51–60 of 68 posts
"Software is a just a tool to help accomplish something for people - many programmers never understood that. Keep your eyes on the delivered value, and don't over focus on the specifics of the tools"
That said, I don't think Carmack would ever say that software isn't about code. It's more that code should be written and evaluated based on how much net value it delivers to people, not on arbitrary technical metrics.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Okay sure but would you say software is not about code? Yes of course people skills matter I get it but the baseline is still code, no? Isn't it then weird to say software is not about it but rather people?
Yes but also no I guess? Like would you say being a manager or in marketing is about writing, or that being in sales is about talking? Those are the main methods of accomplishing what those roles are meant to do, but it's not like they're about writing and talking.
In fact, my entire point of the critisim is that you can apply the concept to every profession and it will still be valid hence its a banal weird thing.
Saying being a manager or in marketing is about people makes 100x more sense than to say its about writing. Almost all jobs involve people so it applies universally.
But that doesn't mean software is not code. that is still a weird thing to say and wrong.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Sales is part of the capitalism layer that sits atop the actual work. Same as CEOs and finance. None of them do useful work, only decide what useful work gets done. In communism you couldn't sell software without a Party representative - that doesn't mean he's useful.
A less cynical take is that sales connects the people who need a problem solved to the people who can solve it.
A very common approach to sales nowadays is to invent a problem that someone does not have and then try to sell them your tool that fixes the problem
Or they try to map the problem you have to the problem they solve, even if they are actually quite different problems
The biggest problem that sales is trying to solve is that you aren't buying anything from them
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yes but also no I guess? Like would you say being a manager or in marketing is about writing, or that being in sales is about talking? Those are the main methods of accomplishing what those roles are meant to do, but it's not like they're about writing and talking.
What do you mean being a manager or in marketing is about writing? Like that statement makes no sense and is wildly vague. The main role of being a manager is to write? The main role of being "in marketing" is to write? I think you're doing a lot of reducing in that and framing the wrong abstract "write". Same mistake as the article. In fact, my entire point of the critisim is that you can apply the concept to every…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
A less cynical take is that sales connects the people who need a problem solved to the people who can solve it.
Modern sales pipelines don't behave this way in my experience. A very common approach to sales nowadays is to invent a problem that someone does not have and then try to sell them your tool that fixes the problem Or they try to map the problem you have to the problem they solve, even if they are actually quite different problems The biggest problem that sales is trying to solve is that you aren't buying anything from…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Modern sales pipelines don't behave this way in my experience. A very common approach to sales nowadays is to invent a problem that someone does not have and then try to sell them your tool that fixes the problem Or they try to map the problem you have to the problem they solve, even if they are actually quite different problems The biggest problem that sales is trying to solve is that you aren't buying anything from…
Yeah, I see this. I think in that case, both the sales and development team are deadweight (ie self licking ice cream cones)
Software can be modeled as a social relation. Unless you're manufacturing your own chips from scratch, that is. Charging people for software never sat right with me.
What about charging people for electronic books? From an IP perspective, code is just a really bad book.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yeah, I see this. I think in that case, both the sales and development team are deadweight (ie self licking ice cream cones)
I think the development team's work in this scenario is more akin to basic research . There is still some chance they may discover something unexpected.
It comes across as “everyone else’s work is trivial and low value but my, MY, work is difficult and important”. We shouldn’t be so precious.
Software can be modeled as a social relation. Unless you're manufacturing your own chips from scratch, that is. Charging people for software never sat right with me.