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It Is Programmer Day - Why So Apathetic?
mikejuk writes: Programmers Day comes around every year and yet each year it seems to be increasingly ignored. Why, when we are trying to encourage children to take up all things computing, is Programmers Day such a big flop? If you've not encountered it before, the idea is that on a specific day we celebrate computer programmers. It is designated to be on the 256th day of the year, which in most years is September 13th and this year, 2015, it falls on a Sunday. If you don't know why it's the 256th day, then you probably aren't a programmer and there is no point in explaining. The usual suggestions for things to do on programmer day include telling jokes and other fairly lame stuff. How about instead: Teach someone to program just a little bit.
When is Plumber Day? Car Mechanic Day? Kindergarten Teacher Day maybe?
What?
Get back to work.
Um, because the set of "${X} days/months" is a meaningless, stupid concept, curated by people without any meaningful claim to authority or unusual credibility?
This article's premise is about as sensical as asking why everyone named "Frank" isn't celebrating the fact that I live in North America.
Is that 256 counting from 0 or from 1?
Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
We're tired of a day for every fucking thing under the sun. If you care about it, you don't need a single day for it, you live it. If you want your kids to program, then get them to program. Talk to your friends and family about it, get their kids involved. But quite making everything into a day.
Swing over to some of the retro programming forums sometimes. Look how many of the guys and gals there have their kids programming, and they don't need a day for it.
Bart: I just think our veterans deserve a little recognition.
Lisa: That's what Veterans Day is for, Bart.
Bart: But is that really enough to honor our brave soldiers?
Lisa: They also have Memorial Day!
Bart: Oh, Lisa, maybe you're right, maybe you're wrong, the important thing is that veterans deserve a day to honor them!
Lisa: They have two!
Bart: Well, maybe they should have three. I'm Bart Simpson.
How about giving them a bump in the old salary?
Amazon doesn't let me take days off.
we're all at work. Otherwise, we'll be replaced by several H1B's.
Sleep your way to a whiter smile...date a dentist!
But I'm still programming for a machine that uses 6-bit bytes.
Programmers day ain't official until Hallmark makes a card for it.
The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
" If you don't know why its the 256th day then you probably aren't a programmer and there is no point in explaining. "
Sounds pretty cargo-cultish to me.
It is mostly ignored because of the condescending attitude that too many programmers have. We're supposed to be encouraging young people to get into programming, and in the same breath belittle people who dont understand why it would be on the 256th day of the year?
I'm going to link an obligatory XKCD reference now: https://xkcd.com/1053/
I would, as a celebration, get stoned out of my mind and think about how good it feels when you are done coding in C.
The very concept of special days on the calendar is retarded in the first place, regardless of what it is. How about the idiotic 'labour day' last week? Almost nobody was working. I had a few people coming to work anyway, didn't force them, but they didn't mind after I asked. Special days are annoying, idiotic vestiges of oppression by government power (mob) that I will not respect and for that reason I have 0 interest in them whatever they are.
You can't handle the truth.
Never heard of it. Considering I have been a programmer for 20+ years...
But the first day is 0 so on the 255th day would make more sense. 256 is a whole 'nother byte, and that's just wasteful.
Separating the drugstore cowboys from the real deal.
... then you probably aren't a programmer and there is no point in explaining." THAT explains a lot.
So where's the Fine artists day?, or wood turners day?, or spoon whittler's day?...
There's a fallacy at work here apropos programming, people can be taught the rudiments of coding however that won't make them magically 'programmers'. There are many humans out there who can be taught to speak the Language of Milton, Shakespeare and Cartland, but that doesn't mean that they're all capable of writing that language at the same level (with the exception of the latter name there, most probably, in quality(sic) if not in quantity).
Besides, 'celebrate computer programmers'? WTF? If we can have that, can we also have an auto-da-fé of those programmers responsible for {insert name your least favourite software package here}?
Enjoy,
-- Sincerely, Management
Does he spam Slashdot as well?
Who's gonna pay attention to Programmers Day when the Bears and Packers are playing Soldier Field?
You are welcome on my lawn.
The date is difficult to program into a calendar, meant to be remembered by none programmers and it also might fall on a Sunday. That only influences the opportunity to congruatulate the programmer. I suggest changing the name to '95b56fa19a3f9c23eed7f59c4079f6a97a25229f8f213f759d31f7a975c5b789'. This will really make an impact on the knowledge of what this day is all about.
so some guys on a forum somewhere made this nonsense up? and then they wonder why no one is jumping aboard their little game?
maybe there is a butcher's day? a mechanic's day? no? or no one gives a shit?
Computers are no longer the playground of the elite, no longer mysterious or incomprehensible, or room-sized.
It doesn't take any particular talent, genius, or interest like it would have in the 1960s. You might as well have a National Breathing Day for all the interest computers generate now.
Well I just got off the phone with Sherlock Holmes and he said that clearly it is a day by a tiny group of programmers for programmers and if you are not a programmer, they want you to go get bent.
Thus it is becoming less popular because the only people involved with it, do not care about it.
I've been a programmer for 45 years, and I've never heard of Programmers Day.
Too busy working 100 hour weeks on death march projects....
See the logo. 1111 1111.
This is NOT 256d. The whole point of 256d is, that it is 100000000b and thus a round number.
They seem to be no programmers either.
Sysadmin here.
Fuck you. People making 60-200k a year don't need or want to be treated like coffee-getting secretaries.
> It is designated to be on the 256th day of the year, which in most years is September 13th and this year, 2015, it falls on a Sunday. If you don't know why its the 256th day then you probably aren't a programmer and there is no point in explaining.
"and there is no point in explaining". Arrogance, that's why. Oh, and a _byte_ has a _range_ of 256 possible _states_, that's why 256 was chosen.
Signed,
A software analyst
We must embrace (non-Asian) diversity.
There are only 10 kinds of people when it comes to programming. Those who understand base-2 and those who don't.
Like pretty much all of the other professions really. Just, no. No-one cares about your "arbitrary profession day!". In fact, no-one cares about your profession. It's actually bad that we celebrate the work we do because frankly none of it really matters. As the programming projects get ever bigger and more complicated we're all going to play decreasingly tiny roles in making any of it work, and our work means less and less to us each day. Most people are trying to reach escape velocity into management roles so they at least have a pension when they're too old to continue working. The rest of us can look forward to H1-B replacements once our minds aren't sharp enough to handle the 50 kerbillion new frameworks and technologies we're expected to process per hour. And by "process" I mean "bugfix" because the original authors got tired of handling the issues and kicked them downstream to the customers to handle.
No other industry is driven by 18 year olds with ADD and collectively maintained by 50 year olds. Try to imagine what would happen if a bunch of 18 years olds got really psyched about building a skyscraper, then built half of it and got bored, or realized it was hard and moved on to a smaller building. Then CorpDuJour gives you a couple of 2-by-4s and a bag of nails and tells you to keep it from falling over. We're the boiler house. We're the shit shovelers of the modern age.
Every day is programmer's day.
Merry cache miss.
nuff said
"If you don't know why its the 256th day then you probably aren't a programmer and there is no point in explaining."
For Shit's sake. We talk about trying to attract women and children to the field and we can't even get over this ages old, ridiculously flawed, circular logic.
This attitude permiates everything in brogrammer culture. You just can't assume everyone who is getting into programming these days is an advanced highschool math student, or a CS student, that woukd have knowledge of base 16. The very opposite is true. We're like a bunch of religious fanatics that can't give up the past for the future.
Your attitude is why no one gives a damn about your shitty holiday.
1111 1111 represents 255. Celebrate Programmer Day on September 13th, the 256th day of the year.
Suggested topic of conversation: Off by one errors.
It's because no-one can decide whether it's "Programmer Day", "Programmer's Day", or "Programmers Day".
systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
and say that with a goodly number of programming jobs being outsourced, there is little to celebrate or feel appreciated about being a programmer.
If you don't know why its the 256th day then you probably aren't a programmer and there is no point in explaining.
You don't want to tell them about the 256th day of the year and then you wonder why nobody knows about the significance of the day. Do you invite nobody and then complain that you are the only person attending your parties?
I'd love to celebrate with you all. But, I'm a programmer, always on call.
There's a Programmers Day? First I've ever heard of it. And I'm a programmer. Guess I don't read enough nerd websites.
Perhaps you should start with advertising and raising awareness of the day and see about having things planned for it if you have the resources for it.
And no, it is not still "Talk like a Pirate" day yet.
Your appreciation for your job is shown by the dollar amount on your paycheck. If that's not enough, start looking for a new job.
Programmer's day is just more hype from Hallmark and American Greetings and another attempt to sell a lot of greeting cards.
I'm an American. I love this country and the freedoms that we used to have.
Call it Coder Day and you'll probably get more support.
Call it Women Coder day and everyone will go ballistic trying to promote it.
Besides, everyone knows that System Administrator appreciation day is July 29th.
And programmers and those other computer people are just considered one and the same.
Also, if it makes you feel any better... then just call it Developer / Operators Day, or DevOps day.
I'm going to give the private key ring to my Nigerian girlfriend.
Seastead this.
They get excited to work for worthless companies like "Facebook" and "Twitter". Yeah, let's learn all this Computer Science and use it to make something useless instead of improving the world!
We should have a day for the people who make my life miserable by filling it with endless updates to fix their poorly written software?
I ignore all "so and so's" days. And weeks. And months.
Everyone wants to stand out and be treated special for doing what they normally do. It doesn't work that way. Being "normal" isn't "standout" in any way, size, shape, or form.
You are who you are and you don't deserve special treatment that others don't get.
I do not fail; I succeed at finding out what does not work.
I was expecting his answer to be "Bah, humbug!"
__
Men with no respect for life must never be allowed to control the ultimate instruments of death.
GW Bu
"The only real reason I got into this was you were so good at it. You were my inspiration..."
I got into programming because when I first saw a computer when I was 6, I thought, "I could make those do anything I can think of". I didn't need "inspiration", a role model, or any of that crap. All I saw was a screen saver running and realized it was programmatically generating images. I tried Basic, hated it. Jumped into C and ASM.
I've never understood how people don't know what they want to do. Do you enjoy this food? Do you like this picture? Come on! Do people know anything about themselves?
I give it precisely the same attention/respect that I do for national blueberry day and national "dress up your pet" day.
-Styopa
Why put a PS on something you can edit? Moron :-P
Why are we "supposed to be encouraging young people to get into programming"? What is so special about programming that everyone should be encouraged to do it? Consider:
There is already a low barrier to entry for those who want it:
What is so hard about getting into programming that we need a day to tell everyone to do it? If you want to learn, the internet is full of self-taught resources, many schools have it in the elective curriculum, and most universities have courses in it.
Most people don't need it:
It isn't like sport/physical education, where almost everyone can benefit from the improved health.
It's not like learning to drive a car which (in many places) is vitally important to getting to whatever job you have, shopping, getting medical care, etc.
It's not like basic mathematics and literacy, which can help... seriously I don't have to explain why these are important.
The point is that programming is not a skill that everyone needs, nor a skill that everyone wants, and those that do want or need it (in first world countries) can get it already.
Repeat after me:
We need programmers, and we have programmers. The rest of the population don't need to learn to program.
We need train drivers, and we have train drivers. The rest of the population don't need to learn how to drive a train.
We need rocket scientists, and we have rocket scientists. The rest of the population don't need to learn rocket science.
Intelligent conversation on this topic's too much for a troll like you. Grow up or go away.
What's he going to say 5-10 years down the road when he's sick of the crappy work environment, being laid off multiple times because the corporation changed their mind about something, the lack of pay raises without job-hopping, etc? Is he going to resent you?
"Teach someone to program just a little bit."
Just look at OSX, iOS, Windows 10, Unity, Maya, Photoshop, all brilliant once, garbage now.
Morons like you give website forums a bad name - Obvious "ne'er-do-well" morons like you pal that haven't accomplished anything worth noting in the art & science of computing (you)! apk
Physician, heal thyself.
I'm not trying to encourage children to take up programming. The only child I ever mentioned computer programming to was when my dental hygienist told me her son was extremely good at math, and autistic with problems communicating with people.
In my six years of programming professionally, two and a half years in graduate school, and four years as an undergrad, I think I've encouraged maybe three people to become programmers. Most people do not have any kind of analytical inclination, and the amount of time it would require to train them to become programmers wouldn't be worth it. They would likely still be fairly poor programmers, even after massive training. Programming isn't for everyone despite whatever catchy government-minority-special-interest-group-trendy-catch-phase-with-coding you want to pick. Anyone that has actively worked inside computer code knows the damage that can be done when someone with the wrong level of understanding starts modifying code.
Computer programming isn't for everyone. If you are a programmer, promote computer programming however you want, since you know what you're talking about. If you're a politician, please, please, please do not promote (or regulate, or really involve yourself in any way) with programming or technology. For all the people in between, it might make sense to take an approach that is correlated with your actual knowledge of the thing you are promoting.
Hmm, I thought this year only had 16D days in it.
One reason for people's apathy could be that the actual "Programmer's Day" is Oct 31st, also known as Programmer's X-mas because, as you're all aware, 31 Oct == 25 Dec. This has been celebrated in Sweden for a long time, since the 18th century in fact, and considered so important that Oct 31st is Edit's name day[1].
[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swedish_name_day_list_of_2001
The reason why it doesn't work is that it's pointless, and programmers are more interested in getting things done than in pointless marketing exercises. And they don't think they deserve it.
It's as simple as that.
Ever wonder why "Fathers Day" is generally a flop?
Men don't do "appreciation days" for themselves. Those who do are seen as attention seekers, flawed. Possibly dangerous. Our entire society is based around men being worthless in and of themselves. Expendable. Fungible goods at best. So even fathers themselves don't WANT fathers day. For a start they don't want the marketing fluff for making kids spend their pocket money on pointless gifts or a card for them. Spend it on their mums. For another, they don't think they deserve it.
Same here. Look at the early comment "Where's Plumbers' day?". Men really think that "Hey, someone else is more deserving". Like recognition is wrong. Only women or *really* successful men deserve it (hence both put on a huge pedestal).
Programming is a mostly male job. Without eve the male pride pieces of risking your life or physical exertion.
So of COURSE it's going to be "WTF? What is this crap?".
I started playing and working with computers in 1987. I self taught myself assembler on a Z80 back then. I have a computer science degree and work as a developer now. So why is it the 256th?
Why is Programmers' day ignored?
If you don't know why its the 256th day then you probably aren't a programmer and there is no point in explaining.
I dunno... perhaps the rest of the world percieves programmers as arrogant little know-it-all pricks?
Slashdot social media options: AIM, ICQ, Yahoo, Jabber and Mobile Text. Why no MySpace?
If you don't know why its the 256th day then you probably aren't a programmer and there is no point in explaining.
Teach someone to program just a little bit.
Stop being arrogant and make your mind up
For real programmers, everyday is programmers day!
This supposed 'holiday" can be likened to Earth Day - which also should be everyday - but is only one day per year.
Political correctness is really just herd psychology pushed by insecure people who desperately seek social conformity.
It's not just arrogant, it's stupid and the person saying it is in violent disagreement with themself.
"Why, when we are trying to encourage children to take up all things computing, is Programmers Day such a big flop?"
"If you don't know why it's the 256th day, then you probably aren't a programmer and there is no point in explaining."
"How about instead: Teach someone to program just a little bit."
They probably meant it as a joke (right before saying there were better alternatives than "telling jokes and other fairly lame stuff") but if so then they're incredibly tone deaf and not aware of the implications of what they're saying. Starting your spiel by trying to make people feel dumb and/or excluded is no way to entice them into joining your group.
This Space Intentionally Left Blank
Are you kidding APK? You have been trolling slashdot for years with your host files program and other nonsense. And now you have the nerve to call somebody else a troll for calling you out? Gtfoh. I'm happy for you and your family member but get a grip man. You have trolled us for so long that even if you do type something useful, we are going to shit all over it.
It's sort like the boy who cried wolf. You have cried wolf so many times, people just don't listen to you any more.
September 13th, 1985 Super Mario was released in Japan. Why not make it Super Mario day? There's thousands of things in history that effected us today which happened on either September 13th or the 256 day of the year.
No one cares. Next article.
I was directly quoting you from this thread. How is that "off topic" unless you were already off topic? I'm sure you'll have some ranting answer. The question is, do you yourself truly believe it? You are indistinguishable from a standard USENET kook. On USENET, it was easier to put someone into my killfile. Here, I'd have to ignore every AC.
You change your imaginary rules to suit yourself in any given situation and then demand that every poster abide by your imagined yet inconsistent rules. Rules that you yourself don't actually follow. Off-topic seems to be the arbitrary rule for this particular thread. But no matter what you post, you will always claim your posts are on-topic and every post you disagree with is off-topic, troll, etc. But the simple fact of that matter is that you are an extremely unpleasant person and your posts rant and ramble on like a lunatic. In fact, they're nearly impossible to read. And if they didn't take up so damned much screen space to say nearly nothing, I doubt anyone would really care.
I'm not expecting a rational, reasonable, nor logical response: I doubt you're capable. It's just after years of putting up with your crap here, I'm feeling the need to blow off a little steam. One thing I will say is that I will never use your product because you're such a nasty, vile commenter here. The only thing I have to judge your product by is your postings and they suck. They suck really badly. That reflects directly on your product. Doesn't matter how good it might or might not be - your behavior here has completely tainted it.
to a group that needs it more. Like people with small dicks and sickle cell anemia.
See subject: I reply where they are on topic or in response to those using CLEARLY inferior "so-called 'solutions'" (unless you troll morons start THIS crap up since it's all you have & you can't prove my points wrong)...
I'm also out there doing FAR MORE than "ne'er-do-wells" like you, that's certain, that of usefulness to others in that I am ONLY giving FOLKS WHAT THEY WANT & NEED online, today, in more speed, security, reliability, + anonymity even via using something you already have natively that's far more efficient & more capable on many more levels than ANY SINGLE browser addon!
Have you done the same or better? LMAO - answer = HELL no! All YOU & "your kind", the lowest of the LOW online do, is troll!
Who do you think you're fooling? You're only fooling yourself!
(Unless you utter trolling fools that *think* you're fooling others with this line of bullshit from you now that I 'spam').
Nobody's listening you say? YOU CERTAINLY ARE!
(Lol, how STUPID could you be to say THAT?)
APK
P.S.=> Lastly - You have NO balls, that much is clear, by your posting unidentifiably now (which only means I have cooked your goose SO MANY TIMES on hosts files & points I made on them that you can't disprove, that THIS line of crap is "the best you got" - & as the saying goes? "It ain't much", just like you...)
... apk
See subject: I'm completely on topic here http://developers.slashdot.org... & that's my 1st reply here in this article's replies - I AM ON TOPIC, you clearly, are not & you're also clearly a useless troll waste of life.
* So, go away now, lil' troll - 'shoo', lol...
APK
P.S.=> It must be awful to KNOW you're nothing but a useless trolling "ne'er-do-well" on your part... apk
It must be awful to KNOW you're nothing but a useless trolling "ne'er-do-well" on your part... apk
So what we're seeing here is a case of ignorance being bliss on your part. You're happy not knowing that you're a useless troll. I hope, for your sake, you never come to realize what you are; I wouldn't wish that kind of unhappiness upon you even if you do waste the time of thousands of people on /. each and every day.
"How is that "off topic" unless you were already off topic?" - by konohitowa (220547) on Monday September 14, 2015 @02:04PM (#50520225)
See subject: I'm on topic, you're not http://developers.slashdot.org... stupid!
* I've met some REAL imbeciles on this forums, but you take the cake & NOW?
You have to EAT IT, + eat your words too, lol...
APK
P.S.=> You FAIL, imbecile, because you're an illiterate imbecile... apk
Was I on topic in my initial post here or not http://developers.slashdot.org...
?
ANSWER THAT...
APK
P.S.=> You, by way of comparison, have been COMPLETELY off-topic & trolling - prove otherwise in your replies beneath MY initial post there above in that link (face facts - you can't)... apk
"How is that "off topic" unless you were already off topic?" - by konohitowa (220547) on Monday September 14, 2015 @02:04PM (#50520225) Journal
You've never BEEN on topic here (prove you were, you can't - here's your 1st post below mine, totally OFF topic -> http://developers.slashdot.org... ).
Telling lies isn't logical truth or cogent boy.
At this point, it's UNDENIABLY established you're trolling off topic, no questions asked, & you admit I was on topic here initially by refusing to answer my simple question regarding my 1st post in this article's threads above - completely on topic.
There's no failure in my pointing out the truth here that you're nothing but an off topic troll.
* What's the matter? Don't like getting a DOSE OF YOUR OWN MEDICINE served your way, boy??
(You sure like to "dish it out" but you certainly can't take it in return once you're exposed in it in all of your posts... lol!)
APK
P.S.=> Don't like that last part? Too bad - you're reaction to it tells all, AND, you have been completely off-topic beneath my initial post http://developers.slashdot.org... which IS completely on topic!
Grow up, get on topic, and realize that being a troll online is NO way to live a good life - of course, you KNOW that, since you're an obvious "ne'er-do-well" that hasn't accomplished squat in the art & science of computing - the results say it all... apk
No certification, so I am not a coder. Now let me come back to that hobby artistic writing in PHP that I made for live.
Programming as a job sucks.