Software is NOT magic

I have spent much of my professional life building and leading others who build software.  It is a rewarding process but filled with countless hours of toil and uncertainty.  I liken it to solving a crossword puzzle on a deadline every day.  This week I want to talk about software and why the perception it is free is wrong.

The world of software development is a topsy-turvy world.  The first copy of the product is prohibitively expensive filled with thousands of dollars of engineering.  The second and subsequent copies are free thanks to digital copying.  To the end consumer, this makes software look like a free and magical tool.  Nothing could be further from the truth.

Each piece of software uses a database.  That database has a structure of tables which resembles a skeleton for the application whether it is a website, mobile application or shrink-wrapped piece of software.  Those databases do their work with a language called SQL.  Depending on the manufacturer of the database the SQL will be slightly different, so software developers have learned to specialize in the various dialects of SQL.  Specialization has forced companies to invest in one brand of database over another.  It is why one group is called an “Oracle” shop over a “Microsoft” shop.

Next software is dependent on what kind of device it will run on.  An application which will run on a mobile device will need to be constructed in one fashion while one which will work on the web will have to be designed differently to work it a different environment.  It requires specialization.  So someone with HTML and Jquery experience may not be very helpful on a mobile application project.
This kind of specialization is necessary for business. Specialization is also expensive, so business people want to save money by off-shoring the work to Northern Ireland or India.  It does save money but makes the process more complicated as we are coordinating with people eight to twelve time zones away.

Software needs to go through a quality control process and then released to the general public which requires more time and effort.  When finished, you see a shiny new app or piece of software.  It looks like it was free and effortless but it requires thousands of dollars and countless hours of effort.  Just remember that the next time you accuse your development staff of being lazy.

Until next time.