Search Results

Search found 2088 results on 84 pages for 'jobs'.

Page 56/84 | < Previous Page | 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63  | Next Page >

• Google Chrome Updates; Faster, Cleaner Menus, Encrypted Password Syncing, and More

  - by ETC

  Google Chrome has rolled out a new update that includes a host of improves such as easier to navigate menus, encrypted password syncing, over all speed improvements, Flash sandboxing, and more. Google Chome’s new update has a host of subtle but powerful improvements. The browser is faster, the security is improved thanks the addition of encrypted password syncing and sandboxing of the integrated flash player, and the settings menu has been restructured and cleaned up for easy navigation. Check out the video above to take a peek at some of the changes or hit up the link below to read more. Speedier, Simpler, and Safer: Chrome’s Basics Get Even Better [The Official Google Blog] Latest Features How-To Geek ETC How to Get Amazing Color from Photos in Photoshop, GIMP, and Paint.NET Learn To Adjust Contrast Like a Pro in Photoshop, GIMP, and Paint.NET Have You Ever Wondered How Your Operating System Got Its Name? Should You Delete Windows 7 Service Pack Backup Files to Save Space? What Can Super Mario Teach Us About Graphics Technology? Windows 7 Service Pack 1 is Released: But Should You Install It? Save Files Directly from Your Browser to the Cloud in Chrome and Iron The Steve Jobs Chronicles – Charlie and the Apple Factory [Video] Google Chrome Updates; Faster, Cleaner Menus, Encrypted Password Syncing, and More Glowing Chess Set Combines LEDs, Chess, and DIY Electronics Fun Peaceful Alpine River on a Sunny Day [Wallpaper] Fast Society Creates Mini and Mobile Temporary Social Networks

  Read the article

• How old is "too old"?

  - by Dori

  I've been told that to be taken seriously as a job applicant, I should drop years of relevant experience off my résumé, remove the year I got my degree, or both. Or not even bother applying, because no one wants to hire programmers older than them.1 Or that I should found a company, not because I want to, or because I have a product I care about, but because that way I can get a job if/when my company is acquired. Or that I should focus more on management jobs (which I've successfully done in the past) because… well, they couldn't really explain this one, except the implication was that over a certain age you're a loser if you're still writing code. But I like writing code. Have you seen this? Is this only a local (Northern California) issue? If you've ever hired programmers:2 Of the résumés you've received, how old was the eldest applicant? What was the age of the oldest person you've interviewed? How old (when hired) was the oldest person you hired? How old is "too old" to employed as a programmer? 1 I'm assuming all applicants have equivalent applicable experience. This isn't about someone with three decades of COBOL applying for a Java guru job. 2 Yes, I know that (at least in the US) you aren't supposed to ask how old an applicant is. In my experience, though, you can get a general idea from a résumé.

  Read the article

• Is there any evidence that drugs can actually help programmers produce "better" code? [closed]

  - by sytycs

  I just read this quote from Steve Jobs: "Doing LSD was one of the two or three most important things I have done in my life." Also a quote from that article: He was hardly alone among computer scientists in his appreciation of hallucinogenics and their capacity to liberate human thought from the prison of the mind. Now I'm wondering if there's any evidence to support the theory that drugs can help make a "better" programmer. Has there ever been a study where programmers have been given drugs to see if they could produce "better" code? Is there a well-known programming concept or piece of code which originated from people who were on drugs? EDIT So I did a little more research and it turns out Dennis R. Wier actually documented how he took LSD to wrap his head around a coding project: "At one point in the project I could not get an overall viewpoint for the operation of the entire system. It really was too much for my brain to keep all the subtle aspects and processing nuances clear so I could get a processing and design overview. After struggling with this problem for a few weeks, I decided to use a little acid to see if it would enable a breakthrough, because otherwise, I would not be able to complete the project and be certain of a consistent overall design"[1] There is also an interesting article on wired about Kevin Herbet, who used LSD to solve tough technical problems and chemist Kary Mullis even said "...that LSD had helped him develop the polymerase chain reaction that helps amplify specific DNA sequences." [2]

  Read the article

• Coming Soon: Development and Extensibility Handbook from Oracle Press

  - by Oliver Steinmeier

  I had hoped to get my hands on a copy at OpenWorld, but it wasn't available yet from the printers.  But it's coming soon: The Oracle Fusion Applications Development and Extensibility Handbook. This book is promising to be a great resource for anyone interested in learning about our favorite topic.  And while I haven't read it yet, a look at the cover page image tells me that it's going to be a high-quality book.  That's because I have known one of the authors, Dhaval Mehta, for many years.  He recently left Oracle development for new challenges, but until then he was widely known as one of the most knowledgable Fusion Applications engineers.  And his co-authors have equally strong and complementary backgrounds.Here's what the book covers: Explore Oracle Fusion Applications components and architecture Plan, develop, debug, and deploy customizations Extend out-of-the-box functionality with Oracle JDeveloper Modify web applications using Oracle Composer Incorporate Oracle SOA Suite 11g composites Validate code through sandboxes and test environments Secure data using authorization, authentication, and encryption Design and distribute personalized BI reports Automate jobs with Oracle Enterprise Scheduler Change appearance and branding of your applications with the Oracle ADF Skin Editor   Expect a more detailed review of the book when it his your local bookseller's shelves (or Amazon).

  Read the article

• Google local search rankings is it possible without the use of citations

  - by bybe

  I have a client that is wanting a website design for his self-run business... Basically he is a self employed plumber so his home address is not visitable by the public, however the problem here is that he does not want his home address visible on the internet at all for one reason or another. I have informed him the benefits of having his address visible for such reasons as trust by customers as well as the benefits via Google's local search algorithms (Citations - Visible Address Details) on various directories including Google Maps, and Google Places. But he is clear that he does not want his address online and wants SEO + Web Design without any citations. Now, I care about my reputation in my local area and do not like do half-cut jobs, If I do SEO I want them to be the best they can otherwise word of mouth that customer could say to someone else after my services they are no where to be seen, (I know you can't keep them all happy but none the less). This is kinda new for me since Google introduced local rankings and something I've never had to do... So my question is fairly simple and hope that people who reply have some kind of experience in attempting ranking websites locally without citations.. Is it even possible to rank a local website with Google's local algorithms without the use of citations (address information)?

  Read the article

• How do you decide what kind of database to use?

  - by Jason Baker

  I really dislike the name "NoSQL", because it isn't very descriptive. It tells me what the databases aren't where I'm more interested in what the databases are. I really think that this category really encompasses several categories of database. I'm just trying to get a general idea of what job each particular database is the best tool for. A few assumptions I'd like to make (and would ask you to make): Assume that you have the capability to hire any number of brilliant engineers who are equally experienced with every database technology that has ever existed. Assume you have the technical infrastructure to support any given database (including available servers and sysadmins who can support said database). Assume that each database has the best support possible for free. Assume you have 100% buy-in from management. Assume you have an infinite amount of money to throw at the problem. Now, I realize that the above assumptions eliminate a lot of valid considerations that are involved in choosing a database, but my focus is on figuring out what database is best for the job on a purely technical level. So, given the above assumptions, the question is: what jobs are each database (including both SQL and NoSQL) the best tool for and why?

  Read the article

• DB API for shell scripting (any shell)

  - by foampile

  I am faced with some legacy shell scripts that run batch data processing jobs in Oracle using SQL+. For the most part, the data tier does not have to communicate back to the script with retrieved data to be passed for shell-level processing but in a few cases it does. The problem is, SQL+ is really meant to be an end user app and not an API that can communicate with other clients programmaticaly. That is why people have invented APIs such as DBD::DBI for Perl, JDBC for Java, ODBC etc. The way it is done is they invoke SQL+ and then parse the output, which is clearly designed for human eye consumption, using tools like sed and awk. The whole thing is at best a hack and very prone to bugs. Since this client is rather conservative with their technology, they don't want to scale their scripts up to Perl or Python where there are data access APIs. So I am wondering whether there are similar APIs for shell, e.g. K or bash. What I would like is if an API would return data in a 2-dimensional array or strings (for the lack of type setting) so that I can just read DB data like that. The way they do it now is akin to parsing regular web page HTML to get a single stock quote rather than cleanly calling a web service and be done with it. Anybody know of a product I can use? Thanks

  Read the article

• Ask the Readers: What Tools Do You Use to Score Great Deals Online?

  - by Jason Fitzpatrick

  The internet has made scoring awesome deals a cinch—but only if you have the right tools and know where to look. This week we want to hear about your favorite tools for scoring the deepest discounts during your online shopping adventures. What we’re most interested in is the tools you use: browser plugins, bookmarklets, and other tools that help you stay on top of price drops and other deal-related information. So let’s hear about it in the comments! What tools do you use to score great deals online? We’ll read all your comments, gather quotes, and share the collective wisdom of the How-To Geek crowd in a follow-up What You Said post on Friday. Latest Features How-To Geek ETC Macs Don’t Make You Creative! So Why Do Artists Really Love Apple? MacX DVD Ripper Pro is Free for How-To Geek Readers (Time Limited!) HTG Explains: What’s a Solid State Drive and What Do I Need to Know? How to Get Amazing Color from Photos in Photoshop, GIMP, and Paint.NET Learn To Adjust Contrast Like a Pro in Photoshop, GIMP, and Paint.NET Have You Ever Wondered How Your Operating System Got Its Name? Etch a Circuit Board using a Simple Homemade Mixture Sync Blocker Stops iTunes from Automatically Syncing The Journey to the Mystical Forest [Wallpaper] Trace Your Browser’s Roots on the Browser Family Tree [Infographic] Save Files Directly from Your Browser to the Cloud in Chrome and Iron The Steve Jobs Chronicles – Charlie and the Apple Factory [Video]

  Read the article

• Should I start making connections even if I'm not ready for a job yet?

  - by James

  The first job is always the hardest to get and I'm not exception. I'm 23 years old and I have no college degree but planned on going to college this year if all goes well (CS of course). I'm self-studying java right now. I know most of the topics related to the language besides the more advanced topics and I'm beginning to look at open source projects. I would like to find a job (at least a part time job) after a year or two when I'll gain more experience and learn more about java technologies and other technologies that interest me. Finding a job will be a bit difficult because most of the people (or a lot of them at least) at my current age already have 2 years or more of experience, so I will be somewhat disadvantaged. Should I start building connections and joining websites such as linkedin ? I never bothered to look into it because I'm not much of a social network person. If I start contributing to open source projects and create personal projects for 2 years could I apply for jobs that require 1-2 years of experience? Does this experience count ?

  Read the article

• I don't know C. And why should I learn it?

  - by Stephen

  My first programming language was PHP (gasp). After that I started working with JavaScript. I've recently done work in C#. I've never once looked at low or mid level languages like C. The general consensus in the programming-community-at-large is that "a programmer who hasn't learned something like C, frankly, just can't handle programming concepts like pointers, data types, passing values by reference, etc." I do not agree. I argue that: Because high level languages are easily accessible, more "non-programmers" dive in and make a mess In order to really get anything done in a high level language, one needs to understand the same similar concepts that most proponents of "learn-low-level-first" evangelize about. Some people need to know C; those people have jobs that require them to write low to mid-level code. I'm sure C is awesome, and I'm sure there are a few bad programmers who know C. Why the bias? As a good, honest, hungry programmer, if I had to learn C (for some unforeseen reason), I would learn C. Considering the multitude of languages out there, shouldn't good programmers focus on learning what advances us? Shouldn't we learn what interests us? Should we not utilize our finite time moving forward? Why do some programmers disagree with this? I believe that striving for excellence in what you do is the fundamental deterministic trait between good programmers and bad ones. Does anyone have any real world examples of how something written in a high level language—say Java, Pascal, PHP, or Javascript—truely benefitted from a prior knowledge of C? Examples would be most appreciated.

  Read the article

• Is Play Framework good for doing some logic parallely?

  - by pmichna

  I'm going to build a web application that's going to host urban games. A user visits my website, clicks "Start game" and starts receiving some SMS messages when gets to some location and has to answer them to get points. My question: is Play suitable for this kind of application? From what I've read I know for sure it's ok for traditional web applications: user interface for same data storage and manipulation. But what if after clicking the "start button" some logic has to go on its own course? How would I handle parallely checking geolocation of the players (I have API for that)? I guess in some threads that would ping them every ~5 sec. and do some processing but is it possible to just "disconnect" them from the main user interface? So to sum up: I want an application written in Play that starts a separate thread for a game after clicking "start game" and other users are able to view their data (statisctics etc.), while the threads work their way with the game logic. I found something like jobs but they are documented for version 1.2 (current one is 2.2). Sorry for my somewhat fuzzy explenation, I tried to do my best.

  Read the article

• Why is NDA so hard to understand?

  - by Dave Campbell

  Maybe this concept is simpler for me because of all the jobs I've been on over the years requiring security clearances. I've signed quite a few NDA forms. Some for big companies, some for small, but the meaning of "NDA" remains constant: Non-Disclosure Agreement. To me, that takes no further explanation, but apparently it's confusing to some people, and I don't understand how you can be confused. The papers I signed with the U.S. Army in 1970 read "10 years and $10,000" for a violation... can't imagine what it's up to now, but THAT is a strict NDA :) So those things I've been told, I cannot talk about, period. Even if the entire world knows about them, I cannot speak about them until the information goes off NDA. An example was a Silverlight release a while back. It might have been Silverlight 3, I don't remember. Everyone was anxiously awaiting the release so they could post their material. Of course the entire world knew it was coming out and imminently so. Some enterprising folks had even found the bits on a server before the official announcement. So then the situation became: everyone knew about it, some were even coding with it and blogging about it and yet we couldn't talk about it. Scott Guthrie's posting about it opened the flood gates and then it went off NDA, but up until that moment, we were locked. Sitting out on the edge you're uninstalling and re-installing all the time and you get frustrated when things that used to work don't, but hey... those bits were still warm when you got 'em, and that's the fun. But that fun comes at a price, and the price is the NDA. Awkward yes, confusing no... See you at MIX10, and Stay in the 'Light! MIX10

  Read the article

• Recruiters intentionally present one good candidate for an available job

  - by Jeff O

  Maybe they do it without realizing. The recruiter's goal is to fill the job as soon as possible. I even think they feel it is in their best interest that the candidate be qualified, so I'm not trying to knock recruiters. Aren't they better off presenting 3 candidates, but one clearly stands out? The last thing they want from their client is a need to extend the interview process because they can't decide. If the client doesn't like any of them, you just bring on your next good candidate. This way they hedge their bet a little. Any experience, insight or ever heard of a head-hunter admit this? Does it make sense? There has to be a reason why the choose such unqualified people. I've seen jobs posted that clearly state they want someone with a CS degree and the recruiter doesn't take it literally. I don't have a CS degree or Java experience and still they think I'm a possible fit.

  Read the article

• My father is a doctor. He is insisting on writing a database to store non-critical patient information, with no programming background

  - by Dominic Bou-Samra

  So, my father is currently in the process of "hacking" together a database using FileMaker Pro, a GUI based databasing tool for his small (4 doctor) practice. The database will be used to help ease the burden on reporting from medical machines, streamlining quite a clumsy process. He's got no programming background, and seems to be doing everything in his power to not learn things correctly. He's got duplicate data types, no database-enforced relationships (foreign/primary key constraints) and a dozen other issues. He's doing it all by hand via GUI tool using Youtube videos. My issue is, that whilst I want him to succeed 100%, I don't think it's appropriate for him to be handling these types of decisions. How do I convince him that without some sort of education in these topics, a hacked together solution is a bad idea? He's can be quite stubborn and I think he sees these types of jobs as "childs play" How should I approach this? Is it even that bad an idea - or am I correct in thinking he should hire a proper DBA/developer to handle this so that it doesn't become a maintenance nightmare? NB: I am a developer consultant of 4 years and I've seen my share of painful customer implementations.

  Read the article

• How do I pick which agency to go through?

  - by RoboShop

  I work in a town where the majority of work comes from the government. As a contractor, I generally have to apply for work through agencies which are on the government's preferred vendor's list. Most jobs are publicly listed and to apply for them, you generally need an agency to represent you by submitting your application with a rate which is usually your rate plus their commission. I've been trying to figure out what the agencies do, and it seems a large part of what they do is 1) get on that preferred vendor's list and 2) forward resumes. So right now, my policy is that since their commission affects how expensive I am, one - I don't work with companies that do not disclose their margin. And two, I go for the agency that takes the least amount of commission for the job I want to apply for. IS that the best approach? I would think applying for a job with the most competitive rate is the best approach but I also wonder whether which agency you're applying through actually matter? I know some agencies actually build personal relationships with senior managers but how do I know which one? How do I know that actually affect my job prospects? What criteria should I use to decide which agent I go through for the job?

  Read the article

• HTG Explains: The Best and Worst Ways to Send a Resume

  - by Eric Z Goodnight

  With so many people looking for jobs, the slightest edge in your resume presentation has potential to make or break your chances. But not all filetypes or methods are created equal—read on to see the potential pitfalls your resume faces. In this article, we’ll explore what can go wrong in a resume submission, what can be done to counteract it, and also go into why a prospective employer might ignore your resume based on your method of sending a resume. Finally, we’ll cover the best filetypes and methods that can help get you that new job you’ve been looking for. What Sets Your Resume Apart? Latest Features How-To Geek ETC Internet Explorer 9 RC Now Available: Here’s the Most Interesting New Stuff Here’s a Super Simple Trick to Defeating Fake Anti-Virus Malware How to Change the Default Application for Android Tasks Stop Believing TV’s Lies: The Real Truth About "Enhancing" Images The How-To Geek Valentine’s Day Gift Guide Inspire Geek Love with These Hilarious Geek Valentines The Citroen GT – An Awesome Video Game Car Brought to Life [Video] Four Awesome TRON Legacy Themes for Chrome and Iron Anger is Illogical – Old School Style Instructional Video [Star Trek Mashup] Get the Old Microsoft Paint UI Back in Windows 7 Relax and Sleep Is a Soothing Sleep Timer Google Rolls Out Two-Factor Authentication

  Read the article

• How to get that first development job

  - by cju

  I have been in QA for 10 years, trying to get into developement for about 5 of them. I have taken classes in C++, Java and C#. I was able to write some tools and unit tests in C# at my current job and (by all accounts) did a good job of it. However, 8 months ago, my employer tasked me with the responsibility of establishing the new QA group. Now, I'm doing manual testing and deployment with no promise of returning to development. I have looked at the job boards and there are a lot of jobs for Web developers and wondered how I could break into that. I've picked up some books on Ruby on Rails that I plan to work through on the Mac at home, but I'm not sure employers would be interested in anything but commercial web development. Do you have any suggestions on how I can use my experience to get a job as a junior developer? And I mean one that entailes programming...the postings I've seen for junior developer amount to doing all the grunt work besides coding. They should just call them "Technical Secretaries".

  Read the article

• django & postgres linux hosting (with SSH access) recommendations

  - by Justin Grant

  We're looking for a good place to host our custom Django app (a fork of OSQA) and its postgresql backend. Requirements include: Linux Python 2.6 or (ideally) Python 2.7 Django 1.2 Postgres 8.4 or later DB backup/restore handled by the hoster, not us OS & dev-platform-stack patching/maintenance handled by the hoster, not us SSH access (so we can pull source code from GitHub, so we can install python eggs, etc.) ability to set up cron jobs (e.g. to send out dail email updates) ability to send up to 10K emails/day good performance (not ganged up with a zillion other sites on one CPU, not starved for RAM) FTP or SCP access to web logs dedicated public IP SSL support Costs under $1000/month for a relatively small site (<5M pageviews/month) Good customer service We already have a prototype site running on EC2 on top of a Bitnami DjangoStack. The problem is that we have to patch the OS, patch postgres, etc. We'd really prefer a platform-as-a-service (PaaS) offering, like Heroku offers for Rails apps, where all we need to worry about is deploying our code instead of worrying about system software patching and maintenance. Google App Engine is closest to what we're looking for, but they don't offer relational DB access (not yet at least). Anyone have a recommendation?

  Read the article

• How can I call a URL as a cron job in Webmin?

  - by EmmyS

  (Possibly this belongs on stackoverflow, although it's not really a programming issue since the code works when run directly. If it needs to be moved, though, no problem.) I have a PHP file (which consumers a National Weather Service web service via SOAP, if it matters) that I need to run on a scheduled basis. I'm trying to set up a cron job in Webmin. If I use an absolute path to the file in the Command field, when I run it I get some strange errors: /var/www/html/mysite.com/test/ndfdXMLclient.php: line 1: ?php: No such file or directory /var/www/html/mysite.com/test/ndfdXMLclient.php: line 2: //: is a directory /var/www/html/mysite.com/test/ndfdXMLclient.php: line 3: //DOCUMENTATION: No such file or directory /var/www/html/mysite.com/test/ndfdXMLclient.php: line 4: //: is a directory /var/www/html/mysite.com/test/ndfdXMLclient.php: line 5: syntax error near unexpected token `"running client code",' /var/www/html/mysite.com/test/ndfdXMLclient.php: line 5: `error_log("running client code", 1, "[email protected]");' The actual code in my file for those 5 lines looks like this: <?php // *************************************************************************** //DOCUMENTATION FROM WEATHER.GOV ALL STORED IN xmlClientComments.txt // *************************************************************************** error_log("running client code", 1, "[email protected]"); The code runs perfectly fine when I run it directly in my browser, so why doesn't webmin recognize it as code? (The same thing happens if I enter the actual URL in the command field - http://mysite.com/test/ndfdXMLclient.php.) I've never worked with webmin before; most of our hosts' cron control panels allow cron jobs to run PHP files like this with no issue. Is there some trick to getting webmin to read php as actual php?

  Read the article

• Anyone been successful changing their career without having to start over from scratch?

  - by Awaken

  I posted a similar question on careeroverflow, but stackoverflow is just way more active and has way more users, so hopefully someone out there can help answer. I am currently an embedded developer in the defense/aerospace world for a big company. While I like the benefits and the pay, it just isn't keeping me happy. The Paul Graham article: How To Do What You Love really struck home. The problem I face are my golden handcuffs. When I look at jobs out there, they all want 5+ years experience in that language with expertise in framework/tool/server A,B,C, etc... I have worked in C and C++ on the job (in a real-time embedded environment) with some small things in C# and Java. I'm learning Ruby now to expand my knowledge, but I don't consider myself an expert in anything right now. I'd love to work on desktop applications or web apps. Is it possible for someone like me to make the switch without going back to the start line? I'd love to leave the huge bureaucracy and work with some great developers. I'd be willing to work late and take a modest pay cut, but that isn't so clear just from a resume. For those that have altered their career path, how did you do it? For those people who are in charge of hiring, what can I do to help myself?

  Read the article

• Oracle VM 3.1.1 build 365 released

  - by wcoekaer

  A few days ago we released a patch update for Oracle VM 3.1.1 (build 365). Oracle VM Manager 3.1.1 Build 365 is now available from My Oracle Support patch ID 14227416 Oracle VM Server 3.1.1 errata updates are, as usual, released on ULN in the ovm3_3.1.1_x86_64_patch channel. Just a reminder, when we publish errata for Oracle VM, the notifications are sent through the oraclevm-errata maillist. You can sign up here. Some of the bugfixes in 3.1.1 : 14054162 - Removes unnecessary locks when creating VNICs in a multi-threaded operation. 14111234 - Fixes the issue when discovering a virtual machine that has disks in a un-discovered repository or has un-discovered physical disks. 14054133 - Fixes a bug of object not found where vdisks are left stale in certain multi-thread operations. 14176607 - Fixes the issue where Oracle VM Manager would hang after a restart due to various tasks running jobs in the global context. 14136410 - Fixes the stale lock issue on multithreaded server where object not found error happens in some rare situations. 14186058 - Fixes the issue where Oracle VM Manager fails to discover the server or start the server after the server hardware configuration (i.e. BIOS) was modified. 14198734 - Fixes the issue where HTTP cannot be disabled. 14065401 - Fixes Oracle VM Manager UI time-out issue where the default value was not long enough for storage repository creation. 14163755 - Fixes the issue when migrating a virtual machine the list of target servers (and "other servers") was not ordered by name. 14163762 - Fixes the size of the "Edit Vlan Group" window to display all information correctly. 14197783 - Fixes the issue that navigation tree (servers) was not ordered by name. I strongly suggest everyone to use this latest build and also update the server to the latest version. have at it.

  Read the article

• Graduate expectations versus reality

  - by Bobby Tables

  When choosing what we want to study, and do with our careers and lives, we all have some expectations of what it is going to be like. Now that I've been in the industry for almost a decade, I've been reflecting a bit on what I thought (back when I was studying Computer Science) programming working life was going to be like, and how it's actually turning out to be. My two biggest shocks (or should I say, broken expectations) by far are the sheer amount of maintenance work involved in software, and the overall lack of professionalism: Maintenance: At uni, we were all told that the majority of software work is maintenance of existing systems. So I knew to expect this in the abstract. But I never imagined exactly how overwhelming this would turn out to be. Perhaps it's something I mentally glazed over, and hoped I'd be building cool new stuff from scratch a lot more. But it really is the case that most jobs are overwhelmingly maintenance, bug fixing, and support oriented. Lack of professionalism: At uni, I always had the impression that commercial software work is very process-oriented and stringently engineered. I had images of ISO processes, reams of technical documentation, every feature and bug being strictly documented, and a generally professional environment. It came as a huge shock to realise that most software companies operate no differently to a team of students working on a large semester-long project. And I've worked in both the small agile hack shop, and the medium sized corporate enterprise. While I wouldn't say that it's always been outright "unprofessional", it definitely feels like the software industry (on the whole) is far from the strong engineering discipline that I expected it to be. Has anyone else had similar experiences to this? What are the ways in which your expectations of what our profession would be like were different to the reality?

  Read the article

• Is there such a thing as "closure" with software work?

  - by Bobby Tables

  I burned out last year (after a decade of fulltime programming jobs) and am on a sabbatical now. With all the self-examination I've started to figure out some of the root causes of my burnout, and one of the major ones is basically this: there was never any real closure in any of the work I've ever done. It was always a case of getting into an open-ended support/maintenance grind and going stale. When I first entered the industry, I had this image of programming work being very project-based. And I expected projects to have a start, beginning, and END. And then you move on and start on something totally new and fresh. Basically I never expected that a lot (most) of software work involves supporting and maintaining the same code base for open-ended long periods of time - years and even decades. That, combined with generally having itchy feet makes me think that burnout is inevitable for me, after 2-3 years, in ANY fulltime software job. All this sounds like I probably should have been a contractor instead of a fulltimer. But when I discuss this with people, a lot of them say that even THEN you can't really escape having to go back and maintain/support the stuff you worked on, over and over (eg. Coming back on support contracts, for example). The nature of software work is simply like that. There is no project closure, unlike in many other engineering fields. So my question is - Is there ANY programming work out there which is based on short to mid term projects/stints and then moving on cleanly? And is there any particular industry domain or specialization where this kind of project work is typical?

  Read the article

• School vs Self-Taught [duplicate]

  - by Joan Venge

  This question already has an answer here: Do I need a degree in Computer Science to get a junior Programming job? [closed] 8 answers Do you think university is a good learning environment or is it better to be autodidact? [closed] 3 answers Do you think formal education is necessary to gain strong programming skills? There are a lot of jobs that aren't programming but involves programming, such as tech artists in games, fx tds in film for example. I see similar patterns in the people I work where the best ones I have seen were self-taught, because of being artists primarily. But I also see that while the software, programming knowledge is varied and deep, hardware knowledge is very basic, including me, again due to lack of formal education. But I also work with a lot of programmers who possess both skills in general (software and hardware). Do you think it's necessary to have a formal education to have great programming skills? Would you think less of someone if he didn't have a degree in computer science, or software engineering, etc in terms of job opportunities? Would you trust him to do a software engineering job, i.e. writing a complex tool? Basically I feel the self-taught programmer doesn't know a lot of things, i.e. not knowing a particular pattern or a particular language, etc. But I find that the ability to think outside the box much more powerful. As "pure" programmers what's your take on it?

  Read the article

• Get to Know a Candidate (6 of 25): Jill Stein&ndash;Green Party

  - by Brian Lanham

  DISCLAIMER: This is not a post about “Romney” or “Obama”. This is not a post for whom I am voting. Information sourced for Wikipedia. Stein is a physician with degrees from Harvard College and Harvard Medical School.  She serves on the boards of Greater Boston Physicians for Social Responsibility and MassVoters for Fair Elections, and has been active with the Massachusetts Coalition for Healthy Communities Jill Stein advocates a "Green New Deal" in which renewable energy jobs would be created to address climate change and environmental issues with the objective of employing "every American willing and able to work". Citing the research of Dr. Phillip Harvey, Professor of Law & Economics at Rutgers University, as evidence of the successful economic effects of the 1930s' New Deal projects, Stein would fund the plan with a 30% reduction in the U.S. military budget, returning US troops home, and increasing taxes on areas such as capital gains, offshore tax havens and multimillion dollar real estate. Stein plans on impacting what she sees as a growing convergence of environmental crises in water, soil, fisheries and forests, through the creation of sustainable infrastructure based in clean renewable energy generation and sustainable communities principles such as increasing intra-city mass transit and inter-city railroads, creating 'complete streets' that safely encourage bike and pedestrian traffic and regional food systems based on sustainable organic agriculture The Green Party of the United States was founded in 1991 as a voluntary association of state green parties. With its founding, the Green Party of the United States became the primary national Green organization in the United States, eclipsing the Greens/Green Party USA, which emphasized non-electoral movement building. The Green Party of the United States of America emphasizes environmentalism, non-hierarchical participatory democracy, social justice, respect for diversity, peace and nonviolence. Their "Ten Key Values," which are described as non-authoritative guiding principles, are as follows: Grassroots democracy Social justice and equal opportunity Ecological wisdom Nonviolence Decentralization Community-based economics Feminism and gender equality Respect for diversity Personal and global responsibility Future focus and sustainability The Green Party does not accept donations from corporations. Thus, the party's platforms and rhetoric critique any corporate influence and control over government, media, and American society at large. Stein has access to 403 electoral votes and is a write-in candidate in GA, IN, and MS Learn more about Jill Stein and Green Party on Wikipedia.

  Read the article

< Previous Page | 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63  | Next Page >