Who the hell can remember a new eight-digit string of nonsense every month?
For many of us, it isn't one new password. It's dozens of passwords! In my case somewhere between 60 and 70, on servers running various operating systems and with varying sets of password rules.
If it wasn't for KeePass, I'd be lost. And yes, my KeePass password is a fairly strong one.:-)
I have to remember something like 70 passwords as a multiplatform software developer, and some of those hosts have passwords which expire every 30 days, can't repeat for at least a dozen iterations, and must contain at least one numeric, at least one upper-case and one lower-case alpha, and at least one non-alphanumeric symbol.
I understand the reasoning, and if it was only a handful of boxes.. or rarely used boxes... I would understand, but I'm logging into 25 or 30 of these machines or applications on a daily basis.
I can use a password manager like Keepass, and it's okay, but I can see how some folks would resort to other means, try to use password patterns, etc.
Opus? As in Fido Opus Seadog Serial Interface Layer? Heh.
I liked Citadel and TProBBS for local discussions, and PCBoard or Wildcat! for Fido/RIME discussions, usually via the QWK door. MajorBBS sucked... Nick should NEVER have switched PC Library from dBBS.
Not sure when NC actually came out, but I remember using several filemanagers back when I started (Windows 2.1 and MS-DOS 3.3). I remember a very nice little filemanager called PC Valet, and eventually also one called Stereo Shell that I used to almost live in.:-)
Many Americans have issues with large intrusive governments. It may be due to the focus on individual rights as being the most valued thing... once government starts telling people what to do on their own property, they start getting ornery even if that something is for their benefit.
In the US, Socialism is often (incorrectly) equated with "Communism" as implemented in the Soviet Union, and of course they were the power the US was opposed to during the cold war.
In any case, 2400 baud would be plenty good enough, if we could just stop these websites from using graphics! ASCII rocks! Get off my lawn!
While I agree with the general sentiment (and why is it that web forums suck so much in terms of usability compared to text-based BBS forums or even USENET?), it's really 2400 bits per second, not baud.
A 2400bps modem was generally 600 baud and sent 4 bits/baud.
I won't go that far, but I do admit that I don't really understand the approach that Nesson took regarding this case, nor do I understand some of his related actions.
It just goes to show that professors of Law aren't necessarily good at defending a client in the real world.:-(
I've got a ReplayTV 5040 myself still working with a Digital Adapter via IR Blaster, and even if ReplayTV were to disable their scheduling these days I think you could use WiRNS to replace it.:-)
Oh yeah, and DVArchive rocks, especially when using a version of VLC that recognizes ReplayTV commercial start/stop marking.
Freelancing as a software developer is fine as long as your existing skills are in demand, and as long as companies are hiring consultants in your particular area of technical focus.
However, I know a fair number of folks who have crashed and burned trying to do that.
Sometimes it's more fun to play within the confines of a larger organization, if only because of the interesting problem sets and complex environments that such places can provide.
A lot of experience can be offset with pure talent, but I've worked with a few people who have both, and that is a formidable combination.
Experience is most helpful in a support/troubleshooting role or when designing an operationally critical system on which something important depends.
The act of writing code, by itself, isn't really a big deal.
I've never worked in a place where people just wrote code... normally the folks who wrote the code did the initial technical design and supported it after it was cut over into production. Then again, I've mostly worked in places which write software for their own consumption, not software for external sale.
In many cases, you don't have a choice but to specialize... business and technical specialization is a hard requirement in order to understand programming problems in some industries.
Of course, the moment you do that, you're pigeon-holed into that role.
If you move from job to job on a regular basis, you're seen as an opportunist who won't stick around for long.
If you stay in one place too long, you're seen as being stuck in a rut and not growing your skillset (nevermind what the truth might actually be).
I personally prefer to stick with a given company long enough to learn the ropes in some detail, and I would have actually preferred to stay with my previous two employers until retirement (the work was interesting enough), but corporate layoffs have a way of changing an individual's career path.:-)
Anticipate your customers' needs. Write the code first and have it working, and when they come to you with an idea and a request for an estimate, give them the time it took you times 3 plus 20%, and then spend the "estimated" time in a hot tub at a resort with your girlfriend while your customers are happily awaiting the results of your "development".
Since many board members are senior executives at other firms and sit on each others boards, there really isn't much incentive for them to not grant large parachutes and such. It simply wouldn't be rational to potentially jeopardize their own upcoming reward.
Unfortunately, that also means there aren't many actual controls on executive compensation.
Really? Maybe for you.:-) I think Spring is a wonderful RTS, for example, and UT2004 was/is still a blast.
Maybe they aren't super cutting edge, but I play games because I like playing them, not because I need to keep climbing up the ladder with each and every title release.
The company I work for has a Class A IP network and is not based on the US.
I'm physically located in Atlanta, but all of the existing geolocation services which I am aware of that use my exposed IP address seem to want to place me in the center of Europe somewhere.
I should also add that starting the car early helps to heat up the windshield and other windows, making it quite a bit easier to scrape the car after an ice storm by partially melting the ice on the windows.
In other words, there are sometimes practical occasions to prestart the car, not just reasons based on comfort.
The only time I would have seen a use for it was when the temp got under -20 degrees F back home. It is nice to warm up the car when the wife is riding along.:-)
(That's roughly -28C or lower for the Celsius users out there...)
I have 70+ passwords I have to remember for work, and they tend to change in cycles of 30, 60, or 90 days (depends on the system).
I try to figure out hard to guess passwords that I can remember, and normally embed at least one numeric and one non-alphanumeric character (and some systems enforce that), but it's difficult to remember some of the ones I don't use on a daily basis. At least I've developed a system, *and* I have a program I store the passwords in just in case I forget.:-) But it's a real pain.
When I subscribed to a paper newspaper, I subscribed to it because of the convenience (mainly portability), not necessarily because of the quality of the stories.
Now that I have a web tablet, I don't subscribe to a physical newspaper, and I don't miss it.
Lots of people don't have web tablets, so I can see that being a deciding factor for them still.
Quantity of readership doesn't mean much w.r.t "quality" when other factors are involved, or have the lessons of McDonald's and Windows been totally lost on you?
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Tell that to the mainframe admins.
For many of us, it isn't one new password. It's dozens of passwords! In my case somewhere between 60 and 70, on servers running various operating systems and with varying sets of password rules.
If it wasn't for KeePass, I'd be lost. And yes, my KeePass password is a fairly strong one. :-)
Many of our systems will reject that ... password is too similar to other passwords in the history list.
I have to remember something like 70 passwords as a multiplatform software developer, and some of those hosts have passwords which expire every 30 days, can't repeat for at least a dozen iterations, and must contain at least one numeric, at least one upper-case and one lower-case alpha, and at least one non-alphanumeric symbol.
I understand the reasoning, and if it was only a handful of boxes .. or rarely used boxes ... I would understand, but I'm logging into 25 or 30 of these machines or applications on a daily basis.
I can use a password manager like Keepass, and it's okay, but I can see how some folks would resort to other means, try to use password patterns, etc.
Opus? As in Fido Opus Seadog Serial Interface Layer? Heh.
I liked Citadel and TProBBS for local discussions, and PCBoard or Wildcat! for Fido/RIME discussions, usually via the QWK door. MajorBBS sucked ... Nick should NEVER have switched PC Library from dBBS.
SLiMeR made all your messaging pains go away. :-)
Actually, Windows 95B (aka OSR2) had FAT32 support but not USB. I still run OSR2 on a few old PPro gaming boxes.
Windows 95 OSR2.1 added USB and AGP support.
Windows 95 OSR2.5 added MSIE 4.0 and slooooooed the desktop down. :-)
Not sure when NC actually came out, but I remember using several filemanagers back when I started (Windows 2.1 and MS-DOS 3.3). I remember a very nice little filemanager called PC Valet, and eventually also one called Stereo Shell that I used to almost live in. :-)
Many Americans have issues with large intrusive governments. It may be due to the focus on individual rights as being the most valued thing ... once government starts telling people what to do on their own property, they start getting ornery even if that something is for their benefit.
In the US, Socialism is often (incorrectly) equated with "Communism" as implemented in the Soviet Union, and of course they were the power the US was opposed to during the cold war.
While I agree with the general sentiment (and why is it that web forums suck so much in terms of usability compared to text-based BBS forums or even USENET?), it's really 2400 bits per second, not baud.
A 2400bps modem was generally 600 baud and sent 4 bits/baud.
I won't go that far, but I do admit that I don't really understand the approach that Nesson took regarding this case, nor do I understand some of his related actions.
It just goes to show that professors of Law aren't necessarily good at defending a client in the real world. :-(
Do you really think folks like those in charge of Wall Street would do any better?
I've got a ReplayTV 5040 myself still working with a Digital Adapter via IR Blaster, and even if ReplayTV were to disable their scheduling these days I think you could use WiRNS to replace it. :-)
Oh yeah, and DVArchive rocks, especially when using a version of VLC that recognizes ReplayTV commercial start/stop marking.
Freelancing as a software developer is fine as long as your existing skills are in demand, and as long as companies are hiring consultants in your particular area of technical focus.
However, I know a fair number of folks who have crashed and burned trying to do that.
Sometimes it's more fun to play within the confines of a larger organization, if only because of the interesting problem sets and complex environments that such places can provide.
A lot of experience can be offset with pure talent, but I've worked with a few people who have both, and that is a formidable combination.
Experience is most helpful in a support/troubleshooting role or when designing an operationally critical system on which something important depends.
The act of writing code, by itself, isn't really a big deal.
I've never worked in a place where people just wrote code ... normally the folks who wrote the code did the initial technical design and supported it after it was cut over into production. Then again, I've mostly worked in places which write software for their own consumption, not software for external sale.
In many cases, you don't have a choice but to specialize ... business and technical specialization is a hard requirement in order to understand programming problems in some industries.
Of course, the moment you do that, you're pigeon-holed into that role.
Ah, but which way do you go?
If you move from job to job on a regular basis, you're seen as an opportunist who won't stick around for long.
If you stay in one place too long, you're seen as being stuck in a rut and not growing your skillset (nevermind what the truth might actually be).
I personally prefer to stick with a given company long enough to learn the ropes in some detail, and I would have actually preferred to stay with my previous two employers until retirement (the work was interesting enough), but corporate layoffs have a way of changing an individual's career path. :-)
Anticipate your customers' needs. Write the code first and have it working, and when they come to you with an idea and a request for an estimate, give them the time it took you times 3 plus 20%, and then spend the "estimated" time in a hot tub at a resort with your girlfriend while your customers are happily awaiting the results of your "development".
See? Programming *can* be fun! :-)
Since many board members are senior executives at other firms and sit on each others boards, there really isn't much incentive for them to not grant large parachutes and such. It simply wouldn't be rational to potentially jeopardize their own upcoming reward.
Unfortunately, that also means there aren't many actual controls on executive compensation.
Really? Maybe for you. :-) I think Spring is a wonderful RTS, for example, and UT2004 was/is still a blast.
Maybe they aren't super cutting edge, but I play games because I like playing them, not because I need to keep climbing up the ladder with each and every title release.
The company I work for has a Class A IP network and is not based on the US.
I'm physically located in Atlanta, but all of the existing geolocation services which I am aware of that use my exposed IP address seem to want to place me in the center of Europe somewhere.
Will this be smart enough to do better?
I should also add that starting the car early helps to heat up the windshield and other windows, making it quite a bit easier to scrape the car after an ice storm by partially melting the ice on the windows.
In other words, there are sometimes practical occasions to prestart the car, not just reasons based on comfort.
The only time I would have seen a use for it was when the temp got under -20 degrees F back home. It is nice to warm up the car when the wife is riding along. :-)
(That's roughly -28C or lower for the Celsius users out there...)
Most formal standards have some sort of reference implementation somewhere, but Microsoft doesn't even implement the OOXML standard as written.
I have 70+ passwords I have to remember for work, and they tend to change in cycles of 30, 60, or 90 days (depends on the system).
I try to figure out hard to guess passwords that I can remember, and normally embed at least one numeric and one non-alphanumeric character (and some systems enforce that), but it's difficult to remember some of the ones I don't use on a daily basis. At least I've developed a system, *and* I have a program I store the passwords in just in case I forget. :-) But it's a real pain.
When I subscribed to a paper newspaper, I subscribed to it because of the convenience (mainly portability), not necessarily because of the quality of the stories.
Now that I have a web tablet, I don't subscribe to a physical newspaper, and I don't miss it.
Lots of people don't have web tablets, so I can see that being a deciding factor for them still.
Quantity of readership doesn't mean much w.r.t "quality" when other factors are involved, or have the lessons of McDonald's and Windows been totally lost on you?