It does interfere with the ability to double-click on the titlebar to maximize/minimize. I also haven't tried it on Windows 7, where you can just "jam" a window to the top of the screen and it will maximize and then drag it away from the top to "restore" it (which is really, really, really, really useful when you have multiple monitors).
Is that when put into the hands of ordinary users, it turns the browser into a stinking, slow pile of shit. Take a close family member of mine. She's got every damn plug-in, add-on and theme ever created by man. She calls me constantly complaining about how slow her browser is or how ${WEBSITE_X} doesn't load properly. I tell her all the time to uninstall that junk, but good luck! She loves all those things and cannot understand why they would slow everything down.
Ideally, I'd love to get her hooked on a browser that *doesn't* have the ability to add shit like plug-ins. They are great for us nerds, but they are just begging for trouble when put into the hands of mere mortals. I'm actually leaning towards Chrome specifically because it *lacks* the ability to have plug-ins. The only blocker is that the bookmark system kinda sucks and she'd insist that every bookmark stored in the dozen Firefox bookmark plug-ins she has all get imported. Plus she'd insist that every password saved by the ten-dozen "auto-form filler/password saver" add-ins she has also get imported.
In other words. Plug-ins suck. Build a browser useful enough that it doesn't require plugins. Or at least incorporate the good ones into the build so as to *reduce* the amount of available plug-ins. If there are ten dozen bookmark handlers for Firefox, maybe it means the built-in one sucks? If there are a hundred password remember-ers, maybe the built in one sucks?
At first I thought their placement of tabs was weird until I figured out you can "tear" a tab off of the current window and drag it into either its own new, separate window or drag it into another window. In fact, I'd say that is the most killer feature of chrome (besides being the only browser that can handle slashdot's ton of javascript without choking). Once you figure it out, you are hard pressed to think of a *better* place for the tabs!
The ability to tear off tabs really blurs the line between what is in a window and what is in a tab and I wish more tabbed interfaces would steal it (like Visual Studio).
Had you posted this on a more proper forum (say freerepublic), you would have been moderated "+5 insightful" for telling the "truth". It is a scary world when instead of people laughing at what you wrote, they say "right on" or "preach it brother!". And trust me, they exist. I've meet people in real life who if you spoke this with the right tone would have taken you 100% serious.
Scary scary world. No wonder Obama keeps hiding the documents proving the "Moon Landing" was a hoax because 1) the "moon" is really just a window into heaven 2) the world is flat and 3) anybody who disagrees doesn't live in Real America (tm).
But that doesn't make it okay for somebody to aquire bank information and impersonate whoever owned the computer. Only sociopaths would think that the dude who is gonna be locked up should be set free.
Now you can't seem to get to sleep for a couple of nights, so you decide to do a bit of online research
If you are going to do "online research" make damn sure you make it very, very clear to yourself that you are doing it *for your own enjoyment*. Do *not* bust open your text editor and write code for work. Apply what you learn to your own project. If what you are researching isn't apply to your own project? Don't do the research.
Because I think your pointed sarcasm (hint to dense overly analytical readers: it was sarcasm) is pretty much spot on. The puritans and their lunacy haunt public policy ranging from alcohol, censorship and drugs to labor laws.
I guess people on slashdot just have a hard time with Colbert style humor.
Who knows when we'll finally cast off THAT baggage
Hopefully sooner rather than later. Chip #1: Gay marriage. Chip #2: Medical marijuana. Chip #3: ??? Hell Chip #3 is when my state, Washington State, finally lets me buy a jug of Vodka from Costco. Talk about puritanical bullshit.
I'll work overtime or after hours if the team really needs it, but I always expect to get paid. If they don't pay overtime, then I'll either arrive late the next few days, or leave early.
If they raise a huge stink about it, I'll start looking elseware. Even in todays job market, I can be gone in 3 or 4 months max. Never in a million years would I *not* be actively looking to bai.
I dont work for free and I suggest nobody else should. Nobody makes you work unpaid. You let yourself work unpaid and if you do, you are a coward fool for letting people walk over you. If they have a problem with you having a life outside of work, fuck em. If the job market sucks, mentally detach yourself from the job and spend every ounce of energy you have looking to bail at the first good opportunity.
But this is easy for me to say, I live in an area with a lot of tech jobs. If I lived in bum-fuck nowhere with only one tech firm around... I'd probably have to consider either moving or switching careers. Working unpaid is for chumps.
Never set the VCR because it was too much of a pain in the ass to bother. I barely ever use the web browser on my phone even though I'm sure it is "feature complete". Why? It is a pain in the ass to use. The iPhone has a non-pain in the ass browser and a non-pain in the ass interface.
But realize your questions are not the tools in specific, but really "are these guys gonna whine when I want a $50 utility?". Asking about third party controls is a good question. Another one might be "what kinds of things do you have a site license for"--maybe they have a site license for Photoshop or something?
Actually, I'm becoming pretty convinced that the kinds of questions you and some others on this thread suggest are pretty good ones. You just have to phrase them in a way that doesn't make it look like you are gonna be a pain in the ass--but that is just knowing how to phrase the question in a politically safe way.
You're going to quibble in an interview for a position that pays $75k - $100k a year over a $10 box of pens?!?! I
Even the smallest company should at least provide you with basic stuff like pens, notebooks and post-its. One of the worst jobs I've had was at a place that didn't even have a supply of pens. If they can't keep pens, it means they are incredibly cheap and probably have much larger organizational issues than just a lack of office supplies.
However, if you are the GP and are asking to be re-imbursed for pens because their supply of pens suck (in your opinion), wow. Now you are the one being cheap.
What bugs me here is why demanding huge displays is a bad thing - dual 22" costs about $500 and lasts 3-5 years.
But you dont need to even ask this question during an interview. A far better, more subtle way to get a lot of these "what kinds of junk will I be using" is to ask for a "tour of the place, to see where I'd be working". As you walk around, you can note things like "do they have more than one monitor", "looks like they are all using ${email client}", or "the whiteboards are all empty".
The actual hours worked have little to do with how hard you work.
I've never done this, but you can probably deduce the answers to questions like these by asking something like "what is the turn around time for a project the size of ${size}". Basically, try to figure how how fast they think they crank things out. If they say "we usually try to get our devs to push out a ${big thing} in ${insane deadline}" you can probably assume it is a sweatshop.
Yeah. For source control as long as they use something I'll be okay--I always ask what they use for source controls. Bug trackers, eh... as long as they use one. Wikis? eh.. Those things dont really matter much to me. The important thing is they are using them, or growing up to the point where they realize they might need them. If they are a young company and say "we dont use version control, but we see the value in it", it could be an opportunity for you.
It all depends. Version control is a good question though. The rest seems like idle chit-chat. Well, unless they said "we all use vim and you will too". I might have an issue with that.
Choose your battles, I guess is the salient point here. Know what is important to you. If you never want to work for a place unless they use Trac for bugs and wikis, make sure to ask. I think you are rather silly, but more power to you!
Like if the IT group refuses to give admin access to the developers own workstation.
I see your point, but I still think you could have made it less of a flamefest for idiots like me by using something other than "what email client". The engineering folk really should use what the entire company uses for email. But freedom to support your own tools, etc... you are 100% correct. Developers, in a weird way, have some pretty "interesting" demands on the infrastructure that most other teams don't have*.
* Except for the folks in facilities who have to run all the keycards and better, HVAC units. Those guys put equally perverse demands on the IT staff because a lot of their equipment runs weird software requiring creative network topologies or various holes through the firewall so they can turn on the chiller from home on a weekend rather then driving in and doing it onsite (double time + fee). Most facilities groups seem run their own rouge network because of the politics involved in dealing with IT.
If you were going into your example, which I assume is a java shop then there are dozens of environments that you could be working in. In that case, ask away! If you are going into a.NET job, you are going to be using Visual Studio (unless I guess you are using Mono, in which case you would probably be curious and should ask).
eg. You want 90k but they say they can only offer you 85k (which happens to be your minimum)
And that is why I suggested that you make sure what you really want is in the lower end of the quote. If they wanted to hire you and had a flexible budget, they know that if they offered you the bottom end of your ballpark they'd look cheap. They, like anybody, would most likely assume you wanted the middle of your quote and so they'd either offer you that or start inbetween the low end and the middle, in which case they are starting with what you really wanted. Either way, most likely you will find yourself negotiating upwards from what you wanted, not downwards toward what they wanted. The cute trick is since they probably assumed you wanted the middle, they will think they are negotiating downwards, but really they are going upwards.
If they started at the very bottom of your ballpark either they are really cheap or more likely they really want you bad, but you are a stretch for their budget (like if they were a non-profit). In that case, you can probably wiggle tons of "freebies" out of them like faster accumulation of vacation time, free bus passes, etc... stuff that doesn't really cost them anything but at least makes it feel like they aren't being cheap. If they really are being cheap, then maybe you are better off not taking up the offer. Only you can make that decision though.
But yes, salary isn't everything. For me, I always insist on getting a free bus pass. You can probably get them to budge on other things too like bumping when your vacation starts accumulating or when you are eligible for healthcare--unless there is a ton of bureaucracy these are cheap giveaways for them that are pretty sweet for you.
One more thing. The grandparent of this post is completely wrong when he said (emphasis mine):
If they persist you can say "I'll consider any reasonable offer." If they are really persistent you can say "You are in a much better position to know how much I'm worth to you than I am."
This is a very, very bad thing to say. You are the only one who is in a position to know what you are worth! You should be keenly aware of what your regions going rate is for your skillset and it is entirely your responsibility to research it. If you do the homework on your own, odds are you will either overprice yourself or far more likely undervalue yourself.
Keep in mind if the company is big enough, you can go to sites like glassdoor and find out what the average salary is for the company you are applying for. That way you can quote them a ballpark that is just slightly in a higher bracket then their average wage. If you can't find the average salary for the specific company, you can at least find the average for your region.
Even if you are selling yourself as an employee, you are still running your own business--act like a businessman, not a doormat! Always know your market rate!
Stuff like this always makes me laugh. Mainly because it is pretty sad.
Pray tell me, how it has completely changed the mobile landscape?
You'd think for a tech site, people would have a passion for tech. I guess not.
How has it changed the mobile landscape? For starters, it was the first usable, approachable mobile device in existence. Unlike all the other mobile phones before it, the iPhone isn't intimidating. Along with a laundry list of other innovative things, it has a real *usable* web browser in it. I'd go on, but unless you are a tech-Luddite, these things are pretty obvious.
I always like to ask what version control they use... as long as they use something instead of shrugging, life should be okay.
In the end, I guess it just depends. If you asked "what software would I be using" and you were going into a C# job, you'd look like a complete fool. I think you can get pretty detailed with "what software will I use" if you are going for any place that does unix development--if you are doing PHP, Perl or Python it really doesn't matter if everybody uses the same editor (personally, I use a Windows box, ultraedit and samba because I like mice:-). If they say "we all use emacs", I either better bone up on emacs or move on. If they say "we all SSH into the production server and mess with the live site", I run:-) In fact, I think with unix stuff you *better* ask what kind of toolage you will be provided with and if they would be willing to fork over to pay for "real" editors that help you work better.
My key point is that you shouldn't look like a prima-donna or zealot. Asking what kind of software is in use is fine within the context of the job you are applying for. Asking to use visual studio in a Ruby shop is stupid. Asking to use vim in a C# shop is equally stupid. Asking if you can use Thunderbird instead of Outlook makes you look like an amateur.
That does indeed change things but you are still in dangerous water without clarifying yourself. If you asked those questions and didn't follow up with keywords like "productivity", "morale", and "TCO" then you are still a prima donna or worse, a religious zealot.
Letting people choose their own email client and develpoment platform might be okay, but it really depends on the organization. If you are hired to grow a development team, you better be well versed in the tradeoffs between "every gets outlook" and "lasse faire--anybody runs anything". At your level, you are hired to make the business more competitive. You better make it perfectly clear you aren't some zealot who will be hellbent on turning us into the next FSF regardless of the business justification. Once you've turned off my "zealot alert" radar, then you can ask these kinds of questions.
If we are a.NET shop, you are using a Windows Box with Visual Studio--if you wanted Emacs on Cygwin, you aren't gonna be happy here. If we are a unix shop, you can use whatever the hell you want for an editor (vi, UltraEdit via Samba, notepad) but you will run whatever unix flavor we use for your sandbox (FreeBSD, Redhat, Gentoo, whatever)--if you wanted Ubuntu, sorry Charley. If we develop applications for an iPhone? You have a Mac and its associated toolchain. If you were a graphic designer, you'd be using Photoshop + InDesign--if you want GIMP, you aren't gonna be happy here.
If you are picky about your email client or your spreadsheet app--you are a prima donna that will piss off my employees and make unreasonable demands on us. Open Office has nothing to do with development unless you write plugins for it. The only time you should care what email client you use is if you were a secretary. The only time you should care what word processor you use is when you are doing documentation. The only time a spreadsheet app matters is if you are a sales dude or a financial dude.
Choose your battles. But really, if you expect to run PINE and we are doing.NET work, you probably don't wouldn't like working here just as much as we probably wouldn't like you working here. But to pass up an otherwise good job because of an email client is, well, pretty immature.
Slashdot Mirror
IRC requires an IRC client (or some horrible crappy java applet). Last I checked, the only game in town for windows was mIRC.
I wake up at 6 or 7am even on the weekends. I'd love to sleep in on the weekends, but I can't. I wake up, and that is it!
It does interfere with the ability to double-click on the titlebar to maximize/minimize. I also haven't tried it on Windows 7, where you can just "jam" a window to the top of the screen and it will maximize and then drag it away from the top to "restore" it (which is really, really, really, really useful when you have multiple monitors).
Is that when put into the hands of ordinary users, it turns the browser into a stinking, slow pile of shit. Take a close family member of mine. She's got every damn plug-in, add-on and theme ever created by man. She calls me constantly complaining about how slow her browser is or how ${WEBSITE_X} doesn't load properly. I tell her all the time to uninstall that junk, but good luck! She loves all those things and cannot understand why they would slow everything down.
Ideally, I'd love to get her hooked on a browser that *doesn't* have the ability to add shit like plug-ins. They are great for us nerds, but they are just begging for trouble when put into the hands of mere mortals. I'm actually leaning towards Chrome specifically because it *lacks* the ability to have plug-ins. The only blocker is that the bookmark system kinda sucks and she'd insist that every bookmark stored in the dozen Firefox bookmark plug-ins she has all get imported. Plus she'd insist that every password saved by the ten-dozen "auto-form filler/password saver" add-ins she has also get imported.
In other words. Plug-ins suck. Build a browser useful enough that it doesn't require plugins. Or at least incorporate the good ones into the build so as to *reduce* the amount of available plug-ins. If there are ten dozen bookmark handlers for Firefox, maybe it means the built-in one sucks? If there are a hundred password remember-ers, maybe the built in one sucks?
At first I thought their placement of tabs was weird until I figured out you can "tear" a tab off of the current window and drag it into either its own new, separate window or drag it into another window. In fact, I'd say that is the most killer feature of chrome (besides being the only browser that can handle slashdot's ton of javascript without choking). Once you figure it out, you are hard pressed to think of a *better* place for the tabs!
The ability to tear off tabs really blurs the line between what is in a window and what is in a tab and I wish more tabbed interfaces would steal it (like Visual Studio).
Because it is quicker to wake up when I put it to sleep.
Yeah, but for every registrar I've ever used the DNS records are set up the second you purchase the domain.
Had you posted this on a more proper forum (say freerepublic), you would have been moderated "+5 insightful" for telling the "truth". It is a scary world when instead of people laughing at what you wrote, they say "right on" or "preach it brother!". And trust me, they exist. I've meet people in real life who if you spoke this with the right tone would have taken you 100% serious.
Scary scary world. No wonder Obama keeps hiding the documents proving the "Moon Landing" was a hoax because 1) the "moon" is really just a window into heaven 2) the world is flat and 3) anybody who disagrees doesn't live in Real America (tm).
Just like every other antibiotic we come up with.
But that doesn't make it okay for somebody to aquire bank information and impersonate whoever owned the computer. Only sociopaths would think that the dude who is gonna be locked up should be set free.
If you are going to do "online research" make damn sure you make it very, very clear to yourself that you are doing it *for your own enjoyment*. Do *not* bust open your text editor and write code for work. Apply what you learn to your own project. If what you are researching isn't apply to your own project? Don't do the research.
Because I think your pointed sarcasm (hint to dense overly analytical readers: it was sarcasm) is pretty much spot on. The puritans and their lunacy haunt public policy ranging from alcohol, censorship and drugs to labor laws.
I guess people on slashdot just have a hard time with Colbert style humor.
Hopefully sooner rather than later. Chip #1: Gay marriage. Chip #2: Medical marijuana. Chip #3: ??? Hell Chip #3 is when my state, Washington State, finally lets me buy a jug of Vodka from Costco. Talk about puritanical bullshit.
I'll work overtime or after hours if the team really needs it, but I always expect to get paid. If they don't pay overtime, then I'll either arrive late the next few days, or leave early.
If they raise a huge stink about it, I'll start looking elseware. Even in todays job market, I can be gone in 3 or 4 months max. Never in a million years would I *not* be actively looking to bai.
I dont work for free and I suggest nobody else should. Nobody makes you work unpaid. You let yourself work unpaid and if you do, you are a coward fool for letting people walk over you. If they have a problem with you having a life outside of work, fuck em. If the job market sucks, mentally detach yourself from the job and spend every ounce of energy you have looking to bail at the first good opportunity.
But this is easy for me to say, I live in an area with a lot of tech jobs. If I lived in bum-fuck nowhere with only one tech firm around... I'd probably have to consider either moving or switching careers. Working unpaid is for chumps.
Never set the VCR because it was too much of a pain in the ass to bother. I barely ever use the web browser on my phone even though I'm sure it is "feature complete". Why? It is a pain in the ass to use. The iPhone has a non-pain in the ass browser and a non-pain in the ass interface.
But realize your questions are not the tools in specific, but really "are these guys gonna whine when I want a $50 utility?". Asking about third party controls is a good question. Another one might be "what kinds of things do you have a site license for"--maybe they have a site license for Photoshop or something?
Actually, I'm becoming pretty convinced that the kinds of questions you and some others on this thread suggest are pretty good ones. You just have to phrase them in a way that doesn't make it look like you are gonna be a pain in the ass--but that is just knowing how to phrase the question in a politically safe way.
Actually
Even the smallest company should at least provide you with basic stuff like pens, notebooks and post-its. One of the worst jobs I've had was at a place that didn't even have a supply of pens. If they can't keep pens, it means they are incredibly cheap and probably have much larger organizational issues than just a lack of office supplies.
However, if you are the GP and are asking to be re-imbursed for pens because their supply of pens suck (in your opinion), wow. Now you are the one being cheap.
But you dont need to even ask this question during an interview. A far better, more subtle way to get a lot of these "what kinds of junk will I be using" is to ask for a "tour of the place, to see where I'd be working". As you walk around, you can note things like "do they have more than one monitor", "looks like they are all using ${email client}", or "the whiteboards are all empty".
I've never done this, but you can probably deduce the answers to questions like these by asking something like "what is the turn around time for a project the size of ${size}". Basically, try to figure how how fast they think they crank things out. If they say "we usually try to get our devs to push out a ${big thing} in ${insane deadline}" you can probably assume it is a sweatshop.
Yeah. For source control as long as they use something I'll be okay--I always ask what they use for source controls. Bug trackers, eh... as long as they use one. Wikis? eh.. Those things dont really matter much to me. The important thing is they are using them, or growing up to the point where they realize they might need them. If they are a young company and say "we dont use version control, but we see the value in it", it could be an opportunity for you.
It all depends. Version control is a good question though. The rest seems like idle chit-chat. Well, unless they said "we all use vim and you will too". I might have an issue with that.
Choose your battles, I guess is the salient point here. Know what is important to you. If you never want to work for a place unless they use Trac for bugs and wikis, make sure to ask. I think you are rather silly, but more power to you!
Like if the IT group refuses to give admin access to the developers own workstation.
I see your point, but I still think you could have made it less of a flamefest for idiots like me by using something other than "what email client". The engineering folk really should use what the entire company uses for email. But freedom to support your own tools, etc... you are 100% correct. Developers, in a weird way, have some pretty "interesting" demands on the infrastructure that most other teams don't have*.
* Except for the folks in facilities who have to run all the keycards and better, HVAC units. Those guys put equally perverse demands on the IT staff because a lot of their equipment runs weird software requiring creative network topologies or various holes through the firewall so they can turn on the chiller from home on a weekend rather then driving in and doing it onsite (double time + fee). Most facilities groups seem run their own rouge network because of the politics involved in dealing with IT.
If you were going into your example, which I assume is a java shop then there are dozens of environments that you could be working in. In that case, ask away! If you are going into a .NET job, you are going to be using Visual Studio (unless I guess you are using Mono, in which case you would probably be curious and should ask).
And that is why I suggested that you make sure what you really want is in the lower end of the quote. If they wanted to hire you and had a flexible budget, they know that if they offered you the bottom end of your ballpark they'd look cheap. They, like anybody, would most likely assume you wanted the middle of your quote and so they'd either offer you that or start inbetween the low end and the middle, in which case they are starting with what you really wanted. Either way, most likely you will find yourself negotiating upwards from what you wanted, not downwards toward what they wanted. The cute trick is since they probably assumed you wanted the middle, they will think they are negotiating downwards, but really they are going upwards.
If they started at the very bottom of your ballpark either they are really cheap or more likely they really want you bad, but you are a stretch for their budget (like if they were a non-profit). In that case, you can probably wiggle tons of "freebies" out of them like faster accumulation of vacation time, free bus passes, etc... stuff that doesn't really cost them anything but at least makes it feel like they aren't being cheap. If they really are being cheap, then maybe you are better off not taking up the offer. Only you can make that decision though.
But yes, salary isn't everything. For me, I always insist on getting a free bus pass. You can probably get them to budge on other things too like bumping when your vacation starts accumulating or when you are eligible for healthcare--unless there is a ton of bureaucracy these are cheap giveaways for them that are pretty sweet for you.
One more thing. The grandparent of this post is completely wrong when he said (emphasis mine):
This is a very, very bad thing to say. You are the only one who is in a position to know what you are worth! You should be keenly aware of what your regions going rate is for your skillset and it is entirely your responsibility to research it. If you do the homework on your own, odds are you will either overprice yourself or far more likely undervalue yourself.
Keep in mind if the company is big enough, you can go to sites like glassdoor and find out what the average salary is for the company you are applying for. That way you can quote them a ballpark that is just slightly in a higher bracket then their average wage. If you can't find the average salary for the specific company, you can at least find the average for your region.
Even if you are selling yourself as an employee, you are still running your own business--act like a businessman, not a doormat! Always know your market rate!
Stuff like this always makes me laugh. Mainly because it is pretty sad.
You'd think for a tech site, people would have a passion for tech. I guess not.
How has it changed the mobile landscape? For starters, it was the first usable, approachable mobile device in existence. Unlike all the other mobile phones before it, the iPhone isn't intimidating. Along with a laundry list of other innovative things, it has a real *usable* web browser in it. I'd go on, but unless you are a tech-Luddite, these things are pretty obvious.
I always like to ask what version control they use... as long as they use something instead of shrugging, life should be okay.
In the end, I guess it just depends. If you asked "what software would I be using" and you were going into a C# job, you'd look like a complete fool. I think you can get pretty detailed with "what software will I use" if you are going for any place that does unix development--if you are doing PHP, Perl or Python it really doesn't matter if everybody uses the same editor (personally, I use a Windows box, ultraedit and samba because I like mice :-). If they say "we all use emacs", I either better bone up on emacs or move on. If they say "we all SSH into the production server and mess with the live site", I run :-) In fact, I think with unix stuff you *better* ask what kind of toolage you will be provided with and if they would be willing to fork over to pay for "real" editors that help you work better.
My key point is that you shouldn't look like a prima-donna or zealot. Asking what kind of software is in use is fine within the context of the job you are applying for. Asking to use visual studio in a Ruby shop is stupid. Asking to use vim in a C# shop is equally stupid. Asking if you can use Thunderbird instead of Outlook makes you look like an amateur.
That does indeed change things but you are still in dangerous water without clarifying yourself. If you asked those questions and didn't follow up with keywords like "productivity", "morale", and "TCO" then you are still a prima donna or worse, a religious zealot.
Letting people choose their own email client and develpoment platform might be okay, but it really depends on the organization. If you are hired to grow a development team, you better be well versed in the tradeoffs between "every gets outlook" and "lasse faire--anybody runs anything". At your level, you are hired to make the business more competitive. You better make it perfectly clear you aren't some zealot who will be hellbent on turning us into the next FSF regardless of the business justification. Once you've turned off my "zealot alert" radar, then you can ask these kinds of questions.
If we are a .NET shop, you are using a Windows Box with Visual Studio--if you wanted Emacs on Cygwin, you aren't gonna be happy here. If we are a unix shop, you can use whatever the hell you want for an editor (vi, UltraEdit via Samba, notepad) but you will run whatever unix flavor we use for your sandbox (FreeBSD, Redhat, Gentoo, whatever)--if you wanted Ubuntu, sorry Charley. If we develop applications for an iPhone? You have a Mac and its associated toolchain. If you were a graphic designer, you'd be using Photoshop + InDesign--if you want GIMP, you aren't gonna be happy here.
If you are picky about your email client or your spreadsheet app--you are a prima donna that will piss off my employees and make unreasonable demands on us. Open Office has nothing to do with development unless you write plugins for it. The only time you should care what email client you use is if you were a secretary. The only time you should care what word processor you use is when you are doing documentation. The only time a spreadsheet app matters is if you are a sales dude or a financial dude.
Choose your battles. But really, if you expect to run PINE and we are doing .NET work, you probably don't wouldn't like working here just as much as we probably wouldn't like you working here. But to pass up an otherwise good job because of an email client is, well, pretty immature.