5 ms·

As someone who works with firmware, it is funny how different our definitions of "bare metal" is.

by seidleroni 11mo ago

embedding-shape 11mo ago
As someone who does material science, it's funny how our definition of "bare metal" is so different.
- onionisafruit 11mo ago
  As someone who listens to loud rock and roll music …
- amluto 11mo ago
  Ask an astronomer what a “metal” is.
andrewl-hn 11mo ago
In similar way I once worked on a financial system, where a COBOL-powered mainframe was referred to as "Backend", and all other systems around it written in C++, Java, .NET, etc. since early 80s - as "Frontend".
- embedding-shape 11mo ago
  Had somewhat similar experience, the first "frontend" I worked on was a sort of proxy server that sat in front of a database basically, meant as a barrier for other applications to communicate via. At one point we called the client side web application "frontend-frontend" as it was the frontend for the frontend.
pgwhalen 11mo ago
I don't work in firmware at all, but I'm working next to a team now migrating an application from VMs to K8S, and they refer to the VMs as "bare metal" which I find slightly cringeworthy - but hey, whatever language works to communicate an idea.
- ghaff 11mo ago
  I'm not sure I've ever heard bare metal used to refer to virtualized instances. (There were debates around Type 1 and Type 2 (hosted) hypervisors at one point but haven't heard that come up in years.
Joeboy 11mo ago
Wikipedia still thinks it means the thing I (and presumably you) do. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bare_metal https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bare_metal Edit: For clarity, wikipedia does also have pages with other meanings of "bare metal", including "bare metal server". The above link is what you get if you just look up "bare metal". I do aim to be some combination of clear, accurate and succinct, but I very often seem to end up in these HN pissing matches so I suppose I'm doing something wrong. Possibly the mistake is just commenting on HN in itself.
- embedding-shape 11mo ago
  Seems there is a difference between "Bare Metal" and "Bare Machine". I'm not sure what you did, but when you go to that Wikipedia article, it redirects to "Bare Machine", and the article contents is about "Bare Machine". Clicking the link you have sends you to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bare_machine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bare_machine So it seems like you almost intentionally shared the article that redirects, instead of linking to the proper page?
  - Joeboy 11mo ago
    I indeed deliberately pasted a link that shows what happens when you try to go to the Wikipedia page for "bare metal".
    - embedding-shape 11mo ago
      Right, slightly misleading though, as https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bare-metal_server https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bare-metal_server is a separate page.
      - Joeboy 11mo ago
        Yes, but if you look up "bare metal" it goes to the page about actual bare metal (aka "bare machines" or whatever). Can we stop this now? Please?
deleted 11mo ago
[deleted]

As someone who works with firmware, it is funny how different our definitions of "bare metal" is.

embedding-shape 11mo ago

As someone who does material science, it's funny how our definition of "bare metal" is so different.

onionisafruit 11mo ago
As someone who listens to loud rock and roll music …
amluto 11mo ago
Ask an astronomer what a “metal” is.

andrewl-hn 11mo ago

In similar way I once worked on a financial system, where a COBOL-powered mainframe was referred to as "Backend", and all other systems around it written in C++, Java, .NET, etc. since early 80s - as "Frontend".

embedding-shape 11mo ago
Had somewhat similar experience, the first "frontend" I worked on was a sort of proxy server that sat in front of a database basically, meant as a barrier for other applications to communicate via. At one point we called the client side web application "frontend-frontend" as it was the frontend for the frontend.

pgwhalen 11mo ago

I don't work in firmware at all, but I'm working next to a team now migrating an application from VMs to K8S, and they refer to the VMs as "bare metal" which I find slightly cringeworthy - but hey, whatever language works to communicate an idea.

ghaff 11mo ago
I'm not sure I've ever heard bare metal used to refer to virtualized instances. (There were debates around Type 1 and Type 2 (hosted) hypervisors at one point but haven't heard that come up in years.

Joeboy 11mo ago

Wikipedia still thinks it means the thing I (and presumably you) do. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bare_metal https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bare_metal Edit: For clarity, wikipedia does also have pages with other meanings of "bare metal", including "bare metal server". The above link is what you get if you just look up "bare metal". I do aim to be some combination of clear, accurate and succinct, but I very often seem to end up in these HN pissing matches so I suppose I'm doing something wrong. Possibly the mistake is just commenting on HN in itself.

embedding-shape 11mo ago
Seems there is a difference between "Bare Metal" and "Bare Machine". I'm not sure what you did, but when you go to that Wikipedia article, it redirects to "Bare Machine", and the article contents is about "Bare Machine". Clicking the link you have sends you to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bare_machine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bare_machine So it seems like you almost intentionally shared the article that redirects, instead of linking to the proper page?
- Joeboy 11mo ago
  I indeed deliberately pasted a link that shows what happens when you try to go to the Wikipedia page for "bare metal".
  - embedding-shape 11mo ago
    Right, slightly misleading though, as https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bare-metal_server https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bare-metal_server is a separate page.
    - Joeboy 11mo ago
      Yes, but if you look up "bare metal" it goes to the page about actual bare metal (aka "bare machines" or whatever). Can we stop this now? Please?

deleted 11mo ago

[deleted]