I almost wanted to post this after my first three days on the job, there's been so much to talk about. This first week on the job have pretty much been all over the map: exciting, stressful, enjoyable, frustrating, rewarding... Overall, though, it's been great. I can see why people love the job and are extremely inclined to stick around. I'm also pretty sure I'll end up being one of those people.
It's been a weird mix of trying to learn a lot of material, and being thrown to the wolves. Days 1 and 4, they were filling me up with as much material about the job as is humanly possible. There were times I thought I'd end up like Cloud from Final Fantasy 7, unable to move and drooling all over myself from the information overload. There are about a dozen software programs I have to be familiar with, and half of those are seemingly vast and infinite in their intricacies and and complexities. As soon as I was given a brief overview about one, I'd quickly move on to another. One of the concepts I'm learning is even more difficult than trying to figure out the situation in Afghanistan. And there's still more I have to learn, some of which will become obsolete quickly as we work to upgrade our software system. If anything is going to push me towards rampant alcohol use, this sheer amount of information is it.
The other days, after going through the assault on my cognitive processes, I was left to my own devices to work on service requests for our client. It's the equivalent of giving a Cub Scout a crash course in survival, then leaving him in the Amazon with a broken leg and a knife. I'd read a request, for example, and see that our system's configuration had to be changed, or I'd have to write some SQL to make something work. Except I'm not too familiar with the system, and my knowledge of SQL up to this point has been limited to some Select and Join statements. I'd spend the rest of the day trying to implement a solution, only to figure out I'd been doing it wrong the entire time. I ended the day on that note Tuesday, frustrated and demoralized, wondering if I made the right choice or if I was cut out for the job. I like to consider myself a relatively bright guy, but I felt like an utter moron for the first time in ages.
That all changed Wednesday. I went back in and worked on another problem before returning to the rat bastard that bitch slapped me the day before. It took several hours, but by the end of the day I finally figured out what needed to happen. And I was able to do it. Google provided an assist, but left to my own devices I devised a solution even my team lead said was good and probably better than he would have came up with. The satisfaction of a job well done was exhilarating. I walked out more determined than ever to kick ass and take names, and knew then and there I had made the best career choice possible. It'll be really hard, but I've seen now I can do it. I can do well at this job.
A co-worker brought up a great point in a separate conversation. The company I'm working for specifically hires bright, Type A individuals because the work is difficult. They know it isn't easy, so they hire people who are self-motivated and determined to do the best work possible, and they compensate/treat them accordingly. It isn't for everyone. I've been told of people who burn out because they find it too stressful or just can't handle the load. That isn't a knock against them; more than anything, they're examples of why it's important to find ways to relax, pick up a hobby, or do something that takes your mind off work. It's why the company pushes people to use their vacation days, and forces them to take time off if they bank a lot of work hours.
Most importantly, though, is they don't expect me to become proficient in all this stuff within a month. My coworkers keep telling me not to worry if I don't understand everything because it takes time. I've heard from them it takes anywhere between 6 months to a year and a half to become comfortable and feel like you know what's going on. Even then, it might take more time. I've heard on a daily basis people say "Huh, I didn't know you could do that," or "I have no idea how that works" - and some of them have been around for five years. One of the service requests I was working on required five people to solve because no one knew how to do it on their own. Everyone keeps encouraging me to ask questions and not to be afraid to ask for help, because it will help me understand everything sooner. They've all been where I am, and are always willing to lend me a hand when I need it.
I wouldn't have things any other way. I didn't want to get into a job where I would perform rote, mundane tasks on a daily basis. I wanted to be challenged, to use my brain on a daily basis so I wouldn't be bored for 40+ hours a week. That's the way I'm wired, and it won't change any time soon. I just need to take things one step at a time, and use my brain to figure problems out for myself. If I need help, it's not because I'm incompetent, I just need to learn. It isn't embarrassing or weak of me to ask questions; I should be asking them. I will get to where I need to be. In the mean time, I just need to relax and have faith in my abilities. If I can do that, I know I'll be successful.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Food
-dary!
Now that I've had a little time to settle in, I've begun to venture around the Montgomery area in search of places to eat. Normally I'd cook (I love cooking), but the temporary housing I'm in has extremely little as far as cooking ware goes. I have a small pot, a sauce pan, a smaller sauce pan, and a regular pan. I also have a cutting knife, measuring cups, a spoon, a spatula, a cheese grater, and that's about it. The place did not come equipped with mixing bowls, a cutting board, casserole dishes, baking sheets, or a variety of other tools I like to employ. If I just pan cooked steaks or chicken it wouldn't be so bad, but I enjoy my toys. I like eating nice food; it's tasty, I can experiment with a wide array of cuisine, it comes out cheaper in the end, and I usually end up with plenty of leftovers. I found out today from a coworker that these places are normally better stocked, so I might have to kick down some doors this weekend, when I'll actually have time to do so. Either that or break down and make a trip to Target, right after I leave a flaming bag of poo in front of the leasing office.
With my preferred method of dining rendered incapacitated, I've been forced to eat out a lot. And so far, I have to say, it's pretty good, both in taste and value. The day I flew in I ordered a pizza from a place not too far from my apartment, and for $10 I got a large five topping pizza and marinara dipping sauce. There's a regional southwest food chain, Moe's, that makes a good burrito plus free chips and salsa for around $7. (Still doesn't beat Chipotle, though.) I've also had wickles: pickles that have been peppered and deep fried (more on that later), and found/was taken to a really sweet Mexican restaurant where I got two enchiladas, a tamale, and rice for $6.88. As an added bonus, there several Sonics within a couple miles of my place, which, as far as fast food goes, is pretty f'n fantastic. (Side note: I apologize for those of you who clicked on both those links. Apparently no one let either company know poorly designed Flash-based sites died years ago.)
On the flip side, if you want to eat healthy, you're pretty much shit out of luck. Tonight, for example, I went out looking for something light, like a salad or sandwich, to mix it up from the aforementioned burritos, pizza, and Sonic. Instead, I came back with a meatball "sub," which looked a lot like a medium deep dish pizza folded in half and sprinkled with parmesan cheese. The healthiest restaurant I've been able to find so far has been a Red Lobster, and I'm pretty sure that doesn't count. If I didn't know any better, I'd guess that the only four food groups were pizza, fast food, assorted fried food, and fried chicken. There are at least five different fried chicken franchises within a three mile radius of my place, possibly more since I haven't ventured very far north. On every menu I've seen you can get some fried chicken item, and it's gotten to the point where my chest and left arm start tingling when I drive by a Popeye's or Church's. The portions, as mentioned, are also pretty big, so even if you are trying to lose calories by eating less bad food, it won't work. It's really easy to see why the South has the highest rate of obesity in the nation. Unless you have the money to dine at more upscale $16 - $20 restaurants on a daily basis it's really easy to give into the temptation to get a bucket of fried chicken and call it good, especially if you have a family and/or are working. Eating healthy is definitely a choice, don't get me wrong, but being in this kind of environment is like trying to live an ascetic life working for Sterling Cooper.
It's because of the unhealthiness that I've decided to start working out again. I might die out here if my eating habits stay the way they are and I don't do something to balance the load. It's also one of the other reasons why I want to start cooking again. I know I'm young and my metabolism is still pretty good, but I can see myself gaining a decent amount of weight if I'm not careful. And I really don't want to see Fat Mark back in action. Finding time to do so, in addition to working 8+ hour days and being busy cooking, is going to be really difficult, but I need to get more active before I fall prey to sloth and gluttony.
Now that I've had a little time to settle in, I've begun to venture around the Montgomery area in search of places to eat. Normally I'd cook (I love cooking), but the temporary housing I'm in has extremely little as far as cooking ware goes. I have a small pot, a sauce pan, a smaller sauce pan, and a regular pan. I also have a cutting knife, measuring cups, a spoon, a spatula, a cheese grater, and that's about it. The place did not come equipped with mixing bowls, a cutting board, casserole dishes, baking sheets, or a variety of other tools I like to employ. If I just pan cooked steaks or chicken it wouldn't be so bad, but I enjoy my toys. I like eating nice food; it's tasty, I can experiment with a wide array of cuisine, it comes out cheaper in the end, and I usually end up with plenty of leftovers. I found out today from a coworker that these places are normally better stocked, so I might have to kick down some doors this weekend, when I'll actually have time to do so. Either that or break down and make a trip to Target, right after I leave a flaming bag of poo in front of the leasing office.
With my preferred method of dining rendered incapacitated, I've been forced to eat out a lot. And so far, I have to say, it's pretty good, both in taste and value. The day I flew in I ordered a pizza from a place not too far from my apartment, and for $10 I got a large five topping pizza and marinara dipping sauce. There's a regional southwest food chain, Moe's, that makes a good burrito plus free chips and salsa for around $7. (Still doesn't beat Chipotle, though.) I've also had wickles: pickles that have been peppered and deep fried (more on that later), and found/was taken to a really sweet Mexican restaurant where I got two enchiladas, a tamale, and rice for $6.88. As an added bonus, there several Sonics within a couple miles of my place, which, as far as fast food goes, is pretty f'n fantastic. (Side note: I apologize for those of you who clicked on both those links. Apparently no one let either company know poorly designed Flash-based sites died years ago.)
On the flip side, if you want to eat healthy, you're pretty much shit out of luck. Tonight, for example, I went out looking for something light, like a salad or sandwich, to mix it up from the aforementioned burritos, pizza, and Sonic. Instead, I came back with a meatball "sub," which looked a lot like a medium deep dish pizza folded in half and sprinkled with parmesan cheese. The healthiest restaurant I've been able to find so far has been a Red Lobster, and I'm pretty sure that doesn't count. If I didn't know any better, I'd guess that the only four food groups were pizza, fast food, assorted fried food, and fried chicken. There are at least five different fried chicken franchises within a three mile radius of my place, possibly more since I haven't ventured very far north. On every menu I've seen you can get some fried chicken item, and it's gotten to the point where my chest and left arm start tingling when I drive by a Popeye's or Church's. The portions, as mentioned, are also pretty big, so even if you are trying to lose calories by eating less bad food, it won't work. It's really easy to see why the South has the highest rate of obesity in the nation. Unless you have the money to dine at more upscale $16 - $20 restaurants on a daily basis it's really easy to give into the temptation to get a bucket of fried chicken and call it good, especially if you have a family and/or are working. Eating healthy is definitely a choice, don't get me wrong, but being in this kind of environment is like trying to live an ascetic life working for Sterling Cooper.
It's because of the unhealthiness that I've decided to start working out again. I might die out here if my eating habits stay the way they are and I don't do something to balance the load. It's also one of the other reasons why I want to start cooking again. I know I'm young and my metabolism is still pretty good, but I can see myself gaining a decent amount of weight if I'm not careful. And I really don't want to see Fat Mark back in action. Finding time to do so, in addition to working 8+ hour days and being busy cooking, is going to be really difficult, but I need to get more active before I fall prey to sloth and gluttony.
Rebirth (Long Post)
After being constantly harassed asked by lots of friends and family to "keep them posted" on how I was doing, and at the suggestion of my brother and his wife, I thought it would be a good idea to start blogging. Again. Not that I don't enjoy writing or human contact (I do), but this way is convenient for everyone involved to see how I'm doing.
(To play catch-up those of you who didn't know, or stumbled across my blog, I recently moved to Montgomery, Alabama for the first big job of my professional career, after graduating from the University of Montana this past May. The company for whom I am working installs software systems for various government agencies in order to to process all the taxes people and businesses file. I work as a consultant to install, implement, troubleshoot, and do whatever else is necessary to make sure this system works and is stable. After getting the job, they decided to send me to Montgomery for about 3 - 4 months before transferring me to (most likely) a new project, also somewhere in the South. After moving there, I'll live there for a couple years before going elsewhere, and the cycle repeats itself.)
Yesterday was a travel day, waking up at 4:15 am to pack my bags for a 7 am flight to Atlanta. Since this is a temporary assignment, the company wasn't paying to move my belongings, so packing was a struggle as many clothes as possible into two bags of luggage without either one of them exceeding 50 lbs (lest Delta Airlines charges me a $90 "overweight" fee). When I got to the airport I found out one was 3 lbs over, but after some crafty rearranging of belongings in my carry-on and CPAP case I was able to make weight. The sucky part came, though, when I realized my ticket had me in the middle of the row for my flight. As I'm 6'5", this was unacceptable. After making my way through security to my gate, I figured I'd talk to the service rep at the desk to see if there was anything he could do to help. I guess he appreciates passengers with a sense of humor, because after asking him if there were some animal sacrifice I could perform to get an emergency exit seat, he was able to get me one after a 20 minute wait.
What came as a shock to me, about moving and starting my career, happened when I got on board the plane. I was seated next to a soft-spoken guy who had an uncanny resemblance to Will Bailey from The West Wing, who worked for Microsoft. We struck up a conversation and he asked me what I did for a living. Then it hit me. "I'm a consultant." Up until now, I'd always been a student, studying whatever, wanting to do "x" as a career path. Now, I'm there. Instead of climbing rung after rung on a ladder, I can go and do whatever I want. The gravity of that personal choice and responsibility was (and still is) shocking in its scope and depth. It's an entirely new experience building my own "empire" by my own devices. As we got to talking about cloud computing and data security, it was funny for me to think of it as a conversation between two professionals. I've never been that before; even though I've worked other jobs before, I was still "student." Not anymore. I've officially reached the end of my beginning, arriving at a point where, more than ever, I'm the master of my own destiny.
A lot of that realizing must have taken it out of me, because about an hour later I started falling in an out of sleep. I probably would have slept the entire flight, but Delta has apparently found a way for a sponge and a slab of concrete to mate and have uncomfortable, bastard children as seat cushions. But the flight did go by faster, so that was nice. The layover in Atlanta was uneventful, as was the flight to Montgomery. When we landed, I started to perk up. This place is going to be home for the next several months, and I wanted to see what it was all about.
I thought our plane taxied to a terminal and I'd be greeted by more air conditioning. Turns out that "terminal" was instead a tarmac, and promptly greeted me with bright light and a bear hug of heat and humidity. At first I thought "hey, this isn't so bad, I can do this!" Ten seconds later: "Okay, now it's getting kind of hot." Thirty seconds later: "My place has air conditioning, right?!" (Fortunately, it does.) It also turns out that my rental car until the Prius arrives is a white Ford Flex. It looks funny, but it handles really well, has a lot of space, stylish interior, plenty of giddy-up, and good gas mileage for its size (24/17).
My apartment is also pretty sweet. After some initial trouble getting onto the property (it required a gate password I didn't have), I arrive to find it's more like a townhouse. I've got a single car garage (which the Flex won't fit in, but the Prius should), decent kitchen, living room, etc. I wish the TV were bigger, but other than that it's pretty nice. Especially the A/C.
(I'll post pictures of a lot of this stuff once I get a camera. Forgot to bring mine on the plane...)
Since moving in, I've done a lot of exploring and running of various errands to get all settled in. I also had dinner with my boss and his family earlier tonight. He's a really cool, down to earth guy, and seems like he'll be fun to work for. He didn't beat around the bush and let me know that the work will start pouring on me soon, but I wouldn't expect anything less. He did a lot to put my mind and ease and make me feel welcome. Going into dinner I was really nervous, but walking out I feel confident that I can do this and kick some ass.
Considering I'm learning so much at once I'll probably break some of my postings up by topic (like "Food") instead of having it all trickle through in several pieces. Those should hopefully happen more often than not, at least once or twice a week. Pictures will also follow as soon as I get a camera, or a family member/good friend decides to mail me one. *hint hint*
Work starts at 9 am. Time to be a productive member of society. This is going to be legen- wait for it...
(To play catch-up those of you who didn't know, or stumbled across my blog, I recently moved to Montgomery, Alabama for the first big job of my professional career, after graduating from the University of Montana this past May. The company for whom I am working installs software systems for various government agencies in order to to process all the taxes people and businesses file. I work as a consultant to install, implement, troubleshoot, and do whatever else is necessary to make sure this system works and is stable. After getting the job, they decided to send me to Montgomery for about 3 - 4 months before transferring me to (most likely) a new project, also somewhere in the South. After moving there, I'll live there for a couple years before going elsewhere, and the cycle repeats itself.)
Yesterday was a travel day, waking up at 4:15 am to pack my bags for a 7 am flight to Atlanta. Since this is a temporary assignment, the company wasn't paying to move my belongings, so packing was a struggle as many clothes as possible into two bags of luggage without either one of them exceeding 50 lbs (lest Delta Airlines charges me a $90 "overweight" fee). When I got to the airport I found out one was 3 lbs over, but after some crafty rearranging of belongings in my carry-on and CPAP case I was able to make weight. The sucky part came, though, when I realized my ticket had me in the middle of the row for my flight. As I'm 6'5", this was unacceptable. After making my way through security to my gate, I figured I'd talk to the service rep at the desk to see if there was anything he could do to help. I guess he appreciates passengers with a sense of humor, because after asking him if there were some animal sacrifice I could perform to get an emergency exit seat, he was able to get me one after a 20 minute wait.
What came as a shock to me, about moving and starting my career, happened when I got on board the plane. I was seated next to a soft-spoken guy who had an uncanny resemblance to Will Bailey from The West Wing, who worked for Microsoft. We struck up a conversation and he asked me what I did for a living. Then it hit me. "I'm a consultant." Up until now, I'd always been a student, studying whatever, wanting to do "x" as a career path. Now, I'm there. Instead of climbing rung after rung on a ladder, I can go and do whatever I want. The gravity of that personal choice and responsibility was (and still is) shocking in its scope and depth. It's an entirely new experience building my own "empire" by my own devices. As we got to talking about cloud computing and data security, it was funny for me to think of it as a conversation between two professionals. I've never been that before; even though I've worked other jobs before, I was still "student." Not anymore. I've officially reached the end of my beginning, arriving at a point where, more than ever, I'm the master of my own destiny.
A lot of that realizing must have taken it out of me, because about an hour later I started falling in an out of sleep. I probably would have slept the entire flight, but Delta has apparently found a way for a sponge and a slab of concrete to mate and have uncomfortable, bastard children as seat cushions. But the flight did go by faster, so that was nice. The layover in Atlanta was uneventful, as was the flight to Montgomery. When we landed, I started to perk up. This place is going to be home for the next several months, and I wanted to see what it was all about.
I thought our plane taxied to a terminal and I'd be greeted by more air conditioning. Turns out that "terminal" was instead a tarmac, and promptly greeted me with bright light and a bear hug of heat and humidity. At first I thought "hey, this isn't so bad, I can do this!" Ten seconds later: "Okay, now it's getting kind of hot." Thirty seconds later: "My place has air conditioning, right?!" (Fortunately, it does.) It also turns out that my rental car until the Prius arrives is a white Ford Flex. It looks funny, but it handles really well, has a lot of space, stylish interior, plenty of giddy-up, and good gas mileage for its size (24/17).
My apartment is also pretty sweet. After some initial trouble getting onto the property (it required a gate password I didn't have), I arrive to find it's more like a townhouse. I've got a single car garage (which the Flex won't fit in, but the Prius should), decent kitchen, living room, etc. I wish the TV were bigger, but other than that it's pretty nice. Especially the A/C.
(I'll post pictures of a lot of this stuff once I get a camera. Forgot to bring mine on the plane...)
Since moving in, I've done a lot of exploring and running of various errands to get all settled in. I also had dinner with my boss and his family earlier tonight. He's a really cool, down to earth guy, and seems like he'll be fun to work for. He didn't beat around the bush and let me know that the work will start pouring on me soon, but I wouldn't expect anything less. He did a lot to put my mind and ease and make me feel welcome. Going into dinner I was really nervous, but walking out I feel confident that I can do this and kick some ass.
Considering I'm learning so much at once I'll probably break some of my postings up by topic (like "Food") instead of having it all trickle through in several pieces. Those should hopefully happen more often than not, at least once or twice a week. Pictures will also follow as soon as I get a camera, or a family member/good friend decides to mail me one. *hint hint*
Work starts at 9 am. Time to be a productive member of society. This is going to be legen- wait for it...
Friday, May 8, 2009
Murky Waters
One of the issues that came up after Oracle acquired Sun was what would happen to its programming languages and free software systems. MySQL, Open Solaris, Open Office, etc. all belong to Sun, who was pretty proactive about the open source movement. Now that they've been bought out, it's interesting to wonder what Oracle does with these systems. Many people agree that the move was made so that Oracle could have more control/power over the direction Java takes, the programming language that runs the server Oracle makes a killing on. For both parties, the move makes sense.
However, there's no guarantee that Oracle won't pull the plug on any of the open source solutions and products Sun offers to "trim the excess fat," or "stop the hemorrhaging." If that happens to Open Office, for example, then what? It's easy to say look else where to find a comparable application but there isn't one that's as proven or reliable. More importantly, though, what happens when that application takes off and someone buys them out? There's a perception that anything free and popular in the technology world can make oodles of money if tweaked the right way (Facebook, Craigslist); or it needs to be bought out at a higher-than-valued rate to quash any competition (Google with YouTube). It's kind of like the old expression, "Information wants to be free. Information also wants to be expensive." Open source wants to be free, but it also wants to be bought, manipulated, and repackaged into something you have to pay money for.
This is a trend that is likely to continue. After all, if someone wanted to throw a billion dollars at me for something I created for free, there's no way I could say no. Still, I wonder if it's possible for a company or organization to not sell out and try to build an empire on open source software. The idealist in me says that yes, someone is going to make sure it's free. But the cynic in me says there's no way, the next big thing will always be bought out for vast sums of money.
However, there's no guarantee that Oracle won't pull the plug on any of the open source solutions and products Sun offers to "trim the excess fat," or "stop the hemorrhaging." If that happens to Open Office, for example, then what? It's easy to say look else where to find a comparable application but there isn't one that's as proven or reliable. More importantly, though, what happens when that application takes off and someone buys them out? There's a perception that anything free and popular in the technology world can make oodles of money if tweaked the right way (Facebook, Craigslist); or it needs to be bought out at a higher-than-valued rate to quash any competition (Google with YouTube). It's kind of like the old expression, "Information wants to be free. Information also wants to be expensive." Open source wants to be free, but it also wants to be bought, manipulated, and repackaged into something you have to pay money for.
This is a trend that is likely to continue. After all, if someone wanted to throw a billion dollars at me for something I created for free, there's no way I could say no. Still, I wonder if it's possible for a company or organization to not sell out and try to build an empire on open source software. The idealist in me says that yes, someone is going to make sure it's free. But the cynic in me says there's no way, the next big thing will always be bought out for vast sums of money.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
We Don't Like Yer Kind
I talked in one of my earlier posts about switching to Linux for my operating system, just to see how easy it is to install and use for an "average" user. For years the OS has been seen as something that only the more technically oriented computer user has, and many people (myself included) are daunted and confused when confronted with a command line interface (CLI). Over the past years, though, many Linux operating systems have converted to a graphical user interface (GUI) which makes things a lot simpler and easy to use.
While this is a great step, there's still one hurdle to overcome: having applications that can actually run on Linux. For example, my music player, Rhapsody, doesn't run on Linux. Neither do any of the Microsoft Office programs or Photoshop. While there are other (mainly open source) options available, they pale in comparison. It's much easier working with PowerPoint than it is with Open Office. And no other product even comes close to Photoshop.
A lot of this boils down to familiarity. Most people grew up using products created by Microsoft, Apple, Adobe, Sun, and other proprietary software companies. And while it's easy to say "you'll get the hang of it," not many people want to change if they don't have to. iTunes works fine and has a great GUI; why switch to mplayer? Not just at the personal level, but a lot of the corporate level developmental tools don't run on Linux either. If you're a company like Fast Enterprises that does all their work in Visual Basic, you can't find a program other than Visual Studio to do your coding. To be fair, many Asian countries, and most recently the UK are making the switch because of the money that can be saved. But in the corporate world it's going to take much longer, unless software companies start making their products Linux compatible, or open source developers make programs that offer the depth, ease of use, and quality of their proprietary counterparts.
While this is a great step, there's still one hurdle to overcome: having applications that can actually run on Linux. For example, my music player, Rhapsody, doesn't run on Linux. Neither do any of the Microsoft Office programs or Photoshop. While there are other (mainly open source) options available, they pale in comparison. It's much easier working with PowerPoint than it is with Open Office. And no other product even comes close to Photoshop.
A lot of this boils down to familiarity. Most people grew up using products created by Microsoft, Apple, Adobe, Sun, and other proprietary software companies. And while it's easy to say "you'll get the hang of it," not many people want to change if they don't have to. iTunes works fine and has a great GUI; why switch to mplayer? Not just at the personal level, but a lot of the corporate level developmental tools don't run on Linux either. If you're a company like Fast Enterprises that does all their work in Visual Basic, you can't find a program other than Visual Studio to do your coding. To be fair, many Asian countries, and most recently the UK are making the switch because of the money that can be saved. But in the corporate world it's going to take much longer, unless software companies start making their products Linux compatible, or open source developers make programs that offer the depth, ease of use, and quality of their proprietary counterparts.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Think, think, think...
After some careful consideration the topic I've decided to blog on is open source software; both its increasing prevalence and industry news/issues. Why open source? There are several reasons:
1. With a downturn in the economy, saving money and cutting costs is an issue that's on everyone's mind. By and large, open source software is free. Free as in beer, and free as in speech.
2. It isn't just for programming geeks anymore. Take Linux; what used to be a daunting task in mastering command line protocol is now made much easier and simpler with a graphic user interface. Most applications are now quite similar to what Microsoft and Apple offer.
3. Its prevalence is on the rise, mainly because of the previous point. Also, you can customize a lot of the things open source software (henceforth OSS) can do, and its damn near bulletproof as far as viruses and worms go, a popular selling point for many.
4. A lot of people are getting fed up with Microsoft and Apple, or they're finally realizing there's a third option out there. Some are finding that being locked into one of the two and whatever they decide to offer is a raw deal. It's the equivalent of a third political party in the U.S. finally being relevant; having other options is nice.
5. People are also realizing that open-source code can be a good thing, as bugs and glitches can be spotted and ironed out in no time, as opposed to waiting for the next update to come out that will fix things (but create some new problems as well). It's like publishing the Death Star's plans online: people would have spotted the problem with having a thermal exhaust port the size of a womp rat leading directly to the reactor. And they would have suggested ways of fixing it before some farm boy came along and blew the space station up.
Of course, there are issues with OSS like Linux. Red Hat CEO Jim Whitehurst made a good point that he doesn't know how to make money on it (though I disagree with the rest of his comments about how the desktop will soon become irrelevant, but that's a whole 'nother post). There isn't "the one" company that's the leader in open source that can go head-to-head with the big two, either. The open source movement is mainly a hodge-podge of smaller companies without a united front to make some real headway. And converting from one program to another can be a huge hassle.
To explore that last point, I'm going to try installing Ubuntu on my laptop over the break (or at least run it from a DVD) to see how it works, if there are any issues, how easy/hard it is, etc. I've been talking about it for a while and it's time I actually follow through. Which will make for an interesting next blog entry...
1. With a downturn in the economy, saving money and cutting costs is an issue that's on everyone's mind. By and large, open source software is free. Free as in beer, and free as in speech.
2. It isn't just for programming geeks anymore. Take Linux; what used to be a daunting task in mastering command line protocol is now made much easier and simpler with a graphic user interface. Most applications are now quite similar to what Microsoft and Apple offer.
3. Its prevalence is on the rise, mainly because of the previous point. Also, you can customize a lot of the things open source software (henceforth OSS) can do, and its damn near bulletproof as far as viruses and worms go, a popular selling point for many.
4. A lot of people are getting fed up with Microsoft and Apple, or they're finally realizing there's a third option out there. Some are finding that being locked into one of the two and whatever they decide to offer is a raw deal. It's the equivalent of a third political party in the U.S. finally being relevant; having other options is nice.
5. People are also realizing that open-source code can be a good thing, as bugs and glitches can be spotted and ironed out in no time, as opposed to waiting for the next update to come out that will fix things (but create some new problems as well). It's like publishing the Death Star's plans online: people would have spotted the problem with having a thermal exhaust port the size of a womp rat leading directly to the reactor. And they would have suggested ways of fixing it before some farm boy came along and blew the space station up.
Of course, there are issues with OSS like Linux. Red Hat CEO Jim Whitehurst made a good point that he doesn't know how to make money on it (though I disagree with the rest of his comments about how the desktop will soon become irrelevant, but that's a whole 'nother post). There isn't "the one" company that's the leader in open source that can go head-to-head with the big two, either. The open source movement is mainly a hodge-podge of smaller companies without a united front to make some real headway. And converting from one program to another can be a huge hassle.
To explore that last point, I'm going to try installing Ubuntu on my laptop over the break (or at least run it from a DVD) to see how it works, if there are any issues, how easy/hard it is, etc. I've been talking about it for a while and it's time I actually follow through. Which will make for an interesting next blog entry...
Monday, February 9, 2009
All About Me
Since the "About Me" section is pretty small I thought I'd start out by making my first post about me. My name is Mark Balcerak and I'm an Information Systems major at the University of Montana in Missoula. (A lot of people I know think it's in Bozeman so this warrants mentioning). I grew up in a suburb of Seattle called Kent for my entire life, living in the exact same house. Despite this, I went to schools that required a bit of driving; high school, for example, was 15 miles each way. I was part of a bowling league from fifth grade up through middle school and I still enjoy making it out to the lanes when I can. I played football in high school and I credit it for shaping me into the person I am today. It taught me a good work ethic, and that if I really wanted something and applied myself, I could succeed beyond my expectations. Sounds corny, I know. But I can't imagine what my life would be like otherwise. I'm also a huge fan of sci-fi. I grew up on Star Wars, Star Trek, and The X-Files, and have recently discovered (thanks to my insomnia) the completely awesome, tragically cancelled show Firefly. I'm also a comic book fan, my favorites being Watchmen (hugely excited for the upcoming movie) and Y: The Last Man. If you thought comic books were just for kids and geeks living in their own filth, you're dead wrong. Check out either one of these; I personally guarantee you will find them very well written and will enjoy every page you read.
I decided to go to Montana because I needed a change of scenery. It was also the only place I could see myself going to school. I looked at a lot of universities in Washington but I wasn't too excited about any of them. The summer before my senior year of high school I was coming back from a road trip to Colorado, and my cousin told me to stop in Missoula and take a tour of the town and campus, just to see whether I like it or not. About ten minutes into an informal tour of the campus I knew in my heart it was the place I wanted to go to school. And just like that, after a fifteen minute online application and a couple weeks of waiting, I got accepted.
I was a journalism major when I entered college, but after a couple years I found out it wasn't right for me. I couldn't see myself working as a journalist for a career so I decided to pick up some business classes. I've always been interested in the legal system (Jack McCoy was my favorite TV character growing up) and thought that business law might be right for me. But, yet again, the career path couldn't sustain my interest. One of the classes I took during this time was an introduction to information systems and I enjoyed the material that was being taught. I looked into it a bit more and found out that it was something I was extremely interested in. So I took the plunge and officially changed my major to Information Systems last summer. After one semester and a couple weeks through the second one I can say with confidence I made the right choice. I love working with technology. It makes sense to me, how it works and operates. It's hard to put into words but I find the entire concept of the world running on computers fascinating. Playing around with software that can change people's lives, or the way things are done, is exciting to me. I love team work and working on on things much larger than myself. The field is a natural fit for me.
As for what I want to do with my major, I can't say for certain what exactly it is I want to do. Considering that I'm graduating in December, I might want to work on this. What I do know is that I want to help people and work on diverse, interesting projects and problems. Consulting seems like a natural fit for this and I think that's the direction I'll end up going. I like making an impact on something much larger than myself, and I can see myself really enjoying consulting work.
I think I've rambled on far too long so I'll end here. Look for more, shorter blog posts in the future. Until then, live every week like it's shark week.
I decided to go to Montana because I needed a change of scenery. It was also the only place I could see myself going to school. I looked at a lot of universities in Washington but I wasn't too excited about any of them. The summer before my senior year of high school I was coming back from a road trip to Colorado, and my cousin told me to stop in Missoula and take a tour of the town and campus, just to see whether I like it or not. About ten minutes into an informal tour of the campus I knew in my heart it was the place I wanted to go to school. And just like that, after a fifteen minute online application and a couple weeks of waiting, I got accepted.
I was a journalism major when I entered college, but after a couple years I found out it wasn't right for me. I couldn't see myself working as a journalist for a career so I decided to pick up some business classes. I've always been interested in the legal system (Jack McCoy was my favorite TV character growing up) and thought that business law might be right for me. But, yet again, the career path couldn't sustain my interest. One of the classes I took during this time was an introduction to information systems and I enjoyed the material that was being taught. I looked into it a bit more and found out that it was something I was extremely interested in. So I took the plunge and officially changed my major to Information Systems last summer. After one semester and a couple weeks through the second one I can say with confidence I made the right choice. I love working with technology. It makes sense to me, how it works and operates. It's hard to put into words but I find the entire concept of the world running on computers fascinating. Playing around with software that can change people's lives, or the way things are done, is exciting to me. I love team work and working on on things much larger than myself. The field is a natural fit for me.
As for what I want to do with my major, I can't say for certain what exactly it is I want to do. Considering that I'm graduating in December, I might want to work on this. What I do know is that I want to help people and work on diverse, interesting projects and problems. Consulting seems like a natural fit for this and I think that's the direction I'll end up going. I like making an impact on something much larger than myself, and I can see myself really enjoying consulting work.
I think I've rambled on far too long so I'll end here. Look for more, shorter blog posts in the future. Until then, live every week like it's shark week.
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