$ cat post/grep-through-the-dark-log-/-the-database-was-the-truth-/-i-kept-the-bash-script.md

grep through the dark log / the database was the truth / I kept the bash script

Title: 2007 New Year’s Resolution: Let’s Not Be So Silly

January 1st, 2007. I woke up to a new year and the lingering hangover from the holidays. As an engineer in tech, it’s always good to pause for a moment and reflect on what has been and where you want to go. Here are some thoughts from this particular moment.

Last year was a rollercoaster of ups and downs. The cloud vs. colo debates were still raging, and every day seemed to bring a new twist in the tech world. I remember arguing about Hadoop’s merits with coworkers one evening when we should have been focusing on our main project. Now that 2007 has started, it’s time for me to make some sense of it all.

GitHub launches in April, and while many saw it as just another social network for programmers, I was already feeling the stirrings of a new way to collaborate. Our team had been using SVN for years, but Git was starting to take off. I resolved to learn more about it this year. No one wants to be left behind in version control land.

We were also deep into our project with AWS EC2 and S3. These services were gaining serious traction, especially as they became more reliable. Our storage solution used to be a colocation nightmare, but now we could scale up and down as needed without worrying about servers heating up or cooling down. I spent the early part of 2007 optimizing our infrastructure to take full advantage of these cloud services.

The iPhone SDK was launched in July, and while it seemed like a toy for developers, the future was staring us in the face. Mobile computing was on its way, and we needed to start thinking about how our apps would perform across devices. It wasn’t just about developing for iPhones; it was about rethinking the entire stack.

As an engineer, I’m often skeptical of hype, but this year I felt like a lot of what was being touted might actually stick around. Agile practices were spreading, and we started to adopt Scrum on our team. Some days, we struggled with the methodology, but other days, it seemed like magic. The key was not to be rigid; flexibility within structure can be powerful.

But amidst all this excitement, there was a cloud of uncertainty. The economic crash had hit tech hiring hard in 2008, and no one knew if that shadow would lift or deepen. We had to balance our ambition with the reality of cash flow. Every day, we juggled spending wisely while still pushing the envelope.

So here’s what I’m resolved for this year:

  1. Embrace New Tools: Dive deep into Git and learn how it can revolutionize our workflows.
  2. Stay Agile (but Flexible): Embrace Scrum but don’t be afraid to adapt when needed.
  3. Watch the Mobile Shift Closely: Start preparing for a mobile-first world, even if we’re not there yet.
  4. Keep an Eye on Costs: Be smart about spending and keep our infrastructure lean.

2007 was shaping up to be a big year in tech. I had my work cut out for me, but I was ready to tackle it head-on. The future looked uncertain, but that’s what makes the journey exciting. Here’s to hoping 2007 brings more than just hangovers and more than just hype.

Happy New Year! Let’s make this a year of real progress.