abadideaJun 30

friends, I am in a six hour call that’s supposed to be a high level overview of a certain embedded software runtime. The current slide contains a discussion of the garbage collection subsystem and heap management, and also a diagram of how an individual cell of static ram works with the electrons shuffling around between the 0 and 1 states. There are several hundred words in a tiny font talking about voltage and whatnot.

engineers please learn to value soft skills like “expressing your expertise clearly and concisely” a little more 😭 this is like trying to share your grandma’s cake recipe through the medium of a textbook on organic chemistry

Show threadEwen McNeillJun 30

@0xabad1dea that feels more “hours per slide” than “slides per hour” 😬

(And since you say “current slide” I’m assuming this isn’t a one slide presentation 😭)

Show threadabadideaJun 30
@ewenmcneill yes and almost every slide is like this.
Show threadClaudius LinkJun 30
@0xabad1dea @ewenmcneill
I'm a bit in awe 😱
If this is the high level overview, how deep down into details will this go?
Subatomic 🤪?
Show threadabadideaJun 30
@realn2s @ewenmcneill there are four more six-hour calls scheduled this week.
Show threadSophie SchmiegJun 30
@0xabad1dea @realn2s @ewenmcneill that would be an automatic "decline meeting" for me. If employers want a conference, they can pay for the travel.
Show threadabadideaJun 30
@sophieschmieg @realn2s @ewenmcneill it's the customer who's insisting and giving the presentations, f.
Show threadCavyherdJul 2

@0xabad1dea @sophieschmieg @realn2s @ewenmcneill

I hope they're paying your company a whole f'n lot of money. Whatever they're paying, it's not enough. (& wtf? what are these meetings even supposed to accomplish?)

Show threadabadidea
@cavyherd @sophieschmieg @realn2s @ewenmcneill we're an independent security reviewer (software, hardware and cryptography). so our job is to find any problems with the product before it goes to market. this particular customer and this particular product, they are going ALL out on wanting an absolute bonanza of review and shipping something flawless.
Jul 2 at 2:41pmWeb
Show threadCavyherdJul 2

@0xabad1dea @sophieschmieg @realn2s @ewenmcneill

Okay, that all actually kinda makes sense. I mean, except for the "shipping something flawless" part. Are they asking for rainbows & unicorns also?

Show threadabadideaJul 2
@cavyherd @sophieschmieg @realn2s @ewenmcneill usually the problem is that businesses don't care *enough* about security 😂 I can't say who this is or what the product is, but they make components of things you definitely interact with in daily life, so sleep a little easier that someone, at least, is on the ball
Show threadCavyherdJul 2

@0xabad1dea @sophieschmieg @realn2s @ewenmcneill

From the sound of it, it sounds like they're doing their God's honest best to squash the ball flat.

Which, I mean, props to them for intent. I'd just want to see more awareness that this is (innevitably) a process.

But everybody's gotta be somewhere, I guess, right?