I had a realization last week: How can it be more me? If I’m not in it, can I get into it? I’m an idea guy. It’s why I love designing software, both in terms of system design and user experience. I love designing and developing products too. It’s something that can get me fired up, keep me from sleeping, and keep me motivated through even the darkest, rainiest days. ...
Last week I was talking about how it’s easy to conflate debt and regret when it comes to technical decisions. Technical debt is the set of simple, shorter paths in software development that you follow intentionally. Regret is more about getting lost and following unsafe paths, often blissfully unaware that you’re lost. Technical debt will feel good in the long run, as it helps you get somewhere faster at a reasonable cost. Regret, on the other hand, feels bad, as you can see the wasted time and effort spent on a path that was clearly followed by mistake. It’s easy to feel unqualified to measure technical decisions, especially if you’re not technical. You may be disconnected from the planning process or you may not understand the jargon and details of an approach. How can you ask intelligent questions about risk when you feel so separated from what’s happening? How can you make clear decisions about risks with incomplete technical knowledge? Luckily, most regrettable technical decisions fail to satisfy even the most basic of principles, and risky debt is all about the poor ratios of cost versus gain. ...