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It's kind of frustrating that otherwise interesting articles like this get buried under misleading titles like this, with a guy who some 30 years once worked on

by roel_v 14y ago

It's kind of frustrating that otherwise interesting articles like this get buried under misleading titles like this, with a guy who some 30 years once worked on cars (high-end, cutting edge cars - not changing oil and brake pads on VW Jetta's) now working for a company that didn't even exist when he was a mechanic being described as 'Amazon hired car mechanic'. Michael Dell used to stock shelves in his youth, should newspapers run headlines like 'shelf stocker taking computer manufacturer private in 25B leveraged buyout'? Please. </grump_mode>

dpcx 14y ago
Agreed. I was looking for something particular about why they hired a mechanic, since that's what it suggests in the title.
- walshemj 14y ago
  Probably because designing and running a big DC crosses discipline boundrys that a pure CS guy would not have the skills. As Seymore Cray said he was more a plumber that a computer guy - well strictly speaking cooling HPC's is more fluid dynamics rather than a domestic plumber.
- orangethirty 14y ago
  I used to be a mechanic, so maybe I can shed some insight. My work experience was very varied, but I mostly focused on luxury(Porsche, BMW) cars towards the last years or so. Being a mechanic gives you a different perspective on software. You don't see code ad code, but as an engine. If the engine is not tuned properly, the engine will not be as efficient as possible. If there is too much cruft in the code, the engine will perform poorly. Troubleshooting is also easier, I think. Due to the fact that all that mechanics due is troubleshoot. I once spent a week chasing an electrical bug on a Porsche. For those curious, it was the car's computer going bad (a circuit connection somehow broke under stress and it shorted). It also makes design a bit easier, because I have seen many different design patterns IRL. When you can touch and feel a design, working with them is much easier. For example, the camshaft is a function that makes valves open and close. The camshaft lobes are the parameters being passed as data to the camshaft function. The parameters tell the camshaft function how far should valves open, and for how much time. It also removes any fear from working with any system. I've seen and fixed it all. There is no way any codebase will turn out to be harder to fix than changing the spark plugs on a 1996 Porsche 911 Turbo. No way.
  - pdeuchler 14y ago
    > "There is no way any codebase will turn out to be harder to fix than changing the spark plugs on a 1996 Porsche 911 Turbo. No way." Famous last words
    - OldSchool 14y ago
      I have to agree, the spark plug task is pretty deterministic in that a shop manual will specify the number of hours to charge, which a well-practiced mechanic can easily beat and often pocket his share of the difference.
      - orangethirty 14y ago
        Question, and I'm not being pedantic: Have you ever changed the spark plugs on a 1996 Porsche 911 Turbo?
        OldSchool 14y ago
        I have not done so myself, but I always imagined that it would require dropping out the engine. As such I'd call it a tedious but well-defined task for someone with a lift and plenty of time. If the job can actually be done without removing the engine, yes that sounds incredibly frustrating. The 993 series in general is still a fantastic car today but the turbo model in particular looked absolutely stunning when it was introduced. They gave up a lot of character when they re-tooled in 1999.
        orangethirty 14y ago
        I agree. The 996 was just too bland, but still sold much more units than the 993. Go figure. OT: I once tried to talk a client into dropping a 3.6 993 engine into a 996 Carrera. Everything lines up, but he was afraid of the resale value of the car. Would have been a fun experiment. :)
    - jeffbarr 14y ago
      Does it involve dropping the engine? I can barely see the plugs on my non-turbo 911SC. I imagine that the plugs for a turbo are buried under some gnarly manifolds.
dfc 14y ago
Orwell's famous quote needs an update: In a time of universal link-bait and ironic hipsters, being genuine is a revolutionary act.

by roel_v 14y ago

dpcx 14y ago

Agreed. I was looking for something particular about why they hired a mechanic, since that's what it suggests in the title.

walshemj 14y ago
Probably because designing and running a big DC crosses discipline boundrys that a pure CS guy would not have the skills. As Seymore Cray said he was more a plumber that a computer guy - well strictly speaking cooling HPC's is more fluid dynamics rather than a domestic plumber.
orangethirty 14y ago
I used to be a mechanic, so maybe I can shed some insight. My work experience was very varied, but I mostly focused on luxury(Porsche, BMW) cars towards the last years or so. Being a mechanic gives you a different perspective on software. You don't see code ad code, but as an engine. If the engine is not tuned properly, the engine will not be as efficient as possible. If there is too much cruft in the code, the engine will perform poorly. Troubleshooting is also easier, I think. Due to the fact that all that mechanics due is troubleshoot. I once spent a week chasing an electrical bug on a Porsche. For those curious, it was the car's computer going bad (a circuit connection somehow broke under stress and it shorted). It also makes design a bit easier, because I have seen many different design patterns IRL. When you can touch and feel a design, working with them is much easier. For example, the camshaft is a function that makes valves open and close. The camshaft lobes are the parameters being passed as data to the camshaft function. The parameters tell the camshaft function how far should valves open, and for how much time. It also removes any fear from working with any system. I've seen and fixed it all. There is no way any codebase will turn out to be harder to fix than changing the spark plugs on a 1996 Porsche 911 Turbo. No way.
- pdeuchler 14y ago
  > "There is no way any codebase will turn out to be harder to fix than changing the spark plugs on a 1996 Porsche 911 Turbo. No way." Famous last words
  - OldSchool 14y ago
    I have to agree, the spark plug task is pretty deterministic in that a shop manual will specify the number of hours to charge, which a well-practiced mechanic can easily beat and often pocket his share of the difference.
    - orangethirty 14y ago
      Question, and I'm not being pedantic: Have you ever changed the spark plugs on a 1996 Porsche 911 Turbo?
      - OldSchool 14y ago
        I have not done so myself, but I always imagined that it would require dropping out the engine. As such I'd call it a tedious but well-defined task for someone with a lift and plenty of time. If the job can actually be done without removing the engine, yes that sounds incredibly frustrating. The 993 series in general is still a fantastic car today but the turbo model in particular looked absolutely stunning when it was introduced. They gave up a lot of character when they re-tooled in 1999.
        orangethirty 14y ago
        I agree. The 996 was just too bland, but still sold much more units than the 993. Go figure. OT: I once tried to talk a client into dropping a 3.6 993 engine into a 996 Carrera. Everything lines up, but he was afraid of the resale value of the car. Would have been a fun experiment. :)
  - jeffbarr 14y ago
    Does it involve dropping the engine? I can barely see the plugs on my non-turbo 911SC. I imagine that the plugs for a turbo are buried under some gnarly manifolds.

dfc 14y ago

Orwell's famous quote needs an update: In a time of universal link-bait and ironic hipsters, being genuine is a revolutionary act.