The Evolution of DevOps: From Early Computing to Agile Software Development

Preface

By reviewing the article "#DevOps的前世今生# 1. DevOps编年史", we discover that DevOps originated as an extension of agile thinking from the development side (Dev) to the operations side (Ops). Both early DevOpsDays founder Patrick Debois and The Agile Admin sought to improve traditional system maintenance and the collaboration between development and operations, but the conflict between Dev and Ops stems from their historical origins.

Ancient Times – Self‑Developed and Self‑Maintained

In the earliest computer era, programming was a rare skill limited to highly educated individuals, and only the notion of a "Program" existed, not "Software". Developers relied on manufacturer manuals to learn, purchasing hardware and training staff internally. Early IT departments (often called IT Department, IT Office, or simply "Computer Department") managed both development and maintenance, effectively performing a primitive form of DevOps.

Early programmers

Desktop Software Era – Professional Developers (Dev)

With the decline in computer costs and the proliferation of micro‑computers such as the IBM PC, enterprises began large‑scale computer adoption. Software distribution was initially via floppy disks and magazines, leading to the emergence of software as a commercial product and the professional role of Software Developer (Dev).

Microsoft’s success exemplifies software development professionalization

During this period, developing software remained costly, so most organizations purchased off‑the‑shelf applications, while IT departments focused on procurement, basic training, and staying abreast of rapid technological changes.

Enterprise Custom‑Software Era – Professional Operations Engineers (Ops)

Enterprise‑level applications emerged to break information silos, requiring dedicated servers, workstations, and network devices. Managing these assets became the responsibility of IT departments, giving rise to specialized system‑maintenance engineers (Ops).

Ops managing many devices and applications

As hardware and software costs fell, large IT vendors (IBM, Oracle, EMC) offered enterprise solutions, leading to widespread use of MIS, ERP, and J2EE frameworks. The concept of IT Operations (IT Ops) was defined as the responsibility for smooth infrastructure and environment functioning for application deployment.

IT Operations is responsible for the smooth functioning of the infrastructure and operational environments that support application deployment to internal and external customers, including the network infrastructure; server and device management; computer operations; IT infrastructure library (ITIL) management; and help desk services for an organization.

Consequently, IT departments had to raise their professional level, adopt best‑practice frameworks such as ITIL, and treat system‑maintenance engineers as specialized Ops.

Agile Software Development Era – Responding to Rapid Change

With mature enterprise software processes like RUP, heavyweight methodologies suited large teams. However, the explosion of internet companies introduced massive traffic scales and complex communication structures (Conway’s Law), challenging traditional development and operations practices.

Developers (Dev) focus on delivering new features and fixing bugs, measured by code or feature contributions, while Ops aim to keep systems stable and performant, measured by uptime and response time. The market’s rapid evolution forces a shift from heavyweight, experience‑based processes to agile, adaptive methods, creating tension between Dev’s need for frequent changes and Ops’s need for stability.

Conclusion

The core conflict in this period is between agile, change‑driven software delivery (Dev) and traditional, experience‑based operations (Ops). Introducing agile culture and principles into operations is the next step, as previewed in the upcoming article "#DevOps的前世今生# 3. DevOps的文化和原则".

Thanks to ThoughtWorks senior consultant Shi Kai for his feedback.

Reference Resources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_technology_operations

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_developer

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Management_information_system

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enterprise_resource_planning

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rational_Unified_Process

http://agilemanifesto.org/iso/zhchs/manifesto.html

https://theagileadmin.com/what-is-devops/

http://www.jedi.be/blog/2009/12/22/charting-out-devops-ideas/

http://itrevolution.com/the-convergence-of-devops/

http://joehertvik.com/operations-management/

https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM-Rational%E7%BB%9F%E4%B8%80%E8%BF%87%E7%A8%8B

https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%95%8F%E6%8D%B7%E8%BD%AF%E4%BB%B6%E5%BC%80%E5%8F%91

http://www.infoq.com/cn/news/2015/08/itil-vs-devops/