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0 pointsanyfoo7y ago0 comments

but even terribly performing applications can be "worked around" and thus scaled higher. [...] How can we achieve this? By monkeying with the dataset, queueing and batching operations, invalidating operations that take too long, artificially limiting the number of requests per second, or just passing the request to a completely different app depending on use case.

And that's a good thing? Part of my point is that this can be avoided, or at least have a higher probability of being unnecessary, if the proper basics were learned.

Wouldn't you wish the author would have just known how to properly sort a list[1] in the first place?

"Scaling" the development process can significantly reduce the amount of time needed to solve problems, or complete new features. It can be more beneficial to be able to ship code faster and more reliably, even if it isn't the most efficient code

Agreed to that, but as said, computer science is not just about runtime complexity. Knowing computer science might help you avoid those situations, or resolving them quicker.

I know that shitty stuff can work, even work "well enough", but going back to my original comment: Maybe it could work much better, simpler, more profitable if that's your favorite metric, with just the application of some basics, if they are known.

[1] Noting that "sorting a list" is a stand-in for all sorts of tasks that benefit from CS-knowledge.

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peterwwillis7y ago

Yes, absolutely it all could work better with CS knowledge. But CS is also definitely not a prerequisite to having functioning apps that can scale well.

CS can help you design the software equivalent of a Formula 1 race car. But most of us only need to work on things ranging from a Honda Civic to a semi truck. It's interesting how little of an education you need to work on a semi truck, even though it's a complex machine that does a tremendous amount of work, compared to the education you need to work on Formula 1 cars.

In the US, we have a big lack of tech talent, and I think part of the reason is the way people propose the requirements or education required to do these jobs. If it's a Honda Civic-level programming task, people shouldn't go through the expense and difficulty of a CS degree.

anyfooOP7y ago

I think we managed to get on the same page then, I can agree to all of that.

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