Ruthless workers are on the move
(I'll give the Indy one more chance...)
Ruthless? Cynical, perhaps, but it's the way we are generally treated that make us that way. My current employer is different - they have shown me real loyalty, and I'll show it to them back. (And I'm not just saying that in case one of the directors reads this. ;-) But they are unusual - in most of the places that I've worked, I was just a resource, no more.
Trust and loyalty are two way streets. When companies start showing them to their workers, then they can expect them in return. Not before.
Naturally, while times are hard in the job market, people will stick where they are. But as soon as the market shifts, there will be a lot of compnies left in the lurch...
Spotted on Java Today - Python Boosts JAR File Auditor Functionality.
Python stuff seems to be showing up more and more frequently on Java related sites these days.
Well, I'm with Andy on this one. And there's two of us, and only one of him. Besides, he doesn't even seem to know that 'Internet' should be capitalised! Stupid bastard.
And with arguments like those in our arsenal, the argument is as good as won.
Once again, I'm off to Amsterdam this afternoon.
And once again, I don't bloody know if I'm going to Madrid after that, or whether I'm coming back to London. Sigh.
Steve mentioned Java Ranch to me at the weekend. He's in the throws of learning Java right now, and he says that he's found it a very helpful site. Bravo them!
While the Python community remains peerless, I have found a number of good Java online resources. I thought that I'd mention my list of irreplaceable sites...
The Java world is a fast moving one. If you want to keep up, these sites are worth a visit every now and again. Or daily, if you are as sad as I am. ;-)
There are a few very good Java books available, and bloody hundreds of rubbish ones. A list of good Java books is really another post altogether, but a couple of book related online resources require a mention.
A few places publish regular short, specialised articles on various Java subjects. I look at these sites every now and again to see if there's anything I'd like to learn about. I also search them if I need to do something I've not done before, 'cos if there is an article on the subject, it can save a ton of time.
Sun themselves have a couple of interesting new sites. The jury is still out, but they are worth watching.
Lastly, there are a couple of sources of software that you should keep in your favorites list. There are loads of places to go, but frankly, 90% + of the OSS software that I use comes from one of these places.
And don't forget Usenet - comp.lang.java and subgroups are a rich lode.
Which other essential sites am I missing?
So, no drunken blogging on Saturday night after all - sorry to disappoint.
We didn't do the beer festival in the end - it just seemed like a bit too much hassle. Instead, Steve and Cathy rustled up a quick barbie (with Steve presiding over the fire, and Cathy looking after the salad, as is only natural), while Sam-I-Am chased me unrelentingly around the garden with a cricket bat.
Then we went to Steve's local. It was just like being in an episode of the Archers! I kept expecting someone to bring a cow in. Instead, someone brought in a dog the size of a cow.
Clearly we were getting a bit too nerdy (talking about metaclasses and AOP), 'cos someone came over and tried to head-hunt us. (At least I think he was trying to head-hunt us - he was a bit too much a a salesman/manager type for me to understand exactly what he was saying. If indeed he was saying anything. His company's website is similarly unforthcoming...)
On Sunday, we went to the Guilfest as planned. Atomic Kitten were dreadful! Now, naturally, I wasn't expecting a great deal from them. But basic professional competence, (keeping in tune, that sort of thing) is something I do expect from so cynically manufactured a band.
Still, it was a good day. Beer, food, company and (some) music all good.
And Sam was a star.