Software Soup
Today you can add Google maps to your application with a few lines of code. Just think about how crazy that is?
There are cameras in space taking high-resolution images of the planet. I can be here in my underwear and write-up a line of code that give me access to the location of almost anywhere on the planet. No space rockets needed. I don’t even need geologist or a photographer.
Just think about how much we have access to with just a few lines of code. Payment processing, Social Demographics, Millions of Supercomputers, and Artificial Intelligence. I can even add the ability to call car to your location with a bit of code.
We live in a world of Software Soup.
What’s Software Soup?
Software Soup is when you combine a bunch of different services and platforms all in one pot.
This can make a great main dish. A little bit of this API, with a splash of that service, and don’t forget deploying on this hosted solution.
It’s like software developers are having soup parties. Let’s combine Stripe payments, Google Maps, and Watson AI. It will be the best AI logistic delivery soup on the market.
That’s my problem with JavaScript right now. Too many people making Chicken Noodle soup. But that’s a subject from another post.
Software Soup can be delicious!
There’s one downside.
The downside with soup is when something goes wrong it can be hard to find the root cause. And it’s easy to get wrong because I can add anyone else’s soup to my soup. It’s so easy to do today.
Just to keep the metaphor going. Did you add too much basil? Or was it the combination of beef and chicken stock?
Which can easily translate into. Is this third-party service down? Should we upgrade to the next tier on at platform? Is our code really the source of XYZ bug?
Am I saying that we should stop making Software Soup?
Definitely not! It’s one of the greatest things about being a software developer today.
The speed and ease at which we can create and deploy new applications has never been better. That’s mainly because of all the soup sharing going on.
The only thing I’m suggesting is that we think twice about the things we add to our software. That way we can lower the amount of risk.
Have you created some great Software Soup?