Instead of running - change things. Take it one step at a time. All these tools are valuable, but you can get by without some. Personally, I would start with Version Control, follow up with system/regression testing, then unit testing, continuous integration, and finally deployment process.
I've never been in an environment with continuous integration. It hurts, and I'm trying to change that, but I've been picking my battles carefully and not pushed very hard on that one yet (challenges with integration into our version control platform).
Don't run from the company, unless they're unable or unwilling to accept concrete proposals for changes. But be very cautious as the new guy. You don't want to continually annoy folks with your shiny new way of doing things. Be patient, research the reasons for each proposals, and try to work each one in over time.
Honestly I'm not sure about the money, I've not been able to pay attention to that part. Yeah, basic SQL isn't worth much, but if someone can be trained so that I don't have to spend my evenings at work to make sure we make a profit, then basic SQL is what I'll take. No chance of hiring for more than that. We've talked to several consulting companies and everyone is saying the same thing: SQL developers are impossible to find right now.
(Anonymous -- sadly we're unable to accomodate out-of-towners, besides which you probably wouldn't be interested in switching to a full-blown MS shop)
At least in the Twin Cities, if you know SQL you're golden right now. Desparate shortage up here. My company has been searching for someone since January, with very few applicants, and even fewer qualified. The only two who were qualified turned us down for other offers.
I came from Austin, TX, where I had spent 3 years looking for a new job. No luck -- too much competition from laid off workers. But up north there is high demand for C#, Java, SQL. Even finding a straight up, skilled HTML guru is difficult here.
R is very difficult to use with rather poor documentation. I'm all about the appropriate use of open source software, with appropriate being the key word. R is great for advanced undergrads and beyond, but learning to code in R will just distract from statistical and mathematical simulations for high schoolers. Stick with Octave or Scilab for now.
Actually, the author's name appears to be Italian. And the Latin word for sulphur is 'sulfur.' However, here in America, I for one was raised with 'sulphur' and have never before seen it spelled with an 'f.' So don't blame us!
Well, no. Yes, geeks have wives too! However, I'm surprised no one has come back with some clever statement abusing me for the poor choice of "screwing around on computer" in a sentence also mentioning wife...
I've been a medium-level Linux sys admin for a number of years. But I'm also a web designer, and recently I decided that I needed to get a notebook. The decision to go with an iBook was almost a no-brainer: I wanted professional applications instead of almost-professional, and I didn't want to worry about incompatibilities, libraries, GNOME buggering itself, etc. And it has been marvelous. Now that I've replaced my linux box with a dedicated DSL router, I hardly ever turn it on.
Overall, perhaps I do feel a bit guilty. I wish Sodipodi, The Gimp, and Bluefish were more stable and competitive with FreeHand, Fireworks, and Dreamweaver. And while I've used all of those applications to do some advanced things, it is simply easier and faster for me to use my Macromedia apps. Sure they cost me a few (student) dollars, but they've been worth every penny. (and yes, I started with MacGIMP, which at least is better than WinGIMP).
But the best part is that I've stopped screwing around on the computer, thus freeing me up for other more important life activites (wife, for instance).
Interesting observation. I was wondering how it is that there are absolutely no entry level jobs in Austin. This might help explain it. I should also look to the consulting/staffing companies, who are probably filling most entry-level positions. Hm. I suppose this just makes me more depressed at the prospect of me ever getting a meaningful job. At least I have one though =).
<soapbox> And no, they won't think of the future. I'm tired of all the generalizations about offshoring and everything else, without any facts to back them up most of the time. But I'll make one anyway: it will take a serious paradigm shift in the USA for Americans (me) to start thinking about the future and holding those responsible for it accountable to it. </soapbox>
Unfortunately you can't read the article anymore without paying, but they make a pretty convincing case in the Sept. issue, showing how some models predict an increase in the # of computer-related jobs (they claim the tech sector will soon return, if it hasn't already, as the fastest growing sector in the American economy). Couple this growth with baby boomers retiring, and you get a very tight labor market.
You see, though some of us might not see it everyday (including me), apparently a large percentage of today's programs are baby boomers who are nearing retirement. Starting in a few years there will be large percentages of the programmer population leaving the job pool. In recognition of this, many large companies are already returning to handsome bonuses and good pay.
Having said that, I do suddenly realize that there is a difference in terminology. I shold not talk about the "number of programmers" here, but rather the "number of IT jobs." That is, include project managers, MIS directors, and all kinds of people who are technically oriented, may do some programming or other admin, but are not strictly speaking programmers. So also keep that in mind with this article--how broadly do they use the term "programmer?"
It is hardly surprising that most of the accomplishments of value to certain societys were done by members of that society.
If painting is not meaningful to a society, it will not be likely to produce a major figure in this fine art. And Murray, who comes from a society that values paintings, will think the "others" are somehow inferior because they've not created any Picassos.
Okay, talk about asking for a flaming! I'm a PHP developer whose done a bit of Java but knows nothing about J2EE. Can someone explain how this is relevant to me, as I start looking at larger applications with hundreds, perhaps thousands of users?
Ground loops can cause all kinds of weird little problems. According to the story, the magic switch was made of metal. It was most likely attached to the chasis directly, at least some small point of contact. And then it was attached to another portion of the chasis. This threw in an extra antennae, perhaps, picking up noise from a power supply or something. Perhaps just moving it imparted enough of a perturbation to cause a small electrical signal that screwed up the grounding.
Hey, mod up the parent! This is a _terrible_ article, as the parent points out. As far as we can tell, the author draws his own conclusions and attributes them to "Hollywood."
I highly recommend a jaunt through West Texas, though it is a bit out of the way from anywhere (except El Paso, and no reason to go there! apologies to an El Pasoans here). Visit Big Bend National Park, McDonald Observatory, (one of the biggest & best in North America), the Marfa Lights (creepy, literally unexplained phenomenon).
Probably because Mercury and Venus are usually not in the same plane as Earth... i.e. if you picture 3-dimensional space as a box. Sun's in the middle. Earth is, at the moment, in the middle of one edge. Mercury passes between us, but is actually only 1/4 of the way down from the top edge. It would not "cross" the sun to our perspective. But, if Earth were sitting along a top edge, then we might get a transit.
For those who don't have time/inclination to read the article: Congress is not making the PATRIOT act permanent. The article says that Orrin Hatch is attempting to make the act permanent. Many Congressmen agree; many disagree. Let your representatives know what you think. But know that this is not in the works already. This article's title is horribly misleading.
What does "post-pc" mean? I cannot tell from the articles linked what the original author intended. It would be very easy to interpret these articles as implying that handhelds will dominate the consumer's future over PCs. But this is not what the market data shows. It shows that handheld sales will dominate.
And what is the difference? The difference is this: I own a PC or two already. They work just fine for me, have plenty of power, and will be that way two years from now (assuming I don't want Longhorn or some other future bloated software). So I won't need to buy a PC. But I don't have a handheld, so I might choose to buy one. So might my wife. Or we might get a notebook. But the PC would still be our dominant mode of computing.
Perhaps this is obvious to everyone already. But the article is poorly written on this score and could easily lead to confusion, a confusion which then plays itself out in non-geeks running around thinking that geeks are saying PCs are dead. Then when we're still using PCs in a few years, they'll point and laugh at us for our silly predictions. Its happened before...
Everyone talks about browsers being bloated, filled with crap, etc. But if I've ever heard someone say exactly what this "crap" is, I've long forgotten it. It seems that bloat has become the mantra of many a/. reader/commenter. What is bloated about mozilla? The fact that I can choose to install composer and messenger with it? Yes, the code was slimmed down for Phoenix (which I am now using), but while Phoenix opens much faster I find it using almost as much ram as Mozilla 1.2 did. And what is bloated about IE? The fact that it has an operating system built into it perhaps, but if they were separated...
Point is: please explain what you find so objectionable about modern browsers. I may agree--but I just don't know what I'd be agreeing to at this point.
I cannot give you any kind of meaningful data, except this: in the last three years, in environments that are probably equal mixtures of Fujitsu, IBM, and Maxtor (in terms of IDE drives), I've seen far more Fujitsu drives die than anything else. At my current company, I've had 75% of my Fujitsu drives die, without a single other failure.
That is what we do at the non-profit I work at. Can't attest to the exactly legality of this, but according to my boss if I donate time I should send a letter indicating how much time and "in-kind" equivalent money was donated as documentation.
I was feeling a bit like you when I finished my MA in physics. Except that, while getting out and being elsewhere sounded interesting, I had good reason to stay close to home (Austin). So here I am, madly trying to finish my thesis last summer, and realizing that I needed a job. And of course even in Austin "entry"-level geek jobs are/were few and far between. But I think to myelf... I'd like to give something back to my community. And I want to get to know and understand people from diverse backgrounds (read: not middle-class suburban, aka WASP).
...Lo and behold, I hear about this AmeriCorps*VISTA opportunity. They needed someone to do some database/IT work, and to serve as a Loan Outreach Coordinator (the company is a non-profit focused on economic development, providing training and loans to low- to middle-income entrepreneurs).
I've gone back and forth on it, but now that my year is almost over, I've really grown to understand the value of such an enterprise. In the tech sense, I've become very good at Access/VBA (not my preference, but better than one might think!) and better at translating real-world user needs into the software. But the big things are learning about business, finance, capital (in my case). Learning about the community's needs, and who does (or does not) serve them. Learning to appreciate and see the diversity in my little town. Learning that Austinites think themselves free of racism--and that such only deepens their racism. And much more of course.
So, my tech skills were a bridge to get me into a very different, yet very rewarding situation. And it has definitely been worth it.
Slashdot Mirror
Instead of running - change things. Take it one step at a time. All these tools are valuable, but you can get by without some. Personally, I would start with Version Control, follow up with system/regression testing, then unit testing, continuous integration, and finally deployment process. I've never been in an environment with continuous integration. It hurts, and I'm trying to change that, but I've been picking my battles carefully and not pushed very hard on that one yet (challenges with integration into our version control platform). Don't run from the company, unless they're unable or unwilling to accept concrete proposals for changes. But be very cautious as the new guy. You don't want to continually annoy folks with your shiny new way of doing things. Be patient, research the reasons for each proposals, and try to work each one in over time.
Honestly I'm not sure about the money, I've not been able to pay attention to that part. Yeah, basic SQL isn't worth much, but if someone can be trained so that I don't have to spend my evenings at work to make sure we make a profit, then basic SQL is what I'll take. No chance of hiring for more than that. We've talked to several consulting companies and everyone is saying the same thing: SQL developers are impossible to find right now. (Anonymous -- sadly we're unable to accomodate out-of-towners, besides which you probably wouldn't be interested in switching to a full-blown MS shop)
It only went below 0 maybe three times this past winter =).
At least in the Twin Cities, if you know SQL you're golden right now. Desparate shortage up here. My company has been searching for someone since January, with very few applicants, and even fewer qualified. The only two who were qualified turned us down for other offers. I came from Austin, TX, where I had spent 3 years looking for a new job. No luck -- too much competition from laid off workers. But up north there is high demand for C#, Java, SQL. Even finding a straight up, skilled HTML guru is difficult here.
R is very difficult to use with rather poor documentation. I'm all about the appropriate use of open source software, with appropriate being the key word. R is great for advanced undergrads and beyond, but learning to code in R will just distract from statistical and mathematical simulations for high schoolers. Stick with Octave or Scilab for now.
Actually, the author's name appears to be Italian. And the Latin word for sulphur is 'sulfur.' However, here in America, I for one was raised with 'sulphur' and have never before seen it spelled with an 'f.' So don't blame us!
Yes, i'm glad we're all on our toes to catch these things =). Definitely counts as "freudian slip."
Well, no. Yes, geeks have wives too! However, I'm surprised no one has come back with some clever statement abusing me for the poor choice of "screwing around on computer" in a sentence also mentioning wife...
I've been a medium-level Linux sys admin for a number of years. But I'm also a web designer, and recently I decided that I needed to get a notebook. The decision to go with an iBook was almost a no-brainer: I wanted professional applications instead of almost-professional, and I didn't want to worry about incompatibilities, libraries, GNOME buggering itself, etc. And it has been marvelous. Now that I've replaced my linux box with a dedicated DSL router, I hardly ever turn it on.
Overall, perhaps I do feel a bit guilty. I wish Sodipodi, The Gimp, and Bluefish were more stable and competitive with FreeHand, Fireworks, and Dreamweaver. And while I've used all of those applications to do some advanced things, it is simply easier and faster for me to use my Macromedia apps. Sure they cost me a few (student) dollars, but they've been worth every penny. (and yes, I started with MacGIMP, which at least is better than WinGIMP).
But the best part is that I've stopped screwing around on the computer, thus freeing me up for other more important life activites (wife, for instance).
Interesting observation. I was wondering how it is that there are absolutely no entry level jobs in Austin. This might help explain it. I should also look to the consulting/staffing companies, who are probably filling most entry-level positions. Hm. I suppose this just makes me more depressed at the prospect of me ever getting a meaningful job. At least I have one though =).
<soapbox>
And no, they won't think of the future. I'm tired of all the generalizations about offshoring and everything else, without any facts to back them up most of the time. But I'll make one anyway: it will take a serious paradigm shift in the USA for Americans (me) to start thinking about the future and holding those responsible for it accountable to it.
</soapbox>
Unfortunately you can't read the article anymore without paying, but they make a pretty convincing case in the Sept. issue, showing how some models predict an increase in the # of computer-related jobs (they claim the tech sector will soon return, if it hasn't already, as the fastest growing sector in the American economy). Couple this growth with baby boomers retiring, and you get a very tight labor market.
You see, though some of us might not see it everyday (including me), apparently a large percentage of today's programs are baby boomers who are nearing retirement. Starting in a few years there will be large percentages of the programmer population leaving the job pool. In recognition of this, many large companies are already returning to handsome bonuses and good pay.
Having said that, I do suddenly realize that there is a difference in terminology. I shold not talk about the "number of programmers" here, but rather the "number of IT jobs." That is, include project managers, MIS directors, and all kinds of people who are technically oriented, may do some programming or other admin, but are not strictly speaking programmers. So also keep that in mind with this article--how broadly do they use the term "programmer?"
It is hardly surprising that most of the accomplishments of value to certain societys were done by members of that society.
If painting is not meaningful to a society, it will not be likely to produce a major figure in this fine art. And Murray, who comes from a society that values paintings, will think the "others" are somehow inferior because they've not created any Picassos.
Okay, talk about asking for a flaming! I'm a PHP developer whose done a bit of Java but knows nothing about J2EE. Can someone explain how this is relevant to me, as I start looking at larger applications with hundreds, perhaps thousands of users?
Ground loops can cause all kinds of weird little problems. According to the story, the magic switch was made of metal. It was most likely attached to the chasis directly, at least some small point of contact. And then it was attached to another portion of the chasis. This threw in an extra antennae, perhaps, picking up noise from a power supply or something. Perhaps just moving it imparted enough of a perturbation to cause a small electrical signal that screwed up the grounding.
Hey, mod up the parent! This is a _terrible_ article, as the parent points out. As far as we can tell, the author draws his own conclusions and attributes them to "Hollywood."
I highly recommend a jaunt through West Texas, though it is a bit out of the way from anywhere (except El Paso, and no reason to go there! apologies to an El Pasoans here). Visit Big Bend National Park, McDonald Observatory, (one of the biggest & best in North America), the Marfa Lights (creepy, literally unexplained phenomenon).
I agree, they're clearly hairsplitting. The difference? Marketing perception.
I think the keyword is "desktop" as opposed to "workstation".
Probably because Mercury and Venus are usually not in the same plane as Earth... i.e. if you picture 3-dimensional space as a box. Sun's in the middle. Earth is, at the moment, in the middle of one edge. Mercury passes between us, but is actually only 1/4 of the way down from the top edge. It would not "cross" the sun to our perspective. But, if Earth were sitting along a top edge, then we might get a transit.
For those who don't have time/inclination to read the article: Congress is not making the PATRIOT act permanent. The article says that Orrin Hatch is attempting to make the act permanent. Many Congressmen agree; many disagree. Let your representatives know what you think. But know that this is not in the works already. This article's title is horribly misleading.
What does "post-pc" mean? I cannot tell from the articles linked what the original author intended. It would be very easy to interpret these articles as implying that handhelds will dominate the consumer's future over PCs. But this is not what the market data shows. It shows that handheld sales will dominate.
And what is the difference? The difference is this: I own a PC or two already. They work just fine for me, have plenty of power, and will be that way two years from now (assuming I don't want Longhorn or some other future bloated software). So I won't need to buy a PC. But I don't have a handheld, so I might choose to buy one. So might my wife. Or we might get a notebook. But the PC would still be our dominant mode of computing.
Perhaps this is obvious to everyone already. But the article is poorly written on this score and could easily lead to confusion, a confusion which then plays itself out in non-geeks running around thinking that geeks are saying PCs are dead. Then when we're still using PCs in a few years, they'll point and laugh at us for our silly predictions. Its happened before...
Everyone talks about browsers being bloated, filled with crap, etc. But if I've ever heard someone say exactly what this "crap" is, I've long forgotten it. It seems that bloat has become the mantra of many a /. reader/commenter. What is bloated about mozilla? The fact that I can choose to install composer and messenger with it? Yes, the code was slimmed down for Phoenix (which I am now using), but while Phoenix opens much faster I find it using almost as much ram as Mozilla 1.2 did. And what is bloated about IE? The fact that it has an operating system built into it perhaps, but if they were separated...
Point is: please explain what you find so objectionable about modern browsers. I may agree--but I just don't know what I'd be agreeing to at this point.
I cannot give you any kind of meaningful data, except this: in the last three years, in environments that are probably equal mixtures of Fujitsu, IBM, and Maxtor (in terms of IDE drives), I've seen far more Fujitsu drives die than anything else. At my current company, I've had 75% of my Fujitsu drives die, without a single other failure.
That is what we do at the non-profit I work at. Can't attest to the exactly legality of this, but according to my boss if I donate time I should send a letter indicating how much time and "in-kind" equivalent money was donated as documentation.
I was feeling a bit like you when I finished my MA in physics. Except that, while getting out and being elsewhere sounded interesting, I had good reason to stay close to home (Austin). So here I am, madly trying to finish my thesis last summer, and realizing that I needed a job. And of course even in Austin "entry"-level geek jobs are/were few and far between. But I think to myelf... I'd like to give something back to my community. And I want to get to know and understand people from diverse backgrounds (read: not middle-class suburban, aka WASP).
...Lo and behold, I hear about this AmeriCorps*VISTA opportunity. They needed someone to do some database/IT work, and to serve as a Loan Outreach Coordinator (the company is a non-profit focused on economic development, providing training and loans to low- to middle-income entrepreneurs).
I've gone back and forth on it, but now that my year is almost over, I've really grown to understand the value of such an enterprise. In the tech sense, I've become very good at Access/VBA (not my preference, but better than one might think!) and better at translating real-world user needs into the software. But the big things are learning about business, finance, capital (in my case). Learning about the community's needs, and who does (or does not) serve them. Learning to appreciate and see the diversity in my little town. Learning that Austinites think themselves free of racism--and that such only deepens their racism. And much more of course.
So, my tech skills were a bridge to get me into a very different, yet very rewarding situation. And it has definitely been worth it.
(by the way, the company is called BiGAUSTIN).