Posts by GermanSauerkraut

Atlassian comes clean on what data-deleting script behind outage actually did

Re: Scripts

"This does not look like that time my script got a "," when I was expecting a "." because I did allow for a mix of country setting."

As far as I understand, the script worked flawless and did exactly what it was told to do, without any issues.

The problem was a single script used for three completely different operations. 1) to remove an app from a customer instance, 2) to mark a customer instance for deletion, and 3) to completely nuke a customer instance, with the script distinguishing between 1 and 2/3 only by the objects referenced by - most likely - completely synthetic IDs.

While I can to some degree understand why one would combine 2 and 3, there is no justification for adding 1 to the mix. If you're using similar functionality in the background, put that into a library of some sort, but provide distinct front ends for the ops guys to use. What happened is the text book example why one should do that...

Banned: The 1,170 words you can't use with GitHub Copilot

Re: Usage

Sorry, but that was valid in John Postel's early years, when the internet was to 99% a place of nice people without bad intent (been there, enjoyed it, but that time is gone).

For at least 20-30 years, any input from the outside has to be considered tainted and potentially harmful by intent. There's no room anymore for sympathetic interpretations.

If you get something in which doesn't look like it should, NEVER try to "do what the sender may have meant". Log it, always. If you feel secure enough, return a meaningful error, ignore the specific input and continue. If in doubt, completely end processing after logging and reset your status.

You may accept known bugs from broken, but widely used implementations - but then never forget that this behavior is the reson those bugs were never fixed.

(any yeah, that blacklist is of course nonsense. Gives you a good idea how "far" things are which are labeled AI these days)

Russia says software malfunction caused Nauka module to unexpectedly fire thrusters, tilt space station

Re: Those comments from Roscosmos...

Well, have you ever had to set a project live which was "worked on" for 25 years, while the real work could have been done in 2-3? Where the management had an on/off relationship with, killed and revived it several times, for budget and politics?

If you consider this, it's a miracle that this piece of hardware finally went live at all. And I'm happy for the engineers who worked on it.

Most likely, this is the last significant extension for ISS we'll see.

After 15 years and $500m, the US Navy decides it doesn't need shipboard railguns after all

Re: It’s not 15 years

> There is also the advantage that you don't have a big room full of explosive in the middle of your boat which can be an issue if you come up against a boat full of particularly belligerent Germans.

ahh, come on, we aren't that bad anymore. These days, we're occupying deck chairs, not neighbors...

EY to outsource compute function, sending 800 staff into the loving arms of... IBM

Wirecard?

As a German, I suspect EY bracing for some Wirecard fallout. You remember? Wirecard, the company EY certified "everything fine and dandy" until nobody was able to oversee reality anymore?

Just keep in mind: We in IT may always be one of the first who have to go if the (business) shit hits the fan, we've never been anything else but a cost factor in many businesses we drive...