Caching is an abstraction, not an optimization

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ckdot2 ◴[03 Jul 25 19:03 UTC] No.44458190[source]▶

"I think now caching is probably best understood as a tool for making software simpler" - that's cute. Caching might be beneficial for many cases, but if it doesn't do one thing then this is simplifying software. There's that famous quote "There are only two hard things in Computer Science: cache invalidation and naming things.", and, sure, it's a bit ironical, but there's some truth in there.

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1. AdieuToLogic ◴[03 Jul 25 23:43 UTC] No.44460039[source]▶

>>44458190 #

> There's that famous quote "There are only two hard things in Computer Science: cache invalidation and naming things.", and, sure, it's a bit ironical, but there's some truth in there.

The joke form of this quote goes along the lines of:

  There are only two hard things in Computer Science: cache 
  invalidation, naming things, and off-by-one errors.

:-D

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2. dcminter ◴[04 Jul 25 04:23 UTC] No.44461109[source]▶

>>44460039 (TP) #

I rather like the snark of:

there's two hard problems in computer science: we only have one joke and it's not funny.

Apparently⁰ by Philip Scott Bowden¹

⁰ https://martinfowler.com/bliki/TwoHardThings.html

¹ https://x.com/pbowden/status/468855097879830528

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3. AndrewOMartin ◴[04 Jul 25 09:01 UTC] No.44462642[source]▶

>>44460039 (TP) #

Which leads to

> I don't see what's so hard about DNS, it's just cache invalidation and naming things.

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4. manyaoman ◴[04 Jul 25 09:30 UTC] No.44462857[source]▶

>>44462642 #

... and avoiding off-by-one errors.

5. dcminter ◴[04 Jul 25 09:48 UTC] No.44462981[source]▶

>>44462642 #

Oh that's gooood. Got a cite or is it yours?

6. SAI_Peregrinus ◴[04 Jul 25 12:47 UTC] No.44464042[source]▶

>>44460039 (TP) #

My favorite variation only really works in text:

There are three hard problems in Computer Science:

1) Cache invalidation

2) Naming th3) Concurings

rency

4) Off-by-one errors

7. aorth ◴[04 Jul 25 20:54 UTC] No.44467814[source]▶

>>44461109 #

Just remembered another one: there are 10 types of people in the world: those who understand binary and those who don't. :)

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