undefined | Better HN

0 pointsJach6y ago0 comments

I might have agreed the inferiority complex existed in the early 2000s, but I don't see it anymore. Rather I think the negative thoughts go the other way, maybe not inferiority from non-webdevs, but jealousy. You can find n00bs who graduated a coding bootcamp and are now making a significantly larger amount of money doing webdev stuff than a bunch of middle aged guys working on legacy native applications who studied the arcane C++ arts and had to get a BS degree to even get an interview.

I'm playing contrarian here a bit, so excuse the unqualified language. It seems these days anyone who isn't a webdev in some capacity* is probably a dinosaur, inflexible, less well-paid, lacks understanding of complex distributed systems, and in any case is irrelevant in the modern conversations around development. Might makes right, after all, there are vastly more webdevs than non-webdevs and the most valuable software companies make their money from distributed systems interfaced with via web browsers... The notable exception is probably the group of native mobile application developers, but that's only become more and more webdev-like since both the iPhone and Android took over, rather than the reverse.

* Even being back-end only for a back-end whose only front-end is web-based. Yeah I am conflating webdev beyond the post's qualified "front-end developer". But the back-end webdev guys get up to the same overly complicated architecture-astronaut crap we like to complain about the front-end webdev guys getting up to. Don't let me go off on J2EE/JavaEE/Spring.

0 comments

4 comments · 2 top-level

temac6y ago· 1 in thread

I'm not sure you understand the amount of embedded software that runs the world -- or at least think about it appropriately.

And the amount of system and infra software that is needed to even let the web exist.

An "application" is not just a cute GUI that a consumer or an office worker can interact with. Nor is the interface the most complicated parts in some systems. I found your projection and generalization as ridiculous as if you said: even the EE needs to master the web technology, and they are not very valuable if they don't.

Hey, they are web devs of various levels. It is ok to be one, especially a good one. It is also ok to be, I don't know, a compiler expert, a kernel hacker, a baseband FW engineer?

The thing is: you often forget about what works pretty much correctly and silently, even when you use it all-day long... :P

JachOP6y ago

I didn't forget about them (my own degree is in CE) and did say I was being somewhat contrarian... And started off impugning on the notion of jealousy (possibly driven by economic value -- I'm not making professional use of my CE degree in part due to $$$) rather than inferiority or even competence in those who stir up the "ugh webdevs am I right?" rhetoric. We probably don't disagree much on the value of people, generally speaking, or the lack of recognition of types of excellence including all the great volunteer work going on in free and open software.

tim3336y ago· 1 in thread

I think C++ guys make more on average. eg https://www.cwjobs.co.uk/salary-checker/average-front-end-we... vs https://www.cwjobs.co.uk/salary-checker/average-c++-develope... (UK data, 37k vs 57k but I think it's similar elsewhere)

onorton6y ago

Keep in mind that those samples are tiny and C++ devs probably skew to more senior roles based on the age of the language alone.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse