It seems like all such resources are about web-scale distributed systems and the content/methods are quite standardized.

What about other large-scale systems? E.g. desktop applications - for instance, how to design a large-scale desktop system such as Adobe Photoshop or MS Office.

I'm a 39 year renter flush with cash from 15 years of a professional job while living in austerity for the entire time. Soliciting free advice.

You sound bullish so I wanted to share five risks in the short term that have been on my mind lately:

1) Evictions now allowed in 43 states after a pandemic moratorium on them. My state allowed them October 3rd. Supply.

2) A China conflict at any point. Disruption.

3) Taxes going up on the wealthy. Disruption.

4) Rates going up to counter inflation. I want this one since I have cash and don't care if rates are 2% or 20%. While I do want the free loan (2%), I prefer the market to crash. Disruption.

5) Vaccine mandate job losses. Supply.

Given this, I've been extremely hesitant lately. So I've been trying to hold off until January for my purchase to see how correct I am, or not, on these risks impacting the market. I don't see the point in waiting years as rent drains about $18,000 a year and you have to balance that with home ownership costs. Even with repairs, I don't mind slightly overpaying if it means getting out of rent slavery. I'm also buying a home that I can nearly buy outright. I'm determined to never lose a home due to job loss, tired of working for someone else, so a 30-year mortgage isn't happening under any circumstance. 15-year only.

The one way I've been trying to protect myself is at least seeking a 15% discount off market rate for any home that I do purchase. I see that happening in my city enough that I'm confident. Eats into the 40% buffer from 2019, so I'm still at significant risk but does take some bite off in the event of a market catastrophe.

Any thoughts are welcome. Definitely would appreciate it. Whether the answer is: buy now, or, buy in 15 years. I'll try to integrate them into my view and choices.

> the government paid a huge amount of money to people to not work for a long time

They did? I remember three teeny tiny payments. Certainly not enough to live on for a long time.

"What you will find is that people are friendly, as long as you look like them (white)."

Be aware that when people say things like this they often do so to feel virtuous themselves like only they are so enlightened that only they even consider being friendly to non white people.

The idea that people in the Midwest (which has a population of over 65 million people similar to France and the UK) are only friendly to white people is pretty crazy.

For them to be an attractive acquisition target means they are succeeding, otherwise what would a cloud vendor gain from buying them?

Instead of H1B, we should be issuing green cards and limiting the amount of leverage that companies have over workers.

Eliminate H1B and expand green cards for skilled people who want to live here.

I've been thinking about this and the problem I keep circling around is that basically everyone I know says the exact same thing (waiting for a housing market drop so they can buy in). That implies that the latent demand in the market is huge and any price drops will immediately be gobbled up by an army of millennials who've been waiting for their chance. The question to me is if there are more homes existing owners can't afford anymore or more buyers with enough money to pick them up when they drop a few percent.