The LA Fox Developer Newsletter

April 1999

We Get Letters Dept....

PowerHelp for FoxPro

My name is Glenn Mason, and I’d like to share a unique opportunity for you to try a new, exciting product for Visual FoxPro and FPW 2.x. POWERHELP is an automated Help writer for FoxPro that creates context-sensitive, on-line Help systems and printed User Manuals for all of your FoxPro apps in minutes. PowerHelp can create Windows 3.x Winhelp, Windows 95/98/NT Winhelp, NEW HTML Help and printed manuals in Word format. To learn more check out www.micromason.com.

Currently I am trying to forge marketing strategies that broaden exposure to our new product. In light of this, we are currently offering a 25% discount to all FoxPro User Group officers and $25 discounts to ALL members of your FoxPro user groups. We only ask that you display our PowerHeip User Group! Partnership banner on your web sites.

Please feel free to contact me at any time to order PowerHelp or sign up for this special offer that will benefit all of your FUG members.

Job Op

We are a company located in South Orange County.— Lake Forest, CA — looking for a FoxPro 2.6 programmer for an update on our custom quote/invoicing program. We will probably need someone 10-20 hours/week for 2-3 months on-site. If you are in this area and have this expertise, please contact me via email or phone. Otherwise, if you could refer me or this message to anyone you may know with these talents/availability, it would be greatly appreciated! Thank you for your time!

Marlene Davis

Controller

International Color Posters

949/380-2124

marlened©intlcolorposters.com

Out and About (Con’t from page 3)

month agreement, it will provide customers with unlimited Internet service, e-mail and Web hosting, and a 300 MHz personal computer. The computer will be loaded with Windows98, CD-ROM, sound card, and 56K fax/data/voice modem for free to attract home users, students, educational institutions, and other organizations that need to get online. Customers can also purchase more features. To contact the company, visit http://www.intersquid.com, or call (877) 724-3733.

Was it Really a Shock? Just as this issue of The Developer was going to press, the Los Angeles Lakers announced a

(Con’t, page 7)

Sorting Out Job Titles

from VVhil Hcntzen

10. Programmer - This person holds the lowest rank in the OP field. Manages No One Answers to everyone. Approximately 50% of the Programmer’s time is scheduled for testing. Another

50% is spent filling out time cards and progress reports. Any time left over is spent attending classes on technologies that will never be used in the shop. The Programmer is appraised on code quality and reliability. Never has time to write any. Hopes to, someday, be promoted to Systems Analyst.

9. Systems Analyst. The Syctems Analyst refuses to write code anymore. Designs new systems. Writes specs for new systems. Devises procedures and work flows for new system but ends up training users on old ones. Next in line fQr Team Leader Position.

8. Team Leader. A Team Leader Manages one project. Doesn’t know why he’s not a Project Leader, that’s what he has on his resume.

7. Project Leader. Manages several projects at once. Analyzes

Gant charts from the Team Leaders’ projects. Monitors

deliverables from the Team Leaders’ projects. Has absolutely no

idea what any of Team Leaders’ projects are about. Wants to be

a programmer again.

6. Operator. The Operator wields powers that the Project Leader can only dream about. Makes Programmers beg for tape drives. Makes Analysts beg for disk space. Makes Team Leaders beg for printouts. Has an uncanny understanding of career potential in the data processing industry. Going to law school at night.

System Programmer. A Systems Programmer has the authority to wipe out disk packs without warning. Crash the system during user demos. Make new releases appear, then disappear, the reappear again, especially during month-end processing.

does and no one is smart enough to know if the DBA is doing it or not. But every shop must have one, because no place can afford two of them.

Director or an Assistant Vice-President. Has completely lost touch with any facsimile of technology. Wants to finish next year’s budget. wants to finish last year’s appraisals. Wants to learn the names of some programmers. But instead only has time to interview job applicants, especially DBAs.

ing. The Managers have electronic mail. Everyone has automatic phone messaging. This leaves the Department Secretary with all kinds of time to manipulate, control, and dispense the three most basic employee needs: Paychecks, rumors, &

(Con’t, page 8)

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