Software development is about capturing and encoding knowledge
Before knowledge can be encoded into software, it must first be acquired. Since capturing knowledge is essentially learning, software development is primarily a learning process.
Software is a medium for storing executable knowledge, like a digital book with the power to act. Furthermore, software is always a liability and the true asset is the knowledge it encodes.
Before knowledge can be encoded into software, it must first be acquired. Software development is about capturing and encoding that knowledge, making software a byproduct rather than a product.
Since capturing knowledge is essentially learning, software development is primarily a learning process. This shift in perspective demands rethinking the essential skills for developers, reconsidering effective strategies and tactics, and ultimately redefining what a typical day looks like for a software developer.
There's more.
The conscious mind processes information about six orders of magnitude slower than the unconscious. What the unconscious handles in a second would take the conscious mind ten days or so. During learning, the conscious mind guides the unconscious, with much of that learning consolidating during sleep. Given our limited conscious capacity and need for rest, learning seems to have its own Eigenzeit—the time inherent to the process itself.
Software development is the bottleneck, because learning is, and learning is the bottleneck because our minds are. Until neurotechnology enhances our cognitive abilities, we must make the most of our learning time to keep pace with change.
In light of this, a software developer should be seen as a knowledge worker, engaged in continuous learning, rather than a routine worker on the assembly line. Just as we optimize software, we should also optimize the learning process, and practices should serve both technical and cognitive purposes.
Complexity in software requires managing and organizing knowledge better. The future of software development may involve new paradigms and tools focused less on manual coding and more on capturing intent and higher-order abstractions.
Ultimately, the best developers will be expert learners beyond proficient encoders. As the pace of change accelerates, the ability to continuously learn will become an even more critical asset for both individuals and organizations.
In conclusion, software development is about capturing and encoding knowledge to drive business, not just technology. As we improve our ability to learn, our software improves as well. Optimizing the learning process is not just a step toward better software; it is essential for future individual and collective progress.
