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by wehrkeoruw 2399 days ago
We're having this conversation as if everyone making SQL queries is one fat finger away from irrevocable data loss. I know very little about SQL but have managed to build literally dozens of systems on top of Postgres without ever causing a data loss event as a result of my poor SQL skills...
1 comments

I think we are seeing the difference between software development and software engineering laid bare.

The distinction is similar to a property developer and a civil engineer. Both create buildings, but one does it at scale by offloading functions to known entities and prepackaged solutions, while the other understands one domain in depth.

Both are needed in any team or organization, because not every solution needs to be "engineered" (a Dockerized Redis instance without SSL or auth behind a corporate firewall may survive untouched for a decade), but sometimes you have to engineer something that withstands gale-force winds at 1000 ft height.