Do you "code at home"?
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I have no doubt that "coding at home" (or coding outside of work or regular job) is the best way to improve your skills and learn new things. So what kind of coding do you do outside of work? I normally focus on something which is radically different than the kind of programming I do at work. At work I develop windows and web applications, at home I focus on Mac OSX and mobile applications. At work I use ASP.NET and at home I play with Ruby on Rails.
May it be office work or personal, with no regards to where I do it, I do the same thing - Windows programming. May be it's time for me to get a life and learn something new. :)
“Follow your bliss.” – Joseph Campbell
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I have no doubt that "coding at home" (or coding outside of work or regular job) is the best way to improve your skills and learn new things. So what kind of coding do you do outside of work? I normally focus on something which is radically different than the kind of programming I do at work. At work I develop windows and web applications, at home I focus on Mac OSX and mobile applications. At work I use ASP.NET and at home I play with Ruby on Rails.
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I have no doubt that "coding at home" (or coding outside of work or regular job) is the best way to improve your skills and learn new things. So what kind of coding do you do outside of work? I normally focus on something which is radically different than the kind of programming I do at work. At work I develop windows and web applications, at home I focus on Mac OSX and mobile applications. At work I use ASP.NET and at home I play with Ruby on Rails.
See my signature :) I am not sure it qualifies as "radically different" from my work - the programming language is the same. But I do use a different platform (Linux), compiler (gcc) and debugger (gdb). Also, the coding style is very different from what I am required to do at work.
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I have no doubt that "coding at home" (or coding outside of work or regular job) is the best way to improve your skills and learn new things. So what kind of coding do you do outside of work? I normally focus on something which is radically different than the kind of programming I do at work. At work I develop windows and web applications, at home I focus on Mac OSX and mobile applications. At work I use ASP.NET and at home I play with Ruby on Rails.
no. At home, I relax, I have fun, I clear my mind... I have tons of things I do no need to do... and I enjoy it.
This signature was proudly tested on animals.
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I have no doubt that "coding at home" (or coding outside of work or regular job) is the best way to improve your skills and learn new things. So what kind of coding do you do outside of work? I normally focus on something which is radically different than the kind of programming I do at work. At work I develop windows and web applications, at home I focus on Mac OSX and mobile applications. At work I use ASP.NET and at home I play with Ruby on Rails.
Rama Krishna Vavilala wrote:
So what kind of coding do you do outside of work?
I've worked at home full or part-time, on and off since 1986. Presently that's where I code, full time. I've always used the tools M$FT was pushing at the moments, starting with PDS 7.1 through VB for MSDOS to .NET since 2001.
Jon God wrote the Universe in C, thus explaining the great amount of disagreement over how to interpret the documentation. Soap Box 1.0: the first, the original, reborn troll-less
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I have no doubt that "coding at home" (or coding outside of work or regular job) is the best way to improve your skills and learn new things. So what kind of coding do you do outside of work? I normally focus on something which is radically different than the kind of programming I do at work. At work I develop windows and web applications, at home I focus on Mac OSX and mobile applications. At work I use ASP.NET and at home I play with Ruby on Rails.
Not much anymore. I probably average 75 lines of code at home per day 7 days a week to add to the 200 lines I do 5 days a week on the day job. Hopefully those numbers compute to the 50K to 80K lines I churn out annually.
John
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I have no doubt that "coding at home" (or coding outside of work or regular job) is the best way to improve your skills and learn new things. So what kind of coding do you do outside of work? I normally focus on something which is radically different than the kind of programming I do at work. At work I develop windows and web applications, at home I focus on Mac OSX and mobile applications. At work I use ASP.NET and at home I play with Ruby on Rails.
At work, I write code... At home, I write fiction... I used to do some coding at home, too, and I still do on rare occasions, but after nine hours at the office, I just want to get away from reality for a while...
Proud to have finally moved to the A-Ark. Which one are you in? Author of Guardians of Xen (Sci-Fi/Fantasy novel)
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I have no doubt that "coding at home" (or coding outside of work or regular job) is the best way to improve your skills and learn new things. So what kind of coding do you do outside of work? I normally focus on something which is radically different than the kind of programming I do at work. At work I develop windows and web applications, at home I focus on Mac OSX and mobile applications. At work I use ASP.NET and at home I play with Ruby on Rails.
Rarely, cause I'm always too tired after I get home from work. But occasionally, when it's a bank holiday or something sometimes. I tend not to finish anything though like last time I had a few hours and was in a coding mood I did a basic pacman game spending most of the time on the AI (so each ghost would track the player in a different way) etc. I never got as far as adding a life counter, title screen etc even though such things would be quite simple.
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I have no doubt that "coding at home" (or coding outside of work or regular job) is the best way to improve your skills and learn new things. So what kind of coding do you do outside of work? I normally focus on something which is radically different than the kind of programming I do at work. At work I develop windows and web applications, at home I focus on Mac OSX and mobile applications. At work I use ASP.NET and at home I play with Ruby on Rails.
Rama Krishna Vavilala wrote:
So what kind of coding do you do outside of work?
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I have no doubt that "coding at home" (or coding outside of work or regular job) is the best way to improve your skills and learn new things. So what kind of coding do you do outside of work? I normally focus on something which is radically different than the kind of programming I do at work. At work I develop windows and web applications, at home I focus on Mac OSX and mobile applications. At work I use ASP.NET and at home I play with Ruby on Rails.
Yes, I code at home. I do all kinds of stuff, usually to reinforce a technique I'm using at work. Right now, I have several projects underway, but the Azure contest thing is sucking up most of my home coding time. I got an idea for yet a third azure page (not wholly original, or even technically advanced, but it should keep people busy for several minutes at a time). :)
.45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly
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"Why don't you tie a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat your candy ass..." - Dale Earnhardt, 1997
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"The staggering layers of obscenity in your statement make it a work of art on so many levels." - J. Jystad, 2001 -
I have no doubt that "coding at home" (or coding outside of work or regular job) is the best way to improve your skills and learn new things. So what kind of coding do you do outside of work? I normally focus on something which is radically different than the kind of programming I do at work. At work I develop windows and web applications, at home I focus on Mac OSX and mobile applications. At work I use ASP.NET and at home I play with Ruby on Rails.
I used to but ever since outsourcing has made me compete at a pay level akin to being a manager at McDonalds I no longer care. The sad part is I am still pretty darn amazing at my job.
Need custom software developed? I do custom programming based primarily on MS tools with an emphasis on C# development and consulting. A man said to the universe: "Sir I exist!" "However," replied the universe, "The fact has not created in me A sense of obligation." --Stephen Crane
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I have no doubt that "coding at home" (or coding outside of work or regular job) is the best way to improve your skills and learn new things. So what kind of coding do you do outside of work? I normally focus on something which is radically different than the kind of programming I do at work. At work I develop windows and web applications, at home I focus on Mac OSX and mobile applications. At work I use ASP.NET and at home I play with Ruby on Rails.
No, I have too many other things to do at home. However, if I didn't code at work I would definitely code at home. Also, if disaster struck and I had to find another job where I was sitting a computer but not coding I think I would find a way to code there too.
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I have no doubt that "coding at home" (or coding outside of work or regular job) is the best way to improve your skills and learn new things. So what kind of coding do you do outside of work? I normally focus on something which is radically different than the kind of programming I do at work. At work I develop windows and web applications, at home I focus on Mac OSX and mobile applications. At work I use ASP.NET and at home I play with Ruby on Rails.
I am building up my own test automation tool and in the process learning .NET properly as I hit problems/situations. Slow but it means I learn a section quite well instead of just plugging in a sample.
Join the cool kids - Come fold with us[^]
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I have no doubt that "coding at home" (or coding outside of work or regular job) is the best way to improve your skills and learn new things. So what kind of coding do you do outside of work? I normally focus on something which is radically different than the kind of programming I do at work. At work I develop windows and web applications, at home I focus on Mac OSX and mobile applications. At work I use ASP.NET and at home I play with Ruby on Rails.
It depends on how long you've been at it I think. I quite "coding at home" about 20 years ago, however if I want to learn something new or dabble I try these things out with the inevitable slew of in-house utility apps our business needs. I think when you're still new enough at the profession it's still fun to play with stuff that has no bearing at all on what you actually need to do, but as the years go by you tend to focus more and research all the options for work stuff, finding out what's appropriate for the task whether you know how to do it or not, then learning how to do it as necessary. There's just not enough hours in a lifetime to learn everything there is to know about software development and I'd rather balance my life out with stuff completely unrelated to my day to day job.
"Creating your own blog is about as easy as creating your own urine, and you're about as likely to find someone else interested in it." -- Lore Sjöberg
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It depends on how long you've been at it I think. I quite "coding at home" about 20 years ago, however if I want to learn something new or dabble I try these things out with the inevitable slew of in-house utility apps our business needs. I think when you're still new enough at the profession it's still fun to play with stuff that has no bearing at all on what you actually need to do, but as the years go by you tend to focus more and research all the options for work stuff, finding out what's appropriate for the task whether you know how to do it or not, then learning how to do it as necessary. There's just not enough hours in a lifetime to learn everything there is to know about software development and I'd rather balance my life out with stuff completely unrelated to my day to day job.
"Creating your own blog is about as easy as creating your own urine, and you're about as likely to find someone else interested in it." -- Lore Sjöberg
John C wrote:
, finding out what's appropriate for the task whether you know how to do it or not, then learning how to do it as necessary.
I fully agree with you, and to find out what is appropriate you have to know about it (often at home).
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John C wrote:
, finding out what's appropriate for the task whether you know how to do it or not, then learning how to do it as necessary.
I fully agree with you, and to find out what is appropriate you have to know about it (often at home).
Rama Krishna Vavilala wrote:
and to find out what is appropriate you have to know about it (often at home).
That's a big HELL NO! :) I'm a professional and I get paid to determine appropriate technology, I'm not a volunteer. If you want to volunteer and give time away to your employer and bring down your salary by diluting it with your free time have at 'er, but keep in mind your bringing down the rest of us when you or anyone else does that.
"Creating your own blog is about as easy as creating your own urine, and you're about as likely to find someone else interested in it." -- Lore Sjöberg
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Rama Krishna Vavilala wrote:
and to find out what is appropriate you have to know about it (often at home).
That's a big HELL NO! :) I'm a professional and I get paid to determine appropriate technology, I'm not a volunteer. If you want to volunteer and give time away to your employer and bring down your salary by diluting it with your free time have at 'er, but keep in mind your bringing down the rest of us when you or anyone else does that.
"Creating your own blog is about as easy as creating your own urine, and you're about as likely to find someone else interested in it." -- Lore Sjöberg
My point is simple, learning should not stop outside of 9-6.
John C wrote:
I get paid to determine appropriate technology
Sure! But keep in mind that a person who has a wider knowledge of different technologies can do a better job at selecting a technology than a person who has a shallow knowledge. Consider, a simple case. I am in a meeting with John Simmons and some other guy and deciding to use a right technology for a problem. As John Simmons is already familiar with Azure, he may recommend me Azure and show how Azure fits well for the solution. The other guy who has learnt only at work may not even know about Azure. Of course, it may also be that the other guy has heard about Azure (but not used it) and recommends it. In this case John Simmons can come up with exact points on why it is not suitable. Anyway, John Simmons is much more valuable to me than the other guy. In my case, I learnt mac and iPhone development on my own spare time and I have got contracts to develop something on them and I have developed some neat ideas (which may bear fruit) on which business problems they might solve (for certain users). All this is possible because I learnt in my own spare time.
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My point is simple, learning should not stop outside of 9-6.
John C wrote:
I get paid to determine appropriate technology
Sure! But keep in mind that a person who has a wider knowledge of different technologies can do a better job at selecting a technology than a person who has a shallow knowledge. Consider, a simple case. I am in a meeting with John Simmons and some other guy and deciding to use a right technology for a problem. As John Simmons is already familiar with Azure, he may recommend me Azure and show how Azure fits well for the solution. The other guy who has learnt only at work may not even know about Azure. Of course, it may also be that the other guy has heard about Azure (but not used it) and recommends it. In this case John Simmons can come up with exact points on why it is not suitable. Anyway, John Simmons is much more valuable to me than the other guy. In my case, I learnt mac and iPhone development on my own spare time and I have got contracts to develop something on them and I have developed some neat ideas (which may bear fruit) on which business problems they might solve (for certain users). All this is possible because I learnt in my own spare time.
I don't disagree at all with your premise with the sole exception that as a professional developer it's something I should be paid to keep on top of. Do you think any other profession would volunteer their own time to keep up with the latest developments in their profession? I'm fairly certain that lawyers, doctors, architects etc subscribe to professional journals, get them at work and read them at work. I keep on top of areas of interest to my company's situation. I don't and would never learn Ruby on Rails for example because there is zero potential *ever* that we would develop for it and I've long grown out of this being a hobby for me. This doesn't mean I'm not aware of everything out there and what it can do, but I save my actual targetted in depth learning for stuff that is relevant. In terms of what I do in my own spare time I think *not* programming is of far more benefit to my company than getting all burned out doing nothing but programming. For example I exercise regularly and intensively, I read a *lot* of books on a variety of subjects, I play team sports, I am a hobbyist photographer, gardener, amateur chef etc etc. I think a well rounded person is much more valuable and useful than on obsessed programmer that does little else. Your suggestion seems to me to be the last in a long line of rights that we as developers have happily given over opening the door to the gutting of our own profession. If we don't respect our own time how can we expect our employers to?
"Creating your own blog is about as easy as creating your own urine, and you're about as likely to find someone else interested in it." -- Lore Sjöberg
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I have no doubt that "coding at home" (or coding outside of work or regular job) is the best way to improve your skills and learn new things. So what kind of coding do you do outside of work? I normally focus on something which is radically different than the kind of programming I do at work. At work I develop windows and web applications, at home I focus on Mac OSX and mobile applications. At work I use ASP.NET and at home I play with Ruby on Rails.
I'm with John C on this one. Not only the less coding at home the better, but I restrict the use of a computer at home to a minimal amount. Do all my banking on it, exchange some emails, surf some for news, etc. I make sure I enjoy other past times instead. :)
Chris Meech I am Canadian. [heard in a local bar] In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is. [Yogi Berra]
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I don't disagree at all with your premise with the sole exception that as a professional developer it's something I should be paid to keep on top of. Do you think any other profession would volunteer their own time to keep up with the latest developments in their profession? I'm fairly certain that lawyers, doctors, architects etc subscribe to professional journals, get them at work and read them at work. I keep on top of areas of interest to my company's situation. I don't and would never learn Ruby on Rails for example because there is zero potential *ever* that we would develop for it and I've long grown out of this being a hobby for me. This doesn't mean I'm not aware of everything out there and what it can do, but I save my actual targetted in depth learning for stuff that is relevant. In terms of what I do in my own spare time I think *not* programming is of far more benefit to my company than getting all burned out doing nothing but programming. For example I exercise regularly and intensively, I read a *lot* of books on a variety of subjects, I play team sports, I am a hobbyist photographer, gardener, amateur chef etc etc. I think a well rounded person is much more valuable and useful than on obsessed programmer that does little else. Your suggestion seems to me to be the last in a long line of rights that we as developers have happily given over opening the door to the gutting of our own profession. If we don't respect our own time how can we expect our employers to?
"Creating your own blog is about as easy as creating your own urine, and you're about as likely to find someone else interested in it." -- Lore Sjöberg
I am not arguing about having well rounded life. I am talking about going beyond work hours to keep yourself updated. Both are not mutually exclusive.
John C wrote:
with the sole exception that as a professional developer it's something I should be paid to keep on top of.
I am with you but it does not work like that in the real world.
John C wrote:
I'm fairly certain that lawyers, doctors, architects etc subscribe to professional journals, get them at work and read them at work
Nope! The doctors :) I know (and I know a lot of them:) ) not only work hard (12-14 hrs a day). They have very less time to read at work. They spend some free time reading magazines at home. I do not know about lawyers and architects. You have to be competitive in jobs of Doctors and developers. Doctors more so than developers.
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modified on Wednesday, December 16, 2009 1:27 PM
