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Why HN was down

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241–250 of 303 posts

Re: Why HN was down

#245
I fall into a similar misdirected-focus trap, but mine is simpler: I waste an embarrassing amount of time in editing the wrong damned file. After a sequence of small tweaks that yield no change in the results, I make a huge change and see nothing, and then realize that I've done it yet again. I need to write a vim macro that blanks the screen every few minutes, displaying the message "are you SURE this is the right file?"

Re: Why HN was down

#246
I'm curious how was RTM able to notice that the problem seemed related to a specific item id? It would be great if he might write a short blurb similar to yours. Which also makes me wonder, why does RTM not write much?

Re: Why HN was down

#247

Amazing that such a large percentage of debugging involves determining exactly what you are debugging. The definition of the problem, many times, is the solution. Might be a good time to mention Rubber Duck Debuggging. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubber_duck_debugging

A few times a month, I'll look up at one of my colleagues and say, "hey, got a sec? I need to talk to the duck," and they know this means I'm going to talk to their head but they can basically keep doing what they're doing and nod occasionally. This serves several purposes: (1) It's less insane-sounding than actually talking to an inanimate object in an open work environment. (2) It actually feels better and forces m…

I have a whiteboard in a closet I use for this... seriously...I go in there and start jotting down notes and talking to myself.

It fascinates me how quickly I usually find the answer.

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