As some may know, I’ve been a longtime PPC user, actually starting with the old “Palm-size PC” back in 1998 or so. But the topic of this post is the parent operating system of the Pocket PC (and Windows Mobile for that matter) called Windows CE.
So we’ve been working on some Windows CE based devices for our warehouse management system at work. The goal, of course, being a fast-booting, lightweight client device to use for a web-based WM tool.
The main trouble with the devices we had, was really the WinCE operating system and its ability (or lack thereof) to be able to use EAP-TLS to secure the wireless network. Eventually a network stack update from the manufacturer did the trick, but it was frustrating to have everything configured correctly, but have the damn software not be able to connect up.
So, it’s one more chapter in alternate operating systems. If it’s not this it would be something else, perhaps Linux of some flavor. I’d actually like to have the ability to work with a Linux system at work – I think there is a huge potential for the OS in what we use PCs for. But that’s another story.
Fortunately its almost over – its been kind of fun, writing some scripts and such. Scripts are something that I don’t get to write as much. We use most tools right out of the box (or try to), so there is as little custom work as possible. Still, once in awhile a need comes along for a good script, and this was one of them for me. 🙂
As much as I’ve liked Windows CE based systems in the past, I’ve had about enough of them at this point. Working with these systems has brought the operating system’s deficiencies to the surface, and they are not pretty.
That is an excellent question. I’ve really never blogged much about what I actually do in my day job, and I’m not sure why. It’s something I’ve been doing for over 15 years, and yet I haven’t really talked much about it in this space.
You may have found a brief overview on my About page, but it doesn’t really hit the day to day items that I get involved in. I’ve recently realized that without a good picture of my daily routine, its hard for anyone to really take my perspectives and professional advice seriously.
Part of the reason that I haven’t blogged about my day job is because I take very seriously, the public image, integrity and intellectual property of my employer. However, that does not stop me from talking about the technical and personal triumphs and setbacks that everyone experiences in their professional life.
So starting this week, I’m going to be putting those experiences and thoughts here on the blog for all to read. There are many times I’ve had items I wished I could blog about, but stopped myself from doing to because I thought there was a conflict of interest. Now, after two+ full years of blogging (I had a few false starts), I’ve got the perspective on how to do this, providing interesting content here, and respecting my employer as well.
As I mentioned in a post on Friday, I’m gong to be creating a custom theme for RickMahn.com, and will post the “development” URL when the base theme is ready to view. It’s a renewed push here to get more experience in design and layout. Feedback is welcome!
Its a good question that, of course, I have no answer to having never really been a telecommuter. However, I have an intense interest in becoming one. 😉
In my pursuit to become a better blogger, there is always a thought in the back of my mind about being able to do more remotely. Becoming more focused on writing than on the “day job”. It’s always a temptation to move in that direction.
Some of the comments on the post at Web Worker Daily relate to experiences of lack of office politics, or more involvement by managers simply because you’re “out of site” and its not obvious what you’re working on. The aspect of lack of advancement to me is a non-starter as the farther up the ladder I move, the less interested in the ladder I become.
Personally I think that a person should find the right mix of work and life that is unique to them. While that should be obvious, it is way to easy to fall into the “corporate ladder” mentality. That is, once in that environment, it has the potential to become the most important aspect of your life. That’s something I’m struggling with at this stage in my career – what is more important, the career or simply doing things that you enjoy (and still bring home the bacon).
More and more lately I’m finding that I work better without distraction. I know that’s kind of a Doh! idea, but I’ve been working for so many years allowing myself to be distracted and interrupted multiple times hourly (forget daily), to the point where its difficult to get back into the “groove” where your focus and attention is solely on what you are working on.
To combat this, I’ve started to listen to music while working on something at my desk. I know there are many who do this already for the exact same purpose, and it seems to really help get a person back into their most productive working mode.
This past week, I have noticed how much more actual work I’ve gotten done when adding this to my work practices. It also has brought home exactly how often I’m interrupted in my tasks. There is a constant stream of people who are stopping by to ask questions – some that they should already know the answers too, but that’s another post – right?
I’ve found listening to tunes is most effective when working on scripts and documentation. There is something about it that helps stimulate the brain to stream the ideas in a more logical, orderly sequence. Strangely, it doesn’t seem to distract me from what I’m doing as I have long believed it would
So I’m really interested, how do you “drown out” the rest of the office to focus on your tasks? What do you do to help foster creativity?
We’ve got our remote team in town this week, and I’m sitting in answering questions. Its great hearing updates on what is happening at the plant level, to understand what the team is experiencing.
@MAC_Arms Pay taxes when you make your money, pay taxes when you spend your money, pay taxes when you successfully invest your money, pay taxes when you save enough taxed money to afford a house, pay taxes to live in your house, pay taxes when you sell the house that you paid taxes on to
Yup, taxes are criminal and we need serious reforms. I've always said that if you want to see a tax revolt, make withholdings illegal and have Americans write a tax check every payday. They'll revolt for sure. You don't miss what you never had.
Sen. @berniemoreno says voter ID and proof of citizenship are simply common sense.
“We’re talking about a very low threshold — identify who you are and prove you’re a U.S. citizen when you register to vote. I think we’re getting closer to
