Why Software Is Like A Drug

Drug Dealers: Refer to their clients as "users."
Software Developers: Refer to their clients as "users."

Drug Dealers: The first one's free!
Software Developers: Download a free trial!

Drug Dealers: Have important Southeast Asian connections (to help move the stuff).
Software Developers: Have important Southeast Asian connections (to help debug code).

Drug Dealers: Strange jargon such as stick, rock, wrap, E, stash, hit.
Software Developers: Strange jargon such as SCSI, RTFM, packet, C, cache, hit.

Drug Dealers: Realize there is tons of cash in the 14-to-25 year old market.
Software Developers: Realize there is tons of cash in the 14-to-25 year old market.

Drug Dealers: Your clients really like your stuff when it works. When it doesn't they want to kill you.
Software Developers: Your clients really like your stuff when it works. When it doesn't they want to kill you.

Drug Dealers: Job is assisted by the industry constantly developing newer, more potent products.
Software Developers: Job is assisted by the industry constantly developing newer, more potent products.

Drug Dealers: When things go wrong a "fix" is just a phone call away.
Software Developers: When things go wrong a "fix" is just a phone call away.

Drug Dealers: Product causes unhealthy addictions.
Software Developers: Doom. Quake. Duke Nukem 3D. Civilization. Enough said.

January 2001

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