Good – and experienced – programmers well know this advice, although it’s not generally said. This is so because it’s so trivial, intrinsic, just part of life. The complication/answer advice is:
When something appears to be stuck, stalled, or dead. Approach it, poke it, gently.
You have seen that, right? That’s it, the end. But in case you want to remind yourself of how important that is, especially when dealing with technology, consider my situation:
Highly Dangerous
And so it happened, 99% of disk usage, Ubuntu reported. My setting is Ubuntu over WSL inside Windows 11, Home edition. But before the complicated situation, let me tell you of my work. I move containers. This is what I do. I am not a specialist. I am just a normal doer. I see myself as a builder. So move them, using crates and other tools.
But then days go by, and the ship seems to be always smaller. So I threw some of them in the ocean. Yet, something is odd. 99%. 99%. That is my day, now, not like before when I used to run around. Now, I walk slowly, red alert, 99%. That is how I end up visiting the AI department: And it was good. But their best solution required me to buy the Professional version. I checked online, following the advice. But it was too expensive. So, I continued to work, back to work, the hard work continues, 99%, 99%, and 99%.
So the next day, I had a fresh thought. Be polite. I started the day asking, please, and let them know I could not afford Windows Professional. I know that it’s not needed, so apologies, Sam. And the good news? I had a solution. And with that, a dangerous mission:
Sounded complicated. What is that? I don’t know. But they are saying it will work. And so I followed the advice.
Running, Out of Time
All good, I love progress meters. I need them. So it was quick, getting started: 25%, 50%, and 75%, quite fast. But then, stuck at 75%. Half an hour, almost one hour, nothing. Of course, I couldn’t work because of that. Shipping is not shipping. And you know that comes next – that normal being that wants to do something:
I will press the key
That control key. See, I want to do that. But I feared too. All windows, closed. Except that little terminal, progressing, 75%, stuck. I can’t touch, I know it. I will do it. So, let us put a sign, right there, FBI style. No, Marcio, no. Meanwhile, let us ask the AI department again.
Would you, please, be able to let me know what would happen if I interrupt the process?
Don’t do it. That is what I heard. And so I had to find something else to do. Two hours went by, and the same. 75%, 75%.
But then, that moment comes. Where we have to do something. Slowing, sometimes. And I was there. I focused on the terminal. And what key to press? That enlightened biological answer. Enter, not CTRL+C. And that was it, it moved.
100%
And that is how I was back on track. And so I knew, for I have seen it before. And so this is the reminder for us – developers, doers, builders, and shippers. That is it, that gentle poke.
