Software Philosopher

Once defined

Seems the definition of "philosopher" drifted, rather a lot.

Once, philosophers were expected to come up with practical things!

From "An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations", by Adam Smith:

All the improvements in machinery, however, have by no means been the inventions of those who had occasion to use the machines. Many improvements have been made by the ingenuity of the makers of the machines, when to make them became the business of a peculiar trade; and some by that of those who are called philosophers, or men of speculation, whose trade it is not to do any thing, but to observe every thing, and who, upon that account, are often capable of combining together the powers of the most distant and dissimilar objects in the progress of society, philosophy or speculation becomes, like every other employment, the principal or sole trade and occupation of a particular class of citizens. Like every other employment, too, it is subdivided into a great number of different branches, each of which affords occupation to a peculiar tribe or class of philosophers; and this subdivision of employment in philosophy, as well as in every other business, improves dexterity, and saves time. Each individual becomes more expert in his own peculiar branch, more work is done upon the whole, and the quantity of science is considerably increased by it.

Tool Maker

Decades back, a co-worker called me a "tool maker". Most of our peers learned to use a few tools well. A few learned to use many tools well. Fewer still made tools to fit the problem at hand.

Ran across this pattern as a teenager. My father put together the newsletter for Chapter 92, the local EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association) group. As such we would wander around southern California, meeting various sorts of folk building aircraft.

Some were folk who wanted to build an airplane, but were not skilled, and cut corners. Had doubts. Did not want to ride in their aircraft, when flying.

Some were retired men from a skilled trade, taking decades to prepare their aircraft. The work was a labor of love, and their worksmanship immaculate. Was sure their finished product would be superbe, someday.

One was a guy who owned a machine shop. Instead of tediously hand-crafting each wing-rib one by one, he instead built a machine to aid in making each rib. Each rib would be exact in shape, and take less time to make.

That upper-level thinking was rare among folk building aircraft, and later also rare among software folk.

Looking back, I have always seen the pattern in the problem, and built tools for the pattern.

Retitled

Guess in Adam Smith's time, that would make me a Philosopher.

From now on, my title is "Software Philosopher". :)