Hazel Weaklyhazelweakly@hachyderm.io
Dec 24, 2025, 12:42 PMThe two hardest problems in Computer Science are
1. Human communication
2. Getting people in tech to believe that human communication is important
Replies
ocratatoocratato@discuss.systemsDec 24, 2025, 12:56 PM@hazelweakly
I am quite certain that the "Computer Science" qualifier is redundant.
nadjadequbed@mastodon.chaosfield.atDec 24, 2025, 1:16 PM@hazelweakly The third hardest is I presume then to get people in tech to understand that 90% of all ‘technical’ problems are instead socio-political ones and that neither political nor social problems have technical solutions?
Tyrone Slothropslothrop@chaos.socialDec 24, 2025, 1:17 PM@dequbed @hazelweakly a lot of people in tech would do well to realize that they’re essentially plumbers and bricklayers, working for a few rich landlords.
- nadjadequbed@mastodon.chaosfield.atDec 24, 2025, 1:34 PM
@slothrop @hazelweakly and both parts of that. Tech people are *just* plumbers and bricklayers. They help build infrastructure but they're no better than a bricklayer building a bridge.
derptroncrazyeddie@mastodon.socialDec 24, 2025, 3:47 PM@dequbed @slothrop @hazelweakly We are engineers and scientists.
Fuck the haters. ;)
Ain't nothing wrong with being a plumber. The equivalent in IT would probably be the network administrators. Similar levels of education and certification requirements. The plumber is probably more regulated by law, but the expectations are similar.
I really don't understand the human obsession with labeling wide groups of other humans and then group hating on them. It's weird. We're just people.
Alexnap@social.coopDec 24, 2025, 11:05 PM@crazyeddie @dequbed @slothrop @hazelweakly
They're not saying there is something wrong with being a plumber or a bricklayer. Those are both artisanal professions that build infrastructure, whereas the average software engineer is trained to view themselves more as a capitalist. Of course, we aren't. We are also members of a largely artisanal profession.
Dec 25, 2025, 12:08 PM@nap @crazyeddie @dequbed @slothrop @hazelweakly i did a double take at "*just* plumbers" as well. (Pretty sure not intended negatively in this case, but could be more positively worded, I think)
Given the right incentives, both plumbers and software engineers can do some very useful stuff, and solve some hairy problems. Also, I met some of the best and most compassionate communicators among craftspeople. Let's celebrate that and let go of the stereotypes!
Dec 26, 2025, 10:19 PMPlumbers and bricklayers do essential work. The problem with managing sociotechnical systems through the tech/engineering lens is that the ultimate societal goals tend to get lost as the job becomes less and less prioritised by politics and social issues, but more and more by technical optimisations of the system.
So tech ppl need to either start condidering the ethics of choices they make, and involve sociopolitical stakeholders more.
Peter 🔻pvdrijst@mastodon.socialDec 24, 2025, 1:37 PM@hazelweakly There's no C in IT
- Nick Silkey 🪓🪵 🪣💧nicksilkey@hachyderm.ioDec 24, 2025, 1:52 PM
@hazelweakly Business School as well, Hazel! 😉✌️
Francis Cookdianshuo@mstdn.ioDec 24, 2025, 2:12 PM@hazelweakly can I venture a 3) not every goddamn thing is a tech problem.
- GrandTheftUrkelGrandTheftUrkel@mastodon.socialDec 24, 2025, 3:17 PM
@hazelweakly You forgot:
3. Off-by-one errors 
Ron JeffriesRonJeffries@mastodon.socialDec 24, 2025, 3:27 PM@hazelweakly got that right!
Matt Hall401matthall@mastodon.xyzDec 24, 2025, 3:52 PMHey... We have the same scars! <3
- webshinrawebshinra@pouet.chapril.orgDec 24, 2025, 4:03 PM
@hazelweakly TBH the first problem in any field is always humans.
🐜antdude@mastodon.socialDec 24, 2025, 4:27 PM@hazelweakly it's worse for me with my disabilities:(
Pseudo Nympseudonym@mastodon.onlineDec 24, 2025, 5:02 PMI thought the two hardest computer science problems were:
1) naming things
2) cache invalidation
3) off by one errors(To be clear, I fully agree with the "communication" point. Just couldn't pass up the set up for a joke.)
Dec 24, 2025, 6:50 PM@pseudonym @hazelweakly I've seen 1 and 2 being caused communication issues, and I'm sure there's probably examples for cache invalidation too, somewhere
jerjerrej@mastodon.socialDec 24, 2025, 5:26 PM@hazelweakly
Not having management laying off the interns/juniors.
deliveratordeliverator@infosec.exchangeDec 24, 2025, 6:11 PM@hazelweakly I fully admit to HATING the mandatory "arts" courses (English lit, sociology, history, etc) I had to do as part of my uni degree. If I were doing it now I would probably have chatgpt'ed my way through most of the essay writing. Which is what I worry is happening with the next generation 😬
I'm at the point in life/career where I realize these were actually really useful.
how do we actually illustrate the value of these subjects to future generations? For me I know part of the issue was time management - trying to focus on reading a book and reflecting on it while also juggling all the "engineering" course work. Separate them into their own year/semester?
skryskry@mastodon.socialDec 24, 2025, 6:18 PM@hazelweakly 3. Binary thinking
Neil MoffattNicelyManifest@mastodon.socialDec 24, 2025, 6:20 PM@hazelweakly Does not help that many are like myself - Aspergic - and that the inside-code and outside-application views and logistics are so often massively different. Tiny user change can take forever ...
Harry W.hazz223@mstdn.socialDec 24, 2025, 6:32 PM@hazelweakly something ironic about tech enabling such fast commutation, while really sucking at using it appropriately / at all 😅
[MARX_IN_SPACE]otherdog@mastodon.socialDec 24, 2025, 8:38 PM@hazelweakly Absolutely One Hundred Percent.
craignicolcraignicol@glasgow.socialDec 24, 2025, 10:44 PM@hazelweakly see also: the most important language to know in computer science is your own native tongue. (Or whatever your organisation uses to communicate)
Dave bauerdavebauerart@mastodon.socialDec 25, 2025, 12:10 AM@hazelweakly Oh, this is why I never studied computer science and just made stuff to help people communicate.
demofoxdemofox@mastodon.gamedev.placeDec 25, 2025, 1:23 AM@hazelweakly tech problems are usually people problems. Totally agree.
BlueTeamSherpa :verified:Blueteamsherpa@infosec.exchangeDec 25, 2025, 1:36 AM@hazelweakly I thought the two hardest problems in computer science were:
1. Human communication
2. Getting people in tech to believe that human communication is important
3. Off by one errors.
babble encatbabble_endanger@freeradical.zoneDec 25, 2025, 2:00 AM@hazelweakly Getting powerful people to understand that humans matter lol
David W. Jonesdancingtreefrog@mastodon.socialDec 25, 2025, 10:28 AM@hazelweakly
As a former tech writer, I approve this message! 😁
Johanna JaniszewskiJohannaMakesGames@mastodon.gamedev.placeDec 25, 2025, 11:10 AM@hazelweakly 3. convincing people in tech that no, inventing a solution that makes human communication retundant is not desirable
- Ben Ford :grinchsmile:binford2k@hachyderm.ioDec 25, 2025, 11:44 AM
@hazelweakly literally had this exact conversation earlier today
GreenSkyOverMe (Monika)GreenSkyOverMe@ohai.socialDec 25, 2025, 3:01 PM@hazelweakly Word!
gnaddriggnaddrig@mastodon.socialDec 25, 2025, 7:07 PM@hazelweakly @wkfry
Spot on 😁
George Bailygeorgebaily@mastodon.socialDec 25, 2025, 10:30 PM@hazelweakly computer people can literally be making communication software for humans and not at any point think human communication is a thing
Brad Grzesiak 🦆listrophy@ruby.socialDec 25, 2025, 10:40 PM@hazelweakly happy to see this format is continuing ☺️
I deleted my Twitter account, but the wayback machine has it: https://web.archive.org/web/20190502024721/https://twitter.com/listrophy/status/876129823130869760
Chrisxris@layer8.spaceDec 26, 2025, 12:18 AM@hazelweakly
3. Off by one errors
Dec 26, 2025, 3:30 AM@hazelweakly Yes, strongly agreed, and the replies to your toot are really good evidence of #2.
Dec 26, 2025, 7:16 PM@hazelweakly this is so true. Had just a "simple" migration project for 40k accounts. And these two issues were our constant struggle between the 4 project partners and with the users.
- Dec 27, 2025, 3:53 AM
@hazelweakly 3. off-by-one errors
- Seldon :debian: :raspberrypi:hari_seldon@fosstodon.orgDec 27, 2025, 12:55 PM
@hazelweakly I got in tech because I thought that tech could create wonderful ways to communicate and interact with people all over the world. Then SN was created.
- wilanderwilander@mastodon.socialDec 27, 2025, 9:32 PM
@hazelweakly I see what you did there. 👍🏼
- Vaneshi@bitbang.socialFeb 4, 2026, 11:50 AM
The "stop showing off how many emails a second you can fire off and pick up the god damn phone" problem.
- Feb 4, 2026, 12:14 PM
@hazelweakly Yes, and also thank for not saying “naming is hard”. (The dual write problem is hard, naming is just a minor inconvenience that comes down 1 and 2.)
Stefan Baur 8 * 💉farbenstau@infosec.exchangeFeb 4, 2026, 8:42 PM@hazelweakly And the four hardest problems in Computer Science are
1. Human communication
2. Getting people in tech to believe that human communication is important
3. Avoiding off-by-one errors
yeahyeahyensyeahyeahyens@det.socialMar 20, 2026, 10:23 AM@hazelweakly They are putting more effort into automating communication and having computers handle it than into acknowledging that it is essential for human coexistence
Mar 20, 2026, 11:53 PM@hazelweakly or getting people in tech to believe that humans are important
Apr 11, 2026, 12:13 PM@hazelweakly
The third and fourth hardest problems would be3. Making all software free.
4. Getting people to understand that all software must be free.
Apr 11, 2026, 12:39 PM0. Getting people in tech to believe that human beings are important.
StarkRG@myside-yourside.netApr 12, 2026, 6:32 AM@hazelweakly
"Hey, we made a technology that communicates exactly the way I think humans do, and does things without argument or discussion, let's bet the entire industry on it and try to force it into every facet of modern civilization so it becomes necessary.""That's really not how people communicate, though."
"See, this is the problem with human communication. I asked the thing and it said it was a great idea. You know what? You're fired."
Epic NullEpic_Null@infosec.exchangeApr 26, 2026, 2:27 PM@hazelweakly thank you @JessTheUnstill for reboosting this. I kinda stewed on this for a while, and what if Part 2 is... not quite right?
It is my experience that those who get into tech don't start with great social skills. Or great social experiences...
If you think literally, you also can take the Wrong Lessons when learning communication, making it even harder rather than easier.
So 2 might be less about getting people to believe something , and more about managing the disabilities and traumas of people who are the type wind up in tech.
If you are thinking, "Wait but not all -" then yes, some of us do recieve the help and support we need to not be complete disasters. I suspect we would find that these are people who can grasp that human communication is important, even if we still struggle.
Michael Jessoppppossej@aus.socialAug 26, 2026, 11:45 AM@hazelweakly it's why we dropped the C from ICT after all ...
goedelchengoedelchen@mastodontech.deAug 26, 2026, 12:33 PM@hazelweakly A former colleague had "Software development is a communication game" in his email signature.
Jesse T. AlfordanEXPer@mastodon.socialAug 26, 2026, 3:35 PM@hazelweakly I wonder if the original list doesn’t apply to computer science, with this list applying to development?
- Aug 27, 2026, 12:54 PM
@hazelweakly yep. The science is meaningless without something to strive toward. As a society, we don’t move forward unless we communicate. By this (obviously flawless) logic, science is as much about communication as it is about discovery.
If we discover things, but can’t communicate them in a way that makes them useful…what’s the point? No one gets into science _just_ because they like finding things. They do it because they feel like the stuff they discover is meaningful to the human condition.
And yet, entire swathes of our economy are dedicated to simply “lol look I found something cool, I bet we can charge people for this”
(Sorry that was a rant and a half from a very simple post, not trying to explain down to you, just engaging)
SadieBurn_this_@beige.partyOct 23, 2026, 12:30 PM@hazelweakly
I always thought the hardest problem in Computer Science was getting the cap off the Excedrin bottle.