Suppose you were a programmer in India with a decent job, and your company found out they can hire citizens from Timbuktu who are happy to work for 40 cents (US) an hour and work long hours and never complain because 40 cents is a lot of money in Timbuktu.
Over time it appears that many Indian companies favor these Timbuktu workers because they are docile and hard-working compared to Indian citizens, due to their circumstances.
You may lose your job and/or find that wages are going down and expectations going up.
Now, can you honestly tell me you'd be happy with this situation and believe it to be "fair"?
I've witnessed H1B-related shenanigans directly myself, such as forcing everyone to work without overtime pay at a big telecom company that rhymes with Ate Tea and Pea. The citizens tended to balk, but not the H1B's because they didn't want to rock the boat because their pay was a lot of money when spent back home. It's a lopsided mess; a way for companies to get more labor for less money. The "shortage" thing is lobbyist bullshit!
Newbies instinctively use #1. When they grow comfortable, they'll start exploring #2.
And when they click option #2, they don't just see option titles, but titles and descriptions. The menu "page" will have enough room for both. Sometimes too much is crammed into too small a spot. True, you get away from cascading menus if you page-atize it, but over-cascading is also a no-no.
In fact, treat it like a web-site. If one wants a short-cut to a given shut-down option they use often, they can put the link in their "Favorites" (Book Mark) area in their browser. This allows the user to leverage browser memes. When MS went on that IE "integration" tirade in their war against NetScape, I thought this was how the future of Windows would go.
But they shuffled things around from the prior locations; and that is going to confuse nearly all users, technical or not. My experience is that different users use different techniques to achieve (find) the same thing. Windows 8 changed most of those. Equal Opportunity Confusion.
I just hit the Windows key and type a few letters. No more expanding folders and subfolder looking for something.
A better desktop search engine is nice, but it wasn't necessary to re-org the entire UI to add such a feature. (In Windows 7 if I press the Windows key, I also get a search prompt with the cursor already in it; it's just that the search engine is crappy...at least under default settings.)
Anyway, what gets me is it seems like a lot of people reflexively insist on a start menu like a toddler insists on his blanky. You have six year old's walking around clutching a blanket that they don't even use for anything other than its familiarity. [emph. added]
But we have invested years learning those habits. Productivity kicks in when the tool becomes a reflex. Reflexes are not a bad thing: they speed us up because we don't have stop and think.
I have nothing against the octopus body design, but there is a big learning curve for a brain used to a human body to suddenly be shoved into an octopus body.
Unless the "new thing" offers about a 20% productivity improvement, it's generally best to stick with the existing interface because the learning curve will eat up that 20% for a few years. In biz investment terms, the ROI is too far out. Why can't MS just give us both interface choices as a user setting?
Change for changes' sake is a productivity drain. (There is a reason I kick kids off my lawn:-)
it couldn't possibly be that the entire idea is stupid to begin with.
A bad idea originating from the Heritage Foundation? Naaaah. Never happens.
Part of the mistake is not having a decent paper-based fall-back plan, although that's no guarantee against general systematic glitches. I would note that Bush's Medicare Part D also got off to a rocky start.
Oracle is less likely to get future government contracts in other states or levels if they have the reputation for being a drama queen and "difficult", regardless of fault. They may be better off quietly negotiating a compromise and eating some of the costs in the short term. Is the loud approach part of their Ellison bravado culture?
Slashdot Mirror
What happens if I answer "no"?
"Since I'm alive again, where's my damned royalty check!"
To "fix" it, just add one or more of the following to the model:
* More turtles
* More nested epicycles
* More dimensions
* Invent dark [something] to plug it
* Say God did it
Profit!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...
Don't worry, there are other materials to stuff your pants with.
Suppose you were a programmer in India with a decent job, and your company found out they can hire citizens from Timbuktu who are happy to work for 40 cents (US) an hour and work long hours and never complain because 40 cents is a lot of money in Timbuktu.
Over time it appears that many Indian companies favor these Timbuktu workers because they are docile and hard-working compared to Indian citizens, due to their circumstances.
You may lose your job and/or find that wages are going down and expectations going up.
Now, can you honestly tell me you'd be happy with this situation and believe it to be "fair"?
I've witnessed H1B-related shenanigans directly myself, such as forcing everyone to work without overtime pay at a big telecom company that rhymes with Ate Tea and Pea. The citizens tended to balk, but not the H1B's because they didn't want to rock the boat because their pay was a lot of money when spent back home. It's a lopsided mess; a way for companies to get more labor for less money. The "shortage" thing is lobbyist bullshit!
No, 240,000 jobs to clean up the messes made by the robots.
I've seen MS do some nice GUI work. Just not on the OS.
That UI problem seems solvable to me.
The "main" screen has two options:
1. Shut down
2. Partial shut-down options
Newbies instinctively use #1. When they grow comfortable, they'll start exploring #2.
And when they click option #2, they don't just see option titles, but titles and descriptions. The menu "page" will have enough room for both. Sometimes too much is crammed into too small a spot. True, you get away from cascading menus if you page-atize it, but over-cascading is also a no-no.
In fact, treat it like a web-site. If one wants a short-cut to a given shut-down option they use often, they can put the link in their "Favorites" (Book Mark) area in their browser. This allows the user to leverage browser memes. When MS went on that IE "integration" tirade in their war against NetScape, I thought this was how the future of Windows would go.
But they shuffled things around from the prior locations; and that is going to confuse nearly all users, technical or not. My experience is that different users use different techniques to achieve (find) the same thing. Windows 8 changed most of those. Equal Opportunity Confusion.
A better desktop search engine is nice, but it wasn't necessary to re-org the entire UI to add such a feature. (In Windows 7 if I press the Windows key, I also get a search prompt with the cursor already in it; it's just that the search engine is crappy...at least under default settings.)
My button lies under the metro
My button lies under the C (code)
My button lies under the metro
Oh, Bing back my start-button to me...
Bing back, Bing back
Bing back my button to me, to me
Bing back, Bing back
Bing back my start-button to me!
you sure you want that? What's next, the Ted Nugent OS?
The NEW Start Button:
[ Start Linux ]
I don't want people to have an easy way to know what I use the most. It's personal. Plus, if you make it too convenient, I might go blind.
But we have invested years learning those habits. Productivity kicks in when the tool becomes a reflex. Reflexes are not a bad thing: they speed us up because we don't have stop and think.
I have nothing against the octopus body design, but there is a big learning curve for a brain used to a human body to suddenly be shoved into an octopus body.
Unless the "new thing" offers about a 20% productivity improvement, it's generally best to stick with the existing interface because the learning curve will eat up that 20% for a few years. In biz investment terms, the ROI is too far out. Why can't MS just give us both interface choices as a user setting?
Change for changes' sake is a productivity drain. (There is a reason I kick kids off my lawn :-)
Suggestions from the c2-dot-com wiki (AlternativeJobsForProgrammers):
Technology Related:
- ProjectManager
- ChiefArchitect / TechnicalLead
- development team coach
- DBA
- TechnicalWriter or TechnicalEditor?
- consultant
- teacher/trainer
- OpenSourceDeveloper
- marketing (of software or development tools)
- test engineer
- system/network/web/database administration
- CTO/technologist/IT manager
- hardware designer
- technical recruiter
- technical/sales support
- web site design
- Ad-hoc report and/or query writer
Non-Tech:
- accounting/bookkeeping/controller
- insurance adjuster
- business owner
- Law
- MassiveAlgaeFarming
- T-shirts/humorist/cartoonist (Ex: Dilbert)
Blue-collar trades:
- Electrician
- Plumber
- Auto-mechanic
- Municipal equipment mechanic
- Cat juggler [tsk tsk jokers]
Okay, "To infinity and beyond!"
Dontt bee silley, i t haas noot offect ed me eeysihgtt
I just use a smaller font to better match my dick. (Please, no WingDing jokes.)
"Pssst, you, copper, hear you're in the market for used skybots..."
The hope is that in the future one can pay for content they want directly and don't have to buy bundles and packages.
The old-school co's are doing everything they can to prevent this.
A bad idea originating from the Heritage Foundation? Naaaah. Never happens.
Part of the mistake is not having a decent paper-based fall-back plan, although that's no guarantee against general systematic glitches. I would note that Bush's Medicare Part D also got off to a rocky start.
The sales people are experts at wining and dining and ego stroking. Merit has nothing to do with it.
Oracle is less likely to get future government contracts in other states or levels if they have the reputation for being a drama queen and "difficult", regardless of fault. They may be better off quietly negotiating a compromise and eating some of the costs in the short term. Is the loud approach part of their Ellison bravado culture?