Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Code is run more than read (2023)

olano.dev

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

1–10 of 110 posts

Re: Code is run more than read (2023)

#3

Post by choeger »

Clearly, there is a thing missing here: Regulations. If you have strong regulations on how you can make money, you cannot sustainably have biz antagonize user. So in that case biz just becomes a filter for users that actually are willing (and able) to fund your software. That's a good thing.

Obviously, our regulations aren't perfect or even good enough yet. See DRM. See spyware TVs. See "who actually gets to control your device?". But still...

Re: Code is run more than read (2023)

#4

Post by 3form »

I like the final conclusion. And sadly I don't feel like anything changed for the better on this topic since 2023.

I am afraid that without a major crash or revolution of some sort, user won't matter next to a sufficiently big biz. But time will tell.

Re: Code is run more than read (2023)

#6

Post by dbalatero »

3form wrote: post #4

I like the final conclusion. And sadly I don't feel like anything changed for the better on this topic since 2023. I am afraid that without a major crash or revolution of some sort, user won't matter next to a sufficiently big biz. But time will tell.

I've found the users-first mentality degrading over the years at companies. It's a bit jarring too, since a lot of my early training was pretty user-centric.

Re: Code is run more than read (2023)

#7

Post by alexpotato »

I've worked at some of the "top tier" finance firms over the years.

It is absolutely astounding how much of them run on code that is:

- very reliable aka it almost never breaks/fails

- written in ways that makes you wonder what series of events led to such awful code

For example:

- A deployment system that used python to read and respond to raw HTTP requests. If you triggered a deployment, you had to leave the webpage open as the deployment code was in the HTTP serving code

- A workflow manager that had - Python code written in Java OOP style where every function call had to be traced up and down through four levels of abstraction

I mention this only b/c the "LLMs write shitty code" isn't quite the insult/blocker that people think it is. Humans write TONS of awful but working code too.

Re: Code is run more than read (2023)

#9

Post by majorbugger »

alexpotato wrote: post #7

I've worked at some of the "top tier" finance firms over the years. It is absolutely astounding how much of them run on code that is: - very reliable aka it almost never breaks/fails - written in ways that makes you wonder what series of events led to such awful code For example: - A deployment system that used python to read and respond to raw HTTP requests. If you triggered a deployment, you had to leave the webpag…

Which is great until you have to make changes to this kind of code, not to mention a massive refactoring.

Re: Code is run more than read (2023)

#10

Post by wiseowise »

jollyllama wrote: post #8

And cars are driven more than worked on, but putting the oil filter inaccessibly in the middle of the engine block is still an unforgiveable sin.

But if you happen to own a repair shop, you can make a fortune from drivers who don’t know how to do it. Wink.
Post reply on HN