It is true that we developers do look down on software testers. They are paid less as well. Frequently they are offshored. I'm glad you like it, but you chose the wrong path if you are looking to maximize your usefulness and earning power in the industry. No offense, but that is the truth.
Wow.. sounds like you come from a twisted corporate culture. Why dis someone who's work protects you from making a fool of yourself in front of customers?
Testing is critically important in a successful software project.
While I agree that Smalltalk is an incredibly important language.. some/many of the things you mention came with Lisp first:
Closures Duck typing JIT compilation within the VM
Some truly innovative things Smalltalk brought us:
The GUI as is know today The modern mouse OO (Simula was incomplete) Extremely simple/clean syntax A truly interactive, dynamic, programmable, inspectable, live development environment Platform independent UIs (several flavors: same on all platforms vs best for each platform) Truly interactive debugging Method based version control (see ENVY/Developer) Sophisticated configuration management
We don't need engineering, we need mind-readers. If users had enough time to sit and be thoroughly interviewed about needs and preferences, they wouldn't need automation to begin with.
And further, how to make software maintainable in the longer run is highly disputed largely because it depends on "wetware" and unknowns, such as developer perception of code, and unknowable future domain changes.
It's more akin to writing technical documentation than to building a bridge: how do you write documentation that's clear to the audience, but flexible enough that it doesn't have to be largely reworked for every change.
There is no magic modularity formula: domain issues inherently intertwine (or can intertwine in the future even if not at original launch.) You can't hide intertwining, you have to find a way to manage it well.
To deal with this what we do is go quickly to the UI.. once you show them they can give you better feedback. There's also some research supporting this.
Open floor plans have nothing to do with improving innovation or creativity. That's just what they tell people.
The real reason is the realest of all reasons: cost savings.
In the 90s software companies offered everyone "their own office". It was a source of pride for them (I've never worked any other way). There was also research that supported it. A famous book was Tom DeMarco's "Peopleware" that stated that companies with private offices had programmers that were 5-10x more productive. (This book also started the "rock star" idea that some programmers are 10x more productive.. but people have forgotten that the central conclusion was that PRIVATE OFFICES were a key piece of this equation)
Then these companies come along in the post-dotCom era and say that productivity will be better with smaller offices. They simply are making things up to make the MBAs happy.
If a 99% accurate test is true, but the probability of the condition is only 0.0001%, it is still highly improbable that the person is afflicted by the condition on the basis of the test alone. Its important to narrow down the population before any testing is effective.
"Coding jobs can be easily outsourced to wherever the going rate for labor is cheapest. Google's "coder shortage" seems completely imaginary. They're an advertising company whose greatest trick was convincing the world they are a software company."
Wouldn't it be interesting if Google was really just a front for the NSA?
They did it in Argo.. why not make a company with irresistible tech that makes everyone give the company their secrets. Sounds easier to do then breaking cryptographic codes all day.
"Most of the people in India agree with him, including women."
Get off your high horse dude. The US has its own rape culture. Its called "fraternities" that promote misogyny and even rape quite effectively.
Rape is an old problem which some cultures struggle with more than others.. but don't pretend that it is only an "India" problem. Have you seen those blue lights in college campuses lately? (Hint: its to protect the women from US-home-grown rapists!)
"Other energy sources would be vastly more costly if their waste products weren't already grandfathered in to the public mindset and their true impacts to safety and environmental impact "
This is actually a very insightful point. Imagine how costly coal would be if its numerous environmental costs were included in calculations (as they are done in nuclear).
By Steve McConnell who presumably has no skin in the game, Oregon's website was extremely poorly managed. Including using bad coding practices, staff that didn't have proper training and several other problems. McConnell just wonders how anybody could think that the project could work in the first place.
(the talk is very interesting by the way)
So if McConnell is correct in his appraisal of the situation, Oracle is just trying to get itself out of a lawsuit for a grand screw up caused by their own poor judgement.
I don't know about great programmers.. but I've found some great qualities in coworkers who seemed great to me throughout the years:
1. Nice people: People who get along well with others and through their good qualities make everyone better. Not only can they write awesome code, but since everybody likes them they can get the knowledge they need to do it right. This is probably the quality I admired most in the GREAT programmers I've met. 2. Deceptively simple designs: I've met coworkers that can design things so simply yet so solidly that their designs last forever 3. Clean code: the write code that everyone understands. 4. Innovative: they are always finding ways to make the project better 5. Broad range: they always have a new trick in their bag. They always know about this tool or that that makes things better, or this library or framework. 6. Attention to detail: they are patient enough to write unit tests and go through the quality steps needed to guarantee good functioning of the code.
Slashdot Mirror
It is true that we developers do look down on software testers. They are paid less as well. Frequently they are offshored. I'm glad you like it, but you chose the wrong path if you are looking to maximize your usefulness and earning power in the industry. No offense, but that is the truth.
Wow.. sounds like you come from a twisted corporate culture. Why dis someone who's work protects you from making a fool of yourself in front of customers?
Testing is critically important in a successful software project.
Yeah... usually when I get bumped.. they just put me on a bench in the airport for a couple of days..
how did he get the Concord?
While I agree that Smalltalk is an incredibly important language.. some/many of the things you mention came with Lisp first:
Closures
Duck typing
JIT compilation within the VM
Some truly innovative things Smalltalk brought us:
The GUI as is know today
The modern mouse
OO (Simula was incomplete)
Extremely simple/clean syntax
A truly interactive, dynamic, programmable, inspectable, live development environment
Platform independent UIs (several flavors: same on all platforms vs best for each platform)
Truly interactive debugging
Method based version control (see ENVY/Developer)
Sophisticated configuration management
Now if we can only get Malaria, Dengue and Chikungunya to US soil we're sure to cure those devastating third world epidemics as well!
To deal with this what we do is go quickly to the UI.. once you show them they can give you better feedback. There's also some research supporting this.
http://www.construx.com/Though...
I didn't realize MRIs had prostates..
you learn something new every day!
The Onion has reported the new TSA plan:
http://www.theonion.com/articl...
I think it'll be much better than the previous one.
Open floor plans have nothing to do with improving innovation or creativity. That's just what they tell people.
The real reason is the realest of all reasons: cost savings.
In the 90s software companies offered everyone "their own office". It was a source of pride for them (I've never worked any other way).
There was also research that supported it. A famous book was Tom DeMarco's "Peopleware" that stated that companies with private offices had programmers that were 5-10x more productive. (This book also started the "rock star" idea that some programmers are 10x more productive.. but people have forgotten that the central conclusion was that PRIVATE OFFICES were a key piece of this equation)
Then these companies come along in the post-dotCom era and say that productivity will be better with smaller offices. They simply are making things up to make the MBAs happy.
Side businesses are risky.. there are safer ways to invest that use up less of your precious time.
So does it turn into rocket fuel when it catches fire and you blow a high powered fan on it?
If a 99% accurate test is true, but the probability of the condition is only 0.0001%, it is still highly improbable that the person is afflicted by the condition on the basis of the test alone. Its important to narrow down the population before any testing is effective.
Do you think investment bankers, hedge fund managers, and especially politicians are "happy"?
Happiness is not a function of money.. those that spend their lives chasing money are rarely happy.
"Coding jobs can be easily outsourced to wherever the going rate for labor is cheapest. Google's "coder shortage" seems completely imaginary. They're an advertising company whose greatest trick was convincing the world they are a software company."
Wouldn't it be interesting if Google was really just a front for the NSA?
They did it in Argo.. why not make a company with irresistible tech that makes everyone give the company their secrets. Sounds easier to do then breaking cryptographic codes all day.
I don't think they presume.. they have more data on each of us than we have on ourselves!!
They probably know what you're doing right now!
(I'm safe, I have a tin foil hat)
Check out this movie:
http://www.netflix.com/WiMovie...
Gives an interesting inside look at Markerbot and its main competition at the time.
Try a human trafficking shop.. they seem to specialize in this field.. (he might miss school though)
Try code.org
fun angry birds programming game
They can't afford TAs because they're busy building rec centers with tuition money... priorities!
In many organizations the App is not king. The database is.
For such organizations using an in-memory database is usually frowned upon. SQL is king of the hill.
"Recently an opensource game release story was removed due to the game developer's open sexism(0) and harrasment(1) of women in tech."
I think its one thing to voice an opinion.... quite another to harass.. Harassment can be a crime.
"Most of the people in India agree with him, including women."
Get off your high horse dude.
The US has its own rape culture. Its called "fraternities" that promote misogyny and even rape quite effectively.
Rape is an old problem which some cultures struggle with more than others.. but don't pretend that it is only an "India" problem. Have you seen those blue lights in college campuses lately? (Hint: its to protect the women from US-home-grown rapists!)
"Other energy sources would be vastly more costly if their waste products weren't already grandfathered in to the public mindset and their true impacts to safety and environmental impact "
This is actually a very insightful point. Imagine how costly coal would be if its numerous environmental costs were included in calculations (as they are done in nuclear).
According to this talk
http://blogs.technet.com/b/cdn...
By Steve McConnell who presumably has no skin in the game, Oregon's website was extremely poorly managed. Including using bad coding practices, staff that didn't have proper training and several other problems. McConnell just wonders how anybody could think that the project could work in the first place.
(the talk is very interesting by the way)
So if McConnell is correct in his appraisal of the situation, Oracle is just trying to get itself out of a lawsuit for a grand screw up caused by their own poor judgement.
(ok.. I'll bite)
Sorry, but "true" programmers don't use PHP. ;)
I don't know about great programmers.. but I've found some great qualities in coworkers who seemed great to me throughout the years:
1. Nice people: People who get along well with others and through their good qualities make everyone better. Not only can they write awesome code, but since everybody likes them they can get the knowledge they need to do it right. This is probably the quality I admired most in the GREAT programmers I've met.
2. Deceptively simple designs: I've met coworkers that can design things so simply yet so solidly that their designs last forever
3. Clean code: the write code that everyone understands.
4. Innovative: they are always finding ways to make the project better
5. Broad range: they always have a new trick in their bag. They always know about this tool or that that makes things better, or this library or framework.
6. Attention to detail: they are patient enough to write unit tests and go through the quality steps needed to guarantee good functioning of the code.