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software developers have an obligation to quit and move on. it's for the good of the industry and the "brotherhood" of software developers in general. by helping a "low baller" company stay in business like that, you are subsidizing the company at your expense and the expense of the "brotherhood". you are negatively affecting your own career by not keeping up with technology and you are helping to stagnate the economy. if the company can't afford to use reasonable and adequate technology for development - it's likely they have a bad and unsustainable business model anyway. find a better environment where you can develop your skills at a more rapid pace, and then jump ship.
David
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etkins wrote: if the company can't afford to use reasonable and adequate technology for development - it's likely they have a bad and unsustainable business model anyway
Nonsense.
All mid size and larger companies must deal with the fact that infrastructure investment must continue but that doesn't mean every single thing in the company must be upgraded every single time something new comes out. Companies that do that go out of business, and very likely fail to deliver anything as well.
And they also must deal with the fact that their business partners and customers do exactly the same thing. That is why, for example, that companies don't roll out products that support only the newest browser or OS. And why they often roll out products that support browsers\OSes that are no longer even being supported.
More over it is often the case that one might need to deal with even very old software. I know for a fact that there are places out there that still run cash register software on Windows 95 (given that I saw the start up screen on Friday night.) It would be surprised if there were not Windows 3.1 apps running out there.
Professional developers do not exist to play with toys. They do exist to help a company make money. Given that customer service is often a factor in company delivery then one might be tasked with providing support for something that is very old. And professionals must provide value to the company.
For those that think their job should be nothing but a venue for the exploration of the universe then they should stay out of the professional realm and keep puttering around at night in their parents basement.
etkins wrote: find a better environment where you can develop your skills at a more rapid pace,
Skills such as process control, project management, requirements gathering, architecture and system design perhaps.
Real skills.
Skills which have a real payback and which do not require the latest toy to be successful in.
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Those are fluffy soft skills. I am talking about more difficult technical skills.
Seemed to have struck a nerve with you. I have been doing this stuff for over 20 years and I always consider myself a student.
There's nothing wrong with using older languages like Ada, Tcl/Tk, because they are still very relevant today. But the developer should be trying to leverage these tools on more cutting edge platforms.
Get on the train before it leaves the station and leaves you behind.
Companies like IBM buy up really old tool suites and try to maintain them, and that's why they are going down the toilet like a big turd.
~d~
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I've just finished reading this[^]. Oh how I wish he really did write it.
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Good read and yes it would make a great exit speech and an even better one for the person that will be taking the reins.
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The first iPhone shipped in 2007, and we still don't have a product in mobility that is close to their experience. Unbelievable.
Something to post on the walls of windows Phone dev teams there.
Starting to think people post kid pics in their profiles because that was the last time they were cute - Jeremy.
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Their experience?
Well, my 5 year old likes the iPhone.
My wife, on the other hand, kept hers for 1 day before heading back to the store to trade it in on an S3.
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I don't think Ballmer (or anyone on Microsoft for that matter) would have written something like this, because this memo accepts defeat, which is highly uncommon for Microsoft.
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You did see the title of the thread didn't you?
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I was browsing PC magazines at WHS this evening and the somewhat trashy weekly called MicroMart had a reference to cutting printer cartridge costs, "It's worth looking at Asda and Tesco when your printer runs out of ink. Both shops sell do-it-yourself kits that can be used to refill cartridges five or six times."
Has anyone successfully refilled ink cartridges? Any comments about print quality and whether they're value for money?
I saw a couple of YouTube videos showing the procedure and one showed how you replace the chip but that seems to be optional. Do these kits automatically include the chips as I suppose you'd need to buy ones compatible with your make of cartridge?
My cartridges (for some funny reason) always "run out" way ahead of printer usage which is no more than a few pages a month if that.
If there is one thing more dangerous than getting between a bear and her cubs it's getting between my wife and her chocolate.
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Used to do it, as HP cartridges were, are and likely will always be obscenely priced. This was many years ago before I said, "Elephant this, I'm buying a laser printer!"
Back then, I don't think there was a chip in the cartridge that kept count. I could refill 2-3 times before the print head started to lose quality. If all you do is print a little now and then, I'd look at a cheap laser. Of course, most of my stuff is just b/w.
Charlie Gilley
<italic>You're going to tell me what I want to know, or I'm going to beat you to death in your own house.
"Where liberty dwells, there is my country." B. Franklin, 1783
“They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” BF, 1759
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SeptimusEjjog 151576 wrote: My cartridges (for some funny reason) always "run out" way ahead of printer usage which is no more than a few pages a month if that.
Not funny, just built that way. The printer companies are living off of King Gillette's model these days[1].
I've refilled in the past. No need to update the chip, it's usually (for inkjet) a case of drill a small hole, then use a syringe to refill it. Much cheaper and quality is the same (at least as far as I could tell).
I haven't done it in a while as I've moved off of inkjet. I think I spent more time refilling than actually using the printer.
[1] Yes, he didn't invent that marketing strategy[^], but he is the most notable early user of it.
--------------
TTFN - Kent
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As somewhat of an expert in such things...
Refilling cartridges is fine, as is buying 'compatibles' so long as it is for personal use or kids homework or the like.
In a professional setting I would advise against it.
The ink tends to be thinner and more prone to spatter.
Also the heads wear out over time or clog and render things rather messy.
Oddly enough, this tends to be less of a problem with laser toner.
I supply original and compatible toners and the price difference is substantial.
The compatibles are made by Xerox but white boxed. The quality is almost as good and I would recommend them for most uses.
(I would suggest that for HIGH quality uses, such as graphic design or architectural drawings etc to stick with originals).
---------------------------------
Obscurum per obscurius.
Ad astra per alas porci.
Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum videtur.
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Dalek Dave wrote: I supply original and compatible toners
Are you trying to get DD banned?
I wanna be a eunuchs developer! Pass me a bread knife!
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Thanks, DD. I've been toying with the idea of getting a laser printer to replace my inkjet. Our old HP printer at work has been complaining that we need to replace the toner for about three months but it keeps on printing and printing. 
If there is one thing more dangerous than getting between a bear and her cubs it's getting between my wife and her chocolate.
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I fitted my printer with one of these kits from Melco[^]. It was quite fiddly to get the ink flowing and the tubes positioned so as not to jam, but it worked fine after a (fairly extended) setup period.
My printer has been in storage since we moved house (only 10 months!) so I expect I'll have to go through a similar amount of cocking about to get it working again.
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You have a printer!
Never underestimate the power of human stupidity
RAH
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Are you trying to get DD banned?
I wanna be a eunuchs developer! Pass me a bread knife!
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Nope. But it irks me that the cost of cartridges for my Kodak ESP far outweighs the usage I get from them.
If there is one thing more dangerous than getting between a bear and her cubs it's getting between my wife and her chocolate.
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No argument there; I'm forever running out of ink and having to print stuff out at work (I never said that, and if you say I did, I'll deny it vehemently!)
I've got a refill kit, but I've never tried it out.
I wanna be a eunuchs developer! Pass me a bread knife!
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Yes it can be done, but my experience of it was it very quickly went pear shaped and wrecked the printer. Speaking with others they have had the same experience.
Personally I wouldn't bother now. Just look for a good source of cheap OEM inks. Speak to your local friendly Dalek and he may help you there!
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Dave, I usually take anything printed in MicroMart under caution.
If there is one thing more dangerous than getting between a bear and her cubs it's getting between my wife and her chocolate.
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As most of my printing is text files I ditched ink printers a while back and bought a b/w Laser from Brother - the quality is perfectly acceptable and if I don't use it for a while all I have to do is shake the toner cartridge a few times and all is fine - the cost of a new toner cartridge is £22 ( last time I checked ) and I still have 60% of toner left. No brainer for me. DD I will check your site for prices.
We can’t stop here, this is bat country - Hunter S Thompson RIP
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Waiting for the cost of printer cartridges to become so high that it will be more economic to just hire someone to type your stuff on an old Smith-Corona.
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Did a *lot* of refilling years ago. With Epson it is really easy, just get some bottles of compatible ink and syringe it in. At the time, I got a special little gadget that reset the ink counters on the cartridge chip back to 100% and was good to go.
The big problem is actually getting decent ink. Unfortunately, there seems to have been a race to the bottom in a large part of the market. Most of the ink you'll find on Ebay and the like is absolute rubbish. The black comes out green or is not very dark so grey shades on photos have a greenish tint. It is a common problem.
The ink I used to buy in Epson branded cartridges is really excellent but priced almost as much as a new printer for a full set of cartridges which is clearly very wrong.
Best advice I can give you is for B/W, get a laser. The cheap ones are mostly pretty good and far crisper for text than an inkjet can ever be. They are also usually a lot faster. For photos, take them to a local shop. In the long run, although a *bit* of a hassle, they will be better quality and longer lasting especially if they are generated using a photographic process.
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