I’m a developer. I’ve been a developer for more years than I care to think about. Thinking back, I realize that how I code today is different enough from what I did after graduating, that it is almost a different profession.
I started writing COBOL on a mainframe. That COBOL had SQL embedded in it to talk to the database. CICS commands were also added to send and get data from the user.
Today, I write code in a few different languages. My current project uses c#, Javascript, HTML, CSS and a large number of libraries like React, Entity Framework, and Unity (Unity for IOC).
When I look at the work at a low level, not much has changed:
- I’m still using a relational database to save and retrieve data
- Data continues to be presented by “screens”
- Those “screens” are stateless
But as soon as you above that lowest level, nothing is the same:
- Database activity is done through an ORM; there’s very little SQL coding
- Getting data to and from the server is taken care of by libraries; this only shows up as some attributes/markers within the code
- Development environments provide instant feedback about compilation errors
- Automated tests identify what broke almost instantly
When you look at the applications themselves, there is no resemblance between the applications I built 20 years ago and the ones I build today. To me, the changes are profound.
Getting from then to today was challenging. The change I struggled with the most was the move to TDD. It was such a different take on how I was used to approaching development that I struggled quite a bit. But once I got it, I realized what it’s power and it has influenced every aspect of my development, even when I’m not following TDD. I also think it was the single biggest personal improvement I have made. And I regret that I didn’t start it sooner.
And that’s how some changes go. You adopt them and slowly realize that it’s a significant improvement in how you do thing. But not all changes are like this. Some, don’t amount to much. Others, are not a fit at all. The most difficult category though, are those changes that just fail because they were never a good idea.
- 4GL (4th Generation Languages) were going to eliminate the need for developers; they would allow business users to code their own programs. While some of the 4GL concepts have made it into the mainstream, this whole idea has disappeared from the market.
- The Client-Server model was the direction of the future. It was a way to move off of the mainframe and provide better interfaces to the business users. Then the scaling issues became apparent and all but killed this approach. While it continues to exist as layered architectures deployed on servers, the original approach has all but disappeared.
Change is difficult. Some changes are more difficult than others. But we need to embrace change because changing is what allows us to continually improve our skills. And that means we can deliver better software. And that is what we all want.
Jeff Siver 