Comments on: Catching up http://dannorth.net/2007/06/catching-up It's all behaviour Sat, 11 Oct 2008 19:09:38 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: dan http://dannorth.net/2007/06/catching-up#comment-4913 dan Thu, 28 Jun 2007 21:25:46 +0000 http://dannorth.net/2007/06/catching-up#comment-4913 nice, i'm glad you like it. i was thinking a couple of things that seem apparent but might have made the list, more of an outsider's point of view: High Expectations you're only usually going to find a solution somewhere between half-arsed and the upper limit of your expectations - this gives you a lower distribution for final outcome vs. very high expectations of what is possible. (based on they thought they might be able to write tetris in one line) Challenge All Assumptions i get the feeling they didn't hold back challenging all aspects - maybe they took this for granted. from my experience, often the biggest breakthoughs are based on this. cheers, dan. nice, i’m glad you like it.

i was thinking a couple of things that seem apparent but might have made the list, more of an outsider’s point of view:

High Expectations

you’re only usually going to find a solution somewhere between half-arsed and the upper limit of your expectations – this gives you a lower distribution for final outcome vs. very high expectations of what is possible. (based on they thought they might be able to write tetris in one line)

Challenge All Assumptions

i get the feeling they didn’t hold back challenging all aspects – maybe they took this for granted. from my experience, often the biggest breakthoughs are based on this.

cheers, dan.

]]> By: Dan North http://dannorth.net/2007/06/catching-up#comment-4912 Dan North Thu, 28 Jun 2007 19:00:34 +0000 http://dannorth.net/2007/06/catching-up#comment-4912 I only skimmed it but I already like it a lot. I'll have to look at it in more detail. I particularly like the contrast between "marking" and "hammering". They are great terms for something that seems to happen a lot with performance tuning. I also like the idea that he is flexible with his metrics. He measures things and then uses the measurements that seem to yield the best subjective improvements. Great stuff! I only skimmed it but I already like it a lot. I’ll have to look at it in more detail. I particularly like the contrast between “marking” and “hammering”. They are great terms for something that seems to happen a lot with performance tuning. I also like the idea that he is flexible with his metrics. He measures things and then uses the measurements that seem to yield the best subjective improvements. Great stuff!

]]> By: dan http://dannorth.net/2007/06/catching-up#comment-4911 dan Thu, 28 Jun 2007 10:14:49 +0000 http://dannorth.net/2007/06/catching-up#comment-4911 hi Dan, re: performance tuning techniques write-up you may find this useful - it's a write-up of techniques for writing very small programs (disclaimer: by my brother); i'd always thought of it as a curiosity, but it just struck me there are a lot of similiarities with performance tuning: http://www.survex.com/~olly/dsm_rheolism/method.html cheers, dan. hi Dan,

re: performance tuning techniques write-up

you may find this useful – it’s a write-up of techniques for writing very small programs (disclaimer: by my brother); i’d always thought of it as a curiosity, but it just struck me there are a lot of similiarities with performance tuning:

http://www.survex.com/~olly/dsm_rheolism/method.html

cheers, dan.

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