To get good, go after the metagame

Re:To get good, go after the metagame by hvasilev on Tuesday February 25, 2020 @11:56PM (#22420393)

Software development is a really funny example of this. The meta changes constantly and as a result "the technology is changing all the time". The thing is that the underlying principles and rules have barely changed in the last few decades. This is why I've never understood people that are enthusiastic about new programming languages and frameworks (among other things). It is just exploring the potential of a different meta. It doesn't necessarily make you a better programmer and probably your time is spent better elsewhere.

I personally believe this is also the reason why in the last few decades we are seeing less and less 'good' new programmers. Turns out it is quite counter intuitive for a new player to understand why they should spent their time on underlying principles and not on constantly chasing the shinny.

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Re:To get good, go after the metagame by dblank9 on Wednesday February 26, 2020 @04:12AM (#22421551)

It seems to me that ever-changing tech is the meta of software development.

When done right, new tools and frameworks make us more productive and enable us to do more in less time. Because time to market is a crucial component of startup success, picking the right tools can give you that edge.

As for the underlying principles of software development, that's the "fundamentals" that everybody is talking about in this thread. OF COURSE you need to master them. But once you do, the meta really is chasing new tech. The problem is that folks with no knowledge of fundamentals are constantly chasing the new thing - i.e. attempting to play the meta prematurely.

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Re:To get good, go after the metagame by imtringued on Wednesday February 26, 2020 @08:29AM (#22422675)

Because most old tools absolutely suck. People aren't chasing the new stuff. They are escaping from the old stuff.

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