We recently repaired a fence in our back yard. Not very exciting, but it provides a good case study in how to think about getting the right tools for the job. Or not getting the right tools. And the trade-offs inherent in improving the tools vs just getting a job done with what you have at hand. Which is something all software developers should have sympathy with.
Continue reading “Just Get the Right Tool!”Month: August 2024
Delivering AI-Based Solutions is not Always Easy
One of the nice properties of delivering software that users install on their own machines is that once the software has been built and shipped, the cost of running it is handed over to the user. The cost per installation and per user is minimal in terms of compute load on the developing company. Of course there are costs for things like support, but that is different. However, having the customer provide the compute resources is not necessarily that easy when it comes to AI-based setups.
Continue reading “Delivering AI-Based Solutions is not Always Easy”Useful Instruction Set Computing
I tend to get into discussions about computer processor instruction-set architecture (ISA) design. ISA design is far from my day job, but it is an interesting topic where everyone working with computers at the machine level have opinions. Typically based on a mix of personal experience and fond memories of particular machines. This in turn leads to intricate and intriguing arguments. In this blog, I will talk about my take on the current state of instruction sets in industry and the age-old “complexity of instruction set” question.
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