#business #software #hardware #lean Created at 240923 # [Anonymous feedback](https://www.admonymous.co/louis030195) # [[Epistemic status]] #shower-thought #human-in-the-loop Last modified date: 240923 Commit: 0 # Related # fast iteration - software vs hardware Software development is characterized by rapid real-world iteration, like the constant testing of mutations in biological evolution. Developers release code, gather feedback, and quickly modify again, selecting the best versions to survive, much like natural selection. There is little cost to discarding failed iterations. In contrast, hardware requires substantial investment of time, materials, and labor to design, build, and test physical prototypes. Each failure destroys valuable resources. It is like a species evolving wings - immense effort required to test each iteration, with little room for failure. Simulation enables hardware to employ a more evolutionary approach. Advanced modeling allows cheaper and safer iterative testing of digital prototypes first. By simulating hypothetical models extensively beforehand, hardware can evolve more quickly, minimizing costly physical prototyping through preparation. Elon Musk and SpaceX exemplify this simulation-first approach for rocket development. By iteratively modeling and simulating rocket systems digitally, they refine designs rapidly and economically compared to physical-only testing. This evolutionary process of digital prototyping enabled the successful development of reusable Falcon 9 rockets. So while software improves naturally through constant real-world testing, like evolutionary mutations in nature, hardware relies more heavily on simulation before reaching physical prototyping, evolving digitally first. Simulation helps bridge this fundamental gap between [[bits and atoms|software's bits and hardware's atoms.]]