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I don't understand. The original was barely 500 lines of code in two files, everything else being packaging machinery. Yes it's python 2, but how hard could hav

by toyg 4y ago

I don't understand. The original was barely 500 lines of code in two files, everything else being packaging machinery. Yes it's python 2, but how hard could have it been to port 500 LOCs to 3.x...? Even assuming some crypto libraries broke, surely there are working equivalents? Instead, they went for a Big Rewrite in Rust, resulting in a much bigger codebase that will be much harder to maintain... and broke it anyway.

acdha 4y ago
Their issue tracker suggests that it’s mostly due to their team being focused on the main Firefox service: https://github.com/mozilla-services/syncserver/issues/264#issuecomment-754784657 https://github.com/mozilla-services/syncserver/issues/264#is... I’m sure it wouldn’t be that hard to port but if they’re committed to a different direction it’s probably best not to give the impression that you should plan to keep using it.
- toyg 4y ago
  Yeah, but even internally it makes little sense. You've replaced a very simple system built on a widely-known language with a massive ecosystem, something you could even call "boring technology" these days (python), with a larger implementation using a niche language with a small ecosystem and a minuscule pool of skilled developers. It's now even more unlikely you'll ever get any patches from outsiders, it will be harder to hire people to maintain it, harder to monitor and expand the system... And this for a critical system. I mean, as a job-security device, I'm sure it works out great. As a strategic business decision, though, it looks debatable as a minimum - and I'm being charitable.
  - acdha 4y ago
    Not sure you could call Rust a niche language any more given how many devices it’s running on, but especially at the organization which created it that seems like an understandable choice. I have a lot of experience with Python but can totally sympathize with people running a highly-visible service prioritizing resource utilization.
    - toyg 4y ago
      > Not sure you could call Rust a niche language any more First comment under "The Adoption of Rust in Business": https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34691509 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34691509 A bit further down: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34691893 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34691893
      - acdha 4y ago
        Yes, note that’s .gov where they also have trouble hiring technical staff of every sort. I happen to work in .gov and we have multiple people writing Rust so anecdotes are not probably reliable. This is better - still a self-selected audience but a large one - and it shows around 10%. That’s not huge but I think it’s larger than “niche” given the growing popularity and impact. https://survey.stackoverflow.co/2022 https://survey.stackoverflow.co/2022

by toyg 4y ago

acdha 4y ago

Their issue tracker suggests that it’s mostly due to their team being focused on the main Firefox service: https://github.com/mozilla-services/syncserver/issues/264#issuecomment-754784657 https://github.com/mozilla-services/syncserver/issues/264#is... I’m sure it wouldn’t be that hard to port but if they’re committed to a different direction it’s probably best not to give the impression that you should plan to keep using it.

toyg 4y ago
Yeah, but even internally it makes little sense. You've replaced a very simple system built on a widely-known language with a massive ecosystem, something you could even call "boring technology" these days (python), with a larger implementation using a niche language with a small ecosystem and a minuscule pool of skilled developers. It's now even more unlikely you'll ever get any patches from outsiders, it will be harder to hire people to maintain it, harder to monitor and expand the system... And this for a critical system. I mean, as a job-security device, I'm sure it works out great. As a strategic business decision, though, it looks debatable as a minimum - and I'm being charitable.
- acdha 4y ago
  Not sure you could call Rust a niche language any more given how many devices it’s running on, but especially at the organization which created it that seems like an understandable choice. I have a lot of experience with Python but can totally sympathize with people running a highly-visible service prioritizing resource utilization.
  - toyg 4y ago
    > Not sure you could call Rust a niche language any more First comment under "The Adoption of Rust in Business": https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34691509 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34691509 A bit further down: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34691893 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34691893
    - acdha 4y ago
      Yes, note that’s .gov where they also have trouble hiring technical staff of every sort. I happen to work in .gov and we have multiple people writing Rust so anecdotes are not probably reliable. This is better - still a self-selected audience but a large one - and it shows around 10%. That’s not huge but I think it’s larger than “niche” given the growing popularity and impact. https://survey.stackoverflow.co/2022 https://survey.stackoverflow.co/2022