Like every software engineer, I am funneling my inner woodworker. And ever since I started I can’t help but notice that those tools are boring. In the good sense, they get out of the way. When people don’t have to think about what you have built then you have achieved something remarkable.

I am not advocating for everything to be boring but there are stuff like Operating Systems (I hate you Windows), Text editors, etc. That need to be boring and from that boring base anybody can build something else. When I see Software changing under my feet for no good reason, it irks me.

In short when you are building foundational things: get out of your way to get out of the way.