January 2015 Summaries

The SOLID principles, particularly the Open/Closed principle, provide guidelines for writing adaptable code but can be challenging to grasp, especially regarding the concept of being open for extension yet closed for modification. The principle advocates for writing code that allows behavior to be changed by extending the system through new code rather than modifying existing code, which requires a focus on single responsibility and dependency injection. An example from Rescale illustrates how refactoring an API client to focus on a single responsibility and allowing extensions via request objects simplified code maintenance and adaptability. This approach contrasts with a codebase that neglects Open/Closed, where modifications lead to convoluted, hard-to-maintain code, thereby escalating development costs. By adhering to the Open/Closed principle, developers can create more flexible and scalable systems, reducing the complexity and cost of future changes.

Rescale is planning significant updates for 2015, focusing on new hardware, expanded data center networks, enhanced developer functionality, improved visualization tools, software and scheduler integrations, and enhanced enterprise administration. Customers can expect new Intel Haswell processors to boost performance by up to 20%, alongside reduced prices as older hardware depreciates. The company is expanding its data centers in Asia and Europe to meet local data residency requirements and has made its API and CLI publicly available to enable deeper integration into internal systems. Upcoming remote visualization capabilities will facilitate efficient pre- and post-processing without file transfers, while software integrations will streamline simulations within partner GUIs. Additionally, new administrative tools will assist with budgeting, user management, and monitoring.

Purchasing high-performance computing (HPC) equipment represents only about one-third of the total ownership cost, with significant additional expenses such as electricity, labor, and facilities often overlooked in cost comparisons with cloud-based solutions like Rescale. While companies frequently miscalculate their internal HPC costs, particularly by underestimating labor and electricity expenses, a realistic evaluation shows that when utilization rates drop, the per core-hour cost increases significantly. Comparisons to Rescale's pricing often mistakenly compare on-demand pricing to internal costs, which is inaccurate; instead, a more accurate comparison involves matching internal costs to Rescale's three-year pre-paid cloud cost, which often reveals significant savings. Rescale's pre-paid plans offer a more favorable cost per core-hour than maintaining internal HPC systems, especially when factoring in peak demand scenarios where internal utilization rates can fall dramatically. Rescale encourages organizations to conduct a total-cost-of-ownership study to make informed comparisons and better understand the financial implications of their HPC investments.

News from West Africa often focuses on the Ebola epidemic, which continues to impact the region significantly. A simulation model of Ebola's spread uses a hypothetical network to illustrate how the disease progresses through stages: not exposed, infected, contagious, under care, and deceased or recovered. The model highlights the importance of quarantine as a crucial measure against the virus's spread, despite simplified assumptions about infection rates and medical staff immunity. Comparatively, the seasonal flu, although less fatal than Ebola, poses a greater threat due to its higher infectivity rate, affecting millions annually. The text discusses the use of SEIR models to simulate flu spread and examines the role of immunity in mitigating infection rates. By comparing the simulations of Ebola and Influenza, the article suggests that despite the high fatality of Ebola, the flu's widespread impact poses a more significant concern globally, especially in terms of economic costs to populations.