Ethical Software by Alex Bunardzic

I ran across this excellent formulation: ‘is RoR really superior or just easier?’ while perusing the comments on one of the most recent David Heinemeier Hansson’s blog posts (just to be clear for the non-technical audience here, RoR was used as an acronym for the most excellent Ruby on Rails platform).

What really caught my attention in that comment is the underlying assumption that something could either be superior, or easy. This belies the heroic mentality of the tough, battle hardened modern man, who is used to struggling in life, knowing that it don’t come easy.

Along come these wacky dudes, like for example Matz and the aforementioned David, and gently tap these people on the shoulder, and try to make them see that, hey, you don’t have to always suffer for your work. Maybe there is a way to make it easer? Ha? What do you say?

As Paul Graham explained in his exquisitely crafted essay What Businesses Can Learn from Open Source, we now seem to be leaving the world of professionalism behind us, and returning to the long standing principles of amateurism (that is to say, the principles of being required to love your work in order to perform it).

Amateurs and Professionals

Amateurism used to be viewed with unbridled derision. Instead of loving what you do for a living, it was much more desirable to be viewed as a person suffering for your work, sweating and mumbling “business first, then pleasure” under your breath. Such idiotic behavior would qualify us as being professionals, the most prestigious and desirable status any person could aspire for.

But the loyalty to professionalism went south when our beloved corporations decided to give us the finger and to outsource our professionalism overseas. All of a sudden, we’re left wondering aloud: “For whose sake should I continue this charade, knowing that they’re just waiting for the first opportune moment to outsource me?”

So, we’ve been left with no other choice but to return to amateurism. Do things we truly like to do, and leave the drudgery to the overseas corporate peons. And in the process, try to figure out how to make a living while doing the things we love.

How Hard is it to Live Easier Lives?

According to our newly won perspective (the amateurish slant), we are inclined to think that whatever is easier is at the same time superior. Things that are hard to do cannot end up being superior. For example, I can hop in my car and drive to the beach, or I can walk to the bus stop, wait for the bus, get on the bus, perhaps make a connection to another bus, etc., before I eventually get to the beach. In the former case, I did it the easer way. The latter case would be harder. But, just because it’s harder, is it automatically superior?

I’d say that taking the easier route is invariably superior.

Your mileage may vary.