Wednesday, August 28, 2019

FW: Thanks for all your help!


After almost 42 years I have decided to retire!  [date], is my last day.

Now I didn’t “personally” know Charles Babbage (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Babbage) but I have had some interesting times:

  • First computer language: FORTRAN66 (on punch cards).
  • Biggest advancement in computer language: FORTRAN 77 (Block IF statements, DO loops).  After that they have all looked the same to me.
  • Scariest moments:  Carrying a box of COBOL punch cards to the card reader (and yes, I dropped them once).
  • First real project: US Department of Energy data collection from burning coal underground (the data said it was still burning when the project was shut down… oops).
  • Program most likely not to succeed:  A cookbook application to test a user interface SDK on VAX/VMS computers.  Required a raised floor computer lab and $4,000,000 computer (but team did use it to exchange recipes).
  • Most costly bug found:  A hardware addressing error that caused lots of boards to be trashed ($$$$$) and delayed hardware production (our show stoppers are nothing compared to that).
  • Scariest meeting:  Had to tell Dave Cutler (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Cutler) that we needed a CDROM in the hardware instead of tape drive to do the installation of the new OS.  People were hiding outside his office to see if there was anything left of my body to return to my family (learned to have undisputable facts and duck when things are thrown… and not take it personally).
  • Most interesting customer:  Executive Branch (The White House).  I did get an insider’s tour of the Oval office (at least a foot in) and places the public never gets to see.
  • Most disappointing project: Cancellation of new hardware/OS combination at Digital Equipment.
  • “Things that make you say hmmm”:  3 years after cancellation of the above project while in a Windows NT class I get training on ACL data structures that I helped design at Digital Equipment.  “Hmmm, I guess it wasn’t only ‘people’ that move from Digital to Microsoft.”
  • Project with the most freedom: Rewrite of PEM (PEM2).
  • Most dangerous:  Development of office laser printers, we could only put 10 sheets of paper in at a time because it would burn… and a full ream of paper would set off the fire alarms if it caught fire.
  • Most aggravating moment:  A prototype office laser printer that had lots of problems.  It was solved by using “transparencies” instead of paper.  Service guy said it looked like something melted in it… we said “yea… probably the gear that was squeaking.”
  • Project with the most diverse interaction:  Secure Comm.  Customers, developers, executives.  Travelled 9 out of 18 weeks.
  • Project most wanted to be involved with but didn’t get to:  Landing the first man on the moon (not as old as you think!).
  • Most satisfying moments:  When someone I’m mentoring proves me wrong…  I know I’m done mentoring.
  • Most important piece of advice:  Keep your personal standards higher than what anyone else will ask of you.
  • Greatest achievement:  I have, with every project since 1979, developed friendships that I still have today.

If you’re in [location] areas let me know.  First cup of coffee is on me!

Mark Ditto
[email and phone]


~

This is an email I received at work today. The title of this post is the subject line of that email. I added the prefix as a nod to the corporate email culture. (Way to kill a pun, isn't it, when you end up explaining it?!) I didn't suppress the name, because the credit for everything here (including this post) still goes to the wonderful person who wrote it.

I haven't ever had the opportunity to work with this person, and I usually scoff at widely distributed farewell emails, but this one, quite literally, made me tear up with joy. Specifically the italicized bits. And the subject line. Such humility is a mark of true greatness. This post is simply my way of paying respects to this gem of a person. May he continue to inspire others.

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