done, that's a compliment to my work. He or she can ask for a new button with a simple function to be added to a page, but they have no comprehension of the complexity behind adding what they see to be a simple element. To the ordinary or non-technical person, there is a lot of "magic" behind what we do (it's just a button, why can't you just add it in?). That lack of understanding combined with how easily we've solved other (seemingly similar) problems gives them no way to properly gauge how long a task should take or what it should cost.
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