It makes me think that whole software projects (and popular ones at that) have fallen prey to the XY problem. For instance, are containers really necessary, or are they shoring up a lack of robust dependency management allowing different software programs to use different versions of the same application simultaneously.
Yes, the most common type of XY problems I see is people trying to solve made up problems. It happens to everyone. Lately I was browsing the Google X website [1].
Here's the kind of stuff you find there:
WE CREATE RADICAL NEW TECHNOLOGIES TO SOLVE SOME OF THE WORLD’S HARDEST PROBLEMS
(Why would you solve the hardest problems as opposed to the most valuable ones? Oh well, let's keep going)
How can balloons deliver the Internet to rural and unconnected places?
(I don't know, but are we sure using balloons is really the most sensible solution to that problem?)
How can kites be used to generate electricity in unexpected places?
(I don't know why we'd want to bring electricity in "unexpected places" as opposed to places where it's required, or why kites would be the best solution for that either)
Etc. It's very easy to create very hard problems if you impose unnecessary constraints.
