Bit Maybe Wise

Bit Maybe Wise explores themes around Site Reliability Engineering (SRE), programming, and software development practices. It includes detailed notes from the SRE handbook, reflections on programming languages like Haskell and Go, and discussions on concepts such as data integrity, distributed consensus, and product launches at scale.

Site Reliability Engineering Programming Languages Software Development Practices Data Integrity Distributed Systems Product Development Team Collaboration Learning and Development

The hottest Substack posts of Bit Maybe Wise

And their main takeaways

Revisiting Haskell after 10 years

39 implied HN points • 15 Jan 24

The Haskell syntax seemed beautiful to the author's eyes.
The tooling for Haskell has evolved for the better over the years.
There are helpful resources available now for learning Haskell concepts like monad transformers.

SRE book notes: Managing Critical State, Distributed Consensus for Reliability

58 implied HN points • 09 Feb 23

When deciding on replica locations, prioritize client perception of performance
For critical shared state, distributed locking, or leader election, always consider distributed consensus for reliability
Many distributed systems issues can be solved through proven distributed consensus algorithms, avoiding ad hoc solutions

SRE book notes: Data Integrity, What You Read Is What You Wrote

39 implied HN points • 14 Feb 23

🕹 Technology Data Integrity Recovery Validation Infrastructure

People want restores, not backups.
Data integrity without regular availability is as good as no data at all.
Defense in depth is crucial for data integrity, including soft deletion, backups, and data validation.

SRE book notes: Wrapping Up

39 implied HN points • 13 Apr 23

🕹 Technology Engineering Software Automation Distributed Systems

The SRE book includes useful additional materials like availability tables and best practices.
The book covers a wide range of topics related to Site Reliability Engineering.
It emphasizes key practices such as embracing risk, eliminating toil, and effective troubleshooting.

SRE book notes: Communication and Collaboration in SRE

19 implied HN points • 27 Feb 23

🕹 Technology Collaboration Communication Remote work Decision-making

Having more diversity in your team can improve successful collaboration.
Diverse teams are often better teams.
Arguing out choices with a time limit, documenting decisions, and moving on can lead to building best practices.

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SRE book notes: Reliable Product Launches at Scale

19 implied HN points • 16 Feb 23

🕹 Technology Engineering Infrastructure Scalability Best Practices

Optimize launch coordination engineering to balance cost and benefit during product launches
Avoid re-implementing existing solutions by converging on common infrastructure libraries in large organizations
Rearchitecting a product becomes necessary when it grows significantly, leading to increased complexity and fragility

SRE book notes: Embedding an SRE to Recover from Operational Overload

19 implied HN points • 23 Feb 23

🕹 Technology SRE Processes Scalability

Your job as an embedded SRE is to ensure the service works well.
Distinguish between toil and non-toil tasks to improve team efficiency.
Focus on establishing service level objectives (SLO) and continue supporting the team after your assignment.

SRE book notes: Dealing with Interrupts

19 implied HN points • 21 Feb 23

🕹 Technology Team Collaboration

Complex systems reflect the imperfections of their creators.
Polarizing time for project work and interrupts improves focus and reduces stress.
Add more people if the volume of interrupts is too high for one person.

ABEND dump #4

19 implied HN points • 17 Apr 23

🕹 Technology Internet Programming Learning Culture Documentary

HTTP/2 requires headers to be lowercase for requests and responses.
Focus on producing good work efficiently rather than striving for perfection.
Culture within an organization is more impactful than its strategy.

SRE book notes: Addressing Cascading Failures

19 implied HN points • 07 Feb 23

Testing strategies are crucial for addressing cascading failures.
Load testing components helps identify failure points and build resilience.
Consider real traffic tests in addition to synthetic load tests for more realistic results.

ABEND dump #5

0 implied HN points • 10 Jul 23

🕹 Technology Software Testing Compilers JSON Programming Languages Software Engineering

ABEND dump is back after a break, sharing interesting content
Tests should run fast, be easy to write, and give good feedback
Compilers are fascinating software that can be optimized for faster performance

ABEND dump #8

0 implied HN points • 26 Jan 24

🕹 Technology Programming Podcasts Databases AI

Write in spoken language to engage readers more effectively.
Consider exploring different programming languages to broaden your skills.
Explore podcasts and presentations for valuable insights and recommendations.

Don't obsess on choosing a first programming language, be water!

0 implied HN points • 02 May 23

🕹 Technology Programming Decision-making Learning Career development

Don't stress about choosing the perfect first programming language.
Be flexible and open to learning different programming languages throughout your career.
Focus on practical considerations like educational use, job opportunities, and mentorship when picking a programming language.

On rewriting a Go command-line program in Haskell

0 implied HN points • 23 Jan 24

🕹 Technology Programming Software Development Tools

The Haskell version of the program was more concise than the Go version, showing Haskell's concise nature
Using Haskell for system programming proved to be practical and comparable to Go
Despite some minor inconveniences like needing extra packages, the transition from Go to Haskell was overall positive