As I was trying to install some RAM into our main gaming/media computer, something happened. I’ve installed RAM enough to know how to do it right, but now the computer won’t turn on and the power LED is flashing. Long story short, everything points to a bad power-supply. The fact that this started when I put in new RAM may be a coincidence, who knows.

All of our important files are stored below a single directory with a very clean hierarchical structure, and a perfect naming convention. From our taxes to Collin photos, everything I’ve ever had to keep is in this directory. Merlyn’s kitten records? It’s under
Documents/Animals/Merlyn/Records. Need that javascript I wrote in 2000 for the Mayors Office? It’s under Documents/Apache/Clients/OMVK/Javascripts. You get the idea. This folder is organized to the point of border-line OCD for two reasons:

• It makes it easy to find what you’re looking for.
• It makes it super-easy to backup.

Luckily, this directory was backed up the night before the crash, so I knew that everything that had been archived before that day was safe and sound on my linux server, here in the office. However, there were some Collin pictures, scanned documents, and various files that had not yet been archived. In case the hard drive of the gaming machine is damaged when we replace the power supply or even the motherboard (unlikely, but possible), I had to get those items back asap.

I took out the hard drive and stuck it into my linux machine as a secondary drive. I booted linux, mounted that windows partition, and used the terminal to copy over those files.

I downloaded those extra files to my laptop (my main Windows machine used for everything except gaming/media stuff). Tonight I’ll download all of my previous archives and music.

This means that just one full day after I lost the ability the boot my main PC, I will have everything available on my laptop. Not a single Collin picture lost. All it took was about two hours of moving the hard drive back and forth.

If it had been a total failure and that hard drive was destroyed, the only thing we would have lost was a days-worth of Boo pics. Everything else we hadn’t shredded yet, so I could simply scan them again. Whew!

Trust me, you need to backup your stuff!

It’s hard to believe, but I’ve been working at TechTracker for one month now. I spent a lot of time trying to determine if TechTracker was going to be a better place to work, and whether or not it was the right time for a transition.

One month in, and I do not regret making the decision to move on. The only aspect I could (but don’t) complain about is the fact that I have a longer commute. I spend and hour and a half on the max in total each day during the rush hour shifts, which is when you’re lucky if you get a seat. Yet with the fact that it’s 90 minutes of space-out time and iPod time, it really isn’t that bad. Out of all of the jobs I’ve ever held, I’ve always had some sort of commute, so it’s more like a return to normality.

Ten years after I first sat down in an internet cafe with my Mom, I now work with computers and the internet for a living. It certainly didn’t take long to get used to the laid-back atmosphere in which everyone brings in their dogs, video games are played during lunches, and the dress code is geeky. Playing with Windows Vista, IE7, Dual Core machines, learning new CSS, XHTML, JavaScript, PHP, XML, XML-RPC, and getting to call it work – now that’s what I was looking for.

P.S. For those at Wells, I’m planning to drop by with a visitors badge and spend some time seeing friends again sometime at the end of April, around two months.

P.S.S Tri-Met should pay me when I have to sit/stand next to some smelly homeless person – ACK! Builds character?

Things are going well with my new position. The only thing I miss from WF are the people, and how well I got along with every one. I just haven’t had enough time to get to know people from my new position, but tech people have always been, let’s say, hermits. Oh well, I’ve known that one forever.

I’ve been getting some good work done, but I’ll be able to get more done once I really understand how the sites are setup. My job title is Web Developer, which means I am responsible for the look and layout of the TechTracker websites. This includes making sure my XHTML/CSS is valid, works on the various browsers, and keeps the file size and render-time of the websites low. Once the important issues have been dealt with I can begin improving existing features and making sure the sites are as accessible as possible.

• VersionTracker.com
• MacFixIt.com
• MacFixItForums.com
• TechTracker.com
• TechTrackerMedia.com

My main focus for VersionTracker is speeding it up. It’s known for being a tad slow, which is bad for business. According to Alexa VT is ranked 2,395 among websites which is excellent (MacFixIt is 19,568, Botsko.net is 258,146) Right there on the Alexa page it says “Very Slow” which we’re going to change.

I’ve already done some work on each of those sites except for the last one. I knew before I even applied for this position that getting to work with XHTML, CSS, and web standards as a full-time job would be fun, but I never thought it would be this fun. I no longer am wasting time when I play around with new web-based technology, I’m doing work.

Not only am I working with a subject that I love learning about, but I’m also spending less time looking up programming stuff for personal reasons. Stuff that I learn at home applies at work and vice-versa. It’s nice to know the field before beginning a new position, so that I’m only the new guy in the sense that I was the one most recently hired. All they had to do was show the me the code repository and how they wanted me to test/deploy it and I was good to go. I’m also thankful for my knowledge of Javascript and PHP, as both have already come in handy. I’ve already assisted a colleage with javascript issues.

I spent almost eight years learning everything myself, I only took a few computer classes and none really dealt with Internet stuff. I never knew anyone who could help me when I faced a problem, so I had to learn to solve it myself. I know how to use tools, debug, google, test, and simply investigate. For so long it was simply the only way and now it’s become a bonus.

Update: MacFixIt.com was briefly mentioned in the WSJ.

View Mantis in use.
View Bugzilla in use.

I began using Mantis in mid-2002 when I first began developing complicated PHP applications. It was nice to start out with and had some useful features, but as the years passed and the projects came and went, I really found out what I liked and didn’t like.

Interface

In early 2005 I started using Bugzilla for projects at Wells Fargo, and immediately I found it more to my taste. Both were relatively easy to setup, although prior knowledge of CGI file permissions is required for Bugzilla. I found Bugzilla easier to read – it had a cleaner interface that was easier to customize. The colors and plain text was very easy on the eyes and was laid out in a manner that made a bit more sense to me. The excessive whitespace in Bugzilla really helps separate the fields, whereas mantis connects them all in several large tables which draws my attention to corners and sections of the page that I shouldn’t even look at.

As of the 2.20+ releases of bugzilla, it’s easier to change certain field values without editing any config files. In mantis you need to edit a php file in order to change some of the field options, as well as the more advanced options. Bugzilla lays all of the major options you might need into a single page, and allows you to access a web-based interface for changing certain field values.

In addition to a better templating system, Bugzilla makes it easier for you to customize it.

Tools

Bugzilla has a much better report tool, as it provides better customization of report queries, and has much more powerful reporting code. Mantis can show some excellent statistics by default that might take a minute to generate in Bugzilla, but Bugzilla makes up for that by having a much more powerful set of tools.

Mantis sends update emails when actions are taken on bugs, which is a great feature to have. Bugzilla has a feature that I cannot live without – whining. Setting up scheduled, automated emails with saved searches is an excellent way of reminding someone about bugs that need some action taken. There is also a default whine available to remind yourself about bugs that have sat around too long – I don’t see any type of automated email reminder system in Mantis.

The single tool that I LOVE bugzilla for are the Flags. The ability to flag (or “label”) a bug and run searches off of those flags is a feature that I have come to rely on. I can set a bug as “follow-up” or “possible-fix-needs-testing” or “blocking-some-release”. The ability to set labels like that make bug management and reporting a lot easier. The lack of this feature is the one thing that really makes using Mantis difficult. To properly manage my bug queue I need to be able to keep the bugs separate, while keeping them assigned to me. Labelling a bug as “awaiting approval” would be so helpful, so that I can easily spot and begin work on bugs not yet waiting for anything.

Other Usage Differences

I think Bugzilla has a better advanced search interface, providing more dynamic options. Javascript is effectively used to update the advanced search panel fields when you make certain selections. It’s a bit easier to create new searches as well as edit existing items, and it’s easier to access searches you’ve saved. Mantis allows for saving of “filters” but that’s about it. While useful, it requires a bit more work when saving and using multiple filters. Also, I don’t believe that mantis allows you to bookmark your search.

Mantis seems to have several steps in a process that don’t need to be there. I don’t want an entire page to tell me “Operation Successful” after I do something. Bugzilla displays a page that confirms the change, but also shows either the bug you just edited or the next bug on the list, reducing the number of pages I need to click though. When I view a bug in Mantis, I need to click an edit button before I can edit it, but by default, not all of the fields are available to edit. I need to click edit advanced in order to edit every field available. Bugzilla has a single view page, that allows you edit any field you have without clicking extra buttons.

The last, but maybe least important issue is that Mantis doesn’t have the ability to connect with CVS, LXR, and Bonsai.

Overall

Overall, Bugzilla is just simpler to manage from the reporter, developer, and admin levels. It reduces the time one spends sorting their bugs and managing their queue, which really helps as you have more time for development work. It seems much easier for bugs to slip through the crack with Mantis, as Bugzilla was really designed to prevent that.

The only feature that Mantis has (with versions .19+ anyway) that Bugzilla needs, is the ability to generate change logs. However, it wasn’t too hard to toss together a perl script using the Bugzilla tables.

Update:

03/07/2006 – Two additions to this. Bugzilla will turn bug numbers in your notes into links automatically, while Mantis does not. Bugzilla prints out a list of people notified via email when an action is taken on a bug. I can guess who got an email in Mantis, but I like it when it’s printed out in front of me.

I almost spent three months considering if this job transition was going to be worth it. I applied in early December and started almost three months later, and those three months were filled with a lot of research, planning, and pondering.

I was in deed very lucky to have my position at Wells, but there were a lot of things that didn’t make the job feel productive, yet I was getting a very good pay with a larger and more stable company. With a wife, a son, a mortgage, and bills at stake if a job transition went sour, I needed to make sure I was making a good decision before it was too late.

TechTracker wanted to do a small project with me before hand, which was good because it got me into the office again and I had a bit of work experience with two employees. I researched the company online, and weighed my options.

On Thursday I went down and got everything setup. I’m now using a brand new dual core Windows machine with 250 GB drive space and 1GB of RAM, a large monitor (CRT, but it’s doesn’t matter) and a Mac – not sure on the specs yet. Thursday went very well but didn’t involve any actual work, just lots of downloading, installing, and waiting.

On Friday I was ready to get started, and I began setting up some tests on a development server to fix one of the four bugs currently assigned. Within a few hours I had found the problem and had a solution in mind. The fact that I had so quickly found the problem for something that had baffled everyone before made it’s way around the office and I was already getting a great feeling. I continued working the rest of the day, but as I’m still not clear on exactly how they have everything setup, I’m going at a slow pace.

During lunch I can peruse the Borders store two blocks away, eat, walk around downtown, or maybe shop. On Friday I went out to the waterfront for a bit (it’s literally across the street) and just enjoyed it.

The environment is just as I had predicted – very friendly but also hard-working and very flexible with schedules and needs as long as the job gets done. There’s also the option of telecommuting, which I won’t really want to use unless it’s necessary.

If I’m this comfortable after only two days, I’m excited for the rest of my time there.

I began working at Wells Fargo Bank as a temp through Talent Tree on April 15th, 2003. All I was told about my job before showing up was that my call-center experience (Stream) would be needed. At the time I lived in Murrary Hill and had an hour commute via Tri-Met to the center. After arriving for the first day I discovered that I was headed for an inbound-assistance line that helped bankers and customers with their home equity applications. After six months of work as a temp, I was hired on with Wells directly on October 1, 2003. I officially became the last remaining member of a six-person class.

I continued working on the service team through May 2004, handling an estimated 30,000 phone calls in that year and one month. The company decided to promote the entire team, as upcoming changes needed us elsewhere. I accepted the promotion and began training with twenty of my teammates around May 20th, 2004.

Almost immediately my then-supervisors approached me about a new position that they thought I would enjoy. They felt that my technical, logical, and organization skills would make me a prime candidate for a new position. I applied, interviewed, took a test, interviewed again, and on June 14th 2004 I began as an Operations Analyst.

The job was so new it was essentially undefined, I just knew I’d be involved with “various projects”. For the first six months, I investigated the phone system. In October 2004 I had completed a 24-page report detailing the problems with the phone system, and presented it to senior management. It was an extreme over-achievement, as I had simply been asked to present some of the problems, not document every single issue. Though I may have stolen a spotlight, I got a lot of recognition from the senior managers.

Eventually, I was awarded the Rookie of the Year award for all of my work with the telephone system (out of which came the T.A.S.R. application). Though I was happy with the award and certainly happy with the recognition, I was afraid I may have set the bar a little too high for myself.

As 2004 changed into 2005 the focus of my job changed a bit. I had discovered all there was to know about the telephone system, so I needed different work. In April 2005 we began two large projects, one that would last until May 2006 – remodeling the interior of the building.

2005 was a very busy year. Lots of Access databases, hundreds of Excel reports, hundreds of meetings, tens of reports, a few presentations, etc. I taught an email management class to the senior managers in April or May, and I most likely would have done another for supervisors if I had stayed. Though I never did receive a similar award as 2004, I won seven Excellence In Action awards, 5 Team Member Awards, and a plant.

I’ve taken excellent care of my Zebra plant, and have actually had it for more than a year now. This type of plant is said to do very well in an office environment, and though I don’t talk to it and I haven’t named it, I’m attached to it. I’ll definately bring this plant to my new job later this month, and see how it does with a bit more natural light as well.

2006 isn’t much more exciting than 2005, the same old reports and meetings, and other stuff.

I spent so much time on so many projects that never saw the light of day. So many heads spent so much time arguing about the best way to do something that it never actually gets done. The IT department is a group of guys who work with computers because they get paid to, and don’t know a single thing beyond what they read in a Microsoft book. Their lack of passion for technology and their ignorance immediately made my job more difficult. I lost all respect for the IT manager after two utterly stupid and unfair phone conversations with him.

Wells lost Beth and I as customers almost two years ago, and I would never recommend their products. Everything is so political that it’s embarrassing and a lot of what I do is extremely pointless – either because some technology is broken and requires manual work, or because some one thinks it would be nice. I’ve done it because I got paid, and because I certainly found an amazing position considering my age. To receive two promotions in two weeks and to get so many awards makes me feel good, and I had some good friends as well.

However, those friends will be the only thing I miss when I leave.

Today is my last day at Wells Fargo. My manager took me and a coworker out to lunch at Applebees and I’ve been collecting some email addresses from friends to keep in touch. All of my work has been reassigned and today has been a simple one. I’ve finished up a few last things and am waiting on a single item to come back, which may not arrive before I leave.

As I’ve said before, the only thing I’ll miss are the people. Several people have asked if I’m excited and of course I am, but it will take some adjustment as usual when beginning a new position. I’ll be leaving my contact information for business and personal reasons, as I want to keep in contact. I’m sure a few questions might popup after today that only I can answer, so I’ll expect some communication later on.

A few months from now I’ll come in and visit because I live so close, I’ll be interested to hear what became of certain projects or what happened with certain issues. I will wonder what my life would be like if I had stayed, and it visiting may help show me what would have changed.

The only aspect of the new job thatI don’t like is the longer commute, and that’s not that big of a deal. I have more time to listen to my music, and maybe even read, but overall I think that this move is worth it. Of course, that also means I’ll need to get up earlier.

I’m not nervous at all because I’ve been so careful about my decisions that I’m 100% sure I made the right ones. There are a hundred reasons why I took this new job, the top reasons being:

1. Better pay.
2. I really want to work closer with web technology, and with people who know it as well.
3. I’ll be able to cut back a bit on my Botsko.net projects, and have more time with Boo, Beth, and Me.
4. The commute will allow me to listen to my music more, something that’s really important to me.
5. I love working in the downtown area, and until the company moves into a newer building I’ll have a window overlooking the waterfront, sure beats a cube in the middle of a large building.

Luckily I’ve kept some pictures and such of people that I work with, and of my cube. I’m an hour away from turning over all of my files, yet it doesn’t quite seem like it’s the end.

On 12/12/2005 I responded to a job listing for a web-developer on Craigslist. A few phone calls, an interview, and a meeting later I was working on a freelance project (redesigning a page) as a test – to show them that I knew what I was doing and to make sure that we could work together.

Yesterday morning I received a job offer from TechTracker Inc. for the position of Web Developer. The position seems to be just what I want right now, and everything seems to suggest that I accept the offer.

Pros

• I’d love to do web development as a full-time job.
• They have decent time off, great benefits, and 401k (among other things).
• They have transportation reimbursement.
• After working with the managers on a small project, I feel like we’d be compatible.
• The office seems to be a very professional and friendly place.
• It’s located downtown, and I love downtown.
• They’ve been around more or less since 1996, and since I used their products since around 2001 before I knew about the company, I feel that they’re not going anywhere soon.
• I would really enjoy being able to speak to people about technical things, and not receive blank looks back.
• Better pay.
• Better pay means I can cut down on the side-job work I do, meaning more time for Beth, as well as time to just sit down and PLAY.

Cons

• Wells Fargo is obviously much more secure, but there’s nothing above what I do now that I would enjoy doing. I wouldn’t mind getting away from the large corporation aspect of Wells, and there’s certain aspects of my job that I just don’t enjoy.
• TechTracker would require a 50 minute MAX ride every day, whereas Wells is just five minutes from the house.
• I won’t truly know what it’s like to work there until I actually do, so I cannot be 100% sure.

This would be a very big transition for me, and this is not a good time for such a transition to go sour. Granted I would have Wells as a backup, but I’m not sure that I could do what I do now. In order to be sure that this would be a good idea, I’ve done some research.

I’ve contacted a few former employees to get their opinions on their former company. Since techtracker is a small company and most tech people post their resume online, it was pretty easy to find them. I’ve spent time researching the company on the internet. From reading old press releases, news items, to searching the net for “techtracker sucks“. I’ve even tried reading comments from customers who hate their products, but there are not many to find (relatively).

I’ve asked several questions about the job and gotten answers that I was hoping for. On February 10th I’ll be visiting the TechTracker office for the third time to get a better idea of the projects I’ll be working on. I’ll get to see the machines (that’s machines, plural!) I’ll be using, meet other employees, etc. I think that what I learn from just hanging around on a “preliminary first day” will make or break the deal.

I decided to submit my three-week notice to Wells Fargo today, February 1. My last day will be February 22 assuming nothing in the next three weeks changes my mind about TechTracker. My first official day will be February 23rd, a Thursday.

Wells Fargo was a good company to work for. I began on April 15, 2003 as temporary employee working through a temp agency. On October 1st, 2003 I was hired directly with Wells as a telephone rep for their Equity applications department. In May 2004 I was promoted to an application processor for two weeks, as I was promoted again in the middle of my training. My new position was as an Operations Analyst, essentially someone who works on projects.

From planning moves, scheduling, telephony routing, and lots and lots of Excel reports my name made it’s way through the emails of managers in several states. It was an excellent position for someone who was 22 / 23 years old. I worked with senior managers on a daily basis doing this, that, and the other thing. Taking this position is what really saved us after the problems Beth had when she was pregnant. Now that we’re finally getting things wrapped up from almost three years ago, this new position will definately help.

2006 will certainly be an interesting year.

I’ve finally taken the time to update this blog to match the styles and layout used at botsko.net. One of my original plans for the new botsko.net design was to develop something that could be ported over to the other sections of my site (this blog, and my soon-to-be-changed-into-something-better wiki).

I still have some customizing left but the majority of the blog is complete. Let me know if you see any issues. Pardon the ugly sidebar.

USB thumb drives, being electronic, were not designed for the washing machine. In a hurry to watch Collin so Beth could start her portion of our weekly cleaning, I forgot to remove my USB thumb drive from my pants pocket. While cleaning she tossed those pants into the wash.

Most of the data I had on it is not lost as I know how to keep backups – it’s just anything changed since my last backup is now gone forever. I’m just bummed at loosing a 512MB USB drive that I used almost every day.