Software is Interesting

For me, at least. But not for most people, who are allergic to the stuff.

Why?

The answer to this question goes into the dark recesses of our contemporary psyche, where few want to venture.

Companies who want to hire Software Developers do not ask this question, they want to know whether you can do the job, or not. If you can. you got a job, even if they have to bring you in from a foreign country.

This results in a divided population, between those who are software savvy, and those who are not.

Those who are software knowledgeable often concentrate on manipulating those who are not. They assume the users are stupid, and often they are.

This situation has gotten worse as Software has gotten better. And has made some people wonder if computers are going to take over the world.

And in a way, they already have. They can do some things much better than humans. I am writing this blog, and you are reading it, perhaps from across the world. A few years ago, this was impossible!

We are not well-adapted to rapid change - but our present world is full of it. And this has driven us crazy.

This, to me, is the worst problem we have. A world that is full of maladapted people.

Ethics in Software

Software Developers, like everyone else - tiptoe carefully around this issue, instead of tackling it head on.

They like to think of themselves, as making software better and better - and in many ways they are.

But they are also employees of the company they work for - companies that profess the highest standards (of course) but in practice, are not interested in standards at all. I have watched in amazement, as these mediocre developers waste their time producing worthless software.

The best developers, by contrast, will only be interested in working on things they are interested in. And if their present job does not do this - they will move to one that does - one that makes their skills better, and their software better.

How Software Development Represents a New Beginning

Software Development is a new development - that's why I am so interested in it. These guys noticed that their ability to develop software needed improvement - and they set about improving it!

Most people by contrast, can see nothing wrong with their world - and can see no reason to improve on it. I exaggerate, of course - they will see a few things wrong with it - but nothing serious, or fundamentally wrong, that needs to be changed.

And I will take that further - they have decided to not exist, because they would only get in the way of the more important things, that have to be in control, in their economy. They may not know what these things are - but they are there, and have been described, in some detail, by their Economists and Businessmen.

These people are still functioning, as bodies - and making more of them all the time. But their ability to think about their world has been severely impaired. And that, in their opinion - is not much of a problem. Other people are doing that for them!

Let me state this another way - most people want to be entertained, but do not want to think about what is going on. In software, by contrast - they work hard at understanding what is going on, and making it better.

A big difference!