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Real geeks die early

norbu09.org

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Re: Real geeks die early

#31

Post by wwortiz »

jmtame wrote: post #20
dca wrote: post #4

Apparently so do their shift keys.

does it bother you that people don't capitalize properly in their personal blogs? i never understood that. i read through it just fine. i know it's proper, but i guess i'm kind of lazy in that way. in the words of christopher walken: "i never liked capitalization. it felt like more of an imposition."

It bothers me; lack of capitalization makes me think a person didn't care enough to read over what they wrote even if it is just looking at the text as they write it.

Re: Real geeks die early

#32

Post by norbu09 »

dca wrote: post #4

Apparently so do their shift keys.

my shift key is fine (programming in erlang actually forces me to use it) but growing up in a non english country - and being forced to a lot more capitalization than english has - made me decide to refuse the capitalization thing entirely. it was a mix of movement and point against overly stressing the beginning of sentences and i somehow stuck with it. did not think that is was that much of a problem though :-)

Re: Real geeks die early

#33

Post by dca »

norbu09 wrote: post #32
dca wrote: post #4

Apparently so do their shift keys.

my shift key is fine (programming in erlang actually forces me to use it) but growing up in a non english country - and being forced to a lot more capitalization than english has - made me decide to refuse the capitalization thing entirely. it was a mix of movement and point against overly stressing the beginning of sentences and i somehow stuck with it. did not think that is was that much of a problem though :-)

It's not a huge problem. I enjoyed your post and can relate. Thanks for sharing it.

Re: Real geeks die early

#34

Post by waivej »

rimantas wrote: post #19
param wrote: post #2

I am making a transition from being a developer to a manager these days. I consider myself a passionate developer, and hence I never thought twice about spending time beyond 9-5 and getting a job done (as it made me happy). Now that I am a manager, I am working with multiple resources, some of which like to work for work's sake, some are good resources that will only work 9-5, and some losers that won't get a good jo…

More than once I had a wish managers would have read this book: http://www.amazon.com/Peopleware-Productive-Projects-Teams-S...

When I was made a manager, I had the company buy cases of that book: one for each person in the department.

Re: Real geeks die early

#35

Post by waivej »

mvp wrote: post #13
param wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

heh, sure. I see how my comment is coming off as bitchy and is being downmodded. However, I am genuinely curious. There are people in my team that are currently just working 9-5. There is one guy who is working nights and weekends because he likes it, and then there is one guy that's working (productivity wise) 25-30 hrs a week while missing internal milestones. Its frustrating to be in my place, because I feel sad f…

It is impossible to estimate accurately. I read somewhere which seem quite valid - "if we can't predict how much time was spent developing something even when we have the finished product at hand, what chance have we got of estimating something that is still up in the air". About managing people, the best you can do in your situation if you really care is to inspire those you think are not performing as well as they…

I'm not sure I agree with the estimating thing. Though I've only met one developer/manager that is good at estimating. He works at a steady pace and doesn't cave when people want things faster. It's tough at first but once you deliver on time, they respect your estimates.

He's also the only guy that I know that buys new cars with cash. He just puts away a "car payment" every month. When the old car wears out, he buys a new one.

It's tough to manage people that aren't pulling their weight. Take time to listen to what signals they are giving. If they want to work, help remove their obstacles. If not, do what you need to so the productive people don't get dragged down.

Re: Real geeks die early

#36

Post by rubinelli »

param wrote: post #7
potatolicious wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Second step: stop referring to people as "which". "which" is for things, "who" is for people. Replying to param, but don't want to spam another comment: > "b) understand the criticality of the deadlines," Why is the deadline critical? For whom? What is the programmer's stake in this deadline, and do your people feel like they have been treated fairly? To answer the first part, ask yourself seriously: what happens if…

sorry - English is not my first language. (Not fixing the comment to keep yours relevant) I think my question is being taken the wrong way. Let me try asking again: I have work X to get done. I have a team member who I would like to work on this. I ask them to estimate the work, validate the estimates and then track against the same. In the weekly status calls, if they are behind schedule, can not give a justifiable…

If you know developers X and Y aren't hitting their deadlines, then a weekly status call isn't enough. You will have to micromanage; this means at least daily one-on-ones, seeing with your own eyes what was produced, testing their finished products, and discovering _what is wrong with them_.

In me experience, poor performers aren't lazy. They either have personal problems, or burned out, or need something but are afraid of asking because, ironically, they thought it would make them look bad.

Re: Real geeks die early

#37

Post by pg »

jmtame wrote: post #28
pg wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Only 1/3 of the periods in e.g. this sentence signal the end of it.

i believe the correct grammatical use of "e.g." uses commas anyway, in which case i would have easily understood the example without caps: only 1/3 of the periods in, e.g., this sentence, signal the end of it.

No, whether you want commas depends on the sentence. Most good writers wouldn't punctuate that sentence as you did. Too halting for such a short sentence.

But this is not the point here, is it? The point is that any abbreviation with periods in it could appear in the middle of a sentence.

Re: Real geeks die early

#38

Post by jmtame »

pg wrote: post #37
jmtame wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

i believe the correct grammatical use of "e.g." uses commas anyway, in which case i would have easily understood the example without caps: only 1/3 of the periods in, e.g., this sentence, signal the end of it.

No, whether you want commas depends on the sentence. Most good writers wouldn't punctuate that sentence as you did. Too halting for such a short sentence. But this is not the point here, is it? The point is that any abbreviation with periods in it could appear in the middle of a sentence.

i don't think i'd use it that way either. i did a quick google search to check and the first thing that came up was this: http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/abbreviations/f/ievseg.ht...

i can only think of three exceptions where you'd need capitalization for additional information: acronyms, proper names, and abbreviations.

i've been doing this as a test since may 13, 2009. i've never run into the problem of a misunderstanding before due to lowercase and i usually write this way in all casual written forms of communication (email, sms texting, blogs, comments). i originally picked it up from a designer i admired back in 2008, and the habit kind of stuck after trying it.

Re: Real geeks die early

#39

Post by nollidge »

jmtame wrote: post #38
pg wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, whether you want commas depends on the sentence. Most good writers wouldn't punctuate that sentence as you did. Too halting for such a short sentence. But this is not the point here, is it? The point is that any abbreviation with periods in it could appear in the middle of a sentence.

i don't think i'd use it that way either. i did a quick google search to check and the first thing that came up was this: http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/abbreviations/f/ievseg.ht... i can only think of three exceptions where you'd need capitalization for additional information: acronyms, proper names, and abbreviations. i've been doing this as a test since may 13, 2009. i've never run into the problem of a misund…

But it's not about misunderstanding. We've all been on the Internet long enough to be able to slog through 1337speak and poor spelling and grammar, if we have to, with probably 99% understanding. However, it takes longer. As it is with capitalization--it doesn't prevent overall understanding, but it does slow it down, at least a little.

That said, maybe that's acceptable to you. Maybe you're going for a certain aesthetic.

Re: Real geeks die early

#40

Post by richieb »

param wrote: post #2

I am making a transition from being a developer to a manager these days. I consider myself a passionate developer, and hence I never thought twice about spending time beyond 9-5 and getting a job done (as it made me happy). Now that I am a manager, I am working with multiple resources, some of which like to work for work's sake, some are good resources that will only work 9-5, and some losers that won't get a good jo…

a)estimate right when given the chance,

First look up the definition of "estimate".

Second the shorter the estimate the more accurate it will be. So, I a developer says I can do this in a day that's probably mostly right.

But if he says that he can build something in 3 months, that's most definitely wrong.

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