What I’m realizing is that in this period of the programmer profession we are falling further and further from valuing Quality. It’s not that there’s no demand, in fact it’s likely there’s more demand for Quality software now than there ever has been before. But as is often the case, the business is completely out-of-touch with what people want and need, and it’s been this way long enough that people are willing to settle for any garbage that is offered.
I’ve tried over the years to reverse this trend by holding the line in my own programming work, and by encouraging and supporting other programmers to do the same, but right now we are fighting an asymmetrical battle that would make John Henry break a sweat, and killing ourselves in this fight is exactly what the enemy wants us to do.
So instead of going through them, I’m thinking about going around them; in fact I’m thinking about going around them in another dimension.
Writing is a form of time travel. I’m confident that what can’t be done today may be possible tomorrow. By writing about Quality programming (and related topics), I’m preserving myself in a more durable form for use in the future when a more suitable environment to cultivate Quality emerges. It’s not unlike cryogenics, except that it’s been proven to work.
Of course I’ve learned in the past that writing like this is difficult to do while working a full-time job, and I’m sure it would be even harder for me now. Given that I’m noodling on ways I could find dedicated periods of time to work on these books, and I feel like six month is a good estimate for what it would take to finish one.
If I can turn out a book every six month or so, and find 1000 committed fans to purchase a copy, that might create enough income to sustain the work (combined with aggressively reducing my living expenses). That feels attainable to me, and at least worth a shot.