Comment by ryandrake
3 days ago
I think “it works” is a very low standard for any creative work you set out to do, professionally or as a hobby. Possibly the lowest standard. We should aim higher in all things.
3 days ago
I think “it works” is a very low standard for any creative work you set out to do, professionally or as a hobby. Possibly the lowest standard. We should aim higher in all things.
Believe it or not "it works" is actually incredibly high standard. Many commercial products are released after meeting the "I can't believe it works" threshold.
He released a product, not a PCB. For him that's probably not the part where his creativity is focused on.
I think my attitude equates to the old Jobs saying on "finishing the back side of the cabinet." Paraphrasing: You wouldn't use crap wood on the back of the cabinet and not paint it. Of course, nobody would see it or know it was there but you'd know it was there. For you to sleep well at night, the aesthetic, the quality, has to be carried all the way through the product.
Anyone can build a bridge that stands, it takes an engineer to build one that barely stands.
Ok good luck with taking that attitude to the marketplace
[dead]
FWIW - I agree, generally.
However, capitalism demands it and we all have to compete. Look at the fortune 100. How many of those companies produce finely crafted artisanal hand-made things of beauty designed to last for 100 years and be passed on for generations?
The truth is that people say they want quality, and then buy the cheapest thing they can find that works for today. It has always been, and will always be this way... At least until/unless we find ourselves in Treks post-scarcity, fully-automated, luxury communism.
In the meantime I try to apply my limited time on earth as effectively as I can, but putting the most work into the place where it will do the most good.