I never really explained why I left teaching in Northern Maine, so here goes.
After teaching science for 11 years in an Aroostook County High School, I came to the conclusion that I did not want my kids going to that school. My son wasted 2 years in middle school being taught by teachers who thought that reading to them for 30-60 minutes every day was appropriate and that covering 1/2 of the book was ok. The administration was clueless (and basically didn't care), but very good at getting grants to pay for their pet projects. So every 2 years there was another bandwagon to jump on, this year I guess it's laptops. One year the superintendent hired a consultant to document our curriculm and write it the flowery prose required to get the next grant.
Do you really think that these teachers will know what to do with those computers? That school already has more computers than it knows what to do with. They wrote a grant to get them (no surprise there) and they teach keyboarding and use them for word processing (and maybe printing, if the kids haven't hacked the printer and changed the Window settings). Does each kid need a laptop for that?
No, I wasn't part of the problem. I do have a Ph.D and moved to your (adopted) state to give my kids a safe place to grow up and for my wife (who is from there) a chance to be closer to her family. Money was never really the issue though since I have left teaching, I'm making 2X what you consider appropriate. Paying teachers more won't improve existing teachers, it will just make them higher paid.
So now you want to give out laptops so the kids will be computer literate. Do you really have a clue as to what computer literate means? Laptops won't solve that problem. All you'll be doing is letting the kids print out nicely formatted text. You need to focus on what the text says, not how it looks.
What's with this GNU/Linux? Nowhere does the article mention GNU. And yes, I do know the difference. There may be some GNU tools involved, but IBM is talking about their programs (Websphere, DB2, etc) working on the Linux kernel.
Kinda reminds me of all the stuff I read here when someone asks a question that should really be asked to a lawyer. However IANAL, but here's my advice anyway...
Could you folks find a U.S. Patent Office spokesperson and do "Ask Slashback" session with them so we can have a better understanding of the process they go through when granting patents?
Or perhaps you've already done this?
My question would be "How do you decide if a software patent is obvious? Is this a group or an individual decision?"
Are you implying that you can't make money off the telephone? Try telling that to all those telemarketers that keep calling me at dinner time.
"How do you make money off the internet?" By underpricing the IPO, hyping the company, and selling out before everybody else caught on. That is exactly what Wall $treet is all about.
The truth is out. When Micro$oft says innovate, they really mean copy.
Anyway, getting good software over the course of 10 years assumes that for at least 8 of those years, you're getting good feedback from your customers, and good innovations from your competitors that you can copy, and good ideas from all the people that come to work for you because they believe that your version 1.0 is promising.
What has IBM learned about marketing so that Linux won't go down the same path as OS/2? An OS with a fanatical following that faded into obscurity. Sounds just like Linux today (a fanatical following that is).
Because they still think that the $100K+/year job is still there, so that's what they are looking and waiting for.
Interviewer: So tell me a little about what you did at the last company you worked for.
dot-goner:Well we started a company from scratch, going from 0 employees to 500 in 6 months.
Interviewer: So what did you make?
dot-goner:thinking: Yippeeee, talking money already $100K + stock options.
Interviewer: No, what product do make?
dot-goner:Oh, well I wasn't involved in that part. I was too busy building the company.
Interviewer: Ok, how about the company before that one.
dot-goner:Same thing, I helped build a company from 0 to 500 employees in 6 months.
Interviewer: Well what did they make?
dot-goner:We were going to capture 98.9% of the widget market, by streamling the build/sell/buy process and enpowering the customer to enhance their quality of life.
Interviewer: What's a widget?
dot-goner:I don't know, I wasn't involved in that part, I was too busy building the company to worry about that.
Interviewer: And you got paid to do this?
dot-goner:Yes, we raised over $100 million in venture capital at both places.
Interviewer: So what sort of job are you looking for?
dot-goner:I would like to build a company from 0 to 500 employees in 6 months.
Interviewer: And what would they do?
dot-goner: Do? Why spend $100 million in 6 months. Isn't that what business is all about?
For all of the dot-goners, I apologize. I just found out my current boss is a PHB and need to get some outlet for my frustration.
I've taught java programming as an introductory language for 3 years to students that want to learn programming. What I've learned from all of this, is that the students who started programming on their own (before walking into a classroom), it doesn't matter what language you use. For those who have never (and I mean never) seen a program listing before, I would (if it were my choice) use something more like LOGO or a general how do you do that introduction. Let them begin to think of things as objects or procedures, then we can teach the details. Otherwise you're teaching both at once.
1st - get a lawyer (Can't afford one? Think of how much a 4 year degree is really worth.)
2nd - find everything agreement with the university that you or your parents signed.
Did you sign away any intellectual property rights?
What exactly did you agree to pertaining to the use of their network?
And most importantly talk to reporters/professors and turn this into a free speech issue.
I'm just curious as to how many of Slashdot readers expect to make their living selling mass-market software? Or are do they plan to spend their careers configuring/installing Open Source software for others?
It will be really hard to make a living developing software under the GPL. Unless of course you plan on remaining in academia, then this rant doesn't apply to you.
The only way Linux (or any other alt. OS) will become successful is if it installed at the factory. The general public doesn't have the bandwidth or the desire to install their own OS.
Don't pat your self on the back until the project is actually done. If you manage to do it on time, within budget and most importantly, the customer is satisfied, then great. You've found something that works for you.
However:
Writing test cases 1st? Gee, how will you know when you get there, if you don't know where you're going?
Design as you go? If you don't have any experience, then you'll need someone else to tell you where to go. If you don't know what I mean, try working with an inexperienced coder and do this (pair programming). Guaranteed to drive you nuts.
This is not the Peter principle. That's assuming that those who get promoted, get put into a position that they can't handle, assuming that they could handle the previous position.
Slashdot Mirror
I never really explained why I left teaching in Northern Maine, so here goes.
After teaching science for 11 years in an Aroostook County High School, I came to the conclusion that I did not want my kids going to that school. My son wasted 2 years in middle school being taught by teachers who thought that reading to them for 30-60 minutes every day was appropriate and that covering 1/2 of the book was ok. The administration was clueless (and basically didn't care), but very good at getting grants to pay for their pet projects. So every 2 years there was another bandwagon to jump on, this year I guess it's laptops. One year the superintendent hired a consultant to document our curriculm and write it the flowery prose required to get the next grant.
Do you really think that these teachers will know what to do with those computers? That school already has more computers than it knows what to do with. They wrote a grant to get them (no surprise there) and they teach keyboarding and use them for word processing (and maybe printing, if the kids haven't hacked the printer and changed the Window settings). Does each kid need a laptop for that?
No, I wasn't part of the problem. I do have a Ph.D and moved to your (adopted) state to give my kids a safe place to grow up and for my wife (who is from there) a chance to be closer to her family. Money was never really the issue though since I have left teaching, I'm making 2X what you consider appropriate. Paying teachers more won't improve existing teachers, it will just make them higher paid.
So now you want to give out laptops so the kids will be computer literate. Do you really have a clue as to what computer literate means? Laptops won't solve that problem. All you'll be doing is letting the kids print out nicely formatted text. You need to focus on what the text says, not how it looks.
Sign me,
A former teacher who left the state
What's with this GNU/Linux? Nowhere does the article mention GNU. And yes, I do know the difference. There may be some GNU tools involved, but IBM is talking about their programs (Websphere, DB2, etc) working on the Linux kernel.
The only thing you can be sure of, is in 10 years, you won't be programming in the same language you are today.
Kinda reminds me of all the stuff I read here when someone asks a question that should really be asked to a lawyer. However IANAL, but here's my advice anyway...
Just what I'd want, a Microsoft shirt that reads "Hacked by Chinese"
Actually Covad went Chapter 11, which is reorganization, they did not go out of business. Well, as of now they haven't.
Or perhaps you've already done this?
My question would be "How do you decide if a software patent is obvious? Is this a group or an individual decision?"
Get a clue guys, the interent is not about money, it's about communication http://www.cluetrain.com
"How do you make money off the internet?" By underpricing the IPO, hyping the company, and selling out before everybody else caught on. That is exactly what Wall $treet is all about.
Anyway, getting good software over the course of 10 years assumes that for at least 8 of those years, you're getting good feedback from your customers, and good innovations from your competitors that you can copy, and good ideas from all the people that come to work for you because they believe that your version 1.0 is promising.
What has IBM learned about marketing so that Linux won't go down the same path as OS/2? An OS with a fanatical following that faded into obscurity. Sounds just like Linux today (a fanatical following that is).
Because they still think that the $100K+/year job is still there, so that's what they are looking and waiting for.
Interviewer: So tell me a little about what you did at the last company you worked for.
dot-goner:Well we started a company from scratch, going from 0 employees to 500 in 6 months.
Interviewer: So what did you make?
dot-goner:thinking: Yippeeee, talking money already $100K + stock options.
Interviewer: No, what product do make?
dot-goner:Oh, well I wasn't involved in that part. I was too busy building the company.
Interviewer: Ok, how about the company before that one.
dot-goner:Same thing, I helped build a company from 0 to 500 employees in 6 months.
Interviewer: Well what did they make?
dot-goner:We were going to capture 98.9% of the widget market, by streamling the build/sell/buy process and enpowering the customer to enhance their quality of life.
Interviewer: What's a widget?
dot-goner:I don't know, I wasn't involved in that part, I was too busy building the company to worry about that.
Interviewer: And you got paid to do this?
dot-goner:Yes, we raised over $100 million in venture capital at both places.
Interviewer: So what sort of job are you looking for?
dot-goner:I would like to build a company from 0 to 500 employees in 6 months.
Interviewer: And what would they do?
dot-goner: Do? Why spend $100 million in 6 months. Isn't that what business is all about?
For all of the dot-goners, I apologize. I just found out my current boss is a PHB and need to get some outlet for my frustration.
I've taught java programming as an introductory language for 3 years to students that want to learn programming. What I've learned from all of this, is that the students who started programming on their own (before walking into a classroom), it doesn't matter what language you use. For those who have never (and I mean never) seen a program listing before, I would (if it were my choice) use something more like LOGO or a general how do you do that introduction. Let them begin to think of things as objects or procedures, then we can teach the details. Otherwise you're teaching both at once.
when most isp's/cable/dsl providers prohibit you from running servers?
Until those folks fix their links, use http://www.thinkgeek.com/stuff/things/3782.html
2nd - find everything agreement with the university that you or your parents signed.
Did you sign away any intellectual property rights?
What exactly did you agree to pertaining to the use of their network?
And most importantly talk to reporters/professors and turn this into a free speech issue.
Nothing more than the whim of a 13-year
old slashdot editor is required to knock any user,
site, or server right off the Internet.
HIRE ME, I'll do it for $1 million. For $2 million, I'll even hire a designer so it looks nice.
And I thought that the days of overblown and overpriced web hype was over.
It will be really hard to make a living developing software under the GPL. Unless of course you plan on remaining in academia, then this rant doesn't apply to you.
P.S. No, I am not a M$ flunky.
The only way Linux (or any other alt. OS) will become successful is if it installed at the factory. The general public doesn't have the bandwidth or the desire to install their own OS.
They just want it to work.
Emulators won't do it. Witness the fate of OS/2.
However:
Writing test cases 1st? Gee, how will you know when you get there, if you don't know where you're going?
Design as you go? If you don't have any experience, then you'll need someone else to tell you where to go. If you don't know what I mean, try working with an inexperienced coder and do this (pair programming). Guaranteed to drive you nuts.
He is spending YOUR MONEY.
This is not the Peter principle. That's assuming that those who get promoted, get put into a position that they can't handle, assuming that they could handle the previous position.
Gee, this is just what Linus did a number of years back.
Now all they need to do is open source the whole thing.
This isn't going to go away at least for the next 4 years. Get over it.