Software
Writing code, Airtable/data manipulation
- Binary, precise
- Data is very repeatable, reliable
- Write once, run anywhere
- Copying/cloning is super super easy
- Extremely fast iteration
- Bits are super cheap
Hardware
Machines: Bikes, pianos, machines, cars
- Many nuances, imprecise
- Stuff breaks all the time
- Every instance you have to build from scratch
- But can create designs for, and have factories produce
- Slow iteration
- Atoms are somewhat cheap
Peopleware
Companies, orgs, relationships, families, nations
- Extremely complicated
- Humans fail a lot
- Every version has its own contours, every relationship and human is different
- Though teaching, acculturation helps standardize
- CF https://www.cold-takes.com/the-duplicator/
- Trust is very slow to build
- Human time is quite expensive
Despite downsides, why is peopleware so valuable?
- Humans have agency, while hardware & data do not
- “Valuable to who?” If humans are doing the valuing, have an implicit bias towards other downsides