Most tech content is bullshit • Hacker News Board

Re: Most tech content is bullshit

#21

Post by Brozilean » Sun, Jun 07, 2020, 5:06 PM UTC

I basically realized this when I was at an internship talking to a buddy about a compilers course I could be taking and his language he was making for fun. He was talking about a couple topics I'd probably go over in the course.

Then a more senior coworker came over to join the convo and mentioned a few similar words that were clearly jargon related to compilers etc. He spoke with such confidence that I didn't want to admit I didn't know about them, but figured I shouldn't be ashamed at not knowing stuff. I asked him what it meant and he said he didn't really know and wasn't entirely sure. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Re: Most tech content is bullshit

#22

Post by anthony_romeo » Sun, Jun 07, 2020, 5:07 PM UTC

tuyguntn wrote: post #4

I believe part of problem is Google SEO. Tech content maybe bullshit, but marketing content is even more bullshit. I remember times when we had slow internet and/or only subset of blogs we read from time to time. Most of development was done by reading books, specification of devices for writing drivers and so on. Now, literally everyone is trying to do SEO and use lots of words in articles, kind of creating content,…

Or those fake how-to tutorial pages. Often when I’m looking up, say, error codes in Windows, I need to wade through pages of “Step 1: Download the MyNewFreeComputerCleaner.biz app”

Re: Most tech content is bullshit

#23

Post by Koshkin » Sun, Jun 07, 2020, 5:07 PM UTC

As a saying that used to be popular back in the day goes, Nobody has been fired for buying (from) IBM. This in my view is what explains much of the problem.

Re: Most tech content is bullshit

#24

Post by mopsi » Sun, Jun 07, 2020, 5:11 PM UTC

I'd go even one step further: doubt what you think you already know.

I often check documentation of even well-known functions like printf() to remind me of details that I might have forgotten or remember inaccurately.

Re: Most tech content is bullshit

#25

Post by nlitened » Sun, Jun 07, 2020, 5:11 PM UTC

layoutIfNeeded wrote: post #19

tuyguntn wrote: post #4

I believe part of problem is Google SEO. Tech content maybe bullshit, but marketing content is even more bullshit. I remember times when we had slow internet and/or only subset of blogs we read from time to time. Most of development was done by reading books, specification of devices for writing drivers and so on. Now, literally everyone is trying to do SEO and use lots of words in articles, kind of creating content,…

Everything goes to shit when marketing is involved. Or more like, everything goes to shit when money is involved.

Google incentivizes this. Don’t hate the player, hate the game.

Re: Most tech content is bullshit

#26

Post by Koshkin » Sun, Jun 07, 2020, 5:11 PM UTC

sesuximo wrote: post #2

> this blog may be bullshit as well Maybe all blogs should say this lol

Or you could just assume the possibility regardless.

Re: Most tech content is bullshit

#27

Post by unnouinceput » Sun, Jun 07, 2020, 5:11 PM UTC

If tech is kinda full of bullshit, which on better or worse kinda need to rely on math, and most of the time can be reviewed - then wait until you go to socio science, like psychology. You need to see there how much bullshit it is, you won't believe it. But, just like tech, it's better with it rather then without it.

Re: Most tech content is bullshit

#28

Post by mrosett » Sun, Jun 07, 2020, 5:12 PM UTC

This is pretty good, but I had to chuckle when the author threw in a suitably impressive quote from Sagan about the dangers of appeals to authority.

Re: Most tech content is bullshit

#29

Post by huffmsa » Sun, Jun 07, 2020, 5:13 PM UTC

If most of it is bullshit, then the harm of bullshit mustn't be that high.

If it were, then none of this would exist.

But that there are some many tech companies taking so many different approaches (the majority bullshit) stands as evidence that there must be some acceptable amount of bullshit an organization can handle.

Textbook code is nice, but shipping and improving product is nicer.

Re: Most tech content is bullshit

#30

Post by hashberry » Sun, Jun 07, 2020, 5:13 PM UTC

tuyguntn wrote: post #4

I believe part of problem is Google SEO. Tech content maybe bullshit, but marketing content is even more bullshit. I remember times when we had slow internet and/or only subset of blogs we read from time to time. Most of development was done by reading books, specification of devices for writing drivers and so on. Now, literally everyone is trying to do SEO and use lots of words in articles, kind of creating content,…

And social media (including LinkedIn). There are many tech firms who hire marketers to write tech content for other marketers and potential clients as an advertising and brand-building strategy.