TweetFollow Us on Twitter

Jul 95 Viewpoint
Volume Number:11
Issue Number:7
Column Tag:Viewpoint

Viewpoint

By Scott T Boyd, Editor-at-Large

The story begins in a far-away place, a place of legend and lore

An ever-present pale mist hangs low in the sky, shrouding memories of sun-drenched days long since gone. So distant are those memories that most inhabitants of this place have relegated them to the stuff of mythology. Some even deny that the sun ever shone on this forsaken place.

Deep inside a forest works a craftsman, working alongside many others, doing the bidding of others. This one craftsman, toiling away quietly, had heard tales of days when the sun shone brightly in the sky, piercing through the gloom. In fact, as these legends went, although the world was overcast in most places, there was a special place where bright blue skies and sunshine were almost taken for granted.

Inspired by these tales, he took note of stories from the more recent history where others had conjured up ways to drive the clouds from the sky. While none of these tales offered hope as glorious as the distant past, he learned from those who had gone before. He pondered these as he whiled away the hours working at his assigned tasks.

Drawing upon what he had learned from the lore of the past, and acting where others had only retold stories, he set a new task for himself. This task was different. On the surface, it bore some resemblance to other tasks he had undertaken. Yet, this one defied explanation. Although his skills in his craft often yielded products which would draw a fair price in the marketplace, this craftwork offered no hope of earning anything for his masters. Was he surprised to learn that this did not draw him praise? While some speculate on this, it certainly didn’t deter him from the mission.

Now, it should be understood that he knew that his labor would not bring him glory. Yet, the overcast skies, long accepted by the citizens of this domain as normal, gave him cause to keep at the task. And, lo, after many late nights and sidewise glances from those who didn’t understand his mission, he brought forth the results of his work. Quietly and without fanfare, he reproduced the item, and sent it to the farthest corners of the land.

Even though the item was free, and even though it hailed from the forest where many wonderful things seemed to come from, few noticed the gift. Nevertheless, one by one, kindred spirits took note of the gift, and brought it into their places of work. Holding it in their hands, they would turn it over and over, and wonder whether this was a tool they might use in their crafts. Some decided not. Some decided so. These put the tool to use, and something strange happened.

It took a few minutes as each person sorted out what was different. As they did, a smile appeared on each face. Still overcast, the sky was taking on a new look. It happened so infrequently that some had trouble remembering what it looked like when a ray of sunshine peeked through the clouds. Not only did the gift make their work easier, it lifted their spirits.

Back in the forest, the craftsman returned to his assigned tasks. On occasion, word would get back to him from someone who had used his gift. Some would send words of encouragement. Others would send words of criticism, sometimes constructive, sometimes not. Those who directed his work breathed a sigh of relief, for now he could get back to his real work with his full attention.

The moral of the story? Here are several:

• Gifts make people feel better.

• For-profit businesses don’t like to build things to give away.

• It’s not easy to remember the glory days, and it’s tempting to think that it’s always been this way. The glory days were probably just legend, anyway.

• Those who build gifts do so at some personal risk.

Gift-builders deserve our praise. Why? Because many things which get labeled as gifts are, in actuality, things which people need. Unfortunately, they also tend to be the kinds of things that no one wants to make because they don’t clearly contribute to the bottom line. We can’t count on bottom-line watchers to praise their workers, so we’ll do it here.

This particular craftsman has a name - Bill Knott. He’s an engineer at Apple, and he built a piece of software you may not yet know about - the Debugging Modern Memory Manager for Power Macintosh.

Other worthy tool and gift builders have created tools which retrofit existing memory managers to offer some of the functionality that Bill has simply built in. Many had talked about how good a debugging memory manager would be, and Bill’s the guy who built it. While Bill is not alone as a hero to the developer community, his recent gift deserves something special. I’m tempted to bestow an Unsung Hero award on Bill, but he’s no longer unsung. Instead, I’ll award him the medal for Bravery in Relentlessly Pursuing the Right Thing, as well as the medal for getting it into developer’s hands The Right Way. Thank you Bill, and please keep up the fine work!

Check out his work on the latest Developer CD or at http://www.info.apple.com/mirror/Apple.Support.Area/Developer_
Services//Tool_Chest/Testing_&_Debugging/Memory_Management/
Debugging_Modern_Memory_Ma.sit.hqx

Once you’ve had a chance to check it out, drop him a note of thanks, and let Apple management know that we’d like to see more gifts like this. It’s good for Apple to have happy. developers. mailto: DMMM@powertalk.apple.com

While you’re at it, we’d love it if you CC: us on what you send to Bill. mailto: editorial@xplain.com

 

Community Search:
MacTech Search:

Software Updates via MacUpdate

Latest Forum Discussions

See All

Whitethorn Games combines two completely...
If you have ever gone fishing then you know that it is a lesson in patience, sitting around waiting for a bite that may never come. Well, that's because you have been doing it wrong, since as Whitehorn Games now demonstrates in new release Skate... | Read more »
Call of Duty Warzone is a Waiting Simula...
It's always fun when a splashy multiplayer game comes to mobile because they are few and far between, so I was excited to see the notification about Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile (finally) launching last week and wanted to try it out. As someone who... | Read more »
Albion Online introduces some massive ne...
Sandbox Interactive has announced an upcoming update to its flagship MMORPG Albion Online, containing massive updates to its existing guild Vs guild systems. Someone clearly rewatched the Helms Deep battle in Lord of the Rings and spent the next... | Read more »
Chucklefish announces launch date of the...
Chucklefish, the indie London-based team we probably all know from developing Terraria or their stint publishing Stardew Valley, has revealed the mobile release date for roguelike deck-builder Wildfrost. Developed by Gaziter and Deadpan Games, the... | Read more »
Netmarble opens pre-registration for act...
It has been close to three years since Netmarble announced they would be adapting the smash series Solo Leveling into a video game, and at last, they have announced the opening of pre-orders for Solo Leveling: Arise. [Read more] | Read more »
PUBG Mobile celebrates sixth anniversary...
For the past six years, PUBG Mobile has been one of the most popular shooters you can play in the palm of your hand, and Krafton is celebrating this milestone and many years of ups by teaming up with hit music man JVKE to create a special song for... | Read more »
ASTRA: Knights of Veda refuse to pump th...
In perhaps the most recent example of being incredibly eager, ASTRA: Knights of Veda has dropped its second collaboration with South Korean boyband Seventeen, named so as it consists of exactly thirteen members and a video collaboration with Lee... | Read more »
Collect all your cats and caterpillars a...
If you are growing tired of trying to build a town with your phone by using it as a tiny, ineffectual shover then fear no longer, as Independent Arts Software has announced the upcoming release of Construction Simulator 4, from the critically... | Read more »
Backbone complete its lineup of 2nd Gene...
With all the ports of big AAA games that have been coming to mobile, it is becoming more convenient than ever to own a good controller, and to help with this Backbone has announced the completion of their 2nd generation product lineup with their... | Read more »
Zenless Zone Zero opens entries for its...
miHoYo, aka HoYoverse, has become such a big name in mobile gaming that it's hard to believe that arguably their flagship title, Genshin Impact, is only three and a half years old. Now, they continue the road to the next title in their world, with... | Read more »

Price Scanner via MacPrices.net

B&H has Apple’s 13-inch M2 MacBook Airs o...
B&H Photo has 13″ MacBook Airs with M2 CPUs and 256GB of storage in stock and on sale for up to $150 off Apple’s new MSRP, starting at only $849. Free 1-2 day delivery is available to most US... Read more
M2 Mac minis on sale for $100-$200 off MSRP,...
B&H Photo has Apple’s M2-powered Mac minis back in stock and on sale today for $100-$200 off MSRP. Free 1-2 day shipping is available for most US addresses: – Mac mini M2/256GB SSD: $499, save $... Read more
Mac Studios with M2 Max and M2 Ultra CPUs on...
B&H Photo has standard-configuration Mac Studios with Apple’s M2 Max & Ultra CPUs in stock today and on Easter sale for $200 off MSRP. Their prices are the lowest available for these models... Read more
Deal Alert! B&H Photo has Apple’s 14-inch...
B&H Photo has new Gray and Black 14″ M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max MacBook Pros on sale for $200-$300 off MSRP, starting at only $1399. B&H offers free 1-2 day delivery to most US addresses: – 14″ 8... Read more
Department Of Justice Sets Sights On Apple In...
NEWS – The ball has finally dropped on the big Apple. The ball (metaphorically speaking) — an antitrust lawsuit filed in the U.S. on March 21 by the Department of Justice (DOJ) — came down following... Read more
New 13-inch M3 MacBook Air on sale for $999,...
Amazon has Apple’s new 13″ M3 MacBook Air on sale for $100 off MSRP for the first time, now just $999 shipped. Shipping is free: – 13″ MacBook Air (8GB RAM/256GB SSD/Space Gray): $999 $100 off MSRP... Read more
Amazon has Apple’s 9th-generation WiFi iPads...
Amazon has Apple’s 9th generation 10.2″ WiFi iPads on sale for $80-$100 off MSRP, starting only $249. Their prices are the lowest available for new iPads anywhere: – 10″ 64GB WiFi iPad (Space Gray or... Read more
Discounted 14-inch M3 MacBook Pros with 16GB...
Apple retailer Expercom has 14″ MacBook Pros with M3 CPUs and 16GB of standard memory discounted by up to $120 off Apple’s MSRP: – 14″ M3 MacBook Pro (16GB RAM/256GB SSD): $1691.06 $108 off MSRP – 14... Read more
Clearance 15-inch M2 MacBook Airs on sale for...
B&H Photo has Apple’s 15″ MacBook Airs with M2 CPUs (8GB RAM/256GB SSD) in stock today and on clearance sale for $999 in all four colors. Free 1-2 delivery is available to most US addresses.... Read more
Clearance 13-inch M1 MacBook Airs drop to onl...
B&H has Apple’s base 13″ M1 MacBook Air (Space Gray, Silver, & Gold) in stock and on clearance sale today for $300 off MSRP, only $699. Free 1-2 day shipping is available to most addresses in... Read more

Jobs Board

Medical Assistant - Surgical Oncology- *Apple...
Medical Assistant - Surgical Oncology- Apple Hill Location: WellSpan Medical Group, York, PA Schedule: Full Time Sign-On Bonus Eligible Remote/Hybrid Regular Apply Read more
Omnichannel Associate - *Apple* Blossom Mal...
Omnichannel Associate - Apple Blossom Mall Location:Winchester, VA, United States (https://jobs.jcp.com/jobs/location/191170/winchester-va-united-states) - Apple Read more
Cashier - *Apple* Blossom Mall - JCPenney (...
Cashier - Apple Blossom Mall Location:Winchester, VA, United States (https://jobs.jcp.com/jobs/location/191170/winchester-va-united-states) - Apple Blossom Mall Read more
Operations Associate - *Apple* Blossom Mall...
Operations Associate - Apple Blossom Mall Location:Winchester, VA, United States (https://jobs.jcp.com/jobs/location/191170/winchester-va-united-states) - Apple Read more
Business Analyst | *Apple* Pay - Banco Popu...
Business Analyst | Apple PayApply now " Apply now + Apply Now + Start applying with LinkedIn Start + Please wait Date:Mar 19, 2024 Location: San Juan-Cupey, PR Read more
All contents are Copyright 1984-2011 by Xplain Corporation. All rights reserved. Theme designed by Icreon.