I plan on switching carriers. My CDMA phone gets lousy service in areas I frequent compared to people I know on GSM/TDMA phones. I am also looking forward to the Handspring Treo 600/GSM. I wish there were NATIONAL or INTERNATIONAL numbers, but at least keeping my number when I switch carriers will make life much easier on me, my friends, and family. I think this is a great thing!
Orange County, one hundred miles to the north, has similar weather, higher population density, better planning and about twenty percent better pay. The average portion of income devoted to housing in the U.S. is twenty-five percent. That average is forty percent in San Diego. I still live here and have (off and on, mostly on) since 1976, but the traffic, population and cost, combined with relatively low pay, is beginning to get to me. Weather isn't everything.
I agree that San Diego is expensive, but so is Orange County and Los Angeles. I think that life is easier in San Diego, which makes it worth it. Here are my 2 cents:
I have lived in Los Angeles (Pasadena), Sacramento (CA), Orange County (CA), and San Diego. I really like the City of San Diego, not the entire county. Parts of the County of San Diego feel like Orange County. I still like Los Angeles, especially Pasadena. You can design your life so the traffic congestion does not effect you very much. There is so much to do in the Los Angeles, it is amazing!
Orange County is boring to me and so very 'average'. Most of the area developed over the last 30 years and has very little history. Tons of mini-malls. Almost the entire county is designed around the automobile. When I think of Orange County I think of corporate chain stores, freeways, huge parking lots, malls, track homes, and low diversity. I lived there for 1 and 1/2 years, and was bored out of my mind. There is limited culture. Orange County basically survives off of Los Angeles. Some people like this life-style, which is fine.
The City of San Diego has history, it is right on the ocean, has a laid-back culture, is divided into communities so you really know where you live, especially in the historic communities like La Jolla, Hillcrest, University Heights, Kensington, or Ocean Beach. There is culture, although less than Los Angeles. San Diego has walking communities, and there are tons of unique little stores that exist no where else. Take a stroll through Hillcrest or Normal Heights. It has a thriving downtown nightlife. Pacific Beach is great for the 20's-30's crowd, many clubs and many attractive people. The unemployment rate is lower than the national average. The job areas that appear to me to have the most job growth are Internet, cellular (communication/engineering), and biotech. The worst traffic is probably going into Sorrento Valley (San Diego's silicon valley.) There are tons of high-tech companies located in the small area. Also, Mexico and its Tijuana are only a trolley ride away.
San Diego is expanding its light rail (Trolley), and new apartments and condos are being built in the downtown area (right on the bay), where high tech companies are starting to move. You can 'almost' design your life without a car, yet the freeways are still pretty nice, with the expception of the 805. Cable modem service is available through Cox Cable. We have three major universities in the City, (UCSD, SDSU, USD). San Diego is the 6th largest City in the country, but feels like a small beach town with class. We also have a great Fry's, and tons of small computer stores in Clairmont Mesa (near the old General Atomics). You can almost find a User Group for any product or platform, including Linux (http://www.kernel-panic.com). As a geek, I heavily recommend San Diego. (I think the immense high-tech military industry in San Diego really helped the City out in terms of being involved in the commercial high-tech industry.)
If you want a standard track-home life-style with the Utility Vehicle and enclosed mini-malls with McDonalds and Olive Garden restaraunts, they exist in San Diego (Rancho Bernardo, etc.) but you will have to fight the traffic to get to work. I would really not 'highly' recommend San Diego to you geeky folks, perhaps Boulder Colorado? If, on the otherhand, you want a really nice Craftsman Bungelow in one of the histric communities, San Diego is ideal. Or if you like a walking community like Hillcrest, and want to live in a high-density, hip area, San Diego has it. Many unique stores and restaraunts, high-density, pedestrian friendly, and fun. Plus, only about 2 miles from downtown. (A few San Diego headquartered companies? CSC, SAIC, Gateway, Qualcomm, MP3.com,...)
Although the weather is nice, I think the weather is almost as good elsewhere in Southern California. I live in San Diego because of the beaches, the landscape, the jobs, the history, the people, and the feeling of community.:-)
Programmers need freedom of OS choice
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I agree that a programmer needs to control his or her computer environment.
One of the reasons I use Linux is because of the ability to customize the environment. Another is because of the assortment of tools that comes with the distributions. I would not enjoy being forced to develop web applications in a Windows 98/NT/2000 environment...especially if locked down.
I will require that future employers allow me the freedom to use whatever operating system I like, as long as I get the job done! Luckily, I've never had a boss tell me I could not use Linux.
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I plan on switching carriers. My CDMA phone gets lousy service in areas I frequent compared to people I know on GSM/TDMA phones. I am also looking forward to the Handspring Treo 600/GSM. I wish there were NATIONAL or INTERNATIONAL numbers, but at least keeping my number when I switch carriers will make life much easier on me, my friends, and family. I think this is a great thing!
I agree that San Diego is expensive, but so is Orange County and Los Angeles. I think that life is easier in San Diego, which makes it worth it. Here are my 2 cents:
I have lived in Los Angeles (Pasadena), Sacramento (CA), Orange County (CA), and San Diego. I really like the City of San Diego, not the entire county. Parts of the County of San Diego feel like Orange County. I still like Los Angeles, especially Pasadena. You can design your life so the traffic congestion does not effect you very much. There is so much to do in the Los Angeles, it is amazing!
Orange County is boring to me and so very 'average'. Most of the area developed over the last 30 years and has very little history. Tons of mini-malls. Almost the entire county is designed around the automobile. When I think of Orange County I think of corporate chain stores, freeways, huge parking lots, malls, track homes, and low diversity. I lived there for 1 and 1/2 years, and was bored out of my mind. There is limited culture. Orange County basically survives off of Los Angeles. Some people like this life-style, which is fine.
The City of San Diego has history, it is right on the ocean, has a laid-back culture, is divided into communities so you really know where you live, especially in the historic communities like La Jolla, Hillcrest, University Heights, Kensington, or Ocean Beach. There is culture, although less than Los Angeles. San Diego has walking communities, and there are tons of unique little stores that exist no where else. Take a stroll through Hillcrest or Normal Heights. It has a thriving downtown nightlife. Pacific Beach is great for the 20's-30's crowd, many clubs and many attractive people. The unemployment rate is lower than the national average. The job areas that appear to me to have the most job growth are Internet, cellular (communication/engineering), and biotech. The worst traffic is probably going into Sorrento Valley (San Diego's silicon valley.) There are tons of high-tech companies located in the small area. Also, Mexico and its Tijuana are only a trolley ride away.
San Diego is expanding its light rail (Trolley), and new apartments and condos are being built in the downtown area (right on the bay), where high tech companies are starting to move. You can 'almost' design your life without a car, yet the freeways are still pretty nice, with the expception of the 805. Cable modem service is available through Cox Cable. We have three major universities in the City, (UCSD, SDSU, USD). San Diego is the 6th largest City in the country, but feels like a small beach town with class. We also have a great Fry's, and tons of small computer stores in Clairmont Mesa (near the old General Atomics). You can almost find a User Group for any product or platform, including Linux (http://www.kernel-panic.com). As a geek, I heavily recommend San Diego. (I think the immense high-tech military industry in San Diego really helped the City out in terms of being involved in the commercial high-tech industry.)
If you want a standard track-home life-style with the Utility Vehicle and enclosed mini-malls with McDonalds and Olive Garden restaraunts, they exist in San Diego (Rancho Bernardo, etc.) but you will have to fight the traffic to get to work. I would really not 'highly' recommend San Diego to you geeky folks, perhaps Boulder Colorado? If, on the otherhand, you want a really nice Craftsman Bungelow in one of the histric communities, San Diego is ideal. Or if you like a walking community like Hillcrest, and want to live in a high-density, hip area, San Diego has it. Many unique stores and restaraunts, high-density, pedestrian friendly, and fun. Plus, only about 2 miles from downtown. (A few San Diego headquartered companies? CSC, SAIC, Gateway, Qualcomm, MP3.com,...)
Although the weather is nice, I think the weather is almost as good elsewhere in Southern California. I live in San Diego because of the beaches, the landscape, the jobs, the history, the people, and the feeling of community. :-)
I agree that a programmer needs to control his or her computer environment.
One of the reasons I use Linux is because of the ability to customize the environment. Another is because of the assortment of tools that comes with the distributions. I would not enjoy being forced to develop web applications in a Windows 98/NT/2000 environment...especially if locked down.
I will require that future employers allow me the freedom to use whatever operating system I like, as long as I get the job done! Luckily, I've never had a boss tell me I could not use Linux.