I had an EE major and a computer networks minor. I was learning multithreaded programming along with EE concepts.
Now, I work as a software engineer for an embedded firm - I'm supposed to be only writing code, and as long as I make the right API calls, needn't bother about anything below that or the hardware. But it never works out that way, your boss needs it fixed, which means you gotta fix it no matter where the problem lies:-) Also, I found that my code improved after I learned the inner workings of the hardware I was writing for.
The best way to be good at a system is to understand how it works in hardware, this is atleast true in the embedded.
Go where your interest lies ofcourse, but try to take a major that allows you to stick your hands in both jars - EE as well as CS.
Have you ever thought how improbable it is that you are going to have a world without MS Windows?
I myself am a linux developer as well as user. And I feel alive when I am using Linux. But I do not mind using windows. Here is why:
1> Windows is not the best OS out there. How do you categorize best? It is completely subjective. As far as the geek community definition, a good OS is one which is *implemented* well. Which means that the design is clean, and elegant. Simple things are simple. Difficult things are possible.
Many of Windows problems lie in somehow in the inherent way Windows was developed. Linux has never had those handicaps because there are a hell lot more people out there who know about the heart, the kidney, the liver and the intestines of linux. If someone comes up with a bad idea, it is usually NOT accepted. Linux is NOT driven by business needs - such as deadlines, "competetive" business practices, and the other real-world things that make professional software development have its own problems.
Having said all that, yes, Linux is here to stay. And yes, it is and will be a mainstream operating system. But NO, it will not replace the simplicity of Windows. While I can get all my computing tasks done by Linux, it is often a lot more effort to get Linux to work the way you like it, even though it is definitely rewarding.
What I would say is this: DONT fight, let people who use Windows use it. Let Microsoft be, it is a big part of why computers are popular today outside the geek community, whether you like it or not. And yes, Microsoft have contributed a lot to technology, even though business needs have always been their priority.
As long as you keep your windows distribution patched, and dont directly go on the net without a router (I know such limitations are ridiculous if you are a geek, but think about your grandma.), you are going to be fine.
And as a side, DONT try to make Linux as simple as Windows, simplicity vs power is a tradeoff. There will be distributions that try to look like MS Windows (say Linspire), but atleast currently, Intel x86 computer users are divided between those that use Linux and those that use Windows.
With all the "smart clothing" coming up, soon we'll run TCP/IP stacks on our body. And ofcourse, wireless internet will be pervasive. So, when the microchip detects that you died (your heart stopped and did not start again for x amount of time etc), it will send an encrypted command through the Internet to your server. Your server will run a script which will destroy all sensitive data on your drive, and e-mail all important stuff such as passwords (encrypted, with a shared one-time pad with people that you trust) and other data that is important.
Of course you will have to find a way to test that this setup works without actually killing yourself!
I have really resisted taking the bait on some of the posts but here are a few things I would like to express: I have a US education from a top-10 ranked school. I didnt come here directly on an H1 visa.
IMHO, the US education system is excellent. If someone calls it CRAP, it means he/she just never understood the purpose of education. I guess that poster was referring to the fact that things learned in school cant be directly applied on the job. EDUCATION and TRAINING are two different things. And this has always been a debate.. and will always be one.
And, no, I dont think "you Americans" and "me Indian". Its when someone calls me "you Indian" that I get reminded that I am (supposed to be) different.
For the couple of Indian-Americans who replied, what makes you think that it is "us Indians" that make life tough for you?? Since your parents themselves immigrated here, atleast you people should know that there is no such thing as "We Americans" and "You Indians" (or "We Indians" and "You Americans" either) That said, most Indians who come here tend to remain part of the "Indian clique". That is a very wrong attitude, you should be part of the community of the nation which you are living in. Its because of that stereotype, that I had to work harder to get to be friends with people here. On this count, you cannot blame the people here for not liking Indian attitudes. I sure do wish that would change! At the same time, when I was new here, I was most sensitive. It takes time to adapt, all I said was that whenever you get the impression that an entire community is a certain way, its usually an unfair opinion. I often get branded a certain way because Indians are supposed to be that way. No two people are the same, and it applies equally to India, as it does to the US.
Finally, I have huge respect for, and like this country. I wouldnt have taken anything else for the experience I have had here, and the people I have met here (well.. except for the bus driver! ) and I'm glad that the US is the way it is. It works. It may not be utopia (which country is??), but its a great place to be, if you like what you do.
I am in the same situation as the author. And sometimes a few things get on my nerves like nothing else.
America is not the friendliest of nations as far as social life goes, its not like India where you know all your neighbors, and your social life (and social life does not mean hanging out in bars) makes you never feel lonely.
Every programmer that comes to the USA goes through days when he/she feels that it is a curse to be so good. If it wasnt so, if I wasnt good at this, I could have so easily stayed back home and worked in anything. Its a misconception to think India does not have non-outsourced jobs. I came here because I was interested in technology, and I wanted to learn. I wouldnt mind living on $ 10/hr as long as I could afford to.
We come here and try to understand the customs and accents and various other things about Americans (I know, I came to your country, not the other way, so I have to do the extra work). I had a bus-driver asking me what kind of education I had and from which filthy country I came from, when I asked him about a bus stop, and found out that I was on the wrong bus, and he had to take the bus to the side and let me get out (this was 3 weeks into my US adventure). Now, he may have been tired (although it was early morning) or maybe he didnt get laid the earlier night.. but its still not cool. I must add that these things are isolated incidents, and dont generally represent America.
The idea is to forget trying to blame someone else for taking anything away from you.. that person has had so much taken away from him as well.
The basic problem lies with the fact that the normal user is still not going to care about remembering 8 passwords, no matter how much you educate him. What we need to do is find a better way.
How about having a program (freeware) that will use a well-known hash-generating technique to generate 8 passwords using the 1 password the user remembers as a key. This is in no-way a complete solution, but for people who have and use exactly 1 PC, they can have this program installed, and then the program can generate 8 passwords and the user will just use the correct one:
The program can say:
Yahoo Mail - 0nfdsa235wsac
Bank of - c3234ea23asa
--
--
--
Then of course.. there is a problem of the password used to access this program.. if the user just uses his "the one" password for this program, then again our purpose is defeated.
Oh well..
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I had an EE major and a computer networks minor. I was learning multithreaded programming along with EE concepts.
:-) Also, I found that my code improved after I learned the inner workings of the hardware I was writing for.
Now, I work as a software engineer for an embedded firm - I'm supposed to be only writing code, and as long as I make the right API calls, needn't bother about anything below that or the hardware. But it never works out that way, your boss needs it fixed, which means you gotta fix it no matter where the problem lies
The best way to be good at a system is to understand how it works in hardware, this is atleast true in the embedded.
Go where your interest lies ofcourse, but try to take a major that allows you to stick your hands in both jars - EE as well as CS.
Have you ever thought how improbable it is that you are going to have a world without MS Windows? I myself am a linux developer as well as user. And I feel alive when I am using Linux. But I do not mind using windows. Here is why: 1> Windows is not the best OS out there. How do you categorize best? It is completely subjective. As far as the geek community definition, a good OS is one which is *implemented* well. Which means that the design is clean, and elegant. Simple things are simple. Difficult things are possible. Many of Windows problems lie in somehow in the inherent way Windows was developed. Linux has never had those handicaps because there are a hell lot more people out there who know about the heart, the kidney, the liver and the intestines of linux. If someone comes up with a bad idea, it is usually NOT accepted. Linux is NOT driven by business needs - such as deadlines, "competetive" business practices, and the other real-world things that make professional software development have its own problems. Having said all that, yes, Linux is here to stay. And yes, it is and will be a mainstream operating system. But NO, it will not replace the simplicity of Windows. While I can get all my computing tasks done by Linux, it is often a lot more effort to get Linux to work the way you like it, even though it is definitely rewarding. What I would say is this: DONT fight, let people who use Windows use it. Let Microsoft be, it is a big part of why computers are popular today outside the geek community, whether you like it or not. And yes, Microsoft have contributed a lot to technology, even though business needs have always been their priority. As long as you keep your windows distribution patched, and dont directly go on the net without a router (I know such limitations are ridiculous if you are a geek, but think about your grandma.), you are going to be fine. And as a side, DONT try to make Linux as simple as Windows, simplicity vs power is a tradeoff. There will be distributions that try to look like MS Windows (say Linspire), but atleast currently, Intel x86 computer users are divided between those that use Linux and those that use Windows.
With all the "smart clothing" coming up, soon we'll run TCP/IP stacks on our body. And ofcourse, wireless internet will be pervasive. So, when the microchip detects that you died (your heart stopped and did not start again for x amount of time etc), it will send an encrypted command through the Internet to your server. Your server will run a script which will destroy all sensitive data on your drive, and e-mail all important stuff such as passwords (encrypted, with a shared one-time pad with people that you trust) and other data that is important. Of course you will have to find a way to test that this setup works without actually killing yourself!
I have really resisted taking the bait on some of the posts but here are a few things I would like to express: I have a US education from a top-10 ranked school. I didnt come here directly on an H1 visa.
IMHO, the US education system is excellent. If someone calls it CRAP, it means he/she just never understood the purpose of education. I guess that poster was referring to the fact that things learned in school cant be directly applied on the job. EDUCATION and TRAINING are two different things. And this has always been a debate.. and will always be one.
And, no, I dont think "you Americans" and "me Indian". Its when someone calls me "you Indian" that I get reminded that I am (supposed to be) different.
For the couple of Indian-Americans who replied, what makes you think that it is "us Indians" that make life tough for you?? Since your parents themselves immigrated here, atleast you people should know that there is no such thing as "We Americans" and "You Indians" (or "We Indians" and "You Americans" either) That said, most Indians who come here tend to remain part of the "Indian clique". That is a very wrong attitude, you should be part of the community of the nation which you are living in. Its because of that stereotype, that I had to work harder to get to be friends with people here. On this count, you cannot blame the people here for not liking Indian attitudes. I sure do wish that would change! At the same time, when I was new here, I was most sensitive. It takes time to adapt, all I said was that whenever you get the impression that an entire community is a certain way, its usually an unfair opinion. I often get branded a certain way because Indians are supposed to be that way. No two people are the same, and it applies equally to India, as it does to the US.
Finally, I have huge respect for, and like this country. I wouldnt have taken anything else for the experience I have had here, and the people I have met here (well.. except for the bus driver! ) and I'm glad that the US is the way it is. It works. It may not be utopia (which country is??), but its a great place to be, if you like what you do.
I am in the same situation as the author. And sometimes a few things get on my nerves like nothing else. America is not the friendliest of nations as far as social life goes, its not like India where you know all your neighbors, and your social life (and social life does not mean hanging out in bars) makes you never feel lonely. Every programmer that comes to the USA goes through days when he/she feels that it is a curse to be so good. If it wasnt so, if I wasnt good at this, I could have so easily stayed back home and worked in anything. Its a misconception to think India does not have non-outsourced jobs. I came here because I was interested in technology, and I wanted to learn. I wouldnt mind living on $ 10/hr as long as I could afford to. We come here and try to understand the customs and accents and various other things about Americans (I know, I came to your country, not the other way, so I have to do the extra work). I had a bus-driver asking me what kind of education I had and from which filthy country I came from, when I asked him about a bus stop, and found out that I was on the wrong bus, and he had to take the bus to the side and let me get out (this was 3 weeks into my US adventure). Now, he may have been tired (although it was early morning) or maybe he didnt get laid the earlier night.. but its still not cool. I must add that these things are isolated incidents, and dont generally represent America. The idea is to forget trying to blame someone else for taking anything away from you.. that person has had so much taken away from him as well.
The basic problem lies with the fact that the normal user is still not going to care about remembering 8 passwords, no matter how much you educate him. What we need to do is find a better way. How about having a program (freeware) that will use a well-known hash-generating technique to generate 8 passwords using the 1 password the user remembers as a key. This is in no-way a complete solution, but for people who have and use exactly 1 PC, they can have this program installed, and then the program can generate 8 passwords and the user will just use the correct one: The program can say: Yahoo Mail - 0nfdsa235wsac Bank of - c3234ea23asa -- -- -- Then of course.. there is a problem of the password used to access this program.. if the user just uses his "the one" password for this program, then again our purpose is defeated. Oh well..