Re:Ask HN: I've been slacking off at Google for 6 years. How...
by Zanneth on Tuesday January 07, 2020 @12:51PM
(#21982468)
Humanity has built a /lot/ of bridges that have fallen apart before we were able to learn how to do it correctly. Itβs sometimes easy to forget just how young the software industry is.
It's the equivalent of building a bridge, watching it fall apart, then figuring out how to artfully tie a rope around the bridge to keep it upright, rather than just designing a bridge that can stand on it's own. Most practical knowledge is therefore about artfully wrapping different ropes in clever ways around various problems, rather than fundamental theory on how to build the best design.
As a result of these thoughts, I doubt my code, I doubt everyone's code, and I've lost that naive optimism about technology. Good enough is good enough to ship, after all.