Our world is truly upside down when a UNIX workstation is considered something "fashionable". Personally, when I see people sitting alone in a coffee shop staring at their pointless and insignificant emails I think "wow, get a life" .
Mech is coming back - http://battletech.catalystgamelabs.com/ but like many others, I would like to see the good Star Wars games return, Jedi Knight, X-wing, Tie-Fighter, etc...
When I learned programming, back in the dark ages (70s-80s), compilers were expensive and hard to come by, and something like a UNIX system was almost impossible to get time on. PCs were in their infancy and home computers made by Apple, Atari, Commodore, and TRS relied heavily on BASIC and Assembly languages for software development. I learned BASIC first, then some assembly, then Pascal and FORTRAN in school, but I didn't really start learning the important fundamentals of software engineering until I was exposed to C on UNIX. I struggled with C++, coming from a structured way of thinking, but learning Java cured me of that disease and gave me an understanding of advanced OO concepts, patterns, etc. It is these fundamentals that transcend languages and knowing them allows an engineer to be useful with *any* language given a short learning curve. Today UNIX is freely available in various flavors and so are compilers for just about any language. I would strongly suggest learning programming by writing the same program in several different languages. This will allow you to focus on programming fundamentals while learning to make language concerns secondary. C and Java are probably the most comprehensive languages as well as being the most valuable to know. No language is all that easy to learn, but you will be surprised at how fast you get good with practice.
One great way to vet an idea is to implement it as an open source project or as a free service. If the idea is truly revolutionary you'll end up making money, friends, and tons of professional opportunities. Here's a short list of "ideas" developed this way: Linux, MySpace, JBoss, Craigslist, Hibernate, MySQL, Apache... I would rather be counted among these organizations than lumped into the purely for profit realm of Microsoft, Oracle, Apple, etc.
A quick search on dice nets around 80 jobs looking for FORTRAN skills. In this economy that isn't bad for a language that is perceived as dead. I also noticed the jobs look entirely more interesting than the typical Java coder is going to get. Personally, I'd rather write scientific code than web apps. I noticed the pay was good too. I say learn some FORTRAN and go to work dong something a little bit more specialized. I haven't written a line of FORTRAN in 15 years so I won't be applying anytime soon!
I think colleges should teach the fundamentals of programming using a variety of languages first, then offer specialization courses and research opportunities. Teaching "programming" using one language is a seriously outdated idea. Modern software developers need a solid understanding of fundamentals that they can apply to any number of programming languages. It's like music where one set of fundamental rules can be applied to a large number of existing and future instruments each with their own interface. I currently work in Objective-C, Java, C, C++, and a bunch of scripting languages like perl, python, etc. For me to do this effectively I have to view the language as an interface to the machine or platform while applying techniques, concepts, algorithms, and data structures that transcend language alone. Taking a FORTRAN class may be beneficial to one's completeness as a programmer, but I don't think it should be required for a CS, PHYS, or ENG program.
You need to lower your expectations. People aren't going to openly respect you unless you have more money than them, more knowledge than them, or you can fire them. These days 90% of people in an organization are narcissistic and 50% are on psych meds. Don't expect much in the way of professionalism or healthy behavior. Also, most people are delusional about their knowledge related to computers. You are probably dealing with people who think they know more about computers than you do. Another bone of contention I've seen in the user->IT dynamic is that users perceive IT workers as overpaid for an "easy" job. Many people dream of having your job, yet they have no idea what they'd be getting into. Good Luck!
Look, if I have to read another stupid article claiming that there's a security hole if I happen to be running a specific version of some software, while standing on my head, chewing gum, and reciting the ten commandments I'm just going to go insane.
Like there's some black hat spy out there waiting for me to run a java app so he can break into my mac and take it over. Seriously, computer security is a waste of time, unless *you actually have data somebody wants and is willing to commit a federal crime to get*. My guess is that's about 2% of the slashdot community. Mac owners, don't panic. Your essays, pictures of your dog, and your cracked version of CS4 are all safe from the terrorists no matter how many security flaws there are in Java.
The famed astronomer who single-handedly brought down a KGB spy ring regularly rants about how educators are missing the point replacing shop, art, and music with computer classes. He makes some valid points in his quirky rants. Google Cliff Stoll and watch some of his lectures on youtube.
Having worked for a SAAS provider all I can say is that people who sign up for these services are taking a huge chance with their data. I really don't care what Stallman has to say about anything. My hat is off to him for championing FREE software, but I don't think all software and services should be free. He is wrong, in my opinion, if this is what he preaches.
Part of the problem with tech people in management is that management these days doesn't make any logical sense. I recently left a management position because I wouldn't accept my boss's "2+2=5" mentality about things. The type of personality traits that are required to be a good technologist are not welcome in the management circles - especially integrity and honesty.
Go for a Master's in CS and make your capstone project something really cool that the world can use for the powers of good! Or, get an MBA, collect some bailout dough bonuses, and retire young.
If people are blogging about a stupid TV commercial then the commercial itself is effective. This is a brand commercial so they don't need to talk about specific products or even the company. The commercial is designed to make people write and talk about the Microsoft brand and from what I can see it's working quite well.
Yes, I think many orgainzations invest heavily into making something work and then they don't want to change. It's understandable. Also, many IT organizations are cutting back on desktop experience and trying to support machines that are purpose-oriented without a lot of bells and whistles for employees to mess with. If I had spent the last seven years getting an operating system to work in my organization I'd think twice before upgrading. I actually know a guy who still runs his business on a couple of greasy old 486 boxes with Novell Netware and Windows 3.1! He says "why would I upgrade when everything works?!"
Every week or two there is a new post about how Vista is a failure. I run it and it's great. Get over it. Microsoft wins again. Corporations aren't adopting it because the gap between things like Vista or OSX and things like Linux and XP is just too big for most controlled IT organizations to cross at this time. That is why the downgrading is happening. It's not because XP is "better", or even more preferred, than Vista. People need to get off the hater bandwagon and do something useful with their computers!
That'll buy you a huge sweatshop in Florida full of foreign workers. Why does a ratings company need 1.2B in outsourcing services anyway? This must be a corrupt deal. Somebody's getting a BIG kickback.
What exactly is a high-level programming job?
"Team-Lead" - No that's just a patsy who is stupid enough to do supervisory work for nothing.
"Senior Engineer" - No that's just the old guy who is rude to everyone because he's mad at the world (or, because he hasn't been laid in 15 years!).
"Technical Director" - Doesn't write code.
"Programmer III, IV, or V" - Still a minion to some PM who can't tie his own shoes.
There are no "high level" programming jobs. I know this because I have held every development-related job there is from Code Monkey to CTO. No matter what your title is, if you write code for money then you are *always* somebody's bitch.
If a knucklehead interviewer asked me for 5000 lines of code, I'd send it to them along with a bill.
Serious now, don't ask people for large chunks of source code. It's not professional, never has been, and it's too easy to plagiarize anyway.
In my last interview I was asked to do a similar task, but I was put off a bit because the interviewers were basically junior level programmers and they asked some really dumb questions about the SQL they had me write. After the experience I realized that asking a professional to write code in an interview is inappropriate. A senior developer should be able to simply discuss and ask questions to get a feel for a person's aptitude, but sadly these days most of the interviewers don't know much about development so they use scripted questions and on-the-spot tasks that tell them very little about the performance potential of a candidate. I didn't get the gig BTW, they told me straight to my face that I was way overqualified! Nice comment for the ego, but tough of the bank account!
I use the project I had to do for the SCJD exam process. Even though it's Java I can show that I fully understand OOD, low-level IO, concurrency, GUIs, networking, documentation, common coding standards, etc... Even if the job is using C# or C++ the example works very well and generally people are surprised at the difficulty and comprehensive nature of the project. It also shows that you can follow detailed, specific instructions that are full of loose ends. My advice is do the SCJD exam and you'll have a free and clear showpiece of code that includes many advanced development practices. For Java gigs, the cert can open doors as well.
If they outsource your job there's nothing you can do about it so don't waste stress/energy thinking about it. If you are offered something with HP, consider your options carefully. Having worked for them in the past I can tell you that the HP experience can be either good or bad depending on which section you are in and who you work with/for. There are some serious a-holes at HP, yet there are some really great people as well. Their corporate culture used to be really cool, but I think a lot of that has changed and now they operate "New Delhi" style.
Slashdot Mirror
Our world is truly upside down when a UNIX workstation is considered something "fashionable". Personally, when I see people sitting alone in a coffee shop staring at their pointless and insignificant emails I think "wow, get a life" .
Mech is coming back - http://battletech.catalystgamelabs.com/ but like many others, I would like to see the good Star Wars games return, Jedi Knight, X-wing, Tie-Fighter, etc...
When I learned programming, back in the dark ages (70s-80s), compilers were expensive and hard to come by, and something like a UNIX system was almost impossible to get time on. PCs were in their infancy and home computers made by Apple, Atari, Commodore, and TRS relied heavily on BASIC and Assembly languages for software development. I learned BASIC first, then some assembly, then Pascal and FORTRAN in school, but I didn't really start learning the important fundamentals of software engineering until I was exposed to C on UNIX. I struggled with C++, coming from a structured way of thinking, but learning Java cured me of that disease and gave me an understanding of advanced OO concepts, patterns, etc. It is these fundamentals that transcend languages and knowing them allows an engineer to be useful with *any* language given a short learning curve. Today UNIX is freely available in various flavors and so are compilers for just about any language. I would strongly suggest learning programming by writing the same program in several different languages. This will allow you to focus on programming fundamentals while learning to make language concerns secondary. C and Java are probably the most comprehensive languages as well as being the most valuable to know. No language is all that easy to learn, but you will be surprised at how fast you get good with practice.
One great way to vet an idea is to implement it as an open source project or as a free service. If the idea is truly revolutionary you'll end up making money, friends, and tons of professional opportunities. Here's a short list of "ideas" developed this way: Linux, MySpace, JBoss, Craigslist, Hibernate, MySQL, Apache... I would rather be counted among these organizations than lumped into the purely for profit realm of Microsoft, Oracle, Apple, etc.
Um, what about imaginary numbers?
Double Helix DNA, which is really tiny and only a fraction of a single cell, stores 0.35 gb of data. Weight is in the medium and not the data itself.
What the fuck is a .Net *routine*?
A quick search on dice nets around 80 jobs looking for FORTRAN skills. In this economy that isn't bad for a language that is perceived as dead. I also noticed the jobs look entirely more interesting than the typical Java coder is going to get. Personally, I'd rather write scientific code than web apps. I noticed the pay was good too. I say learn some FORTRAN and go to work dong something a little bit more specialized. I haven't written a line of FORTRAN in 15 years so I won't be applying anytime soon!
There may be some truth to this idea. Some of the best programmers I know are dumb asses!
I think colleges should teach the fundamentals of programming using a variety of languages first, then offer specialization courses and research opportunities. Teaching "programming" using one language is a seriously outdated idea. Modern software developers need a solid understanding of fundamentals that they can apply to any number of programming languages. It's like music where one set of fundamental rules can be applied to a large number of existing and future instruments each with their own interface. I currently work in Objective-C, Java, C, C++, and a bunch of scripting languages like perl, python, etc. For me to do this effectively I have to view the language as an interface to the machine or platform while applying techniques, concepts, algorithms, and data structures that transcend language alone. Taking a FORTRAN class may be beneficial to one's completeness as a programmer, but I don't think it should be required for a CS, PHYS, or ENG program.
You need to lower your expectations. People aren't going to openly respect you unless you have more money than them, more knowledge than them, or you can fire them. These days 90% of people in an organization are narcissistic and 50% are on psych meds. Don't expect much in the way of professionalism or healthy behavior. Also, most people are delusional about their knowledge related to computers. You are probably dealing with people who think they know more about computers than you do. Another bone of contention I've seen in the user->IT dynamic is that users perceive IT workers as overpaid for an "easy" job. Many people dream of having your job, yet they have no idea what they'd be getting into. Good Luck!
Look, if I have to read another stupid article claiming that there's a security hole if I happen to be running a specific version of some software, while standing on my head, chewing gum, and reciting the ten commandments I'm just going to go insane. Like there's some black hat spy out there waiting for me to run a java app so he can break into my mac and take it over. Seriously, computer security is a waste of time, unless *you actually have data somebody wants and is willing to commit a federal crime to get*. My guess is that's about 2% of the slashdot community. Mac owners, don't panic. Your essays, pictures of your dog, and your cracked version of CS4 are all safe from the terrorists no matter how many security flaws there are in Java.
The famed astronomer who single-handedly brought down a KGB spy ring regularly rants about how educators are missing the point replacing shop, art, and music with computer classes. He makes some valid points in his quirky rants. Google Cliff Stoll and watch some of his lectures on youtube.
Having worked for a SAAS provider all I can say is that people who sign up for these services are taking a huge chance with their data. I really don't care what Stallman has to say about anything. My hat is off to him for championing FREE software, but I don't think all software and services should be free. He is wrong, in my opinion, if this is what he preaches.
Part of the problem with tech people in management is that management these days doesn't make any logical sense. I recently left a management position because I wouldn't accept my boss's "2+2=5" mentality about things. The type of personality traits that are required to be a good technologist are not welcome in the management circles - especially integrity and honesty. Go for a Master's in CS and make your capstone project something really cool that the world can use for the powers of good! Or, get an MBA, collect some bailout dough bonuses, and retire young.
If people are blogging about a stupid TV commercial then the commercial itself is effective. This is a brand commercial so they don't need to talk about specific products or even the company. The commercial is designed to make people write and talk about the Microsoft brand and from what I can see it's working quite well.
Bell Labs gave us so much. I'm sad to see it go. Hopefully something good will rise from the ashes.
Yes, I think many orgainzations invest heavily into making something work and then they don't want to change. It's understandable. Also, many IT organizations are cutting back on desktop experience and trying to support machines that are purpose-oriented without a lot of bells and whistles for employees to mess with. If I had spent the last seven years getting an operating system to work in my organization I'd think twice before upgrading. I actually know a guy who still runs his business on a couple of greasy old 486 boxes with Novell Netware and Windows 3.1! He says "why would I upgrade when everything works?!"
Very true.
Every week or two there is a new post about how Vista is a failure. I run it and it's great. Get over it. Microsoft wins again. Corporations aren't adopting it because the gap between things like Vista or OSX and things like Linux and XP is just too big for most controlled IT organizations to cross at this time. That is why the downgrading is happening. It's not because XP is "better", or even more preferred, than Vista. People need to get off the hater bandwagon and do something useful with their computers!
That'll buy you a huge sweatshop in Florida full of foreign workers. Why does a ratings company need 1.2B in outsourcing services anyway? This must be a corrupt deal. Somebody's getting a BIG kickback.
What exactly is a high-level programming job? "Team-Lead" - No that's just a patsy who is stupid enough to do supervisory work for nothing. "Senior Engineer" - No that's just the old guy who is rude to everyone because he's mad at the world (or, because he hasn't been laid in 15 years!). "Technical Director" - Doesn't write code. "Programmer III, IV, or V" - Still a minion to some PM who can't tie his own shoes. There are no "high level" programming jobs. I know this because I have held every development-related job there is from Code Monkey to CTO. No matter what your title is, if you write code for money then you are *always* somebody's bitch. If a knucklehead interviewer asked me for 5000 lines of code, I'd send it to them along with a bill. Serious now, don't ask people for large chunks of source code. It's not professional, never has been, and it's too easy to plagiarize anyway.
In my last interview I was asked to do a similar task, but I was put off a bit because the interviewers were basically junior level programmers and they asked some really dumb questions about the SQL they had me write. After the experience I realized that asking a professional to write code in an interview is inappropriate. A senior developer should be able to simply discuss and ask questions to get a feel for a person's aptitude, but sadly these days most of the interviewers don't know much about development so they use scripted questions and on-the-spot tasks that tell them very little about the performance potential of a candidate. I didn't get the gig BTW, they told me straight to my face that I was way overqualified! Nice comment for the ego, but tough of the bank account!
I use the project I had to do for the SCJD exam process. Even though it's Java I can show that I fully understand OOD, low-level IO, concurrency, GUIs, networking, documentation, common coding standards, etc... Even if the job is using C# or C++ the example works very well and generally people are surprised at the difficulty and comprehensive nature of the project. It also shows that you can follow detailed, specific instructions that are full of loose ends. My advice is do the SCJD exam and you'll have a free and clear showpiece of code that includes many advanced development practices. For Java gigs, the cert can open doors as well.
If they outsource your job there's nothing you can do about it so don't waste stress/energy thinking about it. If you are offered something with HP, consider your options carefully. Having worked for them in the past I can tell you that the HP experience can be either good or bad depending on which section you are in and who you work with/for. There are some serious a-holes at HP, yet there are some really great people as well. Their corporate culture used to be really cool, but I think a lot of that has changed and now they operate "New Delhi" style.