Mars is also hotter than it has been for 500 years. Not to mention we have not been collecting accurate climate information for 400 years and the means by which to collect that data accurately has only existed for the last hundred or hundred and fifty years.
Damn humans we are just not satisfied with screwing up our climate, but even teh climate of planets we don't even exist on...
I am sooo ashamed:P,
Ray
Tech: Ok, we are going to test you system's head space and timing... Can you find the power or reset button or switch?
User: Yes?
Tech: Alright, I want you to rapidly press the button or flip the switch... Hears clicking in the background
User: Uh, Ok... Nothing is happening; the screen is flickering...
Tech: That's Ok, just keep it up... After a minute, there is a loud POP in the background
User: *Cough* There was a bright flash and now smoke is coming from my machine!
Tech: Hmmm, just as I suspected! Your system head space and timing was bad and you just had a MBS [Magic Blue Smoke] failure. Here is you RMA number you will need to pack the system up and ship it to our depot for diagnostics and maintenance... We will have to ship you a replacement. It will arrive in a week... Unless you would like to pay the shipping to recieve it overnight?
User: No, a week would be fine...
The marketer also sold their own product that lacked the features that our software delivered. They wanted to buy our source for the price of one license, so they could integrate it into their product. In addition, they wanted control over the source, so that they could decide when the a release was done, as opposed to us telling them when they could promise the next release.
You miss the point. 3 bugs in an industry where the same software would have succeeded with thousands. Statistical zero defects. In addition, all 3 were fix in less than a week.
It has been 5 years since my last venture into commercial software. Over the course of 3 years we sold our software internationally and recorded 3 bugs that actually made it into public code. Yes, it took a great deal of effort, and yes, it required even more discipline.
Our marketer continually pressed to release feature code before it was completely tested. Our QA enforced zero defect and full regression testing on all releases. Where it paid off was in user support, we charged a resonable maintenance fee for suppport that we never had to provide because the software was fully documented and tested. Our support staff was a guy with a pager, who answered calls 24/7 for software that was sold on 5 continents around the world.
Our software was squashed by our marketer in the end because we would not relinquish control of our source code. So our marketer killed our software business. The problem with software is marketing and the lack of commitment to quality.
Because of the nature of our software, we had 5 major releases including Beta over the 3 years, not to mention interim feature updates. Again, only 3 public user impacting bugs. Our focus on quality minimized our need for support.
As I said to begin, zero defect quality software is attainable, but it requires discipline and the strength of will to resist the marketer. I hope that I will again get the opportunity to prove it.
While my experience is dated (in excess of 20 years ago), the authors problem is a lack of commitment. I, too, was subjected to draconian grading curves and grossly incompetent teaching staff (come on, those who do, do; those who can not, teach). However, I did not succumb to my doubt; I learned from it. That is the purpose of an education.
I held down a full time JOB, carried an average of 21 units per semester, started and raised a family, and still maintained a 3.95 GPA. And "Yes", I did have a life other than the university.
Here I am 256 units and 20 years later, and I look forward to starting as the VP of Info Technology for an international company, very soon. While I did switch majors along the way, I ended up in CS, which is no less difficult than Engineering.
The most noteworthy difference I can see is the author over sells his ability and lacks the fortitude to finish what he had started. He wants an easy education rather than one that would have significant worth. He is unwilling to make the sacrifices necessary to succeed. If he was truly that "bright", why did he settle for a liberal arts education?
Later,
Ray
In the current market, there seem to be a lot of applications left behind in the march toward M$ nirvana. While we all like to play with the new toys, it would surprize you how much someone would be willing to pay for a tweak here, a personal upgrade there.
It is easy to pull in $55 - $75/hour, depending on the app. The brass ring are the people who will pay $95/hour plus for the skills they can find no where else. Generally with no hard time line (we're just happy you're getting it done).
Unfortunately, I have not been able to pull together enough to shed my full time mill stone, but it gets better each year. But for many of my clients, it is cheaper to pay me to keep it going than it is to give in to industry trends and fad technologies.
While I currently have a "job", I am still making about $30K less than I made 4 years ago. I have been looking for another opportunity and have discovered that most companies are still bottom feeding. They want the experience and the skill sets, but they do not want to pay for the time that was invested in acquiring those skills and experience.
I blame this less on H1Bs, than on resume bloat. Resume bloat seems to be as prevalent with H1B workers as with domestic workers. Just because the magic numbers (experience) are on a resume, does not mean you will get the quality of work. With the uncertainty that stems from this practice, go the salaries being offered. Lower quality and greater uncertainty demand a lower price; whether or not the quality is real or perceived!
The problem is exacerbated by hiring managers, who are intellectually lazy and do not verifying the content of resumes. A class in about a technical subject is no substitute for practical application in terms of experience. Taking a class 5 years ago, not mean you have 5 years of experience. But I do not see any of that being challenged.
In addition, companies are trying to gain a competitive edge over their competition by trying to pay bottom dollar for technical staff. This reinforces the bottom feeder mentality. However, the sacrifices made by turn over and not attracting the most qualified people has the opposite affect.
Outsourcing and H1B workers are not a long term threat to jobs in this country. But bottom feeding, misrepresentation, and quality are. There is no shortage of workers in this country just a shortage of people who are willing to work for bottom feeders.
The key sales pitch of overseas outsourcing is savings. However, the asset is the data and how secure is your data in the hands of a person who is not subject to the laws of your country. Not to mention, who resides in a country where no laws exist that enforce the ethical conduct of that person.
This scenario has already played out in the medical community, where a transcriptionist held medical files for ransom under threat of disclosure for a higher wage plus a payoff.
In another company, whose name is a three letter acromyn, an audit of "security" code written in an unnamed country [cough, India, cough] was discovered to contain backdoors and monitoring exploits. This was discovered by an audit of the code, but not until an untold amount of information was possibly leaked through the exploits.
My point is that currently companies are looking to save a buck or two. Once those companies discover the cost and the exposure they have through their cost savings, they will be back.
It is all cyclical, and everything old will be new again...
Slashdot Mirror
Mars is also hotter than it has been for 500 years. Not to mention we have not been collecting accurate climate information for 400 years and the means by which to collect that data accurately has only existed for the last hundred or hundred and fifty years. Damn humans we are just not satisfied with screwing up our climate, but even teh climate of planets we don't even exist on... I am sooo ashamed :P,
Ray
When your servers start playing Rob Zombie? I can hear the support calls already!
After an extended support session with a user...
Tech: Ok, we are going to test you system's head space and timing... Can you find the power or reset button or switch?
User: Yes?
Tech: Alright, I want you to rapidly press the button or flip the switch... Hears clicking in the background
User: Uh, Ok... Nothing is happening; the screen is flickering...
Tech: That's Ok, just keep it up... After a minute, there is a loud POP in the background
User: *Cough* There was a bright flash and now smoke is coming from my machine!
Tech: Hmmm, just as I suspected! Your system head space and timing was bad and you just had a MBS [Magic Blue Smoke] failure. Here is you RMA number you will need to pack the system up and ship it to our depot for diagnostics and maintenance... We will have to ship you a replacement. It will arrive in a week... Unless you would like to pay the shipping to recieve it overnight?
User: No, a week would be fine...
Really happened, I swear!
The marketer also sold their own product that lacked the features that our software delivered. They wanted to buy our source for the price of one license, so they could integrate it into their product. In addition, they wanted control over the source, so that they could decide when the a release was done, as opposed to us telling them when they could promise the next release.
You miss the point. 3 bugs in an industry where the same software would have succeeded with thousands. Statistical zero defects. In addition, all 3 were fix in less than a week.
Our marketer continually pressed to release feature code before it was completely tested. Our QA enforced zero defect and full regression testing on all releases. Where it paid off was in user support, we charged a resonable maintenance fee for suppport that we never had to provide because the software was fully documented and tested. Our support staff was a guy with a pager, who answered calls 24/7 for software that was sold on 5 continents around the world.
Our software was squashed by our marketer in the end because we would not relinquish control of our source code. So our marketer killed our software business. The problem with software is marketing and the lack of commitment to quality.
Because of the nature of our software, we had 5 major releases including Beta over the 3 years, not to mention interim feature updates. Again, only 3 public user impacting bugs. Our focus on quality minimized our need for support.
As I said to begin, zero defect quality software is attainable, but it requires discipline and the strength of will to resist the marketer. I hope that I will again get the opportunity to prove it.
While my experience is dated (in excess of 20 years ago), the authors problem is a lack of commitment. I, too, was subjected to draconian grading curves and grossly incompetent teaching staff (come on, those who do, do; those who can not, teach). However, I did not succumb to my doubt; I learned from it. That is the purpose of an education. I held down a full time JOB, carried an average of 21 units per semester, started and raised a family, and still maintained a 3.95 GPA. And "Yes", I did have a life other than the university. Here I am 256 units and 20 years later, and I look forward to starting as the VP of Info Technology for an international company, very soon. While I did switch majors along the way, I ended up in CS, which is no less difficult than Engineering. The most noteworthy difference I can see is the author over sells his ability and lacks the fortitude to finish what he had started. He wants an easy education rather than one that would have significant worth. He is unwilling to make the sacrifices necessary to succeed. If he was truly that "bright", why did he settle for a liberal arts education? Later, Ray
Just imagine what it would do to that institution. Death would be a reprieve...
It is easy to pull in $55 - $75/hour, depending on the app. The brass ring are the people who will pay $95/hour plus for the skills they can find no where else. Generally with no hard time line (we're just happy you're getting it done).
Unfortunately, I have not been able to pull together enough to shed my full time mill stone, but it gets better each year. But for many of my clients, it is cheaper to pay me to keep it going than it is to give in to industry trends and fad technologies.
I blame this less on H1Bs, than on resume bloat. Resume bloat seems to be as prevalent with H1B workers as with domestic workers. Just because the magic numbers (experience) are on a resume, does not mean you will get the quality of work. With the uncertainty that stems from this practice, go the salaries being offered. Lower quality and greater uncertainty demand a lower price; whether or not the quality is real or perceived!
The problem is exacerbated by hiring managers, who are intellectually lazy and do not verifying the content of resumes. A class in about a technical subject is no substitute for practical application in terms of experience. Taking a class 5 years ago, not mean you have 5 years of experience. But I do not see any of that being challenged.
In addition, companies are trying to gain a competitive edge over their competition by trying to pay bottom dollar for technical staff. This reinforces the bottom feeder mentality. However, the sacrifices made by turn over and not attracting the most qualified people has the opposite affect.
Outsourcing and H1B workers are not a long term threat to jobs in this country. But bottom feeding, misrepresentation, and quality are. There is no shortage of workers in this country just a shortage of people who are willing to work for bottom feeders.
Damn... That is enough to make me want to leave both you bitches. And I don't want to hear another "RTFM!"
This scenario has already played out in the medical community, where a transcriptionist held medical files for ransom under threat of disclosure for a higher wage plus a payoff.
In another company, whose name is a three letter acromyn, an audit of "security" code written in an unnamed country [cough, India, cough] was discovered to contain backdoors and monitoring exploits. This was discovered by an audit of the code, but not until an untold amount of information was possibly leaked through the exploits.
My point is that currently companies are looking to save a buck or two. Once those companies discover the cost and the exposure they have through their cost savings, they will be back.
It is all cyclical, and everything old will be new again...
Not counting sheep, of course...