Re^5: Where are future senior programmers coming from?

But is eBay part of the software industry?

No, but does that mean you're no longer a programmer? No longer a part of the software industry?

M&S are retailers, but they have a huge and important IT department. It has existed for 30 years or more. I believe they were one of the first private company owners of computer, but I cannot find that reference. They have their own in-house standards, development model, testing strategy etc. They have their own IT careers structure and training program.

Their core competency has historically been retailing, but they have many other string to their bow.

Did they cease to be part of the consumer retail industry?

Are they not a part of the financial services industry? And the Travel & Leisure industry?

They have a huge fleet of large trucks. Are they not also a part of the Transport industry?

That company was, of course, bought by eBay.

If Ebay had wanted Real Estate expertise, Sales people and client base, they would have bought one of the huge traditional US real-estate brokers. They didn't. They bought a (smallish?) web-based Real Estate company. What were they buying?

20 years ago, Laser eye surgery was not a part of any concept of the Eye Care or Health Care industries, but can you deny that the many providers of that service are now so a part?

Examine what is said, not who speaks -- Silence betokens consent -- Love the truth but pardon error.

Lingua non convalesco, consenesco et abolesco. -- Rule 1 has a caveat! -- Who broke the cabal?

"Science is about questioning the status quo. Questioning authority".

In the absence of evidence, opinion is indistinguishable from prejudice.

Comment on Re^5: Where are future senior programmers coming from?

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Re^6: Where are future senior programmers coming from? by tilly (Archbishop) on Sep 08, 2006 at 15:07 UTC
We are not going to agree on what an industry is. To me the web is a new type of industry that is about 10 years old. Web-based companies tend to be web and something else. Web and news. Web and retail. Web and second hand. Web and real-estate. However web companies don't generally look much like software companies. Software is merely one of many necessary ingredients. But can we agree that however one categorizes things, there are sound historical reasons why a company that does what eBay does can't be more than about 10 years old? If we can agree on that, then you can still see my fundamental point, which is that start-ups pretty much by definition engage in short-term thinking, but an area of business filled with start-ups is not necessarily an area that has no long-term future. They only develop long-term thinking after they have grown up and become mature companies that need longer planning horizons.	[reply]

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Re^6: Where are future senior programmers coming from?
by tilly (Archbishop) on Sep 08, 2006 at 15:07 UTC

But can we agree that however one categorizes things, there are sound historical reasons why a company that does what eBay does can't be more than about 10 years old? If we can agree on that, then you can still see my fundamental point, which is that start-ups pretty much by definition engage in short-term thinking, but an area of business filled with start-ups is not necessarily an area that has no long-term future. They only develop long-term thinking after they have grown up and become mature companies that need longer planning horizons.

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