…and it’s very likely to offend virtually everyone, but there you have it. I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately because of some very in-depth (and heated at times) discussions with a friend, which is why I’m writing about it now.

OK, I’m going to go ahead and just say it, and let the chips fall where they may. Two trends that I fear are going to destroy the profession of software development are offshoring (companies moving their IT or programming divisions overseas for cheaper labor) and… open-source software licensing.At least, the most common types of licenses that the open-source developers put on their products.

When I say "destroy the profession," I don’t mean that it will cease to exist, or that eventually no one will write software anymore (or that no one in countries with decent labor standards will). I mean that the profession will cease to be a viable way of making a living. It will go the way of most types of craftsmanship, with very few people able to make their livings that way. It will be reduced to a hobby.

The trend of offshoring has obvious long-term effects on the profession. Contrary to what the big-business lobby would have people believe — and we must remember not to trust any articles on this topic that come from the mainstream media, since these news companies are all owned by companies that do it — offshoring isn’t good in the long term for anyone except for the executives. (Read more…)