[kiawe_fire]

Personally, I’m less invested in the tools I’m using, and more invested in what I’m creating.

Granted, it is frustrating sometimes to see tools that you really enjoy using, be replaced with tools that aren’t as good or as well thought out.

But ultimately, I believe that you can create just about anything, using just about anything, and even if you’re forced to use a toolset that you don’t like as well, there’s usually nothing stopping you from adapting those tools to help you create what you want to create more comfortably.

Also bear in mind - if you stick around long enough OR study your computer science history, you’ll realize most things are cyclical, and there’s very little that’s actually new.

Almost every new trend is a new incarnation of previous concepts. Master the basic concepts, and everything else comes pretty naturally.

[wry_discontent]

I have the opposite problem. Most business software is boring as hell, and I just want to have something cool to work with.

[JohnFen]

This is why I've never stopped programming as a hobby. My professional work is to get me a paycheck. My hobby work is to get me happiness and fulfillment.

[imtringued]

The problem isn't necessarily that it is boring but rather that we don't understand the impact of boring software.

Unless you think your software is actively harmful, there is no reason to think that the work you are doing is pointless. The problem is that some guy in a corner focusing on just the assigned work at hand is more productive than someone who constantly gets feedback how useful his software is. This then leads to a feeling of meaningless because you are just sitting in front of the screen with a never ending pile of work but never seeing the outcome of that work.

[wry_discontent]

I didn't say pointless. I said boring.

All the work I do has business value (at least, perceived business value) but I don't think it's fun or exciting to do. It bores me to death. Too much recently, actually. If the job market weren't so shit, I'd leave.

[kiawe_fire]

I hear that.

Whenever some new tools or tech comes along that can help us solve real, tangible problems we deal with, the resistance to learning something new is palpable.

Adding to that, any cool new ideas I think we could offer as a business (either as a result of new tech, or even just new ideas using the old tech) is usually met with resistance by people who are seemingly committed to boring stagnancy at all costs.

That’s where I have to walk the line between putting up with boring at work and still have enough energy in me to work on the fun stuff on my own.

[rleigh]

I have seen this repeatedly over the years. It's frustrated me personally many times.

However, just to offer a counterpoint, one thing I have seen time and time again from highly-motivated technical people is that they place the new and exciting technologies above the actual business needs. There is an inherent risk in using cutting-edge tools and technologies, and if the business is working well with the current stuff, why take a risk you don't have to?

Of course, the other end of the spectrum is only using completely obsolescent tools, and that can be a problem in and of itself as well, because it also brings risks with it.

I have, unfortunately, been on teams where these people got their way and it led to very expensive project failures because when reality came to bite, they couldn't deliver. The new stuff couldn't meet the requirements. Using existing technologies which were known quantities would have avoided that risk entirely, even if it wouldn't have been as fulfilling for them personally. The company isn't run for individuals' personal amusement and tech fetishes, and sadly when that takes priority over all else, it can lead to failure on colossal scale.

I still try out new stuff, but I don't propose we use it for serious business-related activities until it's been fully proven out.

[rleigh]

This is one of the reasons I moved into embedded software. It's much more satisfying for me personally. But even when I worked on business software, it was nice once in a while to go out an meet the actual customers who used the stuff day-in day-out. I learned a lot from them, and took it back to improve things, and that made it quite a bit more interesting, knowing I was addressing real usability and functionality problems which would improve their job.

[dustymcp]

Im in a startup sometimes i long for the boring stuff :P