When we talk about software world, what’s the first thing that comes to your mind? Programming - right? Developers play a very important role in turning technology ideas into reality. It’s ultimately the code that runs on the computer providing an interface to the end users or systems. Empowerment of developers has evolved over the last few decades from assembly level programming to more sophisticated software programming. It continues to evolve and provide enormous opportunities to transform the life of a developer which in turn transforms the business that relies on technology.
When I started my professional career in late 90s, the technology world was limited but fascinating. Computer technology was something that every technologist wanted to be associated with. We had only a few options to choose from and I was fortunate to work on programming languages such as Java, Visual C++, etc. My first programming language Fortran (as part of my undergraduate course) was really difficult to understand as we needed to write code similar to assembly line instructions. Learning "C" in the final year was really interesting as I found many common utility functions in the default C header files which I could use to create cool GUI based programs. I still remember spending sleepless nights coding for my final year transformer design and fuzzy logic projects using C. By that time my interest level in programming had really gone up.
Exposure to Java, PowerBuilder, Visual C++, etc. fascinated me as a programmer and I quickly realized the potential of technology to solve real-world problems. My love for technology was growing every day but at the same time hands were tight with limited options. The time it took to convert an idea into a software solution was significant. That was because the empowerment through developer friendly tools and utilities was limited only to a few options. Developers love experimentation and reinventing the wheel. But if the effort to see the solution working is significant, then they lose interest.
Today's world is no longer about "big" vs. "small", it's about "fast" vs. "slow". In today's complex technology world, "speed" wins. After 20+ years in the industry, now I see things have dramatically changed. Developers are more empowered and powerful than ever. The pace at which they innovate things and quickly demonstrate their working ideas is simply outstanding. But how did it become possible? It is because of the transformation in the technology ecosystem. From the era of writing Java programs in Notepad and compiling code in Java command line to today’s world of using the best-in-class frameworks and tools to quickly develop applications the transformation is significant. The lifestyle of developers has changed in multiple dimensions -
- Speed at which they convert ideas to software systems
- Ease with which they write code
- The error-free applications that they develop
- Seamless adoption of technologies
- Build technology services as platforms
But how will the future evolve from here? The level of transformation that we have seen in last two decades is expected to move at a faster pace in the next decade. Cloud, Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things (IoT), Distributed Computing, Data Virtualization and many other technologies have changed the way developers think, code and release software. In addition to it, many micro level frameworks, developer tools and quick start components have enabled technologists to achieve more with less effort.
Not just technology, developer's dreams have also transformed. Developers no longer think of themselves as coders but more as innovators - who want to think, come up ideas, develop solutions, and improve customer delight. The startup ecosystem around the world has energized individuals to look at themselves from a different point of view and has also made them realize that their small ideas could grow into billion dollar solutions. Now, they feel more confident and committed than ever. At the same time, they know it's only "technology" that can make their dreams a reality.
But what do they want now? From being a “Developer” to an “Innovator”, every individual wants a better way to leverage technology, not like text editor based coding, and command line based compilation or manual deployment of binaries. Their end goal is clear - they want to reach "100". But instead of starting from zero, they want to start from "60" or "70" or "80". In that regard, many technology tools and platforms have evolved over the last few years to provide an ecosystem for innovators or developers to fast track their journey. To a large extent, many cloud platforms have tried to provide the required ecosystem to quickly ideate, develop and deploy solutions. Players like AWS, Azure, Google App Engine, etc. have definitely provided the long pending integrated developer platforms. There are many low-code or no-code platforms emerged in the last few years trying to provide a quick start platform to facilitate the fast paced development.
Developers love experimenting and reinventing the wheel. But there is no escape from programming languages, build tools, deployment platforms etc. It would be a Developer’s Paradise to attain the speed and at the same time address all their needs:
- Continue to support their favorite programming languages, technologies, deployment environment, etc.
- One-step deployment and management of applications using high-level programming abstractions
- Achieve "100" in hours or days, but not in weeks, months or years
- Enable micro architecture - could be in the form of micro services architecture, micro-segmentation in deployment architecture or lean software delivery process
- Provide quick-start frameworks to manage all generic technology services like security, testing, deployment and monitoring
- Facilitate development of error-free applications and reduce overall testing time
- Ideate, Build and View - rapid sketch to working application
- All-in-One platform that supports everything they need - from user stories to writing code, from deploying code to cloud environment of their choice to making their applications accessible to the end users
Would they love a self-service developer platform that provides all of these? If so, the next decade could see a huge transformation in the Developer Platform space that promises to transform the lifestyle of developers, much bigger than the transformation that we saw in the technology space in the form of Cloud, AI/ML, DevOps, Micro-services, Data Virtualization, SDDC/SDN, etc.
The developer’s lifestyle continues to evolve to provide a developer's paradise making them more responsive, deliver better customer experience, and enjoy greater business success.
Enjoyed your insight, not a developer, but now better understand the mentality and how it has matured from doers to creators to innovators. Speed and Scale are so important, same way we feel at AWS and a major part of our strategy to focus on builders.
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