Pete Bachant

Python, CFD, open source, data science, bicycles, wind energy.

[Pete Bachant @petebachant]

There seems to be a tendency with technical people to want to turn every problem into a _project_. To be lean/agile, it's important to resist that urge as much as possible.

[Pete Bachant @petebachant]

Recently did some maintenance work on #turbinesFoam, and thought it would be nice if OpenFOAM followed the open–closed principle at the library level, though I suppose they don't see their primary purpose as being a library

https://t.co/YI85caT9Mp

[Pete Bachant @petebachant]

Welcome to all my new followers!*

*fake accounts

[Pete Bachant @petebachant]

Nearly all engineering research boils down to building tools to tell people how their ideas would perform without actually building them

[Pete Bachant @petebachant]

Dealt with some buggy IoT app for our garage door opener this morning. There is no incentive for the company to maintain the software other than for a video storage subscription. In those cases, companies should be forced to release their code open source so others can fix.

[Pete Bachant @petebachant]

The most important skill to develop is the ability to quickly develop new skills

[Pete Bachant @petebachant]

Maybe AI can help come up with ideas for solutions too, by synthesizing or translating more specific solutions according to a more general pattern extracted from the requirements. Maybe it can validate them as well through simulation (read: testing in the software world).

[Pete Bachant @petebachant]

At its core, engineering is all about coming up with possible solutions to suit some requirements, and being able to predict which ones will meet them. Toward that end, AI can be helpful with the latter, mapping previously validated solutions to requirements.

[Pete Bachant @petebachant]

Simplicity is nice, and typically I really like that I don't have the option of driving a car all over the place. Doesn't feel like a reduction in standard of living at all--quite the contrary.

[Pete Bachant @petebachant]

Thinking a lot about nonessential complexity lately. When it comes to life, I don't think mandatory individual car ownership (or high levels of mobility) is essential complexity, though some people do, probably because it's the status quo.

[Jthomas @5280FT]

@thebikingvet @AllenCowgill @ENERGY Sure, now add children, actual cargo, and weather. Most people don’t want a lower standard of living.

[Pete Bachant @petebachant]

Probably going to drop from Twitter because I'm not a fan of the leadership. Anyone else leaving, and if so, where to?

[Pete Bachant @petebachant]

I think it's a sign that there are so many resources out there telling people how to do OOP correctly. It's a sign that OOP is very easy to do wrong, so should be used with caution.

[Pete Bachant @petebachant]

Avoiding the need for institutional knowledge (e.g., internal frameworks) is also important in SWE teams, because we want to be able to scale the team with the least amount of onboarding possible.

[Pete Bachant @petebachant]

As an engineer who also manages a team of engineers, this paper has had a large impact on my thinking lately: https://t.co/1i3n2WNci5

Simplicity should be pursued as a top priority: In the product, the implementation, the organizational structure.

[Pete Bachant @petebachant]

But when it comes to software, avoid classes when possible. If the business logic (itself ideally simple) can be achieved by primitive data types and procedures, use primitive data types and procedures.

[Pete Bachant @petebachant]

When you use classes to write procedural code in Python, `self` often ends up being a big container of shared mutable state. So, don't do that.

[Pete Bachant @petebachant]

Many smart people are not lazy enough. They're happy creating and understanding complex things on complex terms because they have the capacity for it, instead of ruthlessly simplifying.

[Pete Bachant @petebachant]

Not filling your email templates properly is a great way to get people to work with you