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by DrSprout 5852 days ago
>I disagree with this. Software is mostly a product of API flexibility rather than the number of potential users.

I'm filling out a job application that is a Word Document that absolutely vomits when read in OpenOffice. If there were fewer people using Word, they wouldn't be able to get away with that. There's a part of me that doesn't want to work in that sort of shop, but I'm only a year out of college, and if I have to do C# to get a developer position, I'll take that, C# isn't a bad language.

That said, I can't get away with using Linux because of the potential users problem. Now I guess you could call the .doc format an API flexibility problem, but no API is sufficiently flexible that it runs anywhere without testing. There has to be enough of a userbase to justify testing.
2 comments
gte910h 5852 days ago
You should try looking at many more linux and embedded shops. Many weren't hit that hard by the downturn. (But good luck finding a job wherever you seek).
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jrockway 5852 days ago
As a programmer, you shouldn't be filling out Word documents. Get your recruiter to do it, or send an email to the company saying, "I wanted to apply for your job, but your Word document is unreadable on my machine."

There is a major shortage of competent programmers and industry is dying to get anyone with a clue. Use this to your advantage.

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