alt Hacker NewsMicrosoft is unable to run a reliable hosted email service, given infinite resources. What people don't realise is that the former is in part a consequence of the latter. Without a forcing function, complexity multiplies, silent fragility accumulates, end-to-end understanding dwindles. There is no incentive to simplify.
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Im not so sure about the infinite resources part, more like a self inflicted austerity of resources - its a technology problem emergent from a organizational problem, emergent from a certain late stage mindset
Great insight. I would add that forcing function comes from the self, not from outside. The force is essentially the communication between the parts. When the communication breaks down, things fall apart, establishing a new kind of communication across the pieces to achieve equilibrium. The physical structures also have the same rule. They will crumble into a pile of lego bricks to achieve a new state of equilibrium and a simplified network of communication across the pile.
Does having 400M users and 1B emails per day factor into your forgiveness?
I’m no fan Outlook and what they’ve done for the world of email, but if they’re Rolls Royce and this outage is an engine failure then that’s an expected level of service?
Or they’re Boeing and this a 787 Max. I’m on the fence.