Work Issues Discussion Boards

I wrote a couple of articles on the Healthcare.gov software
development disaster, and I'm looking for advice on the best way to
submit them to CodeProject.

I did three months of research, interviewing developers and
whistleblowers, and reviewing numerous media reports. I'm not a
mainstream journalist, but I was a tech journalist for years, as well
as being a senior software engineer. As far as I know, I'm the only
journalist who has done such a thorough technical review of what
happened.

The first article is a journalistic treatment:

** Healthcare.gov -- The greatest software development disaster in history
** http://www.generationaldynamics.com/pg/ww2010.i.hcgov150823.htm

The second article contains "lessons learned" for managing software
development projects, and dealing with project stakeholders who either
are incompetent or who actually try to sabotage the project. This
article is targeted to managers, researchers, and academics, and
contains a lot of technical information that would be useful to both
programmers and managers:

** For academics: Dysfunction, subversion, sabotage and fraud in software development projects
** http://www.generationaldynamics.com/pg/ww2010.i.academic150823.htm

The following is my daily World View column, which summarizes the
above two articles:

** 23-Aug-15 World View -- Fraud and subversion in Healthcare.gov - the greatest IT disaster in history
** http://www.generationaldynamics.com/pg/xct.gd.e150823.htm#e150823

I would appreciate any advice on the best way to submit these
articles to CodeProject.

Thanks.

John J. Xenakis
john@jxenakis.com
john@generationaldynamics.com

You might want to post this question in the Article-Writing[^] forum.

The difficult we do right away...
...the impossible takes slightly longer.

Thanks, I'll do that.

I'm neither journalist nor lawyer, but I spent 10 seconds looking at the first article to see it contained numerous incidents of libel that you could be sued for. Journalism is best keep to reporting of facts rather than accusations you might find yourself having to prove.

I've already discussed all that with my lawyer, and besides that, many readers of my web site are lawyers, and would have written to me about it.

The reality today is that the corruption and criminality in Washington and on Wall Street are at enormous levels, at levels so high that they were unthinkable prior to the rise of Generation-X in the 2000s.

So the other side of that is nobody gets sued because almost everyone is a criminal, and criminality is the norm, so no one goes to jail.

It's possible that someone will try to sue me, but for what purpose? I have almost no money, I'm old enough that I don't give a sh*t, and suing me would just cause me to write about the people suing me, which would give more publicity to their crimes. They know that, so they'll just ignore me.

By the way, the whistleblowers that I wrote about have also given evidence to the FBI, which is investigating the same crimes. These are people who took hundreds of millions of dollars, knowing that their programming staff were too incompetent to even implement a network connection, and the results speak for themselves -- Healthcare.gov: The Greatest IT Disaster in World History.

For 10 years I used VB5-6/VBA/SQL2000-2005 to write applications for small business clients that integrated various features of MSOffice modules, DTS and Crystal Reports programmatically via office automation. Then I went on a 5 year sabbatical.

I now want to get back to work in the industry as some kind of software developer - VB, Java, C-something, ASP.net, Crystal, etc. However, in the described past I had accumulated a great amount of knowledge concerning MSServer, Windows and all the development tools that I used and was just beginning web development. I am assuming that everything has changed in 5 years and that getting back to my past level will require a strategy similar to that employed when eating an elephant, that is, a bite by bite approach. So, I am not lazy, but I am trying to draw responses that can help me to identify the smallest, most manageable set of tools currently in demand that can be learned in the initial 3 months and that will be the most likely to lead to employment.

Also, in 2009-10 I intended to aggressively update my skill set, so I purchased a workstation and server, an MSDN VS2008 subscription and 15 month access to New Horizons so that I could take 242 2-hr Microsoft related courses related to web & forms development, VB&ASP.net, SQL2005-2008, SSIS, BI, Server2008. I completed the courses with screen recording so that I could go back to review, but a family illness disrupted my concentration as I went thru my 1st pass and made a planned 2nd pass impossible. I just bring this up because these resources are available to me if any of this software is still in demand. I hope that I have defined my request clearly enough and I thank all contributors kindly in advance.

Randy Swofford
St. Louis, Mo.

A spatula.

That's impossible to learn in three months.

If you're having a bad day, stare at your feet and smile.

You might want to invest some time in learning the MEAN stack. This is incredibly popular right now, and isn't too hard to get started on. MEAN stands for

MongoDB - a NoSQL database
Express - effectively, this is the infrastructure needed to create a JavaScript web server (wait for it...)
AngularJS - the fastest growing of the many JavaScript frameworks available - worth looking into
Node.JS - this is the JavaScript code execution engine that runs at the server side. Express runs no top of this

All of these tools are free to download, and simple enough to get your head around. I would recommend taking out a Pluralsight[^] subscription and working your way through the many courses they have that cover the MEAN stack.

Hi, I prepare to have Windows 8 Certification. I have check from Microsoft Homepage[^] and found that it require exam 70-687 and 70-688. So I try to search from amazon and I found the following book to study:

My question are:
1. What is the difference between these above book?
2. If I want to study Windows 8, which book that I should read first?
3. If possible, please kindly explain the difference all of these three book.

Thank in advance.
Kanel

You could just follow those links and read the information that is provided. If you really do not understand the difference between them then perhaps you need to study some more introductory books, something like those listed at https://www.google.com/search?q=windows+8+books[^].

I have just taken a job as the IT Director for a small private school. Amongst all my duties I have been asked to teach a small class of 6 students. They're all seniors and supposedly very computer savvy.

Does anybody have a starting point where I can find some lesson plans. I have some great ideas but unsure of how to put everything together.

I love Ian Sommervilles book, Software Engineering and I'll probably pull from it. Also I got the school to buy several Raspberry Pi's so I want to work them up to that kind of project.

Thanks for your help!
Brandon

I would reccomend figuring out how tech savvy your students really are giving them a couple of programming exercises.
Also going with raspberry Pi can be great fun if done right Poke tongue | ;-P

#region(start signature)
Life's like a nose, you've got to get out of it whats in it!
#endregion

Hello guys. Recently a guy left. A week after I am told that I will be taking over his project. I myself am new and still getting my head around. I wanted to ask: How much time should I spend with him on this taking over discussion and what sort of questions should I ask him so that I may understand what is going on, in this project. Thanks for any input.

Spend as long as it takes for you to understand every part of it. Prepare and write down things you wonder and also what's left to do and if he had thought about how to it and if you don't understand reformulate the question. Also ask about any known bugs or any issues he think would be hard to solve or something like that. Would be nice to have it recorded but atleast write everything down and if he talks to fast ask him to wait, if it seems appropriate. Atleast that's what I would have liked to know.

Hello guys. I am sure some gurus are out there, to help me understand the situation. I am thrown into this big surveillance software application. Its not that I don't like this field. It is just that I sometime want to run away. Some of my problems are
+ I dont know the work ethics (how things are done)
+ I dont know when to communicate (how much time should I take for a problem and then report if im stuck)
+ My seniors try to imply that I am behind schedule. Each time I ask something, first sentence that comes is: "If you can not do this then tell the management and I will take over the project".
+ Some politics at work which I am disastrous at.
+ And biggest of all, nobody is telling me how to approach a problem. What should I look for, in the code and nobody is telling me the application life cycle.

Are all of these things normal?? Thanks for any input.

This world is going to explode due to international politics, SOON.

AmbiguousName wrote:
Are all of these things normal?

Not in my experience. If your seniors expect good work from you, then they should be helping you in the areas that you have problems with. You could try talking to your manager about these issues and see what help they are prepared to offer. If they are not prepared to help you at all, then it's time to look for another job.

There are several distinct problems which must be addressed differently.

Most of what you are referring to is not technical. Thus it is a management problem. Which might or might not be fixable.

You didn't state what 'level' you are. But if you have less then 2 years of actual profession programming experience then your "seniors" and perhaps your company is just wrong in a number of ways.

If you have more and specifically sold yourself as being a self starter then some of this comes back more on you. Certainly if you have say 10 years of experience then not being able to get your head around the tasks is all on you.

The application life cycle shouldn't really matter unless you are being told something is late when you didn't know there was a schedule to start with.

Did you estimate the tasks or did someone else? If it was someone else, regardless of your experience level, and then someone/anyone expects you to take the same amount of time then take comfort in knowing that those people are idiots. Which doesn't ease the situation but might make it easier to approach emotionally.

AmbiguousName wrote:
Are all of these things normal??

Unfortunately at some places yes. But not most.

Some few places will proactively help the new person. Most places are bit more lazy in terms of this but they still want the new person to succeed because someone must do the work. And if the new person doesn't/can't then one of the existing people will then have to do all of their work and the additional work as well.

Best you can do at this point is to approach your actual manager, not your teammates and discuss the general frustration with the onboarding (yours) process. Make sure that you do not attempt to make it their problem but rather phrase it as your inability. Doing that way, hopefully, makes it less confrontational for a manager that probably doesn't know how to manage that well.

Or just keep your head down and try, try, try until they accept you.

AmbiguousName wrote:
I dont know the work ethics (how things are done)

They tend to change with each niche you visit. The more money is involved, the less ethics will be bothering you.

AmbiguousName wrote:
+ I dont know when to communicate

Yes, you do; you communicate as often as required. If something is unclear, communicate. If something is inappropriate, communicate. If something is unclear, communicate. You are there to take the "unknowns" away Smile | :)

AmbiguousName wrote:
+ My seniors try to imply that I am behind schedule.

Yes, some management assumes that there will be more production if you are stressed. I don't make the schedule either, but that also implies that I cannot be liable if we do not make the schedule Smile | :)

AmbiguousName wrote:
+ Some politics at work which I am disastrous at.

You are NOT paid to play politics. Someone that focusses on politics instead of work is a liability that should be eliminated.

AmbiguousName wrote:
+ And biggest of all, nobody is telling me how to approach a problem.

They will, once you fail the problem; then everyone will have a solution saying you should have done X or Y. Hence, communicate - collect X and Y before you begin.

Yes, been there and ain't going back Smile | :)

Bastard Programmer from Hell Suspicious | :suss:

If you can't read my code, try converting it here[^]

Seems like your company has a lot of politics going on somewhere. The reason why I said that is because they threw you into most complex and tough project and do not want to help you out. They always hit you with a "Get back to work!" kind of board! Which is always a job of Boss. No big deal to worry about.

You can only perform better at work when you are familiar with what you have to do, and what you are doing. Another required component for this is, that you are also frank at your environment. You are not oppressed. You are free to share your views, problems and other concerns.

Work ethics are simple... You work on what you've been asked to do!

The best time of communicate is when you feel like you want to communicate. When you want to get some guidance, go and ask. There is no shame in telling them, "You have no idea where to go". Most of the time we -- developers -- think it is a shame. No it is not. Just go and tell them you are not ready. Your seniors (everyone's seniors) always think they are better. Only because they are seniors.

Frankly speaking... Context seems as if you are being sentenced to code. Like you're in jail, and your punishment is to code. I would never work for such a company, where I don't have self-respect, self-esteem, freedom. If the senior under whom I am working is not telling me anything. It is a clear cut answer that I won't be able to complete the task at all. I would be wasting my time, talent and keyboard (if I brought mine). I would simply resign and look for another job! Smile | :)

So should you.

The sh*t I complain about
It's like there ain't a cloud in the sky and it's raining out - Eminem
~! Firewall !~

My question is:-
How a Fresher(Me) get a Software development job?
Qualification is BSC-IT(2012)and currently working at Software Engineering Institute as a Junior Faculty about 2 Years.
My hobby is become a Software Developer. I already developed some freelance software in C# .NET, and I think I have a knowledge in C#.NET(mostly I like to code in C# all day)..

So you think why I waste my 2 years in Junior Faculty?
when I passed BSC-IT exam, I thought to do MCA and I joined the MCA distance education, after that some problems raised with the university. Now it's delaying the MCA. and meantime I also tried to find jobs on Software Developing but couldn't find or not match with my profile..

Is it must to get the degree and work experience to get the job?
Is it doesn't matter how much you know or what you love to do??

Sorry for My English Language(its messy)..

I Want some Suggestion...

Don't watch the clock;
Do what it does.
Keep going.....

JCahyaatnttearjee wrote:
I Want some Suggestion.

Look for advertised jobs in your location, talk to recruitment agencies, ask your friends and colleagues ...

actually in my location .NET jobs are rarely found, if have some then it will require higher degrees or experience ..
I searched and tried all the links I have to find the jobs in Software Development, but ultimately most of them are saying send me your resume I will check, No result within 1 and half years..

Please tell me how to handle this depression??

Don't watch the clock;
Do what it does.
Keep going.....

JCahyaatnttearjee wrote:
Please tell me how to handle this depression??

By not wasting your time asking people who have no idea where you live or what the local job market is like. If you want to find a job then you have to go out and search for yourself.

Namaste Fresher-ji, (or, if you prefer, "Namaskaram," or "Vannakam")

Job searching can be frustrating, can take a long time, I know. It's important you try hard to not let a sense of disappointment cause you to withdraw from keeping your full energy involved with continuing to educate yourself technically, and to keep up the good personal habits (diet, exercise, social relaxation) that make you, in person, aware, alert, and socially agreeable.

Please keep in mind the profound words of Kabir: "rahi gulzar to phool khilenge," "where there is a garden, the flowers will come." If we do not take care of our own garden, who will ?

Since you have experience, evidently, teaching, I suggest you continue to do that in some way, even if it means volunteering somewhere, since, imho, there's no better way than teaching to continually sharpen and improve your own understanding of what you have learned yourself.

From your other comments, it seems like there may be only a few .NET companies in the area where you live. Have you considered relocating first to an area where there are more .NET companies ? Yes, I know that may not be possible, but you might consider at least a job-finding trip to that area ?

I would also suggest ... if you haven't done so already ... that you create a technical blog, and try and make it relevant to people working in .NET in your area.

While you may not like the idea of applying for an entry-level position, like QA tester, or tech support, that might be a way to "get your foot in the door" in a company you want to work for; once employed there, and known and respected, you might have the opportunity to make yourself known to other programmers there and eventually shift to a programming job.

best wishes, Bill

«I'm asked why doesn't C# implement feature X all the time. The answer's always the same: because no one ever designed, specified, implemented, tested, documented, shipped that feature. All six of those things are necessary to make a feature happen. They all cost huge amounts of time, effort and money.» Eric Lippert, Microsoft, 2009