Software, Kitchens, and Pills

At work, I delete all marketing spam out of hand. Unfortunately, my two managers don't and occasionally forward it to me, forcing me to actually look at the propaganda du jour. And formulate a reply.

Today's shiny was some tool that would help developers make their programs more efficient. I responded with this analogy, which in hind site seemed pretty broadly applicable.

The quality of the product is entirely dependant on the skill and experience of the artisan. Having the next great kitchen toy will not make someone a better cook. Indeed, it may even weaken an unsure cook, causing them to falsely put their faith in a gadget rather than rely on themselves.

Every tool that promises to do work beyond the innate ability of the individual is just an infomercial selling a magic pill. If you want a better product you need better people. Period.