An Update on Bradfitz: Leaving Google • Hacker News Board

Re: An Update on Bradfitz: Leaving Google

#91

Post by holtalanm » Mon, Jan 27, 2020, 6:45 PM UTC

asdkhadsj wrote: post #71

fyp wrote: post #44

> 12 years, 5 months at Google > many Google-internal CLs ("change lists" == commits == PRs) > 3,064 Android CLs > 10,787 Go CLs This is at least an average of 3 commits a day (4 if he didn't work weekends). How is that possible?

Commit count can vary a lot, perhaps? I know I commit far more than my coworkers, but that does not reflect the LOC or "amount" of work. I just visualize and chunk things up into commits more frequently.

my commit count is really low. i usually squash my commits before submitting a PR.

that was the workflow at my previous place of work, so it just became my workflow habitually.

Re: An Update on Bradfitz: Leaving Google

#92

Post by winrid » Mon, Jan 27, 2020, 6:47 PM UTC

Good luck! Just left my job after almost seven years this past Friday. Man is it hard.

Re: An Update on Bradfitz: Leaving Google

#93

Post by aswanson » Mon, Jan 27, 2020, 6:48 PM UTC

xwowsersx wrote: post #49

crystaldev wrote: post #28

Good luck to Brad. It sounds like the last twelve years of his life were pure Google, it's a big change. > I don't want to get stuck in a comfortable rut. (And Google certainly is comfortable, except for open floor plans.) It's oddly comforting that even programmers of Brad's caliber are forced to cope with open offices. When can this fad end.

I hate it so much.

What dolt would think that more noise & distraction would make for a more productive workplace where the product requires sustained periods of focus? It's literally the dumbest thing you can do in that circumstance.

Re: An Update on Bradfitz: Leaving Google

#94

Post by ceocoder » Mon, Jan 27, 2020, 6:49 PM UTC

I've been using software built by bradfitz for a very very long time - LiveJournal where I attempted to blog during a period of.. let's just say misguided rebellion against nothing in particular, memcached at my first job out of school, and Go - I introduced it at my current job and vast majority of our code base is now in Go. And there was that one time he reviewed my tiny CL in Go.

Thanks for everything, best wishes for your new venture!

Re: An Update on Bradfitz: Leaving Google

#95

Post by skmurphy » Mon, Jan 27, 2020, 6:50 PM UTC

He turns 40 on February 5 (at least according to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brad_Fitzpatrick ). I wonder if that was a factor in his decision. He could predict his path at Google and wants to chart his own course again.

from his update:

"When I first joined Google it was a chaotic first couple years while I learned Google's internal codebase, build system, a bunch of new languages, Borg, Bigtable, etc. Then I joined Android it was fun/learning chaos again. Go was the same when I joined and it was a new, fast-moving experiment. Now Go is very popular, stable and, while there's a lot to do, things--often necessarily--move pretty slowly. Moving slowly is fine, and hyper-specializing in small corners of Go makes sense at scale (few percent improvements add up!), but I want to build something new again.

I don't want to get stuck in a comfortable rut. (And Google certainly is comfortable, except for open floor plans.) What next?

TBA. But building something new."

Re: An Update on Bradfitz: Leaving Google

#96

Post by marketingfool » Mon, Jan 27, 2020, 6:50 PM UTC

crystaldev wrote: post #28

Good luck to Brad. It sounds like the last twelve years of his life were pure Google, it's a big change. > I don't want to get stuck in a comfortable rut. (And Google certainly is comfortable, except for open floor plans.) It's oddly comforting that even programmers of Brad's caliber are forced to cope with open offices. When can this fad end.

I think it allows for low cost "benefits" HR can sell.

Sure they save 10% on real estate due to absences, but I wonder if it's to sell a cool look. GM just changed to open floor plan.

Re: An Update on Bradfitz: Leaving Google

#97

Post by jimbokun » Mon, Jan 27, 2020, 6:51 PM UTC

bradfitz wrote: post #15

xyst wrote: post #8

It’s amazing how this is the first time I have heard his name. Great people basically disappear under the Google name.

Brad here. I wrote about this when I first joined Google, having noticed the same prior to joining: https://brad.livejournal.com/2409049.html That was my big fear of joining Google, being sucked into the black hole. (Ignore the later part of the post about the App Engine app that I couldn't keep running because App Engine kept breaking me all the time.)

Interesting reading this now, the part about making open source contributions easier makes a pretty good pitch for Github.

Re: An Update on Bradfitz: Leaving Google

#98

Post by paulw88 » Mon, Jan 27, 2020, 6:53 PM UTC

crystaldev wrote: post #28

Good luck to Brad. It sounds like the last twelve years of his life were pure Google, it's a big change. > I don't want to get stuck in a comfortable rut. (And Google certainly is comfortable, except for open floor plans.) It's oddly comforting that even programmers of Brad's caliber are forced to cope with open offices. When can this fad end.

I would be much happier with smallish offices shared by small groups. Small private offices like Fog Creek would be my ideal:

https://i0.wp.com/www.joelonsoftware.com/wp-content/uploads/...

Re: An Update on Bradfitz: Leaving Google

#99

Post by marketingfool » Mon, Jan 27, 2020, 6:55 PM UTC

aswanson wrote: post #93

xwowsersx wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I hate it so much.

What dolt would think that more noise & distraction would make for a more productive workplace where the product requires sustained periods of focus? It's literally the dumbest thing you can do in that circumstance.

Cheaper and more hipster?

Re: An Update on Bradfitz: Leaving Google

#100

Post by dchyrdvh » Mon, Jan 27, 2020, 6:56 PM UTC

chrshawkes wrote: post #89

xwowsersx wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I hate it so much.

So many companies, even non-tech companies with tech divisions adopted this plague and now it seems there is no turning back. I find the constant movement to be the biggest distraction over noise.

Movement distracts our attention thru vision (as we need to put effort to ignore the moving objects) and sounds do the same thru hearing. I'd compare doing highly focused work in such conditions to balancing on one leg in a curious yoga position while random people walk by and push you without a warning.