#479 – Dave Plummer: Programming, Autism, and Old-School Microsoft Stories | Lex Fridman Podcast

Lex Fridman interviews Dave Plummer, a former Microsoft software engineer, about his early experiences with computers, his work on MS-DOS, Windows 95, NT, XP, and key projects like the Windows Task Manager and ZIP file support. They discuss the culture at Microsoft, the challenges of programming in machine code and C++, and the evolution of operating systems. Plummer also shares insights into his life with autism, offering advice on navigating social interactions and leveraging unique strengths. The conversation covers Plummer's side projects, including his current AI project for the game Tempest and the GitHub Primes project, and concludes with his thoughts on the future of programming and the meaning of life.

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#479 – Dave Plummer: Programming, Autism, and Old-School Microsoft Stories

Lex Fridman Podcast

Introduction to Dave Plummer and His Work

Sponsors and the Importance of Accessible Healthcare

AI Customer Service and Investment Tools

Shopify, Ruby on Rails, and Dave Plummer's First Computer

Early Computing and the Commodore 64

Machine Code Programming and Working at 7-Eleven

Returning to School and Joining Microsoft

HyperCache and Landing an Internship at Microsoft

Microsoft's Dominance and the Success of MS-DOS

Programming on MS-DOS and the Advent of Windows 95

Windows 95 vs. NT and a Typical Day at Microsoft

Porting Code and the Windows NT Kernel

Software Engineering Teams and the Importance of Tools

Debugging in Assembly and the Kernel Accounting Issue

The Importance of Asserts and the Windows Task Manager

Building a Robust and Efficient Task Manager

The Evolution of Task Manager and Space Cadet Pinball

The Educational Purpose of Solitaire and Minesweeper and Windows Activation

Customization and the Windows Taskbar

Design Philosophy and Visual Zip

The Acquisition of Visual Zip and Windows Media Center

The Blue Screen of Death and Rebooting Computers

Beautiful and Ugly Code and the Greatest Programmer

The Impact of Software and the Evolution of Programming

Atari Tempest and C++

Software Online and Nagging Users

User Experience and Windows

Advertising and Slot Machines

Slot Machines and PDP-11s

Autism

Advice for People with Autism

Emotional Post-Processing

Communication

Love and Relationships

A Little Bit Autistic

GitHub Primes

The Future of Programming

The Meaning of Life

#479 – Dave Plummer: Programming, Autism, and Old-School Microsoft Stories

Lex Fridman Podcast

00:00Introduction to Dave Plummer and His Work

Introduction to Dave Plummer and His Work

02:28Sponsors and the Importance of Accessible Healthcare

Sponsors and the Importance of Accessible Healthcare

05:19AI Customer Service and Investment Tools

AI Customer Service and Investment Tools

08:03Shopify, Ruby on Rails, and Dave Plummer's First Computer

Shopify, Ruby on Rails, and Dave Plummer's First Computer

11:17Early Computing and the Commodore 64

Early Computing and the Commodore 64

14:49Machine Code Programming and Working at 7-Eleven

Machine Code Programming and Working at 7-Eleven

17:32Returning to School and Joining Microsoft

Returning to School and Joining Microsoft

20:21HyperCache and Landing an Internship at Microsoft

HyperCache and Landing an Internship at Microsoft

23:34Microsoft's Dominance and the Success of MS-DOS

Microsoft's Dominance and the Success of MS-DOS

27:29Programming on MS-DOS and the Advent of Windows 95

Programming on MS-DOS and the Advent of Windows 95

30:33Windows 95 vs. NT and a Typical Day at Microsoft

Windows 95 vs. NT and a Typical Day at Microsoft

33:59Porting Code and the Windows NT Kernel

Porting Code and the Windows NT Kernel

37:15Software Engineering Teams and the Importance of Tools

Software Engineering Teams and the Importance of Tools

41:05Debugging in Assembly and the Kernel Accounting Issue

Debugging in Assembly and the Kernel Accounting Issue

44:32The Importance of Asserts and the Windows Task Manager

The Importance of Asserts and the Windows Task Manager

47:28Building a Robust and Efficient Task Manager

Building a Robust and Efficient Task Manager

50:01The Evolution of Task Manager and Space Cadet Pinball

The Evolution of Task Manager and Space Cadet Pinball

53:41The Educational Purpose of Solitaire and Minesweeper and Windows Activation

The Educational Purpose of Solitaire and Minesweeper and Windows Activation

57:21Customization and the Windows Taskbar

Customization and the Windows Taskbar

1:01:44Design Philosophy and Visual Zip

Design Philosophy and Visual Zip

1:04:49The Acquisition of Visual Zip and Windows Media Center

The Acquisition of Visual Zip and Windows Media Center

1:07:07The Blue Screen of Death and Rebooting Computers

The Blue Screen of Death and Rebooting Computers

1:09:12Beautiful and Ugly Code and the Greatest Programmer

Beautiful and Ugly Code and the Greatest Programmer

1:12:28The Impact of Software and the Evolution of Programming

The Impact of Software and the Evolution of Programming

1:15:00Atari Tempest and C++

Atari Tempest and C++

1:17:16Software Online and Nagging Users

Software Online and Nagging Users

1:20:12User Experience and Windows

User Experience and Windows

1:23:40Advertising and Slot Machines

Advertising and Slot Machines

1:27:23Slot Machines and PDP-11s

Slot Machines and PDP-11s

1:31:01Autism

Autism

1:34:41Advice for People with Autism

Advice for People with Autism

1:37:54Emotional Post-Processing

Emotional Post-Processing

1:41:12Communication

Communication

1:44:00Love and Relationships

Love and Relationships

1:47:17A Little Bit Autistic

A Little Bit Autistic

1:50:21GitHub Primes

GitHub Primes

1:53:41The Future of Programming

The Future of Programming

1:56:03The Meaning of Life

The Meaning of Life