[tmlb]

Makes sense only if you assume building software is like building a house. Imagine getting an author to tell you when the novel they are writing will be finished?

Or this: imagine seeking an estimate on when a house will be built, trimmed, painted, furnished, decorated, and filled with every item needed practically and for comfort by the homeowner.

It’s a living process that requires continuous reassessment of priorities and scope, and in fact never finishes when you consider the life of the home.

[jshen]

So you think it’s reasonable to have no idea what it will cost, or when it will be done, when building software? You think it’s possible to run a successful business that way?

[lmm]

> So you think it’s reasonable to have no idea what it will cost, or when it will be done, when building software? You think it’s possible to run a successful business that way?

It absolutely is; look at some of the biggest and most successful software companies in the world. No-one has any idea what facebook will cost or when it will be done (Zuckerberg has said that he was off by at least 5 orders of magnitude IIRC). No-one has any idea what google will cost or when it will be done. No-one has any idea what amazon will cost or when it will be done. No-one has any idea what netflix will cost or when it will be done.

[jshen]

Google and Facebook are companies. They aren’t features. I know a lot of people at both companies, and they absolutely gave dates and estimation for many things.

[tmlb]

You can have some idea, but it’s not like estimating the time and cost of building a house.

[jshen]

I’ve built major resorts, they are far more similar than people realize.