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3 Most Important Things Non-Programmers Should Know About Programming?
[May, 11, 2018]    |
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What are the three most important things non-programmers should know about programming?
 
Written by Brian Knapp, credit and reprint CodeCareerGenius
 
 
Since you asked for the three most important things that non-programmers should know about, and I’ve spent most of my career working with more non-programmers than programmers, I have a few interesting things that would help.
 
Number One - It Is Impossible To Accurately Estimate Software Projects
 
No matter what is tried. No matter what tool, agile approach, or magic fairy dust people try to apply to creating software… accurately predicting software project timelines is basically impossible.
 
There are many good reasons for this. Usually, requirements and feature ideas change on a daily/weekly basis. Often it is impossible to know what needs to be done without actually digging into the code itself. Debugging and QA can take an extraordinary amount of time.
 
And worst of all…
 
Project Managers are always pushing for shorter timelines. They largely have no respect for reality. So, at some point they are given estimates just to make them feel better about planning.
 
No matter how much planning and estimation you do, it will be wrong. At best it will be directionally correct +/- 300% of what you estimated. So, a one year project could actually take anywhere between 0 and 5 years, maybe even 10 years.
 
If you think I’m joking, look at how many major ERP projects that go over time and over budget by many years and many hundreds of millions of dollars. Look at the F-35 fighter jet software issues.
 
Or in the small, you can find many cases where a “simple bug fix” can take days when you thought it was hours.
 
All estimates are lies made up to make everyone feel better. I’ve never met a developer or manager who could accurately estimate software projects even as well as the local weatherman(or woman) predicts the weather.
 
Number Two - Productivity Is Unevenly Distributed
 
What if I told you that in the average eight hour work day the majority of the work will get done in a 30 minute timeframe? Sound crazy?
 
Well, for most programmers there is a 30–90 minute window where you are extraordinarily productive. We call this the flow state.
 
Being in the flow state is wonderful and amazing. It often is where the “magic” of building software happens.
 
Getting into flow can be difficult. It’s akin to meditation in that you have to have a period of uninterrupted focus of say 30 minutes to “get in” the flow, but a tiny interruption can pull you right out.
 
Now consider the modern workplace environment. Programmers work in open office environments where they are invited to distract each other constantly.
 
Most people need a 1–2 hour uninterrupted block to get 30–90 minutes of flow.
 
Take the 8 hour day and break it in half with a lunch break, and then pile in a few meetings and all of a sudden you are lucky to get one decent flow state session in place.
 
That is why I say that most of the work that gets done happens in a 30 minute timeframe. The other 7–8 hours are spent being distracted, answering email, going to meetings, hanging around the water cooler, going to the bathroom, and trying to remember what you were working on before all these distractions.
 
Ironically, writers, musicians, and other creative professionals have their own version of this problem and largely work alone and away from other people when they are creating new things.
 
Someday the programming world might catch on, but I doubt it.
 
Even if this became obvious, it doesn’t sit well with most companies to think that programmers would be paid for an 8 hour day and only be cranking out code for a few hours on a good day. Some corporate middle manager would probably get the bright idea to have mandatory flow state training where a guru came in and then there would be a corporate policy from a pointy haired boss mandating that programmers are now required to spend 8 hours a day in flow state and they must fill out forms to track their time and notify their superiors of their flow state activities, otherwise there would be more meetings about the current flow state reports not being filed correctly and that programmers were spending too much time “zoning out” instead of being in flow.
 
Thus, programmers would spent 7–8 hours a day pretending to be in flow state, reporting on their progress, and getting all their work done in 30 minutes of accidental flow state somewhere in the middle of all that flow state reporting.
 
If you think I’m joking about this, I’m not. I promise you this is what would happen to any company of more than 2 employees. (Even the ones run by programmers.)
 
Number Three - It Will Cost 10x What You Think
 
Being a programmer, I get a lot of non-programmers telling me about their brilliant app ideas. Usually they want me to build something for free and are so generous as to pay me up to 5% of the profits for doing 100% of the work.
 
Their ideas are just that good.
 
Now, I gently tell them that I’m not interested in building anything for free.
 
At that point they get angry, but a few ask how much it will cost. I give them a reasonable (and very incorrect) estimate of what it would cost to create the incredibly simple version of their app idea.
 
Let’s say it’s some number like $25,000.
 
They look at me like I’m a lunatic, and so I explain how much it costs to hire a contract programmer and how long it will actually take. For example’s sake let’s say it is $100/hr for 250 hours.
 
To be clear, these are made up numbers and bad estimates (See Number One for details…)
 
In actuality, to build the actual thing they want might cost $250,000, or even $2,500,000 when it’s all said and done.
 
Building software can be incredibly complex and expensive. What most people can’t wrap their head around is the fact that a company like Google, Apple, or Microsoft has spent BILLIONS of dollars to create something that looks so simple to the end user.
 
Somehow, the assumption is that something that looks simple is cheap and fast to build.
 
Building something simple and easy for the end user is time consuming and expensive. Most people just can’t do it.
 
So, the average person with a brilliant app idea thinks it will cost a few hundred or maybe a few thousand dollars to make and it will be done in a weekend is so off the mark it’s not worth considering their ideas.
 
And programmers are too eager to play along with these bad ideas (by making bad estimates and under charging for their time) that this notion is perpetuated to the average non-programmer.
 
So, a good rule of thumb is that software will cost 10 times as much as you think and take 10 times as long to finish.
 
And that leads to a bonus point…
 
BONUS - Software Is Never Done
 
Programmers never complete a software project, they only stop working on it. Software is never done.
 
I’ve worked at many software companies and I’ve never seen a software project “completed”.
 
Sure, software gets released and used. But, it is always changing, being updated, bugs get fixed, and there are always new customer requests for features.
 
Look at your favorite software and you’ll quickly realize how true this is. Facebook, Instagram, Google Search, Google Maps, GMail, iOS, Android, Windows, and now even most video games are never done.
 
There are small armies of developers just trying to keep all the software you use every day stable and bug free. Add on the fact that there are always feature requests, small changes, and new platforms to deal with, it’s a treadmill.
 
So, the only way out of the game is to stop working on software. At that point, the software begins to decay until it is no longer secure or supported.
 
Think about old Windows 3.1 software or maybe old Nintendo Cartridge video games. The current computers and video game consoles don’t even attempt to run that software anymore.
 
You can’t put an old video game in your new Nintendo Switch and have it “just work”. That is what happens when you think software is done.
 
When programmers stop working on software the software starts to die. The code itself is probably fine, but all the other software keeps moving forward until your software is no longer compatible with the current technology.
 
So, those are the four most important things that non-programmers should know about programming. I know you asked for only three, so I hope the bonus was valuable to you as well.
Ranking Programming Languages: Which are Gaining Popularity?
[Dec, 09, 2013]    |
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Once again theTIOBE Programming Community has calculated the trends in popular programming languages on the web. Evaluating the updates in the index allows developers to assess the direction of certain programming skills that are rising or faltering in their field.  According to the November 2013 report, three out of four languages currently ranking in the top twenty are languages defined by Microsoft. These are C#, SQL Server language Transact-SQL and Visual Basic.NET.  Not surprising though, the top two languages that remain steady in the number one and two spots are Java and C.

How are the calculations measured?  The information is gathered from five major search engines: Google, Bing, Yahoo!, Wikipedia, Amazon, YouTube and Baidu.

Top 20 Programming Languages: as of November 2013


  1.  C
  2.  Java
  3.  Objective-C 
  4.  C++
  5.  C#
  6.  PHP
  7. (Visual) Basic
  8.  Python
  9. Transact-SQL
  10. Java Script
  11. Visual Basic.NET
  12. Perl
  13.  Ruby
  14. Pascal
  15. Lisp
  16. MATLAB
  17. Delphi/Object Pascal
  18. PL/SQL
  19. COBOL
  20. Assembly

Although the index is an important itemized guide of what people are searching for on the internet, it’s arguable that certain languages getting recognition is a direct result of early adopters posting tutorials and filling up discussion boards on current trends. Additionally, popular tech blogs pick up on technological shifts and broadcast related versions of the same themes.

When does the popularity of a software language matter?

  1. If you want marketable skills, knowing what employers are looking for is beneficial. As an example, languages such as Java and Objective C are highly coveted in the smart-phone apps businesses.
  2. A consistently shrinking language in usage is an indicator not only that employers are apt to pass on those skills but fall in danger of being obsolete.
  3. Focusing on languages that are compatible with other developers increases your chances to participate on projects that companies are working on.
Will Microsoft Be Able To Slay Cloud Giants?
[Apr, 07, 2014]    |
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The innovators in technology have long paved the way for greater social advancement. No one can dispute the fact that the impact of Bill Gates and Microsoft will be far reaching for many years to come. The question is whether or not Microsoft will be able to adapt and thrive in emerging markets. The fact that Microsoft enjoys four decades of establishment also makes it difficult to make major changes without alienating the 1.5 billion Windows users.

This was apparent with the release of Windows 8. Windows users had come to expect a certain amount of consistency from their applications. The Metro tile, touch screen interface left a lot to be desired for enough people that Microsoft eventually more thoroughly implemented an older desktop view minus a traditional Start menu.

The app focused Windows 8 was supposed to be a step towards a greater integration of Cloud technology. In recent years, Microsoft lagged behind its competitors in getting established in new technologies. That includes the billions of dollars the emerging mobile market offered and Cloud computing.

Amazon was the first powerhouse to really establish themselves in the Cloud technology market. Google, Microsoft, and smaller parties are all playing catch up to take a piece of the Cloud pie. More and more businesses are embracing Cloud technology as a way to minimize their equipment and software expenses. While it does take a bit for older businesses to get onboard with such a change, start ups are looking at Cloud computing as an essential part of their business.

But what does that mean for Microsoft? Decisions were made to help update the four decade old Microsoft to the "always on" world we currently live in. Instead of operating in project "silos", different departments were brought together under more generalized headings where they could work closer with one another. Electronic delivery of software, including through Cloud tech, puts Microsoft in the position of needing to meet a pace that is very different from Gates’ early days.

The seriousness of their desire to compete with the likes of Amazon is their pricing matching on Cloud infrastructure services. Microsoft is not a company that has traditionally offered price cuts to compete with others. The fact that they have greatly reduced rates on getting infrastructure set up paves the way for more business users of their Cloud-based apps like Microsoft Office. Inexpensive solutions and free applications open the doors for Microsoft to initiate more sales of other products to their clients.

Former CEO Steve Ballmer recognized there was a need for Microsoft to change directions to remain competitive. In February 2014, he stepped down as CEO stating that the CEO needed to be there through all stages of Microsoft's transition in these more competitive markets. And the former role of his chosen successor, Mr. Satya Nadella? Head of Microsoft's Cloud services division.

Microsoft may not always catch the initial burst of a new development in their space; but they regularly adapt and drive forward. The leadership of Microsoft is clearly thinking forward in what they want to accomplish as sales of PCs have stayed on a continuous decline. It should come as no surprise that Microsoft will embrace this new direction and push towards a greater market share against the likes of Amazon and Google.

 

Related:

Who Are the Main Players in Big Data?

Is Cloud Computing Safe for Your Business?

Is The Grass Greener in Mobile App Development?

.NET Core 3 Release, Major Benefits
[Mar, 26, 2019]    |
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On March 6 of this year, Microsoft's .NET Foundation released its third preview release of .NET Core 3 — which is its free and open-source framework for developing apps on Windows, MacOS and Linux — with an official release scheduled for later this year. This release brings a wealth of new features and enhancements. This includes the following: 
 
1. Windows Desktop Support
 
One of the biggest additions to version 3.0 of the framework is the ability to develop Windows desktop applications. The new Windows Desktop component lets you build applications using either the Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) graphical subsystem or the Windows Forms graphical class library. You can also use Windows UI XAML Library (WinUI) controls in your applications. 
 
The Windows Desktop component is only supported and included on Windows installs. 
 
2. Support for C# 8
 
The new framework has support for C# 8, which includes not only the ability to create asynchronous steams but features such as: 
 
Index and Range data types
Using declarations
Switch expressions
 
The Index and Range data types make array manipulation easier, while Using declarations ensure that your objects get disposed once they are out of scope. Finally, Switch expressions extend Switch statements by allowing you to return a value. 
 
3. IEEE Floating-Point Improvements
 
The new framework includes floating point APIs that comply with IEEE 754-2008. This includes fixes to both formatting and parsing as well as new Math APIs such as: 
 
BitIncrement/BitDecrement
MaxMagnitude/MinMagnitude
ILogB
ScaleB
Log2
FusedMultiplyAdd
CopySign
 
4. Support for Performance-Oriented CPU Instructions
 
The new framework includes support for both SIMD and Bit Manipulation instruction sets, which can create significant performance boosts in certain situations, such as when you are processing data in parallel. 
 
5. Default Executables
 
With the new framework, you can now produce framework-dependent executables by default without having to use self-contained deployments. 
 
6. Local dotnet Tools
 
In the previous version of the framework, there was support for global dotnet tools. But the current version adds support for local tools as well. These tools are associated with a specific disk location, and this allows you to enable per-repository and per-project tooling. 
 
7. Support for MSIX Deployments
 
The new framework supports MSIX, which is a Windows app package format that you can use when deploying Windows desktop applications. 
 
8. Built-In and Fast JSON Support
 
In prior versions of the framework, you had to use Json.NET if you wanted JSON support in your application. The framework, though, now has built-in support that is not only fast but also has low allocation requirements. It also adds 3 new JSON types, which include: 
 
Utf8JsonReader
Utf8JsonWriter
JsonDocument
 
9. Cryptography Support
 
The new framework supports AES-GCM and AES-CCM ciphers. It also supports the importing and exporting of asymmetric public and private keys from a variety of formats without the need of an X.509 certificate. 
 
Platform Support
 
.NET Core 3 supports the following operating systems: 
 
Alpine: 3.8+
Debian: 9+
Fedora: 26+
macOS: 10.12+
openSUSE: 42.3+
RHEL: 6+
SLES: 12+
Ubuntu: 16.04+
Windows Clients: 7, 8.1, 10 (1607+)
Windows Servers: 2012 R2 SP1+
 
The framework further supports the following chips: 
 
x64 (Windows, macOS and Linux)
x86 (Windows)
ARM32 (Windows and Linux)
ARM64 (Linux)
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Tech Life in Minnesota

Minnesota is one of the healthiest states, and has a highly rate of literacy. The state supports a network of public universities and colleges. It encompasses thirty two institutions in the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System, as well as five major campuses of the University of Minnesota. According to U.S. News & World Report six of the private colleges rank among the nation's top 100 in liberal arts.
Good programmers know what's beautiful and bad ones don't. D. Gelernter
other Learning Options
Software developers near Bloomington have ample opportunities to meet like minded techie individuals, collaborate and expend their career choices by participating in Meet-Up Groups. The following is a list of Technology Groups in the area.
Fortune 500 and 1000 companies in Minnesota that offer opportunities for Microsoft developers
Company Name City Industry Secondary Industry
The Affluent Traveler Saint Paul Travel, Recreation and Leisure Travel, Recreation, and Leisure Other
Xcel Energy Inc. Minneapolis Energy and Utilities Gas and Electric Utilities
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Minneapolis Financial Services Personal Financial Planning and Private Banking
CHS Inc. Inver Grove Heights Agriculture and Mining Agriculture and Mining Other
Hormel Foods Corporation Austin Manufacturing Food and Dairy Product Manufacturing and Packaging
St. Jude Medical, Inc. Saint Paul Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals and Biotech Medical Devices
The Mosaic Company Minneapolis Agriculture and Mining Mining and Quarrying
Ecolab Inc. Saint Paul Manufacturing Chemicals and Petrochemicals
Donaldson Company, Inc. Minneapolis Manufacturing Tools, Hardware and Light Machinery
Michael Foods, Inc. Minnetonka Manufacturing Food and Dairy Product Manufacturing and Packaging
Regis Corporation Minneapolis Retail Retail Other
Fastenal Company Winona Wholesale and Distribution Wholesale and Distribution Other
Securian Financial Saint Paul Financial Services Insurance and Risk Management
UnitedHealth Group Minnetonka Financial Services Insurance and Risk Management
The Travelers Companies, Inc. Saint Paul Financial Services Insurance and Risk Management
Imation Corp. Saint Paul Computers and Electronics Networking Equipment and Systems
C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. Eden Prairie Transportation and Storage Warehousing and Storage
Ameriprise Financial, Inc. Minneapolis Financial Services Securities Agents and Brokers
Best Buy Co. Inc. Minneapolis Retail Retail Other
Nash Finch Company Minneapolis Wholesale and Distribution Grocery and Food Wholesalers
Medtronic, Inc. Minneapolis Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals and Biotech Medical Devices
LAND O'LAKES, INC. Saint Paul Manufacturing Food and Dairy Product Manufacturing and Packaging
General Mills, Inc. Minneapolis Manufacturing Food and Dairy Product Manufacturing and Packaging
Pentair, Inc. Minneapolis Manufacturing Manufacturing Other
Supervalu Inc. Eden Prairie Retail Grocery and Specialty Food Stores
U.S. Bancorp Minneapolis Financial Services Banks
Target Corporation, Inc. Minneapolis Retail Department Stores
3M Company Saint Paul Manufacturing Chemicals and Petrochemicals

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the hartmann software group advantage
why take Microsoft Training with the hartmann software group?
A successful career as a software developer or other IT professional requires a solid understanding of software development processes, design patterns, enterprise application architectures, web services, security, networking and much more. The progression from novice to expert can be a daunting endeavor; this is especially true when traversing the learning curve without expert guidance. A common experience is that too much time and money is wasted on a career plan or application due to misinformation.

The Hartmann Software Group understands these issues and addresses them and others during any training engagement. Although no IT educational institution can guarantee career or application development success, HSG can get you closer to your goals at a far faster rate than self paced learning and, arguably, than the competition. Here are the reasons why we are so successful at teaching:

  • Learn from the experts.
    1. We have provided software development and other IT related training to many major corporations in Minnesota since 2002.
    2. Our educators have years of consulting and training experience; moreover, we require each trainer to have cross-discipline expertise i.e. be Java and .NET experts so that you get a broad understanding of how industry wide experts work and think.
  • Discover tips and tricks about Microsoft programming
  • Get your questions answered by easy to follow, organized Microsoft experts
  • Get up to speed with vital Microsoft programming tools
  • Save on travel expenses by learning right from your desk or home office. Enroll in an online instructor led class. Nearly all of our classes are offered in this way.
  • Prepare to hit the ground running for a new job or a new position
  • See the big picture and have the instructor fill in the gaps
  • We teach with sophisticated learning tools and provide excellent supporting course material
  • Books and course material are provided in advance
  • Get a book of your choice from the HSG Store as a gift from us when you register for a class
  • Gain a lot of practical skills in a short amount of time
  • We teach what we know…software
  • We care…
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