This article seems to be picking on date / time manipulation within PHP. I don't see a database in use.
The title should say something about PHP not handling date/time correctly. This is nothing new.
I'm not positive if MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle, or similar would perform the same date and time manipulation correctly. However, I know from personal experience that MySQL handles date/times more consistently than PHP.
I'm curious to see if someone with more knowledge than myself can chime in on the issue.
Perhaps we choose dichotomies such as the article suggests because they serve as useful points for further discussion.
You offer many examples of companies that do not fit the two extremes of Spolsky's article. Where would you place them on the sliding scale you mention? Both have grown quickly and taken venture captial. I would place them more toward the Amazon side of the scale.
Very little in the world is black or white. Conflict and disagreement happens quite often. What you do about conflict and disagreement is the important part.
I actually quite agree that the BBB code of conduct is harmful. I'm not trying to argue for the code of conduct.
What bothers me about the article is that Fee Fighters is arguing from the point of a victim. Yes BBB has a harmful code of conduct, but Fee Fighters had a chance to review it and signed up for that.
> Nobody cares about the BBB code of conduct.
I don't understand this comment? This article is about how Fee Fighters lost their accreditation due to the BBB code of conduct? I think Fee Fighters cares about the BBB code of conduct. Many people who have upvoted this post and downvoted my original comment care one way or another I believe.
On the one hand Fee Fighters is fighting the "noble" fight, but they lose points for being so ideological.
BBB is a business and their terms are well known. Fee Fighters knew them and was required to abide by them and chose not to.
I do like that Fee Fighters is bringing this issue to bear. I'm personally not a fan of BBB. Pay to play doesn't seem like the incentives are aligned correctly. That and I can't afford their accreditation process for my business.
For those interested in this kind of story, and manipulation of markets in general, one of the best books I've read on the subject, published in 1923: Reminiscences of a Stock Operator
I have an issue with the general premise of this article.
Who is saying that javascript is web assembly?
I've only seen one comment in the comments so far, and its weak at that. Yes no human can read Google's javascript, but that says nothing about its efficiency, optimization, or correspondence with machine language. http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2783060
First, I do not believe this is the place to make a stand about our trust in humanity. I believe that is best left to philosopher who has all of human discourse to use.
My argument rests on the fact that Airbnb is moving closer to the average. Airbnb is moving closer to the average in the sense that they are attracting more people. After several million bookings, the general booking population will look more like the average in terms of disabilities, crime, unemployment, and many other imaginable statistics. Airbnb may not be quite there, but they are certainly growing closer.
The question becomes, how to improve trust as Airbnb moves closer to the average?
One such way is to implement trust systems. One such way is their existing feedback systems for people who use Airbnb. Hosts and renters alike can rate each other across several factors. Over time, one can develop a reputation that is accepted as a "I will do no evil". Heck, Airbnb could even reward these people with lower booking rates / larger cut as host.
Trust systems are fine for those who have earned trust within the system. How does one bootstrap trust in an increasing paranoid system? There is a cost associated with this in the sense of gaining references or examining the social network of a first time renter. After such examination the responsibility relies upon some host to have an increasingly long conversation with a first time renter. This can be done before or after booking. However at the end of the conversation, one ultimately relies on their own judgement, which means the conversation can be gamed.
In a future, Airbnb could work with outside systems. Airbnb could work with criminal databases, social information, along with associated other signals. All these approaches hint at a big brother approach where Airbnb is the ultimate judge and jury on who can host and/or rent. I don't see Airbnb being very popular in this approach.
In the end, I think Airbnb has the responsibility to make things right in this situation. In the future I think they have the responsibility to make things right while their business model relies on the trust of their customers. Increase awareness and increase their own detection measures to the extent that they do not become big brother.
Ultimately, I think things like this will continue to happen. However, the success (or failure) of the Airbnb billion+ business will depend on their response to such future events. Continue to make the host (the supply) happy and Airbnb will do well.
First, I do not believe this is the place to make a stand about our trust in humanity. I believe that is best left to philosopher who has all of human discourse to use.
My argument rests on the fact that Airbnb is moving closer to the average. Airbnb is moving closer to the average in the sense that they are attracting more people. After several million bookings, the general booking population will look more like the average in terms of disabilities, crime, unemployment, and many other imaginable statistics. Airbnb may not be quite there, but they are certainly growing closer.
The question becomes, how to improve trust as Airbnb moves closer to the average?
One such way is to implement trust systems. One such way is their existing feedback systems for people who use Airbnb. Hosts and renters alike can rate each other across several factors. Over time, one can develop a reputation that is accepted as a "I will do no evil". Heck, Airbnb could even reward these people with lower booking rates / larger cut as host.
Trust systems are fine for those who have earned trust within the system. How does one bootstrap trust in an increasing paranoid system? There is a cost associated with this in the sense of gaining references or examining the social network of a first time renter. After such examination the responsibility relies upon some host to have an increasingly long conversation with a first time renter. This can be done before or after booking. However at the end of the conversation, one ultimately relies on their own judgement, which means the conversation can be gamed.
In a future, Airbnb could work with outside systems. Airbnb could work with criminal databases, social information, along with associated other signals. All these approaches hint at a big brother approach where Airbnb is the ultimate judge and jury on who can host and/or rent. I don't see Airbnb being very popular in this approach.
In the end, I think Airbnb has the responsibility to make things right in this situation. In the future I think they have the responsibility to make things right while their business model relies on the trust of their customers. Increase awareness and increase their own detection measures to the extent that they do not become big brother.
Ultimately, I think things like this will continue to happen. However, the success (or failure) of the Airbnb billion+ business will depend on their response to such future events. Continue to make the host (the supply) happy and Airbnb will do well.
I love the idea, however there is a fundamental problem with the way we ask for things that must be overcome:
Only those that think they deserve what they're asking for will ask. The problem boils down to self worth. If I truly believe that I am worth (a million dollars|to be funded|a beer|a lesson in rails), then I will get it [1]. In this sense, this tool does a great job of connecting a need to those who can possibly fulfill that need within your social network.
Those without the confidence to ask will be left in the dust. They will see this as another divisive tool between the haves and have nots.
If you can solve the problem of self worth, that is a billion dollar problem [2]. Its not a problem many of us in the start-up world consider. I think you must have a relatively high enough self worth to with stand failure and keep self promoting a start-ups.
We all deserve the very best in life. Some of the unhappy people I know are afraid to ask for the very best, or just don't think they deserve it. I think your tool is a step in the right direction.
[1] Within reason. If I ask for a trillion and believe I'm worth a trillion, I will get what I asked for. That is, my peer group will let me know that is silly.
The fact that many PHP projects end up in unmaintainable spaghetti code is a mark against the programmer and not the language.
Take your average PHP programmer and force him/her to code in Ruby and the same mess will result.
The fact that PHP has so many "noob" programmer is indicative of its success in creating so many great projects and websites. We have made PHP so easy that even your grandmother can do it.
From the article:
If you are capable of making wise software design decisions, PHP is a great choice to build your web application with.
The accessibility of PHP is its strength and downfall.
There exist so many third party libraries because of the low barrier to entry. But as more people join the party, the party moves toward the average. The average third party library is an untested and undocumented mess. I do not think this is specific to PHP.
The title should say something about PHP not handling date/time correctly. This is nothing new.
I'm not positive if MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle, or similar would perform the same date and time manipulation correctly. However, I know from personal experience that MySQL handles date/times more consistently than PHP.
I'm curious to see if someone with more knowledge than myself can chime in on the issue.