> I don't want to paint with too broad of a brush but I've > dealt with a lot of contractors who think their poop > doesn't stink. But I've seen this attitude with anyone > who doesn't have to work with existing code. Basically, > my theory is that developers who think that maintaining > code is easier than writing code from scratch are more > likely to not get the value of well-written code.
I've got a thick skin with regard to being a contractor. Many I've met are not very good and I've still got a lot to learn, hence why I come to this forum.
Maintaining code is considerably more difficult especially if it's been around a long time. These days I actually prefer it though. I've burned out a bit with death marches on new projects. Besides, I get satisfaction out of re-writing hastily written code.
> Surprisingly, yes. Woodworking is a fairly lucrative > venture. There's a lot of automation, though. I think > you'd be hard pressed to find a professional workworker > that doesn't have a lot of expensive power tools.
You took my meaning though? Modern society is about trade off between degrees of quality and cost. Big Box stores don't sell the best products, they sell a range of reasonable quality products within an acceptable price range. Boutique solutions find niches but they don't dominate a market. I don't generally buy clothing from a tailor or shoes from a cobbler, etc. I'm impressed that woodworkers are making a comeback.
The only potential I see in crafting software now is in the Open Source arena.
> On a side note, my father was telling me something rather > interesting about manufacturing. He was saying that right > now, the cheapest place in the world for them to outsource > machining is Italy. And the places that they are > outsourcing to are mom-and-pop shops where the mother does > the accounting and the father and son(s) do the machining. > This is possible because of high level of automation they > y use.
Is the automation the major differentiator in cost?
> You took my meaning though? Modern society is about trade > off between degrees of quality and cost. Big Box stores > don't sell the best products, they sell a range of > reasonable quality products within an acceptable price > range. Boutique solutions find niches but they don't > dominate a market. I don't generally buy clothing from a > tailor or shoes from a cobbler, etc. I'm impressed that > woodworkers are making a comeback.
I've recently become interested in Woodworking and started reading some fairly accessible publications. What has become clear is that they are not primarily for amateurs. It seems that most of the readers are pros. It surprised me too. One thing to realize is that modern woodworking embraces man-made materials and new technologies.
> The only potential I see in crafting software now is in > the Open Source arena.
I think that's the general assumption but I question it.
> Is the automation the major differentiator in cost?
I'm not sure I understand it all but I think it's that there is no labor cost and the overhead in terms of space and management is highly reduced.
The reason I found this so interesting is that in software, there is a big push towards assembly-line development and 'off-the-shelf' systems. But the assembly line is an old technology. Automation has slowly replaced armies of workers doing repetitive tasks. Manufacturing is moving away from it towards things like cell manufacturing. So not only are we working towards a solution that is poorly suited to the problem, it's an outdated idea from a time when steam engines were high technology.
My personal opinion is that we are a very long way from being able to buy everything off the shelf and merely configure it. I question idea that this is even possible. My current employer is convinced that this is the way to go. We essentially buy things all the time and solve almost nothing.
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