from Hacker News

Don Quixote's Fried Eggs: Purpose of a System Is What It Does

by RetiredRichard on 6/25/24, 12:30 PM with 16 comments

• by coldcode on 6/25/24, 3:09 PM

  That assumes you understand or realize what the system actually does. Sometimes the what is not obvious to the outsider observer. I once worked at a place that developed a new software development process designed to streamline internal development by making it more explicit. Most of us saw that the real intent was to force internal IT customers to stop asking for anything and demand we buy stuff externally instead, since the process was an enormous obstacle to even starting something new. The what took time to realize.

• by ToucanLoucan on 6/25/24, 2:26 PM

  Excellent article, IMO. I did have one thought here:

  > Real-world policies frequently contradict their rhetoric, as seen in various domains: .... Unemployment benefits: Benefits vary widely across states, often misaligning with political stereotypes and cost of living differences (e.g., Texas offering more generous unemployment benefits than California).

  One could make the argument that Reagan, being the tip of the metaphorical spear that was the austerity movement here in the United States getting his start as Governor of California, could explain the oddity. The movement gathered it's steam in the Golden state, after all, a big part of which was the spread of the (largely completely made up) notion of the welfare queen, and how people were living large on the Government dole.

• by fwip on 6/25/24, 2:49 PM

  > This year, the Houston City Council unanimously approved support for 17 new affordable (multifamily and multiunit) housing proposals—far more than the 16 in San Francisco,

  Far more? It seems like exactly one more, and the relative sizes and qualities of the proposals are not discussed.