New Job - Day 1
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Time to go full Agile on them. Get source control, a build server, etc. etc. installed and running. Good developers like to learn things that will make their lives easier. Pray they have a few sitting around. And make sure you inject yourself into the hiring process.
Todd Smith
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John Simmons / outlaw programmer wrote:
On the bright side, the toilet paper they buy is some of the softest I've ever used.
Funny enough, I do rate companies by what quality toilet paper they use (and the state of the bathrooms).
xacc.ide
IronScheme - 1.0 RC 1 - out now!
((λ (x) `(,x ',x)) '(λ (x) `(,x ',x))) The Scheme Programming Language – Fourth EditionAt my last one I ended up fixing the non-flushing toilet myself regularly, because nobody else gave a damn, including the building manager not from our company. She did call the plumber every time it stopped flushing, but she never questioned why the plumber's fix only last about a week each time. Turns out it was the level behind the wall, that causes a button press to lift the flushing mechanism, 'pulling the chain'. It would rotate slowly until the button missed it. The plumber was getting paid call-out after call-out for just pushing the lever back each time.
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Well, they weren't quite ready for me to be hired. When I arrived at the office, there was nothing but a chair for me, and it looks like the last owner had a difficult time feeding himself. After about 20 minutes, they presented me with a barely used... ... printer stand. So I sat there for about an hour before someone decided I really should have a computer, so I got an old Dell P4 with... ... 1gb of RAM. <SARCASM> That's okay, the computer is only running XP, so it doesn't need the same resources as Windows 7. <SARCASM> I got my PC a piece at a time (kinda like Johnny Cash got his Psycho-Billy Cadillac), starting with the keyboard, followed 10 minutes later by a monitor. About five minutes after that, I got the actual PC, followed by a PS/2 mouse that wouldn't plug into the computer. About 20 minutes later, I got a VGA cable to connect the monitor to the computer, a power strip, and a Cat-5 cable. I asked what my login ID was, and - wait-a-minute - nobody created a profile for me, so I had to wait 45 minutes to get that set up. Among other issues, I cannot create folders on my hard drive - all I get when I click on the C:\ tree item in Explorer is a display that says something to the affect that "This folder contains system files and you can't see them because you will destroy your system if you mess with them". I asked about installing Visual Studio, and when I finally left at 4:15, they were still working on making an install CD from their MSDN ISO DVD. That process crashed with 2% of the DVD copy process to go (after taking about an hour to get that far), and that's when I left for home. They have all this code, and it's apparently not in source control, or if it is, it's not the latest version. They have outsourced a lot of their work to India and are bringing it back in-house due to the difficulties involved with out-sourcing to people who don't even know what a bank check looks like. On the bright side, the toilet paper they buy is some of the softest I've ever used.
.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."Dunno, but we must have diametrically opposite perspectives. I'd be as happy as a sandboy in a situation like that.
I wanna be a eunuchs developer! Pass me a bread knife!
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Christian Graus wrote:
So the anti outsourcing revolution is finally happening.
Three years ago the company I work for bought our largest competitor. At the time they had twice the market share we had. Almost all of their development work was being outsourced overseas. Their product had been going downhill and their stock was dropping. The first thing our CEO did was cancel all outsourcing contracts, bring the work inhouse and hire about 100 good devs. Things have gotten much better since then. That made me very proud to be working for the company I work for because I know my job won't ever be outsourced. My CEO knows that if you invest in your people, your people invest in the company.
Don't blame me. I voted for Chuck Norris.
You're making good for your company. You should give its name, I'm sure it would get a lot of resumes :)
You can't turn lead into gold, unless you've built yourself a nuclear plant.
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Well, they weren't quite ready for me to be hired. When I arrived at the office, there was nothing but a chair for me, and it looks like the last owner had a difficult time feeding himself. After about 20 minutes, they presented me with a barely used... ... printer stand. So I sat there for about an hour before someone decided I really should have a computer, so I got an old Dell P4 with... ... 1gb of RAM. <SARCASM> That's okay, the computer is only running XP, so it doesn't need the same resources as Windows 7. <SARCASM> I got my PC a piece at a time (kinda like Johnny Cash got his Psycho-Billy Cadillac), starting with the keyboard, followed 10 minutes later by a monitor. About five minutes after that, I got the actual PC, followed by a PS/2 mouse that wouldn't plug into the computer. About 20 minutes later, I got a VGA cable to connect the monitor to the computer, a power strip, and a Cat-5 cable. I asked what my login ID was, and - wait-a-minute - nobody created a profile for me, so I had to wait 45 minutes to get that set up. Among other issues, I cannot create folders on my hard drive - all I get when I click on the C:\ tree item in Explorer is a display that says something to the affect that "This folder contains system files and you can't see them because you will destroy your system if you mess with them". I asked about installing Visual Studio, and when I finally left at 4:15, they were still working on making an install CD from their MSDN ISO DVD. That process crashed with 2% of the DVD copy process to go (after taking about an hour to get that far), and that's when I left for home. They have all this code, and it's apparently not in source control, or if it is, it's not the latest version. They have outsourced a lot of their work to India and are bringing it back in-house due to the difficulties involved with out-sourcing to people who don't even know what a bank check looks like. On the bright side, the toilet paper they buy is some of the softest I've ever used.
.45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly
-----
"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."ROTFL!!! Sounds like some people just can't handle all the parts at the same time. (Some have to chose between the head and the butts). But they seem to be on the right track for improvment since they've hired you. So my question is are they intentionally trying to surf upon their initial success with the toilet paper, or did they hire you by accident? A hint might be to check wether some of the top management has been attending some "Offshoring Anonymous" classes lately... :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
You can't turn lead into gold, unless you've built yourself a nuclear plant.
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Well, they weren't quite ready for me to be hired. When I arrived at the office, there was nothing but a chair for me, and it looks like the last owner had a difficult time feeding himself. After about 20 minutes, they presented me with a barely used... ... printer stand. So I sat there for about an hour before someone decided I really should have a computer, so I got an old Dell P4 with... ... 1gb of RAM. <SARCASM> That's okay, the computer is only running XP, so it doesn't need the same resources as Windows 7. <SARCASM> I got my PC a piece at a time (kinda like Johnny Cash got his Psycho-Billy Cadillac), starting with the keyboard, followed 10 minutes later by a monitor. About five minutes after that, I got the actual PC, followed by a PS/2 mouse that wouldn't plug into the computer. About 20 minutes later, I got a VGA cable to connect the monitor to the computer, a power strip, and a Cat-5 cable. I asked what my login ID was, and - wait-a-minute - nobody created a profile for me, so I had to wait 45 minutes to get that set up. Among other issues, I cannot create folders on my hard drive - all I get when I click on the C:\ tree item in Explorer is a display that says something to the affect that "This folder contains system files and you can't see them because you will destroy your system if you mess with them". I asked about installing Visual Studio, and when I finally left at 4:15, they were still working on making an install CD from their MSDN ISO DVD. That process crashed with 2% of the DVD copy process to go (after taking about an hour to get that far), and that's when I left for home. They have all this code, and it's apparently not in source control, or if it is, it's not the latest version. They have outsourced a lot of their work to India and are bringing it back in-house due to the difficulties involved with out-sourcing to people who don't even know what a bank check looks like. On the bright side, the toilet paper they buy is some of the softest I've ever used.
.45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly
-----
"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."Well on the upside, you didn't have any VB.Net to do on your first day, that's gotta be a bonus!
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Well, come on now, they are using VB.NET so didn't you expect something like this? ;) Just think, after a week or so, you should be VP of Software Development if the place is ran that badly.
John Simmons / outlaw programmer wrote:
they were still working on making an install CD from their MSDN ISO DVD
I wonder, do they have only MSDN subscription and 20 developers or do they know the subscription is one per developer? Many IT departments seem to miss that point. One place I worked for had five subscriptions for the 20+ developers and the 12 (IIRC) quality check workers and marketers. Slightly under licensed ;)
Rocky <>< Recent Blog Post: Win2008 Server without FrontPage Extensions, really?
They're part of the Partner network (they even post their plaques for all to see), and have a single MSDN Enterprise subscription. I think that means "hand Visual Studio out like candy". Besides the CIO, I'm the only local programmer they have.
.45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly
-----
"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
-----
"The staggering layers of obscenity in your statement make it a work of art on so many levels." - J. Jystad, 2001 -
Well, they weren't quite ready for me to be hired. When I arrived at the office, there was nothing but a chair for me, and it looks like the last owner had a difficult time feeding himself. After about 20 minutes, they presented me with a barely used... ... printer stand. So I sat there for about an hour before someone decided I really should have a computer, so I got an old Dell P4 with... ... 1gb of RAM. <SARCASM> That's okay, the computer is only running XP, so it doesn't need the same resources as Windows 7. <SARCASM> I got my PC a piece at a time (kinda like Johnny Cash got his Psycho-Billy Cadillac), starting with the keyboard, followed 10 minutes later by a monitor. About five minutes after that, I got the actual PC, followed by a PS/2 mouse that wouldn't plug into the computer. About 20 minutes later, I got a VGA cable to connect the monitor to the computer, a power strip, and a Cat-5 cable. I asked what my login ID was, and - wait-a-minute - nobody created a profile for me, so I had to wait 45 minutes to get that set up. Among other issues, I cannot create folders on my hard drive - all I get when I click on the C:\ tree item in Explorer is a display that says something to the affect that "This folder contains system files and you can't see them because you will destroy your system if you mess with them". I asked about installing Visual Studio, and when I finally left at 4:15, they were still working on making an install CD from their MSDN ISO DVD. That process crashed with 2% of the DVD copy process to go (after taking about an hour to get that far), and that's when I left for home. They have all this code, and it's apparently not in source control, or if it is, it's not the latest version. They have outsourced a lot of their work to India and are bringing it back in-house due to the difficulties involved with out-sourcing to people who don't even know what a bank check looks like. On the bright side, the toilet paper they buy is some of the softest I've ever used.
.45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly
-----
"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
-----
"The staggering layers of obscenity in your statement make it a work of art on so many levels."John Simmons / outlaw programmer wrote:
I asked about installing Visual Studio, and when I finally left at 4:15, they were still working on making an install CD from their MSDN ISO DVD. That process crashed with 2% of the DVD copy process to go (after taking about an hour to get that far), and that's when I left for home.
Suggest they use something like Virtual CloneDrive to mount the ISO on your machine rather than making physical media...
Java, Basic, who cares - it's all a bunch of tree-hugging hippy cr*p
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But when you went to the interview, did you not suspect that this will be the case? I think in this case they are lucky to have you, you can take initiative and change lot of things for better.
Rama Krishna Vavilala wrote:
But when you went to the interview, did you not suspect that this will be the case?
No - I didn't have the opportunity to use the bathroom during the interview.
.45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly
-----
"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
-----
"The staggering layers of obscenity in your statement make it a work of art on so many levels." - J. Jystad, 2001 -
I don't know, but it is truly squeezably false. It felt so good that I was tempted to wash it off and make another pass.
.45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly
-----
"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
-----
"The staggering layers of obscenity in your statement make it a work of art on so many levels." - J. Jystad, 2001 -
John Simmons / outlaw programmer wrote:
I asked about installing Visual Studio, and when I finally left at 4:15, they were still working on making an install CD from their MSDN ISO DVD. That process crashed with 2% of the DVD copy process to go (after taking about an hour to get that far), and that's when I left for home.
Suggest they use something like Virtual CloneDrive to mount the ISO on your machine rather than making physical media...
Java, Basic, who cares - it's all a bunch of tree-hugging hippy cr*p
I did, and they said they had something called Magic ISO, but no that appears to be only a ISO creator. I'm gonna take VCD in with me this morning.
.45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly
-----
"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
-----
"The staggering layers of obscenity in your statement make it a work of art on so many levels." - J. Jystad, 2001 -
They're part of the Partner network (they even post their plaques for all to see), and have a single MSDN Enterprise subscription. I think that means "hand Visual Studio out like candy". Besides the CIO, I'm the only local programmer they have.
.45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly
-----
"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, 2001John Simmons / outlaw programmer wrote:
Besides the CIO, I'm the only local programmer they have.
Ah.. Now they have someone to blame locally ;)
Rocky <>< Recent Blog Post: Win2008 Server without FrontPage Extensions, really?
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Dunno, but we must have diametrically opposite perspectives. I'd be as happy as a sandboy in a situation like that.
I wanna be a eunuchs developer! Pass me a bread knife!
so true, so true a diamond in the rough - i can only dream to land such opportunity
Opium is my business. The bridge mean more traffic. More traffic mean more money. More money mean more power. Speed is important in business. Time is money. You said opium was money. Money is Money. Well then, what is time again? icalburner.net
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Well, they weren't quite ready for me to be hired. When I arrived at the office, there was nothing but a chair for me, and it looks like the last owner had a difficult time feeding himself. After about 20 minutes, they presented me with a barely used... ... printer stand. So I sat there for about an hour before someone decided I really should have a computer, so I got an old Dell P4 with... ... 1gb of RAM. <SARCASM> That's okay, the computer is only running XP, so it doesn't need the same resources as Windows 7. <SARCASM> I got my PC a piece at a time (kinda like Johnny Cash got his Psycho-Billy Cadillac), starting with the keyboard, followed 10 minutes later by a monitor. About five minutes after that, I got the actual PC, followed by a PS/2 mouse that wouldn't plug into the computer. About 20 minutes later, I got a VGA cable to connect the monitor to the computer, a power strip, and a Cat-5 cable. I asked what my login ID was, and - wait-a-minute - nobody created a profile for me, so I had to wait 45 minutes to get that set up. Among other issues, I cannot create folders on my hard drive - all I get when I click on the C:\ tree item in Explorer is a display that says something to the affect that "This folder contains system files and you can't see them because you will destroy your system if you mess with them". I asked about installing Visual Studio, and when I finally left at 4:15, they were still working on making an install CD from their MSDN ISO DVD. That process crashed with 2% of the DVD copy process to go (after taking about an hour to get that far), and that's when I left for home. They have all this code, and it's apparently not in source control, or if it is, it's not the latest version. They have outsourced a lot of their work to India and are bringing it back in-house due to the difficulties involved with out-sourcing to people who don't even know what a bank check looks like. On the bright side, the toilet paper they buy is some of the softest I've ever used.
.45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly
-----
"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
-----
"The staggering layers of obscenity in your statement make it a work of art on so many levels."I've been to some unprepared offices in my time, but I think your new lot has just won the grand prize. In fact, that story is so incredible that you could write a guest "How Not To Deal with a New Developer..." column for a blog/tech news site about it and everybody would think you'd made it up. Madness, really. Good luck banging heads together there - it sounds like that's just what they need.
Anna :rose: Tech Blog | Visual Lint "Why would anyone prefer to wield a weapon that takes both hands at once, when they could use a lighter (and obviously superior) weapon that allows you to wield multiple ones at a time, and thus supports multi-paradigm carnage?"
