Software developers - tell us about your skills

[Kym]

I'm interested in finding out what software developers are also into photography.

I'm also wondering what skills we have on the forum in this area.

So please tell us about your IT skills! :lightbulb:

[I @ M]

Sorry, I only know how to log in to AP and haven't a clue about spreading sheets out in Java ( only ever been to Bali ) to lay a lamp on for the competent development of Christmas dinner for Linus Torvalds. :confused013

[CherylB]

Not really enough options there Kym! In a former life I was a programmer, but I don't see much call for Cobol these days! (especially on punched cards :D )

I have dabbled a bit with html and VB, and I can do anything I like with a Remedy system. I do a fair bit of coding within a Crystal Report from time to time.

[Kym]

Options - Well I could have had 20 more but just wanted a really broad gauge of current relevant skills

Andrew - you should take over primary tech support! ;)

[Tannin]

Where is the option to vote for I am an incompetent LAMP developer?

[CherylB]

Options - Well I could have had 20 more but just wanted a really broad gauge of current relevant skills


Yep, story of my life! Always out of date, and completely irrelevant! :D :p :rolleyes:

[farmer_rob]

Reasonably currently, I know my way around SQLserver, Oracle, ASP (less so .net, but have worked with it) mainly revolving around web-to-database coding and database design.

In a past life, I knew lots about Unix, C, Informix, SQL in various flavours, 4GLs, machine code real-time programming and data acquisition, as well as broadcast video standards and video encoding.

(I can also pull calves and fix pumps - but that is another story...)

[campo]

A lot of people i know in photography do have IT backgrounds whether it be programming, sys admin, BA/PM etc etc. For me I've come from support desk to web development and now into BA/PM style work although I'm strongest with backend databases. It would be interesting to know why so many photographers seems to have come from and IT background. Any researchers out there?

For me personally, i picked up a digital P&S camera after playing with a film P&S and enjoying it which rules out the "I want a cool technology gadget" thing...

[jev]

My business card says: "Project Manager", but in reality I spend my days 90% of the time designing and implementing embedded software and programmable hardware (FPGA's mostly). I've just finished the implementation of an SD-host peripheral (both peripheral and device driver) and started working on a brand new Bluetooth stack last week.

I've done my share of kernel development, programmed in numerous languages, burned more fingers on hot soldering tin and was shocked by more power-components than I care to remember. I've designed and built hardware for the automotive, medical and consumer market, including development on still- and moving camera technology. Some of it provides ethernet connections to hook it up to local networks (or the internet if you prefer) for which I've developed websites and databases.

So yeah, you could say I'm a techie :). I don't do a lot of desktop programming but can if needed.

[clm738]

I make a mean dress. Is this any help? 'cause it's all double dutch to me.

[Sleeper]

"Linus Torvalds asks my advice on Linux kernel development" <- that's me. :D

Ok, jokes aside, I'm really just a asp.net developer.

[seastorm]

I'm a software test team leader, so I do a bit of spreadsheet programming for stats and stuff like that from raw data off SQL tables.

[maccaroneski]

It would be interesting to know why so many photographers seems to have come from and IT background. Any researchers out there?

No research being done here but I would have thought that if you're IT savvy you're just more likely to be in the net - in forums, and on Flickr etc as you know your way around those things a whole lot better than Joe Average.

I have no software skills per se, unless you count being able to draft and negotiate long boring a complex contracts for a wide range of enterprise software solutions (i.e. I can talk a good game about enterprise software licensing and IP rights, but no idea how to use the software itself) - otherwise then it's "log on to AP only" for me.

[Kym]

It would be interesting to know why so many photographers seems to have come from and IT background. Any researchers out there?

No research. But AP has quite a low number of members with serious IT development skills.
Within my work environment a team of 28 IT people, 6 have DSLRs, one of them has 2 (me).
Nikon 3 x D40x, 1 x D80, 1 x D90, Canon 1 x 400D, 2 x Pentax (K20D, K-7)

[gcflora]

Well I don't know what to vote. In my pervious career I wrote using C and C++ (depending on the task). I've also coded in M68K asm and x86 asm. I know quite a few other languages as well but most proficient in C. I do not know .NET very well (although I wrote a quick'n'dirty win forms c# app a few months ago for my personal use). So I guess I can't choose any of the poll options :(

[gcflora]

Not really enough options there Kym! In a former life I was a programmer, but I don't see much call for Cobol these days! (especially on punched cards :D )

I have dabbled a bit with html and VB, and I can do anything I like with a Remedy system. I do a fair bit of coding within a Crystal Report from time to time.

Well, you can probably find work maintaining COBOL but there are few things less pleasant LOL

[Miaow]

Have a dip in computer tech (96/7) that involved doing C,C++, VB, COBOL etc - wouldn't remember too much of it now apart from VB. Can do HTML and a little basic Java. Have done quite a few spreadsheets last job.

[trigger]

First full time job wams a DB developer, was sub-contracted in 99 by a telco for the LNP program. Coded stuff in VB, Java and PLSQL. The most borring job in my life, I'll never be a code monkey again :)

[peterb666]

I work for a software development company but I am not a programmer. I take the incomprehensible technical documentation and turn it into something remotely resembling English.

I write the occassional macro in VBA and play with HTML & stylesheets but I would generally rate my skills in the 'I can program a spreadsheet'.

Most of our programmers (some of whom I consider very good) cannot program a spreadsheet and come to me to get help which I find quite amusing.

[SRR33]

A lot of people i know in photography do have IT backgrounds whether it be programming, sys admin, BA/PM etc etc. For me I've come from support desk to web development and now into BA/PM style work although I'm strongest with backend databases. It would be interesting to know why so many photographers seems to have come from and IT background. Any researchers out there?

For me personally, i picked up a digital P&S camera after playing with a film P&S and enjoying it which rules out the "I want a cool technology gadget" thing...

+1.. in the IT field too.

Maybe because we love technology and playing with new gadgets.

For me my inspiration for photography came from my cousin brother (who is a professional wildlife photographer). He is also into IT (well he is the boss of his many companies). If it wasn't for him I would have never got into it.

[SRR33]

First full time job wams a DB developer, was sub-contracted in 99 by a telco for the LNP program. Coded stuff in VB, Java and PLSQL. The most borring job in my life, I'll never be a code monkey again :)

oh god i hate plsql.. tho at times its ok. But frustrating!!

[gcflora]

oh god i hate plsql.. tho at times its ok. But frustrating!!

Well, it's better than COBOL at least!

[mudman]

Well, it's better than COBOL at least!

what's wrong with COBOL? i found it an easy language to work with.
better than REXX or SAS, IMOA

[gcflora]

There's nothing hugely wrong with it (for the tasks it's good for) except for the huge amount of typing.

[mudman]

There's nothing hugely wrong with it (for the tasks it's good for) except for the huge amount of typing.

the main reason people use a lotv of typing is that they don't use the language efficiently.
they use nested IF statements instead of EVALUATE for example.

[pgbphotographytas]

My skills are more in the technical / client support side after 9 years experience in desktop / server support.
My new role is in networking and communications so I am learning all about Cisco and 3com layer 3 switches, vlan's, ISA server, fibre optic networking and so on.... :th3:

[Kym]

COBOL can be concise - or not.


COMPUTE X = (-B + SQRT(B ** 2 - (4 * A * C))) / (2 * A)

The same formula could also be written less concisely as:


MULTIPLY B BY B GIVING B-SQUARED.
MULTIPLY 4 BY A GIVING FOUR-A.
MULTIPLY FOUR-A BY C GIVING FOUR-A-C.
SUBTRACT FOUR-A-C FROM B-SQUARED GIVING RESULT-1.
COMPUTE RESULT-2 = RESULT-1 ** .5.
SUBTRACT B FROM RESULT-2 GIVING NUMERATOR.
MULTIPLY 2 BY A GIVING DENOMINATOR.
DIVIDE NUMERATOR BY DENOMINATOR GIVING X.

[gcflora]

Yep, good points Kym and mudman. But a lot of old COBOL uses the second form of Kym's example

[abeluka]

I'm a professional Java/.Net developer working as a senior level programmer/architect on a commercial software product.

Sort of wish I wasn't though! many days I wish I'd never learned how to turn a PC on!

Hopefully I will soon find a foresighted employer that will let me work outside, far away from a stuffy office

[GlennSan]

Way back when I first became interested in computers, I just loved coding in x86 assembler, although it was just simple little fun programs to leanr and amuse myself. The purity of assembler fascinated me. Long winded though to build anything useful from the ground up. Then I dabbled in C for a while and again wrote myself a few little fun programs to learn as I went along.

Long since moved on into different IT work and made a good living out of it but do remember those early days fondly.

Now, about the closest I come to coding is excel macros.

I wish I was as smart and dedicated as Linus but maybe it's because he lives in a climate-challenged country that he spent all that time inside as a youngster :) I agree with Abeluka - it's nice to be in fresh air with the sun on your back sometimes.

[DAdeGroot]

Well I know C (and C++ v1), Ruby and some perl, also did Pascal, Modula-2 and COBOL at Uni.

However, I've not seriously coded in 5 years or more.

[JazzXP]

Full software developer, been working in Java, ASP, C++, C#, Objective-C, PHP, MSSQL, MySQL and many others for the past 9 years (plus my CS degree and hobby programming before that).

Slowly working on an iPhone photography app as I get inspiration (so may never actually get released!).

[gcflora]

Well I know C (and C++ v1), Ruby and some perl, also did Pascal, Modula-2 and COBOL at Uni.

However, I've not seriously coded in 5 years or more.

I did Modula-2 at uni as well. A quite enjoyable language.

[edgewing]

COBOL can be concise - or not.


COMPUTE X = (-B + SQRT(B ** 2 - (4 * A * C))) / (2 * A)

The same formula could also be written less concisely as:


MULTIPLY B BY B GIVING B-SQUARED.
MULTIPLY 4 BY A GIVING FOUR-A.
MULTIPLY FOUR-A BY C GIVING FOUR-A-C.
SUBTRACT FOUR-A-C FROM B-SQUARED GIVING RESULT-1.
COMPUTE RESULT-2 = RESULT-1 ** .5.
SUBTRACT B FROM RESULT-2 GIVING NUMERATOR.
MULTIPLY 2 BY A GIVING DENOMINATOR.
DIVIDE NUMERATOR BY DENOMINATOR GIVING X.

This can also be programmed on my HP calculator quite easily :) These days however I have something a bit more grunty to do that with, I work with the research community in the High Performance Computing area. Can be very interesting at times, quite boring at others.

I started 30 years ago with assembler on PDP4 and PDP11/23's. Not too many of them around these days.

Ciao for now

[DAdeGroot]

I did Modula-2 at uni as well. A quite enjoyable language.

Sicko :p


I hated Modula-2. Waaaay too pascal like, and not in a good way.

[gcflora]

Sicko :p


I hated Modula-2. Waaaay too pascal like, and not in a good way.

ROFLOL.

Well, it's like pascal because they're both by Wirth (as you know). Perhaps my soft spot for it stems from working on the gpm (Gardens Point Modular) compiler.

[Kym]

APL (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/APL_%28programming_language%29) or J (http://www.jsoftware.com/) anyone?
Which are uber kewl!

Or the worst BF (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brainfuc#) (You need to edit the link)

[jev]

Real programmers program in assembly. Or perhaps in K&R C :D

[farmer_rob]

Real programmers program in assembly. Or perhaps in K&R C :D

There are other languages?

(I used to write data acquisition code - hand-crafted assembler loops where you'd use different addressing modes to save a cycle or two - which were called from C.)