[pluma]

I was a freelancer and became a contractor for my own company a few years ago (only German kids will get this).

I've been in situations like the one you describe, where I'm one of many developers and share my knowledge. I've also been "the developer" in companies that have no permanently employed developers or no interest in sharing knowledge. I've also interviewed at companies that had effectively outsourced their entire development to another company (with the team working on-site full time but being employed by another company who would rent them out for jobs like these).

These companies often relied on their code as a critical part of being able to do business. Some of them were literally software companies. Yes, it's shortsighted and obviously a bad idea but companies operate like this, especially smaller companies that think they can reduce financial risks by hiring freelancers even if they effectively overpay compared to what a salaried developer would cost them.

[sbruny]

Yes, I share those experiences. Lots of business-decisions are counter-productive to us software-people. Maybe it's because software is a kind of craft, with art and engeneering qualities, that is hard to reason about correctly, if you are not "into it".

Short term business decisions, like outsourcing, may indicate a need for higher liquidity within an accute financial situation (which is common for small companies). I think most managers know the longer term risks, but are somehow forced to do so.

However, I see us "software people" in charge to change the situation, by insiting on disciplines, like knowlegde-sharing, proper testing, etc. Maybe germany needs a better IT-community...