Dark times
As of today I am an (un)happy owner of a new windows box at work. That's right.. windows.. Thankfuly I don't have to give away my trusted linux box on which I do all my work currently..
So now I have to learn how to use windows all over again (it's been a while) and I get to re-learn Delphi (I haven't used it since version 3.0 and that was a long time ago). What was that? No ; before an else? Who designs a language like that!
It could have been worse.. it could have been Visual Basic.. the horror of horrors.
Oh, don't worry, I'm still a Java programmer, this is just a side trip.
Comments
I just got an XP laptop today :(
Had to give up my RedHat LapTop. Took my IT Dept over a year to figure out I dumped Win2K. Once more, we were bought out by a big fish, and a sister company now had to dump RedHat desktop for XP after the IT Dept had their say......
Posted by: Kevin | July 25, 2003 10:42 PM
Damn, wrote a long comment, previewed it, and closed the window. I need some sleep. Anyway just to say: make sure you get Win XP Pro. Anything else and you're into the same bad experiences you had before. WinXP Pro is like... dunno... surprisingly good? ;)
Posted by: Daniel Farinha | July 26, 2003 12:03 AM
If you're taking a trip into MS-land, you might want to take a look at C#... very Java-esque in style, but very Windows-centric when used from the .NET IDE. I think they made it for C++/Java coders that wanted the ease of VB but HATE VB for multiple reasons.
Of course I offer this as a suggestion or a warning. Most true-Java coders freak when they see how Java-like C# is twitch for a week after it, cursing Gates for hours at a time.
Posted by: Randy | July 26, 2003 01:13 PM
You could always use J# if you were moving into .NET, which is MS's "approved" implementation of Java-esque'ness. C# is just similar, J# is "java for .NET".
As far as above posts on IT Departments, sorry, but standardization saves money for corps, that's just the reality.
Posted by: Jeremy C. Wright | July 27, 2003 11:41 AM
Well, outsourcing IT to India and Russia is also a reality - doesn't make me like it any more tho!
Posted by: Randy | July 27, 2003 03:58 PM
Fair enough, though to be fair outsourcing call centres to India doesn't bother me at all!
Posted by: Jeremy C. Wright | July 27, 2003 09:02 PM
It's a conservation princple - I get to write Linux code, so you have to write Windows code.
(NT is a respectable OS, despite the user-mode fluff).
Posted by: dave | July 27, 2003 10:45 PM
3.0? I don't think I've used it since 1.x or 2.x... I hear it's changed a bit though. Heard good things about their X platform compile for linux/windows in delphi and c++ builder (or whatever it's called now).
Posted by: Arcterex | July 28, 2003 05:00 AM
Things go easier with Blackbox for Windows.
http://www.bb4win.org
Posted by: insin | July 28, 2003 05:07 AM
Don't worry as long as you can hold onto your trusted box you'll be fine. Personally I sit behinda windows machine to keep my office happy, but permanently glued to a putty session.
insin: Black Box looks cool, I'll try it out tomorrow.
Posted by: Veebs | July 28, 2003 06:46 PM
Arcterex, you probably mean http://www.borland.com/kylix
Just wanted to state: be happy not having to write ABAP code (the Cobol-ish SAP language). Cuz thats what I have to do at work.
But at least I can have a little fun in coding when I do PHP in my free time for Xaraya.
Posted by: besfred | July 29, 2003 09:14 AM