Programmers Life

What is the life of a programmer?

Read Microserfs . It is a short story which cronicles the life of programers in a young Microsoft.

It was written in 1994. More than a decade has passed and the power of microprocessors has increased 64 times , but the programmers life , well, remains a programmers life.

Microserfs tracks seven days @ Microsoft. Here is my take on seven days spent in a programers life.

[ This is a fictional account. Most of the programmers actually accomplish a lot, especially when they are in a zone ]

Monday: National Holiday :
> Manager's view It is our duty to work on national holidays, just look at the dedication displayed by rest of the team
> Programmer'ss view
Everybody has gone {fill: party , date , home } .

Empty rooms are depressing , nothing on TV , lets surf net in the office.

for (day = Tuesday; day != Friday ; day = next day) {

> Manager's view

Is everybody working? Always.

> Programmer's view
work : do {
Check Email.

Coffee.

See the tasks scheduled.

Check Slashdot/digg/joel.reddit.

Check Email. Delete Spam.

Look at the code.

Lunch.

Check Email.

Read about Startups.

Tinker with code.

Check favourite blogs.

Coffee.

if (feelling dead) break;
} while(1);
if (possible) eat and sleep;

goto work;
}
Saturday: Personnel work day.
> Manager's view
Why doesn't he pick up the phone?
> Programmer's Life
Can't even switch ON the phone. Gotta pick laundry, goto bank and rest .........????
Sunday:
> Manager's view
Tommorow is Monday. Again. Maybe we will accomplish something.
>Programmer's view
Tomorrow is Monday. Again. Lets Blog , maybe can get something written.

Now go. Work.

New Look

I was getting bored by that old blue look and thought about giving my blog a make over.
I also added support for Google Analytics which tracks website usage.
Here are some of the statistics:

Internet Explorer 6.0 - Windows XP		64.29%
Internet Explorer 5.01 - Windows 98		21.43%
Firefox 1.5.0.5 - Windows XP		7.14%
Internet Explorer 6.0 - Windows 98		7.14%

The data is from 14 people who read my blog last week [ I really didn't think more than couple of my friends read my blog..... Thank you all ]

I am extremely surprised that there is no LINUX.

Please let me know about the new look ( built using beta.blogger.com ) in the comments section.

PS. Please note that the data collected by google analytics is anonymous. I dont know who you are. You need not worry...............

The Song of Creation

While reading "The Argumentative Indian" By Amartya Sen , I came across an interesting verse

Who really knows?Who will here proclaim it? Whence was it produced? Whence is thiscreation? The gods came afterwards, with the creation of this universe.Who then knows whence it has arisen?

Whence this creation has arisen perhaps it formed itself, or perhaps itdid not the one who looks down on it, in the highest heaven, only heknows or perhaps he does not know

[ The hindi translation of this was also used as the lyrics in the casting song of  "Bharat Ek Khoj" ].

This is parts of a hymn "The Song Of Creation" in Rig Veda.

Look at the premise: There was nothing before the existance of universe. God came into existance with the existance of universe. So does God know how universe was formed , or perhaps he does not know.

So simple yet so profound. It questions everything.

What you believe in , Why you believe in  , Should you believe in ?

What is right? What is wrong?

What is the right choice?

Is there any right choice.

Perhaps we can decide; Perhaps we cannot.

PS. There is a dialogue in Matrix "The life is the sum total of choices we make"