Humans of Computer Systems: Ted

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Programming

How did you learn to program?

Through a project in high school.
 
 
Tell us about the most interesting/significant piece of code you wrote.
 
Electronic mail system.

Who did you learn most from about computer systems? 

Edsger Dijkstra https://www.cs.utexas.edu/users/EWD/ 

 

What is the best code you have seen? 

IBM 360 operating system 

 
 
What do you believe are the most important skills to be successful in your field? 
 
There are many paths to success, and a variety of skills to get there - no MOST IMPORTANT 
 
 
What quality or ability do you value most in a computer systems person?

The ability to explain.


Personal

Which of your work/code/accomplishments are you most proud of?

Read, eg, Erich Fromm - pride is not a quality that should be considered


What comes to you easy that others find hard? What are your superpowers?

Recursion is natural to me.


What was a blessing in disguise for you? What seemed like a failure at the time but led to something better later for you?

Not giving up.


What do you feel most grateful for?

Good health, curiosity, recognition of grace, enjoyment of nature


What does your perfect day look like?

A long walk in alpine surroundings.


What made you most happy in the last year?

A long wander seeing new creatures.


Work

What was your biggest mess up? What was the aftermath?

Working hard on a project with no impact, and ultimately the work has been ignored


What was your most interesting/surprising or disappointing interaction at work?

Spending tons of time building something only to have parts malfunction


What do you like most about your job/profession?

Not having to inhale fumes, get physically damaged, or suffering abuse


What do you dislike most about your job/profession?

The attitude that "developers are like razor blades - use them when sharp, then discard"



Technical

What do you think are the hardest questions in your field?

Why is simplicity undervalued.


What are you most disappointed about the state-of-the-art in your field?

Giving up on understanding


What are the topics that you wish received more attention? What do you think is a promising future direction in your field?

The science or art of remixing.


What is your favorite computer systems paper? Why?

CONWAY, M.E. Design of a separable transition-diagram compiler. Commun. ACM 6, 7 (July 1963), 396-408


What are the most interesting blogs/twitter accounts you follow?

http://glineq.blogspot.com/


Is there an interesting story you like to tell us?
 
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50517305-the-wind-off-the-island
 
 
 

If you enjoy reading this series, consider taking 10 minutes and submitting a response. All questions are optional. You can skip most, and tell a lot more on other questions you choose. 

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