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Programmers and the "Big Picture"?

Posted by Cliff on from the distinguishing-the-forest-from-the-trees dept.

FirmWarez asks: "I'm an embedded systems engineer. I've designed and programmed industrial, medical, consumer, and aerospace gear. I was engineering manager at a contract design house for a while. The recent thread regarding the probable encryption box of the Columbia brought to mind a long standing question. Do Slashdot readers think that the theories used to teach (and learn) programming lead to programmers that tend to approach problems with a 'black box', or 'virtual machine' mentality without considering the entire system? That, in and of itself, would explain a lot of security issues, as well as things as simple as user interface nightmares. Comments?"

"Back working on my undergrad (computer engineering) I remember getting frustrated at the comp-sci profs that insisted machines were simply 'black boxes' and the underlying hardware need not be a concern of the programmer.

Of course in embedded systems that's not the case. When developing code for a medical device, you've got to understand how the hardware responds to a software crash, etc. A number of Slashdot readers dogmatically responded with "security through obscurity" quotes about the shuttle's missing secret box. While that may have some validity, it does not respect the needs of the entire system, in this case the difficulty of maintaining keys and equipment across a huge network of military equipment, personnel, installations."

13 of 390 comments (clear)

  1. For big pictures by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    I like to use jpeg compression. PNG is great for line-drawings, etc though. If you really need the whole big picture, and size isn't an issue, then yes, PNG's 24-bit mode is pretty good.

  2. Huh? by twofidyKidd · · Score: 5, Funny

    I don't know what you're trying to say here man, but no amount of programming or "Fatal Error: Wing no longer attached to craft" terminal prompts would've saved them from what happened.

    If you're trying to make a case for programming paradigm shifts based on security procedures, it isn't working in this context.

    --


    Hades, PoD: Official Advocate
  3. IMHO by Em+Emalb · · Score: 5, Funny

    People tend to focus exclusively on their area of expertise.

    Otherwise they become managers :D

    --
    Sent from your iPad.
    1. Re:IMHO by hendridm · · Score: 5, Funny

      > Otherwise they become managers :D

      At my last job you were allowed to make 3 major mistakes, then they made you a manager.

  4. When I was programming the temperature control ... by burgburgburg · · Score: 3, Funny

    on the new Death Star, I found that trying to envision the "Big Picture" interfered with the specific requirements of my task. I needed control mechanisms smart enough to deal with Storm Trooper suits, regular Empire uniforms, robots with various temperature ranges, Wookies. It needed to be able to maintain a comfortable temperature range in the beam tunnel vicinity even during firing. And it needed to be efficient enough that they wouldn't shift power from the exhaust port shields to the jacuzzi heaters like they did on the old Death Star.

  5. Bad security? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    You need to give your black box objects a coat of super-black paint... security by invisibility...

  6. Oh like in the grand scheme of things ... by nicodaemos · · Score: 5, Funny

    Okay the "big picture" college profs should be showing you is this one.

  7. The only thing that school prepares you for by shortscruffydave · · Score: 2, Funny

    In high school I did a 2 year Computer Studies course.

    During that period, one night I went to a heavy party and then spent the following day trying to write functional code whilst suffering a hangover.

    This was the only experience from the course which mirrored anything which happened to me since I started programming professionally

  8. The funniest post I've read yet! by K'tohg · · Score: 5, Funny

    Dude. I have never laughed so hard! I can only imagine a bad cartoon:

    "Frank!!! I think we have a problem!!!"
    "What?... I'll check the console logs..... Oh No!!"
    "What's wrong?"
    "Theres a 'Fatel Error: Wing no longher attached!' message!!"
    "What do we do Frank?!??"
    "I don't know... um... I'll open up the debugger!"

    Sick man, sick. I am very proud of you. ^_^

    --
    > SELECT * FROM brain_cells WHERE synaptic_rate > 0
    0 row returned
  9. Re:Experience by Surreal_Streaker · · Score: 2, Funny
    The only thing that school prepares you for is to get an entry level job where you can gain the experience to write reliable software.

    -1 Pandering.

  10. Engineers can see all an action's consequences by Minna+Kirai · · Score: 4, Funny

    If you're really an engineer, then you shouldn't have any trouble seeing the big picture.

    Unlike, say, managers or interns, Engineers are trained to think through all the consequences of an action.

    If you can't predict the effects of your software code on not just the rest of the project, but the economy and society as a whole, then I guess you've been slacking off.

    (nobody flame me without reading the cartoon)

  11. Re:Sometimes It's Impossible by wwwdsummers · · Score: 2, Funny

    Or even worse, "Uhm, hi. We're at a trade show right now and killer 'feature' Q isn't working in our live demo. Fix. Now."

  12. Damn you, Clippy. by Mr.+Bad+Example · · Score: 3, Funny

    It looks like you're trying to fly a craft with only one wing. Would you like to:

    * Plummet to the ground

    * Stick an arm out the window and flap vigorously

    * Visit the Morton Thikol technical support website?