Stop Asking How and Just Do It (2012)

donnfelker.com

7 points·ColinWright··5 comments

> You don’t need a website that has redundancy and triple back up systems. You’re selling chicken coops, dude.

You don't need proper password hashing. You don't need SSL. You don't need to learn how to properly process credit card transactions. You're selling chicken coops, dude.

I think that's all true.

You don't need a website, frankly.

There's a fair point here.

After working with many interns, something that saddens me a lot is to see lots of these kids systematically asking for help when blocked on some task.

Asking for help is totally OK, but it should not become systematic when one get stuck. IMHO you learn so much by working the problem by yourself, even if this means being stuck on it for a while.

Sometime I miss the era when even the Internet wasn't here to help you :)

Agreed to an extent. The internet is full of solutions that aren't necessarily GOOD solutions, and it's too easy to use someone's half-baked solution and not learn anything in the process.

On the other hand, the internet's wealth of solutions do at least point you in the right direction.

This statement comes from someone, though, who is usually too prideful to ask for help and will usually make themselves miserable bashing their head against the wall before finally conceding to ask for help, something I certainly don't advocate. (I'm working on it.)

I think he's basically saying "Don't get caught up in the details". If you end up making chicken coops on a large scale, of course the website he uses will need all the standard security/redundancies/etc, which is what the CTO/contractor is for.

I like the reminder, because I'm definitely someone who can lose the forest for the trees sometimes.

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