This question is aimed at software developers with different professional backgrounds, but of course everyone is free to speak their mind :).
I think there is too much variety in software industry. There are endless debates on what programming language, programming paradigm, DBMS, OS, etc. is better. There are many ways you can do a certain thing. Are other industries, e.g. automobile industry, like this? I would also like to hear in what other aspects software industry is different from other industries.
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8
+2
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Saying there is too much variety in the software industry is like saying there is too much variety in culinary tastes.
Each product, be it OS, DBMS, or language has its pros and cons. Some are better fit for an task than others. Sometimes, because there is so much variety, a product can be used for the wrong purpose, but all things in life are like that.
I'm glad there is so much variety in the business.
Sailing Judo
2009-01-05 01:22:42
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A:
One thing you have to consider is that the software industry is relatively young, and breakthroughs happen very quickly and at low cost. It doesn't require much for a programmer to sit down and figure out how something new (like, say, Ruby on Rails) is going to work. In an industry like automotive, small changes require substantial investments of time and money, for many many reasons, including technical and political. I'll leave that discussion for another forum.
Robert S.
2009-01-05 01:24:02
A:
I think the dilemma would be common to any industry. There are a thousand ways to successfully walk from point A to point B. The best route all depends on what your goals are. Is it to get there the fastest? Is it to see the best scenery? Do you have to meet certain constraints? And on a more personal level everyone has different preferences on how to accomplish something.
thetacom
2009-01-05 01:25:49
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In the manufacturing industry I've seen a lot of fights over which ERP system to use. And which manufacturing models to use when deciding how to schedule manufacturing machines and people. Which models to use when forecasting demand, etc. Is Six Sigma worthwhile or not, etc.
Economists have bitter fights over which economic model is best and what the effect of a certain policy will be.
So the debates that we have aren't unique.
Mitchell Gilman
2009-01-05 01:27:42
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You make that sound like it's a bad thing. I think it's been healthy.
I'm not even sure I agree. If you leave out open source, the industry is consolidating rapidly. We're down to Microsoft, Google, Oracle, SAP, and IBM as the world's major software suppliers.
If you look at other industries, I think you'll find there's a lot of competition at first, followed by consolidation. There are two major suppliers of airplanes in the world: Boeing and Airbus. There are three major jet engine suppliers: GE, Rolls Royce, and Pratt & Whitney. The software industry is following a well-trodden path.
duffymo
2009-01-05 01:41:42
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Instead of "automotive industry", let's say "personal transportation industry". Hmmm... bicycles, motorcycles (including choppers, road bikes, tricycles, off-road sports bikes, ...) , scooters, compact cars, station wagons, mini-vans, SUVs, ultralight airplanes, hybrids, sports cars, ...
And I didn't include the non-motor varieties, from bicycles (mountain, touring, racing, recumbent, ...), tricycles, roller skates, roller blades, ...
Looks like plenty of variety to me!
joel.neely
2009-01-05 04:07:20
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As I am currently reading through Modern Operating Systems by Andrew S. Tanenbaum (the one and only) I can safely say that it is not just the software industry that suffers from these problems. The hardware industry has also suffered from a plethora of variety. In the end the strongest will survive and the new tools will grow from the best.
That being said, the software industry will always have its fair share of wars because software is such a rewarding field. There are very few fields in which a professional is able to create something from mind matter into a working application.
The main culprit here is the software developers unquenchable thirst for high-quality, as mentioned in Peopleware (p.22).
"Quality, far beyond that required by the end user, is a means for higher productivity"
Programmers and Developers get off on quality! The reason we're drowning in choice is because we need the choice to fulfil our urges for a higher standard of quality.
EnderMB
2009-01-05 04:18:12
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Are other industries, e.g. automobile industry, like this?
Does the auto industry have differing opinions on what kind of cars to build and how to build them?
Steam engines (aka COBOL) Diesel engines Gas engines Electric engines Hybrid Engines
Built for economy Built for luxury Built for speed Built super cheap
4 wheel drive all wheel drive 2 wheel front drive 2 wheel rear drive
There are as many different cars as there are languages all designed to solve the "transportation" issue.
Todd Smith
2009-01-05 04:26:45
It is interesting that you bring up the auto industry, because in its first few decades, there were quite a few companies manufacturing cars. Those dozens of companies consolidated or otherwise died out, leaving only a handful. As someone above noted, we might be seeing the same level of consolidation in software, with only a few, very large companies dominating the industry.
Darel
2010-06-22 03:19:34