Re:Rookie coding mistake prior to Gab hack came from site’s CTO
by bsder on Tuesday March 02, 2021 @07:02PM
(#26322996)
This is the problem being in a field (programming) that doesn't actually value experience.
I got this knocked into me by a very senior engineer when I complained about some really silly circuit on an older version of a microprocessor. His comment: "Okay, let's design that adder better. Oh, by the way, you only have two layers of metal in that technology. Let's walk through the options." My response: "Uh, no. We don't need to. There are exactly 3 options and only one that works." His response: "And now you know why the engineers prior to you made that decision. Don't assume your predecessors were untouchable geniuses, but don't assume they were moronic idiots, either. Just like you, they had a job to do, did it, and, most importantly, shipped it."
I still judge the technical decision on how it's impacting the system today (specifically around whether or not it's sustainable), but trying to ascribe intent or brand something as "dumb" is almost always done without the relevant information that went into the decision being made.