Allow me to preface this week’s blog entry with a little background information. I work as a software technician at Hewlett Packard. The job title implies a professional atmosphere and although at times the utmost professionalism is required, most of the time, the work environment is very relaxed. Below is an email thread from today between myself and two engineers. I’m the test lead for a software project, and they are the driving force behind the code.
#13 is up in Dropbox. Also, I put Dave's new 0.24 hpmudn drop in there too.
I got Bravo working on Mac again, and we should probably check Linux to make sure we are OK there too
-Don
As you can see, the tone of this email is very relaxed. There’s a wealth of technical jargon to be sifted through before the instructions present themselves. The phrase, “we should probably check..” is the red flag signaling what this particular engineer would like to see.
Linux is working a-okay.
-Stan
Again, the tone is relaxed. This engineer is letting everyone else know that he’s already looked at the software in Linux, and everything is working properly as far as he can see.
Treetop isn't happy post bravo012. Stan and I saw the Treetop throwing a 49 error yesterday afternoon. It looks like when bravo tries to communicate with Treetop, the unit errors out. I'm currently using the Sprint 5 driver which I'm told is the latest. I just got the same error while using Dave's latest (.24) hpmud stuff.
Log files attached.
-Linus
Upon further review, I probably should’ve used a more professional tone in my email to Don and Stan, but in an effort to maintain status quo, I chose to use a relaxed tone. If I were emailing my supervisors, I would have chosen a more appropriate vernacular (ie: less slang, more specifics). Since I’ve worked closely with these two engineers and consider our relationship to be more friendly than not, I feel comfortable speaking in such tone.
Maybe Dave could take a look at it? If hpmud is giving the same error, it must be some sort of low level IO issue?
-Don
Don seems to enjoy camouflaging his instructions so as to not seem demanding. He’s also deferring the investigation to Dave by using deductive reasoning.
As per Dave, the laserjet LEDM xml packets are different from the inkjets, thus resulting in a system hang. The 49 error translates to an IO hang which requires a power cycle with the USB cable unplugged to clear.
-Linus
My reply seems very robotic. I was typing this email as Dave, another engineer on the same project, was dictating his analysis to me orally. After re-reading the email, I realize that I could have been more descriptive. In my defense, this was my own reduction after I processed what Dave was telling me. It’s really easy to get confused when engineers are rattling off complex technical terms while explaining what’s happening and why.
Dave, can you please expand on this? My examination of LEDM on Treetop is that is it mostly the same, with a few different elements here and there. I put a few small hacks into our code to handle the small differences. I've had no problem talking to Treetop with LEDM over the network, for example.
-Don
I obviously didn’t do a good job relaying the information between the two engineers. Don has asked for clarification on the matter. Don’s tone has changed from very relaxed to mildly pressing. He’s stated his theory and backed it up with logos rhetoric. “My examination … is that it is mostly the same with a few different elements...” This statement shows that he’s already done some research, and taken measures to prevent the issue. “I put a few small hacks into our code…” This is letting Dave know that he’s already made adjustments to handle the issue. The tone is unaggressive while still stating his stance. This will most likely be the first topic tackled upon returning to work in the morning.
3 comments:
I enjoyed your analysis of a the email communication. There was a lot of jargon, but I too interpreted the tone to go from relaxed to urgent. This was a great piece to analyze.
I agree the tone is changing. There must be a deadline or report coming soon. There does come a point when face to face or phone conference becomes needed. no matter how clear the writing is. As you pointed out clearer communication earlier on may have prevented this.
So this is how leet HaX0rs communicate huh? It seems very streamlined as it is, I see no reason why you would bother investing extra time trying to sound well-spoken. My cousin was an early Microsoft programmer and he portrayed it as a very informal atmosphere, like wearing t-shirts and shorts into work. If it gets the job done, then who cares right? Actions speak louder then words.
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