Tim Nicholson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> And to Joseph or anyone else who would like to answer:-
>
> Can you possibly tell me what it is like to be a programmer (in I assume the
> Java language) in the real world ?
Can you tell me what the real world is? I have been a software developer
("programmer" is out of vogue) and a instructor of developers for over 15 years
and I have seen as many different work environments as you can imagine. I have
seen and been involved in successful projects that were:
- as high-ceremony as the pre-Vatican-II Roman Catholic church
- as chaotic as a Penticostal tent revival
- and nearly every point in between
Writing a complex program, regardless of work environment, is full of
road-blocks, strained collaborations, hair-tearing frustrations, brilliant
innovations, mundane (but carefully selected) copy-and-paste, and rewrites of
your rewrite's rewrites. Completing a good, clean program is a rush akin to
that Kurt Vonnegut had described in finishing a novel, having given birth
without all the mess. In my experience, only flying an airplane beats it, and
I can actually make money at it besides!
> What I mean really by that is, what sort
> of code do you write in your job ?
In my experience, all programming is collaboration. All, and I mean *ALL* truly
successful code I have written has been as a part of a team, or was a rewrite
of someone else's work, or was started by me and completed by someone else. I
have written and modified scientific and engineering code for ocean current
modeling, weather forecasting, and nuclear reactor safety testing. I have
written e-commerce code for grocery produce and health care buyer-seller
exchanges. I have written minor utilities to manage the unique printing needs
of a training organization (nametags, course certificates, class rosters,
etc.). I have written code used by the Navy for processing Aids tests. I have
written code used in internet-based skills testing. I have written server code
accessed by grocery store handheld barcode scanners.
> I assume you are working as a computer
> programmer ?
Very few people use "programmer" as a job title these days. I myself prefer
"software developer" or "software engineer".
> So what sort of code do you produce and work with in your job ?
See above. In the past, I have used APL, C, C++, Pascal, Fortran (77, 90, and
95), Unix shells, awk, yacc, VAX DCL, and PostScript (yes, I have actually
hand-written PostScript programs, and yes, I had a good reason for doing so).
I use Java almost exclusively now, with smatterings of XSLT (which I would like
to use more) and JavaScript (which I would like to use less). I am a firm
believer in object technology and I believe my code reflects that.
> And is this
> difficult code ?
Anything, * A N Y T H I N G *,
A N N Y Y TTTTT H H III N N GGG
A A NN N Y Y T H H I NN N G
A A N N N Y T HHHHH I N N N G GG
AAAAA N NN Y T H H I N NN G G
A A N N Y T H H III N N GGGG
worth doing is difficult. Otherwise, how do you know who you are?
> Would I find it difficult to understand and work with ?
Quite possibly yes, but it is hard to say, because I really do not know you.
In any case, this really is not a question someone else can answer for you
anyway. I think you have to find out for yourself.
What sort of "difficulties" do you find exciting and what sort are merely
unpleasant? If you can answer that (and it is *hard* to answer without trying
these things out for yourself, hence all of us curmudgeons telling you to do
your own homework), then you will know how to ask the right questions and find
the answers for yourself.
Sorry if all the above sounds terribly Zen and mystical, but it is,
nonetheless, true.
Good luck to you.
-- Roger
=====
-- Roger Glover
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