Shouldn't programmers know how to fix computers?
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I hereby grant you certification. http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/2007/03/the-works-on-my-machine-certification-program.html[^]
There are only 10 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who don't.
:) Thank you!
It was broke, so I fixed it.
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Fixed your title What drives me even more bonkers are developers who don't know how to put a shortcut to an app on the desktop. :doh: True story, that.
Fixed your title again. :)
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Fixed your title What drives me even more bonkers are developers who don't know how to put a shortcut to an app on the desktop. :doh: True story, that.
But, but, but ... I did put it on the desktop. See, right there it is, written on that sticky note, right there on the desktop, just next to the keyboard. Darn technicians just ought to learn to read.
CQ de W5ALT
Walt Fair, Jr., P. E. Comport Computing Specializing in Technical Engineering Software
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Does it drive anyone else bonkers when developers keep complaining about their windows PC blue screening? If you know how to program why can't you figure out how to fix your own computer, or at least start researching?
There are only 10 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who don't.
Especially when blue screens give very useful error codes. And when it BSOD's you can assume hardware or driver issue (and Windows is getting better at handling driver failure, so that doesn't always BSOD anymore, especially in graphics drivers), so that narrows it down a lot. Although personally I find it much easier to deal with when you custom build a computer (although, no computer I've built has ever had BSOD errors that weren't fixed with a driver update/reinstall) because you know exactly what piece of hardware you have, unlike pre-builts which may or may not have easily found part lists.
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Does it drive anyone else bonkers when developers keep complaining about their windows PC blue screening? If you know how to program why can't you figure out how to fix your own computer, or at least start researching?
There are only 10 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who don't.
So a VB6 developer (the term is loosely applied here) should know how, and have the tools available, to debug Windows drivers written in C++ ?
Failure is not an option; it's the default selection.
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Does it drive anyone else bonkers when developers keep complaining about their windows PC blue screening? If you know how to program why can't you figure out how to fix your own computer, or at least start researching?
There are only 10 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who don't.
I can relate though. I blue screened like 3 computers in a row when I first started my job. I rely heavily on the guy in the next office if I have computer problems. I'm a linux user. I know little to nothing about windoze admin type things. To me , everything is backwards or muddy. I use windows because that's what they use here ( I am getting much better with it, but it has taken some time), but to me it's more like a big IDE than anything else. I use VS, Netbeans, Gedit, etc. not the OS itself. If something goes wrong I'm about the last guy in the office who can fix it. I could re-install every time something went crazy, but that would take a lot of time.
If it moves, compile it
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Shouldn't computer technicians know how to program?...
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Fixed your title What drives me even more bonkers are developers who don't know how to put a shortcut to an app on the desktop. :doh: True story, that.
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I don't know, works on my machine.
It was broke, so I fixed it.
One of the good things about being poor is that I have to do something really, really stupid to make the tabloids. But I can fix my own computer!
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Does it drive anyone else bonkers when developers keep complaining about their windows PC blue screening? If you know how to program why can't you figure out how to fix your own computer, or at least start researching?
There are only 10 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who don't.
IT needs something to keep busy. Honestly, it can be a situation where a developer's time is worth more than IT guy's, developer can go on working on shit (adding value to company/product) while IT guy does his thing. But yeah, I agree they should be able to fix most things on their own.
"I have a theory that the truth is never told during the nine-to-five hours. " — Hunter S. Thompson
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So a VB6 developer (the term is loosely applied here) should know how, and have the tools available, to debug Windows drivers written in C++ ?
Failure is not an option; it's the default selection.
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Does it drive anyone else bonkers when developers keep complaining about their windows PC blue screening? If you know how to program why can't you figure out how to fix your own computer, or at least start researching?
There are only 10 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who don't.
Because many people can be very good at one thing and useless at another/everything else or simply don't care enough to bother learning. And knowing how to program may not be enough to give you the skills you'd need to diagnose and fix hardware. I mean, if you're that smart, (and here I might be hanging myself :)) have you worked out how to service your own car or replace the pistons? Can you plumb in a washing machine or build a fitted kitchen? No? Well, you're smart, couldn't you just research it? p.s. If my work pc blue screened I'd call the help desk and get them to deal with it (they'd be pretty miffed if they found me with bits of my pc all over the desk).
"If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur." Red Adair. nils illegitimus carborundum me, me, me
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Does it drive anyone else bonkers when developers keep complaining about their windows PC blue screening? If you know how to program why can't you figure out how to fix your own computer, or at least start researching?
There are only 10 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who don't.
Well, excuse me but network engineers and hardware technicians, whose entire job description is to fix computers, usually only know two things: 1) how to format the harddrive -> install windows 2) how to randomly replace parts until it works
Giraffes are not real.
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Because many people can be very good at one thing and useless at another/everything else or simply don't care enough to bother learning. And knowing how to program may not be enough to give you the skills you'd need to diagnose and fix hardware. I mean, if you're that smart, (and here I might be hanging myself :)) have you worked out how to service your own car or replace the pistons? Can you plumb in a washing machine or build a fitted kitchen? No? Well, you're smart, couldn't you just research it? p.s. If my work pc blue screened I'd call the help desk and get them to deal with it (they'd be pretty miffed if they found me with bits of my pc all over the desk).
"If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur." Red Adair. nils illegitimus carborundum me, me, me
mark merrens wrote:
I mean, if you're that smart, (and here I might be hanging myself :) ) have you worked out how to service your own car or replace the pistons? Can you plumb in a washing machine or build a fitted kitchen? No? Well, you're smart, couldn't you just research it?
But those cases are a significantly different, the computer is your tool and you should know how to maintain your own tools.
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Because many people can be very good at one thing and useless at another/everything else or simply don't care enough to bother learning. And knowing how to program may not be enough to give you the skills you'd need to diagnose and fix hardware. I mean, if you're that smart, (and here I might be hanging myself :)) have you worked out how to service your own car or replace the pistons? Can you plumb in a washing machine or build a fitted kitchen? No? Well, you're smart, couldn't you just research it? p.s. If my work pc blue screened I'd call the help desk and get them to deal with it (they'd be pretty miffed if they found me with bits of my pc all over the desk).
"If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur." Red Adair. nils illegitimus carborundum me, me, me
mark merrens wrote:
have you worked out how to service your own car or replace the pistons?
I still have never changed my car's oil. I barely know how to put gas in it. :)
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No. Blue screens provide error codes, you can look those up to determine the source, and then take appropriate steps to fix it (update/reinstall/rollback the driver, try to replace the hardware that causes the issue, etc.).
So you expect anyone who programs computers to also be a hardware technician? Most automobiles have many computerized systems in them. Do you expect the mechanic to be a computer technician? Do you expect them to be a materials engineer to determine why the brake pads have worn out?
Failure is not an option; it's the default selection.
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Does it drive anyone else bonkers when developers keep complaining about their windows PC blue screening? If you know how to program why can't you figure out how to fix your own computer, or at least start researching?
There are only 10 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who don't.
Are you kidding?? Right now, I wish "programmers" would figure out how to write code! But, since they have no experience with their own PC, the basics of how Windows works, how the basics of a computer works, basic security, how the Internet works, TCP/IP or HTTP and a web browser, fixing their own PC is now WAY above their heads. I wouldn't trust half these !#)@@#&)-wits to write "Hello World" in Notepad, let alone do it in the code of their own choice!
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Dave Kreskowiak -
Does it drive anyone else bonkers when developers keep complaining about their windows PC blue screening? If you know how to program why can't you figure out how to fix your own computer, or at least start researching?
There are only 10 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who don't.
ryanb31 wrote:
Does it drive anyone else bonkers when developers keep complaining about their windows PC blue screening?
They do that a lot? Recently? I know it surprised me quite a bit when I managed to do that on Windows 7. It had been so long since I saw the blue screen that I figured it was gone for good. Certainly I almost never saw it on Windows XP. And so far it only happened once on Win 7. Other than that it has been a long time since I felt I was compentent to 'fix' most aspects of a computer itself. Although perhaps you were only referring to fixing applications (code) that the developer created themselves.
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mark merrens wrote:
I mean, if you're that smart, (and here I might be hanging myself :) ) have you worked out how to service your own car or replace the pistons? Can you plumb in a washing machine or build a fitted kitchen? No? Well, you're smart, couldn't you just research it?
But those cases are a significantly different, the computer is your tool and you should know how to maintain your own tools.
In construction, when our tools broke we either bought new ones or had the old one's repaired. I couldn't imagine having people taking apart air compressors, nail guns, power sanders, etc and trying to repair them on the job. Semi drivers do not work on their own trucks. Minor things like break adjustment and adding oil sure, but that's not really different than running scandisk on the pc.
If it moves, compile it
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So you expect anyone who programs computers to also be a hardware technician? Most automobiles have many computerized systems in them. Do you expect the mechanic to be a computer technician? Do you expect them to be a materials engineer to determine why the brake pads have worn out?
Failure is not an option; it's the default selection.
Well considering the job of a "hardware technician" is essentially the round peg goes in the round hole (does the hardware fit in that socket? Yes => it goes there; No => it goes somewhere else), the rest of it is all software side, yes. I'm not saying they should be able to recognize a blown capacitor and be able to replace it, but they should be able to Google some error codes, install some software, and worst case scenario replace a piece of hardware.
