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Comment by nayuki | Hacker News Reader

> don't use a dependency to implement your core business

In logic language, you're saying "If X is your core business, don't outsource X".

> Is JSON parsing our core business? No, so why would we ever write -- and thereby commit to supporting for its entire lifetime -- JSON parsing code? All the code you write and support should be directly tied to what you as a business decide are your fundamental value propositions. Everything else you write is just fat waiting to be cut by someone who knows how to write a business case.

The rest of your argument is interpreted as "If X is not your core business, don't in-house X".

These two logical implication statements are not equivalents of each other, but are converses. Casual language often conflates If, Only-If, and If-And-Only-If.

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Since we're in pedanticville, these aren't converses, but inverses. The converse goes "If you don't outsource X, then X is your core business".

Thanks, you are right. A converse is logically equivalent to an inverse, so I'm only half wrong. =)

Ah, yes, everyone knows the three values of Boolean logic...

true, false and null

Actually it's True, False, and FileNotFound. :o)

https://thedailywtf.com/articles/What_Is_Truth_0x3f_

True, False, Null and OffByOne

I agree with this statement also. By writing code to do JSON parsing, JSON parsing is now part of your business.

I think they both follow similar thinking.

You should spend time implementing your core business implies that you shouldn’t spend time implementing things that aren’t in your core business, otherwise the first statement is pretty useless.

Maybe not equivalents but definitely two arguments for his core point.

core business = C

outsource = O

Object = x

x ∉ C ↔ O(x)

If the symbols don't show up:

if-and-only-if x is not in C, O(x)

If I wanted to learn more about rigorous, non-elementary logic, do you have a recommended resource? I've taken a course in intro level probability theory which covered it generally and another course that built on it lightly but nothing rigorous and I am wooed by how concise things become in a logical form.

A Tour Through Mathematical Logic. You don't have to do any proofs. If you learn Propositional Logic and First Order Logic you'll already have most of the tools to invent the rest.

I think the problem is that the individual contributor has decided to make that chunk of logic their business. This will probably not benefit the team or the organization.

What is the point you're trying to make?

Ha! I had exactly the same thought.

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