If IT hiring was a bit more creative, and the IT profession was a bit less "throw the employee away when the technology changes", we probably wouldn't need H1B employees.
Once, in this country, companies were expected to train their employees to keep their investements up to date. Now, employees are expected to work 60+ hours a week and are supposed to train themselves in their free time. The fruits of this method are just becoming evident; tens of thousands of "obsolete" IT people, and tens of thousands of H1B imports. That's a shitty national policy, something that will derail this country's economy.
Amen brother.
It irks me to hear that "We can't find talented programmers" B.S.. Most typically, upon further inspection, it's revealed that the combination of improper and overdone narrowcasting of the postition requirements, "lowest bid" for the spot mentality and other contract arrangements (i.e., very short term, preferred vendor only, etc.) is what truly hampering the candidate search.
For example, at a recent assignment, a cube neighbor lamented that he was having great difficulty in filling a slot for a GIS programmer. After talking to him for a little bit, it struck me that it wasn't the supply that was in question, but the filtering mechanism employed -- it had to be from vendor X or vendor Y, it was a short 3 month term AND the billing rate offered was below the present market level. Hello, McFly! Another example: I obtained a recent contract term assignment solely on the merit of a networked contact. But my resume did not fit the HR/contract procurement office stipulated qualifications whatsoever. However, my skill set was precisely what the group needed.
I'm experienced enough to remember the days when most all US IT workers were native and when there was a "shortage", slots were opened up to arduous opportunity seekers from other business areas. They would be tested, weeded out and required to complete a rigirous training course on their own time. The lucky few that passed would be granted an opportunity in Data Processing and get a chance to hone their newly developed coding skills.
My, how times have changed. First, companies dumped the trainee programs and resorted to importing H1Bs. And now, corporate IT management is ruthlessly dumping existing employees, cutting native contractors and proceeding full force on the H1B importing and offshore relocation of systems support and development. Moreover, I read some glitzy trade journal PR that advises computing professionals to focus on systems architecture or business analysis functions to ensure the blossoming career. What a load of claptap - how the hell does an aspiring programmer become a skilled architect without getting his hands in the nuts and bolts of software construction? I'd say the "building" metaphor has outlived its usefulness.
I love Mozilla. I use it on Linux, on Win-XP and Win-2000. But there's a major bug with it on Win-XP that will not permit me to use the mail client and/or set extensive preferences. At random points, all of my email settings and preference (font, size, etc.) settings get wiped out and revert back to the default settings that come with the deal just after you install. I've tried various solutions to no avail, and even posted a problem record to their bugzilla setup that looked like it never even got a glance.
I think there is a newer version available - maybe that will solve my ills. I still use it as my main browser, though I like Galeon on Linux better - I haven't given Phoenix a try yet...
Think about it, if you make more than 46,500.00 annually, you are "rich" according to the democrats; and therefore should be taxed at 15-50 percent the rate as that of a person making 25,000.00 (I pay 40% taxes, in Minnesota, welfare recipients receive on average a 5% of their anual income as a "tax credit"). Dignity is my paying for my daughter's school, and not whining that it's your job to pay her way. Dignity is my paying my own insurance, and financing my own retirement, instead of demanding that the government pay my latter years, or for my health care.
I suppose you're one of those who champion the Reagan lore, heralding his "anti-tax", smaller government crusade that was neither. The Reagan regime enacted one of the largest tax increases in U.S. history AND increased the scope, size, and debt of the federal government to record levels.
The personal interest deduction phaseout that was a result of the 1986 tax act had the effect of increasing taxs anywhere from 10-25% for the average working American. Student loans, car loans, credit card payment - the interest on those loans was deductable - this change boosted the tax paid by Americans while implementing a horde of special interest loopholes for the elite.
One final thought: Which would you prefer, "Half my office are foreigners on H1Bs rather than Americans" or "My office shut down and moved to India because we couldn't compete without a few H1Bs"?
This reasoning is frequently trotted out to defend the practice of displacing American workers with cheaper foreign temporary visa holders. But it is disingenuous - in fact, H1-B is used to augment and support the offshore movement of jobs. Many corporations attempted to move entire systems application support with futile results. So, now a different approach is used - offshore staffing augmented by a "liason" team, predominately comprised of H1-B visa holders. Consequently, H1-B program enables offshore movement of programming jobs...
H1 visa holders are easy targets, but the fact is, the Dept. of Labor verifies that a H1 worker is not replacing the job of an US citizen before approving the visa.
An untrue statement. I speak from firsthand experience - I am a US citizen that was displaced by a H1-B visa holder. It happened to me. It has happened to friends and colleagues. There are loopholes galore - company A contracts out to company B that staffs with foreign immigrants on temporary visas.
... until the quality increases. Over the past 3 years, I've purchased no less than a half-dozen PDAs (from the base Handspring model to the Sony CLIE I bought my wife for Christmas). Every single one of them, except for the Sony (and give it time, it's less than six months old...) has had problems. Oh wait a second, I did drop one on the bathroom floor at work and the ensuing screen damage rendered it inoperable.
But the others (all Handspring here) have all suffered from defects ranging from annoying to unusable no more - on one, the backlight stopped working 4 months after I bought it. Another, a Visor Platinum, refuses to sync - it used to be funny and I could jiggle it a little bit, but now, even after swapping the base USB plastic connector deals out, it still won't sync. A visor deluxe I bought for my wife has a several buttons that don't function properly.
Admittedly, a few of these were "refurbished" models sold for a discount, but I was led to believe that that meant they got a little more quality testing to make sure the consumer wasn't sold a defective product. Not so in Handspring's case.
It's just too much money to waste on an item for the dicey reliability factor. And once you start using one, putting all your info into it, having to send it off just isn't viable. Either you buy another or you go back to toting that Franklin day planner again.
Yoy, a review of a 2 year old movie?
on
Review: U-571
·
· Score: 2
I've had submissions rejected before and been unfazed, even if I saw another on the same news item or subject surface soon after. But to run with this "story" when I know there's probably dozens of far superior submissions that went unpublished...
Bleh, it's bad enough that Jon Katz is given a regular slot on the front page...
Nothing against the review, it's just that it was an insignificant movie that came out two years ago... not a very newsworthy piece on a site that brands itself "News for Nerds. Stuff that matters"....
You're going to get foreign jobs moving off-shore, coming to America, or both, as long as foreign workers are competitive. The foreign working visas do help slow trends of jobs moving off-shore (IMO), and having jobs moving off-shore is probably worse in the long term (because it lowers Americas competitiveness).
No. H1-B visa program enables firms to move operations offshore much much easier. A number of U.S. firms attempted to move entire systems (application/development) offshore in the early 90's, and the results were disasterous. Now, a two tiered approach is desired - a small contingent to manage in the states, and the rest offshore. In order to facilitate that, however, the H1-B visa holder is still a necessary piece as companies give the contract to a firm that has workers both offshore and posts the lead levels here.
... at least for applications development and support... American workers are being replaced with H1-B visa imports. It's more commonplace, and it's happened at the last 3 shops I've worked at, and in once case my position was replaced with an H1-B visa holder - the firm there doesn't like to use the term "outsourcing", they prefer to term it out-tasking. The bulk of the programmer team resides offshore (in India, or Maylaysia, or Indonesia, or Mexico...), while a few business analysts and lead level (which are mostly staffed by H1-B visa workers employed by the contracted offshore firm).
Here's a list of prominent Fortune 500 companies that have moved all or a significant portion of their application support and development programmer staff offshore, that I and/or friends have had firsthand experience with:
American Express is about to complete the movement of all of its IT application development and support offshore - it's a net loss of approximately 2K+ programmer jobs - to India (mostly), Maylasia, Phillipines, Indonesia, etc. although it can be buried through levels of "outsourcing" (i.e., Company A contracts with Company B which in turn contracts with Company C... with less and less money going to the actual programmer).
Honeywell, is moving the majority of its application support and development offshore to Ireland, India and/or Mexico. The strategy is proudly pronounced by execs, as everyone wants to follow the GE "Be Like Jack Welch" model of outsourcing everything. They like to call it their "recsourcing strategy".
APS, Arizona's largest power company, has embarked on an effort to move support (and eventually development) of its customer information systems to India.
Motorola, Intel both have slashed FTE's and replaced with offshore imported programmers of the H1B visa variety - very few programmer positions are open to experienced American programmers at either place.
The trend seems to be to move data center and system programming operations to the likes of IBM but to move the application coding development and support to offshore vendors. I can't speak for smaller/medium sized firms, but at the big corporate shops, this is a certainly a constant for contemporary times.
Sorry if it appears that I'm ranting, as this issue has affected me personally and it sucks watching friends and colleagues struggle to find work, unemployed for entirely too long now, about to lose their house if their wife/husband don't have a good income and they can go back to school to learn another craft. It's really disguisting to see foreign labor still imported and populate the workplace when these experienced individuals go hurting. Especially when those brought in or those who work in foreign centers aren't even close as qualified - with unverifiable references and doctored qualifications. Yes, it's gets personal when you study and work hard to put bread on the table for your family and you are powerless to stop the curtailment of opportunity. Being programmers, it's our nature to be independent and introverted, and that works against us - as I couldn't conjure up a scenario where this would occur with um, let's say truck drivers. There'd be blood in the streets.
But to hear all of the politicos du jour speak, it's simply a matter of education! Poppycock. In the new paradigms of globalization, it really doesn't matter, as "knowledge" jobs can be moved just as easy, if not easier, than manufacturing jobs. There's some deeper questions that need to be asked and answered in the new century. Else we end up in a universally feudalistic model, with a small fortunate few and the the rest of us left to fend off eachother for the few morsels tossed our way...
And the ITAA are nothing more than tech industry lobbyist shrills, who have only the interest of employers at hand, and care not for the tech worker.
I make 6$ an hour, there is no way I would even spend 2$ a month on this subscription service
That's $24 a year you are not willing to spend on the subscription. That's less than the price of one computer game and if you aren't willing to part with a fraction of a game's worth then IMO you don't buy enough games to make the valuable gamespot worthwhile to yourself. You may as well get the information elsewhere.
But if you are willing to pay a fraction of a game's worth a year to get a valuable service then that is what Gamespot is looking for.
It's just not the cost that should be factored, but the annoyance factor - another account that's billed, another account that eventually needs to be turned off, another point of potential fraud, another irksome form requiring the disclosure of volumes of personal information.
And what do you receive in return? The same stuff you could scour off of the web from sites like http://www.gamefaqs.com or just game fan sites in general...
I loathe any evaluation type software, especially that which has some timer/trial date period before it forces you to register/buy the product. And I especially detest it when it embeds itself into the registry (specifically speaking of Windows platforms) and even after uninstalling, it still isn't completely wiped off my HD. It still shows but yet when I try to remove programs/uninstall, I get an error message...
Some tips for aspiring developers to break free of the not-so-surprising (at least to me) pattern of timid experimenters and reluctant trial end users.
How about producing a demo version instead of an evaluation copy. The evaluation copy scheme is a leftover from older times of computing where a software manufacturer could get themselves "in the door" and etch out a niche supplying needed functionality. It's a new century now, there's a world wide web full of alternative products, and as most of the useability studies indicate, people won't hesitate to hit the back button or shelve a download that they're unsure of. A demo, on the other hand, is a stand alone, scaled down version of the product - it may be gimped in terms of complete functionality, options customization, advanced features, etc. but at least it presents to the user what the product looks like, what it does (and can potentially do) and gets the user acquainted with the UI look and feel. For successful examples, look no further than recent game releases - a Freedom Force demo where you get 2 single player campaigns and a taste of the character customization palette. It, no doubt, endeared many subsequent customers that went ahead with a new game purchase.
Having to register and supply boat loads of required personal information for a trial version is a big turnoff for many. Scale back the information collecting field requirements - some information may be necessary to track who, what, and why, but if most people won't even register their software, what makes software creators believe that they're more than willing to bend over backwards in acquiescing personal data?
I feel firms would be better served by diverting resources unto building interactive communities centered on the public use of the product. Yes, I realize the scourge of piracy and stolen software, but let's face it - the best sort of advertising is word of mouth or the testimonials of real, honest users whose feedback will continue to improve and enhance the product. I find it appalling that companies are still locked into this "shrink-wrap-now-were-done" mentality. Market forces will conspire and leave those entrepreneurs in the dust.
.../. will probably disappear from my list of frequented net destinations. I used to visit salon.com often, but no more... I understand the need for revenue sources, but I think it's wrong to accept free submissions and content, then turn around and charge folks for access... if you want to put up a tip jar, go ahead - I would drop funds into the hopper, but to enact a subscription setup... bleh...
The German subsidiary of IBM sold data processing technology to the nazis. True. It was tried and tested technology, they didn't actively work with the nazis to further refine it, it was already there. It just so happened that the nazis had an extremely effective administration already in place, so the IBM machines could be used as efficiently as possible. Furthermore, when the nazis created new sets of administrative data (pertaining, for instance, to the Final Solution) they were smart enough to set it up in such a way as to be able to feed it more easily to the nice and shiny Holleriths they had. Makes sense, no?
The statement "did not actively work with the Nazi's" is inaccurate. Punch card systems design inherently required hands-on involvement from IBM, or a subsidiary shell company that elaborate mechanics were deployed to keep a river of profits flowing to IBM headquarters. In a time (the 1930's) when most businesses were struggling to stay afloat, IBM was expanding at an exponential rate, thanks in large part to Hitler Germany's rabid adoption of Hollerith technology. Each "application" had to be uniquely designed - and involved heavy participation by an IBM analyst to design the precise card question and response holes, and each set of machines needed calibrated. Also, IBM controlled the paper stock supply and the raw card inventory could only be obtained from IBM.
Thomas Watson received the highest Nazi award bestown to any non-German. While he returned it later, there is a mountain of evidence that points to his all consuming machinations to ensure the steady flow of profit from a newly, developing "unified Europe". And though you are correct in that it does not follow that "IBM was responsible for the holocaust", IBM directly aided and abetted the processing of identifying, rounding up of, stripping property, and shipping off to hellholes those of Jewish descent. It expedited and mobilized the entire process - and it certainly wasn't a case of the Nazi's buying the machines and cards and plugging them together themselves. It was entirely different deal than say a rogue government today that purchased equipment and software (which would be illegal in many cases, at least according to statutes) and then the subsequent operation of said machines and software was totally autonomous from the manufacturing process. But that wasn't the case with IBM and Nazi Germany.
There's probaly already a link here somewhere to it but here it is again - IBM and the Holocaust - I'm about 75% through the book and actually thought like you did before reading it. But the author, Edwin Black, although heavily tainted by the atrocities committed (and what person really can be not affected by the true evil that was done?...), has compiled an extensive record of the collaboration between IBM and Hitler's minions.
One in particular has to do with foriegn programmers who are brought in with work visas. The hiring company holds both the visa and their passport. The programmers are threaten that if they don't work 12hrs a day, they'll be sent back. Typically, the programmers are paid 1/4-1/2 the wages of a citizen.
Yeah, I've heard these stories too, and they're mostly from foreigners-are-stealing-our-jobs and unionize-programming types. For a start, it's illegal to pay an H1B holder much less than an American doing the same job (either 90% or 75%, I can't remember offhand).
You both are wrong, though the first writer is closer to the mark. The company may not "hold a passport", but changing jobs will start the clock over on the green card process - also, many foreign contract programmers (Indian firms particularly, or American firms like Syntel that are predominately comprised of Indian H1-B visa holders) have draconian contracts that bind them to the company for multiple years.
And speaking from first hand experience, I will tell you flat out that many of the foreign programmers are working at 50%-75% (the 1/4, at least here in America is not accurate) the rate an American would receive. You can quote law and such, but the fact of the matter is it is happening. Just as I lost a position to a cheaper H1-B visa holder - through subcontracting or other loopholes cheap labor is attained in this fashion. No, not all foreign programmers fit into this paradigm (more experienced and talented individuals are paid on par with American workers), but the bulk of programmers brought over fit into this category - new or relatively inexperienced programmers (0-3 years work experience) - sold as "professionals" (but with unverifiable credentials in most cases - at times the relevant experience consists of being handed a manual on the plane trip over to America) but paid like paupers. Again, I know because I've experienced the scenarios first hand, having been displaced by cheaper foreign immigrants, after training them to do my job. There really isn't much protection for American workers, and those who proclaim "it won't happen to me" will be saddened when the "Neutron Jack outsource everything" program comes to their company.
One of my good friends here in Phoenix worked for them for several years in a contract programmer deal. A neighbor of his was a high ranking executive at Intel also. The guy [the neighbor] was an avid golfer and developed a friendship with another golfer and they would hit the greens frequently together, even sharing a frothy beverage after a round. A few months later, this executive is dismissed, arrested and tossed into the pokey for disclosure violations. It turns out that the his alleged golf "buddy" was a Intel paid spy - and that he mentioned in casual conversations results of some chip tests (at least according to my friend's neighbor's story...) - and that was the nail that did him in. I forget the exact bail but it was a serious deal.
Of course, one can retort that this blurb is entirely anecodotal and without hard empirical evidence. Nevertheless, others who have worked for Intel are full of interesting anecdotes themselves, albeit not as serious as the story in the previous paragraph.
Freeciv - the open source flavor of the epic strategy game. I purchased Civ3 when it came out, but TBHWY, it doesn't provide a compelling reason to reboot into Win-doze, and I still opt to play freeciv. Freeciv is much more customizable and plays quicker, allows multitasking, and was set up specifically for mulitplayer (even if I haven't ventured online to play much MP). I hope the freeciv team is entertaining notions of a Civ3 ruleset, or some variation...
Kohan: Immortal Sovereigns - innovative, evolutionary RTS (real time strategy) game - instead of the "Age of Buildings", clickety-click nature of other RTS games in the genre, Kohan is the wargamer's RTS, with company-based battle, zone of supply, and zone of population constructs, and as opposed to the micromanagement of resource collection, resources are earned/spent on a per minute basis, and constructed companies have a maintenance cost. Plus you have magic wielding units that gain XP and cast some cool spells. Multiplayer with Windows gamers is possible (though with large maps you won't be able to view films after)
Pysol - the vastly superior Linux alternative to solitaire
Sid Meier Alpha Centauri Planetary Pack - great game, but I have a big beef with the multiplayer support - you can only MP against other Linux users, unlike Kohan. So it gets downgraded to the bottom of the list for that reason.
I'm at work right now - but at 12 noon it was down and the techs + recorded message said there was a Phoenix (and surrounding area) outage not due to ExciteAtHome negotiations.
I'm in N Glendale by the 101 freeway and 59th Ave. Naturally, will see if its up when I return home from work later today...
... techs (and recorded message) saying it is a Phoenix problem that engineers are working on but is not related to the ongoing negotiations with Excite (still not resolved but according to Cox, Excite hasn't pulled the plug yet...)...
Cable modems via Cox came to the neighborhood back in August and I quickly signed up and I believe I have a final payment to make on the cable modem purchased.
I just shut off my 2nd line and dial up provider - now it seems that may have been a rash move. Cox has a info page up saying they're going to "negotiate into the night" to set up a stopgap arrangement to keep us online, but I'm pessimistic as it seems that outside of a ridiculous amount of loot deposited to Excite, there's not a lot of incentive to be agreeable.
The judge's commentary really irks me. Yes, for many, the net is not a necessity. But for people like me who rely on it for work and my wife who needs access for school, it is a utility on par with the phones and electricity. It seems that the customer counts last - do these idiots (Excite creditors) think they'll get any more money if there is any lengthy service disruption? I suppose many of us have to take without viable alternatives - here, no DSL is available and the other alternatives (Sprint Broadband, satellite) are unreliable and unsuitable for games and conferencing (according to their own sales brochure material that caused me to cancel an order for those services) - DSL and cable modems (outside of a T1 line) are the only viable options for the home user.
I recently bought Civ3 but I still find myself playing freeciv as much if not more. Civ3 is a "pretty" game as far as graphics go (with the animations and all, though I still have a hard time distiniguishing gold from barbarian villages and a few other nuances) and there's been some nice improvements strategy wise. OTOH, Civ3 has evolved into "Civ for the masses" and to me thus far, there seems to be less variation in strategy (Age of Empires style tech tree, corruption, unforgivable bugs like tech trade exploits, air superiority bugs, etc....).
Anyway, here is a list of reasons why I'm still playing freeciv over civ3.
Performance - my box is well above the "recommended" civ3 requirements and it generally runs good UNTIL the map is loaded up with units. Then it is a dog and I really miss the rapid keystroke progression possible with freeciv. I can complete a game in freeciv in the fraction of a time of a similar civ3 game.
Superior user interface - I'll probaly get flamed here, but I prefer the freeciv interface. The civ3 GUI is "pretty", but civ style games are all about information. I hit F1 in freeciv, it pulls up a city report where I can easily examine and edit worklists, center on any city, sort by any possible report category and customize report, briefly scan for cities in state of disorder, instantly pop in the help browser informing me of what benefits of potential city improvments or what unit stats are for build consideration. Yes, it's sort of there in civ3 - but a lot of space is devoted to giving rows of bread icons instead of giving me a simple readout. And finding cities in civil disorder is a challenge - especially when I have a message log in freeciv, but that's all gone in civ3. And the civlopedia deal is nice in civ3, but it hits the CD drive and there is a second or two delay - not a lot but not the instant retrieval I'm accustomed to in freeciv. And not all of the unit commands are even labeled in freeciv or on the civlopedia. I guess it's a part of "safecopy" protection or something, but a lot of the unit commands are only available in the manual.
Infinite customization - 61 civs to play with (current count), and you can easily add any tileset, ruleset, techset desired. The graphics are not the greatest, but you can easily change them and there are a variety of tilesets available now - and you can go with the isometric view or the old-style civ1 flat view. Instead of selecting from a general parameter palette (60%, 70%, 80% ocean coverage), you can set whatever generator percentages you desire - sure, some of the settings might be really wacky, but hey, it makes for much more replay value. And if you don't like something that can't be changed or added on by creating a new unit, building, tech ruleset, then you have the source so you can dive in and change however the game works for yourself.
It runs on Linux - I usually am in Linux but reboot into Win-doze (like many others) for games - however, with freeciv available it allows me to play without rebooting. Freeciv is also available for a bunch of other platforms (Windows, BeOS, etc.), though I've not had experience with them.
Improved multiplayer - freeciv was setup to be multiplayer. The AI is good - the "easy" AI is probaly too good - will smack down the inexperienced player, and the "hard" AI probaly isn't enough of a challenge for the expert player. Only negative is that the AI doesn't do diplomacy so it's either conquest victory or race to space (if enough map space for the number of opponents).
If I had the time, I would love to contribute to the freeciv project (I don't know current state of developers - I know that it is a dynamic deal, with new developers joining and old ones departing ), so I'm not sure if there is enough dedicated enthusiasm for development of a civ3 ruleset and/or revising the AI.
... this is a ridiculous concoction. Digging up a computer after it's been buried 4-5 years? Um, even leaving a computer in a hot trunk all weekend can cause it to fry... 4-5 years of climate changes, dirt, moisture ???? Watching video on a Commodore computer? Correct me if I'm wrong, but an "ancient" Commodore is not even as powerful as a gameboy or an old HP scientific calculator. And internet access - from a string tied between two empty bean tin cans?
Katz, either you are (A) purposely perpetrating a propaganda fraud or (B) so fucking clueless that you would buy into a hoax email and trot it out as a feature story or (C) got your dates confused and thought it was April 1 today but that would be a sick joke...
That does it... as soon as I post this, I'm going to set my/. preferences to filter out all "stories" by Katz. If I want Cinderella tales or bedtime stories, I'll go see the new Harry Potter movie...
Yes, it's becoming a tiresome old cliche that doesn't take into account the complexity of the modern world. For instance, I still love programming and systems analysis/design, but as other writers have astutely summarized here, working in that facility in a corporate environment tends to stifle the enthusiasm and excitement of your career passion. Still, my point is if you're second guessing your choice as you are completing your academic walk, it may be a strategic time to switch to another vocation (or educational pursuit).
If you decide that you are still locked onto a CS life path, then parlay that time you spend on an alternative to transform your CS training into a more fruitful passion. After a sabbatical, you may discover it was just a temporary valley and all that you needed was a short hiatus to regain focus. It happens to all of us.
Open source role playing application - I believe it's written in Python and can run on both Windows and Linux platforms. Offers dice rollers, maps, minature battles, adventure building, chatting, etc....
I haven't used it yet, but it seems to work for others and I am planning to give it a try soon...
Kohan is a RTS that advances the genre in the "strategy" department. How so?
Instead of creating units, you commission companys - and not only is there a one time cost to commission, but there is an upkeep cost (measured in stone, wood, iron, mana).
Implementation of zones - your units will heal and resupply if in the zone of supply. Combat occurs when overlapping zone of control occurs. Companys gain XP and get stronger and there is a morale gauge that will go down if they are continuously marched and fought without rest.
Only resource stockpiled is gold - all of the others are net amounts gained/loss on a per minute basis. Building a woodmill will give you +6 wood per minute. So being plus in a given resource is kind of a waste while being negative will bite into your gold income (each resource has a cost in gold).
It has a wonderful Linux port and you can do multiplayer against others with the Windows version. I have both OS versions, and the Linux versions runs as well, if not better (i.e., no CD crack required, just run with -c switch).
All of these features turn the game into much less of a click-fest and the inane "Age of Buildings" like AoE/AoK would turn into. Terrain matters not only on defense but movement and sight also.
Multiplayer is a blast - 4v4 runs smooth, and being able to tribute towns as well as units makes it much more of a "team game" - one person in the back goes Economy while the others gear up for all-out military assault. Even without the full tilt to military or economy, you're always faced with the military/economy balance. If you forego economy, you get the military edge early but if you can't cripple your opponent, his economy later will translate into more military might.
Fantasy setting where you can have heroes (the Immortal Sovereigns are encapsulated in amulet form and for 50 gold are "awakened") - the heros are like a wildcard in the deck, but there are other magical units - clerics blessing and healing, magicians casting fireballs, wizards casting lightning spells, archers shooting magic arrows, summoned creatures, etc.... the combinatinos for forming companies are endless, as is the potential for strategy variations.
Yes, I'm a fanboy for Kohan - I encourage all to check it out, that is, if you've ever enjoyed Age of Empires, Command and Conquer, Warcraft, etc.... I had been burned out on the RTS genre until I played this game.
Slashdot Mirror
Heh ... I've been waiting for that too...
Amen brother.
It irks me to hear that "We can't find talented programmers" B.S.. Most typically, upon further inspection, it's revealed that the combination of improper and overdone narrowcasting of the postition requirements, "lowest bid" for the spot mentality and other contract arrangements (i.e., very short term, preferred vendor only, etc.) is what truly hampering the candidate search.
For example, at a recent assignment, a cube neighbor lamented that he was having great difficulty in filling a slot for a GIS programmer. After talking to him for a little bit, it struck me that it wasn't the supply that was in question, but the filtering mechanism employed -- it had to be from vendor X or vendor Y, it was a short 3 month term AND the billing rate offered was below the present market level. Hello, McFly! Another example: I obtained a recent contract term assignment solely on the merit of a networked contact. But my resume did not fit the HR/contract procurement office stipulated qualifications whatsoever. However, my skill set was precisely what the group needed.
I'm experienced enough to remember the days when most all US IT workers were native and when there was a "shortage", slots were opened up to arduous opportunity seekers from other business areas. They would be tested, weeded out and required to complete a rigirous training course on their own time. The lucky few that passed would be granted an opportunity in Data Processing and get a chance to hone their newly developed coding skills.
My, how times have changed. First, companies dumped the trainee programs and resorted to importing H1Bs. And now, corporate IT management is ruthlessly dumping existing employees, cutting native contractors and proceeding full force on the H1B importing and offshore relocation of systems support and development. Moreover, I read some glitzy trade journal PR that advises computing professionals to focus on systems architecture or business analysis functions to ensure the blossoming career. What a load of claptap - how the hell does an aspiring programmer become a skilled architect without getting his hands in the nuts and bolts of software construction? I'd say the "building" metaphor has outlived its usefulness.
I love Mozilla. I use it on Linux, on Win-XP and Win-2000. But there's a major bug with it on Win-XP that will not permit me to use the mail client and/or set extensive preferences. At random points, all of my email settings and preference (font, size, etc.) settings get wiped out and revert back to the default settings that come with the deal just after you install. I've tried various solutions to no avail, and even posted a problem record to their bugzilla setup that looked like it never even got a glance.
I think there is a newer version available - maybe that will solve my ills. I still use it as my main browser, though I like Galeon on Linux better - I haven't given Phoenix a try yet ...
I suppose you're one of those who champion the Reagan lore, heralding his "anti-tax", smaller government crusade that was neither. The Reagan regime enacted one of the largest tax increases in U.S. history AND increased the scope, size, and debt of the federal government to record levels.
The personal interest deduction phaseout that was a result of the 1986 tax act had the effect of increasing taxs anywhere from 10-25% for the average working American. Student loans, car loans, credit card payment - the interest on those loans was deductable - this change boosted the tax paid by Americans while implementing a horde of special interest loopholes for the elite.
This reasoning is frequently trotted out to defend the practice of displacing American workers with cheaper foreign temporary visa holders. But it is disingenuous - in fact, H1-B is used to augment and support the offshore movement of jobs. Many corporations attempted to move entire systems application support with futile results. So, now a different approach is used - offshore staffing augmented by a "liason" team, predominately comprised of H1-B visa holders. Consequently, H1-B program enables offshore movement of programming jobs ...
An untrue statement. I speak from firsthand experience - I am a US citizen that was displaced by a H1-B visa holder. It happened to me. It has happened to friends and colleagues. There are loopholes galore - company A contracts out to company B that staffs with foreign immigrants on temporary visas.
... until the quality increases. Over the past 3 years, I've purchased no less than a half-dozen PDAs (from the base Handspring model to the Sony CLIE I bought my wife for Christmas). Every single one of them, except for the Sony (and give it time, it's less than six months old ...) has had problems. Oh wait a second, I did drop one on the bathroom floor at work and the ensuing screen damage rendered it inoperable.
But the others (all Handspring here) have all suffered from defects ranging from annoying to unusable no more - on one, the backlight stopped working 4 months after I bought it. Another, a Visor Platinum, refuses to sync - it used to be funny and I could jiggle it a little bit, but now, even after swapping the base USB plastic connector deals out, it still won't sync. A visor deluxe I bought for my wife has a several buttons that don't function properly.
Admittedly, a few of these were "refurbished" models sold for a discount, but I was led to believe that that meant they got a little more quality testing to make sure the consumer wasn't sold a defective product. Not so in Handspring's case.
It's just too much money to waste on an item for the dicey reliability factor. And once you start using one, putting all your info into it, having to send it off just isn't viable. Either you buy another or you go back to toting that Franklin day planner again.
I've had submissions rejected before and been unfazed, even if I saw another on the same news item or subject surface soon after. But to run with this "story" when I know there's probably dozens of far superior submissions that went unpublished ...
Bleh, it's bad enough that Jon Katz is given a regular slot on the front page ...
Nothing against the review, it's just that it was an insignificant movie that came out two years ago ... not a very newsworthy piece on a site that brands itself "News for Nerds. Stuff that matters" ....
... at least for applications development and support ... American workers are being replaced with H1-B visa imports. It's more commonplace, and it's happened at the last 3 shops I've worked at, and in once case my position was replaced with an H1-B visa holder - the firm there doesn't like to use the term "outsourcing", they prefer to term it out-tasking. The bulk of the programmer team resides offshore (in India, or Maylaysia, or Indonesia, or Mexico ...), while a few business analysts and lead level (which are mostly staffed by H1-B visa workers employed by the contracted offshore firm).
Here's a list of prominent Fortune 500 companies that have moved all or a significant portion of their application support and development programmer staff offshore, that I and/or friends have had firsthand experience with:
The trend seems to be to move data center and system programming operations to the likes of IBM but to move the application coding development and support to offshore vendors. I can't speak for smaller/medium sized firms, but at the big corporate shops, this is a certainly a constant for contemporary times.
Sorry if it appears that I'm ranting, as this issue has affected me personally and it sucks watching friends and colleagues struggle to find work, unemployed for entirely too long now, about to lose their house if their wife/husband don't have a good income and they can go back to school to learn another craft. It's really disguisting to see foreign labor still imported and populate the workplace when these experienced individuals go hurting. Especially when those brought in or those who work in foreign centers aren't even close as qualified - with unverifiable references and doctored qualifications. Yes, it's gets personal when you study and work hard to put bread on the table for your family and you are powerless to stop the curtailment of opportunity. Being programmers, it's our nature to be independent and introverted, and that works against us - as I couldn't conjure up a scenario where this would occur with um, let's say truck drivers. There'd be blood in the streets.
But to hear all of the politicos du jour speak, it's simply a matter of education! Poppycock. In the new paradigms of globalization, it really doesn't matter, as "knowledge" jobs can be moved just as easy, if not easier, than manufacturing jobs. There's some deeper questions that need to be asked and answered in the new century. Else we end up in a universally feudalistic model, with a small fortunate few and the the rest of us left to fend off eachother for the few morsels tossed our way ...
And the ITAA are nothing more than tech industry lobbyist shrills, who have only the interest of employers at hand, and care not for the tech worker.
Here is an open letter to Mr. Harris Miller of the ITAA, in response to blatant misinformation propagated by him and other lobbyist shills.
It's just not the cost that should be factored, but the annoyance factor - another account that's billed, another account that eventually needs to be turned off, another point of potential fraud, another irksome form requiring the disclosure of volumes of personal information.
And what do you receive in return? The same stuff you could scour off of the web from sites like http://www.gamefaqs.com or just game fan sites in general ...
I loathe any evaluation type software, especially that which has some timer/trial date period before it forces you to register/buy the product. And I especially detest it when it embeds itself into the registry (specifically speaking of Windows platforms) and even after uninstalling, it still isn't completely wiped off my HD. It still shows but yet when I try to remove programs/uninstall, I get an error message ...
Some tips for aspiring developers to break free of the not-so-surprising (at least to me) pattern of timid experimenters and reluctant trial end users.
... /. will probably disappear from my list of frequented net destinations. I used to visit salon.com often, but no more ... I understand the need for revenue sources, but I think it's wrong to accept free submissions and content, then turn around and charge folks for access ... if you want to put up a tip jar, go ahead - I would drop funds into the hopper, but to enact a subscription setup ... bleh ...
The statement "did not actively work with the Nazi's" is inaccurate. Punch card systems design inherently required hands-on involvement from IBM, or a subsidiary shell company that elaborate mechanics were deployed to keep a river of profits flowing to IBM headquarters. In a time (the 1930's) when most businesses were struggling to stay afloat, IBM was expanding at an exponential rate, thanks in large part to Hitler Germany's rabid adoption of Hollerith technology. Each "application" had to be uniquely designed - and involved heavy participation by an IBM analyst to design the precise card question and response holes, and each set of machines needed calibrated. Also, IBM controlled the paper stock supply and the raw card inventory could only be obtained from IBM.
Thomas Watson received the highest Nazi award bestown to any non-German. While he returned it later, there is a mountain of evidence that points to his all consuming machinations to ensure the steady flow of profit from a newly, developing "unified Europe". And though you are correct in that it does not follow that "IBM was responsible for the holocaust", IBM directly aided and abetted the processing of identifying, rounding up of, stripping property, and shipping off to hellholes those of Jewish descent. It expedited and mobilized the entire process - and it certainly wasn't a case of the Nazi's buying the machines and cards and plugging them together themselves. It was entirely different deal than say a rogue government today that purchased equipment and software (which would be illegal in many cases, at least according to statutes) and then the subsequent operation of said machines and software was totally autonomous from the manufacturing process. But that wasn't the case with IBM and Nazi Germany.
There's probaly already a link here somewhere to it but here it is again - IBM and the Holocaust - I'm about 75% through the book and actually thought like you did before reading it. But the author, Edwin Black, although heavily tainted by the atrocities committed (and what person really can be not affected by the true evil that was done? ...), has compiled an extensive record of the collaboration between IBM and Hitler's minions.
You both are wrong, though the first writer is closer to the mark. The company may not "hold a passport", but changing jobs will start the clock over on the green card process - also, many foreign contract programmers (Indian firms particularly, or American firms like Syntel that are predominately comprised of Indian H1-B visa holders) have draconian contracts that bind them to the company for multiple years.
And speaking from first hand experience, I will tell you flat out that many of the foreign programmers are working at 50%-75% (the 1/4, at least here in America is not accurate) the rate an American would receive. You can quote law and such, but the fact of the matter is it is happening. Just as I lost a position to a cheaper H1-B visa holder - through subcontracting or other loopholes cheap labor is attained in this fashion. No, not all foreign programmers fit into this paradigm (more experienced and talented individuals are paid on par with American workers), but the bulk of programmers brought over fit into this category - new or relatively inexperienced programmers (0-3 years work experience) - sold as "professionals" (but with unverifiable credentials in most cases - at times the relevant experience consists of being handed a manual on the plane trip over to America) but paid like paupers. Again, I know because I've experienced the scenarios first hand, having been displaced by cheaper foreign immigrants, after training them to do my job. There really isn't much protection for American workers, and those who proclaim "it won't happen to me" will be saddened when the "Neutron Jack outsource everything" program comes to their company.
One of my good friends here in Phoenix worked for them for several years in a contract programmer deal. A neighbor of his was a high ranking executive at Intel also. The guy [the neighbor] was an avid golfer and developed a friendship with another golfer and they would hit the greens frequently together, even sharing a frothy beverage after a round. A few months later, this executive is dismissed, arrested and tossed into the pokey for disclosure violations. It turns out that the his alleged golf "buddy" was a Intel paid spy - and that he mentioned in casual conversations results of some chip tests (at least according to my friend's neighbor's story ...) - and that was the nail that did him in. I forget the exact bail but it was a serious deal.
Of course, one can retort that this blurb is entirely anecodotal and without hard empirical evidence. Nevertheless, others who have worked for Intel are full of interesting anecdotes themselves, albeit not as serious as the story in the previous paragraph.
Here is my list:
I'm at work right now - but at 12 noon it was down and the techs + recorded message said there was a Phoenix (and surrounding area) outage not due to ExciteAtHome negotiations.
I'm in N Glendale by the 101 freeway and 59th Ave. Naturally, will see if its up when I return home from work later today ...
... techs (and recorded message) saying it is a Phoenix problem that engineers are working on but is not related to the ongoing negotiations with Excite (still not resolved but according to Cox, Excite hasn't pulled the plug yet ...) ...
Don't know what to believe ...
Cable modems via Cox came to the neighborhood back in August and I quickly signed up and I believe I have a final payment to make on the cable modem purchased.
I just shut off my 2nd line and dial up provider - now it seems that may have been a rash move. Cox has a info page up saying they're going to "negotiate into the night" to set up a stopgap arrangement to keep us online, but I'm pessimistic as it seems that outside of a ridiculous amount of loot deposited to Excite, there's not a lot of incentive to be agreeable.
The judge's commentary really irks me. Yes, for many, the net is not a necessity. But for people like me who rely on it for work and my wife who needs access for school, it is a utility on par with the phones and electricity. It seems that the customer counts last - do these idiots (Excite creditors) think they'll get any more money if there is any lengthy service disruption? I suppose many of us have to take without viable alternatives - here, no DSL is available and the other alternatives (Sprint Broadband, satellite) are unreliable and unsuitable for games and conferencing (according to their own sales brochure material that caused me to cancel an order for those services) - DSL and cable modems (outside of a T1 line) are the only viable options for the home user.
I recently bought Civ3 but I still find myself playing freeciv as much if not more. Civ3 is a "pretty" game as far as graphics go (with the animations and all, though I still have a hard time distiniguishing gold from barbarian villages and a few other nuances) and there's been some nice improvements strategy wise. OTOH, Civ3 has evolved into "Civ for the masses" and to me thus far, there seems to be less variation in strategy (Age of Empires style tech tree, corruption, unforgivable bugs like tech trade exploits, air superiority bugs, etc. ...).
Anyway, here is a list of reasons why I'm still playing freeciv over civ3.
If I had the time, I would love to contribute to the freeciv project (I don't know current state of developers - I know that it is a dynamic deal, with new developers joining and old ones departing ), so I'm not sure if there is enough dedicated enthusiasm for development of a civ3 ruleset and/or revising the AI.
... this is a ridiculous concoction. Digging up a computer after it's been buried 4-5 years? Um, even leaving a computer in a hot trunk all weekend can cause it to fry ... 4-5 years of climate changes, dirt, moisture ???? Watching video on a Commodore computer? Correct me if I'm wrong, but an "ancient" Commodore is not even as powerful as a gameboy or an old HP scientific calculator. And internet access - from a string tied between two empty bean tin cans?
Katz, either you are (A) purposely perpetrating a propaganda fraud or (B) so fucking clueless that you would buy into a hoax email and trot it out as a feature story or (C) got your dates confused and thought it was April 1 today but that would be a sick joke ...
That does it ... as soon as I post this, I'm going to set my /. preferences to filter out all "stories" by Katz. If I want Cinderella tales or bedtime stories, I'll go see the new Harry Potter movie ...
... and you'll never work a day in your life.
Yes, it's becoming a tiresome old cliche that doesn't take into account the complexity of the modern world. For instance, I still love programming and systems analysis/design, but as other writers have astutely summarized here, working in that facility in a corporate environment tends to stifle the enthusiasm and excitement of your career passion. Still, my point is if you're second guessing your choice as you are completing your academic walk, it may be a strategic time to switch to another vocation (or educational pursuit).
If you decide that you are still locked onto a CS life path, then parlay that time you spend on an alternative to transform your CS training into a more fruitful passion. After a sabbatical, you may discover it was just a temporary valley and all that you needed was a short hiatus to regain focus. It happens to all of us.
OpenRPG
Open source role playing application - I believe it's written in Python and can run on both Windows and Linux platforms. Offers dice rollers, maps, minature battles, adventure building, chatting, etc. ...
I haven't used it yet, but it seems to work for others and I am planning to give it a try soon ...
Kohan is a RTS that advances the genre in the "strategy" department. How so?
Yes, I'm a fanboy for Kohan - I encourage all to check it out, that is, if you've ever enjoyed Age of Empires, Command and Conquer, Warcraft, etc. ... I had been burned out on the RTS genre until I played this game.