Most apps that exist today were built to be used by millions, because that was the only math that worked. Developing software was expensive enough that you had to aim for the largest audience you could reach. The whole premise of building an app was getting a lot of people to use it so you could make money off it. That’s what made the investment of time and money worth it.

Something is happening to software that happened to life 540 million years ago.

The original explosion

Before the Cambrian Explosion, life was simple. Single cells, some basic multicellular stuff, not much else. Then, in a geologically short window, nearly every major animal body plan that exists today appeared.

The organisms were already there, what changed was the environment. Oxygen rose enough to support complex metabolisms, and predation emerged, creating pressure that drove innovation at a pace the planet had never seen.

Exhibit A. This is how we discuss things.

Exhibit B. This is how you should read the bible.

Exhibit C. Retrospective should be …

What’s a cosmetic change?

• Renaming variables and or modules
• Re-arranging file hierarchies

(a stretch)

• Modifying function signatures […] if they’re “easy” enough for some definition of “easy”.

What’s on the fence? (it comes down to your culture)

• Documentation?

Alternative titles:

• The messenger should be invulnerable.

• Protect the messenger.

We’ve all heard the quote “don’t shoot the messenger”, or some variation of it. If you haven’t, the short story is that you shouldn’t kill down the bearer of bad news.

Easy to understand and see why it’s important, but not so easy to internalize.

Example w/ “hey I don’t think this works”

Ties up with Those who do.