• 0 Posts
  • 8 Comments
Joined 1 year ago
cake
Cake day: June 6th, 2023

help-circle
  • If the method does a long thing, the keep it long. I do a lot of data analysis and simulation, and so often people who came before had this urge to shorten methods, so we get:

    def do_calculation(N, X, y, z, a, b, c):
        # Setup stuff
        for i in range(N):
            calclation(X[i], y, z, a, b, c)`
    

    Sometimes there’s a place for that, like if calculation could be swapped for a different function, or if calculation is used all over the program. It’s a pretty good clue that something is up though when the signatures are almost identical. Of course, that has just led to people writing:

    def do_calculation(big_struct):
        read_data(big_struct)
        calculate(big_struct)
        write_data(big_struct)
    

  • Depends on the job, and how good your read is of the situation. My experience has been that managers guilt trip or do other emotional games when they’re out of other options. In that case, it may be a safe bet to stand up to them.

    Other places you’re more replaceable, or the manager doesn’t care and has an axe to grind. Then it’s trickier.


  • its_pizza@sopuli.xyztoNews@lemmy.world*Permanently Deleted*
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    30
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    1 year ago

    Every (US) job description I’ve had save one had a line to the effect of “… and other duties as required by management.” Not to follow would be considered insubordination and could lead to termination with cause. Job description in this case is just a broad-stroke outline of what the job is supposed to entail.

    The “save one” was a job with a strong union presence. In that case, going outside my job description could lead to me and my manager being in trouble.


  • I know someone living in a really high-end “smart” home. We’re talking about a ton of hardware and proprietary software controlling practically everything in the house. From one app in a phone or iPad, you can control everything from the security cameras to the heater to the pool.

    It’s basically the pinnacle of what all this technology intends to achieve, and tbh, it’s all a bit of a pain.

    Diagnosing anything in the house has an extra layer of work. Is it the pool heater not working? Oh, no, it’s the app not working. Security alert from the house? A fly walked across the camera lens. Everything acting weird all the sudden? Guess the shitty monopoly broadband cable provider in the city is having issues again.

    The system only stays afloat because of a 24/7 service contract with a company that specializes in these houses. Give a few months without that support, and things will start falling apart.

    I get that this is a different class from the products from Google and Amazon, or even the various open source products, but tbh, I’ll take fragmented over monolithic and overarching.




  • That’s pretty normal for meh-tier kind of jobs in the US, though usually you “graduate” to two weeks sooner, like after a year.

    In many workplaces there’s a culture of taking as little as possible of the allowed vacation time. Sometimes it can lead to a small bonus when those days get “paid out” at the year end. Other times, the only encouragement is just pressure from the boss or coworkers. Note that there is neither a legal minimum for vacation days, not a requirement that employees actually use the days they have.