Hacker News: dockd

New comment by dockd in "Trillions spent and big software projects are still failing"

dockd — Wed, 26 Nov 2025 02:11:58 +0000

I just picked one metric from Wikipedia. It was also 22 years late.

New comment by dockd in "Trillions spent and big software projects are still failing"

dockd — Tue, 25 Nov 2025 23:02:09 +0000

If it makes anyone feel better, it's not just software:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auburn_Dam

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbia_River_Crossing

If you're 97% over budget, are you successful? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Dig

New comment by dockd in "We stopped roadmap work for a week and fixed bugs"

dockd — Mon, 24 Nov 2025 16:35:24 +0000

How is this for a rule of thumb: the time it takes to fix a bug is directly related to the age of the software.

New comment by dockd in "Coffee for people who don't like coffee"

dockd — Tue, 13 May 2025 23:32:03 +0000

I think the success of Red Bull and Dutch Brothers is due to their ability to provide coffee to people who don't like coffee.

New comment by dockd in "Supreme Court rules to uphold TikTok ban, setting stage for shutdown"

dockd — Fri, 17 Jan 2025 16:12:08 +0000

> algorithm used in the US was apparently banned in China

Sounds like they tried.

New comment by dockd in "Developing Developers (2015)"

dockd — Thu, 19 Dec 2024 16:25:39 +0000

The level playing field is interesting.

My initial thought is that's a great idea. But then I start to think about how college classes are supposed to build on what you already know. Your math department doesn't begin with addition, the English department doesn't start with picture books.

Perhaps the real issue is forcing everyone with experience to start over at the beginning.

New comment by dockd in "Psychological safety vs. high standards: A misunderstood dynamic"

dockd — Mon, 28 Oct 2024 22:16:06 +0000

The thing I don't get about regression-to-the-mean is whether there is an implication that your baseline is fixed.

That is, can a fighter pilot move up from being a level 4 in a dogfight to a level 7 with training, or will they forever be a level 4 because it's their baseline? Did Michael Jordan have the same ability as a basketball player after 2 seasons as he did after 8?

New comment by dockd in "Show HN: HTML for People"

dockd — Fri, 11 Oct 2024 00:04:06 +0000

To keep that line of reasoning going, what is the purpose of the university, if you're supposed to learn everything on your own?

New comment by dockd in "Xkcd 1425 (Tasks) turns ten years old today"

dockd — Thu, 26 Sep 2024 14:52:18 +0000

When my daughter was working in her university's dining hall, the most demanding orders always began with "just". Can I just have a non-fat sugar-free vanilla latte with two pumps that isn't too hot?

New comment by dockd in "The Rise and Fall of 3M's Floppy Disk (2023)"

dockd — Wed, 03 Apr 2024 15:01:15 +0000

You first have to get a file from your iOS app. Good luck with that.

New comment by dockd in "Google to delete records from Incognito tracking"

dockd — Mon, 01 Apr 2024 23:47:17 +0000

A disclaimer is great, but like the prior post said, when you give something a name and then redefine the meaning of the name in a disclaimer, it feels dishonest.

The Honest* Browser *disclaimer: may lie

New comment by dockd in "Weather forecasts have become more accurate"

dockd — Wed, 13 Mar 2024 14:54:21 +0000

Unfortunately the current Apple weather is terrible with their blurry blobs of clouds. Maybe they're trying to hedge when there is any chance of showers.

New comment by dockd in "How French was medieval England?"

dockd — Fri, 26 Jan 2024 23:18:35 +0000

French left its mark on the legal system and the tradition lives on in America. Several phrases use both the French and English word:

* cease and desist

* aiding and abetting

* assault and battery

New comment by dockd in "Changes we're making to Google Assistant"

dockd — Sat, 13 Jan 2024 00:26:20 +0000

I get "good evening" but not the corresponding "good morning".

New comment by dockd in "When would you ever want bubblesort?"

dockd — Wed, 06 Dec 2023 01:03:38 +0000

That's my memory from college: bubble sort is fine when the data is almost completely sorted.

New comment by dockd in "San Francisco Blows Housing Deadline, Prompting Standoff with State Regulators"

dockd — Tue, 28 Nov 2023 05:55:00 +0000

Don't these laws get written precisely because someone did whatever they wanted with their land?

Could you dump toxic waste there if you want? Could you store tons of ammonium nitrate on it? Could you farm chickens? Hold nightly raves?

New comment by dockd in "Apple has a memory problem and we're all paying for it"

dockd — Fri, 10 Nov 2023 17:47:04 +0000

Making money by selling RAM is baked in to Apple's DNA. Apple charged a premium for the original Mac to go from the entry level 128 Kbytes to 512 Kbytes of RAM. Here we are almost 40 years later and that business model is still in place.

New comment by dockd in "Leaving Twitter had no effect on NPR's traffic"

dockd — Mon, 16 Oct 2023 22:12:49 +0000

Another popular use for Twitter is getting "from the street" quotes without leaving your desk. "Here's monkeysheen47x's opinion on the ballot measure." In case you want to know what people on Twitter think without checking Twitter yourself.

New comment by dockd in "No app, no entry: How the digital world is failing the non tech-savvy"

dockd — Thu, 24 Aug 2023 15:11:59 +0000

The usual downside is the menu was designed to be printed and not viewed on a screen that is 1/4 or less the size.

So I see part of the drink menu horizontally and vertically. Another example: Non-alcoholic is on the "back" of the menu but wine is on the "front".

And now the restaurant needs to hire a UX designer.

New comment by dockd in "Sheldon Brown's Bicycle Technical Info"

dockd — Tue, 08 Aug 2023 15:24:59 +0000

He gives advice like "no one uses a tripod anymore" then a few months later a glowing review of a tripod appears. What should you make of that?