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Discussion on: What’s the most under-appreciated software?

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Ben Halpern

Everyone has different interpretations of this question, which is fun.

I'd answer this question with...

SQLite

It is installed in practically every computer, phone, etc. on earth.

git

We take for granted how epic a technology git is. It takes on some incredibly difficult problems with grace. Even if its interface is confusing or dangerous at times, its underlying mechanics are so much more sound than most software.

curl

Another one of these ever-present pieces of software that just runs on so many machines and has been getting updates and new features for decades.

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Thyag Sundararmoorthy

+1 for SQLite. I was doing a diff between couple files(several GBs). The Unix tools based on estimate would have taken 3-4 hrs. I loaded them into SQLite, used the MINUS operation and the job was done in 5 mins. Remarkable piece of software for crunching locally stored data.

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Fulton Browne

I completely agree with all those, especially sqlite, its built in to android and is super easy to use and just WORKS.

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Maximilian Burszley

Sqlite isn't really "built" into anything as there's no DBMS to speak of. Every programming language simply contains modules to interact with its files almost as a rite of passage.

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Paresh

+1 for SQLite, I wasn't aware about it until I used it in my recent assignment. It is very powerful storage component (remember, I am not saying database server). I'd definitely consider it as a replacement of storing data in files.

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bretthancox

Git is 100% underappreciated. Everyone should have to deal with one of the older, commercial solutions to appreciate it. Working with Subversion and Rational ClearCase definitely set me up to love git.

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Daragh Byrne

Team foundation server, perforce, RCS... I still shudder.

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drew

Maybe its dumb, but I started using github to log any code I write from scratch, even just method challenges in Java(I'm still learning). Mainly as a way to keep up activity on my account, and also I can look back if I'm unsure how to do something. I also have my personal site hosted on Pages. Nice to have free hosting. I just pay for a custom domain.

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Aadi Bajpai • Edited

I don't think git is underappreciated at all. I mean, Git{Hub, Lab}. Everyone uses it.

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Paweł Świątkowski

Yes, everyone uses it. And everyone uses probably about 10% of its capabilities, while thinking it's all it does (push, pull, merge, commit, maybe rebase).

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Ben Halpern

That's true, but I still think the shear excellence of it gets taken for granted by the average developer. The fact that we can build software in a distributed manner using this tool is freaking magical.

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Jesse Phillips

And github, gitlab get more of the credit. (gethub should definitely get credit to changing the way software is developed through.)

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miku86

I'd say that nobody outside of professional development uses it.

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Mike Healy

I'm often in awe of Git. I never had to use Subversion or its predecessors but I still often give silent thanks to Git