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Ask HN: What is the thing you've built that you regret the most?

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Re: Ask HN: What is the thing you've built that you regret the most?

#301

Post by yjftsjthsd-h »

mod wrote: post #296
CodeWriter23 wrote: post #202

Built an e-commerce site in partnership with a close friend and someone he partnered with that sold smoked fish. My friend had actually been paid by his partner in the past and partner claimed to have insider relationships with a Canadian fishery and cannery. After a couple of months of weekends we launched the site. Third partner was to take care of fulfillment because of their connections. A couple of months after…

> My MIL never got her refund Sorry man, but that one's on you.

Is it? OP acted in good faith, had reason to believe the things were on the level, and reacted when given new information. What fault do you lay at their feet?

Re: Ask HN: What is the thing you've built that you regret the most?

#302

Post by turtleyacht »

password4321 wrote: post #294
turtleyacht wrote: post #115

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Does this mean a version of VB6 (classic ASP) could run on .NET Core (Linux)? That would finally liberate the language from the platform (IIS on Windows).

I would start looking here: https://github.com/aspcompiler/aspclassiccompiler

Thank-you, that looks like the most feasible approach for VBScript: given existing code, run it through something that would convert it to .NET.

That reminds me: it actually happened. An existing VBScript parser was used with a custom C# transpiler to generate the port to .NET, in order to realize performance and maintenance benefits.

Re: Ask HN: What is the thing you've built that you regret the most?

#303

Post by corytheboyd »

I regret a "let's just rebuild the entire UI" project I proposed, fought for, and implemented. It's been many years since then. I was very much the zealot armed with many opinions and few facts. Good lesson learned, but I feel bad about how much fucking time it wasted.

Re: Ask HN: What is the thing you've built that you regret the most?

#304

Post by joe-collins »

TaylorAlexander wrote: post #170
_8j50 wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ultimately you are like a kitchen knive maker whose knive was used in a stabbing. It was entirely the stabbers fault and does not diminish the utility of your product. In a corporate setting, mitm'ing TLS and blocking sites by category is routine practice (better ways to stop bad stuff but expensive firewals are a waste when most traffic is TLS).

> Ultimately you are like a kitchen knive maker whose knive was used in a stabbing. I don't know about this. The difference with knives is that they are an old technology, basically they have always existed. If you are responsible for creating a new technology, especially one that is not certain to exist without your involvement, the calculus is different.

A knife is just a sharp edge with good marketing. You can't remove sharp edges from the universe.

No such guarantee exists for technology of this sophistication.

Re: Ask HN: What is the thing you've built that you regret the most?

#305

Post by turtleyacht »

andix wrote: post #163
turtleyacht wrote: post #115

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Does this mean a version of VB6 (classic ASP) could run on .NET Core (Linux)? That would finally liberate the language from the platform (IIS on Windows).

No. But in theory you could implement a wrapper, sure. But do yourself a favor, and just rewrite your application with a modern framework.

I agree, many benefits would be realized in a modern framework.

With so much functionality stored in stored procs, VBScript was essentially just looping records and writing things out to tables. But there was lots of business logic there too.

It felt like I had a purpose liberating "old database" logic into application code--the sky castles of Brooks, as it were--where it could be changed "more easily."

Given the app was ported to C#, I suppose the stored procs would be the last to go.

Recently, I learned Cloudflare had started with lots of the domain living in the db. So it is not an unfamiliar technique, but a pleasant surprise to hear of it (for me).

Re: Ask HN: What is the thing you've built that you regret the most?

#306

Post by froggychairs »

throwaway_p wrote: post #272
052c7028e wrote: post #253

When I was at Akamai about 5 years ago, I was involved in building the system for making their CDN compliant in China. There were two main features, and they were activated on all servers running inside mainland china (not HK, macau or Taiwan) 1. Logs of the CDN were sent in real time to the ministry of technology -- there was about a 15 minute delay if I remember correctly, and they could impose fines if they were d…

Quoted post unavailable.

This type of China vs US narrative where existential stakes are implied is just dumb. The technological Cold War we’re in is not going to result in the collapse of either nation.

Re: Ask HN: What is the thing you've built that you regret the most?

#307

Post by joe-collins »

propogandist wrote: post #265
ryandrake wrote: post #255

Built an aircraft-mounted camera gimbal pointing system that I thought was supposed to be used by energy companies to look for power poles but was also sold to US Border Patrol to hunt down immigrants. Not my finest hour.

Quoted post unavailable.

You have an apt username, at least.

Re: Ask HN: What is the thing you've built that you regret the most?

#308

Post by stingraycharles »

throwaway_p wrote: post #272
052c7028e wrote: post #253

When I was at Akamai about 5 years ago, I was involved in building the system for making their CDN compliant in China. There were two main features, and they were activated on all servers running inside mainland china (not HK, macau or Taiwan) 1. Logs of the CDN were sent in real time to the ministry of technology -- there was about a 15 minute delay if I remember correctly, and they could impose fines if they were d…

Quoted post unavailable.

What exactly is the monster you’re talking about here?

Re: Ask HN: What is the thing you've built that you regret the most?

#309

Post by notRobot »

052c7028e wrote: post #290
xwowsersx wrote: post #287

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Glad you regret it. Not trying to rub it in as I don't think anything productive will come from self-flagellation, but this is truly awful and I think the US should have laws that make it a crime for any US corporation to participate in this sort of thing.

I was powerless to stop it. I was just a junior engineer, and it was decided by the CEO to do the project. So, actually, I feel I made the right choice -- I participated in the project but worked hard on making sure it was as limited as possible. I successfully advocated for several categories of logs to not be sent because they were not required by law. So, yes, I regret I couldn't do more, but I don't regret the ch…

Just a stranger on the internet, but FWIW I'm proud of you. You did what you could, and you're cognizant of your actions.

Re: Ask HN: What is the thing you've built that you regret the most?

#310

Post by DavidPeiffer »

djbusby wrote: post #293
DavidPeiffer wrote: post #140

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are certainly others. Micron has a patent wall. For a period of time under CEO Steve Appleton, meetings with engineers were prohibited [Fridays or half of Friday?] because the engineers should be working on parents during that time. My understanding is their strong patent portfolio was a good part of why they are still around after the massive consolidation of DRAM manufacturers through the 80's and 90's.

Both of your comments were victims of auto-uncorrect.

Darn they are - exact same slip up too! Unfortunately it's too late to edit now.
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