Timeline for Is it okay to use a language that isn't supported by your company for some tasks?
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
11 events
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| Sep 8, 2011 at 8:33 | comment | added | Jose Faeti | @Mikey: What I wanted to say is the same you wrote in your answer "if it's for you and you alone, as long as it doesn't do any damage to your firm's infrastructure or security, you are free to do as you wish to get the job done.". | |
| Sep 7, 2011 at 21:59 | comment | added | Vector | @Jose Faeti: : "I treat scripts I make for myself and my personal use as mine" - I think you better read the fine print in all those NDA's and anti-competition stuff you signed when you took your job, before you come to that conclusion.... | |
| Sep 7, 2011 at 15:37 | comment | added | Thomas Owens♦ | I do like the edit (I missed it before my last post) more, but I think reuse trumps the ability to create. Reinventing the wheel is overhead, reusing saves time and money (plus, reduces defects - if it's been used, it's been tested, and you know it will work, as opposed to something new and untested). You only create a (or preferably extend an existing) tool if you absolutely need to, and then, you properly share your creation or extension with as many people as you can. Reinventing tools because you can is a waste of resources on a project and I would hope that's frowned upon in any workplace | |
| Sep 7, 2011 at 15:32 | comment | added | Jose Faeti | @Thomas: The point is not knowing if such a utility exists, but knowing how to automate your work by making such utilities. You will always need some new script to aid you in your everyday tasks. Forcing a programmer to use existing tools or tools made by others is like cutting wings to a bird. I cannot imagine working in such a place. Anyway I understand your points. My answer raised because the OP already was in that situation, I think the best would be to share the thought about making/using a particular tool with all the team as soon as it is needed, then decide. | |
| Sep 7, 2011 at 15:18 | comment | added | Thomas Owens♦ | Neither am I. If someone else needs to rename 10000 files, and they don't know that such a utility exists because you didn't put it in a tools repository or share it with others (even if you didn't make it, but just found a tool online), they will probably either waste time doing it manually or duplicate your work. Either way, your (in)actions wasted time and money. | |
| Sep 7, 2011 at 15:15 | comment | added | Jose Faeti | @Thomas: I wasn't talking about writing a specific programming language for the project. I'm talking about something like "rename 10000 files with a single command", something that dumb programmers do by hand one by one, while I'm able to do it with a self-made script. I'm not interacting with anything specifically involved in the project. They are NOT project-specific tools. | |
| Sep 7, 2011 at 15:12 | comment | added | Thomas Owens♦ | That, to me, is extremely unprofessional and unethical. One of the ethical responsibilities of a software engineer is to act in the best interests of the client and employer, as long as it does not risk the public. Another ethical responsibilty is to be fair and supportive of colleagues. Keeping your tools to yourself when they are for a project violates both of these principles. | |
| Sep 7, 2011 at 15:06 | comment | added | Jose Faeti | @Thomas: I treat scripts I make for myself and my personal use as mine. They are an extension of my arms and my mind. It's like saying "You cannot think like this, you can only think like that". I think it's not important what you think, as long as you are able to do what you are asked to do. | |
| Sep 7, 2011 at 14:55 | history | edited | Jose Faeti | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
added 124 characters in body
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| Sep 7, 2011 at 14:54 | comment | added | Thomas Owens♦ | At work, I don't think you should treat anything as "for yourself". They are tools to support a project, and there is a team working on that project. You can quit, get fired, get reassigned, or drop dead tomorrow and now your responsibilities fall to someone else. If they can't use and maintain your tools, the effort that went into making them was wasted (costing the company money). | |
| Sep 7, 2011 at 14:23 | history | answered | Jose Faeti | CC BY-SA 3.0 |