Time Off
 

Well, I've been doing "Batch Script Programming" for a Command Line Based (16 bit) Windows 2000 program for the last couple of hours and my brain is about to melt. . .

I just needed to get away from work and a little bit and try to get the throbbing in my head to lessen some so, I thought I'd ask you guys (and gals of course) what you do for a job.

Are you working your way through college? Are you still in high school? Are you a corporate exec who gets paid fifty billion a year to play Solitaire in your cooshy office?

Me, I work for a local Web Hosting company called Datility Networks, Inc. Although I have an actual job title (two of 'em in fact!), I'm basically a general, if it needs to be done, do it guy.

I spend most of my time managing a small data warehouse for about a hundred fast food restaurants on antiquated systems running SCO UNIX (*shudder*) with 13 year old, barely functioning software. In any single day, I have to call about a quarter of the stores and troubleshoot their systems because we haven't received their previous day's data.

When I'm not working on that I spend my time typically doing basic system maintenance on one of our FTP servers and writing PHP/MySQL programs for clients.

Today, however, I'm trying to write a workaround for our 13 year old, DOS based data polling software to try and make it a little more reliable.

What's that you say? Why, yes I DID say that the data warehousing servers use SCO UNIX! And yes, I did also say that our polling software runs on DOS (well, it was written for DOS. We've managed to get it running on Windows 2000 too though). Because of this little. . . eccentricity, we've had to run a DOS emulator on our UNIX servers to get them to poll the data!

Anyway, we're getting tired of using these systems so I've set up a Windows 2000 box and (as stated just a bit ago) managed to get the polling software running on it. Right now I'm writing a batch file that will look at the dialing queue of this program, see which store was dialed last, and check to see if we actually got all the files we were supposed to. If we didn't, it'll throw that store back into the queue and try and poll just the files we're missing.

Normally, this would be rather simple.

But NOOOOOOO! I can't use any real programming languages! I have to use straight Windows 2000 Command Line Batch Scripting! :evil:

Well. . . now that I've been able to rant a little and partially relieve the blinding pain in my skull, I shall return you to your regularly scheduled post. . .

Well, I must say that my normal day is either better or worse than yours, depending on how you look at it!

Previously I worked Tech Support (UGH!) and then moved into a development environment writing a Point of Sale system for remote stores for a beauty supply chain. Basically, the stores had a copy of the DB for pricing, etc on their in-store register (OLD 486-66's mostly running DOS). I changed them over to Linux (albeit a gutted form) and got them running a PoS using X, PhP and MySQL. The stores computers dialed into the HQ central server nightly, reporting their sales totals for the day, receiving any price adjustments, new/deleted inventory items and they reported their current inventory (based off of sales) so that I had a basic idea of what their stock levels were. Obviously, with this in place, I also began automating the ordering process with our distributors.

Unfortunately, before I could completely finish the project, the company folded due to prior mismanagement - mostly over money.

So, now, I sit at home. 8) Yes, that's right, I am a Stay-At-Home Daddy. I have 2 kids, ages 10 months and 2 years. Fun stuff! I am currently working on building my C++ .Net skills even further, working also with MySQL, XML and a little Java for the future. My wife goes to work everyday as a Documentation Specialist (basically, a high-paid Tech Writer). When my skills are up just a little further, I would like to attempt to start my own company writing custom software applications for businesses, with a focus on gaming on the side (mostly for personal amusement).

Of course, when all that works out, I'll be worth more than Billy Gates himself! :P

Ok, well, maybe not. :shock:

Anyway, there you have it - my day-to-day life in a nutshell involves programming and diapers. Go Figure!

~Gandar