I'm a software developer. I use primary Microsoft tools, for reasons I don't feel like going into here. I know it's cool to bag on Microsoft, but I'm so far from being cool that learning Linux probably wouldn't help me much at this point. There are all kinds of dumb reasons people hate Microsoft. Like they'll say, "There are a thousand times as many viruses that target Windows as there are viruses that target Mac." Yeah, and terrorists don't usually blow up empty trains either, smart guy. People used to warn me that my Visual Basic applications would only run on Windows machines, which is like warning someone that their car will only run on gasoline. If I'm ever transported to a magical world that runs on Linux and kerosene, I'll make sure to thank you for the warning. Now don't you have some cryptic text commands to issue to your web server or something?
I used to use VB6 for everything. VB6 is like the Brian Dennehy of programming languages: Not a star performer, not much to look at, but he's reliable, he gets the job done, and he's freakin' everywhere. Lately I've been trying to force myself to use VB.net because, despite having the worst name since the two guys named Chad decided to name their band Live, it's the IN thing. Dot net allows you to do things in twenty minutes that used to take 3 hours in VB6, so that you are free to spend the next day and a half implementing screwy workarounds to prevent random errors that you don't understand. Earlier versions of dot net didn't even let you step through your code line-by-line, which is something that you could do in regular VB since the cretaceous period. In dot net you just had to hit compile and hope for the best, like that time my older brother Steve rode his sled down the hill in our backyard on his back, head first, with his eyes closed, because my dad told him to "trust the track." Trusting the track earned him a concussion, as I recall.
The new version of dot net has "improved error handling" so that, for example, instead of a runtime error looking like this:
I know, I'm sure I could pay someone in India six dollars to pore over that error for two hours and find me a line number, but it seems like this might be a case where less is more. I mean, is there really someone out there who looks at that and says, "Oh, it's that pesky System.Windows.Forms.NativeWindow.DebuggableCallback parameter again!"
Anyway, I'm getting used to it, and I'm still by-and-large a Microsoft guy. My complaints about dot net are pretty minor in the scheme of Reality.Universe.MilkyWay.SolarSystem.Earth.NorthAmerica. UnitedStates.California.People.Diesel.Problems.
Technorati Tags: Microsoft, Visual Basic, Dot Net, programming, error handling, humor
I used to use VB6 for everything. VB6 is like the Brian Dennehy of programming languages: Not a star performer, not much to look at, but he's reliable, he gets the job done, and he's freakin' everywhere. Lately I've been trying to force myself to use VB.net because, despite having the worst name since the two guys named Chad decided to name their band Live, it's the IN thing. Dot net allows you to do things in twenty minutes that used to take 3 hours in VB6, so that you are free to spend the next day and a half implementing screwy workarounds to prevent random errors that you don't understand. Earlier versions of dot net didn't even let you step through your code line-by-line, which is something that you could do in regular VB since the cretaceous period. In dot net you just had to hit compile and hope for the best, like that time my older brother Steve rode his sled down the hill in our backyard on his back, head first, with his eyes closed, because my dad told him to "trust the track." Trusting the track earned him a concussion, as I recall.
The new version of dot net has "improved error handling" so that, for example, instead of a runtime error looking like this:
...it looks more like this (click to enlarge, and if you're using Microsoft Internet Explorer, click to enlarge again):
I know, I'm sure I could pay someone in India six dollars to pore over that error for two hours and find me a line number, but it seems like this might be a case where less is more. I mean, is there really someone out there who looks at that and says, "Oh, it's that pesky System.Windows.Forms.NativeWindow.DebuggableCallback parameter again!"
Anyway, I'm getting used to it, and I'm still by-and-large a Microsoft guy. My complaints about dot net are pretty minor in the scheme of Reality.Universe.MilkyWay.SolarSystem.Earth.NorthAmerica. UnitedStates.California.People.Diesel.Problems.
Technorati Tags: Microsoft, Visual Basic, Dot Net, programming, error handling, humor
Labels: Technology
| posted by Diesel at Sunday, November 05, 2006 |
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:) Oh the joys of programming. My other half is a programmer and now and again I hear him talk about it while I nod and smile.
I use a mac, I was a pc user but went to Mac because - it looked cool. I've had a few mac's now and don't think I'd use a pc again. Erick is just happy I'm not on his computer.
So terrorists down blow up empty trains? Hummmmmmm That I did not know.
I actually know someone who lives in a magical world that runs on Linux and kerosene. On principle he avoids Microsoft because "no human being should be allowed to amass so much money" blah blah blah.
He still listens to vinyl records (claiming audio CDs are "harsh"; I'm sure he hasn't heard of MP3s). The last time I saw him, he was explaining to a policeman that it was impossible that he was speeding since his horse is very old and can't gallop above 25 MPH.
cj - Yeah, I usually don't blog about it because it's not very....zzzzzz....
dan - I know people like that. I once had to rewrite an entire application used by hundreds of people because of one jerk who refused to allow his browser to accept cookies. And then there are the people who insist Safari or Opera is the best browser, and then bitch because an application doesn't work on it. Kind of like how I have the best car in the world but I have to avoid certain interstates because my engine will catch on fire.
I have to admit that it's obscene how much money Bill Gates is giving away to good causes. That money should have gone to the government so they could give it to Haliburton.
I must now, by contract, channel one of the great programming gods:
In my day, we didn't have any of these fancy-shmancy debuggers that would pop up error messages! We lived and died by LEDs flashing on binary consoles.
None of this 'Graphical User Interface' or 80x25 character VDT's or TTY's or fancy 'punched cards'.
We used paper tape. And we liked it fine. Sure, it'd decay and no human could read it, nor could any machine after a week or two, but we liked it! We liked it fine.
You kids, with your error messages, cookies, cakes, browsers, surfers, sleepers, and multiple platforms.
It wasn't like that in my day. Java was something only homosexualists drank. C was a letter. Perl was something you gave your wife on her anniversary, not some porn thing.
You kids.
Channeling over.
-wolfe