Tech Nightmares: Ghostline the flux

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > Tech Nightmares: Ghostline the flux

How many quarters after Q1 2016 till Marissa Mayer is unemployed?
	1 or fewer
	2
	4
	Her job is guaranteed; what are you even talking about?

Lacrosse: Jun 16, 2010; >:V

a foolish pianist posted:

From working with some former mobile game devs, I can tell you that the mobile game company hires a bunch of people to make the game, the people make the game, and then the company fires all but the absolute minimum required to keep the game running.

When popcap got bought be EA the whole company had a party, then a good chunk of them got laid off a few months later.

# ? May 25, 2016 21:57

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# ? May 22, 2024 10:04

ToxicSlurpee: Nov 5, 2003; -=SEND HELP=-; Pillbug

Lacrosse posted:

When popcap got bought be EA the whole company had a party, then a good chunk of them got laid off a few months later.

EA has a pretty long history of being profoundly lovely.

# ? May 25, 2016 22:00

i say swears online: Mar 4, 2005

# ? May 25, 2016 22:48

Harik: Sep 9, 2001; From the hard streets of Moscow
First dog to touch the stars; Plaster Town Cop

Halisnacks posted:

Where do video/mobile game studios tend to fall in the taxonomy of tech companies?

Differences:
- do not blatantly/sanctimoniously flout laws/regulations as part of their business model

You say that, yet Japan has had to repeatedly crack down on games skirting gambling laws with cash-shop random loot boxes.

Just because they don't break US laws doesn't mean that other countries are as lazez faire about predatory practices and children's games.

# ? May 25, 2016 23:30

Discendo Vox: Mar 21, 2013; We don't need to have that dialogue because it's obvious, trivial, and has already been had a thousand times.

Harik posted:

You say that, yet Japan has had to repeatedly crack down on games skirting gambling laws with cash-shop random loot boxes.

Just because they don't break US laws doesn't mean that other countries are as lazez faire about predatory practices and children's games.

Worth noting that Japanese companies doing that usually have yakuza ties.

# ? May 26, 2016 00:01

Ccs: Feb 25, 2011

Halisnacks posted:

Where do video/mobile game studios tend to fall in the taxonomy of tech companies?

Similarities:
- employ lots of tech bro manchildren
- "cool" offices/perks
- often VC backed, with valuations precariously based on one IP (sometimes not even launched yet)

Differences:
- have figured out monetization (IAPs), and occasionally make boatloads of money
- do not blatantly/sanctimoniously flout laws/regulations as part of their business model

If they're located in Canada they also get between 30-70% of their labor's salary paid for by the government through stackable digital media tax credits.

# ? May 26, 2016 01:24

blah_blah: Apr 15, 2006

Halisnacks posted:

Where do video/mobile game studios tend to fall in the taxonomy of tech companies?

Similarities:
- employ lots of tech bro manchildren
- "cool" offices/perks
- often VC backed, with valuations precariously based on one IP (sometimes not even launched yet)

Differences:
- have figured out monetization (IAPs), and occasionally make boatloads of money
- do not blatantly/sanctimoniously flout laws/regulations as part of their business model

- (both) Mediocre compensation
- (non-mobile) Notoriously bad work/life balance
- (mobile-specific) Low sustainability (at the industry and IP level)
- (mobile-specific) Business model revolves around trying to get a small number of whales to spend truly obscene amounts of money

# ? May 26, 2016 02:55

Double Bill: Jan 29, 2006

ToxicSlurpee posted:

People that have no idea what programmers actually do.

"How many lines of code did you write today?" None. I was running tests all day. That's a very, very important thing.

One of my favorite "the boss is clueless" stories was about a boss that was complaining that he'd see programmers just staring at the screen and clicking or pushing the same button occasionally and that wasn't productive! He demanded to see more typing because that meant more programming was happening.

The software engineers working there were like "uh...you do realize that we're debugging and that's like half our job when we do that?" He was like "I don't care more typing." So whenever he was around they'd just start hammering furiously on their keyboards.

On some days I delete more code than I write. I bet that boss would be furious.

# ? May 26, 2016 08:43

MikeCrotch: Nov 5, 2011; I AM UNJUSTIFIABLY PROUD OF MY SPAGHETTI BOLOGNESE RECIPE

YES, IT IS AN INCREDIBLY SIMPLE DISH

NO, IT IS NOT NORMAL TO USE A PEPPERAMI INSTEAD OF MINCED MEAT

YES, THERE IS TOO MUCH SALT IN MY RECIPE

NO, I WON'T STOP SHARING IT

more like BOLLOCKnese

Double Bill posted:

On some days I delete more code than I write. I bet that boss would be furious.

Depends how hard you were hammering backspace :v:

# ? May 26, 2016 13:30

Mozi: Apr 4, 2004; Forms change so fast
Time is moving past
Memory is smoke
Gonna get wider when I die; Nap Ghost

Ctrl-K, my friend, always Ctrl-K.

# ? May 26, 2016 14:25

feedmegin: Jul 30, 2008

a foolish pianist posted:

From working with some former mobile game devs, I can tell you that the mobile game company hires a bunch of people to make the game, the people make the game, and then the company fires all but the absolute minimum required to keep the game running.

High turnover/layoffs immediately after shipping are pretty common in non-mobile games development too (also studios going bust/getting shut down on the reg).

# ? May 26, 2016 15:15

Rhesus Pieces: Jun 27, 2005

https://twitter.com/jrhennessy/status/735777658177343490

# ? May 26, 2016 15:36

Absurd Alhazred: Mar 27, 2010; by Athanatos

Apparently Google's Java library reimplementation does fall under fair use (pending yet another appeal to the Federal Circuit). The question of whether it is good for developers to be forced to target a separate branch of Java in order to cater to this unique mobile snowflake is not addressed. Or, rather, several branches. Just look at this usage distribution:

Somehow I feel like this is going to just keep encouraging companies to "disrupt" quaint notions like universal software standards or consistent development targets.

# ? May 27, 2016 08:04

rscott: Dec 10, 2009

If there's one thing that actually needs disrupting it's the way IP law is applied to software

Also gently caress Oracle

# ? May 27, 2016 12:25

Munkeymon: Aug 14, 2003; Motherfucker's got an
armor-piercing crowbar! Rigoddamndicu𝜆ous.

Absurd Alhazred posted:

Apparently Google's Java library reimplementation does fall under fair use (pending yet another appeal to the Federal Circuit). The question of whether it is good for developers to be forced to target a separate branch of Java in order to cater to this unique mobile snowflake is not addressed. Or, rather, several branches. Just look at this usage distribution:

Somehow I feel like this is going to just keep encouraging companies to "disrupt" quaint notions like universal software standards or consistent development targets.

That's the Android API fragmentation, which is related to Java API fragmentation in that Android's API is a superset of a subset of the Java API. You're actually seeing six snowflakes all calling themselves 'Android'. Oh and then you have Amazon's fork of Android.

# ? May 27, 2016 14:56

Arcteryx Anarchist: Sep 15, 2007; Fun Shoe

What's wrong with copyright on code? FOSS lives on copyright

# ? May 27, 2016 14:56

Turtle Sandbox: Dec 31, 2007; by Fluffdaddy

Im going to disrupt the fastener industry with new and disruptive nonstandard but even better threading.

Who wont switch over to my obviously superior product?

# ? May 27, 2016 15:01

Mister Fister: May 17, 2008; D&D: HASBARA SQUAD
KILL-GORE

I love the smell of dead Palestinians in the morning.
You know, one time we had Gaza bombed for 26 days
(and counting!)

WampaLord posted:

Isn't productivity drastically low, though? Like, even lower than it would be if they worked 40 hour weeks? Most of what I've read says that your average salaryman is just dicking around online most of the time, but they have to be seen at their desks.

That and going drinking/karaoking with your boss after work.

# ? May 27, 2016 15:02

WampaLord: Jan 14, 2010

Mister Fister posted:

That and going drinking/karaoking with your boss after work.

This is one part of the Japanese work culture that I would be okay with. Plus, it's totally normal to be hungover the next day and pass out at your desk! :toot:

What a hard worker!

# ? May 27, 2016 15:07

Arcteryx Anarchist: Sep 15, 2007; Fun Shoe

You have to remember the boss is the boss of your drinking as well

Think you've had enough? Tough poo poo, the boss just poured you another

# ? May 27, 2016 15:08

Humphrey Appleby: Oct 30, 2013; Knowledge only means complicity in guilt; ignorance has a certain dignity.

lancemantis posted:

What's wrong with copyright on code? FOSS lives on copyright

This is talking about copyright of APIs which is different. It's talking not about copyrighting code, but about copyrighting the structure of how the code is built. For example Oracle's Java implementation and Google's have similar structure even if the code is not the same. Oracle actually won on appeal that APIs are copyrightable which many in tech disagree with. Copyright still allows for fair use and the this case found that even with the assumption that the Java API is under copyright Googles use was fair.

Please correct me if I got anything wrong.

# ? May 27, 2016 15:14

nachos: Jun 27, 2004; Wario Chalmers! WAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

Mister Fister posted:

That and going drinking/karaoking with your boss after work.

It's also apparently completely normal to talk poo poo to your boss about how terrible he is during karaoke/bar time and then go back to work the next day as if nothing happened

# ? May 27, 2016 15:30

a foolish pianist: May 6, 2007; (bi)cyclic mutation

Humphrey Appleby posted:

This is talking about copyright of APIs which is different. It's talking not about copyrighting code, but about copyrighting the structure of how the code is built. For example Oracle's Java implementation and Google's have similar structure even if the code is not the same. Oracle actually won on appeal that APIs are copyrightable which many in tech disagree with. Copyright still allows for fair use and the this case found that even with the assumption that the Java API is under copyright Googles use was fair.

Please correct me if I got anything wrong.

APIs aren't the structure, but the definitions for input and output. If facebook has an API that you can use to do person.add_friend('bobby tables'), all you see is that call and the result that person now has bobby tables as a friend. There's nothing at all about the organization or structure of the code that accomplishes the task.

If APIs can't be copyrighted, other social networks can write identical APIs for their own. Friendster can say "just call person.add_friend(friend_id) to add a friend to person", and people who've written apps that do operations on Facebook can then use substantially-identical code to use their apps with Friendster as well.

If the APIs can be copyrighted, then there's going to be a huge weird legal argument about how unique interactions with software packages have to be to count as non-infringing, for one thing. It'll be a huge pain in the rear end.

# ? May 27, 2016 15:47

Bushiz: Sep 21, 2004; The #1 Threat to Ba Sing Se; Grimey Drawer

When I was over there I got into a conversation with some Expats and apparently the way to beat the system is to be white. You can show up, do your 40 hours, and go home, and people will act like it's a curious quirk or, like, some funny joke you tell and it won't be held against you at all.

# ? May 27, 2016 15:49

WampaLord: Jan 14, 2010

Bushiz posted:

apparently the way to beat the system is to be white.

Basically true everywhere.

# ? May 27, 2016 16:07

Munkeymon: Aug 14, 2003; Motherfucker's got an
armor-piercing crowbar! Rigoddamndicu𝜆ous.

lancemantis posted:

What's wrong with copyright on code? FOSS lives on copyright

Nothing! What's wrong is that an appellate court has determined that the fact that someone put a method called 'add' that takes two numbers and returns a number in the file /java/math.java is copyrightable because it took considerable skill and creativity to not put it in /java/a.java.

# ? May 27, 2016 16:15

ComradeCosmobot: Dec 4, 2004; USPOL July

Munkeymon posted:

Nothing! What's wrong is that an appellate court has determined that the fact that someone put a method called 'add' that takes two numbers and returns a number in the file /java/math.java is copyrightable because it took considerable skill and creativity to not put it in /java/a.java.

Or to not call it plus. Or to not take an extra string as an argument used when logging an exception. Or to not reverse the order of the arguments and require that string to be the first argument instead of the last one.

# ? May 27, 2016 16:21

H.P. Hovercraft: Jan 12, 2004; one thing a computer can do that most humans can't is be sealed up in a cardboard box and sit in a warehouse; Slippery Tilde

lancemantis posted:

You have to remember the boss is the boss of your drinking as well

Think you've had enough? Tough poo poo, the boss just poured you another

my mighty caucasian college-educated liver would absolutely dominate some older japanese dude who can't even process alcohol correctly without turning bright red

# ? May 27, 2016 16:49

axeil: Feb 14, 2006

lancemantis posted:

that reminds me, ban undergraduate business programs from places of university education

Nah I think we should keep the only area of schools that actually are capable of getting people employed after graduation.

# ? May 27, 2016 17:00

i say swears online: Mar 4, 2005

H.P. Hovercraft posted:

my mighty caucasian college-educated liver would absolutely dominate some older japanese dude who can't even process alcohol correctly without turning bright red

yeah no kidding, i'd love a boss that tried to drink me under the table every night 'cause it'd lower my monthly spending by a ton

# ? May 27, 2016 17:10

axeil: Feb 14, 2006

Absurd Alhazred posted:

More cheap medical device failure news: Fitbit heart-rate monitors highly inaccurate.

I don't see the issue here. No one is using a fitbit for truly medically accurate info. If my heart rate is at 140 or 160 it's not a massive difference, it's just to get a ballpark estimate.

I'd also dispute their findings as I find mine pretty much lines up when I do a manual measurement.

# ? May 27, 2016 17:13

Wheany: Mar 17, 2006; Spinya^{ha^{ha^haha}ha}ha_{ha_{ha_haha}ha}ha!; Doctor Rope

axeil posted:

I'd also dispute their findings as I find mine pretty much lines up when I do a manual measurement.

Well that settles that

# ? May 27, 2016 17:38

Munkeymon: Aug 14, 2003; Motherfucker's got an
armor-piercing crowbar! Rigoddamndicu𝜆ous.

ComradeCosmobot posted:

Or to not call it plus. Or to not take an extra string as an argument used when logging an exception. Or to not reverse the order of the arguments and require that string to be the first argument instead of the last one.

And none of that matters because the fact that a method exists was already understood to be non-copyrightable because it's a fact. The question was whether the 'structure sequence and organization' was copyrightable.

# ? May 27, 2016 17:39

ToxicSlurpee: Nov 5, 2003; -=SEND HELP=-; Pillbug

nachos posted:

It's also apparently completely normal to talk poo poo to your boss about how terrible he is during karaoke/bar time and then go back to work the next day as if nothing happened

That's actually a pretty positive thing, from what I gather. One of the issues in America is that a poo poo load of companies have decided to jump on the "you must always be positive" bandwagon, which means no complaining or airing grievances ever, at all.

# ? May 27, 2016 17:39

nachos: Jun 27, 2004; Wario Chalmers! WAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

ToxicSlurpee posted:

That's actually a pretty positive thing, from what I gather. One of the issues in America is that a poo poo load of companies have decided to jump on the "you must always be positive" bandwagon, which means no complaining or airing grievances ever, at all.

Oh I agree, 80 hour death weeks aside the way they are able to compartmentalize work, after work, and home is nice compared to the american WORK IS LIFE DO WHAT YOU LOVE AND YOU'LL NEVER WORK A DAY IN YOUR LIFE mentality

# ? May 27, 2016 17:46

Soy Division: Aug 12, 2004

Bushiz posted:

When I was over there I got into a conversation with some Expats and apparently the way to beat the system is to be white. You can show up, do your 40 hours, and go home, and people will act like it's a curious quirk or, like, some funny joke you tell and it won't be held against you at all.

Oh, it will most definitely be held against you by your colleagues, even if they don't say so to your face. But the bosses generally overlook it. You're a status symbol for them.

# ? May 27, 2016 20:33

Paradoxish: Dec 19, 2003; Will you stop going crazy in there?

axeil posted:

I don't see the issue here. No one is using a fitbit for truly medically accurate info. If my heart rate is at 140 or 160 it's not a massive difference, it's just to get a ballpark estimate.

Yeah, if a fitbit is off by that much then it's completely useless because it isn't providing you with any information that you aren't already provided with by virtue of being alive.

quote:

Moreover, this analysis disregards the thousands of discrete data points in which the Fitbit devices recorded literally no heart beat at all. As the authors note, incorporating those null data points increased the average discrepancy at moderate to high intensities to approximately 25 beats per minute, an even worse result. In addition, the study also reported a �startling inconsistency� between Fitbit devices simultaneously recording the same user�s heart rate on different wrists.

If they're off by that much, then the only question it's answering is whether or not you feel like you're exerting yourself, and you should know the answer to that without any kind of monitoring device. All of the (already questionable) reasons why anyone other than a professional athlete might want to know their heartrate while exercising go right out the window if you can't get a more accurate and consistent reading than that.

# ? May 27, 2016 23:21

ShadowHawk: Jun 25, 2000; CERTIFIED PRE OWNED TESLA OWNER

Paradoxish posted:

Yeah, if a fitbit is off by that much then it's completely useless because it isn't providing you with any information that you aren't already provided with by virtue of being alive.

Eh, there's a matter of degree here. A fitbit could be wrong by that much 1% of the time and still completely hit its main use cases such as trend tracking. That's not enough 9's to be a good medical diagnostic tool though.

# ? May 28, 2016 01:49

neonnoodle: Mar 20, 2008; by exmarx

I'm filing a class action suit against the makers of Magic 8 Ball.

# ? May 28, 2016 03:44

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# ? May 22, 2024 10:04

Cicero: Dec 17, 2003; Jumpjet, melta, jumpjet. Repeat for ten minutes or until victory is assured.

nachos posted:

Oh I agree, 80 hour death weeks aside the way they are able to compartmentalize work, after work, and home is nice compared to the american WORK IS LIFE DO WHAT YOU LOVE AND YOU'LL NEVER WORK A DAY IN YOUR LIFE mentality

Japanese salaryman work culture is insane and terrible and you're crazy if you think otherwise.

# ? May 28, 2016 04:38

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