Re: Roll up your sleeves! - was: RE: [SLUG] Good, Fast and Cheap?

From: Andrew M Hoerter (amh@pobox.com)
Date: Fri Aug 15 2003 - 20:25:58 EDT


On Fri, 15 Aug 2003, Josh Tiner wrote:

> computers in general. I've said this a dozen times, maybe not on this
> list specifically - but I've voiced this on numerous occasions. Not to
> sound insulting, but the fact of the matter is, anyone could "get"
> computers. From networking, to programming, to databases - it's really
> all a piece of cake. That's why the market is so saturated, and why
> companies don't need people to do the jobs that anyone else could do.
> Sure, some employees can do a job a little better that others - maybe
> they have a bit more talent or experience - but do you really think
> today's companies are going to spend the extra money?? It's laughable!

While I do agree that certain IT sectors like PC repair, basic network
support, and so forth can pretty much be done by anyone -- I think you're
a little off the mark in thinking that programming is a "piece of cake".
It's easy to program poorly, but very difficult to achieve the level of
true mastery which maybe 5% of software engineers worldwide have achieved.
And while there is some middle ground between those two, statistically
speaking, most programmers are not very good.

And although in some cases the difference between good software and bad
software is less important, most of the time it has a significant impact
on our lives. Financial systems, nuclear power plant control software,
avionics computers, the list goes on and on. Even consumer software like
Windows is important (witness the latest Internet worm). The next time
you fly, if your plane is made by Airbus, then you are placing your life
in the hands of many unknown programmers.

The current business attitude that Chinese and Indian programmers working
for a fraction of an American programmer's salary can generate quality
software is a serious misconception and will be harmful in the long term.
Writing software is not a mindless process like riveting parts on an
assembly line, there is an art to it. And the truth is that most people
can't do it very well.

For a much better exploration of why software is hard, you should read
Fred Brooks' "The Mythical Man Month".

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