Date: Sat, 4 Jul 1998 13:55:40 -0500 From: "Jaime Bozza" <wheelman@nuc.net> To: "Wes Peters" <wes@softweyr.com>, <gpalmer@FreeBSD.ORG>, <tlambert@primenet.com> Cc: <jgrosch@superior.mooseriver.com>, <mike@smith.net.au>, <steve.a@cableinet.co.uk>, <chat@FreeBSD.ORG> Subject: RE: A Little Cancer Patient need Your Attention Message-ID: <001201bda77d$57015e60$333d31cc@electron.nuc.net> In-Reply-To: <199807040642.AAA02488@softweyr.com>
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Ok, guys... I know I originally posted a reply to the original author of the original spam message, but I'm not on FreeBSD-chat, and I don't really have much interest in this topic anymore. Please do me a favor and remove me from your CC list. Thanks, Jaime Bozza Nucleus Communications, Inc. > -----Original Message----- > From: Wes Peters [mailto:wes@softweyr.com] > Sent: Saturday, July 04, 1998 1:43 AM > To: gpalmer@freebsd.org; tlambert@primenet.com > Cc: jgrosch@superior.mooseriver.com; mike@smith.net.au; > wheelman@nuc.net; steve.a@cableinet.co.uk; chat@freebsd.org > Subject: Re: A Little Cancer Patient need Your Attention > > > My hidden microphone recorded Terry Lambert > (tlambert@primenet.com) saying: > > % In any case, the net upshot should be "do the right thing the right > % way", or as Seneca, the stoic philosopher from the 4th decate AD > % stated in his _Letters From A Stoic_: > % > % Never substitute activity for action. > % > % If you expect to have to live with the consequences of your actions, > % then these are words to live by. > > Terry is right, there are very few organizations who take the > time to consider > the consequences of their code. A partial reason for this is > the general > assumption the consequences will be "some customer will get > pissed, but won't > be able to return the goods because he doesn't have the > power/it'll be too > difficult/nobody ever does that." > > My first job out of school, I worked for one of the companies that has > specialized in considering the consequences of computer code: > Logicon, now a > division of Northrup-Grumman. My first job involved analyzing the math > library used by the Fortran compiler that produced the Minuteman > II targeting > program, PROVING that it produced mathematically correct code. > My second job > was as the point man on the team that tested the command and > control system > for Peacekeeper (the missile formerly known as MX). You have no > idea what an > education in RESPONSIBILITY it was to consider the consequences > of some code > screwing up and accidentally launching one of these beasts. Our boss, a > wonderful manager named Mary Ann Hayes, did an incredible job of > keeping us > focused on the job at hand while gently reminding us of the > importance of our > work, on how critical it was to be absolutely thorough. > > It has given me quite a different mindset throughout my career; > I've often > been "pulled off" a problem by management when they decided I > had solved it > thoroughly enough and I wanted to continue pursuing it. With > experience, I've > learned to balance my reactions somewhat better and to ask how > far I should go > in solving a problem, although I'd often prefer to take the > solution clear to > the bitter end. > > I am certainly not claiming to be perfect, but I have noticed a > different > mindset amongst coworkers who have this kind of military > background; it isn't > a greater attention to quality so much as a different way of > looking at it. > It's not such much "how much do I have to do to keep this from > crashing" as it > is "what's the worst thing that could happen if this screws up, > and how much > do I have to do to prevent THAT from keeping me awake at night?" > > -- > "Where am I, and what am I doing in this handbasket?" > > Wes Peters Softweyr LLC > http://www.softweyr.com/~softweyr > wes@softweyr.com > > > > To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-chat" in the body of the message
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