alt Hacker NewsHave you ever done blacksmithing? It’s tremendously satisfying.
Sure, if you want 300,000 spoons, it’s far better to use a factory process and get essentially identical results. But if you only want a few spoons and accept (or even value) that the spoons will all be a little different, hand-forging them is quite enjoyable.
I’ve written enough assembly and done enough blacksmithing to know that the metaphor isn’t quite apt. But there’s both tremendous effort and satisfaction involved in both.
Hobbies are great. Making a living is usually a separate endeavor. I don’t want to pay for an artisan spoon. There will be a limited market for artisan software. But make no mistake, we are entering the era of software mass production. Say goodbye to your chisels and rasps. If you want to make money you will need to operate the machine that builds the machine.