Most new things in technology turn out to be fads: patterns of talking and doing that come and go without leaving a permanent mark. Microkernels; EPIC architectures like IA-64; object request brokers; and 1990s’-style neural nets are gone, and will not return. Sorry for the deep throwbacks; only time proves which things are fads, so for uncontroversial…| Engineering at Slack
In small organizations, it’s easy for folks to be aware of what others are doing and to recollect how you’ve previously approached similar problems. This hive mind and memory creates a consistency to decision making that correlates strongly with quality. The subtle slide into inconsistency is often one of the most challenging aspects of evolving from a small team into a much larger one.| lethain.com
Standardizing on a given platform or technology is one of the most powerful ways to create leverage within a company: improve the tooling a bit and every engineer will get more productive. Exploration is, in the long run, an even more powerful force, with successes compounding over time. Developing an investment thesis to balance the ratios and timing of standardization and exploration is a core challenge of engineering strategy.| lethain.com
