Ask Slashdot: No-Install Programming At Work? 386
An anonymous reader writes "Hello! Every summer (and other holidays) the work load at my job becomes minimal. I like scripting (HTML, CSS etc.) and would like to get into programming just to tinker a bit due to curiosity. At work we are not allowed to install anything except company approved software. Is there something I can program in that has an IDE like PortableApps.com? I guess I am asking for a recommendation on both language and IDE at the same time. Again, I want to reiterate that this is to satisfy my tinkering curiosity and thus not need something great, just something more advanced than HTML/CSS."
Codeacademy (Score:4, Informative)
Codeacademy.com
Re:Codeacademy (Score:5, Funny)
When I see that word it makes wonder what a deacademy is, and why two or more might unite.
Portable Python? (Score:5, Interesting)
You don't say much about language preference, but would Portable Python [portablepython.com] fill the bill? I know you asked for an IDE as well, and there might be options for that -- or really any text editor will do -- but this might be a place to start.
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Komodo Edit is pretty good for Python, and easy enough to shove on a USB stick [activestate.com].
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you could try putting portable virtualbox on a flash drive 32 gig aught to do and install say ubuntu or debian on a vm then do your development in there
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Re:Portable Python? (Score:5, Informative)
Actually, if this is the guy's first forays into "proper programming," I'd tend to maybe steer clear of an IDE, and certainly something as complex as Eclipse. You don't really need it, and a big IDE like that just becomes one more thing to learn, i.e. one more barrier to entry. If what you want to do is write a program and get that magic feeling of watching the program run and seeing it do what it's supposed to do, then just rush on in and do that! No need to learn some IDE. IDEs are great for people who do programming every day and who have to maintain big code bases and work within a group. But if all you want to do is learn to program, I say skip it for now. Save it for when you start doing something ambitious and the tools an IDE gives you are actually useful.
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I'd have to disagree. One of the key things an IDE buys you is an automated build. So instead of learning a bazillion compiler options, make, ant, and other tools used to control the build process, you just write the code in the IDE, click on debug, and you're off and tracing through your code.
I think one of the most valuable things an IDE like Eclipse or Visual Studio gives a new programmer is the ability to step through their code and see what it's actually doing, line by line.
You just can't get th
Eclipse (Score:5, Informative)
it's possible to run eclipse without installing anything, just from the executable in the directory.
also, BlueJ i think you can do the same thing.
Eclipse has a built in java compiler too i believe so you don't need to install the jdk.
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Eclipse does need Java to run, though. That might complicate matters a bit.
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So do an incredible number of corporate apps. I've yet to see a work place small or large which didn't have a JRE installed on their machines by default. If workplaces like this do exist I imagine they would be a minority.
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... and if not, just install it at home and zip up the java directory. Extract that somewhere and either put it in your %PATH%, or tweak the eclipse INI to point to it directly.
Java doesn't actually NEED an installer - it just adds some file associations, browser plugins, a control panel item, and some "shortcut" binaries into system32. Totally optional. Wish they would provide a simple zip download for people who just want the JRE/JDK without all the other goodies.
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Also, unzipping an application archive is no different that running a self extracting archive, which is no different to many installers. The process and end result is the same, the only difference is the method used.
JavaScript (Score:5, Informative)
Your browser already supports it. Just fire up Notepad or Wordpad as your "IDE".
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Second that, if he is into front end layout and wants to make a leap to writing code it may as well be javascript.
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could you please tell me where the language is fundamentally broken ? I know about the problem about the execution environment (I.E. the browser) and the bad code written into that language but flaw in the language itself, I know of only one : obtuse variables scope rules...
Re:JavaScript (Score:5, Informative)
> could you please tell me where the language is fundamentally broken ?
I do WebGL development and for the most part enjoy the quick turn around time. (Thank god for "ShaderToy" www.iquilezles.org/apps/shadertoy/ )
While Javascript is a breath of fresh air from hard-core C/C++ work, Javascript is a piss poor programming language ...
0. typeof() is broken w.r.t. to arrays // does NOT return array, but object?!
var a = [];
console.log( typeof( a ) );
1. Variables by default can be used anywhere without being declared. Have a typo? You will most likely never catch it unless .js file
a) using an IDE
b) using the hack
"use strict";
by placing that literal string hack near the top of your
2. Stupid semicolon statement insertion.
3. ALL numbers are doubles. There are no native signed or unsigned or ints, nor floats. Doubles SUCK for performance especially when all you want & need is integer math.
4. No proper line concatenation //
i.e. var a = "....\
foo\
bar\
";
Technically one shouldn't be able to escape the new line character, but it works ... for now.
http://bclary.com/2004/11/07/#a-7.8.4 [bclary.com]
"A 'LineTerminator' character cannot appear in a string literal, even if preceded by a backslash \. The correct way to cause a line t
terminator character to be part of the string value of a string literal is to use an escape sequence such as \n or \u000A."
Haven't they learnt ANYTHING from C, Python, etc. ??
5. You have to very careful when doing (string) concatenation else you may not get what you expect.
6. No native way to include .js files inside another .js file and have a callback unless you write it yourself. i.e.
var head = document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0];
var script = document.createElement('script');
script.type = 'text/javascript';
script.src = url;
script.onload = callback;
head.appendChild( script );
7. The return statement is broken w.r.t whitespace. You can't have return on an empty line. // doesn't work!
i.e var foo = (function( callback ) {
return
1;
}
8. All the debuggers suck ass. Good luck get it to show anonymous functions properly!
I could go one, but for a more complete list, see
http://oreilly.com/javascript/excerpts/javascript-good-parts/awful-parts.html [oreilly.com]
Re:JavaScript (Score:5, Interesting)
Most of those are legacy, but you can live with that
1. "use strict;" is not a hack, but an official part of ECMA-262 v5 (and it should be mandatory for dev environment and should be mandatory OFF for release). And it can't be on by default for fear of breaking old and shitty code.
2. Only catches about ASI are "return\n2+2" (gonna be interpreted as "return; 2+2", see also your 7) and "var a = someFunction\n(expressioninparensonnextlineforsomereason())" (gonna be interpreted as function call, "someFunction(expressioninparensonnextlineforsomereason())")
3. Modern JS engines optimise the numerics well enough. You can also use typed arrays for performance - if you're writing performance sensitive JS code, you're probably doing it in an environment that supports them, anyways.
4. String continuation like that is in ECMA-262 v5 officially and in browsers long before that unofficially - at least IE6 already has them, and you won't probably deal with anything before.
5. As long as one side of + is string - you get string. What you really have to care about is _addition_, because you might accidentally get concatenation (can't count how many times I saw "123.5undefined" on shitty sites). They really should have chosen separate concatenation and addition, but in personal practice I've had almost no problems of this kind
6. This is consequence of trying to make JS too general - the spec and standard library basically has nothing related to execution environment. They should've included module system, but they've got _no_ I/O at all in the spec.
8. I don't think there are many languages where debugger just shows you the closure's variables. You have to step inside, and you'll see the closed variables in the scope, though.
All in all, JS sucks about just as much/as little as any other language out there.
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I never claimed it to be good, just suitable to his current interests.
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Wordpad? I'll admit I haven't fired it up since I moved to 7, but really?
Programmer's Notepad [pnotepad.org] has a portable version.
Microsoft Excel (Score:3)
Remote Desktop (Score:4, Insightful)
Use a web-based (GoToMyPc.com?) or pre-installed remote administration app (Windows Remote Desktop? maybe VNC?) - or install RealVNC and use it's web app. Then control your home PC and run whatever IDE and language you prefer. I'd recommend Visual Studio Express and C# or C/C++, but that's just personal preference.
Re:Remote Desktop (Score:5, Insightful)
If they are not allowed to install anything not on the list, remoting to a PC outside of the company firewall is probably a firing waiting to happen.
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Your own laptop (Score:2)
Here you go: (Score:5, Informative)
Install to flash drive? (Score:3)
Back in school, I put my stuff on a small USB flash drive (at first a 256MB, later a 4GB - both cost about $20 when I got them). For me, it was CodeBlocks, because my personal coding project was in C++, but I imagine you can do the same with nearly any open-source IDE and compiler/interpreter.
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They quite possibly *don't*.
Prohibiting people from installing software means they don't trust them to administer their own machines. Which I can actually understand in many situations - do you know how many relatives' computers I've had to fix because they installed some malware or crap?
Prohibiting people from using USB drives means they don't trust them with their own data - worried about data leaks. That's far less common (and far less excusable - unless he's working with *extremely* sensitive data, you
What about an online IDE? (Score:4, Informative)
Re:What about an online IDE? ( koding.com ) (Score:3)
Here (Score:3, Interesting)
Eclipse (Score:2)
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Not sure if they finally fixed that, but the last time I tried that, it still needed two minor adjustments in a config file to run reliably from a USB stick.
Web based or SSH ... (Score:3)
If your company doesn't want you to install unauthorized software, they probably don't want you to run unauthorized software either. This is doubly true since you are going to want to run the software you developed. So I would suggest a web based alternative, or to SSH into a remote host (you can use a java based SSH client).
I would advise finding out which language you want to program first, then asking for the options available since there are a lot of options available.
If you're just interested in learning basic programming skills, JavaScript is also a good starting point and would probably work well with your existing development tools.
Bring a notebook or netbook. (Score:3)
Problem solved.
There's always the tiny C compiler (Score:3)
There's always the Tiny C Compiler, a 280K zip file containing a C compiler, and all the headers for the standard library and Windows API. No installation needed for that.
General Interface is what you're looking for (Score:2)
General Interface [generalinterface.org] is an industry grade Ajax toolkit designed to be a replacement/alternative in Java or Flex Client situations. It comes with an IDE built with its own components - think Ajax equivalent of Eclipse - which is basically a zipped HTML page with some subdirectories and stuff abused to be a full blow coding enviroment. It runs in FF or IE, loads tons of XML, JSON, JS and CSS stuff out of the subdirectories and behaves just like you'd expect an IDE to behave.
If you want to see what's possible wit
Re:General Interface is what you're looking for (Score:4, Funny)
I think you just jargoned him into an afternoon nap.
Your own hardware, and check ahead of time (Score:3)
Seriously.
A number of us have flexibility in this arena because we've been working for the same employer for a while, or we're in charge of a department, or because we're consultants/independent contractors. I'd often play video games at work after the end of the work day, and that was fine with everyone because the work got done.
Unfortunately a number of employers are implementing increasingly draconian policies regarding software and hardware use, and rules about what is/isn't appropriate policy, even after work has let out for the day, or even if your fun side programming projects could make you a more skilled and more productive employee. Some of these policies and rules even govern the work that you do when you aren't at work, even if you do it on your own hardware.
One option would be to boot your system off a usb key/external drive. This would allow you to run Ubuntu 12.04 (or something) and hack around using Python, Ruby, Java, Processing, or pretty much anything else you can dream of. This is a really cheap solution (A 16GB usb key is about $10 online). The problem with this approach is that you're still using your work hardware, and it's harder for you to switch between your company's OS/software and your own. Also, if your company has a problem with you installing software, they might get all upset about you booting from external media, too.
If you can pick up an old laptop for cheap (maybe ask friends if they have an old one they aren't using?) then you can throw something like lubuntu [lubuntu.net] or just stock debian [debian.org] on there, and then you'll have a great little dev machine that you can use to program up a storm. You don't need a big hard drive, and if you're using it plugged-in, the battery doesn't even need to work.
If you start to work on a project that you actually want to release, ask your boss if it's okay for you to hack on things at the office. Even if it's just a small side project released under a FOSS license, you're technically on the clock and so it's best to get an okay ahead of time.
Good luck!
Bring in your own laptop and get permission first (Score:3, Insightful)
If you are not allowed to install anything not on the list, working around the rule using "portable applications" is rarely acceptable either.
What? Do you think the rule against "installing" things was because someone doesn't like the add/remove programs window getting cluttered up? Do you really think they'd be a-ok with you downloading a ton of crap and running it just because it doesn't require an "installation"?
As far as most normal IT people are concerned the fact that you didn't use an "installer" to get your non-approved crap on the PC is generally completely irrelevant.
Use online IDE (Score:2)
I use (Score:2)
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I second that, even tough I am a now corporate java guy, I the most productive IDE I ever used was the last version of Borland Visual C++ builder. You could do RAD prototyping, and then an build industrial scale DB-driven web app version of the prototype in the same IDE, it had the easiness of VB with the power of C++.
PythonAnywhere (Score:3, Insightful)
TCC (Score:2)
TinyCC [bellard.org] doesn't require anything else to run, is small, fast, and has enough functionality for hobby-level stuff. For an IDE, just use notepad or something.
However, if you get fired for this, it's going to be your own fault for knowingly violating the rules. Brining your own laptop might not be acceptable either, depending on the environment, but that would be the best possibility so it's definitely worth checking out. Another possibility is to use remote desktop or ssh or something to connect to your home
Install/noninstall (Score:2)
Notepad++, Don't want to use installer? (Score:2)
Notepad++ v6.1.3 7z package : Don't want to use installer? 7z format.
You can run "Notepad++" from a USB stick.
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C# and a console (Score:4, Interesting)
So I decided to teach myself some more programming skills.
Unfortunately, I was in the same position where I couldn't install anything.
Find csc.exe on your machine. All Windows machines have this. Buried down in here: C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET
Put it in your path.
Now you can write all the C# applications you want in Notepad. If you can get Notepad++ then it would make it a lot easier as it has code-coloring/indentation. I was able to install it by bringing the installer in on a flash drive. Being just an advanced notepad, I didn't worry about what would happen if someone noticed the install.
You can compile it via the command line with >csc.exe
You'll then have a nice little executable of whatever you made. And you may be surprised how complex of an application you can make this way...maybe you wouldn't. This approach sure helped fill my days for a while there.
Javascript (Score:2)
Javascript would be an obvious choice. It's a sucky language, but would dovetail nicely with what you already know. Then you could switch to PHP on the server side, then Python or Ruby.
Prediction: (Score:2)
Once this will be found out, using "portable applications" (running un-approved executables on company hardware) will be considered "installation", and you will be fired.
Beagleboard and Node.js (Score:2)
While other browser-based options have been highlighted, I'll throw my thought in for a Beagleboard and using the built-in node.js environment. If the network is locked down, you would have to do more work-- thinking a transparent firewall if you have no control of the PC as a worst-case. A USB Ethernet adapter might work as well.
I guess you could use a headless Raspberry PI via local ssh instead if you wanted to go for the full LAMP approach, in much the same fashion.
But, if I saw you plugging strange bo
Quite a Few Online IDEs to chose from. (Score:4, Informative)
I take your question to mean that you want to program but aren't allowed to add anything to your work machine, including binary files that don't require an installer to run. That's typically how I've seen that sort of rule interpreted.
You mentioned an interest in HTML/CSS and presumably javascript.
You might enjoy JSFiddle [jsfiddle.net]
If you would like to try other languages or other approaches, there are online IDEs for that too:
ShiftEdit - Online IDE | ShiftEdit [http]
ECCO -Web-based IDE [sourceforge.net]
Cloud IDE [cloud-ide.com]
WIODE [wiode.org]
CodeRun [coderun.com]
Cloud9 IDE [webresourcesdepot.com]
http://www.codeanywhere.net [codeanywhere.net]
And some more lists and reviews:
http://speckyboy.com/2010/07/25/the-most-powerful-and-feature-rich-web-based-code-editors-ides/ [speckyboy.com]
Another option would be to look at some of the free shell account vendors online, but you seemed mostly interested in GUI IDEs so that might not be your thing.
If you want a fun, short read about why you might want to reconsider the command line, check out In the Beginning Was the Command Line [cryptonomicon.com] by Neal Stephenson
Professional development (Score:5, Insightful)
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Shut up asshole. If the workload is light, and the boss finds you trying to expand your skills, you really think that's a hanging offense? If you don't have an impulse to do this sort of thing, you're in the wrong profession. Git'r'done sandbags like you should look up the term 'false economy'.
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Yeah, those human resources are fucking fungilbe as shit [xkcd.com]
Re:Uhh (Score:5, Insightful)
^^^Ding ding ding!!!^^^
The ownership of anything you do during your work hours would be in question (at best). Most likely, if you're in IT, you've signed something that says anything you create while on the clock belongs to your employer and there would be no question at all. They're paying you to do the work they provide. If they can't keep you busy and you don't want to be paid to sit on your ass, find an employer that can keep you engaged.
If you insist on doing personal stuff during work hours, at least be smart enough to do it on your own equipment. You can get a brand new craptop for under $300. Frys has 7 15" laptops between $249.99 and $299.99.
Re:Uhh (Score:5, Funny)
The ownership of anything you do during your work hours would be in question (at best). Most likely, if you're in IT, you've signed something that says anything you create while on the clock belongs to your employer and there would be no question at all.
OMG. So his employer might pantent "Hello World", if he get's caught learning to program at work!!
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Re:Uhh (Score:4, Insightful)
Or his employer might decide he's not being productive if he has time to "play" with non-work related stuff. Why not ask you boss for permission? Otherwise, generally if you're not allowed to install software there is also a policy that you will not run unauthorized software either.
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I agree.
My first thought was holy crap! You are being paid to work what are you thinking? I am shocked no one hear besides myself (modded down to 1) brought this up.
Unless you are hired to learn new things to expand job responsibilities then you are stealing. 90% of the real world would be fired or would be laid off as it shows his boss over hired. I find this practice unethical.
Do that at home where it belongs and if things die down at work there is always something to do so you do not need to put out fire
Re:Uhh (Score:5, Interesting)
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Unless you are hired to learn new things to expand job responsibilities then you are stealing.
Interestingly my job description and my annual reviews reflect upon the fact that they want us to do such learning. Also, stealing? What the fuck? What are you stealing? If you get your job done, then you earned your pay. Sure, if you put in overtime to cover then it's wrong, but even then "stealing" is the wrong word. Fraud perhaps, since you are in effect falsifying records. If you don't get your actual job done, then you are failing to do your job and should be disciplined for that. You don't get paid in
Re:Uhh (Score:5, Informative)
Unless you are hired to learn new things to expand job responsibilities then you are stealing. 90% of the real world would be fired or would be laid off as it shows his boss over hired. I find this practice unethical.
Stealing? Chill on the hyperbole. Very few jobs involve an even 24/7/365 workload; many have seasonal variations, some have monthly variations, some have huge daily swings. And although you can hire and fire untrained salesdrones and telemarketers on a whim, you don't just get rid of 30% of your accounting staff because the 2nd week of the fiscal month doesn't have much to do.
The average office worker spends their down time playing Solitaire, or if allowed to go online, reading Facebook or sports news. I wish some of my coworkers would do something like learn a new skill instead. That said, I have nothing against Solitaire, but as long as you have people on the clock but no work for them to do, why not encourage them to do something at least tangentially productive?
This guy wants to learn to program while staying within the company rules - He didn't ask how to root his machine to install a compiler, he didn't ask how to hide his activity, he just asked for a no-install coding playground.
We freed the slaves in the late 1800s. Stop acting like one.
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It's pretty clear (by applying an advanced technique known as reading the fucking question already) that his job in some place that has a a pattern of peaks and troughs. Examples off the top of my head: college admissions office, florist, ice cream maker, CPA.
See, it works like this: you need to have people there all the time, because there's always some work coming in, possibly at short notice. Oth
Re:Uhh (Score:4, Insightful)
In your inexplicable urge to sound high and mighty, you totally missed the point. Yes, I read the question, and I totally recognize that some jobs have surges and slow times. Had a few like that myself and had bosses that praised my initiative in learning while idle, and one that told me to go home because he wasn't paying me to fart around.
What I was pointing out was that if he's idle and wants to do something he thinks might be a useful, then he should let his boss know. Particularly if that action could be viewed as violating some IT policy and might be used as an excuse to shitcan him. Keep in mind that non-tech HR types will be happy to call it hacking software if they are trying to fire you.
Bottom line is that being sneaky about this is not a good idea.
Re:Uhh (Score:5, Interesting)
Simple solution, point out that this includes ownership of any malware I might write.
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You're right, that will definitely convince them to reconsider their overly strict policy not to mention help to cement your job security.
related: http://xkcd.com/651/ [xkcd.com]
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I went to the manager and told him I wouldn't sign it, because I worked on my own (non-job-related) projects at home. He understood and said I didn't have to sign it, that it was for the more run-of-the-mill employee who would be tempted to take company secrets and run.
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Re:Uhh (Score:5, Interesting)
"The ownership of anything you do during your work hours would be in question (at best)."
He was asking about learning how to program. It is not likely that he will come up with the next "killer app" in the process. Although what you say is good advice, it probably could have waited a year or two.
As for paying work, he already stated that work was slow. Better that he spend the time learning something that might be somewhat job-related, than spend half a day on Reddit.
Re:Uhh (Score:5, Insightful)
The ownership of anything you do during your work hours would be in question (at best).
Which is relevant how?
His goals are to learn something and pass the time, not build the next killer app. How does it his employer potentially owning the code he writes interfere with those goals?
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http://stackoverflow.com/questions/2497146/is-css-turing-complete [stackoverflow.com]
and then there is javascript.
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"if going down the Ruby route, then the online runner may be of help: http://tryruby.org/levels/1/challenges/0 [tryruby.org]"
Why in the world was this modded down?
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"So you complain about PHP when nobody even mentioned it (much)?"
I was not criticizing, I was telling the best and honest truth, as best I know it. And I have been there, so I do know something about it.
Don't like my advice? Fine. You are entitled to your own opinion. But just remember that I am, too.
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"But come on: if you have never programmed, *any* language will teach you the same thing?"
Not with the same degree of ease or utility.
PHP has virtually no internal consistency. It is a hodgepodge of utility functions, many of which do almost the same things, but take different parameters, in different order even. It was (is) a project in which contributions were just taken willy-nilly, and incorporated into the product, seemingly without regard to any sort of organization.
And object-orientation? A weird kind of object-orientation was sort of tacked on, in... what was it... version 5? While
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"But it does what it does fairly well for 1/10th the cost and time compared to Enterprise Application Server oriented platforms like Java EE and .NET. "
So does everything else.
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I suggest Sublime Text, which has a terrible name but excellent functionality, and is available for Linux, OS X, and Windows. No need for a limited, monochrome text-based editor when you can easily have it all.
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Lulls happen at work places and, instead of wasting time, he's developing skills he can use at said workplace. I don't think it's necessarily a scam. A similar story happened to me and I ended up saving money for the company by automating tedious tasks.
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He is not automating such tasks but is learning while taking money from his employer and shareholders to do it. Unless he wants to expand his role to do things like help out debugging the website I see this as theft and dishonest like the original grandposter.
They don't have enough work from him while he's on the clock and he's using that time to make himself more capable to help the company. Not theft. Sorry.
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I'm glad I don't work for Billy Gates there. He's the kind of person who'd fire people for thinking.
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You'd punish the guy for coding and doing non-job related things on your watch (his question is about not breaking policy, so you don't have him there)? Why? If his assigned tasks are getting completed, and his job performance isn't suffering, then why would you fire an employee for trying to improve himself?
I know why. You're a lousy boss.
I've met people like you. I've worked (briefly) for people like you. I walk out - a bad boss is not worth any amount of money to me. On the other hand, I'll work th
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You can better yourself at home on your own equipment as it is unethical to do anything but work your ass off when you are being paid. Also what if you write a cool killer app or FOSS project? Guess who owns it? IT wont be you on company equipment and time.
You are either a shitty employer or a moron with a misguided sense of loyalty. My employer who I respect, agreed to sent me to listen to a tangentially related presentation (it was a CS MSc presentation in a department on our main campus) for 2 hours when my salary is just under 40$/hr, it won't bring them anything else than maintaining my analytic skills sharp and more importantly my gratitude.
Also, I would like to have you remark that no other profession, are required to train on their own, layers are ma
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yeah, I understand the rarity of my dream position (I solve complex problems, spec the boring part and mentor developers), as I love my job I will put overtime if it is needed. However I have the luxury to refuse to have a cellphone. If you read my profile, I work in a business were we sell high-priced, hard to acquire, diplomas, therefore my employer require those diplomas and pays accordingly...
About the profession you noted, I did not talk about the diploma acquisition cost, that is another related but d
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Sorry for being rude, you are clearly not an idiot.. I would like to know why did you passionately defend a system that screw you ?
I know about my privileged situation and I am saddened by it's rarity, no study debt btw as I was on excellence grants...
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You've been brainwashed into a completely ridiculous and ultimately self defeating conception of employment, which treats workers as slaves and companies as slave owners.
Here's how the economy really works. You, whether an employee or a manager, are a person offering a service, namely your ability to do work. Companies are *your* customers, and you have the right (and the obligation) to negotiate with your customers a mutually agreeable deal, that ca
Re: (Score:2)
I thought about live CDs. But then he said his workload was light, not zero, so he'd probably spend more time rebooting than doing his regular job and programming put together.
How about getting some virtualisation software onto the approved list? Then he can bugger about all he likes without doing too much damage.
Re: (Score:3)
Now, now... being "grateful" for a job is kinda asking a bit much if you ask me. A job is a contract between an employer and an employee. You give me your workforce, I give you money. His boss might not even have noticed yet that there is little to do during Summer, and he would probably be very thankful for the information that this is the case. And if I didn't have anything to do for my employee for a time period and he comes up to me and asks if he could improve his skills during that time, why would I s