Sounds like a similar experience I had, and a coworker had.
In my case, the first interview was great. It was with the guy who wrote the Borland C++ Compiler, and it lasted about an hour and a half on the phone. At the end, he seemed happy, I was happy, and he even said he hoped to be able to meet me when I got there.
The second interview was with a guy on the billing team. It was strange - he kept trying to twist the answers ("Well, what happens if your database doesn't support joins?"). It was also fairly short - the questions I asked him at the end was almost longer than the intereview.
I got a call back about 4 days later saying they didn't like the way I "think". Which turns out was better than the reaction my coworker got in his 3rd interview when the guy, who was asking him to discuss proofs, asked if he was "dense".
No matter, both of us are now working for a competitor about 15 hours north and I couldn't be happier.
1. No company in their right minds wants to pay for TWO programmers to do a single job. But then, again, you can always get 2 programmers at half-price to do the job (and have half the quality of one full price programmer).
No, companies want to pay for what is going to deliver them the biggest ROI for the least amount of money. They don't care how many people are on a job, as long as they get the profit in the end.
2. As with any other method, it assumes all the specs and implementation have been worked out before the code is even written....nobody has the freedom to write experimental throwaway code to even see if their approach is even feasible in the coding, or, if programming a device, if the device will even work with the approach being made (for you people not in the embedded world, most device datasheets are incorrect and seldom get corrected).
We do plenty of spikes, which is exactly throwaway code. We then throw it away, and rewrite it using test-driven development.
In fact, the whole point of XP is to be in situations where the code and specs are constantly changing, and thrives in those kinds of environments.
3. While its great at letting the mundane functions be rewritten (refactored) as many times as possible, it gives a mechanism where newer features are *always* put off (by managers usually) indefinitely....its an illusion, under a few managers, that the programmers will ever get to implement the newer features wanted by customers (its amazing how most new features are always rated as low priority by someone other than the customer....even more amazing about how many 'stories' aren't written by the customer.).
This is definately false. XP is all about the customer driving what the developers are working on by listing what is the highest priority and most value for them. The developers sign up for stories to do just that. Sometimes they don't sign up for the most valuable story - generally because either they need something quick to do, or because it is necessary to complete another story.
4. Even in the XP books it is explained that XP is not meant to work for every single software environment/situation....yet there are managers who will do their best to try to force it to work when it won't.
Can't argue with that!
I always find it really is better for a group of Programmer Peers to sit down together and review the code AFTER it has been written (with tests). Trouble is, most companies/managers refuse to understand that 'Programming Peers' do not include the stock boy in shipping.
Just my $.02. Can you tell I didn't really like being under the XP model myself?
It sounds like you were under a very poorly implemented model. In fact, I can't believe they would call that XP - because it sounds almost as far from it as you could be.
I view XP as a methodology to solve a major problem I've seen in software - communication.
Why do we build software? It's to provide value for our customer, whether that customer be a marketing department, a gamer, or ourselves. And if we don't keep in touch with what it is that they want (recognizing that people generally don't know what they want until they see it), we probably won't provide the value we could.
To that end, XP encourages constant communication by using frequent releases of the stories (read: features) the customer thinks are most valuable. The customer gets a working version every week, or month, or 2 months, or whatever cycle seems to work for the team.
From the development side, XP encourages the code to always be potentially shippable by having a suite of Unit and Acceptance tests (the former written by the developer/before/ the code is written, the latter written by the customer(!)). We continually run them using a Continuous Integration server which monitors the code repository and checks out the latest version, notifying the team of any conflicts.
It also encourages things like Collective Ownership, where, in theory, any developer can sit down and work on any part of the system. This is achieved partly through the unit test suite, and partly through pair programming with frequent swapping (we swap pairs generally twice a day, in the morning and at lunch, but some teams do more, and some do less).
But, regardless of all the practices (and there's more than I'm listing above), the end goal is/not/ to be "XP", it's to deliver value to the customer. And if your current practices are doing that, then that's what is important.
As far as TDD, I have a series I recently did which shows how TDD works here (part 1) and here (part 2).
The list was ranked by the top airports - probably by the number of passengers or planes handled. I thought at first it was by which ones had free wireless, and was disappointed to see airports that charged on the top of the list!
I find it entirely frustrating that not only is short-term internet access so expensive in those airports that charge for it, but it's not the same. If I'm flying from Chicago to Dallas to Tampa, I'd have to either pay twice (Chicago and Dallas) or just not use anything at all.
Indeed, he meant Extreme Programming. I know, because I'm the one who receives and distributes the books for the group (and if anyone is in the Columbia, MO area, the mailing list is here).
And for the poster who thinks XP is just a buzzword - I'm at Agile 2006 right now with over 1100 people from companies ranging from Microsoft, Mozilla and Progressive Insurance to Shure (the microphone people), Seagate and lots of overseas companies. XP is alive and well (if arguably poorly named) and in a lot more places than one probably thinks.
The best advice I have heard was from I believe Martin Fowler who said to learn a new language every 6 months. So, instead of learning the differences between JSF and Struts, pick up a Rails book, or Python, or Boo, or Lua. (Except if part of your job is figuring out the differences between JSF and Struts)
Several of my coworkers attended JavaOne, and while I would have liked to have gone, I'm much happier going to Agile 2006 where I will get exposed to a wider variety of things going on. For example, if you haven't tried Rails, it is a great way of seeing how using sensible defaults can get something up and running quickly, and how extension can keep it maintainable as it grows.
Same thing with ASP.NET. The event model for web pages is really great, and I've built some neat apps in ASP.NET which let me use some of the cleanest MVP seperation possible.
So, if you want to know more about Java, pick up some other languages. You'll find yourself wanting to do even more.
I use Monowall here at home, and it does a good job of managing the PPTP connections. Since you have a PPTP client built into the other Windows machines, just use something like DynDNS and point them to connecting to you.
For example, I had a boss want to add scripting support to a C# windows app. With Ruby for.NET, we could do something like:
form = Form1.new button = form.cmdGo button.click.add do name = form.username.text result = verify_name(name) form.result.text = result end
So, while the above example may be a lame one, the point is that because you have full access to the.NET objects, you can deploy a scriptable app, without your users having to write C# code and compile it on the fly.
Also, with JRuby, they are working on getting Rails working with it (and are pretty close). So then you get Rails being able to be deployed wherever you have a JVM.
Is it an Amazing Discovery Which Will Rock The World? No. Do you take a performance hit? I'm sure you might, though perhaps not as bad (though I haven't done any performance testing - maybe I'll work on that this week). It's just another tool in the bag. There's more books on Python, so that might be a better choice. Or the tons of other options out there.
I also have been enjoying scripting languages, mostly Ruby. JRuby is still in active development, contrary to belief, and they have versions of IRB running with it.
I'm giving a presentation on using Ruby for scriptable.NET apps at an upcoming Code Camp in St. Louis.
I haven't played much with Groovy, but I like the idea of Ruby in that I can write scripts that will run standalone, in.NET, or in Java (not that Ruby is the only one that can do that)
Actually, I've worked with Nextel (now Sprint) phones which have voice directions that were pretty darn good. I know we also played with some device that had incredible voice driving directions.
The flip side is that the phone had to be connected at the time, but with that caveat aside, it did a heck of a job.
Directions aside, we did some cool stuff with GeoFencing and other nifty GPS tricks that let employees have no idea the level of which their employers are tracking them. Scary, but cool stuff.
Exactly what I was going to recommend. By writing the tests first, you can help drive the design as the more experienced person. But by them trying things to pass it, they learn a lot too.
The biggest challenge is to consistantly do the simplest thing possible (not the dumbest thing).
If you run into problems, I'd highly recommend the TDD list, or you can feel free to ping me offline.
For a house fire, I would be surprised to see anything more than a second or third alarm unless there were kids trapped, hazmat materials in the shed and a team of strippers running the canteen.
Having been on a 4-alarm house fire, I can say that it is indeed very rare. The house in question was around 12,000 square feet, had poor water access, and caused more loss in that single fire then in all the house fires in the entire county combined for the entire year.
I have been on my share of 2 and 3 alarm house fires, but those number were either caused by lack of water or because it gets really hot in Florida in the summer.;)
The thing is, it shows you how to do it using Speech server and other APIs. With Bubble sorts and the such, you can learn from the algorithms. With this, you can learn that next version all of your stuff is going to break.
I enjoyed the book, but it left me wishing they would have split it into four and acutally gone into depth with them. I felt it was a very shallow representation of the capabilities of the technologies, and not as much of a theory book as I would have liked.
"This has been talked about for quite a long time and even supposedly seen but what can Google do that would make this more special then any other ubuntu release/spin off? "
Actually, the question is, WHY DOES EVERYTHING HAVE TO BE A WINDOW'S KILLER FROM GOOGLE?!
How many times do we have to hear, "Google is seeding clouds! Is this the end of Microsoft due to a massive hurricane Google is developing in the Pacific?"
Guys, Google is a smart company. How would creating a Linux distribution even come *close* to being a Windows killer? And, more importantly, how would that make them any money? They're a public company, so if it isn't making them money, then why would they do it.
We lived just north of Tampa at the time and would regularly watch the shuttle launches from our yard. We would usually set up some sort of telescope or binoculars, but you couldn't zoom all that close or you'd have a hard time keeping up with it.
That morning we watched in launch on TV, then ran outside. It seemed to take a little bit longer than normal, and just as it cleared the trees is when it exploded.
Even though I was in elementary school, it was stil confusing, but I had a good idea what had just gone on.
I was also thinking they could roll their own, but if they can't, what I do is set my POP clients to only delete mail after 3 days, and run it on both my laptop and desktop. Since my home computer is up 24/7, it always has a chance, and I just make sure to fire up my laptop once every 3 days at least (which isn't a problem as I use it for work too).
Surely you know exactly what you want. It shouldn't be too difficult to just throw something together. In fact, some of the languages nowadays are so easy to follow, it should be a breeze. I found a tutorial that should hopefully get you down the right path.
If such stadiums are the only live music venues that admit minors, and they're off-limits to independent bands that don't have a lot of investment behind them, then how should an independent band that plays family-safe music tour?
We didn't seem to have a problem. Of course, I don't think we played for any more than a thousand peope. But, my answer would be that it comes down to the market. If the demand is there for a place for people to take their kids to see shows, it will be there.
And yes, my comment was a bit harsh towards the big venues. I've been to many concerts both large and small, and paid my share to the conglomerates. So, no, I don't think they are evil. Heck, I think the Instant Live thing they are doing now is pretty cool (you get a professionally recorded CD of the show 20 minutes after it ends).
Hate to tell you, but it is highly doubtful any record label would have heard of you if you didn't already have name recognition. The way to get a contract is to play out a lot, get a name and following for yourself.
However, what you may lost is the ability to play at your local AmphiClearChannelBudweiserSonyTheatre./shrugs/
Slashdot Mirror
Ah, Zorro! I loved playing that game. There was a flaw in the floppy I had, so occasionally it would lock up.
I think I also had Dallas on there, which was strange, mainly because of how young I was. It was still fun to learn.
Sounds like a similar experience I had, and a coworker had.
In my case, the first interview was great. It was with the guy who wrote the Borland C++ Compiler, and it lasted about an hour and a half on the phone. At the end, he seemed happy, I was happy, and he even said he hoped to be able to meet me when I got there.
The second interview was with a guy on the billing team. It was strange - he kept trying to twist the answers ("Well, what happens if your database doesn't support joins?"). It was also fairly short - the questions I asked him at the end was almost longer than the intereview.
I got a call back about 4 days later saying they didn't like the way I "think". Which turns out was better than the reaction my coworker got in his 3rd interview when the guy, who was asking him to discuss proofs, asked if he was "dense".
No matter, both of us are now working for a competitor about 15 hours north and I couldn't be happier.
Maybe.
Some comments:
1. No company in their right minds wants to pay for TWO programmers to do a single job. But then, again, you can always get 2 programmers at half-price to do the job (and have half the quality of one full price programmer).
No, companies want to pay for what is going to deliver them the biggest ROI for the least amount of money. They don't care how many people are on a job, as long as they get the profit in the end.
2. As with any other method, it assumes all the specs and implementation have been worked out before the code is even written....nobody has the freedom to write experimental throwaway code to even see if their approach is even feasible in the coding, or, if programming a device, if the device will even work with the approach being made (for you people not in the embedded world, most device datasheets are incorrect and seldom get corrected).
We do plenty of spikes, which is exactly throwaway code. We then throw it away, and rewrite it using test-driven development.
In fact, the whole point of XP is to be in situations where the code and specs are constantly changing, and thrives in those kinds of environments.
3. While its great at letting the mundane functions be rewritten (refactored) as many times as possible, it gives a mechanism where newer features are *always* put off (by managers usually) indefinitely....its an illusion, under a few managers, that the programmers will ever get to implement the newer features wanted by customers (its amazing how most new features are always rated as low priority by someone other than the customer....even more amazing about how many 'stories' aren't written by the customer.).
This is definately false. XP is all about the customer driving what the developers are working on by listing what is the highest priority and most value for them. The developers sign up for stories to do just that. Sometimes they don't sign up for the most valuable story - generally because either they need something quick to do, or because it is necessary to complete another story.
4. Even in the XP books it is explained that XP is not meant to work for every single software environment/situation....yet there are managers who will do their best to try to force it to work when it won't.
Can't argue with that!
I always find it really is better for a group of Programmer Peers to sit down together and review the code AFTER it has been written (with tests). Trouble is, most companies/managers refuse to understand that 'Programming Peers' do not include the stock boy in shipping.
Just my $.02. Can you tell I didn't really like being under the XP model myself?
It sounds like you were under a very poorly implemented model. In fact, I can't believe they would call that XP - because it sounds almost as far from it as you could be.
I view XP as a methodology to solve a major problem I've seen in software - communication.
/before/ the code is written, the latter written by the customer(!)). We continually run them using a Continuous Integration server which monitors the code repository and checks out the latest version, notifying the team of any conflicts.
/not/ to be "XP", it's to deliver value to the customer. And if your current practices are doing that, then that's what is important.
Why do we build software? It's to provide value for our customer, whether that customer be a marketing department, a gamer, or ourselves. And if we don't keep in touch with what it is that they want (recognizing that people generally don't know what they want until they see it), we probably won't provide the value we could.
To that end, XP encourages constant communication by using frequent releases of the stories (read: features) the customer thinks are most valuable. The customer gets a working version every week, or month, or 2 months, or whatever cycle seems to work for the team.
From the development side, XP encourages the code to always be potentially shippable by having a suite of Unit and Acceptance tests (the former written by the developer
It also encourages things like Collective Ownership, where, in theory, any developer can sit down and work on any part of the system. This is achieved partly through the unit test suite, and partly through pair programming with frequent swapping (we swap pairs generally twice a day, in the morning and at lunch, but some teams do more, and some do less).
But, regardless of all the practices (and there's more than I'm listing above), the end goal is
As far as TDD, I have a series I recently did which shows how TDD works here (part 1) and here (part 2).
The list was ranked by the top airports - probably by the number of passengers or planes handled. I thought at first it was by which ones had free wireless, and was disappointed to see airports that charged on the top of the list!
I find it entirely frustrating that not only is short-term internet access so expensive in those airports that charge for it, but it's not the same. If I'm flying from Chicago to Dallas to Tampa, I'd have to either pay twice (Chicago and Dallas) or just not use anything at all.
Here's one of my favorite posts on the subject. And darn good advice.
Well, that's why I always handcuff mine to my wrist in the airport. That + suit and sunglasses can really get you places.
I second the Zero Halliburton cases. I used to work for a distributor, and kept my ThinkPad in one of the brushed aluminum cases. Never had a problem.
My former employer's site has the cases for discount through an auction interface. They make cases for PDAs too - cool stuff.
Indeed, he meant Extreme Programming. I know, because I'm the one who receives and distributes the books for the group (and if anyone is in the Columbia, MO area, the mailing list is here).
And for the poster who thinks XP is just a buzzword - I'm at Agile 2006 right now with over 1100 people from companies ranging from Microsoft, Mozilla and Progressive Insurance to Shure (the microphone people), Seagate and lots of overseas companies. XP is alive and well (if arguably poorly named) and in a lot more places than one probably thinks.
The best advice I have heard was from I believe Martin Fowler who said to learn a new language every 6 months. So, instead of learning the differences between JSF and Struts, pick up a Rails book, or Python, or Boo, or Lua. (Except if part of your job is figuring out the differences between JSF and Struts)
Several of my coworkers attended JavaOne, and while I would have liked to have gone, I'm much happier going to Agile 2006 where I will get exposed to a wider variety of things going on. For example, if you haven't tried Rails, it is a great way of seeing how using sensible defaults can get something up and running quickly, and how extension can keep it maintainable as it grows.
Same thing with ASP.NET. The event model for web pages is really great, and I've built some neat apps in ASP.NET which let me use some of the cleanest MVP seperation possible.
So, if you want to know more about Java, pick up some other languages. You'll find yourself wanting to do even more.
I use Monowall here at home, and it does a good job of managing the PPTP connections. Since you have a PPTP client built into the other Windows machines, just use something like DynDNS and point them to connecting to you.
I wrote a simple tutorial on getting PPTP running with Monowall. I run it on a small solid-state linux box, and it works just great.
That's why Microsoft just released an open source website called CodePlex.
Well, it depends on what you are using it for.
For example, I had a boss want to add scripting support to a C# windows app. With Ruby for .NET, we could do something like:
So, while the above example may be a lame one, the point is that because you have full access to the .NET objects, you can deploy a scriptable app, without your users having to write C# code and compile it on the fly.
Also, with JRuby, they are working on getting Rails working with it (and are pretty close). So then you get Rails being able to be deployed wherever you have a JVM.
Is it an Amazing Discovery Which Will Rock The World? No. Do you take a performance hit? I'm sure you might, though perhaps not as bad (though I haven't done any performance testing - maybe I'll work on that this week). It's just another tool in the bag. There's more books on Python, so that might be a better choice. Or the tons of other options out there.
I also have been enjoying scripting languages, mostly Ruby. JRuby is still in active development, contrary to belief, and they have versions of IRB running with it.
.NET apps at an upcoming Code Camp in St. Louis.
.NET, or in Java (not that Ruby is the only one that can do that)
I'm giving a presentation on using Ruby for scriptable
I haven't played much with Groovy, but I like the idea of Ruby in that I can write scripts that will run standalone, in
Actually, I've worked with Nextel (now Sprint) phones which have voice directions that were pretty darn good. I know we also played with some device that had incredible voice driving directions.
The flip side is that the phone had to be connected at the time, but with that caveat aside, it did a heck of a job.
Directions aside, we did some cool stuff with GeoFencing and other nifty GPS tricks that let employees have no idea the level of which their employers are tracking them. Scary, but cool stuff.
Exactly what I was going to recommend. By writing the tests first, you can help drive the design as the more experienced person. But by them trying things to pass it, they learn a lot too.
The biggest challenge is to consistantly do the simplest thing possible (not the dumbest thing).
If you run into problems, I'd highly recommend the TDD list, or you can feel free to ping me offline.
Having been on a 4-alarm house fire, I can say that it is indeed very rare. The house in question was around 12,000 square feet, had poor water access, and caused more loss in that single fire then in all the house fires in the entire county combined for the entire year.
I have been on my share of 2 and 3 alarm house fires, but those number were either caused by lack of water or because it gets really hot in Florida in the summer. ;)
The thing is, it shows you how to do it using Speech server and other APIs. With Bubble sorts and the such, you can learn from the algorithms. With this, you can learn that next version all of your stuff is going to break.
I enjoyed the book, but it left me wishing they would have split it into four and acutally gone into depth with them. I felt it was a very shallow representation of the capabilities of the technologies, and not as much of a theory book as I would have liked.
"This has been talked about for quite a long time and even supposedly seen but what can Google do that would make this more special then any other ubuntu release/spin off? "
Actually, the question is, WHY DOES EVERYTHING HAVE TO BE A WINDOW'S KILLER FROM GOOGLE?!
How many times do we have to hear, "Google is seeding clouds! Is this the end of Microsoft due to a massive hurricane Google is developing in the Pacific?"
Guys, Google is a smart company. How would creating a Linux distribution even come *close* to being a Windows killer? And, more importantly, how would that make them any money? They're a public company, so if it isn't making them money, then why would they do it.
We lived just north of Tampa at the time and would regularly watch the shuttle launches from our yard. We would usually set up some sort of telescope or binoculars, but you couldn't zoom all that close or you'd have a hard time keeping up with it.
That morning we watched in launch on TV, then ran outside. It seemed to take a little bit longer than normal, and just as it cleared the trees is when it exploded.
Even though I was in elementary school, it was stil confusing, but I had a good idea what had just gone on.
I was also thinking they could roll their own, but if they can't, what I do is set my POP clients to only delete mail after 3 days, and run it on both my laptop and desktop. Since my home computer is up 24/7, it always has a chance, and I just make sure to fire up my laptop once every 3 days at least (which isn't a problem as I use it for work too).
Surely you know exactly what you want. It shouldn't be too difficult to just throw something together. In fact, some of the languages nowadays are so easy to follow, it should be a breeze. I found a tutorial that should hopefully get you down the right path.
We didn't seem to have a problem. Of course, I don't think we played for any more than a thousand peope. But, my answer would be that it comes down to the market. If the demand is there for a place for people to take their kids to see shows, it will be there.
And yes, my comment was a bit harsh towards the big venues. I've been to many concerts both large and small, and paid my share to the conglomerates. So, no, I don't think they are evil. Heck, I think the Instant Live thing they are doing now is pretty cool (you get a professionally recorded CD of the show 20 minutes after it ends).
Hate to tell you, but it is highly doubtful any record label would have heard of you if you didn't already have name recognition. The way to get a contract is to play out a lot, get a name and following for yourself.
/shrugs/
However, what you may lost is the ability to play at your local AmphiClearChannelBudweiserSonyTheatre.