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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