al05's comments

On: Linear code is more readable

[al05]

Functions have never been about simply being called different places.

So you entire premise is wrong.

On: Linear code is more readable

[al05]

I still prefer the one the right. I'm able to skip entire sections of code, and assume what the function does. Only if I require details do I go deeper.

The comments are metadata, and where function names are tied into the code. One is going to stay up to date. The other isn't.

On: U.S Unemployment By Education Level

[al05]

I.e The boss is feeling threatened excuse.

[mgcross → al05]

Or too much of a "flight risk" when a higher paying position elsewhere arises, wasting the employer's investment in training.

On: Larry Page Begins Major Google Reorg: Engineers, N...

[al05]

Its a way of making sure the power stays with the powerful.

On: Larry Page Begins Major Google Reorg: Engineers, N...

[al05]

Are you kidding? Middle Management are often the first to go. They produce no real work, they just provide less work for upper management.

On: Larry Page Begins Major Google Reorg: Engineers, N...

[al05]

People on HN have this weird distinction where if your an engineer you stay an engineer. In the real world, most career structures involve coming in a engineer and then progressing into management. A lot the skills used for management such as negation skills just come with age anyway.

[bluedanieru → al05]

A lot the skills used for management such as negation skills just come with age anyway.

Well you get older and fear change a bit more, and you tend to say "no" to more things, but that's not really a management skill.

[Silhouette → bluedanieru]

I respectfully disagree. I believe that knowing when and how to say "no" is one of the most important management skills, and I suspect that understanding the need to say "no" a lot more than "yes" in the early days of a project (or a whole business) is quite strongly correlated with success.

[bluedanieru → Silhouette]

I think he meant to type "negotiation" rather than "negation", which makes little sense even if he was trying to convey the point you just made. So I was making a little fun of that. I agree with you.

[Silhouette → bluedanieru]

Sorry, I missed the original (presumed) typo. My sense of humour has now been rebooted. :-)

On: Larry Page Begins Major Google Reorg: Engineers, N...

[al05]

I'm pretty sure its illegal for non-lawyers to manage lawyers.

[arethuza → al05]

Lots of companies have in-house legal counsel - they can't all be managed by lawyers unless it is lawyers all the way up to and including the CEO.

What it might be is that law firms in most places can't have partners who are non-lawyers, but that's quite different.

[tyree732 → al05]

This is incorrect. The company I work for has a legal department that reports to upper management.

[al05 → tyree732]

My mistake, I just heard someone mention it before.

On: Larry Page Begins Major Google Reorg: Engineers, N...

[al05]

What makes you think mangers don't suffer from the same thing. Managers are also highly educated often more so(MBAs etc) etc except they will be trying to employ fancy management rather than fancy algorithms.

On: Why Some People Can Run on Little Sleep and Get So...

[al05]

Assuming they work those hours. I spend the spare hours when I can't sleep watching films.

On: What skills do self-taught programmers commonly la...

[al05]

A basic diagram with some arrows explains pointers pretty well.