Author: <span>Jake Savin</span>

A couple of months ago, I started work on a new project – it’s big and complex, with a lot of smart and opinionated people involved, an enormous amount of “legacy” code (mostly C++), and tools and systems that are sorely in need of an update.

In situations like this it’s always really tempting to start over with a completely clean slate, using modern tools and programming techniques. In truth there’s still enormous value in all that legacy code, and throwing it out would be a terrible idea. This is almost always the case in situations like this. Instead the trick is to figure out how to preserve as much of that legacy value as possible, while also unburdening the team and the product from the worst parts of the legacy tool-chain. Evolution, not revolution.

User data needs to be preserved, as does the way it’s used by the system. Systems built on that data need to continue to function. Performance characteristics need to improve, or at least not degrade. A space needs to be carved out where we can safely build new features. But we don’t have to build any new features using those legacy tools – new stuff can exist in parallel or “on top of” the old. We might need to create new interfaces in old code so that the new system can leverage existing functionality, and we might even need to refactor some old code to make that possible. What we shouldn’t do is boil the ocean.

The transition ahead isn’t dissimilar to some of the transitions Apple has made over the last couple of decades, the most significant being the shift from the old “Classic” MacOS to the current POSIX system which came from the Unix/Linux universe, and the Cocoa UI framework which came from NeXT. It took careful management and an iterative approach over more than a decade, but Apple was able to (nearly) completely replace their base OS, UI framework/runtime, and primary programming languages on way to transitioning to the universe we now live in with billions of people using iPhones and iPads every day, running the same base system that Apple’s desktop machines use. They were able to do this while bringing the most important developers along into the new universe (though not without casualties), for the very reason that they chose to iterate in a long-term way instead of starting again from scratch.

While I was working at Microsoft, the company tried to make a similar transition from the legacy OS and programming model, to a new one that was centered the then new WinRT API and the Metro design language. They thought they had to do this in order for their ARM-based Surface devices to successfully compete against iPad. The shift to relatively inexpensive tablets and mobile devices was perceived by some as an existential threat, and the response was partly reactionary. Microsoft failed badly, at least initially, to drive the transition it intended, in no small part because they couldn’t bring their developer community along. Too much changed too fast, and a clear path to the new ecosystem wasn’t communicated clearly enough. The new APIs weren’t compatible, and yet at least on some devices, the old APIs were no longer alowed. By playing catch-up instead of playing their own version of the iteration game, Microsoft alienated many developers who quickly jumped-ship to the Web and to the iOS and Android ecosystems.

Steven Sinofsky was the head of Windows during the second half of my time at Microsoft, and is now at Andreessen Horowitz. Last week he posted a long thread on Twitter about some of the changes Apple is now considering, and naïve criticism of their approach in recent years.

That’s what got me thinking about this post, and I think it’s well-worth a read:

 

Uncategorized

I’m going to start tagging my political posts. There’s so much to follow, that it’s hard to tell what’s important and what isn’t. My hope is that this will help me and maybe others, even just a little, to keep our eye on the ball.
 
For example stories that just won’t die but have little leverage against Trump and his cronies, like the voter fraud thing, I’ll tag as distractions.
 
Here are some of the tags I’m thinking of. Let me know if you think I should add any:
 
#distraction – These issues just don’t matter in the long run.
#obfuscation – Important things, couched in some other issue.
#troll – Incendiary remarks from the Trump administration.
 
These stories, while deserving of our attention and often disgust, seem to me often to be side-issues that don’t directly address how the Trump “administration” is destroying our government, our trust in our government, and the trust of the United States by the rest of the world.
 
On the other end of the spectrum, there are actions Trump and Bannon are taking daily which are eroding our government itself. The State Department purges, attempts to silence or discredit the press, damaging of relationships with our allies, and cozying up with dictators:
 
#treason – Stories or speculation about Trump’s treasonous deals.
#kleptocracy – Abuse of the presidency for personal gain.
#dissent – Insiders standing up against Trump.
#resist – Citizens taking action or speaking out against Trump.
 
We have lots of energy and motivation right now, but we need focus and strategy very badly. So far Trump has been pretty successful at keeping us confused and misaligned. Let’s fix that!
 
#RESIST

Politics

When it comes to fighting back against Trump, there are so many issues it may be hard to figure out what to focus on first. Here’s my take:

Choose the issue or issues that have the following attributes, specifically for you:

  • You are passionate about the issue.
  • You have applicable knowledge or skills.
  • You know or can find people to help you.

These are more important than whether it’s the biggest issue or the one generating the biggest controversy, or even the worst effects.
If you have knowledge and passion about an issue, and can find ways to connect with other like-minded activists, you can become an effective advocate. If not, you risk wasting time and energy that you would more effectively invest elsewhere.

Originally posted on Facebook.
See also: trumpstatus.org.

Politics