tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6508797467947601724.post7485653456246616310..comments2023-09-16T11:35:50.154-04:00Comments on smuglispweeny: Tilton's Law: Solve the First ProblemKenny Tiltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17430816457662806163noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6508797467947601724.post-49760709389577313262008-03-13T00:40:00.000-04:002008-03-13T00:40:00.000-04:00-It almost sounds like you worked on mainframes......-It almost sounds like you worked on mainframes... <BR/>Buffer management there is about a millennium ahead of PC memory management... Good Story...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6508797467947601724.post-12559752862138856932008-03-12T19:06:00.000-04:002008-03-12T19:06:00.000-04:00finally some doofus in data center said that he tr...<I>finally some doofus in data center said that he tripped and accidentally unplugged the dedicated line modem</I><BR/><BR/>Aw, give him some cred. I would have quietly plugged it back in and kept my mouth shut, you'd still be wondering what happened.<BR/><BR/><I>"the buffer" was only temporary storage, writing the records to permanent storage when full.</I><BR/><BR/>I see.... So why is the software working now?Kenny Tiltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17430816457662806163noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6508797467947601724.post-36025784005598363892008-03-12T16:38:00.000-04:002008-03-12T16:38:00.000-04:00I don't think you explained the "buffer" solution ...I don't think you explained the "buffer" solution very clearly to Tom. He obviously didn't understand that "the buffer" was only temporary storage, writing the records to permanent storage when full. Especially since the word "buffer" does not imply "temporary" at all..<BR/><BR/>It looks like you forgot to address that problem first ;)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6508797467947601724.post-85900018167214850702008-03-12T15:48:00.000-04:002008-03-12T15:48:00.000-04:00I remember a classic moment of "duh", when our ent...I remember a classic moment of "duh", when our entire site was not updating because feed provider stopped sending the feed. We call, we ask, they say, all is well, we keep pumping stuff to you folks, it's on your end. We are checking software, logs are solid, receiver is running, no errors. After spending countless hours trying to troubleshoot, putting many heads together, getting on conference call department-wide, finally some doofus in data center said that he tripped and accidentally unplugged the dedicated line modem "a while ago"... and because this box's been sitting there for a while, he assumed it's not used, so he never plugged it back in :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6508797467947601724.post-54338696274632261802008-03-12T04:42:00.000-04:002008-03-12T04:42:00.000-04:00Especially important when looking at the output of...<I>Especially important when looking at the output of a C compiler.</I><BR/><BR/>OK, I'll tell that story, too. Soon.<BR/><BR/><I>Bong. I wiped the hard drive. Bong.</I><BR/><BR/>I like the part where I am sitting there while the Mac reboots thinking, This is, OK, I could use a rest, for the twentieth time.<BR/><BR/><I>that [grizzly] quote is just priceless</I><BR/><BR/>I had so much fun writing that, and it was precisely how I felt when I went for the different code branches theory of why the code was working, or as they say in football, it was such a Hail Mary of an explanation.<BR/><BR/><I>watch all the junior tw@t programmers and engineers secretly scratch their heads</I><BR/><BR/>I guess there is no wi-fi in your imagined setting, or you have banned Interwebby-ready cell phones from your meetings: google already has it as the first hit. :)Kenny Tiltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17430816457662806163noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6508797467947601724.post-13591473125245762592008-03-11T23:54:00.000-04:002008-03-11T23:54:00.000-04:00Brilliant post! I love seeing a precept that I hol...Brilliant post! I love seeing a precept that I hold so dear expressed so simply. I will, from now on, be able to smugly refer to this method as "Tilton's Law" and watch all the junior tw@t programmers and engineers secretly scratch their heads (as they would NEVER deign to admit they have no idea what I'm talking about). Nicely done.<BR/><BR/>ps - a word on your blog title. Lisp weenies and Mac enthusiasts; Is there any type <B>but</B> smug? :P4fthawaiianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01266000070618922295noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6508797467947601724.post-39257872035658628102008-03-11T20:00:00.000-04:002008-03-11T20:00:00.000-04:00"sometimes when a grizzly bear has your back to th..."sometimes when a grizzly bear has your back to the wall all you can do is tap-dance"<BR/><BR/>The story is great, but that quote is just priceless.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6508797467947601724.post-17800112618171841582008-03-11T18:57:00.000-04:002008-03-11T18:57:00.000-04:00Tilton's First Law = Wonderful storyTilton's First Law = Wonderful storyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6508797467947601724.post-46378332551113019202008-03-11T18:07:00.000-04:002008-03-11T18:07:00.000-04:00You came up with a law and named it after yourself...You came up with a law and named it after yourself just yesterday. You should probably start numbering them, especially if you're going to make a habit out of this.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6508797467947601724.post-87520865225196768872008-03-11T18:00:00.000-04:002008-03-11T18:00:00.000-04:00Yeah, it's a wise principle. Especially important ...Yeah, it's a wise principle. Especially important when looking at the output of a C compiler.<BR/><BR/>"Oh, that first error.. it's just a nested comment. Nothing to worry about. It's only a warning. Let me look at these other, more interesting errors first.."Neil Baylishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02133722975988144685noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6508797467947601724.post-31883070288433484992008-03-11T17:04:00.000-04:002008-03-11T17:04:00.000-04:00Hahaha, wonderful story! Thanks for sharing :)Hahaha, wonderful story! Thanks for sharing :)misterorangehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06141913112427189302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6508797467947601724.post-57011597191670089912008-03-11T16:39:00.000-04:002008-03-11T16:39:00.000-04:00My first computer was a Performa I got in college....My first computer was a Performa I got in college. I set it up and dove in, willy-nilly setting up apps and tweaking prefs, moving far too fast for a newbie on the legendarily buggy System 7.5... and eventually it just started making the error 'bong' sound ad infinitum. And it was loud, the max volume the tinny little speaker could muster. And it was about 3 a.m., with my roommate trying to sleep.<BR/><BR/>I changed every possible sound setting. Bong. Restarted. Bong. Shutdown, started back up. Bong. I reinstalled the system. Bong. I wiped the hard drive. Bong. I tried different electrical outlets. Bong. <BR/><BR/>I finally looked at the two volume buttons on the front of the case, which I had used to hear a CD earlier that day. The right/up volume button had gotten stuck in a tight fit against the opening in the case.<BR/><BR/>Click button that controls sound. No more bong.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6508797467947601724.post-59182637369353844122008-03-11T14:55:00.000-04:002008-03-11T14:55:00.000-04:00A perfect example of this: I got a new computer la...A perfect example of this: I got a new computer last week, set it all up, wonderful. But then sound starts acting funny, getting a bit scratchy and then fading completely. So I check the settings, reboot a few times, toss in a new sound card, same problem, remove sound card, etc. Then I check the headphones... Plugged in to my iPod, same problem. Check the cable... Yup. Our new kitten has chewed the s*it out of it.testseifriedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18269270303293713170noreply@blogger.com