More than any profession
More than any profession
Software developers are in the fairly unique position where most of our tools are software defined. We are experts in the discipline required to improve our own day to day work lives.
How many other professions have this liberty? Woodworking does to an extent, carpenters regularly make their own jigs and clamps but rarely venture into the realm of sharpened tools.
Contrast this with anyone working in the medical or retail(?) industries. People working in these fields are close to powerless to improve the tools they use every day.
Embrace the tool improvement life, there’s still a long way to go before software tooling is “finished”
I've never seen a custom build system or VCS or personal/project specific tooling I'd want to use.
Seems like most of it happens just cause devs enjoy it.
Making your own clamps seems very much the same.
The other reason is there's a real cult of assuming that minimal is always best, and devs resent using any tool that has more features than they absolutely need.
They also resent any more opinionated structure than they need, even if it makes things safer and easier, because they seem to really enjoy blank canvas creativity.
Plus its just very easy to work on a tool, I don't need to go buy a bunch of materials or anything
Buying stuff on the other hand is very easy.
Just like running is(I assume, having never seriously done any sports) way harder. Buying more crap and then not even using it is easy.
Everyone always wants their fast instant gratification hits, regardless of hobby.
There's always someone who thinks: "I could make this better". Some of them even try to. Emphasis on try :)