Work Stuff:
Trying to implement a cleaner version of a module which
$COWORKER wrote. At first I was going to fix the module he
wrote, but it was such a mess I decided it would take less
time to just rewrite the damned thing.
Here's some advice to companies out there who are unwilling
to pay for experienced C++ coders and so try to "promote
up" junior programmers (who generally have VB experience or
no programming background at all): DON'T DO IT! I
guarantee you that the money you lose in shitty code and
missed deadlines will far outstrip what you save on salary
costs. Of the people in my group, only three (including
myself) have any C/C++ background whatsoever, and only two
of us (including me) have actual work experience.
I can get angry at $COWORKER for writing shitty code (all
the more because he's also lazy and does no testing), but
ultimately the problem is a larger one. Companies need to
have some sanity about how they staff projects.
Personal:
Just for kicks, I resurrected my old BeOS USENET newsreader
project which I had abandoned long ago. Lots of the code
made me wince, but I polished it up a bit and compiled it.
And ye gods and little fishes, it actually worked! (Note
to other BeOS users: this software is strictly for personal
consumption right now. If and when I enhance it enough to
meet the GNKSA guidelines, I'll release it under the GPL,
but that's a long way off.)
I must admit: after the headaches I've had with GTK+/GNOME
and FLTK, programming with the BeOS API is a real
pleasure. (And I don't have to deal with those shitty X
fonts! Woohoo!) People whose judgement I trust tell me
that QT on Linux is the closest thing to the BeOS API I'm
likely to come across (the 'moc' and signal/slot
strangeness notwithstanding).
BeOS always seems to be on the verge of bankruptcy, but
then they've been around for most of a decade, so I guess
the danger is not really all that imminent. It's funny
that most people still think of Be as a "start-up" --
they've been around for longer than companies like Red Hat
and Caldera! I'm kind of bummed that they are having such
a hard time finding a niche; I'd really like to see them
succeed. (That's why I fork over my $60US every time a new
version of the OS comes out -- every little bit helps!)
Finally, Linux will not run on my K6-III box -- it'll run
for about a minute and then reboot spontaneously (and this
is under both kernel 2.2.18 and 2.4.0-test12). BeOS not
only runs just dandy but recognizes both the integrated
video *and* audio chips.
To be honest, I'm running out of reasons to run Linux at
all.