Please try and keep a perspective on this. Holy bidness is gonna bitch because they're gonna have to shell out a couple more bucks to keep workers safe. We all know they HATE to do that anyway. Having folks work at home probably STILL saves them oodles of their precious, precious capital. I know you conservative types are quaking in your boots shivering over the big bad gummit knocking down your doors and rooting around in your stuff. Sorry - that's just not gonna happen. Do you really think they have the staff to do something like that? If you do think that where the heck are you getting your stats? From Rush Limbaugh or G. Gordon Liddy? Ha! My BS detector tells me that the louder the conservatives and bidness bitches, the better it is in the long run for us teeny folks. Relax and you just might get a new chair or a nice squishy wrist guard out of the deal.
This article is oddly timely for me since my subconscience lately has been bubbling up little whispers to ditch Linux and move over to FreeBSD. Is this irrational on my part? I love Linux, don't I? Ok, Ok, I know AM worried about all the recent IPOs and Linux certification and I do have this irrational fear that the suits aren't far behind and when the suits get involved the inevitable ruination waits in the wings. But to ditch something that's provided so much intellectual pleasure? Plus there's a whole new cast of characters in FreeBSD land - who are they? Are they friendly? Are they open to newbies asking a bunch of dumb questions?
Aaahhhh! Maybe "those guys in the basement" as Steven King calls them aren't done figuring it out yet. I guess I'll wait a little longer.
I work at a local hospital (also a Medical School) and we in the IS dept are mostly hourly. Having come to this job from a long string of salaried positions I was dubious at first. However, I soon changed my mind when I realized I'd get time and a half for overtime (which can be taken as pay or comp time), 3 hours minimum pay for any call in - even if I only worked 5 minutes! Additionally, we generally have to get pre-approval for all overtime. I'm a fan of this particular rule since I absolutely HATE working overtime - especailly the 24 - 30 hour call in stints I endured in salaried jobs. This completely eliminates the "cult of overtime" mentality rampant in the computer industry. It also eliminates the preferential treatment management gives to ovetime junkies whose constitutions are genetically suited to this type of abuse. Bottom line: Hourly is great! I'd hate to go back to the slavary of the salaried job.
As an old man (48 years old) who has made his living programming for a long time now, I will vociferously support ANY effort to teach kids programming. Computer programming is the love of my life, my passion. There's nothing more satifying. Whether it's Python, Perl, C, C++, even COBOL, I'm for it. If taxes need to be raised to get kids into it, I'm for it. I want the next generation to love it as much as I do.
Just because Mr. Metcalf invented the ethernet doesn't mean he can read the future. Lots of people have an exraordinary talent in one area but are breathtakingly clueless in other areas. Richard Wagner wrote absolutely sublime music but was an unrepentant bigot. His bigotry doesn't diminish his music but his opinions on race can certainly be discounted. The other point I'd like to make is that we Linux users/developers are actually in control of what happens to our beloved OS and open source movement. My vote is to keep on doing what we're doing and ignore the clueless.
The problem with either making up a new word or designating an old to to replace the perjoration of "hacker" is that language tends to be evolutionary in nature. The vast collective of language users probably need to decide this subliminally. That said here's a couple of possible replacements: NERD, GPLer, Deus Ex Machiners, Coders, Geeks, GURU, LIHOM (Legend in His/Her Own Mind), GoToers (from "Go to guy/gal").
Aww Crap!!!! I suppose this is the end of civilization. I suppose we deserve it. Oh well, at least we know the date of WinD'Ohze demise so that's a good thing right? RIGHT????
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Folks:
Please try and keep a perspective on this. Holy bidness is gonna bitch because they're gonna have to shell out a couple more bucks to keep workers safe. We all know they HATE to do that anyway. Having folks work at home probably STILL saves them oodles of their precious, precious capital. I know you conservative types are quaking in your boots shivering over the big bad gummit knocking down your doors and rooting around in your stuff. Sorry - that's just not gonna happen. Do you really think they have the staff to do something like that? If you do think that where the heck are you getting your stats? From Rush Limbaugh or G. Gordon Liddy? Ha! My BS detector tells me that the louder the conservatives and bidness bitches, the better it is in the long run for us teeny folks. Relax and you just might get a new chair or a nice squishy wrist guard out of the deal.
This article is oddly timely for me since my subconscience lately has been bubbling up little whispers to ditch Linux and move over to FreeBSD. Is this irrational on my part? I love Linux, don't I? Ok, Ok, I know AM worried about all the recent IPOs and Linux certification and I do have this irrational fear that the suits aren't far behind and when the suits get involved the inevitable ruination waits in the wings. But to ditch something that's provided so much intellectual pleasure? Plus there's a whole new cast of characters in FreeBSD land - who are they? Are they friendly? Are they open to newbies asking a bunch of dumb questions?
Aaahhhh! Maybe "those guys in the basement" as Steven King calls them aren't done figuring it out yet. I guess I'll wait a little longer.
I work at a local hospital (also a Medical School) and we in the IS dept are mostly hourly. Having come to this job from a long string of salaried positions I was dubious at first. However, I soon changed my mind when I realized I'd get time and a half for overtime (which can be taken as pay or comp time), 3 hours minimum pay for any call in - even if I only worked 5 minutes! Additionally, we generally have to get pre-approval for all overtime. I'm a fan of this particular rule since I absolutely HATE working overtime - especailly the 24 - 30 hour call in stints I endured in salaried jobs. This completely eliminates the "cult of overtime" mentality rampant in the computer industry. It also eliminates the preferential treatment management gives to ovetime junkies whose constitutions are genetically suited to this type of abuse. Bottom line: Hourly is great! I'd hate to go back to the slavary of the salaried job.
As an old man (48 years old) who has made his living programming for a long time now, I will vociferously support ANY effort to teach kids programming. Computer programming is the love of my life, my passion. There's nothing more satifying. Whether it's Python, Perl, C, C++, even COBOL, I'm for it. If taxes need to be raised to get kids into it, I'm for it. I want the next generation to love it as much as I do.
Just because Mr. Metcalf invented the ethernet doesn't mean he can read the future. Lots of people have an exraordinary talent in one area but are breathtakingly clueless in other areas. Richard Wagner wrote absolutely sublime music but was an unrepentant bigot. His bigotry doesn't diminish his music but his opinions on race can certainly be discounted. The other point I'd like to make is that we Linux users/developers are actually in control of what happens to our beloved OS and open source movement. My vote is to keep on doing what we're doing and ignore the clueless.
The problem with either making up a new word or designating an old to to replace the perjoration of "hacker" is that language tends to be evolutionary in nature. The vast collective of language users probably need to decide this subliminally. That said here's a couple of possible replacements: NERD, GPLer, Deus Ex Machiners, Coders, Geeks, GURU, LIHOM (Legend in His/Her Own Mind), GoToers (from "Go to guy/gal").
Aww Crap!!!! I suppose this is the end of civilization. I suppose we deserve it. Oh well, at least we know the date of WinD'Ohze demise so that's a good thing right? RIGHT????