Dijkstra's Tweetstorm

Oxide and Friends · 19 Oct 2021 · 1h 26m · Episode 18

What this episode covers

Bryan Cantrill and Adam Leventhal of Oxide Computer Company discuss Edsger Dijkstra’s 1975 tweetstorm, using it to explore how programming languages shape cognitive models and engineering decisions. The conversation covers the pedagogical value of early languages like BASIC and Perl, the specific challenges of learning Rust, and the hardware bring-up struggles at Oxide involving iCE40 FPGAs and I2C level translators. They emphasize that while early languages like BASIC foster enthusiasm, deeper understanding requires exposure to lower-level concepts like C and memory management, a lesson reinforced by Oxide's own hardware debugging experiences.

Mentioned

Companies
Oxide Computer Company
Chips
iCE40
Also
Dijkstra, Perl, Rust, I2C, Hubris

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • The Pragmatic Embedded Podcast · 50m

    Exploring Rust for Embedded Systems with Philip Markgraf

    Philip Markgraf, an experienced software developer and technical leader, discusses his recent experience building an embedded device for Kelvin, a green energy company, using the Rust programming language. He contrasts Rust's memory safety, sophisticated type system, and excellent tooling with the complexities and legacy constraints of C and C++. Markgraf highlights how Rust's borrow checker and standardized libraries simplify development, improve reliability, and attract motivated engineers, while noting that adoption is still in the early stages for embedded systems compared to cloud computing.

  • Embedded.fm · 1h 04m

    267: Cute and Squishy

    Lindsey Kuper, a new professor of computer science and engineering at UC Santa Cruz and co-founder of Bang Bang Con, discusses her research on programming languages and distributed systems, the challenges of reading technical papers, and the logistics of organizing the Bang Bang Con West conference. She explains the trade-offs between expressivity, efficiency, and generality in language design, citing Julia and GPUs as examples, and details the specific requirements for talk proposals at the upcoming Santa Cruz event.

  • The Amp Hour · 1h 33m

    An Interview with Dave Vandenbout - Xceptional XESS Xenagogue

    Dave Vandenbout of XS Corporation (XESS) discusses the history and current state of FPGA development, explaining why FPGAs remain a niche tool compared to microcontrollers due to the parallel vs. sequential programming paradigm. He details his modular board architecture, including the Zula and StickIt boards, which abstracts complex peripherals like SDRAM to lower the barrier to entry for students and engineers. Vandenbout also advocates for open-source hardware and software tools, specifically highlighting his shift from Eagle to KiCad and his interest in using Python-based MyHDL to simplify FPGA learning.

  • Embedded.fm · 1h 06m

    158: Programming Is Too Difficult for Humans

    Fabien Chouteau, a software engineer at AdaCore, discusses the Ada programming language and its suitability for safety-critical embedded systems. He explains Ada's design philosophy, including its formal requirements document (the Steelman document), strong typing, and the SPARK tool for formal verification. Chouteau also promotes the 'Make with Ada' competition, highlighting supported platforms like the STM32 and Crazyflie nanodrone, and demonstrates how Ada improves code reliability through contract-based programming.

  • Embedded.fm · 59m

    127: Chicken Equals Duck Plus One

    Hosts Elecia White and Christopher White discuss the future of programming languages in embedded systems, arguing that C's dominance is due to compiler optimization capabilities and industry inertia rather than technical superiority. They explore specific C features like the ISO 646.h header, review listener emails regarding career advice and tooling frustrations with OpenOCD, and examine hardware examples like the VoCore Linux board and the ESP8266 Wi-Fi chip.

The summary, chapters and topics are generated from the episode’s audio by this directory, not written by Oxide and Friends. The episode itself belongs to its publisher.