⏳ The "long-term" may be closer than you think...

A common objection to "Platform Thinking" (proactively build your platform from the start) is: there isn't time right now; this can be done after the 1.0 release when there is ample time and resources.

The "long-term" can be defined as when the consequences of actions come back - when the seeds sown are reaped.

When building complex systems with modern technology, the gap between the short- and long-term is months instead of years. There is a compression of the short- and long-term. Neglecting the platform may have worked a decade or two ago, but with the complexity of even basic embedded systems today (Zephyr, Embedded Linux, connectivity, data, etc.), the "long-term" is much more imminent. The pain from shortcuts emerges in months instead of years. The slope of the technical debt curve is much steeper.

The reality with complex systems today is there is no short- and long-term - they have morphed into one and the same. Without building for the long-term now, there will not be even a short-term, let alone a long-term.