Re: -I- Greetings...

[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:

[snip]

> how many times have you seen programs in use that are 
> just ridiculously inefficient and hard to use [1]?  do we want the wankers 
> who design that shit to have better job security?  

Heh.  If only it were really that simple.

Without getting too far into it, the design of software is nontrivial, and 
gets even worse when you need to ask the customer for feedback about what 
they want.  If you design to the customer's spec, you'll never get anything 
that's useful/usable. 

That said, your example is an excellent reason why hardware and software 
designers need to pay attention to usability.  They need people like me. :)

> if you're good, you 
> don't need the union for that job security.  yeah, IT is being paid a bit 
> less these days in general, but it's not a sweatshop.  

I can't speak for other corporations, or even other development groups at 
my corporation, but I can tell you that the cutbacks that we've experienced 
in the past couple of years (two huge layoffs, a couple of quieter/smaller 
ones, and not backfilling positions when people leave) have really hurt.  
We're waaaaay behind, and now all developers in my organisation are on 
mandatory overtime in an attempt to make our release.  The difference 
between our original dates and our current projections is unbelievable.

No, it's not a sweatshop.  I'm not sewing soccer balls with my teeth [2].  
But it's not exactly pretty, not when I've been putting in 80-hour weeks 
for bloody well more than a year.

I dunno that this means that I support a union.  My wages are good, my 
benefits are good, I have flextime, I can telecommute when the mood strikes 
me.  Oh, and my bf is a H1-B visa holder so I'd rather that he not lose his 
job to an American that isn't as qualified as he is. 

> unions aren't 
> typically useful for professionals, 

What about unions for pilots?  

I'm just asking, I really don't know much about them, outside of the fact 
that they exist.  

/nm

[1] I've been working for a Big Computer Company [a] for 2.5 years.

[2] Bonus points to anyone who gets that television reference. [b]

[a] No, not the one in Redmond, but you've heard of it.

[b] Yes, I made a real honest-to-goodness television reference.