I don't agree at all. React is just as much a framework as a "way of thinking". I use react for _everything_ - because it's a great way to whip out a website - large or small. The "complexity" added is non-existent, unless it's because you are not willing to learn the way to do things. That's not the paradigm's fault, that's just people being complacent and lazy - sticking with "what they know" (which is fine, it's human nature).
Throwing together an API in .NET Core and a website consuming that API in React takes less than 5 minutes to get going.
I really consider getting rid of my car. I bought it a year ago, but it's only ever sat in the driveway, I never use it.
The funny meta-thing about his post, is that the content he feels adds 0 value, is in fact his own post. He is literally making a post about a tool he doesn't use. It's the equivalent of a person making a blog post about a tv series they don't watch but have seen the trailer for; no actual value to add to the discussion about the topic.
The "I deleted my [Facebook, Twitter, Medium, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok] account and this is why" is a genre in itself. They rarely say anything new.
Social media is a waste of time, the news feed is enraging, people put on a fake perfect persona, FOMO, insecurity, inauthentic connection, signaling, controversy, drama, dopamine, addiction. Unplug yourself, use analog tools, read books, have real life fun and deep bonding with your partner, friends and family etc.
It's all true, but we've heard it countless times and read it in the lifestyle columns of magazines all the time.
Indeed I think this is the next generation of self promotion and branding. You are above the plebs and the uniform little boxes that people package themselves into. You cannot be represented as a row in a database table, you are unique and special, you think outside the box, you go your own way, know what you want, think critically and independently and can refuse lowly temptations. You are not under the powers of the corporate machine. You delete your social media.
>"Indeed I think this is the next generation of self promotion and branding"
I'm unsure if this is meant to be sarcasm. Do you actually believe the next generation of self-promotion will be offline, in-person as kind of a reform movement or backlash? The optimistic side of frequently likes to entertain this idea but my cynical side thinks the dopamine addiction is only getting stronger. That cynical view is mostly informed by observations of the number of folks I see on sidewalks staring and scrolling at their phones as they walk.
No I mean just promoting on other platforms that you are outside the cookie cutter stuff and you do your own thing. Regardless of OP, whom I don't know, there is a recurring pattern of people announcing leaving various platforms but still reach to other platforms and with a performative contradiction try to get widespread social validation for the radical idea of not needing social validation.
It was also typical in the 90s, when people always announced that they are now really really done with a forum, ragequit and then kept coming back.
The point is, HN likes this type of posts because it's contrarian and quirky. Tons of people don't use linkedin or just have a crude profile and never log in.
Reminds me of those people who swear off meat to reduce animal suffering, or people who swear off junk food in order to live healthier—it's all just a cynical ruse to feel superior.
I disagree. It poses several questions about the value of LinkedIn. And it spurred a discussion. If anything your comment really adds nothing here.. (Maybe some discussion, but a useful one?)
I also started to think in this direction more the last few years: If we as a socity would be better of creating less but better, we would not have facebook or linkedin feets full of waste. We would have perhaps 10 hn articles per day, 10 world news, 1-2 local news and thats it.
I would have the rest of my time 'free' of the burden of trying to make sure i'm not missing something.
Every idiot thinks something created and shared is worth while while i'm often enough think 'oh now one would care for something like this' or 'a few people might wanna read it but wouldn't act on it anyway'.
I also started to comment less. It costs time, i don't have the feeling that a lot of peole read comments and honestly, i had plenty of discussions which just stoped and there was never ever any feedback (besides 'likes' like wtf.) on 'was that helpful'.
Did i add value to our society or was it purely for entertainment?
Extending this, news wouldn’t exist in its current form.
Broadcasts would be much more honest too:
“Hello everyone. There’s a pandemic sweeping the globe, which is unfortunate, but also cancer outcomes are the best they’ve ever been. Overall things are getting better.
Enjoy your weekend and we’ll be back on Monday. If something genuinely important changes. Otherwise, take a walk and maybe get some fresh air instead.
While the content itself is just another round of "I deleted X for reasons I, J, K," I certainly resonate with you mentioning commenting less.
As with the barrier to entry to any tech-oriented platform (any dev remember their first time posting on StackOverflow?), there is an underlying fear of rejection, or even worse, providing no value whatsoever. I've lurked on HN for years, but only recently have actually started engaging.
Not sure if anyone else feels those kind of emotions, but the article did mention that many people are living in fear -- regardless of the external stimuli is that causes that fear. It's not any different than engaging with communities like SO, HN, forums, etc.
Also like you, I doubt this adds any value beyond giving a couple minutes to type this response to a comment buried halfway down the discussion page on the post. It definitely entertained, and more so distracted me, for the duration of this experience.
And I suppose you think this comment it clever do you? Adds 0 value to what? What's he trying to 'add value' to? This site? Your life? The post has a lot of personal truth and insight in it, maybe you should read it again. This person used to use it did they not? They have something to say. Whether you agree or not is up to you - but zero value? What are you on dude?
> It's the equivalent of a person making a blog post about a tv series they don't watch but have seen the trailer for; no actual value to add to the discussion about the topic.
IMO a more accurate analogy would be a person dropping a tv series in between, in which case they can indeed add value to the discussion - why they dropped the series etc.
Well, in your metaphor he decided to get rid of all cars, forever. There are probably a ton of people who blog about that. Since there is no alternative for Linkedin and it is defacto the only professional social network out there, it is a categorical decision where quite a few people are wondering how it would affect them, of they did the same.
I get what you say to some extent - and as often is, there is no direct comparison. But let me elaborate a little bit on my view.
LinkedIn may be an online professional network, but that doesn't mean there are no other means of "transportation". I take care of my network by meeting my professional peers a lot. I talk with the same recruiters normally, both in a hiring capacity and a candidate capacity. I know them, they know me. I stay in touch with my old colleagues, some who are now CEOs, others who are programmers, and even more who are still where I met them - some of them I even consider friends - most of the valuable connections.
In the technology community, you can go to many organized events. I participate in both React, .NET, and cloud meetups, and now I co-host some as well.
Your network is so much more than LinkedIn, it's a relationship with actual human beings, which is where LinkedIn often falls short. It does, however, work great as a contact book of "oh shit, I wonder where he is now and how can I get in touch with him" - and then you go meet them. In person. All jobs of significance I have been considered for, and most likely most of what I will be considered for in the future is based on my actual relations with people. "Talk to this guy, I worked with him on X" - it's the same way I hire great people. LinkedIn is a showcase for your resume, what you've done, who you are affiliated with, and a professional point of contact, but it's by no means "your professional network".
In Germany there's XING which I think has a similar purpose (professional relationships, both for contractors as well as employees) and is relatively popular AFAICT. I'm not on XING, but what I heard about it from colleagues is that when IT contracting was at its height not so long ago they got several "cold" contacts per week from desperate people (MBA types, mostly) that have neither customers nor projects nor professional experience. Don't know if this is representative of XING; it might actually be not half-bad. But then the way the consulting business works here is that customers rarely approach freelancers directly and use agencies instead.
Upvoted for considering getting rid of your car. I finally got rid of mine. It eventually got broken into sitting in the driveway. Multiple times. Then when I finally wanted to drive it for something important, the battery was dead and I got to my meeting anyway.
Let me know if you want to have a phone call some time about considering going car-free.
Similar story here, I got rid of my car a few years ago after not using it for a few years and only pushing it around when the street was closed for cleaning. Later I realized that with so little use, it would've been cheaper to use taxis than paying insurance for the car. :-)
These days our city is full of carsharing cars so should I ever need a car to carry something heavier, I only need to walk a few blocks to find the nearest car that I can borrow. Costs about a half of what I'd pay for a taxi, so it's not cheap, but still cheaper than owning a car and not using it.
That's not true at all. The fact someone sees no value in something is interesting. In your case, why don't you use your car? Maybe public transport has improved. Maybe C-19 is impacting your social life. Maybe you've started remote working more. The "what" (eg you don't drive) isn't interesting but the "why" definitely is.
The fact someone is choosing not to use LinkedIn means they're not getting value from it. Why is that? How could LinkedIn fix that? Are they using an alternative?
If you're more curious about the reasons behind events you can learn a lot.
You don't need your car until you need your car - i.e. you aren't driving to pick up groceries 16 hours a day. That doesn't make your car valueless.
Likewise, Linkedin isn't needed the majority of the time, until you need it - i.e. you're faced with having to find a new job in an industry where the right referral can translate directly into a job with higher income.
It's not that he feels the content adds 0 value, it's that he feels the content has negative value. By discussing leaving LinkedIn, he's in fact talking about a way he brought positive value to his life by removing a cost.
I never thought about LinkedIn being almost as useless as Facebook, now I do. and I never thought about difference between scroll-based websites and paginated feeds, now I do.
Your comment holds some truth, but I found the article interesting.
I disagree. This is about the conflict on keeping a LIn profile he feels like is valueless just because it is the social norm to have one, and everyone is doing it.
And this is exactly why I turned down a Ph.D. and always thought the community of academia (CS academia in my case) is one big pile of circle-jerk and shitty politics..
Why would you use this over say, Unity or Unreal? Seems more niche, less popular (so less assets/community libraries etc.) and less integrated into...everything?
Defold is optimized to produce small binaries, and features you don't use can be turned to to further decrease your bundle size.
It also focuses a lot on providing fast iteration times. You can hot-reload changed assets onto a device while the game is running. For most asset types, you'll see the change on device in less than a second. Similarly, a Build and Run cycle from scratch for a moderately complex game project such as Blossom Blast typically takes around a minute or so, and subsequent cached builds can start in a couple of seconds.
(Edit: Full disclosure, I worked on the Defold editor.)
Throwing together an API in .NET Core and a website consuming that API in React takes less than 5 minutes to get going.