Wild Expectations

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Introduction

The more I read the unfiltered requests from people hiring software freelancers, the more I realize how much of a disservice the tech industry has done for the World. There seems to be an impression that software is synonymous with the user interface, that one or two freelancers can duplicate the most complex system in a couple of weeks.

Every week I see several requests on various freelance sites to develop “sites that are just like…” fill in any successful site here. LinkedIn, Amazon, Spotify, QuickBooks are all popular targets, that or mobile apps that duplicate their functionality.

Then there are the people who post vague “I have an idea for a game and need a developer to help me finish it.” These are just sad because the idea is the easy part. It’s like people who tell the novelist their idea for a novel and expect to get co-author credit if something similar ever reaches the shelves. There are hundreds, if not thousands of hours of typing, editing, revising, and marketing after the idea. It is the same with software; I can have the concept in ten seconds. Turning that idea into a viewable prototype takes days or weeks. Turning it into a viable product takes much longer than that.