[RevServer tips] Spreading the load or why wise developers use asynchronous workflows

[Jeff Massung]

On Thu, Aug 5, 2010 at 4:26 PM, Mark Wieder <mwieder at ahsoftware.net> wrote:

> Andre-
>
> Wednesday, August 4, 2010, 2:27:19 PM, you wrote:
>
> > Let me tell you that I once did something like that by accident on my own
> > test server. I had a recursive process that started spawning itself and
> > would not quit... in the end I had to reboot the damn vps. Thats why
> those
> > limits are important
>
> Awww... I've brought down bigger systems than that. Next time we sit
> down over a beer I'll tell you about the time I found out what the
> nohup command does...
>


While we're bringing up old "war stories" and measuring lengths...

I have a friend who works for Boeing. Just to give a little physics
background, satellites are not in perfect orbit; they are continuously
falling to the Earth and need course correcting every so often.

This one particular satellite used a particular program to course correct
and the thrust units were measured in thousands (2000, 3000, etc). A new
hire who was working late got the call for a course correct went to the
machine, typed in the appropriate thrust amount and which rockets and hit
enter. Was prompted "are you sure?", hit yes, and bye-bye satellite.
Un-beknowst to the new guy, the program implicitly did the multiplication of
units for him (he was supposed to enter 2, 3, ...).

Nothing like firing a few hundred million dollars out into space your first
week on the job, eh? ;-)

Jeff M.