4 ms·

This is not common practice. Google has had a strict no iCloud, no Dropbox policy for a while. We can't even have code from the core codebase stored locally on

by dward 9y ago

This is not common practice. Google has had a strict no iCloud, no Dropbox policy for a while. We can't even have code from the core codebase stored locally on our company issued laptops.

rtpg 9y ago
Is everything done on networked drives then?
- dirtyaura 9y ago
  Builds are run on servers, using Blaze: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9257000 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9257000
  - dantiberian 9y ago
    What about editing? Do you mount a network drive to edit files on your computer?
    - KerrickStaley 9y ago
      Roughly that, although it uses a Google-developed internal tool. Source code files can be transferred to one's workstation (which lives in a Google building), but not to one's laptop—all work on a laptop must be done through a remote session, either SSH, VNC, or via a (again Google-internal/proprietary) cloud-based editor.
    - nostrademons 9y ago
      Google uses FUSE extensively. Basically there are a bunch of daemons that make the various cloud source repositories look like a local disk.
      - dward 9y ago
        But even those aren't allowed to be mounted to your corp laptop. Those clients can only be mounted on a workstation unless you are doing iOS development.
    - nevir 9y ago
      There's also several options for purely online editing (devving on a Chromebook isn't bad)
- jacobmarble 9y ago
  SWEs are issued a desktop machine, and a laptop. The laptop (Mac, Linux or Windows; employee's choice) is essentially a very expensive remote desktop client. All development work (except some OSS stuff) is performed on the desktop machine. (Or that's how it was when I worked there until 2016.)
  - pythonaut_16 9y ago
    Are Chromebook Pixels a common SWE laptop then? That seems like almost the exact case that they're designed for
    - dward 9y ago
      Yes chromebooks are very common developer laptops, up there in numbers with (still most popular) macbooks and linux laptops. They are more than sufficient for the lion's share of engineering roles. Corp engineering is pushing them hard because they are cheap and secure.
lsseckman 9y ago
That's more of what I would expect! Does that make it feel more like he was intentionally storing company files in a personal account?
- dward 9y ago
  In my opinion, yes.
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]

by dward 9y ago

This is not common practice. Google has had a strict no iCloud, no Dropbox policy for a while. We can't even have code from the core codebase stored locally on our company issued laptops.

rtpg 9y ago

Is everything done on networked drives then?

dirtyaura 9y ago
Builds are run on servers, using Blaze: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9257000 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9257000
- dantiberian 9y ago
  What about editing? Do you mount a network drive to edit files on your computer?
  - KerrickStaley 9y ago
    Roughly that, although it uses a Google-developed internal tool. Source code files can be transferred to one's workstation (which lives in a Google building), but not to one's laptop—all work on a laptop must be done through a remote session, either SSH, VNC, or via a (again Google-internal/proprietary) cloud-based editor.
  - nostrademons 9y ago
    Google uses FUSE extensively. Basically there are a bunch of daemons that make the various cloud source repositories look like a local disk.
    - dward 9y ago
      But even those aren't allowed to be mounted to your corp laptop. Those clients can only be mounted on a workstation unless you are doing iOS development.
  - nevir 9y ago
    There's also several options for purely online editing (devving on a Chromebook isn't bad)
jacobmarble 9y ago
SWEs are issued a desktop machine, and a laptop. The laptop (Mac, Linux or Windows; employee's choice) is essentially a very expensive remote desktop client. All development work (except some OSS stuff) is performed on the desktop machine. (Or that's how it was when I worked there until 2016.)
- pythonaut_16 9y ago
  Are Chromebook Pixels a common SWE laptop then? That seems like almost the exact case that they're designed for
  - dward 9y ago
    Yes chromebooks are very common developer laptops, up there in numbers with (still most popular) macbooks and linux laptops. They are more than sufficient for the lion's share of engineering roles. Corp engineering is pushing them hard because they are cheap and secure.

lsseckman 9y ago

That's more of what I would expect! Does that make it feel more like he was intentionally storing company files in a personal account?

dward 9y ago
In my opinion, yes.

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]