Wow, this is one of the best articles I've read on HN in a long time. It's a fantastic insight, and explains so much.
I would kill for a whole series of articles like this, explaining the philosophical underpinnings behind various technological alternatives.
So often, HN comments seem to degenerate into PHP vs everything else, iOS vs Android, OSX vs Linux, MySQL vs PostgresSQL, based on nothing else but people's personal experiences and preferences.
Taking a step back and exploring the why and history behind products, and what problems they were intended to solve, feels so refreshing and educational.
I would kill for a whole series of articles like this, explaining the philosophical underpinnings behind various technological alternatives.
So often, HN comments seem to degenerate into PHP vs everything else, iOS vs Android, OSX vs Linux, MySQL vs PostgresSQL, based on nothing else but people's personal experiences and preferences.
Taking a step back and exploring the why and history behind products, and what problems they were intended to solve, feels so refreshing and educational.
Kudos to the author (Chris Travers)!