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by Waterluvian 1655 days ago
There are just so many makes and models of automobile and people get by. I remain so confused why choice paralysis is a thing in software.

Maybe the libraries need to cost 30,000$ ;-)

4 comments

That would for sure push our community to better describe the runtime of the different solutions. We talked only about syntax, features, semantic but very little about the runtime characteristics of the different platforms (Java, .Net, BEAM, different Common Lisps implementation etc). Maybe it's a sign of abundance and that most of these solutions are ok in most of the cases.
Different cars are much more obviously different than different web frameworks. When car shopping, you know whether you're looking for a RAM3500, an Odyssey, or a Mustang. Sure, the F-150 may win out in the end, but the Caravan and Charger were never contenders when looking for a truck.

Choosing between software (especially bikeshedding between languages that both place priority on being pleasant to write) is often like comparing a Tacoma to a Tesla on the quality of seat heaters, upgrade price for the sunroof, and selection of factory paint options. Worse, you can't often have a clear understanding of the difference without investing the time to gain direct experience with each option. Otherwise, you're relying on community reputation and hoping it's both accurate and not horribly out of date.

Sometimes they cost you much more, if you chose the wrong one
Imagine each car model having different controls, different engine and components placement, some coming with rectangular wheels. That image is closer to SW frameworks.