Comment Re:One stray ; burned a week... (Score 2) 285
Agreed, although a modern VCS really really helps avoid this. Wish I'd had GIT back in the '80s.
Agreed, although a modern VCS really really helps avoid this. Wish I'd had GIT back in the '80s.
Two bugs come to mind, one that I wrote and fixed, one that I fixed but did not create. The one that I created was an assembler bug, code written in UKY-502 assembler (military computer). I screwed up one op code, specifying LK (load constant) instead of L (load from memory address). The difference in the code was one bit, but I had to single-step through the code to find the bug - took me hours for one stinking bit.
The other bug, also on the UYK-502 computer, was a bug in the micro-code. The guy who wrote the micro-code for one particular instruction had ignored the user guide for the bit-slice processor and had implemented a read-modify-write operation in a single micro-code instruction. It worked for him because the timing hardware was slow enough. Unfortunately, a couple of years later, the manufacturer of one of the chips in the timing hardware improved the internal workings of the chip so that one of the line dropped sooner than it did on older versions of the chip (NB: the chip still met the same specs - it was just faster). Debugging was a pain. The computer used a back-plane, and the timing hardward and the bit-slice processor were on difference cards. When we put either card on a extender so we could connect a logic analyser, the delay added by the traces on the extender caused the problem to go away. It took two of a week to find the problem. The fix was to update the microcode ROMs for every computer that received the new timer card.
I've been wondering about this wireless charging business. It has to be less efficient than wired charging. Given the current push to reduce energy use, I'm at a loss to understand how people can be pushing wireless charging.
My first thought, when I read the summary, was of my co-workers, all male, wearing short skirts or low-cut dresses. I may have to gouge out my eyes.
My personal experience is that absent clear enforced rules, deportment degrades over time to unacceptable levels, at which point management institutes unpalatable rules. If you have freedom in deportment, enjoy it but be sensible.
With your bare hands?!?