Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Nobody ever gets credit for fixing problems that never happened (2001) [pdf]

web.mit.edu

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

81–90 of 446 posts

Re: Nobody ever gets credit for fixing problems that never happened (2001) [pdf]

#81

Post by IshKebab »

reaperducer wrote: post #79

Nobody ever gets credit for fixing problems that never happened (2001) [pdf] I'm reminded of this every time I see some YouTuber or other social media click bait claiming that the Y2K bug was no big deal. The reason it was no big deal is because thousands of graybeards, like myself, stayed up many long nights for months ahead of time making sure things would work. I still remember the tension during the countdown to…

I still don't quite buy that. Surely it's because computers mostly use epoch time for dates, not dd/mm/yy?

Guess we'll find out in 2038.

Re: Nobody ever gets credit for fixing problems that never happened (2001) [pdf]

#82

Post by tmtvl »

syndicatedjelly wrote: post #31
runamuck wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Easy - half a$$ your code and when it breaks - swoop in, "fix things" (actually do it right) and play the role of hero! (I've seen so-called "Rock Stars" at places I worked do this over and over)

Would you feel good about being that kind of engineer, if the external validation was great enough?

There are people with integrity and principles; and then there are people who can pay their rent every month.

Re: Nobody ever gets credit for fixing problems that never happened (2001) [pdf]

#83

Post by godelski »

runamuck wrote: post #29
hakunin wrote: post #27

I've been contemplating the issue in the headline, as pertains to my value. When I help somebody in 40 mins with something they've been stuck on for 3 months, my value is clear to everyone. When I work there the whole time, and nobody ever gets stuck for 3 months, my value is unclear. Don't know how to deal with this paradox.

Easy - half a$$ your code and when it breaks - swoop in, "fix things" (actually do it right) and play the role of hero! (I've seen so-called "Rock Stars" at places I worked do this over and over)

I don't think you're wrong, but god what a waste of time. Can't we just fix the actual problem?

Re: Nobody ever gets credit for fixing problems that never happened (2001) [pdf]

#84

Post by welder »

hakunin wrote: post #27

I've been contemplating the issue in the headline, as pertains to my value. When I help somebody in 40 mins with something they've been stuck on for 3 months, my value is clear to everyone. When I work there the whole time, and nobody ever gets stuck for 3 months, my value is unclear. Don't know how to deal with this paradox.

Quit your job and work for yourself.

Re: Nobody ever gets credit for fixing problems that never happened (2001) [pdf]

#86

Post by Pet_Ant »

NovemberWhiskey wrote: post #6

Another variation on the problem is the over-allocation of resources to preventing problems which actually happened once, versus those that are more severe but haven't happened yet. This is a management problem, because no-one wants to be accountable for a repeat incident even if it was rational to be working on something else more important.

> Another variation on the problem is the over-allocation of resources to preventing problems which actually happened once, versus those that are more severe but haven't happened yet.

I've heard this called "institutional scarring" in a blog post somewhere. The idea is a small wound can be replaced with tough inflexible tissue. The jist of the blog post was that just because something happened, doesn't mean you have to change things to ensure it never happens again because that can be an over-reaction that really burdens your future. Accept that loss and that it just might happen again, but that may be better than onerously preventing it with certainty.

Re: Nobody ever gets credit for fixing problems that never happened (2001) [pdf]

#87

Post by actionfromafar »

Jtsummers wrote: post #36
runamuck wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Easy - half a$$ your code and when it breaks - swoop in, "fix things" (actually do it right) and play the role of hero! (I've seen so-called "Rock Stars" at places I worked do this over and over)

Don't do it right, double down on the flaws. You had a 3k SLOC single function (all in main) C program to do something that could be expressed cleanly and clearly in 200 SLOC. Some specific sequence of inputs leads to an error. Instead of tidying it up, removing the repetition that led to the mistake, you copy/paste everything again and add another 100 cases to your various switch/case statements (actually you use if…

For extra points, keep the sane solution in a secret source file, then implement a compiler which generates the obfuscated spaghetti. :-P

Re: Nobody ever gets credit for fixing problems that never happened (2001) [pdf]

#88

Post by Scoundreller »

runamuck wrote: post #29
hakunin wrote: post #27

I've been contemplating the issue in the headline, as pertains to my value. When I help somebody in 40 mins with something they've been stuck on for 3 months, my value is clear to everyone. When I work there the whole time, and nobody ever gets stuck for 3 months, my value is unclear. Don't know how to deal with this paradox.

Easy - half a$$ your code and when it breaks - swoop in, "fix things" (actually do it right) and play the role of hero! (I've seen so-called "Rock Stars" at places I worked do this over and over)

don't even need to half a$$ it, just use timebombs.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_bomb_(software)

Usually only works if you're the only dev, unless you get creative with counters like the original devs that made some nice cash fixing it all for y2k

(officially: don't do this)

Re: Nobody ever gets credit for fixing problems that never happened (2001) [pdf]

#89

Post by contact9879 »

IshKebab wrote: post #81
reaperducer wrote: post #79

Nobody ever gets credit for fixing problems that never happened (2001) [pdf] I'm reminded of this every time I see some YouTuber or other social media click bait claiming that the Y2K bug was no big deal. The reason it was no big deal is because thousands of graybeards, like myself, stayed up many long nights for months ahead of time making sure things would work. I still remember the tension during the countdown to…

I still don't quite buy that. Surely it's because computers mostly use epoch time for dates, not dd/mm/yy? Guess we'll find out in 2038.

Now they do at least

Re: Nobody ever gets credit for fixing problems that never happened (2001) [pdf]

#90

Post by nhumrich »

baxtr wrote: post #71
hakunin wrote: post #27

I've been contemplating the issue in the headline, as pertains to my value. When I help somebody in 40 mins with something they've been stuck on for 3 months, my value is clear to everyone. When I work there the whole time, and nobody ever gets stuck for 3 months, my value is unclear. Don't know how to deal with this paradox.

I think an underrated way to deal with this phenomenon is proper self-marketing. Talk endlessly what you have done to prevent catastrophe. Describe the avoided catastrophes vividly so that people get a clear picture.

Sometimes you can't quantify actual avoided things. For example you can't prove that a regulation stove actually prevented what could have been a kitchen fire.
Post reply on HN