Tech is moving too fast for me: I'm out.
88 comments
The problem isn't that tech is moving too fast. It's churning too fast. How many copycats, changed (i.e. broken) APIs, new ranking algorithms and UIs do we get for every one tiny bit of actual forward movement? All this "disruption" for its own sake sucks the time and energy out of the people who actually do all the innovating. When half of every release is about fixing broken dependencies and half of every sales cycle is about answering FUD from "competitors" who fail on the very fundamentals, that's not progress. It makes me want to get out of the business too.
Right. This "move quickly and break stuff" can work, barely, in a single organisation. Once you have inter-organisation dependencies which constantly break, and is the current situation, you rapidly head towards an unproductive tarpit.
This is one of my stock objections to package management "solutions" such as Maven. By reducing the friction for change on the part of implementers it pushes the burden on to consumers of APIs to adapt. "Just update your package - it takes two seconds" is the eternal lie of such systems. Package managers by themselves aren't bad, but the resulting mindset is.
This is one of my stock objections to package management "solutions" such as Maven. By reducing the friction for change on the part of implementers it pushes the burden on to consumers of APIs to adapt. "Just update your package - it takes two seconds" is the eternal lie of such systems. Package managers by themselves aren't bad, but the resulting mindset is.
Thats why we need open and well defined protocols and not APIs.
+100 Easy to mistake churn for productive change.
Might be an idea to view competitors through the eyes of your customers. They might not be as important to your plans as you might think.
Might be an idea to view competitors through the eyes of your customers. They might not be as important to your plans as you might think.
I think some people in this thread are being a bit eager about change-for-its-own-sake. But change isn't in itself progress, it isn't in itself betterment. It might as well be a distraction or a regression.
I see a reason to celebrate novel concepts and technologies, and incremental improvements. I don't see a reason to celebrate yet another technology with 90% of the power of the previous technology, only 50% of the problems of the previous tech, but with a whole slew of problems that that other technology from 7 years ago brought up and that the previous technology fixed. And with a packaging that is similar enough to not be challenging, yet different enough to have to make a concentrated, droning effort in order to iron out any misunderstandings or surprising behaviour.
I see a reason to celebrate novel concepts and technologies, and incremental improvements. I don't see a reason to celebrate yet another technology with 90% of the power of the previous technology, only 50% of the problems of the previous tech, but with a whole slew of problems that that other technology from 7 years ago brought up and that the previous technology fixed. And with a packaging that is similar enough to not be challenging, yet different enough to have to make a concentrated, droning effort in order to iron out any misunderstandings or surprising behaviour.
>Snapchat launches a fantastic re-design.
so? how does this affect your product?
>Facebook changes its newsfeed algorithm with significant implications for marketing agencies and small businesses. Facebook replaces its complete Android SDK with a new API
yeah, that sucks.
>Apple releases a completely new programming language.
so? you don't have to use it.
>Apple releases new versions of iOS and OS X.
if your app works on Mavericks, it works on Yosemite. if it works on iOS7, it works on iOS8
>Google brings Android to TV and your wrist.
You don't have to integrate with it.
>They release a brand-new Android version.
same comment as the apple OS releases
>A new cross-platform design language.
You don't have to use it. Your product already has a design, and a brand. consistency is important. Your users are probably even more afraid of change than you are. Don't inflict google's new design on them unless they're begging for it.
>They replace the Android VM.
your app probably already works with it. most do.
>Notifications change how they work.
no they didn't. they added new features, but your old notifications still work like they did yesterday.
>This. And that. And this. And that.
Build your product, make it as good as it can be, and build what your customers are actually asking for. Stop caring about all that crap the tech blogs are posting, and focus on what your customers are asking for. You don't have to react to everything that theverge reports on, 90% of it goes away after a couple months or has a similarly small effect on the industry.
so? how does this affect your product?
>Facebook changes its newsfeed algorithm with significant implications for marketing agencies and small businesses. Facebook replaces its complete Android SDK with a new API
yeah, that sucks.
>Apple releases a completely new programming language.
so? you don't have to use it.
>Apple releases new versions of iOS and OS X.
if your app works on Mavericks, it works on Yosemite. if it works on iOS7, it works on iOS8
>Google brings Android to TV and your wrist.
You don't have to integrate with it.
>They release a brand-new Android version.
same comment as the apple OS releases
>A new cross-platform design language.
You don't have to use it. Your product already has a design, and a brand. consistency is important. Your users are probably even more afraid of change than you are. Don't inflict google's new design on them unless they're begging for it.
>They replace the Android VM.
your app probably already works with it. most do.
>Notifications change how they work.
no they didn't. they added new features, but your old notifications still work like they did yesterday.
>This. And that. And this. And that.
Build your product, make it as good as it can be, and build what your customers are actually asking for. Stop caring about all that crap the tech blogs are posting, and focus on what your customers are asking for. You don't have to react to everything that theverge reports on, 90% of it goes away after a couple months or has a similarly small effect on the industry.
Critiquing every detail of this man/woman's complaint is not going to help them.
I think we all agree with at least some of the points. Your references to specific versions of OS' shows you living in the now. Apple will always release a new iOS and the OP's app will not always be compatible.
It comes down to this: there is a lot of stuff going down and some people struggle to keep up. We give the impression that this has to be a way of life. Code at night, code at work, lifehack all the time. Some people just want a day job and, in this line of work, that is hard to do.
I love it, but I also know what burnout is and the advice here does not help.
Thanks for the understanding! By the way, it's not only about not accepting the lifestyle (e.g. coding at night) and thus struggling to keep up with the changes -- it's also not being profitable enough to hire enough people. If you want/need to be present on the three major mobile platforms and you can only afford a team of three, for example, it can be hard sometimes.
It's easy to be an armchair critic dispensing unasked-for advice but harder still to just listen.
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I'm the opposite. Every "new" thing to me just seems to be the same old thing with a new coat of paint. Maybe I'm just nostalgic but there are very few things that seem magic to me anymore. By magic I think I mean that either I have no idea how its done or, better yet, its something that's suddenly done so well I can't figure out how they pulled it off.
Seeing an Oculus Rift actually work for the first time was one such example. A new Facebook API that "changes everything" is really really not.
Seeing an Oculus Rift actually work for the first time was one such example. A new Facebook API that "changes everything" is really really not.
No. Tech moves slowly. I've been writing software for 28 years, professionally for 20 years and as a full-time entrepreneur for 10 years. Also spent the first 5 of those 10 years getting it wrong in terms of biz model.
There are two things that are hurting you.
1. Corporate marketing: It's very important for every tech company to give the perception they're ahead of the curve, that they know magic stuff that you don't, that they're so smart it's not worth even trying to compete with them, that you better buy from them or work for them or you're completely screwed. You're believing this bullshit.
2. Geek obsession with shiny new things. Most of the new languages, platforms, storage engines and dev tools that come out are 5+ years away from being ready for production. Many of them are a solution looking for a problem. Many of them are proprietary or pseudo-open-source looking to create vendor lock-in or opportunities for monetization for a specific company. What most profitable companies use is old school to most developers, especially on the west coast and especially in the Valley. So just don't use new stuff until they're main stream. Read about them (in an article of 800 words or less), figure out what they're about and move on until they're ready for production - and even then decide whether you really have a need for the thing.
You can sit down today and spend a few months writing a kick-ass web application using Linux, Apache with Nginx, PHP and MySQL and generate thousands of dollars a day in revenue or raise millions on the back of the product/service.
Linux: Created 1991. PHP: Created 1994. MySQL: Created 1995. Apache: Created 1995. Nginx: Created 2002.
There are few innovations that are really game changing. A few that come to mind:
Nginx: Solved the C10K problem and lets you have over 100,000 concurrent connections to your web server using only a few megs of memory. Put it in front of Apache web server and divide your front-end hardware costs by 100.
HTML5's web sockets: Now you CAN have push communication via HTTP. Previously long-polling was the only option.
One thing I do agree with: Doing customer service if you're a developer does suck. However if you learn to love your customers and stay on top of it, it ain't so bad. And it's exactly what I'm about to spend my evening doing.
There are two things that are hurting you.
1. Corporate marketing: It's very important for every tech company to give the perception they're ahead of the curve, that they know magic stuff that you don't, that they're so smart it's not worth even trying to compete with them, that you better buy from them or work for them or you're completely screwed. You're believing this bullshit.
2. Geek obsession with shiny new things. Most of the new languages, platforms, storage engines and dev tools that come out are 5+ years away from being ready for production. Many of them are a solution looking for a problem. Many of them are proprietary or pseudo-open-source looking to create vendor lock-in or opportunities for monetization for a specific company. What most profitable companies use is old school to most developers, especially on the west coast and especially in the Valley. So just don't use new stuff until they're main stream. Read about them (in an article of 800 words or less), figure out what they're about and move on until they're ready for production - and even then decide whether you really have a need for the thing.
You can sit down today and spend a few months writing a kick-ass web application using Linux, Apache with Nginx, PHP and MySQL and generate thousands of dollars a day in revenue or raise millions on the back of the product/service.
Linux: Created 1991. PHP: Created 1994. MySQL: Created 1995. Apache: Created 1995. Nginx: Created 2002.
There are few innovations that are really game changing. A few that come to mind:
Nginx: Solved the C10K problem and lets you have over 100,000 concurrent connections to your web server using only a few megs of memory. Put it in front of Apache web server and divide your front-end hardware costs by 100.
HTML5's web sockets: Now you CAN have push communication via HTTP. Previously long-polling was the only option.
One thing I do agree with: Doing customer service if you're a developer does suck. However if you learn to love your customers and stay on top of it, it ain't so bad. And it's exactly what I'm about to spend my evening doing.
"Geek obsession with shiny new things" nailed it in one. I spend a lot of time advising businesses on their tech direction and its amazing to me how often they are told by some digital agency 20yr old to build something using bleeding edge tech for no other reason than its new and shiny.
This is going to sound patronizing but it's not[1], but if consumer/mobile dev moves too fast the OP should consider doing enterprise development.
Lots of enterprises embrace forward thinking architectures but don't necessarily churn languages/frameworks/platforms too frequently.
[1]My day job is enterprise development.
Lots of enterprises embrace forward thinking architectures but don't necessarily churn languages/frameworks/platforms too frequently.
[1]My day job is enterprise development.
Indeed.
I know of more than one humongous application that still runs on Java 1.2. I wouldn't be surprised if the database was of the same vintage.
OTOH, there is absolutely zero chance you'll get to use Firefox, a Mac or deploy something on Django or Rails there. Ever. By 2020 they may have updated their desktops to Windows 8.
Since I am a retrocomputing enthusiast, I wouldn't mind working on a VT-200 or 3279 ;-).
I know of more than one humongous application that still runs on Java 1.2. I wouldn't be surprised if the database was of the same vintage.
OTOH, there is absolutely zero chance you'll get to use Firefox, a Mac or deploy something on Django or Rails there. Ever. By 2020 they may have updated their desktops to Windows 8.
Since I am a retrocomputing enthusiast, I wouldn't mind working on a VT-200 or 3279 ;-).
> I know of more than one humongous application that still runs on Java 1.2
True, but they're not all like that. We've got a humongous app written originally against .NET 1.1, it's still around, still getting new features, doing refactoring, getting updated with every .NET version bump (runs great on 4.5), still being invested in.
Enterprise does not always equal legacy, etiher.
I'm also working on a project that uses MVC5 and async/await features heavily.
Enterprise is fun because there's usually much better requirement gathering and a very tight feedback loop, because it's actual customers, not prospects, and honestly the developer doesn't have to worry about SEO, marketing, conversion, etc. The sales teams do all that for you.
True, but they're not all like that. We've got a humongous app written originally against .NET 1.1, it's still around, still getting new features, doing refactoring, getting updated with every .NET version bump (runs great on 4.5), still being invested in.
Enterprise does not always equal legacy, etiher.
I'm also working on a project that uses MVC5 and async/await features heavily.
Enterprise is fun because there's usually much better requirement gathering and a very tight feedback loop, because it's actual customers, not prospects, and honestly the developer doesn't have to worry about SEO, marketing, conversion, etc. The sales teams do all that for you.
[deleted]
You can still be a software developer, just don't follow the trends and look downwards and specialise. What part of development do you love the most? Do that, get great at it, and don't worry about the daily currents, just look at the yearly trends and stop worrying.
Did you know people still do greenfield development in PHP and that it's a huge market? I bet that wasn't even on your radar! Stop reading Techcrunch and specialise in what you like.
Did you know people still do greenfield development in PHP and that it's a huge market? I bet that wasn't even on your radar! Stop reading Techcrunch and specialise in what you like.
To stay on top, all you gotta do is have 3 years experience in everything that came out in the last year.
Exactly ;( And I feel like the more ambitious you are (for yourself and your company), the more you suffer from this problem.
Yep. Probably best to focus on the end user, who usually doesn't care about your underlying tech. WordPress, Facebook, Craigslist, all built with tech that isn't the latest and greatest, yet still successful.
I'm in my second year of Swift already and doing just fine...
5 years here, son. Step aside.
I already wrote a compiler for Swift.
I can't compete against this..
I'm out.
I'm out.
recruiter: So, 1 year of experience?
"All of them"
Hat tip to the commentors on: https://gist.github.com/dhh/1285068
Hat tip to the commentors on: https://gist.github.com/dhh/1285068
I'm assuming you're talking about the need to learn more and do more, as opposed to simply technological progress (which is kinda neat watching all this new stuff appear IMHO).
So tech progresses. But at most you're affected by two or three of these major changes. If you feel like you have to keep up with everything then perhaps you're trying too do much. If you are sure you need to handle every new technology coming out, maybe it's time to make some hires or even pivot.
We catch up with all the technology we've been missing out on only when we need to -- with a strong computer science core, it shouldn't be overtly difficult to learn a language for some new project because the concepts stay the same. But don't attempt to learn everything at once.
If it all feels overwhelming at times, I would recommend meditating for a few minutes in the morning and night. It may sound cliche but it's super easy and very conductive to a calm mood.
So tech progresses. But at most you're affected by two or three of these major changes. If you feel like you have to keep up with everything then perhaps you're trying too do much. If you are sure you need to handle every new technology coming out, maybe it's time to make some hires or even pivot.
We catch up with all the technology we've been missing out on only when we need to -- with a strong computer science core, it shouldn't be overtly difficult to learn a language for some new project because the concepts stay the same. But don't attempt to learn everything at once.
If it all feels overwhelming at times, I would recommend meditating for a few minutes in the morning and night. It may sound cliche but it's super easy and very conductive to a calm mood.
Thank you!
Watching the technological progress is fine, yes. But I can't passively watch because I'm involved. Every exciting thing is not just something I can applaud as a consumer but something I have to be after as a developer and entrepreneur.
Sometimes I do ask myself if I'm trying to do too much -- but is being present with your company on both big platforms (iOS + Android) too much already?
I can calm down when I'm not at work (e.g. in the morning). But as soon as work starts, I just see the huge piles of opportunities and demands.
Watching the technological progress is fine, yes. But I can't passively watch because I'm involved. Every exciting thing is not just something I can applaud as a consumer but something I have to be after as a developer and entrepreneur.
Sometimes I do ask myself if I'm trying to do too much -- but is being present with your company on both big platforms (iOS + Android) too much already?
I can calm down when I'm not at work (e.g. in the morning). But as soon as work starts, I just see the huge piles of opportunities and demands.
I don't know the answer to this, but maybe moving to Xamarin would help? It will cost you some money, but may simplify trying to support your platforms. I think it's cool what you're doing, I'd love to learn from someone like you. But I purposefully limit what I work with technologically. I think there are ways to handle your business, without having to manage every detail.
I only work with stuff I can do in Python. If I can't do it in Python, I don't do it. It is nice, but I also don't make the money I'm sure you are either. So your problem is definitely self-imposed, but it's not like you're not properly compensated- you're just complaining / letting off steam. For what you're doing, I'd go learn C# and pay for Xamarin licenses.
I only work with stuff I can do in Python. If I can't do it in Python, I don't do it. It is nice, but I also don't make the money I'm sure you are either. So your problem is definitely self-imposed, but it's not like you're not properly compensated- you're just complaining / letting off steam. For what you're doing, I'd go learn C# and pay for Xamarin licenses.
Kivy is perhaps a better fit than the closed Xamarin.
Cross-platform Python, oh yeah!
> - with a strong computer science core, it shouldn't be overtly difficult to learn a language for some new project because the concepts stay the same.
It probably isn't difficult, but it can be tedious. And over time, tedious can turn into drudgery and so on.
It probably isn't difficult, but it can be tedious. And over time, tedious can turn into drudgery and so on.
You seem to be at the whim of fickle web APIs, that's no way to go if you're in it for the long haul. Web tech moves very fast because it's just so easy to iterate and deliver the latest version to your users - and why waste time being backwards compatible when people put up with you regardless?
You have to decide whether you want to pursue these ever-changing trends and be a middleman between API services and users, or take charge of your fate and develop your own meaningful technology (that others in turn will use).
You have to decide whether you want to pursue these ever-changing trends and be a middleman between API services and users, or take charge of your fate and develop your own meaningful technology (that others in turn will use).
Ok, some time out might help you regain your perspective.
Yes, there is a lot of change. But other than maintaining a sense of what's going on, you should FOCUS on what your customers need and why.
If your software has a lot of issues, then is it because it is trying to do too many things? Maybe you need to segment your customer base and thus your software to be focused on a manageable set of functionality.
In your segmentation effort you could fire those customers who cause the most work and contribute the least amount of revenue. Yeah the old 80:20 rule. Focus on 20% of your customers who provide 80% of your revenue and in turn focus on 20% of the functionality in the software that delivers 80% of what the customers require.
Yes, there is a lot of change. But other than maintaining a sense of what's going on, you should FOCUS on what your customers need and why.
If your software has a lot of issues, then is it because it is trying to do too many things? Maybe you need to segment your customer base and thus your software to be focused on a manageable set of functionality.
In your segmentation effort you could fire those customers who cause the most work and contribute the least amount of revenue. Yeah the old 80:20 rule. Focus on 20% of your customers who provide 80% of your revenue and in turn focus on 20% of the functionality in the software that delivers 80% of what the customers require.
The niche you're in matters a lot.
Just as a thought experiment, if you pulled a C programmer from 2004 through a time machine into 2014... they probably wouldn't take that long to acclimate. There are new things, sure, but there are still a lot of the same APIs, same tools, and so on. The basics are the same. Make, GDB, Visual Studio, the language -- it's evolved but it's not unfamiliar.
If you pulled a webdev from 2004 into 2014 through your time machine? Outside of HTTP and HTML, pretty much all the things are different. And in two years and already everyone's onto the next language and the next "framework".
Just as a thought experiment, if you pulled a C programmer from 2004 through a time machine into 2014... they probably wouldn't take that long to acclimate. There are new things, sure, but there are still a lot of the same APIs, same tools, and so on. The basics are the same. Make, GDB, Visual Studio, the language -- it's evolved but it's not unfamiliar.
If you pulled a webdev from 2004 into 2014 through your time machine? Outside of HTTP and HTML, pretty much all the things are different. And in two years and already everyone's onto the next language and the next "framework".
Stop reading the news as if it matters. It really doesn't. Especially if it's here - it's good to let it pass you by so you're informed, but stop thinking about it.
I'm currently punishing Facebook's constant SDK and API churn by avoiding them where possible. We should all do the same - their strategy is insane.
Everything else you pointed out can be be safely ignored as an immediate concern.
Focus on building a solid product. Your product. Make it simple, elegant and small. Don't go too far, or too fast.
Don't read a single piece of news until you've got rid of all the issues in your current product.
I'm currently punishing Facebook's constant SDK and API churn by avoiding them where possible. We should all do the same - their strategy is insane.
Everything else you pointed out can be be safely ignored as an immediate concern.
Focus on building a solid product. Your product. Make it simple, elegant and small. Don't go too far, or too fast.
Don't read a single piece of news until you've got rid of all the issues in your current product.
A lot of this news can be overwhelming, so much noise and its futile to try and digest it all - you'll lose focus. If you let it get to you, it will - it's a bit like saying yes to everyone's demands and then trying to satisfy them and in the end you run yourself in to the ground.
I'd just make a plan and stick to it. Perhaps focus on the problems your customers are having to stop them calling.
I'd just make a plan and stick to it. Perhaps focus on the problems your customers are having to stop them calling.
I have often had the same thoughts. Personally, I try to keep up with the news and the development in the industry (not just basically, as everyone does a little) because I want to have foresight and vision.
A trivial example: Some competitor might decide to start developing for some platform today, but with all the background knowledge, I might say: No, it's time to bet on another platform -- which could cause a critical advantage for me in the future.
But sometimes, I feel like the people who are just diligently doing their daily work and 100% focusing on their own project are not only a bit more productive, but (and this is far more important) happier.
A trivial example: Some competitor might decide to start developing for some platform today, but with all the background knowledge, I might say: No, it's time to bet on another platform -- which could cause a critical advantage for me in the future.
But sometimes, I feel like the people who are just diligently doing their daily work and 100% focusing on their own project are not only a bit more productive, but (and this is far more important) happier.
> I feel like the people who are just diligently doing their daily work and 100% focusing on their own project are not only a bit more productive, but ... happier.
Do this...
Do this...
Are you an employee or founder? Because as an employee you probably generate tremendous returns for coping with all that, but you don't share in those returns. That's always been a problem with any sort of technical role. As a founder if there's no rewards happening then maybe try something else.
Thanks, I'm a founder, and this is probably a large part of the problem. As an employee, I could just say every day: Today, I'm trying to accomplish as much as I can. Everything that is too much is just postponed to tomorrow.
But as a founder, I feel I can't just work relaxedly while your industry is moving faster and faster. You impose other standards, don't you?
But as a founder, I feel I can't just work relaxedly while your industry is moving faster and faster. You impose other standards, don't you?
Ah, I see a problem.
As a Founder, it is just as important for you to say 'I am going to accomplish as much as I can' and not go beyond that. Balancing life with work for Founders is a continual issue, but is VERY important in order to prevent the kind of burn out you are talking about.
So what if there is new tech out there? Adapt to it at YOUR pace. If you have a product that is solid, and customers on that product, chances are you can make it down the road a bit just by progressing that, and by gradually working in the new stuff. Focus on VALUE...not on buzzwords. Will that new tech help you provide value to your customers? If so, devise a plan that gets you there. If not? Forget it.
Hire the right people to help you get done what you need to get done. As a founder, your job is to provide the master plan, the vision, and the tools a team needs to succeed. NOT to take on the entire world and make it all your own problem. Delegate.
As a Founder, it is just as important for you to say 'I am going to accomplish as much as I can' and not go beyond that. Balancing life with work for Founders is a continual issue, but is VERY important in order to prevent the kind of burn out you are talking about.
So what if there is new tech out there? Adapt to it at YOUR pace. If you have a product that is solid, and customers on that product, chances are you can make it down the road a bit just by progressing that, and by gradually working in the new stuff. Focus on VALUE...not on buzzwords. Will that new tech help you provide value to your customers? If so, devise a plan that gets you there. If not? Forget it.
Hire the right people to help you get done what you need to get done. As a founder, your job is to provide the master plan, the vision, and the tools a team needs to succeed. NOT to take on the entire world and make it all your own problem. Delegate.
> NOT to take on the entire world and make it all your own problem.
Which is exactly what I'm trying. Thank you! It's just that it often seems to me you can't have a proper work-life balance unless you shut your eyes to all the opportunities you can take and demands you have to fulfil.
Which is exactly what I'm trying. Thank you! It's just that it often seems to me you can't have a proper work-life balance unless you shut your eyes to all the opportunities you can take and demands you have to fulfil.
One way to start is to have employees you can trust. And delegate tasks to them. If they are worth your time as employees, they will take initiative to do the things you can't or don't think of. If you find people who are willing to believe in your dream, you can let them do some of the heavy lifting.
You can't be a one-man shop that can stay abreast of every new and emerging trend in the industry. There just isn't the time in the day. There are like two dozen people on earth who can actually be up on all of the latest stuff all on their own. And not being one is not a bad thing.
You can't be a one-man shop that can stay abreast of every new and emerging trend in the industry. There just isn't the time in the day. There are like two dozen people on earth who can actually be up on all of the latest stuff all on their own. And not being one is not a bad thing.
Sometimes you do have to shut your eyes to the demands and the opportunities. Or at least be more selective in which to follow and fulfill. I assume you have people that depend on you, employees, a family. What good are you doing them if you spend all of your time pivoting, chasing the latest WHATEVER...and it causes you to miss the RIGHT opportunity...or you don't fulfill the RIGHT demands and your customers abandon your brand?
Use a filter. Figure out what is hot and burning today, and focus on that. Demands first, opportunities seconds, because honestly, you don't time or capital to waste on an 'opportunity' while any important demand waits in 'your' inbox. So start with the demands. Address the ones that come from the segment with the highest ROI. Focus only on things you hear from a 'reasonable' chunk of that segment. No one offs. No feature that one person demands, only things that can score you points with (almost) every customer in that bracket. Plan out that work. That will tell you how long you have before you can afford to move on an opportunity.
If you have good cash flow, consider hiring a person or two to chase some opportunities while your team remains focused. Or use the money wisely, help your team by giving them more resources, and shorten the cycle time before you can afford to engage in speculation.
Speculating about every change, technology, and up and coming sounds like its taking your attention away from where it needs to be. In my humble opinion, that is on the people paying your paycheck, your customers.
Use a filter. Figure out what is hot and burning today, and focus on that. Demands first, opportunities seconds, because honestly, you don't time or capital to waste on an 'opportunity' while any important demand waits in 'your' inbox. So start with the demands. Address the ones that come from the segment with the highest ROI. Focus only on things you hear from a 'reasonable' chunk of that segment. No one offs. No feature that one person demands, only things that can score you points with (almost) every customer in that bracket. Plan out that work. That will tell you how long you have before you can afford to move on an opportunity.
If you have good cash flow, consider hiring a person or two to chase some opportunities while your team remains focused. Or use the money wisely, help your team by giving them more resources, and shorten the cycle time before you can afford to engage in speculation.
Speculating about every change, technology, and up and coming sounds like its taking your attention away from where it needs to be. In my humble opinion, that is on the people paying your paycheck, your customers.
As the founder you are still effectively "employed" by your customers. Focus on delivering what the most profitable segment of your customers want. Disregard the rest.
If you still have too much work, then maybe you need to hire some staff to take some of your workload.
If you still have too much work, then maybe you need to hire some staff to take some of your workload.
Building a app or company, depends on markets, it is independent of technology.
My Alma-Mater taught functional programming and outdated technologies, and I thought it was useless, but generally you can abstract away these ideas to be used in a new framework.
Be technology agnostic, I am pretty upset about swift too after dedicated many hours to learning objective-c syntax.
The most that swift would add to the over head is
1. new syntax 2. functional paradigm on top of the oop paradigm, and a new way of thinking.
Everything I know about oop stays the same and design patterns more or less the same!
Many of these companies started off small and built a market focused product before going full R and D.
As you can see these companies are looking to sustain their empires, so they have to "innovate" in someway, it doesn't mean you need to adopt new features.
I think your problem is your software design skills possibly need to be more TDD and at the same time hire some VA's to handle customer support tickets.
At the end of the day its a product in the market, not the product written with the latest framework, when you have market traction and a business case, and lots of funding, you can worry about catching up with the times.
1. new syntax 2. functional paradigm on top of the oop paradigm, and a new way of thinking.
Everything I know about oop stays the same and design patterns more or less the same!
Many of these companies started off small and built a market focused product before going full R and D.
As you can see these companies are looking to sustain their empires, so they have to "innovate" in someway, it doesn't mean you need to adopt new features.
I think your problem is your software design skills possibly need to be more TDD and at the same time hire some VA's to handle customer support tickets.
At the end of the day its a product in the market, not the product written with the latest framework, when you have market traction and a business case, and lots of funding, you can worry about catching up with the times.
It's the Facebook news feed effect; realizing that no matter what you do you can never keep up with everything that's going on. The world is too complex. Probably best to find a way to focus on a specific area of expertise, just as as it's healthy to focus on our own lives and those closest to us, rather than the never-ending stream.
Focus and time management.
Regardless of whether you're an engineer, founder, sales/account exec, or any other role, if you can't allocate time to important tasks, work them hard and then break away when other things come up (including time away for lunch or to take a thinking walk) then you won't be working at a top-level.
Regardless of whether you're an engineer, founder, sales/account exec, or any other role, if you can't allocate time to important tasks, work them hard and then break away when other things come up (including time away for lunch or to take a thinking walk) then you won't be working at a top-level.
Customer feedback isn't all created equal. Some of it is stuff you actually have to respond to; others are stuff that you can safely ignore (courteously, of course). Would you prefer you had no customer feedback? Chances are that would mean you have no customers. Be happy that you have some; that means your software is basically OK, and people care enough about it to make actual suggestions.
Don't pay attention to the noise. And for god's sake don't read Hacker News every day, especially not while you're trying to work.
I think you'd run into a lot of this stuff with a lot of jobs right now. The world is always changing. You need to be able to filter out irrevelant stimuli and focus on relevant information - this is an important cognitive skill
Don't pay attention to the noise. And for god's sake don't read Hacker News every day, especially not while you're trying to work.
I think you'd run into a lot of this stuff with a lot of jobs right now. The world is always changing. You need to be able to filter out irrevelant stimuli and focus on relevant information - this is an important cognitive skill
I can feel your pain. If I can offer one single piece of advice, it's this: reduce scope and focus on the essentials.
Every single API changes from time to time. Managing the conflicts of multiple change schedules on interdependent subsystems quickly becomes an O(n!) problem. You will have to choose some balls to drop - because you'll drop some, and, in some cases, you should consider dropping the least important ones immediately and working under the assumption those balls are gone forever. Some can be delayed - APIs that offer legacy modes, the toolsets that don't need to be updated (and fully supported) immediately. Skipping versions may be fine and running your servers on CentOS 6, while not sexy, is workable.
This approach has kept me sane.
Every single API changes from time to time. Managing the conflicts of multiple change schedules on interdependent subsystems quickly becomes an O(n!) problem. You will have to choose some balls to drop - because you'll drop some, and, in some cases, you should consider dropping the least important ones immediately and working under the assumption those balls are gone forever. Some can be delayed - APIs that offer legacy modes, the toolsets that don't need to be updated (and fully supported) immediately. Skipping versions may be fine and running your servers on CentOS 6, while not sexy, is workable.
This approach has kept me sane.
Sounds like you need to simplify. It sounds extreme but what about rebuilding your application in a proven, stable and maintainable web framework, then deploying to the native platforms using something like Cordova. That way, you only have one codebase to maintain.
Also, be careful about baying to your customers every whim. They don't always know best. Keep your product true to its roots (the reason they came to you in the first place). Provide rational and reasonable explanations why you won't be implementing their request. If they have a really good idea then say that you'll put it on the roadmap.
Also, be careful about baying to your customers every whim. They don't always know best. Keep your product true to its roots (the reason they came to you in the first place). Provide rational and reasonable explanations why you won't be implementing their request. If they have a really good idea then say that you'll put it on the roadmap.
Make and use technology just for yourself, then you can always keep up.
You know how I do it? I take really long vacations. I've taken off months at a time before. It's mentally stressful but I won't leave. I've been down that path before and it always calls me back. It's the greatest job in the world, it just takes a lot of dedication.
You sound like you might be suffering information overload also. Managing that is key to sticking around. You're only one man/woman after all. Just take it easy. Do your best, but remember it's a marathon.
You sound like you might be suffering information overload also. Managing that is key to sticking around. You're only one man/woman after all. Just take it easy. Do your best, but remember it's a marathon.
Technology moved fast from 1940 to 1955; in that period were developed nuclear power and weapons, supersonic aircraft, guided ballistic missiles, digital computers, the magnetron ( and microwave ovens! ) and lots of other things outside my domain of knowledge.
Can you imagine trying to adapt to that?
You need to adopt the same survival mechanism today: focus on one aspect, retain an awareness of the other changes but don't go down every rabbit hole.
Can you imagine trying to adapt to that?
You need to adopt the same survival mechanism today: focus on one aspect, retain an awareness of the other changes but don't go down every rabbit hole.
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To echo what others have said, I suspect what you're responding to isn't just change but churn. The social and economic incentives in place all seem to privilege revolutionary technological innovations over incremental ones, which results in a lot of shooting-for-the-moon...much of which ends up being unproductive, or counterproductive given the transition costs involved.
My work load more on waiting and forcing customer. Yes it hard with NEW broken API and NEW Framework coming out.When NEW API or framework miss used by junior developer,i had to debug all again.Either it was PHP,C#,JAVA.Sometimes i confuse to write other language code.
My Advise,have a real team to support you.Release the pressure.One man show if you did it are very hard.
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Sorry the tech world isn't stagnating?
I get that there are busy days and overwhelming days and stressful days. If you have too many of them, that's a personnel problem or a time management problem on the part of whoever is in charge of allocating your time and your team's time. Fix that, because I hope tech never stops evolving.
I get that there are busy days and overwhelming days and stressful days. If you have too many of them, that's a personnel problem or a time management problem on the part of whoever is in charge of allocating your time and your team's time. Fix that, because I hope tech never stops evolving.
I'm the opposite, I'm in the enterprise .NET game and it's frustrating to be working with old versions of software, with the usual excuse of "We've always done it this way".
I'm a python enthusiast and have written Android apps, but I don't think my hobbyist programming could get me a job in those areas.
I'm a python enthusiast and have written Android apps, but I don't think my hobbyist programming could get me a job in those areas.
Too much information is getting at your brain. Learn to disconnect, leave your laptop at work, go on an information diet.
I'm completely agree with you and many of the opinions posted here. Somehow I feel the same way but remember that deep inside all that "new" technology are the same, as many has pointed out here. Try to find a middle path between them.
You must learn to ignore!
Apple Swift? lol. You can still write god awful Obj-C for years to come.
Apple Swift? lol. You can still write god awful Obj-C for years to come.
I don't think Apple Swift needs to be on the top of his list, considering how half-baked that is. I've read about many performance issues even though it uses the ObjC runtime.
His best option is sticking to what he knows at this time. Wait for Swift to bake a bit longer.
His best option is sticking to what he knows at this time. Wait for Swift to bake a bit longer.
There is one danger here. Getting started with a technology on its early stages is easier as you see the technology evolving and understand the reasons it happened in a certain way.
As an example: I've used Google App Engine with Python since the early preview and saw as many new services and APIs were introduced. Then I spent a couple years away. For the presentation I am to do at one of the I/O Extended events (TDD on App Engine with Python) I had a lot of catching up to do. Catching up from something is much better than catching up from nothing.
Also, one must consider differences in basic concepts. Learning to use Flask after using Django was remarkably painful.
As an example: I've used Google App Engine with Python since the early preview and saw as many new services and APIs were introduced. Then I spent a couple years away. For the presentation I am to do at one of the I/O Extended events (TDD on App Engine with Python) I had a lot of catching up to do. Catching up from something is much better than catching up from nothing.
Also, one must consider differences in basic concepts. Learning to use Flask after using Django was remarkably painful.
sounds like your software has taken place of you in your life, should be the other way around. Put in what you can and if they cant accept that, ignore them. You cant please all of the people all of the time...
Read Peter Thiel's new book "Zero to One." The solution to your problem is to avoid competition, and ignore the insane competitors.
Actually, I like the insane competitors. It's often useful to drive up their insanity so they burn themselves up sooner.
Leaving tech might be the right thing for you, but keep in mind that most of this is sound and fury, signifying nothing.
Get off client coding, and shit gets more career stable.
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just turn off the noise
Close your news tabs.
Maybe you should find a programming job where things move at a more glacial pace, in this regard? I don't really have any experience with this, but I have the impression that there can be a big difference between different programming jobs when it comes to the rate of change.
why not try enterprise Java/C#
Pretty much any company outside the consumer web space has the luxury of not having to embrace every new API version.
And you don't need to necessarily use Java/C#.
I worked for years writing Python code for my government.
And you don't need to necessarily use Java/C#.
I worked for years writing Python code for my government.
Good riddance?
Betteridge's law definitely applies here.
e: Strange that my post would get net downvotes in addition to its parent post which it obviously very much disagrees with. Almost as though a person would downvote a post, whose meaning depends entirely on what another thing means (Betteridge's law in this case), without knowing what that thing means? Or perhaps without reading carefully enough to know what the fuck my post is even saying?
(Seriously, to whoever downvoted me: if you think I'm in agreement with aashishkoirala, go outside or grab a coffee or take a nap or something - you're not thinking clearly.)
e: Strange that my post would get net downvotes in addition to its parent post which it obviously very much disagrees with. Almost as though a person would downvote a post, whose meaning depends entirely on what another thing means (Betteridge's law in this case), without knowing what that thing means? Or perhaps without reading carefully enough to know what the fuck my post is even saying?
(Seriously, to whoever downvoted me: if you think I'm in agreement with aashishkoirala, go outside or grab a coffee or take a nap or something - you're not thinking clearly.)
haha
Typical FUD.
Yeah, it really sucks for you that you work in an ever-changing industry that will keep you gainfully employed and professionally challenged for many years to come and has a history of paying well.
Sucks to be you.
WTF.
Sucks to be you.
WTF.
This is IT world. Either you adapt or you are out. If you got overwhelmed by tech news and few required changes then this trade is not for you. I am sorry to disappoint you, but its not like you will design software and then sit on your ass for 2-3 years harvesting profits from it. Check any popular software - even ones developed by single person. They usually get a lot of updates. Why? Because thats what developer gets paid for. He get paid more than carpenter, cleaner or taxi driver. Now you know why.
I am doing game development and I hear all the time "they expect me to do this? Forget it!" - well you are getting paid for it, so move your lazy ass and do it or change the trade. Even if it requires extra work, that what is called "work ethics" - you go extra mile, you aim for best results.
I am doing game development and I hear all the time "they expect me to do this? Forget it!" - well you are getting paid for it, so move your lazy ass and do it or change the trade. Even if it requires extra work, that what is called "work ethics" - you go extra mile, you aim for best results.
My software has issues, lots of them. Customers are calling, there's this and that to do. The to-do list is seemingly never ending.
And then there's every day where I'm overwhelmed again:
Snapchat launches a fantastic re-design. Facebook changes its newsfeed algorithm with significant implications for marketing agencies and small businesses. Facebook replaces its complete Android SDK with a new API. You have to adapt. You have the SDK in your app? Change the references. Apple releases a completely new programming language. Apple releases new versions of iOS and OS X. Google brings Android to TV and your wrist. They release a brand-new Android version. A new cross-platform design language. They replace the Android VM. Notifications change how they work. This. And that. And this. And that.
Issues and customer feedback pile up in your mailbox. You don't know how to manage the today and the past and yet the future is waiting with millions of new opportunities, needs, demands and risks.
I'm out.