> > OTOH, I get the commandline. Having a native ZSH, a simple to use > > package manager, and everything for free means that there's no > > reason for me to use Windows at all anymore. Windows just didn't > > work the way I needed, Linux does. I should say *nix does, because I > > also have an iBook which I love. > *shrug* That's where we differ. I use a Norton Commander clone (Total > Commander) in place of the command-line most of the time. I use the > command-line in Windows to great effect for many things, and I can > drop into Cygwin if I need to.
Ah, a fellow total commander addict. It's the one application I have installed on my Windows installation besides Warcraft 3, nikolai
-- ::: name: Nikolai Weibull :: aliases: pcp / lone-star / aka ::: ::: born: Chicago, IL USA :: loc atm: Gothenburg, Sweden ::: ::: page: minimalistic.org :: fun atm: gf,lps,ruby,lisp,war3 ::: main(){printf(&linux["\021%six\012\0"],(linux)["have"]+"fun"-97);}
Stephen Kellett <sn...@objmedia.demon.co.uk> wrote: > "There are five steps involved in creating a piece of software: > enumerating the requirements; designing the program; actually writing > the code; testing it; and then deploying it. "
> I disagree with this. There is definitely another step to be performed. > Hiring the right people. The right people for one project are not > necessarily the right people for another project.
I think this is closer
Project.hire() Project.requirements()
begin Project.design() rescue Project::RequirementsChange Project.redo_requirements retry rescue Project::SlackerProgrammer, Project::GroupCantGetalong Project.adjust_personnel retry end
begin Project.code() rescue Project::RequirementsChange Project.redo_requirements Project.redesign Project.arguments_with_spouse retry rescue Project::SlackerProgrammer, Project::GroupCantGetalong Project.adjust_personnel retry rescue Project::DesignActuallySucked Project.redesign Project.work_late Project.start_drinking retry end
> Quote from the article: > "There are five steps involved in creating a piece of software: > enumerating the requirements; designing the program; actually writing > the code; testing it; and then deploying it. "
> I disagree with this. There is definitely another step to be performed. > Hiring the right people. The right people for one project are not > necessarily the right people for another project.
> Stephen
Still one more step: Sell the bloddy hell out of the thing. Whether it be open source and your goal is downloads or commercial and your goal is $$, software isn't finished until it's in the end users hands IMHO.
Nikolai Weibull wrote: > However, what I think Paul is mainly talking about are > the Apple laptops, not necessarily Macintoshes in general. When it > comes to choosing a laptop, your basically bound to whatever is > available, as there is no easy way of building one yourself. Then, as > the market is today, you have a choice. You choose to go with something > that is either covered with Intel(R) Inside(TM) and a Microsoft(R) > Windows(TM) Pre-installed stickers or a big outline of an apple.
Just to let everyone know - you do have a choice when it comes to laptops. I bought a no-name barebones laptop (Uniwill 223ii), added the processor myself and installed Ubuntu GNU/Linux on it. The laptop looks cool, so does the Ubuntu desktop, and the performance is great because I got fast hardware for my money. No Windows tax and no Apple tax either, but great for developing Ruby code on!
For people in developing countries the cost of proprietary software (including the embedded marketing and legal costs) is an unnecessary and unwanted expense. Free software can provide for their needs, promote IT industry in their local economy and improve their nation's trade balance.
Great (Ruby) prog'ers can and will come from developing nations, but they don't need to be beholden to Microsoft or Apple to shine, neither do the rest of us.
On Thursday 31 March 2005 04:15, Nikolai Weibull wrote:
> * Bill Atkins (Mar 31, 2005 11:30): > > Paul Graham says a lot of things; his opinion about what "the best > > hackers" use isn't really a solid reason for me to consider shelling > > out a few thousand dollars for what, to me, is not an ideal system.
> I think DHH simply phrased his blog-entry a bit slopily,
I am not so sure of that ...
> What really matters, and this is the point DHH was > trying to make, are the tools that use, are contained in, and > are activated by clicking on them.
DHH said "... good programmers are wielding Macs. There's the odd exception of Linux here and there". So, the logic he follows is that IF you are a GOOD programmer, you will be using, or switching to a Mac, preferably a Power Book.
Clearly a troll, though I find his comments unfortunate. I have worked with a lot of exceptional programmers. Given that many of these projects where for embedded systems, their usage total of Macs was zero. DHH clearly implies that they aren't worth their salt. The same goes for those talented individuals I have worked with when we where doing client work on Sun boxes, on IBM AS/400s and so on.
How sad to have such a biased and unkind view of the world.
The question that I personally ask myself is, given these comments, why would I want to use Rails when there are lots of alternatives?
> Clearly a troll, though I find his comments unfortunate. I have worked with a > lot of exceptional programmers. Given that many of these projects where for > embedded systems, their usage total of Macs was zero. DHH clearly implies > that they aren't worth their salt. The same goes for those talented > individuals I have worked with when we where doing client work on Sun boxes, > on IBM AS/400s and so on.
But they don't 'wield them', do they? Not unless they're the size of king kong, at least.
> The question that I personally ask myself is, given these comments, why would > I want to use Rails when there are lots of alternatives?
The simple answer is 'because it's really good.'
The next question that springs to mind is:
'what the hell does the developers personality have to do with your choice of tools?'
-- 'The heroes claimed that they did care about people getting shot, so they crashed their cars into them instead.' -- DNA, on 'Starsky and Hutch' Rasputin :: Jack of All Trades - Master of Nuns
* Stephen Kellett <sn...@objmedia.demon.co.uk> [0346 17:46]:
> In message <20050331153203.GE43...@eris.tenfour>, Dick Davies > <rasput...@hellooperator.net> writes > >* Stephen Kellett <sn...@objmedia.demon.co.uk> [0335 15:35]: > >>Frankly, I hate Macs, because they are overpriced, proprietary, still > >>only have one mouse button, etc...
> >Come on now, guys, if you want to have a 'my OS is leetier than thou' > >argument, there are other places to do it.
> I'm having that argument. I was stating my reasons for disliking Macs.
That's cool, I'm just bitching to the world at large here...
-- 'zzz..Kill all humans. Kill all humans..zzz ..... I was having the most wonderous dream. You were in it.' -- Bender Rasputin :: Jack of All Trades - Master of Nuns
Stephen Kellett <sn...@objmedia.demon.co.uk> wrote: > Identify the statement that isn't true. Overpriced: Lots of others have > given examples. The other two statements are facts.
No, these are not facts. These are out-of-context pontifications. This kind of trollish bullcrap has been "debated" for more than a decade now, and I don't think that polluting this beatiful place with such nonsense is a good idea. I shouldn't have replied to begin with, but I can't help it. Sorry.
> If you like your Mac that is fine with me. Apparently me not liking Macs > is not fine with you.
No, you don't understand. I really don't care, if Windows is your cup of te a, so be it. I really, really don't care. However, I am really sick and tired of reading this kind of nonsense (that, and that Python is an elegant language). As I said, I should have just ignored these nonsensical drivels, but again, I just can't help it.
Now face it. Macs are better, they come with Ruby pre-installed :p
Object Oriented -- all OS components are first class objects (Oberon) Distributed Objects -- all OS components are distributed objects (Amoeba) No Files -- there is no concept of files at all, just an app (embedded OSs)
The "everything is a file" is a *nix mantra. The original MacOS wasn't like that at all.
Mark Probert <probe...@acm.org> wrote: > Given that many of these projects where for > embedded systems, their usage total of Macs was zero.
"A lot of early coverage of the Mac Mini compares it to desktop PCs, or even micro-ATX cases and other small PCs. What it looks like, though, is a high-end embedded development board. Comparing it to other embedded systems, you'll find that it's not much bigger, and it's smaller than some. It has a broader array of connectors, a faster processor, support for a very large amount of memory, and comes with self-hosted development tools. In short, if you look at it as an embedded development platform, it's a competitive one."
> I've finally started a blog. I really didn't want to go public with it > until I was sure I keep it up, but DHH posted a entry to his blog that > I feel compelled to comment on.
(I hadn't spotted the cross-posting at first, so here's a reprint for those not on that list)
There's no mistake. Hiring a programmer is a composite image of many things good and bad. For 37signals, it's definitely a disadvantage to still be a Windows user. I wouldn't say that it's impossible, just considerably harder, to convince us that it didn't matter too much.
The choices you make as a programmer serves as indicators for your cultural standing and performance. The kind of books you read, the methodologies that you favor, the pastime projects you're involved with, and yes, your choice of programming language and computing environment.
Just like hiring someone with a declared love for Java wouldn't make sense for 37signals, hiring someone who thinks that Windows is the best platform for open source use and development doesn't make that much sense either.
If your funds are tight, I'd see it natural that you picked a free alternative, like Linux.
Naturally, this is a fairly context-dependent recommendation. If your dream job is working on C# using Visual Studio for some Microsoft shop, then of course a Windows setup is a good pick. I'm going to be a bit baffled as to why that is, but I won't berate your choice of environment to pursue that dream.
On the other hand, if you want to work with open source technologies like the Rails stack of Apache/lighttpd, MySQL/PostgreSQL, Ruby/Rails, etc, I find a strong disconnect with doing so from Windows. It's just not a natural fit neither from a technological, cultural, or political perspective. Actively pursuing or celebrating this unnatural fit raises a red flag for me.
Additionally, I don't buy into the notion that discussion choice of computing platform is similar to discussing what color you like better or other instinctive matters. The choice is a conscious one and open for debate. -- David Heinemeier Hansson, http://www.basecamphq.com/ -- Web-based Project Management http://www.rubyonrails.org/ -- Web-application framework for Ruby http://www.loudthinking.com/ -- Broadcasting Brain
