Intel's leadership shakeup raises questions about the company's ability to adapt in a competitive landscape. A Zipcar outage leaves customers stranded, highlighting severe customer service failures. The importance of fail-safes in technology gets emphasized, especially for critical services. Insights on migrating to a new email provider stress the significance of DMARC for deliverability. Lastly, discussions on email hosting options reveal tools like ProtonMail and options for simplifying NAS setups.
Pat Gelsinger's exit from Intel underscores the company's deep-rooted challenges in manufacturing that cannot be solved by mere leadership changes.
The Zipcar outage highlights the risks associated with reliance on cloud services and the need for effective contingency planning amidst technical failures.
Deep dives
Upcoming ZFS Webinar
A ZFS Ask Me Anything session is scheduled for December 12th, hosted by prominent developer Mark Mabee alongside a moderator. This event invites participants to inquire about any topics related to ZFS, including its historical development and future direction. The session aims to clarify how ZFS functions and share insights gained from its evolution. It presents an opportunity for both developers and users to engage deeply with experts on the filesystem.
Intel's Leadership Shake-Up
Pat Gelsinger's departure from Intel, occurring after less than four years at the helm, is attributed to the company’s significant struggles in its foundry operations. Intel faced stiff competition from TSMC and failed to sufficiently improve its manufacturing capabilities, undermining its traditional advantages as a chip manufacturer. Gelsinger aimed to shift Intel's strategy from a slow tick-tock development cycle to more aggressive die shrinks, but these ambitious plans were hindered by quality issues and staff layoffs. The discussion reflects a broader concern about Intel's long-term viability amid competition from both AMD and ARM architectures.
Cloud Dependency Issues
A recent Zipcar outage showcased significant flaws in their cloud-based system, resulting in customers being locked out of vehicles when the app malfunctioned. The situation was exacerbated by Zipcar's poor handling of customer grievances, including threatening fees for vehicles that couldn't be secured due to system failure. Comparisons were drawn to similar cloud infrastructure issues experienced by Meta, highlighting vulnerabilities in reliance on cloud services for critical operations. Effective contingency plans appear lacking, raising questions about Zipcar's responsibility for its infrastructure failures.
Email Migration Recommendations
When migrating email systems lacking DMARC, expert recommendations favor using established providers like ProtonMail or FastMail over self-hosting, primarily due to deliverability concerns. Hosting providers are better equipped to ensure emails reach intended inboxes without being flagged as spam. The discussion emphasizes the importance of maintaining robust email systems, where constant management and technical adjustments are necessary for successful operation. Recommendations point toward established platforms that offer reliable email services while allowing users to focus on their core activities.
Intel’s CEO departs but replacing him won’t magically solve its serious problems, Zipcar wasn’t prepared for an outage and handled it really badly, moving to an email provider that supports DMARC, and picking a NAS distribution.