Hello everyone,
I am looking a xBase++ programmer. I suspect if I require xBase++ experience, I would not get many applicants. I am wondering what language is similar to xBase++ that I could include that would give me some base programming skill that will allow me to teach a person xBase++ and express++? Also, what other skill set could I include that would help me teach xBase++.
For example:
C++
Visual Basic
Object Oriented programming concepts
I would appreciate any comments on this topic.
Thanks,
Richard Covington
Looking for a xBase++ programmer
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Cliff Wiernik
- Posts: 605
- Joined: Thu Jan 28, 2010 9:11 pm
- Location: Steven Point, Wisconsin USA
- Contact:
Re: Looking for a xBase++ programmer
It is difficult. We either received some individuals that are at or very near retirement age or fox pro programmers that wanted to stay doing fox pro. We did add two programmers, one a fox pro programmer and another that has a multitude of experience in many languages. Both were with me at the SW Xbase++ conference.
Cliff
Cliff
Re: Looking for a xBase++ programmer
At least with VFP programmer, I would have a good base skill level to move them towards xBase++. At or near retirement age is a concern, but it's been my experience that a young programmer is likely to learn, add new skills to his resume and quit. It's a double edge sword.
The programmer you hired with multiple language support, is he working out? Is he of the younger generation? What do you think about his longevity with you?
Thanks for the feedback.
Richard
The programmer you hired with multiple language support, is he working out? Is he of the younger generation? What do you think about his longevity with you?
Thanks for the feedback.
Richard
Re: Looking for a xBase++ programmer
I haven't hired a programmer in over 25 years.
I do not envy your need to do this now.
I have worked with many Clipper and Xbase++ developers over the years and have seen many programmers hired and fired for a variety of reasons but I think that the most common reason for programmers being fired had nothing to do with their programming skills but had everything to do with their work ethic and their career goals.
The most skilled programmers tend to be the worst employees, at least in the world of business.
This may not be true for programmers who work in Silicon Valley, but it tends to be true for business applications.
Most programmers who are hired to support business applications are given the mundane task of software maintenance. If they are good programmers, this will never satisfy their career goals. If they are mediocre programmers who don't think much of a career but just want a job, then they may find a happy home for a long time.
If you are looking for a software architect who wants some real challenges, then a bright person is desirable. The caveat, however, is that bright programmers don't last long in the business environment unless they are constantly challenged. If they don't have opportunities to work on interesting projects they could quickly become dissatisfied.
Richard, I have worked with you for about 2 years and I know enough about your company that I see some real challenges and opportunities for a bright programmer as you progress toward a fully paperless system.
If you are looking for a programmer to replace yourself, then in my opinion, the right kind of programmer is one who constantly see flaws in your business operation and your software, and tends to be a problem solver more than anything. He needs to be given big challenges and total responsibility for his successes or failures. His particular skills in any particular programming language are not important because that kind of person will learn what he needs to know.
On the other hand, if you are looking for a programmer who will work as a part of your programming team then he will need more hand holding and guidance. You need to be careful to choose someone will be satisfied with following your vision and has average programming skills and a good work ethic.
My experience with this process is that you will need to shift gears from a full time programmer to a part time manager because you will need to work very closely with anyone you choose for the first 3 months. That is all the time you will have to evaluate them and decide whether to keep them or fire them. You can evaluate as many as 4 programmers in one year if you find that you have to fire all of them, but at least you won't be stuck with a terrible employee, and the odds are that this process will improve your skills at evaluating programmers and managing them.
To me, work ethic is everything. Skill is secondary. It's all about responsibility.
I consulted with a company, several years ago, who had one of the brightest programmers I had ever worked with, yet he really frustrated me. I could not understand why he hadn't been fired because he also frustrated his boss. He worked there for years and finally was fired in a fit of rage by his boss. He was a good architect but he suffered from "creeping elegance syndrome". If his boss asked him for something (such as a report), he would take a month to do something that that should have taken 1 or 2 days. He had his own set of standards for how the code should look and he refused to write ad hoc reports. Instead, every report had to be generated by his "report engine". If the engine was incapable of creating the report the boss needed, then he would rewrite his entire report engine, just to produce 1 report. He adhered more to academic standards than to business standards.
My point here is that the programmer didn't care about the needs of his employer, only about his desire to create a perfectly elegant software system. It should not have taken 4 years to decide whether he was a good employee. That could have been determined in 3 months.
When I was a young engineer, I had a boss who was a task master. I worked in the test engineering group. He was always yelling at me and everyone else. He taught me nothing about how to be a good engineer but he taught me a lot about how to be a good employee and accept responsibility. I learned a lot of that in the U.S. Navy too. Sorry to say this to you but you may need to become a task master for awhile. I hope that suits you.
I do not envy your need to do this now.
I have worked with many Clipper and Xbase++ developers over the years and have seen many programmers hired and fired for a variety of reasons but I think that the most common reason for programmers being fired had nothing to do with their programming skills but had everything to do with their work ethic and their career goals.
The most skilled programmers tend to be the worst employees, at least in the world of business.
This may not be true for programmers who work in Silicon Valley, but it tends to be true for business applications.
Most programmers who are hired to support business applications are given the mundane task of software maintenance. If they are good programmers, this will never satisfy their career goals. If they are mediocre programmers who don't think much of a career but just want a job, then they may find a happy home for a long time.
If you are looking for a software architect who wants some real challenges, then a bright person is desirable. The caveat, however, is that bright programmers don't last long in the business environment unless they are constantly challenged. If they don't have opportunities to work on interesting projects they could quickly become dissatisfied.
Richard, I have worked with you for about 2 years and I know enough about your company that I see some real challenges and opportunities for a bright programmer as you progress toward a fully paperless system.
If you are looking for a programmer to replace yourself, then in my opinion, the right kind of programmer is one who constantly see flaws in your business operation and your software, and tends to be a problem solver more than anything. He needs to be given big challenges and total responsibility for his successes or failures. His particular skills in any particular programming language are not important because that kind of person will learn what he needs to know.
On the other hand, if you are looking for a programmer who will work as a part of your programming team then he will need more hand holding and guidance. You need to be careful to choose someone will be satisfied with following your vision and has average programming skills and a good work ethic.
My experience with this process is that you will need to shift gears from a full time programmer to a part time manager because you will need to work very closely with anyone you choose for the first 3 months. That is all the time you will have to evaluate them and decide whether to keep them or fire them. You can evaluate as many as 4 programmers in one year if you find that you have to fire all of them, but at least you won't be stuck with a terrible employee, and the odds are that this process will improve your skills at evaluating programmers and managing them.
To me, work ethic is everything. Skill is secondary. It's all about responsibility.
I consulted with a company, several years ago, who had one of the brightest programmers I had ever worked with, yet he really frustrated me. I could not understand why he hadn't been fired because he also frustrated his boss. He worked there for years and finally was fired in a fit of rage by his boss. He was a good architect but he suffered from "creeping elegance syndrome". If his boss asked him for something (such as a report), he would take a month to do something that that should have taken 1 or 2 days. He had his own set of standards for how the code should look and he refused to write ad hoc reports. Instead, every report had to be generated by his "report engine". If the engine was incapable of creating the report the boss needed, then he would rewrite his entire report engine, just to produce 1 report. He adhered more to academic standards than to business standards.
My point here is that the programmer didn't care about the needs of his employer, only about his desire to create a perfectly elegant software system. It should not have taken 4 years to decide whether he was a good employee. That could have been determined in 3 months.
When I was a young engineer, I had a boss who was a task master. I worked in the test engineering group. He was always yelling at me and everyone else. He taught me nothing about how to be a good engineer but he taught me a lot about how to be a good employee and accept responsibility. I learned a lot of that in the U.S. Navy too. Sorry to say this to you but you may need to become a task master for awhile. I hope that suits you.
The eXpress train is coming - and it has more cars.
Re: Looking for a xBase++ programmer
Excellent advice Roger.
"To me, work ethic is everything. Skill is secondary. It's all about responsibility."
I will put this advice to work at the top of my interviews with candidates. This is SO true.
Richard
"To me, work ethic is everything. Skill is secondary. It's all about responsibility."
I will put this advice to work at the top of my interviews with candidates. This is SO true.
Richard
Re: Looking for a xBase++ programmer
Wow. Extremely accurate post from Roger.
My 2 cents. If a programmer has good fundamental skill sets in problem solving, language shouldn't be an issue. Attitude is major, pick someone you like to work with too
My 2 cents. If a programmer has good fundamental skill sets in problem solving, language shouldn't be an issue. Attitude is major, pick someone you like to work with too
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Eugene Lutsenko
- Posts: 1649
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- Contact:
Re: Looking for a xBase++ programmer
Thank you, Roger, for your opinion! We are really very few people understand and really we need someone little with their ambition and originality. We are required just boring reports on the ever-changing standards, and usually last. All accurately.
I also wrote an article about how to make a report generator for our needs: http://ej.kubagro.ru/2013/09/pdf/77.pdf
WEB-PORTAL OF CBM IN THE STRUCTURE OF THE WEBSITE OF THE UNIVERSITY: RELEVANCE AND POSSIBILITY OF CREATION
The article proves and develops the idea, the implementation of which would significantly reduce the effort required to develop the educational-methodical complexes, simplify their signing and approval of the various officials and increase their quality, make the work of the developers of CBM more creative, releasing it from technical and routine moments
I do not want to write them.
I also wrote an article about how to make a report generator for our needs: http://ej.kubagro.ru/2013/09/pdf/77.pdf
WEB-PORTAL OF CBM IN THE STRUCTURE OF THE WEBSITE OF THE UNIVERSITY: RELEVANCE AND POSSIBILITY OF CREATION
The article proves and develops the idea, the implementation of which would significantly reduce the effort required to develop the educational-methodical complexes, simplify their signing and approval of the various officials and increase their quality, make the work of the developers of CBM more creative, releasing it from technical and routine moments
I do not want to write them.