> your source for your suggestion that this is an insurmountable volume-related problem
I wasn't. But a problem not being insurmountable does not make you incompetent for not solving it (yet). Curing cancer is not insurmountable yet we don't call scientist incompetent for not having it done yet (at least I don't).
And before you say it. No, I am not saying this is as difficult as curing cancer.
I don't know enough about the issue to correct you or not. I just know a lot of great software engineers who have poured their sweat and blood into systems only to be called incompetent.
I've also seen open source developers develop brilliant pieces of software and then get called incompetent for a single bug. Because the bug was "obvious" (in hindsight)
That kind of attitude keeps people from taking risks. I personally think we need to encourage people to go into the tough problems and a lot of people won't if they risk being ridiculed for not solving them.
The situation is not remotely like the scenario you are concerned about. We (the e-commerce industry collectively) have a history of making many of the same basic security mistakes repeatedly, even though both the mistakes and the ways to avoid them are well-documented (SQL injection is a classic example, as is the use of easily-guessable secrets.) In my opinion (the source of which is me) the industry should be held accountable for its complacency and, yes, lapses in competence. Of course, being criticized by me in an HN comment is hardly being held accountable.
I wasn't. But a problem not being insurmountable does not make you incompetent for not solving it (yet). Curing cancer is not insurmountable yet we don't call scientist incompetent for not having it done yet (at least I don't).
And before you say it. No, I am not saying this is as difficult as curing cancer.
I don't know enough about the issue to correct you or not. I just know a lot of great software engineers who have poured their sweat and blood into systems only to be called incompetent.
I've also seen open source developers develop brilliant pieces of software and then get called incompetent for a single bug. Because the bug was "obvious" (in hindsight)
That kind of attitude keeps people from taking risks. I personally think we need to encourage people to go into the tough problems and a lot of people won't if they risk being ridiculed for not solving them.