The Saddest Moment (2013) [pdf]

https://www.usenix.org/system/files/login-logout_1305_mickens.pdf

by signa11 • 7 years ago

203 27 7 years ago

usenix.org

gmargari• 7 years ago

2013.

dang• 7 years ago

Discussed back then: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6905536

richardhod• 7 years ago

Thank you, although I'm glad this was reposted because the former Microsoft host of this pdf references in that posting is now a dead link

caf• 7 years ago

This is similar in spirit to the Alice and Bob After Dinner Speech (https://urbigenous.net/library/alicebob.html)

dunkelheit• 7 years ago

Arguably, bitcoin network is an example of a practical and widely deployed BFT protocol (although underlying assumptions are a bit different compared to the classical BFT setting). So the field is not dead yet.

314• 7 years ago

It is covered by the example that broadcasts 16 gagilluon messages (because it is not optimized down to the 14 gagiliion case).

derefr• 7 years ago

Blockchain systems are a funny case in that they don’t really need much network traffic for consensus, but they do need a whole lot of messages. All the “traffic” in a [proof of work] blockchain system consists of messages the nodes generate internally, and then discard because they’re not ‘convincing enough’ as a proof of their leadership. But yeah, if you count all those “attempted and discarded” messages up, there’s roughly a gajillion of them.

bloak• 7 years ago

The name of Cthulhu is misspelt in that paper. For the author's sake, I hope that Cthulhu doesn't mind.

Gibbon12• 7 years ago

Cthulhu's illiterate for all we know.

JadeNB• 7 years ago

One thing we know for sure, is that the Old Ones used a definite lettering system with a fixed transliteration scheme into the latin Alphabet.

Verdex• 7 years ago

It's probably safer to misspell it. I imagine it was intentional to avoid unexpected consequences.

erikpukinskis• 7 years ago

Betelgeuse! Betelgeuse! Betelgeuse!

ncmncm2• 7 years ago

Lovecraft said Cthulhu was pronounced "k-tuee-tuee". When asked why he spelled it that way, he said he had no control over how cultists spell their gods' names.

KaiserPro• 7 years ago

This brings so much joy. It sums up my experiences with supporting homebrewed, half-arsed distributed systems.

Bakary• 7 years ago

Can someone explain why it was Keanu who was used as an example? Isn't he supposed to be a likeable actor?

brazzy2• 7 years ago

Likable, yes. But for the longest time he had a reputation for rather wooden acting.

AlwaysRock• 7 years ago

I don't think he's shirked that reputation. He's just taken on roles that utilize that. See Matrix trilogy and the john wick movies. You don't need to have incredible acting chops to play a fairly stoic killer/Superman.

pronoiac• 7 years ago

James Mickens is great! He's listed his own work here:

https://mickens.seas.harvard.edu/wisdom-james-mickens

James Mickens offers his timeless insights for free, because he loves you and he wants you to succeed. Please enjoy the undeniable masterpieces which are collected below.

karmakaze• 7 years ago

And here are a list of Byzantine generals

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Byzantine_generals

atomicbeanie• 7 years ago

And the truth is most systems of any kind seem to fail from simple things that everyone could have prevented but overlooked. Wasted engineering. Best to think like the Arpanet was designed. Have a way to heal once things are normal, not work around the bizarre failures.

Gibbon12• 7 years ago

I've spent a bunch of time in light manufacturing. In testing assemblies I've come to the conclusion that for ordinary stuff you just want to reduce the rate of 'bad product' below the rate of installer fuckups. If 9 times out of 10 the reason is failed it because someone fucked it up and 1 out of 10 is because you shipped a defective unit, no one cares.

You might go, well what about safety critical things. Well it's still true. Just at a much lower level of failure.

qrbLPHiKpiux• 7 years ago

Mossad going to do Mossad things. I like reading his stuff.

teachrdan• 7 years ago

Make sure you read to the end:

In conclusion, I think that humanity should stop publishing papers about Byzantine fault tolerance. I do not blame my fellow researchers for trying to publish in this area, in the same limited sense that I do not blame crackheads for wanting to acquire and then consume cocaine.

southerndrift• 7 years ago

This makes it a good thing, doesn't it? Cocaine is healthier than crack.

ncmncm2• 7 years ago

Exactly! This is not a criminal problem, but a public health problem.

The Saddest Moment (2013) [pdf]

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