Many software companies are a joke • Hacker News Board

Re: Many software companies are a joke

#81

Post by ethbr0 » Mon, May 16, 2022, 10:37 AM UTC

politelemon wrote: post #64

shortformblog wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This guy also wrote a hater’s take on open-source a few months back: https://liou28335.medium.com/why-i-dislike-open-source-acbc2... Something tells me he’s gunning for that Medium paycheck.

> Medium paycheck. I'm sorry, what? Out of the loop here.

Find "What Stats/Data Points Will Be Used to Calculate Medium Earnings?" in the link: https://medium.com/blogging-guide/how-much-money-can-you-mak...

But basically: outrage increases readership increases Medium author payout

Re: Many software companies are a joke

#82

Post by onion2k » Mon, May 16, 2022, 10:38 AM UTC

turminal wrote: post #72

onion2k wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People writing essays about software that are bound to get outdated and will never be read by anyone. I write a lot of documentation entirely with the awareness that no one else will read it. I write it for myself. I don't want to have to remember the intricacies of a system. I want to write things down, then move on immediately, and have the security of something I can refer back to if I need it when I revisit the s…

But doing so is your personal preference, you (i hope) are not required to do so. Some people find it easier to organize their work differently or not at all. Some people are astonishingly productive despite not writing anything down, ever.

But doing so is your personal preference, you (i hope) are not required to do so.

I am required to in the sense that I define the policy about what gets documented on my team, and I said we write documentation about everything.

Re: Many software companies are a joke

#83

Post by praptak » Mon, May 16, 2022, 10:39 AM UTC

TFA uses exaggeration to paint things which are necessary as superfluous bullshit (write a 50-page doc on every feature). When you strip that, you are left with a pretty banal statement: lone coder outside corporate environment can work faster on implementing stuff than one working on a big project in a corporate setting.

Okay, but doesn't everybody know that already?

Re: Many software companies are a joke

#84

Post by t43562 » Mon, May 16, 2022, 10:40 AM UTC

Working with larger and larger groups of people gets harder and big companies don't have all the solutions - fortunately - because otherwise little companies wouldn't have a chance.

Re: Many software companies are a joke

#85

Post by bigDinosaur » Mon, May 16, 2022, 10:40 AM UTC

ethbr0 wrote: post #74

mellavora wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Interesting observation. I wonder how much of the difference is between high physical activity, where often the work requires multiple people manipulating the same physical object (I hold the door, you attach the hinge), vs low physical activity, where often the work requires multiple people manipulating highly abstract concepts with purely imaginary connections (I write the API, you write the caller).

The physical/non-physical distinction might be a bit of a red herring, as this seems more a differentiation between repetitive and non-repetitive work. I.e. assembly line worker vs carpenter I'd hazard most people tend to dislike repetitive work, if they have the choice.

Yes, although repetitive physical (exertive) work is a bit less soul destroying if only because it makes you too tired to think about it too much.

Re: Many software companies are a joke

#86

Post by croes » Mon, May 16, 2022, 10:41 AM UTC

slumber86 wrote: post #67

amitport wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would even add that sometimes "maintainable and reliable" are overrated. Sometimes being quick to market is more important then having to maintain the product. Sometimes providing a bad product is only relative to the competition (which may have a worse product). Sometimes having a good customer service is more important than the reliability of the product. etc.,. I do agree with solving the end user needs... if a…

>Sometimes providing a bad product is only relative to the competition (which may have a worse product). Eventually will came someone with a truly good product and distrupt the market

Or this company is bought up, which was there first and therefore has the larger financial reserves.

Re: Many software companies are a joke

#87

Post by zcbenz » Mon, May 16, 2022, 10:41 AM UTC

achow wrote: post #68

There seems to be unnecessary vitriol towards the author. What he mentions about big financial companies (where software are for internal workflows) that is the life, and there are many of them and they are usually big employers. And what he says "You see, we were always busy but seldom productive" is actually the essence of 'Mythical Man Month'. About FAANG/MAANG, I have seen brilliant college toppers mucking around…

I feel really sorry for the author, what he said does not deserve such mean comments.

Re: Many software companies are a joke

#88

Post by milkshakes » Mon, May 16, 2022, 10:42 AM UTC

mjburgess wrote: post #70

The issue the author is talking about, in my view, is caused by the natural lifespan of corps tending towards bloating middle-management. (Very hard process to fight). At the start the founder group are rutheless productivity-chasers. Then the corp expands to include the its-just-a-job group. Everything ticks along well, and at some point, the rutheless can't manage the group. So they hire followers to listen to thei…

this is the gervais principle

Re: Many software companies are a joke

#89

Post by mytailorisrich » Mon, May 16, 2022, 10:42 AM UTC

reallscoliosoi wrote: post #45

Every company I have worked at has been the same - very depressed people who have no enthusiasm for anything slowly dying as they sit there staring at the computer. It is in stark contrast to the physical labour jobs I have had, which have been very lively and happy places to work. I think the assumption that these people want to program for more than 2 hours per day is probably wrong, and you will just burn yourself…

> Every company I have worked at has been the same - very depressed people who have no enthusiasm for anything slowly dying as they sit there staring at the computer. It is in stark contrast to the physical labour jobs I have had, which have been very lively and happy places to work.

They even made a movie with that premise (Office Space).

Re: Many software companies are a joke

#90

Post by gandutraveler » Mon, May 16, 2022, 10:43 AM UTC

I've been in software for 20ish years now and I can tell you that beyond couple of years of learning, there isn't anything new to learn in software. Every few years same old patterns get wrapped under a fancy name and people jump into it thinking it's something cool to learn.