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The labour arbitrage theory of dev tool popularity

The evolution of software development over the past decade has been very frustrating. Little of it seems to makes sense, even to those of us who are right in the middle of it.

If you’re working in free or open source, it might help you understand why some tools and frameworks seem to get endless support and buy-in from the management of various organisations and why some do not – despite being both superior technically and being easier to use by both the developer and end-user. Historically, the only path towards forcing employers to require and invest in training and safety, to guarantee job security, prevent mass layoffs, and combat outsourcing has been through concerted effort by workers as a collective. In this, the latest book from Ethan Marcotte (he of responsive web design fame), unions aren’t anachronisms but rather a set of structures for workers to practice mutual aid, solidarity, and democracy with each other and across their workplaces—practices which are necessary not only for improving working conditions but also for attending to the harms the industry continues to commit.

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