Hi guys
I'm a software developer in expensive Sydney, you can ask me almost anything :)
Cheers
[AMA] I am a Software Developer in Sydney, Ask Me (Almost) Anything
Lsillyguy on 20/11/2017 - 20:39
closed Comments
@ninetyNineCents:
You just use 'Big Picture' as an umbrella excuse for all your mounting mistakes and backflips.99 Shades of gormless: "So what if [Pi is] irrational"
LuftBallons must have invented an infinity bit computer! He's just awaiting the first ever result. The carries are a doozy.
FR: Not understanding Pi is irrational, and not caring is as stupid as it gets.
99: "So what if [Pi is] irrational"
>
99: Firstly that is not a statement denying PI is irrational. Its simply stating that the problem with using doubles over multiple operations is that errors creep in due to rounding and other representational errors.
I never said PI is not irrational, the problem is you dont understand the bigger concept i was talking about so you as always twist and bullshit.
@ninetyNineCents:
You never said it because you didn't realise it and said you didn't care even when told.You also clearly don't realise that every elliptic integral implementation has numeric error whether it uses doubles or any other representation known to man. I love that you think there is an elliptic integral without numeric error as long as you say the word 'abstraction' like the word boogeyman. If there was a general numeric method to calculate elliptic integrals without any numeric error, there'd be a faster analytical method, brainspace.
FR: You never said it because you didn't realise it and said you didn't care even when told.
99: Sorry thats not how the real world works. I never said anything remotely like what you claim, that makes you a liar and without honour because you dont have the manners to apologise.
FR: You also clearly don't realise that every elliptic integral implementation has numeric error whether it uses doubles or any other representation known to man.
99: Again i never said anything remotely like what you claim. My criticism was only about the lack of precision, (profanity) you are stupid.
Here we go again you make up shit that i never said, and thats why yet again you completely fail to produce any words of mine to back what you claim.
FR: I love that you think there is an elliptic integral without numeric error as long as you say the word 'abstraction' like the word boogeyman.
99: Yet again, i have never used the any of the following words: elliptic, integral or any synonym. My comment has always been about PRECISION, a word i have used many times.
I willlll sssss aaaa . yyyyy th th th th iii ssss ssss llllll ooooooo www lllyyyyyy.
My comment was allllllwaaaaa yyyys about precision loss andddddd yourrrrrr failure tooooo even try andddd and do the calculattiiiioon in a bbbbbb eeee tttt eeeerrrr waaaaa yyyyyy.
Feel free to quote where i said anything remotely like your sentence above.
@ninetyNineCents:
Show your code listing for a general elliptic integral without numeric error. You'll be quite famous for having changed the foundation of mathematics, except you are speaking uneducated hogwash.FR: Show your code listing for a general elliptic integral without numeric error.
99: Again i never said without numeric error, i said more precision.
(profanity) how stupid are you ? Why do you keep inventing words that i have never said. ?
Next time do us all a favour and before you rush to write up a stupid reply, find a quote by me that matches what you claim.
SHOW ME WHERE I SAID IT WAS POSSIBLE TO COMPUTE THE ANSWER WITHOUT ANY ERROR!!!
~
FR: You'll be quite famous for having changed the foundation of mathematics, except you are speaking uneducated hogwash.
99: No you are just a (profanity) idiot who doesnt know how to read and then spits out rants for things i never claimed.
No the problem is you dont grasp the concept of errors in fp computations, because you dont understand how to program.
@ninetyNineCents:
Why limit errors to floating point. How would fixed point be any better? "Don't" you understand "it's" a matter of rationality or again, "don't" you care. Is it in your considerable apostrophe blindspot (black hole).FR: Why limit errors to floating point. How would fixed point be any better?
99: Obviously you dont understand that CPU and FPU registers have a fixed size, while an abstraction can if they wish have a mantissa and exponent with far more bits (depending on memory etc).
When people work with doubles they dont care about precision loss, doubles and floating points are by their very definition most of the time inexact, they just want quick answers that are good enough. The problem is you had no clue about, you could have just said yes i dont care about the accuracy in the 10th digit or whatever but instead you got lost on a tangent because you are f**king stupid.
FR: How would fixed point be any better?
99: When did i say fixed point ?
I never used the term, you can verify this by searching for "fixed point".
@ninetyNineCents:
Hence why you are still waiting for the very first result from your infinity bit, no numeric loss computer. Catch up. "You're" trailing 5 insults behind.FR: Hence why you are still waiting for the very first result from your infinity bit, no numeric loss computer. Catch up. You're trailing 5 insults behind.
99: I quite clearly said that the precision one would use would be limited by memory. I never said no numeric loss, tahts twice ive said this.
@ninetyNineCents:
99 likes turtles: "tahts twice ive said this."Indeed it is. Materially, indeed it is. Tweety.
oh well dont try too hard, maybe one day you will manage something simple beyond being a try hard that throws TLA but doesnt understand how it all works.
@ninetyNineCents:
You "don't" even understand punctuation, Les Dyxic. Don't pretend to have a bigger picture and grand plan when "you're" a detailed hot mess of remedial and truant education.How many times have i shown you to be a total idiot now ?
How many times have you made claims and then been unable to provide things like quotes ?
Show some grace and honour and apologise for your bullshit and shutup.
@ninetyNineCents:
Hovering between 0 and NaN.You lied about programming "never" involving maths to protect your mathematically inept ego.
You lied about me posting personal code, a complete clutching overreach by you.
You "don't" even understand or care about the irrationality of Pi.
You lied about the origin of the comment and then tried to cover it up, talking about a bigger picture to a detailed lie.And "that's" just when "you're" not venting with frothing inarticulation. We are in heated agreement that maths, logic, truth, continuity, basic comprehension and grammar "aren't" for you. You "can't" force those.
99 Bottles of beer on the wall: "the problem with using doubles over multiple operations is that errors creep in due to rounding and other representational errors."
Name a single 'multiple operation' representation that allows general elliptic integrals without errors. You "don't" even get why "that's" a dopey thing to say. You would have to go to an actual university to understand your own ignorance, rather than just reciting Play School arched window factoids like the 'apparently' kid, and then blaming big pictures when you are wrong.
FR: You lied about programming "never" involving maths to protect your mathematically inept ego.
99: No i didnt, as i already explained i was answering a prior query.FR: You lied about me posting personal code, a complete clutching overreach by you.
99: Yet again you are misrepresenting what i said. Same problem as always you never provide quotes because they reveal something very different from what you claim.FR: You "don't" even understand or care about the irrationality of Pi.
99: Like always i never said PI is not irrational, here we go again with your bullshit and failing to show completely what i said.FR: You lied about the origin of the comment and then tried to cover it up, talking about a bigger picture to a detailed lie.
99: More lies, you want to impose upon me the comment i was replying too.Its always the same problem, complete and utter lies, without quotes so any reader can see what was actually said.
You keep inventing bullshit
FR: Name a single 'multiple operation' representation that allows general elliptic integrals without errors.
99: Here we go again, i never mentioned any of those terms, i was simply talking about precision and the loss of it after multiple FP operations and the resulting loss using doubles. Given you cant and wont provide a quote it shows how full of shite you are.FR: You would have to go to an actual university to understand your own ignorance, rather than just reciting Play School arched window factoids like the 'apparently' kid, and then blaming big pictures when you are wrong.
99: Straw man bullshit from a loser.You didnt even understand how to do calculations with more precision than doubles on x86.
@ninetyNineCents:
Watching you grow into a long double swan is quite an experience. Decades late, mind. Is that high technology in your country call centre backwater? I suppose, you've jumped into the 20th century from your ancient Egyptian subtraction technology, which is progress. You must be up to at least your third page of 'C how to program' by now, one show and tell factoid per page. It's good to see old text textbooks being put to good use with the underprivileged. I look forward to your proud operators tidbit. Maybe when you are a bit more advanced, and by ' a bit', I mean 'a lot', you'll learn that taking the painfully slow deep numeric route is outperformed in accuracy by interpolative methods. I can't blame you, though. You did the best Wiki search you could in the time.Is that high technology in your country call centre backwater?
Why would someone outside Australia be interested in ozbargains ?
How stupid are you ?
Hardly a shock, that your a dirty racist shit it goes with morons …
You did the best Wiki search you could in the time.
Show us which wiki page matches what you claim.
Then again we all know the only thing you can do is bullshit.
@ninetyNineCents:
"Hardly a shock, that your a dirty racist shit it goes with morons …"Country Australia, simpleton. Australia rode on the sheep's back for decades, but you are too thick to work out that Australia has rural country areas. You talk about context, but don't understand the simple word 'country'. You really are trigger happy and defensively misread that one, if only you could read. Or write a sentence. Why are you so insecure?
Anyway, I called it. All the mathematical understanding and elocution of a call centre TAFE hack. No wonder you couldn't care less about maths and know nothing about it.
@Frugal Rock: trolls always go for the personal attack when they can't win an argument.
Real character flaw there.
No amount of education can compensate for thisPS. ULTRA NERD TEST
can you quote pi to ten digits without reference
I'll get you started 3.14 … …@Beach Bum:
"looseing"? Keep going. Everyone who disagrees with me is either illiterate, or agrees with one.@Frugal Rock: why attack people when you are ?
You need to feel superior because you're insecure and scared that you don't matter one iota@Beach Bum:
"insucure", huh. 'u' and 'e' are quite far apart on a keyboard. Why would I feel 'insecure' about phonetic spellers? You're funny. It's more sadistic amusement.Smart people are rational, and being nice to inconsequential dullards is irrational. Dullards are nice to each other as a survival tactic, as their odds of survival go up with groupthink. Their individual decision-making is poor. If I was nice to you, it would be phoney, as in reality, unless you can derive a distance estimator for a mandelbox, you're just making up the numbers.
@Frugal Rock: ok thank you for an amusing moment ,
But I have more productive things to do.
Peace MuthaFarkrIf you were brilliant you would have suggested at the very least that developers should get involved in open source, because its a great learning experience, and you can also share your efforts with others. The fact you never suggested this shows that the idea never came into your head because you are lame pathetic person who only knows how to insult people with nonsense.
Before you open your big mouth i did suggest earlier that developers new and old should get involved with open source and github. Feel free to scan this page.
I dont lie. Then again we all know why you insult ,simply because you cant fail at it, then again there isnt much of future in it either.
FR: You talk about context, but don't understand the simple word 'country'
99C: We all know what you meant when you connected call centers and country. Who really knows why you had to mention call centers in the first place, but its hardly surprising considering how pathetic you are.
FR: Anyway, I called it. All the mathematical understanding and elocution of a call centre TAFE hack. No wonder you couldn't care less about maths and know nothing about it.
99C: Sure you did…
You are the one with no understanding, you still dont grasp the concept of precision loss and as shown in comments that follow you had no idea how to improve this precision.
@ninetyNineCents:
Where have you experienced precision loss the most, personally? Where is it most obvious, given you know about it so much, a good trick for someone who admits he can't programs maths. What is quantitatively the number one most common place everybody experiences it. I doubt you even know, given you "don't" think programming involves maths. What's the order of precision you are going on about. You don't even know that double numeric precision is often more than necessary in elliptic integrals, because you haven't even used them. When have you actually used them? You pretend you need long doubles or slower for no reason whatsoever. Tell us your application of them and reasons for needing greater than double precision. You are talking about something you have no idea even the order of, because you'd have to actually do something to find out. Perish the thought. It's interesting too, that you keep describing numerical error but incorrectly call it precision loss, two different things. You don't know the difference, and have never heard of truncation error.Where is it most obvious, given you know about it so much, a good trick for someone who admits he can't programs maths.
Really where did i say this ?
Perish the thought. It's interesting too, that you keep describing numerical error but incorrectly call it precision loss, two different things
Not in programming circles.
You don't know the difference, and have never heard of truncation error.
Says who ?
You my friend are the idiot, i gave you a free shot when i said doubles have 53 bit mantissas, lets see if you spot the error if there is one…Ive been waiting for you to say something about this but it appears you arent that quick.
You only get one reply, so make it a good one, of course skip the potty mouth.
@ninetyNineCents:
Did you wet yourself over the hidden bit, puddles, or is that your smokescreen to avoid admitting you "can't" program it yourself and don't even know the order. Was that when you brain-sharted that you didn't care if Pi was irrational, the stupidest admission possible. Quote your dyslexic screenplay out, and count how many times you "can't" spell "can't" and "don't" while "you're" at it. If you knew about truncation error, you "wouldn't" bang on about precision loss with respect to elliptic integrals. Do regale us with your usage of any of this. "It's" been noticably hollow up until now. "What's" the order of all your precision loss using doubles?99 Backflips: "My comment has always been about PRECISION, a word i have used many times."
Error matters far more, but you forgot or never knew. You "don't" know the difference between accuracy and precision. Your writing skills display neither accuracy, nor precision. Your maths is plain vaporware.
99 Stupidities: "So what if [Pi is ] irrational, doubles typically only have 53 or so bits in their mantissa, if you want accuracy you will have to an abstraction"
That's not even an English sentence, dimwit. Is that the answer: that you "can't" write a proper sentence? Cancel the tattoo. Who would even read beyond you saying you "didn't" care if Pi was irrational?
"How's" your smoothstep function going, or are you choking on simple matrix inversion? "You'll" love the precision involved, I'm sure. ;)
FR: That's not even an English sentence, dimwit. Is that the answer: that you "can't" write a proper sentence? Cancel the tattoo. Who would even read beyond you saying you "didn't" care if Pi was irrational?
99: Who said it was ?
Your the dimwit you are obviously a simpleton, just look at your replies, the vast majority are filled with completely made up bullshit.
~
FR: Who would even read beyond you saying you "didn't" care if Pi was irrational?
99: You obviously are too stupid to understand. WIth only 53 bits of precision it doesnt matter if PI is or isnt rational. Thats not the issue i was discussing, but we can all see grasping concepts isnt a strength of yours.
I will repeat this sllllooooowwwwwllly. FP Math involving any sort of number (rational/irrational) over a dozen of so operations will introduce errors, it doesnt matter if this involves rational, odd, even, zero, one, 2 or any number.
FP by design is always never precise.
@ninetyNineCents:
"Your the dimwit"? Eye dunn gud kwestshen too ce iph yu kud undastan Ingland langwadge. Wun chans uwe hav an yu neva evan scene da sed folt! Yu didden evan seen da larj pikcha luk aye dunn of sedd cpellink era. Ey lernd inn TAYF dat flotink poin is neva prcyse buy desine. Dey cud mak purfeked erashonall numba sisdem bud insted day chooz neva prcuys fowah kno reezon. Mabe too bee kool and hav dozzen of sew sedd larj pikchas taypped togever. Eye allwazz sa dat precizzon maters moist knot erraz coz dont no yy butt eye neva evan tryd. Nexx weak wen TAYF lesion iz bowt too contrakt da words yoo anned arr toogeva fowah insullte porpoises. Ey whil den apely doze sedd noledj too mi sedd innsulks for larj pitcher gane.Proof that ninetyNineCents has no idea:
ninetyNineCents: "FP Math involving any sort of number (rational/irrational) over a dozen of so operations will introduce errors, it doesnt matter if this involves rational, odd, even, zero, one, 2 or any number."
1.0 + 1.0 + 1.0 + 1.0 + 1.0 + 1.0 + 1.0 + 1.0 + 1.0 + 1.0 + 1.0 + 1.0 + 1.0 = 13.0
0.0 + 0.0 + 0.0 + 0.0 + 0.0 + 0.0 + 0.0 + 0.0 + 0.0 + 0.0 + 0.0 + 0.0 + 0.0 = 0.0
Java, floats or doubles. You have been PROVEN wrong, very, very simply. Zero. What were you thinking. Your programming really doesn't involve maths. Taste the failure.
No more replies from me unless you can fault this example proving your deluded, wrong world is the worst place to get advice from.
Thee you at the thee-thaw Thinday!
Writing good software is an art form, it doesn't require a degree. It does require good communication skills, intelligence and perseverance.
As for selection, a portfolio should speak for them. The comment about tossing applications without a degree sums up everything thats crap in the world.
A degree is not required. A relevant degree basically forces you to learn the basics, build up some experience, and train you to learn new software related technologies faster.
Writing good software isn't an art form. It's mostly problem solving - maths and science. Front end content developers do graphics design, they do artistic work, but it is still basically trying to solve problems (making things easier for people to understand and use).
Software development is nothing special. However, improvements are being made (we don't code boring stuff repeatedly) and more factors need to be considered now (never store or transmit customer data in plain text, automated continuous testing, blue/green deployment - zero downtime). We rely on divide and conquer to get bigger problems solved. Individually, each of us is just like a sand particle - very insignificant. Lousy job to be honest - dunno why an AMA is needed.
You can do Web sites without coding (and they will come with nice CSS, javascript and quite likely framework based scripts too). They are responsive (so they display nicely on PCs, laptops, tablets, phones). You can also develop mobile apps with virtually no coding nowadays.
"Software development is nothing special" well thats very disappointing? I guess telling everyone they are insignificant is one way of feeling good about yourself. I am sure Bill Gates and Steve Jobs thought the same, followed by every kid who became a millionaire because they wrote something so special that everyone had to have it.
The thought that what you do is insignificant is what holds us back from being great. Crafting something special is an artform, making something that works intuitively, meets peoples needs, exceeds expectations, looks great and changes the world we live in is very artful and significant. Maybe those that cant do this are insignificant by comparison and will always be part of the system but people shouldn't feel the need to drag everyone down to mediocrity. Yes its possible to do a lot of what people call programming these days with very little talent and even less thought but remember this was only made possible by someone with not insignificant skill!
Celebrate brilliance, respect talent, applaud eloquence and support enthusiasm. These are the qualities of an artist and are what I look for when recruiting.
The message I want to convey is this:
Don't get too excited on what you have already done as an IT person. We always seek to do something better, faster. Even if what each person did individually seems insignificant compared to other professions which save lives for example, IT people together can make a difference.
I don't agree that a relevant degree doesn't play a part. And reality is that some gun developers have sub-par communication skills (they are brilliant and valuable to the business). Some of them have unbelievable dedication. You don't need to be very smart or artistic to succeed in IT. Team work is important.
You cannot just have a team of people who just dream up new ideas. Ideas without actual implementation are just ideas. Don't forget testers, DBAs, network admins, business analysts, graphics designers, the legal team, marketing team, customer support and the managers). Whether we like it or not, it is strictly business sometimes. Companies don't always pick the best candidate (and when the downsizing happens, good people tend to leave first). I've seen examples that some of the managers, due to KPI requirements, simply let their best people go (and the way they do it is really unprofessional). HR team, due to budget pressure, refused to onboard good candidates. The world is not perfect. Apple let Steve Jobs go in the past.
A lot of software development has nothing to do with art. It has more to do with reliability, integrity, security, speed etc… There is a lot behind the scene. It's not just all front-end. That's why it is a called computer science. All the pretty pictures, groovy buttons get translated to 1s and 0s eventually. To develop graphics APIs, you need to be really good at maths. All the VRs, ARs you are seeing, there is a lot of maths behind the scene.
Web front-end development is just one type of software development. It is one area a software developer could specialise. However, that's not an UX designer, UI designer or graphics designer role.
UX, UI and graphics designs are three different areas. Some designers can do multiple of them. Some specialises in one.
Web front-end developers are responsible for implementing the approved/formalised UX/UI design (with the graphics, photos provided). They make sure events triggered by users are actioned properly. Ensuring the solution works on as many browsers and devices as possible. Developing code that's easily maintainable, extendable. Setting up automated test cases, integrated tests so code changes are tested before the test team do their testing. They also make sure the code can be deployed easily (automated). They work closely with UX, UI people, business people, and sometimes with legal team too. More importantly, they work very closely with API team or teams which provide the services they need to interact with.
Web front-end development is just one aspect of software development. It is quite often a small portion of the overall project. Some people think that's all it matters. In reality, it's not the case. Google isn't about super duper UX/UI. It is about finding the search results quickly and accurately.
Just because the lead UX/UI designer at Apple gets onto the centre stage or gets all the media attention, it doesn't mean all you need is a great UX to succeed. Apple have canned Steve Job's design vision: skeuomorphism design. They've gone with flat design since iOS 7. iPhone X notch is an UX compromise due to hardware technical limitations.
To most businesses, it is the product knowledge, business rules, trouble solving skills, the know hows, which are valuable. There is a lot of work behind the scene. We look at usage patterns, talk to the end customers, find out their pain points etc… It's not about being artistic or super smart. A lot of it is just hard work, your experience and knowledge. We constantly improve the way we work, being more flexible, being more adaptable to changes. It is team work, not a one man show.
Hi my laptop not work can you fix?
Sure, if you can afford my rate. I worked on fixing desktops and laptops before. My first laptop repair was to change the LCD screen.
Yes is broken, please fix. (joking btw)
Do you get random requests like that? Clients asking you to fix/do things completely unrelated to software development?
We do, from relatives or family friends. Some of us didn't just major in software.
It's not easy as you think because most people are quite switched on. So, we generally only get calls for hard, weird ones. I get more requests to fix software or network (wireless) issues than hardware ones. If you fixed their problems, they will call you next time they have more problems. If you couldn't fix their problems, they won't call you again.
My most recent call was about a laptop not able to turned on. The root cause was overheating. However, the person previously accidentally spilled some water onto the laptop. So, there was potentially water damage too. It was a laptop purchased overseas. She was able to retrieve the document she was working on, but I couldn't repair it (I don't have the parts).
If they'll happily pay and do it on your terms it's not a problem at all. I'm more referring to when you're contracted to do something else (in my case it was web development) and you're constantly receiving generic support requests from other employees. The amount of times I heard the words "you're the IT guy though right?"… No, the web developer is not the IT support guy.
I now work in support though, so it's not as annoying to receive such requests - I'm not expected to also complete other large projects while providing support lol
@dyl: The odd ones were: can you fix my TV and other household electronics? Unfortunately, hardware isn't my strong area. One of my colleagues did tease me coz. he is able to fix those (I think some of the uni courses are too theoretical here).
I did LAN party setup for a friend and network upgrade for a small company (coz. another friend wanted to do it - it paid well). Network setup isn't really something out of ordinary coz. I was a network admin (for my uni work experience, and I also worked part time during my final year in uni).
Proper web development is actually quite challenging nowadays. It is no longer just Mickey mouse HTML, CSS and basic javascript anymore (you guys also do CI/CD, Docker etc…). Experienced Web front end developers are multi-skilled… so you ARE an IT guy.
Afraid not, it's a hardware problem…
I want to create a full-screen countdown clock that counts down the time to the next event.
Time, details of events are in an excel sheet.
What's the easiest way to write a program that will count down to the next event, plus show what is coming after?
Unless it's for learning purposes, always use shit other people have already built for you.
Hi there,
Thanks for the suggestion. What I'm looking for is a greater level of flexibility.
I'd like to put for example, a weekend schedule together and have it count down to each event/session, not just one. I'd also like the interface to let me know what is the next upcoming event.
I've got an excel VBA script and sheet that does it all. Just want to convert it to exe format and neaten the GUI to run in fullscreen.
The easiest way to do this, is probably to write a small web app, and run chrome/firefox in fullscreen tbh, rather than learning to compile an exe.
Javascript is easy (albeit painful).
Thanks for the feedback. I'll look into it.
I have a basic understanding of HTML so will start there and read up on Javascript etc.
That's basically how the majority of the software dev industry works any way hahaha
You need Javascript, HTML, CSS, JSON, a free domain and hosting (Github page), and do your timesheet in CSV, not XLS. It'll be fun.
Dumb answer, Google calendar is enough.
@ktran88 wanted to write his/her own program.
Well sometimes people dont know whats best for them… why waste time and money when something that does 99% of the job is already available.
Use something like Google Calendar.
Can I borrow $2K please?
Sure, what is your Bitcoin address?
Sending right now. Wait 10 years and if you don't get it call me.
What are the wage brackets like? What could a junior/mid/senior expect to earn? I'm a software developer on the Gold Coast and an curious on the gap!
On the Gold Coast ex super:
Junior 50-70
Mid 70-90
Senior 90-120Very similar to Sydney. Gold Coast is not cheap to live in as well. U should stay there and not move to Sydney!
Do you worry your role could be outsourced or replaced by a cheap indian worker? How do you keep yourself relevant?
I don't.
I keep myself relevant by being good at what I do. I've worked with many companies who use South Asian dev houses and nearly all of them have had the same experience. Basically, you get what you pay for.
3 of the many companies I've worked for have tried outsourcing and brought development back in house. Good outsource Devs cost just as much anyway if you take in the risk and difficulties. I'm not saying outsourcing can't work, but to do it properly trashes significant setup cost and companies aren't willing to do it properly.
The first thing that comes into the mind of cheap indian worker is that he/she doesn't want to be cheap anymore.
He/she will use the very first opportunity (typically within 3 months) to find another job with better pay, leaving the company who hired them in the first place.
If the company who hired them was a big name company, it would be like a gemstone in their resume.
Because that's what I would do if I was that cheap Indian worker.
Everyone is trying to make a (better) living.
No.
Would you want your gas plumbing done by a cheap plumber?
Keep studying and improving myself, never burn bridges, build a team that can achieve things that I cannot achieve individually.
Outsourcing is not limited to overseas. Outsourcing can also be having a consulting firm taking over a portion of IT, or doing the entire project development. It is also short-sighted to think developers from India are cheap. India have gun developers too (the top ones prefer to work in the USA or Europe). Let's not kid ourselves here. One of my ex-colleague from India was a vet, he decided to change to IT (long story). He won awards here and is working in the UK (earning lots of money).
Outsourcing to a consulting firm can be a concern. Our dev group were very busy earlier this year, so consulting firm was brought in to do a big project. However, quite a lot of our devs have finished their projects. But, instead of re-assign them to that big project, the management team are struggling a bit to re-assign them. It's not all just technical. Sometimes it is just timing (and uneven demand). There is a lot of politics and financial reasons. Those often play a bigger part.
OP, which computing eras do you wished you lived/worked through and why do you think MIPS and Transmeta failed in the CPU market.
This era :).
Intel and AMD have cooler name
How much do you think the Village Ten Online Scape project, -$44 mill in 18 months, write-off, lead balloon was paying javascript contractors per day back in 2000? Question to the floor.
I was very young and wasnt in Australia back then so I cannot really tell.
My guess would be:
44 mil in 18 months = 2.44 mil per month operational cost
Assume development cost was 1.44 mil per month, per day cost was 48,000. Assume the team size was 50 to 60 then per person cost was 800 to 960 per day
@kaitok:
There was panic at executive/board level. MySpace had been bought by NewsCorp for big bucks. TheGlobe.com was IPOed in the states and hit US~$850 million, a good trick for a do-nothing company. There was no offshoring yet and company boards were panicking that they'd be left out of the party, so invested silly, silly money on projects. Combined with the Y2K 'disaster' and IPO frenzy, it's the Wall St era of IT. Everything collapsed but bubbled again with mobile a few years after. MySpace was once valued at US$12 billion and spent more NewsCorp billions destroying it…sold in 2011 for US$35 million.
The history of Davnet and Sausage Software is interesting on the local scale. Those companies were so volatile and nuts.@kaitok:
A delicious irony was the advertising campaign was going to be "There is no Scape". Too true.
MIPS and Transmeta failed because of intel. Microsoft (Windows NT onwards) plays a big part in the demise of MIPS (and RISC based CPU/workstations). With improved networking since Windows NT, PCs, with intel CPU performance rising makes UNIX workstations less attractive (they cost too much).
It is quite common in IT, hardware products and software products go through a life cycle. It's difficult to remain dominate for a very long period of time.
Are you Malaysian/Singaporean…?
No, but very close to Singapore
You're an Indonesian then.
Uhm no
Everyone is quite aggressive in here about what is the "best" way to have a developer career, and that uni degrees are useless or not, old devs are the best/worthless. Each to their own people, surely there are better things to ask/discuss in this AMA instead of being a peeing contest?
You are trying a moral form of the same one-upmanship. Maybe ask your own question, as the juniors measuring their full stacks are pretty funny. How did programming ever survive prior. Your advice would rob us of leather bound, reflux inducing moments like "3 of the many companies I've worked for". Now, back to my humdrum of being an Empathically Prehensile Tiger Team Intellectual Colossus Distributed Solution Deity in Logo. There's a buildup of turtle flock.
Freedom of speech so people can ask and comment on anything really. Besides I believe there are a lot of useful Q&A in this discussion thread.
I am a developer as well. Are you happy being a developer or do you wish you could be doing full time management leading teams?
I'm doing architecture work so half tech half management. Building a capable team is more challenging than solving technical problems individually.
Not really, most managers I've worked with don't give a damn about team building, they just keep saying "you guys sort it out amongst yourself bla bla bla, I don't want to know anything about it"
And on many occasions, we don't actually need those managers, when they're on holiday, things went more smoothly and without incidents.
I actually talked about building team, not managing team.
A capable team should be able to manage themselves. Managers are just there when team members need something like negotiating deadlines, getting paid overtime, dealing with politics, budgets for training etc…
@kaitok:
Sounds to me like managerial role can be outsourced easily. All you have to do just send them an email awaiting reply for all those issues above you mentioned.Doesn't matter when this 'manager' in Alaska, Siberia, India, as long as you get a reply and all done and dusted.
@Frugal Rock:
Proof ? When did i deny that PI is irrational ? Of course your favourite response is to make up lies that you cant substantiate with quotes.
On the other hand your continued bullshit here shows you dont understand that floating point operations gradually have errors in the lower bits due to rounding etc, especially after multiple operations.
We can all see you never mentioned this because you dont grasp the problem.