Ask HN: Why do software engineers hate technology? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Why do software engineers hate technology?

11 pointsbaron81615 comments

Software engineers don't hate technology.

We hate software that doesn't even approximate the free/open software ideals that attracted us to the field in the first place.

I've collected some expressions of disappointment from others in the field.

http://bjornwestergard.com/notes/software-despair.gmi

This! I don't hate technology; in fact, I enjoy writing software, tinkering, building useful things that help people... what I hate is the corporate and profit-seeking structure built up around software development. My priorities are less defined by user need, and more defined by a group of people whose goals revolve around finding ways to squeeze money out of people. I do hate that.

I avoid tech that I don't need. Internet phone, home automation, smart *, iPads (are they even a thing anymore?), Subscription services, games, digital entertainment, etc. For me, a number of reasons. Mostly, I just don't need any of that stuff. I want to be present in the world rather than be at the mercy of constant dopamine hit, shiny, need to be constantly using tech, whatever. Financially, I can't justify the ROI. Morally, ethically, socially and psychologically, I've"seen behind the curtain" of tech and thoroughly reject it. Perhaps my decades in software have just made me bitter and tired.

>I've"seen behind the curtain" of tech and thoroughly reject it. Perhaps my decades in software have just made me bitter and tired.

That is exactly how i feel.

I left tech professionally. I do still tinker, write code, and build stuff, though.

I bought a farm and also started a construction company during covid. Most enjoyable. I have oodles of time for my hobbies (which have multiplied) and i regularly undertake big projects that stretch my abilities and fuels my personal growth. Both in construction and on the farm.

I too have left professional software. Still code to do my own data analysis and stuff, but I feel the same as you. New challenges, more time for the kids and hobbies and less stress.

What do you do professionally, now? If you don't mind me asking.

Which technology? Apple making sure you cannot swap the HD in your computer? Hate. Facebook debilitating the encryption in WhatsApp? Hate. Google ñ, erasing the distinction between ads and content? Hate. Android being by default a distraction machine in service of ads? Hate.

Emacs being open and lisp configurable ? Love, love. Unix everything being a file? Love Smalltalk? Love Wikipedia? Love The open self-hosted web? Love times infinity.

So basically I hate technology that is no made in service of the better angels of our nature.

1. We can see the corners that were cut and have either been forced to do the same or know how it could have been done better.

2. Having to use some piece of tech because of some external requirement. Especially when there's a preferred alternative.

3. Genuine desire to not use tech for something. If you spend all day working on and with tech, you don't really need a toaster telling you the weather in the morning.

In short, I find myself less hating technology directly, but the half assery that is a symptom of a lot of other things I hate.

4. Needing what is essentially the same tech multiple times to do the same thing.

Why do you think software engineers hate technology?

It's probably more like they hate some specific aspects of the technology realm.

One lasting aspect for example is that tech is constantly changing. From hardware designs to broader communications standards to security and new feature updates. And certainly not always enjoyably so.

For a lot of people this automatically makes tech more annoying. But in engineering there are camps that come out of stabilizer psychology. They prefer to design for a lasting platform, like a durable railroad bridge or a manufacturing process. But they might not even realize this about themselves.

So you can end up with software engineers who enjoy engineering but hate tech, without realizing why. I've met a few...

We have the end goal that alchemists sought for centuries, a machine that can transform into almost anything, why would we hate that?

This is power on a scale unimaginable even by Kings a century ago. I've purchased computers for $5 each, just in case I might need them later. It's astoundingly amazing.

I'm here because I love technology, and all the good we can do with it. I want to make sure that my voice as added to help make wise choices for the future.

For me its over engineered stuff that makes things more convoluted, for example old school system processes just wrote into /var/log, so you could do `egrep blah *` and search for text in logs, now you have to mess around trying to figure out some stupid journalctl command and its just more difficult than it used to be.

I don't hate technology. I'm hesitant to adopt a lot of cutting edge technology because I don't like how intrusive it is, though.

It's Sofa King annoying! Especially other people's shiddy code!

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