My colleague just made a very subtle rant in real life:

"I wish we could become more software developer and be less software producer"

@irene It's not about science, it's more of the "do whatever needs the least effort, who cares about technical debt"-attitude. Quantity over Quality.

For the science part I think, we're currently in the stone age of software development, if at all. The ideas what to do with software are unlimited, but the workmanship is simple, rough and rudimentary. I think there is a long way to go to make it to a craft.

It's like comparing a stone age cabin made of small logs and moss with a modern house made of building block like stones and concrete. Only that we currently don't know how that modern software house will look like in the future.

IMO there is no stagnation. So many things incorporate electronics today, like shoes with LEDs where you can program the flashing pattern.

And all that electronics need software. It's not like 20-30 years ago where small electronics devices where discrete components, made for their special purpose. Today these are often generic microcontoller or SOCs that do nothing without the right software.

And with all that IoT, wearable, etc. it's getting more and more (and so many really useless).

Even a PC has more independent chips with their own software today. There is not only the CPU and GPU, there are chipsets of the mainboard, several USB-Controller, Thunderbolt, BIOS/UEFI, audio, Bluetooth, Wifi, NIC, a webcam, keyboard, mouse, etc. all with their own controller and software.

@irene You don't get special purpose chips today. It's all FPGA or some small ARM core. Even your keyboard will likely have more computing power than the Apollo guidance computer that brought spaceships to the moon and back.

Special purpose chips are only affordable if you have quantities like the automotive industries.

And energy is of interest only on battery powered devices, but for small to medium quantity devices it will always be cheaper to add a bigger battery than change the design or even create a special purpose chip.