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This really works! Here's the best reaction:
-->"Where do I click on this thing to open it?"
And while my answer felt satisfactory to me, with hindsight, it might have been to heavy-handed:
-->"It's an image of the guts of one of those things you're always trying to click-on in order to open"
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It's a mixed bag. I wouldn't do any huge project for free, but little programs are okay. (I would do a big project for myself, if I had the time, though.)
I just make sure they watch me program, sometimes. They don't often realize that it takes hours of work to make something. They think, like all things computerized, it's just a click here, and a click there. So, what I do is fire up the text editor, and let them stare at the white screen as I type and test.
They'll leave, and return 3-4 hours later, and my ass is in the same chair, as if I haven't moved (because, chances are, I haven't moved). Then, they usually understand, and won't ask for more favors.
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All they ask are various problems with hardware devices, which I have no clue. For software problems, they all know (better than me) how to download free programs from the internet. One person asked me why his laptop became slow and unusable, I told him not to download those free programs. He replied (not exact words) "You are a professional, that's the best advice you can give?"
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That happens a lot to me too. People will tell me that their USB port isn't working and ask how to fix it. I have no clue about hardware. I can install RAM and hard drives, but that's about it.
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I have done something like that for a relative close to me, and the relative (I am not revealing the gender here!) thinks they're good at computers when in fact they're terrible! Am always plagued by their pleas because they screw up settings etc...anyway, the relative started spouting out things (really, bluffing their way through the points about the work I did for them) that I should have done and shouldn't have done (has no right to do that as have no knowledge of subject matter at hand) with the work that I did for them, things got heated (twisted up all my words and threw it back in my face) and a row escalated! To this day, the relative never acknowledged my professional work, time put in and thus was discarded like a piece of rag.
So guys and gals here at CP, DO NOT DO ANY WORK FOR THEM....obviously personal and business do not mix here especially if you happen to know that relative very well! Have been there, and never again, steer clear of this kind of thing when it comes to people you know personally!
#define STOOPID
#if STOOPID
Console.WriteLine("I'm stoopid!");
#endif
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Just because this happened to you doesn't mean it would happen to everyone else, so how can you tell people
Tomas Brennan wrote: DO NOT DO ANY WORK FOR THEM
I've done stuff for my brother and for friends, and I've never had any problems. I have turned certain people down if I knew that they were the sort of people who would not appreciate the time and effort involved and would likely become a pain in the backside. If you know the person who is asking, you should be able to assess whether or not it would be worth getting into, or best avoiding.
Words fade as the meanings change, but somehow, it don't bother me.
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Thanks Boro_Bob for your reply and I have taken your comments on board. Yes, I do accept everyone's experience is different, after all we are all different! For me personally, it was a case of once bitten, twice shy and was voicing my experience and opinion. I knew what kind of person that was and wanted to give that person a chance. Have tried, didn't work for me.
Thanks again and kind regards,
Tom.
#define STOOPID
#if STOOPID
Console.WriteLine("I'm stoopid!");
#endif
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I've done stuff for freinds and had the favour returned, that is work on my house.
That's just about paletable and any thing else leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
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Too dangerous. "for family/friends" + "for free" = "you are responsible for a lifetime"
Ok, not always but most of the time yes. Especially if they aren't developers themselves.
Oh, and of course your program should handle all future changes to operating systems, file formats and weather changes
--
"My software never has bugs. It just develops random features."
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Yes. Very much.
They would start expecting you to serve as a bonded labor for lifetime.
Vasudevan Deepak Kumar
Personal Homepage Tech Gossips
The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep!
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weather changes heh
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it's root searching i think bisection or newton raphson - the guy didn't really know how to program anything, I wrote him a app which does this + an User Interface. The instructor found out he failed the assignment!
dev
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I too done that .. but guy was lucky as his instructor never able to caught him
"Opinions are neither right nor wrong. I cannot change your opinion. I can, however, change what influences your opinion." - David Crow Never mind - my own stupidity is the source of every "problem" - Mixture
cheers,
Alok Gupta
VC Forum Q&A :- I/ IV
Support CRY- Child Relief and You
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my friend (who's my best friend) wasn't so lucky
if I just coded a console app he'd be fine, back then i gave him a MFC GUI - which basically tip off the instructor. Perhaps I should have purposedly gave a few bugs too! Just to make it look like real life student work
dev
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Writing software take a lot of time. Not many neighbors are willing to help me construct a house these days but you would be surprised at how many people would ask for several hundred hours of software dev time like it was no big deal. Personally, I would rather change a family members alternator than write them software. It is easier for them to see and appreciate the effort.
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Lots of people work with wood or leather or paint and give those items they produce to friends and family as presents (i.e. wooden toy train for grandchildren). I don't do any of those things, but I can write programs. I wrote a windows background changer and populated it with pictures from our family and ancestors. I think it was a good idea, but haven't really heard from my siblings as to whether they enjoyed it. If I count the amount of time I put into it, it cost me more than most presents I give.
SS => Qualified in Submarines
"We sleep soundly in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm". Winston Churchill
"Real programmers can write FORTRAN in any language". Unknown
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You should sell the software.
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Yeah, then I could buy real presents for them next year.
SS => Qualified in Submarines
"We sleep soundly in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm". Winston Churchill
"Real programmers can write FORTRAN in any language". Unknown
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Many years ago I wrote a quick program for a guy who worked in the wood shop at work. The program was for a club he was secretary for and he needed to do a task every month.
I ended up with a foot rest that I have taken with me to all jobs since. It is just some plywood (3/4") but it does not break down like the paper boxes I use to use.
djj
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As long as it is not a extemely large project no problem. Friends have helped me from time to time.
cheers,
Donsw
My Recent Article : Backup of Data files - Full and Incremental
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I put together a couple of Access UIs for my uncle. The question is if that is counted as an app? At least now I've left that far behind, with only a little bit of maintenance. On the other hand, the reporting capabilities of Access are so far ahead of anything I could ever dream of doing myself.
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It's the thought that counts.
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Many moons ago I did POS for drycleaning. One of the customers was a particularly nice guy, and helpful, too, in that when he found a bug he'd try to reproduce it - making my life oh-so-much better.
When let go by the DC software company, I no longer had a conflict of interests and made him several apps for his stores to work with the software (I wrote). No guilt trip for my former employer's needs: 2 weeks severance pay after 9 years - and no notice, either!*
In both our cases, we did what was done without expecting a payback - this little tastes of Utopia of which life allows us an occasional sampling.
If I get a bit of free time, I may code a present for him.
* They got their comeuppance: the person hired to replace me (at a higher salary) was supposed to recreate their app in 1 yr (it took me 2 yrs by their reckoning to build it from scratch). My replacement, and his "successors", took nearly 4 years, and it's still designed around my original layout and dbase schema. They also needed to contract with me to create DTS-like apps for rival software databases, since the replacements couldn't seem to handle it.
"The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein
"How do you find out if you're unwanted if everyone you try to ask tells you to stop bothering them and just go away?" - Balboos HaGadol
"It's a sad state of affairs, indeed, when you start reading my tag lines for some sort of enlightenment. Sadder still, if that's where you need to find it." - Balboos HaGadol
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Balboos wrote: 2 weeks severance pay after 9 years - and no notice, either
Now THAT sucks.
Never underestimate the power of human stupidity
RAH
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