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  3. Shouldn't programmers know how to fix computers?

Shouldn't programmers know how to fix computers?

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  • Z ZurdoDev

    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.

    B Offline
    B Offline
    Bjarne Havnen CodePort AS
    wrote on last edited by
    #71

    My computer is a tool that enables me to do my job, much like a nailgun is to a carpenter. If it doesn't work, I have someone fix it, or buy a new one. Nobody knows computers like in the beginning. It is too much to know, we have to specialize. That said, I would always TRY fixing anything myself.

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    • Z ZurdoDev

      I would actually feel lucky if I could meet you in person. Most of you hide behind the internet and pretend to be someone; whereas, if we were to meet in person and you actually got to know me, you would not say what you do. Don't worry though, it doesn't hurt my feelings. I think it is funny that you would spend the energy hating someone you do not even know. It's not my loss.

      There are only 10 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who don't.

      S Offline
      S Offline
      Slacker007
      wrote on last edited by
      #72

      I never said I hated you. I just don't like you. I am sure that if I got to know you more we would be friends, if not, best buds. However, right now, I think you are a boob.

      "the meat from that butcher is just the dogs danglies, absolutely amazing cuts of beef." - DaveAuld (2011)
      "No, that is just the earthly manifestation of the Great God Retardon." - Nagy Vilmos (2011) "It is the celestial scrotum of good luck!" - Nagy Vilmos (2011)

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      • S Slacker007

        ryanb31 wrote:

        that is just rude.

        It was supposed to be rude.

        ryanb31 wrote:

        That is a violation of lounge policies.

        Why yes, it is. You should feel lucky that I called you a boob. I don't call people names here much. I reserve my name calling to the special people.

        "the meat from that butcher is just the dogs danglies, absolutely amazing cuts of beef." - DaveAuld (2011)
        "No, that is just the earthly manifestation of the Great God Retardon." - Nagy Vilmos (2011) "It is the celestial scrotum of good luck!" - Nagy Vilmos (2011)

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        Nagy Vilmos
        wrote on last edited by
        #73

        Slacker007 wrote:

        I reserve my name calling to the special people.

        :thumbsup: Luckily, I put down the Gin before I opened that! You win today's Vilmos Award for Hilarious Observations! Your prize is +5.


        Panic, Chaos, Destruction. My work here is done. Drink. Get drunk. Fall over - P O'H OK, I will win to day or my name isn't Ethel Crudacre! - DD Ethel Crudacre I cannot live by bread alone. Bacon and ketchup are needed as well. - Trollslayer Have a bit more patience with newbies. Of course some of them act dumb - they're often *students*, for heaven's sake - Terry Pratchett

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        • N Nagy Vilmos

          I can't think why, but you make me think of cactus... 20+ years ago when I came into the PROFESSION there was a lot of cross over between hardware and software. It made life an elephant pain. Today we don't have to worry what the media is, we use it. Imagine rewriting your code because a new disk has been installed. It sucked. Big chunks. Today, we let the hardware boys deal with their voodoo. Their job is to make sure it works. Our job is to make sure we use it well.


          Panic, Chaos, Destruction. My work here is done. Drink. Get drunk. Fall over - P O'H OK, I will win to day or my name isn't Ethel Crudacre! - DD Ethel Crudacre I cannot live by bread alone. Bacon and ketchup are needed as well. - Trollslayer Have a bit more patience with newbies. Of course some of them act dumb - they're often *students*, for heaven's sake - Terry Pratchett

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          loctrice
          wrote on last edited by
          #74

          :thumbsup:

          If it moves, compile it

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          • S S Houghtelin

            Mike Hankey wrote:

            But I can fix my own computer!

            I do all my own repairs and diagnostics as well, but because I'm cheap, I'd rather spend 20 hours on a fix than pay some kid to pull out all the cards and say "I dunno" and charge me $75 to reformat my drive. I do repairs and charge other people though, I used to do it as favors but they keep coming back for more freebies every time their stupid kid visits a porn site. Charge them money and they return a little less often.

            It was broke, so I fixed it.

            Mike HankeyM Offline
            Mike HankeyM Offline
            Mike Hankey
            wrote on last edited by
            #75

            S Houghtelin wrote:

            I do repairs and charge other people though, I used to do it as favors but they keep coming back for more freebies every time their stupid kid visits a porn site. Charge them money and they return a little less often.

            I'm going to have to start doing that also, seems like they call you and want it fixed at your convenience as long as it's within the next hour. Now that I think about it a while back I got a call from a person I hadn't heard from in almost 3 years to come and fix his computer. At the time I had medical issues so I just didn't go which is very unusual for me.

            VS2010/Atmel Studio 6.0 ToDo Manager Extension

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            • S Slacker007

              I never said I hated you. I just don't like you. I am sure that if I got to know you more we would be friends, if not, best buds. However, right now, I think you are a boob.

              "the meat from that butcher is just the dogs danglies, absolutely amazing cuts of beef." - DaveAuld (2011)
              "No, that is just the earthly manifestation of the Great God Retardon." - Nagy Vilmos (2011) "It is the celestial scrotum of good luck!" - Nagy Vilmos (2011)

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              Z Offline
              ZurdoDev
              wrote on last edited by
              #76

              Actions speak louder than words. Your profile reads "I only trust those who tell me what I don't want to hear." I guess you do love me as much as you love boobs. I guess I should be flattered.

              There are only 10 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who don't.

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              • N Nagy Vilmos

                lewax00 wrote:

                But those cases are a significantly different, the computer is your tool and you should know how to maintain your own tools.

                I call BS! Can the delivery man service his truck? Can the carpenter repair his lath? Does Hamilton know how the car works? No, no and elephant no! Just because you know how to USE something does not require you to know HOW it works. I know full well how to plug a light in, but I certainly couldn't build the powe station that provides the electricity!


                Panic, Chaos, Destruction. My work here is done. Drink. Get drunk. Fall over - P O'H OK, I will win to day or my name isn't Ethel Crudacre! - DD Ethel Crudacre I cannot live by bread alone. Bacon and ketchup are needed as well. - Trollslayer Have a bit more patience with newbies. Of course some of them act dumb - they're often *students*, for heaven's sake - Terry Pratchett

                L Offline
                L Offline
                lewax00
                wrote on last edited by
                #77

                Nagy Vilmos wrote:

                Can the delivery man service his truck?
                Can the carpenter repair his lath?
                Does Hamilton know how the car works?

                All of these are significantly more difficult than plugging a board into a slot. Anyone who can figure out the children's toy where you put the round block in the round hole, the square block in the square hole, etc. has the skill necessary to change hardware in a computer. And a programmer should have the skill necessary to diagnose the error (i.e. google some error codes). And I'm sure all of them do some form of maintenance, the driver likely cleans out his own cabin, maybe fills up gas, etc. A dull tool will likely be sharpened, dirty ones cleaned, etc. Can you assemble a workstation (given a tower, monitor(s), keyboard, etc. can you attach them together)? Yes? Building a computer/changing hardware is identical to that. USB cable fits in the USB port? It goes there. PCIe card fits in the PCIe slot? It goes there. Building a power station is more like being given an empty board and some electronic components and building the motherboard/CPU/etc.

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                • B Bjarne Havnen CodePort AS

                  My computer is a tool that enables me to do my job, much like a nailgun is to a carpenter. If it doesn't work, I have someone fix it, or buy a new one. Nobody knows computers like in the beginning. It is too much to know, we have to specialize. That said, I would always TRY fixing anything myself.

                  Z Offline
                  Z Offline
                  ZurdoDev
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #78

                  But your finished product runs on a computer. Not only is it a tool, it is also the delivery platform for your finished product therefore you need to know a lot more about it. The carpenter is not delivering or building a nail gun.

                  There are only 10 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who don't.

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                  • Z ZurdoDev

                    Thanks, most of them are for personal reasons, not because of what I posted. I have many fans. Harold and Slacker are some of my biggest fans.

                    There are only 10 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who don't.

                    N Offline
                    N Offline
                    NormDroid
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #79

                    I am a fan of no one, I choose to upvote and downvote dependent on the content of the post. There are some folk that do like the content of my post, my thought is fuck 'em ;)

                    Software Kinetics Wear a hard hat it's under construction
                    Metro RSS

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                    • OriginalGriffO OriginalGriff

                      I have to agree. I know which I would prefer to stare at for half an hour.

                      Ideological Purity is no substitute for being able to stick your thumb down a pipe to stop the water

                      C Offline
                      C Offline
                      CPallini
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #80

                      How do you know? (I cannot decide between the left and the right) :rolleyes:

                      Veni, vidi, vici.

                      OriginalGriffO 1 Reply Last reply
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                      • C CPallini

                        How do you know? (I cannot decide between the left and the right) :rolleyes:

                        Veni, vidi, vici.

                        OriginalGriffO Online
                        OriginalGriffO Online
                        OriginalGriff
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #81

                        If you move to Norfolk, you could have the one in the middle instead!

                        Ideological Purity is no substitute for being able to stick your thumb down a pipe to stop the water

                        "I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
                        "Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt

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                        • Z ZurdoDev

                          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.

                          L Offline
                          L Offline
                          Lost User
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #82

                          Because I can call the teenagers that work in our help desk and go for a coffee while they come to my desk and fix it?

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                          • Z ZurdoDev

                            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.

                            P Offline
                            P Offline
                            peterchen
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #83

                            Because fixing computers takes a fucking lot of time, we are to expensive for that.

                            FILETIME to time_t
                            | FoldWithUs! | sighist | WhoIncludes - Analyzing C++ include file hierarchy

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                            • OriginalGriffO OriginalGriff

                              If you move to Norfolk, you could have the one in the middle instead!

                              Ideological Purity is no substitute for being able to stick your thumb down a pipe to stop the water

                              C Offline
                              C Offline
                              CPallini
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #84

                              Frascati[^] is nearer.

                              Veni, vidi, vici.

                              OriginalGriffO 1 Reply Last reply
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                              • L Lost User

                                Boobs are superior to ryanb31 in every way.

                                P Offline
                                P Offline
                                peterchen
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #85

                                Unless ryanb31 comes with an ample selection of the mentioned.

                                FILETIME to time_t
                                | FoldWithUs! | sighist | WhoIncludes - Analyzing C++ include file hierarchy

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                                • S Slacker007

                                  you ryanb31, are a boob.

                                  "the meat from that butcher is just the dogs danglies, absolutely amazing cuts of beef." - DaveAuld (2011)
                                  "No, that is just the earthly manifestation of the Great God Retardon." - Nagy Vilmos (2011) "It is the celestial scrotum of good luck!" - Nagy Vilmos (2011)

                                  L Offline
                                  L Offline
                                  Lost User
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #86

                                  There must be some past history between the 2 of you that I am not familiar with.

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                                  • Z ZurdoDev

                                    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.

                                    L Offline
                                    L Offline
                                    Lost User
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #87

                                    You would think someone who knows how to write the code behind a program would have a clue about what is happening in another program, that after all, WAS written by a programmer as well. I agree.

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                                    • V Vark111

                                      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.

                                      S Offline
                                      S Offline
                                      SimulationofSai
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #88

                                      There was this one time when I created a desktop shortcut on a Windows server only to have users complain that there is no shortcut. Ofcourse, what I had not thought about was different people use different logins and I should have placed the shortcut at the appropriate location. :-O

                                      SG Aham Brahmasmi!

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                                      • N Not Active

                                        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.

                                        H Offline
                                        H Offline
                                        HuntrCkr
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #89

                                        Mark Nischalke wrote:

                                        Most automobiles have many computerized systems in them. Do you expect the mechanic to be a computer technician?

                                        Yes, as a matter of fact, I do. In at least so far that he knows how to run a diagnostic on those computerized system. If he can't do that, then he isn't qualified to work on my car, and he should stick to fixing VW's ;)

                                        Mark Nischalke wrote:

                                        Do you expect them to be a materials engineer to determine why the brake pads have worn out?

                                        No, but I do expect him to be able to tell me that the brake pads are indeed worn out, not just simply "Uh, your car won't stop.... I don't know why!"

                                        Mark Nischalke wrote:

                                        So you expect anyone who programs computers to also be a hardware technician?

                                        So, by definition, a programmer is someone who makes a computer system do his bidding. Whether it be via a provided API, or direct to metal, makes no difference. If something goes wrong, I expect them to be able to find the problem, even if it turns out that the problem lies in the API... ie, if a "programmer" ever came to me and said "It doesn't work... I don't know why!", he loses all credibility in my eyes In short, I don't expect the programmer to fix the hardware issue, or the driver issue either. Just to be able to point to it, and say "This is what is causing the problem... Can you help me fix it?"

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                                        • Z ZurdoDev

                                          That is because you are a user of the car. Not what I am talking about.

                                          There are only 10 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who don't.

                                          G Offline
                                          G Offline
                                          GuyThiebaut
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #90

                                          I think I know where you are coming from in terms of the ideal. When I studied for my degree back in 1988 we were taught computer science. I have come across people with recent IT degrees who do not understand the workings of a hard drive - now someone may be a DBA and think that they don't need to know about hard drive architecture but nothing could be further from the truth - as the way data is physically stored on the disk will have a huge impact on database performance. Now for the reality - I work with many programmers and find myself again and again explaining why global variables are not generally a good idea and why decreasing coupling is also a good idea for the long run(making maintenance so much easier) - however the number of times I get blank faces and people disagreeing has got to the point where I no longer get frustrated. I now just quietly repeat my point and then wait for a few weeks after which I see them grimace in frustration when someone has named a global variable with the same name they want to use in their local variable... A good programmer will have a thirst for information and will learn more than they immediately need to know to perform their job - so yes ideally programmers need to know about hardware too(the decision to recently build my own desktop was one of the best choices I ever made with regards to IT). I also just gave you a +5 in sympathy for how frustrating it can be sometimes when other people have a limited scope of interest :)

                                          “That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.”

                                          ― Christopher Hitchens

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