I'm in pretty much the same category as the grandparent post.
As to how you get started?
Have an interest in technology in your spare time. Learn PHP, learn shell scripting, etc and then put something out to the world that demonstrates your competence in the skills you want to whore out.
If you've got something you can point to and say "I made this!" then you've got half a foot in the door already.
Also, during the time spent learning, you may well establish relationships in that industry with people in developer forums, help forums, etc that may know of someone who has work going, etc.
My first real tech job (ISP admin - 10 years ago) i landed due to meeting up with the ISP owner in question when I was doing part time web development (and hence setting up my own linux box, etc to develop on). I was lucky i got in while the business was small, but there's always opportunities like that cropping up with new technology. You just have to put yourself "out there" and take the time to learn it of course.
Banks (and other businesses) need to be able to verify a secure (well, be happy it's "secure enough" to their knowledge/satisfaction) solution. Perhaps they haven't tested Opera enough, it has not been verified, so they will not "support" it. Perhaps their helpdesk have not been trained in it, due to the costs outweighing Opera's market share. Does not mean it doesn't work, just means that they're unwilling to put their business on the line and support people using it.
I think a lot of people mistake "unsupported" for "does not work".
These are 2 totally different things out there in the real (business) world.
I mean, I run an aftermarket ECU in my car. This is "unsupported" by Nissan - doesn't mean it doesn't work, and combined with other modifications, give me douuble the rear wheel horsepower...
"never required servicing" not "never servicing" obviously.
*sigh*... i did even preview once too....
AS to modern cars being hard to get to stuff - depends on the car.
300ZX TT - pain in the ass, major major pain in the ass (but shit, what do you expect with 2 turbos and all the associated plumbing packed into that little engine bay). 350Z is pretty intimidating too.
I have a Nissan 180sx, will full electronic ignition, fuel injection, etc.
It currently has 120,000km on it, and I have done all the servicing since 60,000km myself.
It has never servicing other than a clutch replacement, oil changes and a spark plug change or two (iridium plugs, supposedly good for 50,000km).
So, i can take all that money that I would have spent on "tuning" (say, 12x$200AU), and buy a damn replacement ECU *if* it screws up next week.
However, being a member of numerous car clubs, I have *never* heard of total ECU failure, and the few times I've seen sensor failures (on other older cars), they are *EASY* to diagnose (the ECU *tells* you) by reading the error codes.
Don't know the codes? Thats your problem, not a design fault of the car. Most of them are easy to obtain from the service manual.
"New cars are not servicable!" is a crock of shit spouted by ignorant people who just refuse to expand their knowledge.
Hmm.... I doubt you'd need a few million cells though.
Some of the tendering spreadsheets i've seen for a few companies i've worked for have had quite a lot of calculation going on in them - change a few cells that others depend on that have others depending on them, etc.... do that all day, it adds up quick.
You only need 1 of those operations in that instance to screw up and you could be down a few million dollars, if it's not picked up.
Even forgetting that it's just the moral thing to do...Risk vs replacement cost = no brainer. If only 3000 cpus are affected at say $300 each for amd to sell retail (i'm sure their cost is FAR less), they'd be mad not to just do it (maybe even offer a free speed bump) and reap the positive PR.
All it needs is for ONE company to blame a budget blowout on them and it's well and truly paid for...
Granted, for most people this may well be a non-issue, and data corruption is a fact of life.
However, when a CPU is KNOWN DEFECTIVE in a repeatable, data-corrupting way, it is the vendor's responsibility to replace/fix it.
Similar to vehicle recalls. Most people would never be affected by many of the things vehicles are recalled for, but that doesn't mean that known *serious* defects are simply let go.
Now, not having a go at the parent post, but if intel was to release a statement like this, the/. community would be having a field day.
A defect that is known to give incorrect calculations is a serious issue that should be rectified via microcode update or exchange CPU for free (if microcode can't fix it).
Intel got raked over the coals for the FDIV problem, and so should AMD unless they do the right thing and offer an exchange/free fix so that users get the functional CPU they intended to purchase.
If you've got ubuntu, my suggestion is to install the libsdl-development packages, google for the SDL howtos, and get stuck into SDL using GCC.
The first few hours will likely be "hard", (getting a window on screen and drawing a pixel on it), but once you've gotten that far, drawing more pixels is much easier.
And once you can draw pixels, you can work out how to draw boxes, circles, etc.
... then you can move onto bitmaps.... then moving them...and so on, and eventually you'll have the skills to make a simple game (think: defender, space invaders, etc).
Once you're at that sort of level, either your interest will be piqued or you'll realise programming isn't for you....:)
Most computers these days either do not include any sort of serious programming language (as in, one that can be used for something useful), or at least it is hidden away and not so "in your face" as it used to be.
The older machines (C64, Pet, Vic20, Trs80, etc) all had a very visible programming environment (basic as soon as you power up, even:D) which made youngsters curious to see what they could do with it, particularly given that tape/floppy load times were quite bad.
GCC / Visual C / Visual Basic / Javascript / etc is all too hard to get "hooked" into unless you have a purpose for it before you even start.
A basic or logo interpreter was far more rewarding, because even a really really simple program (or hell, immediate mode statement) provided a result. eg, logo a simple "forward 100" will give an instant line, which is instant encouragement to try something else.
And that's the hook. No one (well, very few at least) wants to spent 15-30 minutes writing code into a file, saving it, compiling it, etc to find out they made a syntax error before they can even see a result. Try drawing a line with GCC or Java?
And that's assuming they can even hunt down/install a compiler in the first place...
Let's face it: Basic C++ or VB has little application unless you're going to take it beyond the classroom level. Sure, my souped and super-violent version of "The Snake Game" was fun to make, but completely useless.
Sorry, but I must disagree.
For C++, most game development is done in C/C++ these days, so unless you're somewhat fluent in that, you're out of the game programming industry for a start.
For VB, you'd be amazed at how many businesses are still relying on access databases, excel macros, etc. VB, even a casual knowledge of, is a huge advantage in the business world - being able to knock out quick macros/modules in excel/access, etc can save you (or your co-workers) a huge amount of time.
C/C++ is "close enough" to things like Java that many of the same syntax constructs still apply - sure, if you're a C programmer you won't make a good Java programmer, but at least you'll be in with a good chance of puzzling it out for yourself.
As to Pascal - it may be a toy language, but it's fairly anal type bondage does promote fairly sound programming habits...
smash (to put my perspective in context, i was born in '77 and grew up with a c64s/amigas and then went on to mess around with pascal+inline assemly in the early 90s when i became fascinated by the demo-scene. Since then i've hacked on a couple of MUDs and been a general unix sysadmin type for $...)
... to find out that a friend of mine recently completed a computer science degree, without learning to do any sort of serious programming.
So no, it would not surprise me that kids these days don't program. Most of the "geekier" ones may get into some sort of HTML, and maybe some sort of scripting (javascript) perhaps though.
There is already so much hardware out there, why buy new?
Warranty vs hardware failure.
Simple really. I mean, i like re-using old hardware as much as the next guy (my p2-350 -> p3-700e - yes, i upgraded it with a slotket:D is still going strong as my toy box), but hardware failure is a fairly likely occurrence that most people do not want to deal with.
If you're relying on a machine as your ONLY pc (as the target market no doubt will be) - buy new, with warranty.
Now before all the nintendo fanboys try to rip me a new one, bear with me...
It's a controller. This is NOT an integral part of the console that could never be done without buying a Revolution, as nintendo are trying to make out.
Do PC makers make a big deal out of the fact that you can buy an entire car simulator controller (proper pedals, wheel, seat, etc)?
I believe I'm on the same wavelength as the guy, and my problem isn't really the idea of the controller per se`.... just that nintendo seem to be relying on using it as their entire marketing campaign, and are hyping the shit out of something that is a PERIPHERAL and not a core part of the console.
There is NO technical reason that this controller could not exist on a PC, PS2, Xbox... or even a Gamecube, n64, etc.
This is contrary to the story nintendo are trying to push - and this is what is pissing people off about it.
IMHO....
I mean I may well end up buying a Revolution, but it's not because of the controller, and in fact the controller/hype is one of the things pushing me AWAY from that choice at the moment...
Remind me why i should bother watching TV again?:D
I thought there would be some sort of prior art with this on DVDs? Which is even worse... I've already PAID for the damn DVD, and still you want to force your shit on me??
Honestly I can see no reason whatsoever for anyone to ever want to rip their own DVD collection
Slashdot Mirror
Ask anyone who's had to deal with Java and it's many different incompatible versions (from sun, no less)...
smash.
smash.
As to how you get started?
Have an interest in technology in your spare time. Learn PHP, learn shell scripting, etc and then put something out to the world that demonstrates your competence in the skills you want to whore out.
If you've got something you can point to and say "I made this!" then you've got half a foot in the door already.
Also, during the time spent learning, you may well establish relationships in that industry with people in developer forums, help forums, etc that may know of someone who has work going, etc.
My first real tech job (ISP admin - 10 years ago) i landed due to meeting up with the ISP owner in question when I was doing part time web development (and hence setting up my own linux box, etc to develop on). I was lucky i got in while the business was small, but there's always opportunities like that cropping up with new technology. You just have to put yourself "out there" and take the time to learn it of course.
smash.
Banks (and other businesses) need to be able to verify a secure (well, be happy it's "secure enough" to their knowledge/satisfaction) solution. Perhaps they haven't tested Opera enough, it has not been verified, so they will not "support" it. Perhaps their helpdesk have not been trained in it, due to the costs outweighing Opera's market share. Does not mean it doesn't work, just means that they're unwilling to put their business on the line and support people using it.
I think a lot of people mistake "unsupported" for "does not work".
These are 2 totally different things out there in the real (business) world.
I mean, I run an aftermarket ECU in my car. This is "unsupported" by Nissan - doesn't mean it doesn't work, and combined with other modifications, give me douuble the rear wheel horsepower...
smash.
So now it's a dildo shaped, wii controller?
How freudian...
smash
*sigh*... i did even preview once too....
AS to modern cars being hard to get to stuff - depends on the car.
300ZX TT - pain in the ass, major major pain in the ass (but shit, what do you expect with 2 turbos and all the associated plumbing packed into that little engine bay). 350Z is pretty intimidating too.
180sx, skyline, many other cars - easy as.
smash.
I have a Nissan 180sx, will full electronic ignition, fuel injection, etc.
It currently has 120,000km on it, and I have done all the servicing since 60,000km myself.
It has never servicing other than a clutch replacement, oil changes and a spark plug change or two (iridium plugs, supposedly good for 50,000km).
So, i can take all that money that I would have spent on "tuning" (say, 12x$200AU), and buy a damn replacement ECU *if* it screws up next week.
However, being a member of numerous car clubs, I have *never* heard of total ECU failure, and the few times I've seen sensor failures (on other older cars), they are *EASY* to diagnose (the ECU *tells* you) by reading the error codes.
Don't know the codes? Thats your problem, not a design fault of the car. Most of them are easy to obtain from the service manual.
"New cars are not servicable!" is a crock of shit spouted by ignorant people who just refuse to expand their knowledge.
smash.
Some of the tendering spreadsheets i've seen for a few companies i've worked for have had quite a lot of calculation going on in them - change a few cells that others depend on that have others depending on them, etc.... do that all day, it adds up quick.
You only need 1 of those operations in that instance to screw up and you could be down a few million dollars, if it's not picked up.
Even forgetting that it's just the moral thing to do...Risk vs replacement cost = no brainer. If only 3000 cpus are affected at say $300 each for amd to sell retail (i'm sure their cost is FAR less), they'd be mad not to just do it (maybe even offer a free speed bump) and reap the positive PR.
All it needs is for ONE company to blame a budget blowout on them and it's well and truly paid for...
smash.
However, when a CPU is KNOWN DEFECTIVE in a repeatable, data-corrupting way, it is the vendor's responsibility to replace/fix it.
Similar to vehicle recalls. Most people would never be affected by many of the things vehicles are recalled for, but that doesn't mean that known *serious* defects are simply let go.
smash.
A defect that is known to give incorrect calculations is a serious issue that should be rectified via microcode update or exchange CPU for free (if microcode can't fix it).
Intel got raked over the coals for the FDIV problem, and so should AMD unless they do the right thing and offer an exchange/free fix so that users get the functional CPU they intended to purchase.
smash.
There, that wasn't so hard to think of?
smash.
The first few hours will likely be "hard", (getting a window on screen and drawing a pixel on it), but once you've gotten that far, drawing more pixels is much easier.
And once you can draw pixels, you can work out how to draw boxes, circles, etc.
Once you're at that sort of level, either your interest will be piqued or you'll realise programming isn't for you.... :)
smash.
Most computers these days either do not include any sort of serious programming language (as in, one that can be used for something useful), or at least it is hidden away and not so "in your face" as it used to be.
The older machines (C64, Pet, Vic20, Trs80, etc) all had a very visible programming environment (basic as soon as you power up, even :D) which made youngsters curious to see what they could do with it, particularly given that tape/floppy load times were quite bad.
GCC / Visual C / Visual Basic / Javascript / etc is all too hard to get "hooked" into unless you have a purpose for it before you even start.
A basic or logo interpreter was far more rewarding, because even a really really simple program (or hell, immediate mode statement) provided a result. eg, logo a simple "forward 100" will give an instant line, which is instant encouragement to try something else.
And that's the hook. No one (well, very few at least) wants to spent 15-30 minutes writing code into a file, saving it, compiling it, etc to find out they made a syntax error before they can even see a result. Try drawing a line with GCC or Java?
And that's assuming they can even hunt down/install a compiler in the first place...
smash.
Sorry, but I must disagree.
For C++, most game development is done in C/C++ these days, so unless you're somewhat fluent in that, you're out of the game programming industry for a start.
For VB, you'd be amazed at how many businesses are still relying on access databases, excel macros, etc. VB, even a casual knowledge of, is a huge advantage in the business world - being able to knock out quick macros/modules in excel/access, etc can save you (or your co-workers) a huge amount of time.
C/C++ is "close enough" to things like Java that many of the same syntax constructs still apply - sure, if you're a C programmer you won't make a good Java programmer, but at least you'll be in with a good chance of puzzling it out for yourself.
As to Pascal - it may be a toy language, but it's fairly anal type bondage does promote fairly sound programming habits...
smash (to put my perspective in context, i was born in '77 and grew up with a c64s/amigas and then went on to mess around with pascal+inline assemly in the early 90s when i became fascinated by the demo-scene. Since then i've hacked on a couple of MUDs and been a general unix sysadmin type for $...)
So no, it would not surprise me that kids these days don't program. Most of the "geekier" ones may get into some sort of HTML, and maybe some sort of scripting (javascript) perhaps though.
smash.
smash.
Fixed.
Ext3 driver for windows won't work, as Vista will require signed drivers (last i heard), which you can be damn sure won't be available for ext3 :D
smash.
Warranty vs hardware failure.
Simple really. I mean, i like re-using old hardware as much as the next guy (my p2-350 -> p3-700e - yes, i upgraded it with a slotket :D is still going strong as my toy box), but hardware failure is a fairly likely occurrence that most people do not want to deal with.
If you're relying on a machine as your ONLY pc (as the target market no doubt will be) - buy new, with warranty.
smash.
what makes microsoft think this will be any different in the slightest??
i really do not get it...
smash.
smash.
You betcha - i have a wheel, a negcon, an arcade stick, mouse, etc, etc...
smash.
Now before all the nintendo fanboys try to rip me a new one, bear with me...
It's a controller. This is NOT an integral part of the console that could never be done without buying a Revolution, as nintendo are trying to make out.
Do PC makers make a big deal out of the fact that you can buy an entire car simulator controller (proper pedals, wheel, seat, etc)?
I believe I'm on the same wavelength as the guy, and my problem isn't really the idea of the controller per se`.... just that nintendo seem to be relying on using it as their entire marketing campaign, and are hyping the shit out of something that is a PERIPHERAL and not a core part of the console.
There is NO technical reason that this controller could not exist on a PC, PS2, Xbox... or even a Gamecube, n64, etc.
This is contrary to the story nintendo are trying to push - and this is what is pissing people off about it.
IMHO....
I mean I may well end up buying a Revolution, but it's not because of the controller, and in fact the controller/hype is one of the things pushing me AWAY from that choice at the moment...
smash.
smash.
Hooray!
smash.
I thought there would be some sort of prior art with this on DVDs? Which is even worse... I've already PAID for the damn DVD, and still you want to force your shit on me??
Honestly I can see no reason whatsoever for anyone to ever want to rip their own DVD collection
smash.