> in theory, there’s no way to translate assembler code. They way it runs is not how it reads Wat?
The IRS’s Effort to Convert Its Assembly Codebase to Java
191–200 of 224 posts
Re: The IRS’s Effort to Convert Its Assembly Codebase to Java
#192Earlier quoted context omitted.
I was just looking into it a few hours ago, do you have a good experience with them? Just as many people on here I've been through different forms of office hours, one of them with a locally run entrepreneurship center, I saw an attorney (that was years ago before I could properly afford one). I know the guy volunteered his time, but basically what he said was "hey, give me a portion of your company, and I'll provide…
I saw a presentation from one of the people from the local office. Her advice seemed reasonable: Go to the procurement conferences, get a one-pager of the capabilities of your firm, and talk to the purchasing agents. See government contracting as a supplement to your business revenue, not the core.
Thank you for passing it on, I'll send them a message tomorrow.
Re: The IRS’s Effort to Convert Its Assembly Codebase to Java
#193It sounds like the effort might have been a step in the right direction, but hardly a solution in its own right. The result would be a literal case of the aphorism "You can write assembly in any language." The translation would have some minor benefits: interop with java libraries would be nice, it could help to plug the system into better infrastructure like a modern testing framework, and it might run a little more…
If you can separate areas of functionality, you can upgrade it piece-by-piece. So while it starts off as 98% inscrutable assembly-in-Java, you transform it over time until it's only 2%. Ideally, backed with strong tests and fuzzing.
Re: The IRS’s Effort to Convert Its Assembly Codebase to Java
#194Java seems like a good choice for the IRS. There are legions and legions of programmers well versed in Java, since its among the most commonly used programming languages to introduce programming at universities. This means the IRS should be able to focus its hiring on "People who know tax law and can use Java" instead of "Java experts that know enough tax law to be dangerous". Its not the flashiest language, but I th…
What makes you think the developers have to "know tax law"? It might be a peripheral plus for an applicant, but it's more important they are a competent programmer. "Tax law" changes constantly - you truly cannot reasonably expect a developer to "know tax law" and be a competent programmer.
"Know tax law" in the context of a software developer I would interpret as understanding the core concepts and terminology involved in tax law, not knowing all the intricacies involved in every single piece of tax law. They need to be able to understand the specific pieces of tax law that they are working on with the help of an actual expert without too much friction; they don't have to be actual experts on tax law.
Re: The IRS’s Effort to Convert Its Assembly Codebase to Java
#195Earlier quoted context omitted.
The actual federal pay schedules are here: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries... The GS-15 range for the DC area is $135k-164k. For federal government employees, salary only represents about half of their total compensation, which includes a lifetime inflation adjusted pension and medical benefits.
> For federal government employees, salary only represents about half of their total compensation, which includes a lifetime inflation adjusted pension and medical benefits. A relative of mine has been a federal employee for over a decade and gets neither of those. She has a TSP (like a government 401k) and that's it. Maybe some federal employees got something like this at some point, but it's very misleading to just…
Your relative either doesn't have an understanding of her retirement plan or isn't telling you everything. One component of the FERS is the "Basic Benefit Plan" which is the pension.
https://www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/06251...
Re: The IRS’s Effort to Convert Its Assembly Codebase to Java
#196Earlier quoted context omitted.
The big trick is the proposal itself. Writing that is only possible if you are already tied in at all kinds of levels. I've seen some of these tenders up close, the companies that land the deals submit phone book sized proposals to tenders that are officially open but actually closed unless you are in a very select circle already. It's not uncommon for the proposal writer to then pass on the actual work to a whole sl…
Thanks, I suspected that this was the case after I read the Cringely book on IBM ( https://www.amazon.com/Decline-Fall-IBM-American-Icon-ebook/... ). It gives one the distinct impression that connections matter a lot , and that getting the contract matters more than actually completing it successfully.
This is too true.
The career path at my former defense contracting gig went from software engineer to someone who writes proposals. They clearly valued winning work over executing it. Rent seeking economics at work.
Re: The IRS’s Effort to Convert Its Assembly Codebase to Java
#197Earlier quoted context omitted.
The big trick is the proposal itself. Writing that is only possible if you are already tied in at all kinds of levels. I've seen some of these tenders up close, the companies that land the deals submit phone book sized proposals to tenders that are officially open but actually closed unless you are in a very select circle already. It's not uncommon for the proposal writer to then pass on the actual work to a whole sl…
Are you saying this is how contracts are awarded on FedBiz Ops? I know a handful of small players, myself included who have won IT contracts with the gov't and it is not at all like you stated.
I'm sure you are aware of the 8a and other programs that allow you to win small contracts.
If you think big projects are given on merit, then you are naive.
Re: The IRS’s Effort to Convert Its Assembly Codebase to Java
#198Earlier quoted context omitted.
I maintain a code base written by others and I fight this feeling all the time. If (re)writing software has taught me anything is that sentences that start with "simply" or "just" actually mean that you don't fully understand the problem.
To be fair, there's a tendency to fight starting from scratch, on the (arguably incorrect) assumption that starting over introduces higher risk, and greater time & cost.
IMO, all-at-once rewrites are almost never a good option. Ship of Theseus style rewrites where every component eventually gets replaced but there is never a hard dividing line between old product and new product can be a good idea.
Re: The IRS’s Effort to Convert Its Assembly Codebase to Java
#199Or rewrite it in LLVM.
Re: The IRS’s Effort to Convert Its Assembly Codebase to Java
#200Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yeah, it's more like the individual phonemes that make up each word of every statement.
That, or instructions for controlling tongue positions and vocal chords.
Ah, but with how English has shifted over the centuries, the necessary domain knowledge has slowly been disappearing. Shakespeare's plays now and then [0] are slightly different (and back then, dirtier) because of it. (Jump to 2:30 for an explanation and example, then at 7:58 is the dirty pun that doesn't exist in modern pronunciation.)