Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with programmers

Don't Know Much About Mainframes, So I'm Intrigued...

mhh5 — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 15:54:09 -0800

What is a modern mainframe computer? IANAP So I randomly overheard some discussions about modern mainframe computing... and with all the "cloud computing" hype.. I'm sorta wondering what people mean nowadays when they say they work on a "mainframe" and what the most common work on mainframes is currently? Am I mistaken in thinking that mainframes mostly run nearly-obsolete COBOL programs for ancient financial systems? I assume so... so where can I brush up on what the "latest" is in mainframe software? Is there a vibrant mainframe developer community out there...? I assume it's all IBM -- but are there other developers for mainframe software?

A peek into your binary world

hayvac — Thu, 07 May 2009 17:01:33 -0800

Developers / coders / programmers: What do you wish your non-technical clients, bosses, and co-workers knew about the work you do? I'm a non-technical guy trying to bootstrap a software-as-a-service product to market. (I'm not just the idea/vision guy; the product requires my expertise on the content end.) I've mainly been dealing with contractors so far -- although my eyes are always open for a technical co-founder -- and I've predictably come up against differences in our expectations and assumptions.

Here are some lessons I think I've learned so far (feel free to correct me if any sound wrong):

-The feature I want most is always the hardest one to implement. (This actually makes sense, because if I wanted it and it was easy to implement, it would already be for sale.)

-Coders greatly appreciate instructions to code to standards.

-Specs should include a detailed explanation of how I want the end-user experience to go, not a description of how I think it should be done on the back-end (because I have no idea).

-It's valuable to learn enough about the technology to have an intelligent discussion with the contractor. It is not valuable to use that tiny bit of information to ask dumb questions.

-I should expect to be billed for time spent answering dumb questions.

I don't like being the clueless client. So I'd like to know, with no punches pulled: What do you wish your clients, bosses, and co-workers knew?

What happens to nerds that strike it big early in their careers?

vizsla — Wed, 14 May 2008 19:53:15 -0800

What happens to rank-and-file tech guys after they strike it rich in a tech boom? Do they keep working? How do they spend their money? Do they waste their lives away? Im not talking about the big shot entrepreneurs. I am talking about the typical developer who gets rich from options or from his share in the company. Anyone have any anecdotes, first hand experience or biographies? I've always wondered what happens to people after they don't have to work anymore.

Where can I get feedback on my programming?

giggleknickers — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 04:27:40 -0800

Is there some community where programmers can submit their work to each other and get feedback? I'm learning Java and rather new at it. I'd like some community where programmers can show what they've done and others will critique it. Your average java community probably wouldn't take too kindly to me making three threads a day saying "This is the latest thing I've done. Please give feedback!"

If there isn't such a community already, would anyone want to get together and make one?

Where can I find case studies on productivity gains from dual monitors for developers?

PWA_BadBoy — Thu, 02 Feb 2006 13:50:38 -0800

I am a Java programmer working for a reasonably large (read: not-so-quick-to-get-with-the-times) organization, and I'm trying to put together a case for having a dual-monitor setup for all our developers. I know for a fact it will be a huge productivity boost (as I've used dual monitors in the past), but I have to prove this to my manager via case studies, scientific studies, etc. that already exist on the matter.

Unfortunately, all searches on google for the topic just bring up vendor sites trying to sell their overly expensive dual monitor setups and obviously some very biased opinions on productivity gains.

I've only found one rather weak argument for "anywhere between 5-50%" on a Microsoft site but it is by no means sufficient.

Any relevant links would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

Help me hire a full-time programmer.

bigbigdog — Wed, 25 Jan 2006 09:17:25 -0800

Help me hire a full-time programmer. Right now I'm the sole developer in what should be a two-person team. It's been a few years since I was involved in the hiring process, and some of the people I hired were great but others just didn't work out. This time I want to get it right.

This is a small company, so we don't have an official HR or recruiting process, and I'm the only one who knows anything about software development. I'm going to be the senior developer responsible for training and guiding whoever we hire.

I'm not looking for advice on how to find candidates, as I'm sure we'll get more than I could interview. I'm looking for tips on how to judge programmers' skill and experience based on resumes and interviews, especially the interviews. Are puzzle-type questions useful? How about whiteboard programming questions? Is there a better way to find out whether someone will be a good match for the company?

Web support for dummies?

melixxa600 — Thu, 22 Sep 2005 00:19:30 -0800

Who in the world can help me manage/fix/customize my Movable Type website? I am completely clueless, too busy to learn the damn program myself, willing to pay someone likeminded to help me, chomping at the bit to really get my blog off the ground. I think I blew it. After posting on various diaries on Diaryland for 6 years, I got myself a domain and had a (supported, i.e. paid) version of MT installed on it by an online friend. She did it for free so I can't really ask her for any more help/support. I want to change things. I want to tweak things. I want to get the comments set up, fix the quotation module installed, change images, tinker with the design, add a blogroll-type thingy, font colors, etc. I have no idea how. Basically, my skills begin and end with a little self-taught HTML. I would also, in the longer run, like to set up a second or even a third weblog on there, one eventually to host a literary magazine. But back to just the tweaks for now: I have no idea how to find someone to help me do any of this who won't charge an arm and a leg and then leave me high and dry again. What to do? How to find someone?

Shape my future, please.

cheerleaders_to_your_funeral — Wed, 27 Jul 2005 10:15:54 -0800

Are programmers fun? In the long run, is programming fun? I'm asking this because I'm at a point in life where I've got to choose a line of study; and essentially choose what I'm going to be when I grow up. I already am doing some programming, on a hobby basis, just because I enjoy it, so studying something that to some degree is associated with making programs seems like a good idea.

Is that a good idea? If you have or used to have a job where most of time was used on programming, I'd like to hear your experiences.

Is it fun? Did it make you rich? Poor but happy, maybe? Rich but frustrated?

And on an entirely serious note: Will spending a large amount of time on programming make me loose my social skills? I've heard people say things like "try having a human conversation after talking in perl for 5 hours", and it makes me fear becoming the stereotype socially inept programming-geek I have pictured in my head. Given that I'm not like that already, will I become like that? What about my class mates? Is it likely that a disproportionate amount of them will in fact be socially inept, weird and smelly?

Are you self-thought, or professionally trained? How valuable is getting education compared to learning things on your own?

How attractive do you see programmers being on the work market, 5-10 years from now?

I know that was a lot of questions, but I will appreciate any answer to any of them. Thanks!

A few good geeks?

nyterrant — Thu, 02 Jun 2005 09:51:11 -0800

A friend of mine is starting a business and needs to find some hard core developers. How should he go about looking for them? A business school friend needs to find some professionals who can design and build the front and back end of an upload-intensive, web-based application with user-interactivity. He's a business type, and doesn't know where to look for good computer people. Is there is some kind of freelance job board where hard core developers go to look for work? Any pointers welcome.

Do "cool" careers suck as much as working at EA?

Stan Chin — Thu, 11 Nov 2004 07:46:31 -0800

This entry from an EA Programmer's wife (via /.) details working for EA to complete exhaustion. I'm a young guy, maybe I don't know, but it seems to me that most of your 'dream jobs' like working on a video game, a magazine, advertising, etc. are completely exploited by management because it's seen as a cool job. Also, hundreds of people are waiting to take your 80-hour work week 'dream job.' Is this pretty much the sharp edge to doing what you love to do? Most jobs are pretty shitty, but it looks like anything remotely creative/cool sucks beyond measure as far as hours and stress goes. Do all of these 'cool' careers suck this bad? Is it just something that comes along with the industry, and you should just shut up about it?