A lack of trust is one part of it, but essentially the company is trying to protect itself. Even the best employees will make mistakes sometimes. I think they try to be overly protective though, perhaps with good cause but it stifles productivity. I tend to work for smaller companies because they trust their employees more, give them flexibility in the use of tools, and try not to micromanage their employees.
I see the legal issues increasing though. Recent news such as what happened to Google employees in Italy attest to that. Society is too quick to throw blame and demand a pound of flesh. There is little tolerance for that fact that people are human and humans sometimes make mistakes. No one is perfect. Apologize, fix the issue or make reparations, and then move on. On Mon, Mar 1, 2010 at 10:40 AM, Viktor Klang <viktor.kl...@gmail.com>wrote: > > > On Mon, Mar 1, 2010 at 4:22 PM, Robert Casto <casto.rob...@gmail.com>wrote: > >> The need and purpose for many of these decisions is to avoid legal >> trouble. It is hard to argue with management when lawyers are telling them >> what they should do to avoid legal issues. There is no flexibility when >> decisions are based on that kind of information. I've known people using >> Notepad to create files because they couldn't get permission to install a >> tool. >> > > So the problem is that they hire people they don't trust. > No filter in the world (aside from death) can prevent someone from saying > the wrong thing. > > Sure there's always a need for security, but the solution for most of it is > cultural, not technical. > > If I were a professional carpenter, and I was hired to build a house, and I > was forced to work with one arm tied behind my back and a wooden hammer, I > simply wouldn't take the job. > If I were a doctor, and I was hired to heal someone, and they wanted to > force me to use steak knives instead of scalpels, I simply wouldn't take the > job. > > Part of being a professional is having the integrity, to be prepared to > walk away when someone wants you to be unprofessional rather than making a > poor job. > > And I truly believe, if your employer treats you with respect for your > professionalism, you will also respect your employer. > > >> >> On Mon, Mar 1, 2010 at 10:12 AM, Viktor Klang <viktor.kl...@gmail.com>wrote: >> >>> I believe the main problem is that very few have actually taken the time >>> to sit down and discuss what the needs are, what the purpose is, how to >>> measure if the solution is aligned with the needs and the risks associated >>> with strictness vs. nonstrictness. >>> >>> I fully understand the difficulty in measuring the soft values, but we're >>> people, working with other people, and failing to realize that will make for >>> very poor understanding of needs, benefits and costs. >>> >>> On Mon, Mar 1, 2010 at 4:02 PM, Robert Casto <casto.rob...@gmail.com>wrote: >>> >>>> You are right but this is a hard sell in many corporations. Many >>>> companies do not have the manpower or strong enough IT people to implement >>>> different sets of rules and so it is easier to dictate policy and make >>>> everyone follow it. >>>> >>>> Luckily I work somewhere where I can use whatever tool I find best to >>>> get the job done. The machine is monitored, updated, scanned, and >>>> everything >>>> else. But at least I can get the tools I need. I think that is what most >>>> developers want. Some flexibility to get the best tool or at least one they >>>> are familiar with so they can be productive. Even chefs use many different >>>> types of knives to get the job done. You don't just give them a paring >>>> knife >>>> and tell them to make due. >>>> >>>> On Mon, Mar 1, 2010 at 9:45 AM, Kevin Wright < >>>> kev.lee.wri...@googlemail.com> wrote: >>>> >>>>> This is about developer access to machines, not corporate droids in >>>>> general. Computers and the internet are very much the tools of our trade, >>>>> tools that are blunted and crippled by these security policies. The real >>>>> problem is not the policies themselves, but their indiscriminate >>>>> application. >>>>> >>>>> For example, when I was at primary school we had "safe" scissors that >>>>> weren't especially sharp and had rounded ends. This made a great deal of >>>>> sense, given that children and sharp things are not the best of >>>>> combinations; it was policy that these type of scissors were used >>>>> throughout >>>>> the school. >>>>> >>>>> However, the blanket ban on sharp objects didn't extend to the >>>>> kitchens, because it's accepted that knives are the tools-in-trade for >>>>> chefs >>>>> and cooks. The very attribute that makes a knife dangerous is the same >>>>> thing that makes it useful. >>>>> >>>>> When used at a developer level then computers are the same. Their main >>>>> strength lies in broad versatility and a capacity to be true >>>>> general-purpose >>>>> devices, why should this capability be prevented for professionals? >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> Carried to its illogical conclusion, a policy based on safety to the >>>>> exclusion of all else would have us all working on ipads, nothing but >>>>> jelly >>>>> and tapioca in the canteens, and the lawyers driving such policy should be >>>>> deprived of their books for risk of paper cuts. >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> On 1 March 2010 14:11, Wildam Martin <mwil...@gmail.com> wrote: >>>>> >>>>>> On Mon, Mar 1, 2010 at 15:06, Phil <p...@haigh-family.com> wrote: >>>>>> > Personally I'm inclined to side with them - non IT-Savvy people do >>>>>> > need protecting from themselves (once took a call from somebody >>>>>> > complaining he couldn't access the company intranet from his WiFi >>>>>> > enabled laptop, turned out he was in his car 20 miles from the >>>>>> > network, no 3G data connection or anything - no, really). >>>>>> >>>>>> What about a 2-day crash-course of general IT knowhow for every new >>>>>> employee? >>>>>> No technical aid beats good education. >>>>>> >>>>>> -- >>>>>> Martin Wildam >>>>>> >>>>>> -- >>>>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>>>>> Groups "The Java Posse" group. >>>>>> To post to this group, send email to javapo...@googlegroups.com. >>>>>> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >>>>>> javaposse+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com<javaposse%2bunsubscr...@googlegroups.com> >>>>>> . >>>>>> For more options, visit this group at >>>>>> http://groups.google.com/group/javaposse?hl=en. >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> -- >>>>> Kevin Wright >>>>> >>>>> mail/google talk: kev.lee.wri...@googlemail.com >>>>> wave: kev.lee.wri...@googlewave.com >>>>> skype: kev.lee.wright >>>>> twitter: @thecoda >>>>> >>>>> -- >>>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>>>> Groups "The Java Posse" group. >>>>> To post to this group, send email to javapo...@googlegroups.com. >>>>> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >>>>> javaposse+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com<javaposse%2bunsubscr...@googlegroups.com> >>>>> . >>>>> For more options, visit this group at >>>>> http://groups.google.com/group/javaposse?hl=en. >>>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> -- >>>> Robert Casto >>>> www.IWantFreeShipping.com >>>> Find Amazon Filler Items easily! >>>> >>>> -- >>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>>> Groups "The Java Posse" group. >>>> To post to this group, send email to javapo...@googlegroups.com. >>>> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >>>> javaposse+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com<javaposse%2bunsubscr...@googlegroups.com> >>>> . >>>> For more options, visit this group at >>>> http://groups.google.com/group/javaposse?hl=en. >>>> >>> >>> >>> >>> -- >>> Viktor Klang >>> | "A complex system that works is invariably >>> | found to have evolved from a simple system >>> | that worked." - John Gall >>> >>> Akka - the Actor Kernel: Akkasource.org >>> Twttr: twitter.com/viktorklang >>> >>> -- >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >>> "The Java Posse" group. >>> To post to this group, send email to javapo...@googlegroups.com. >>> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >>> javaposse+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com<javaposse%2bunsubscr...@googlegroups.com> >>> . >>> For more options, visit this group at >>> http://groups.google.com/group/javaposse?hl=en. >>> >> >> >> >> -- >> Robert Casto >> www.IWantFreeShipping.com >> Find Amazon Filler Items easily! >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "The Java Posse" group. >> To post to this group, send email to javapo...@googlegroups.com. >> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >> javaposse+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com<javaposse%2bunsubscr...@googlegroups.com> >> . >> For more options, visit this group at >> http://groups.google.com/group/javaposse?hl=en. >> > > > > -- > Viktor Klang > | "A complex system that works is invariably > | found to have evolved from a simple system > | that worked." - John Gall > > Akka - the Actor Kernel: Akkasource.org > Twttr: twitter.com/viktorklang > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "The Java Posse" group. > To post to this group, send email to javapo...@googlegroups.com. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > javaposse+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com<javaposse%2bunsubscr...@googlegroups.com> > . > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/javaposse?hl=en. > -- Robert Casto www.IWantFreeShipping.com Find Amazon Filler Items easily! -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "The Java Posse" group. 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