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In one of the meetings this week, we were talking about changing how a program works, to allow the user better access to the diagnostics information in the even
by ansible 4y ago
In one of the meetings this week, we were talking about changing how a program works, to allow the user better access to the diagnostics information in the event of a hardware failure. When the program was first designed, the idea was that the program would exit, and the system would either take corrective action or restart. Easy, simple.
Now, if the program continues to run in the event of hardware failures, we need to re-examine the assumptions we made when writing it in the first place. Especially with regards to different operating modes. I tried to emphasize this repeatedly during the meeting.
It is the same thing with our economy and work in general. In the past, there was expensive infrastructure needed to carry out the company's functions. Even if we're not talking about industrial equipment, the typical office worker would still need a typewriter, access to lots of file cabinets, other office equipment, telephones, and so on. Almost none of that could easily be replicated if the worker wanted to work from home.
And so everyone got used to the idea of going into the office or factory on work days. That became the norm, and until recently it wasn't widely questioned.
But nowadays, you basically just need power and Internet, which is widely available to most workers at home anyway.
I'd have preferred to live in a world without pandemics, but if having a pandemic causes more people to question the assumption you have to commute to work, that is a side benefit.
- lastofthemojito 4y ago> But nowadays, you basically just need power and Internet, which is widely available to most workers at home anyway. The power and Internet part is easy - a quiet room can be a challenge for some though. At one point in the pandemic, a friend tried coming over and working in my basement because her family was so distracting at home (2 parents + 3 kids in a 3-bedroom house with virtual work and school and a baby crying, etc). I'm told homebuyers are emphasizing having enough space for home offices these days, but that's easier to attain for some than others, especially with the run-up in housing prices over the past couple of years. So yeah, for some people it's easy ... for others, not so much.
- wolverine876 4y agoLots of people do not have home computers beyond their phones. When the pandemic began, one urban school district discovered that half their students didn't have a computer (desktop or laptop) at home.
- ansible 4y agoYep. Business need to take that into account. Considering that they will in general be spending less on office buildings and equipment, it shouldn't be hard to justify enough budget for each home worker's equipment and Internet connection.
- greedo 4y agoBeancounters gonna bean count. Our company feels that contributing $20/month for a mandatory smartphone plan is generous. They pretty much laughed when people wanted to be comped for Internet, or be able to take their work chairs home during COVID.