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You've been here since 2014. How much value have you derived from this code? How long would it take you to write it? https://news.ycombinator.com/hn.js



HN has been incredibly useful to me.

I'm also smart enough to know that HN caters to a very specific kind of user.


I don't think there's a person I've asked who prefers the modern web over the way it was 10 years ago. All we've done is create a bunch of busywork that results in a cushion class of yes-men who are paid to protect the oligarchs from the peons they control. The specific kind of user you're talking about unfortunately includes these people.

If we stop navel-gazing at our salaries for a second, we should take a look at what developers who make a real difference do. I'm not talking about people who build stuff that leeches off consumer credit cards. I'm talking about TimBL, Matt Mullenweg, Bjarne Stroustrup, John Resig, Greg Kroah-Hartman, Linus Torvalds. They do things on principle, on values, and are self-confident enough not to care about chasing status. They're people who look at a world full of problems and want to actually help by sharing their ideas.

Those people generally build open, self-hosted solutions. They want to empower people, freeing us from the modern versions of AT&T and IBM. They make stuff that can run on a Pi or an old Celeron. Their stuff is standards-compliant, open, clean, simple, and user-auditable, so that it can be trusted and contributed to.

React was developed by Facebook, an app that steals your own family members' valuable time. Angular was developed by Google, and app that drains your own wallet. If you want to emulate their outcomes, by all means use their technologies. If you want to make a difference in the world, observe those who are making a difference and emulate them.


> React was developed by Facebook, an app that steals your own family members' valuable time. Angular was developed by Google, and app that drains your own wallet. If you want to emulate their outcomes, by all means use their technologies. If you want to make a difference in the world, observe those who are making a difference and emulate them.

They're unrelated. The tech and outcomes are unrelated. You can make great things for the world with React. Using Arc isn't gonna make Facebook a better company


You're welcome to that opinion, but I disagree. In my experience, Conway's Law applies directly to code, not just to networks and systems.

It is also my opinion that at all levels, motives and intent are driving dynamic forces in life. Ignoring them is a great way to waste your time, money and efforts. I can understand that not everyone feels this way, but I do. So perhaps that's where our interpretations differ.




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