Shouldn't programmers know how to fix computers?
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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
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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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.
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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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.
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 -
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
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How do you know? (I cannot decide between the left and the right) :rolleyes:
Veni, vidi, vici.
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
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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.
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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 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 -
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
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Unless ryanb31 comes with an ample selection of the mentioned.
FILETIME to time_t
| FoldWithUs! | sighist | WhoIncludes - Analyzing C++ include file hierarchy -
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) -
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.
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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.
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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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.
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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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.
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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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.
So you know all the configurations of every pc the software will run on? you must work on apple
You cant outrun the world, but there is no harm in getting a head start Real stupidity beats artificial intelligence every time.
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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 have worked for companies that lock down the machine so tightly that even programmers havent got the access to do anything but report an issue. If my program was cause the BSOD then thats one thing, if it was something else then that something is corporate standard and I could be classed as unauthorised modification of company equipment, which in turn is a dismissable act in my T&C's. The company pays people to maintain the hardware, if I do it I am taking work from them and I know if a techie started writing software then I would be miffed.
You cant outrun the world, but there is no harm in getting a head start Real stupidity beats artificial intelligence every time.
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Doesn't that confuse (or at least disappoint) teenage boys a bit?
Ideological Purity is no substitute for being able to stick your thumb down a pipe to stop the water
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Doesn't that confuse (or at least disappoint) teenage boys a bit?
Ideological Purity is no substitute for being able to stick your thumb down a pipe to stop the water
-
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.
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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)LOL - Agree :)
