[work] cross

[trochee]

Not frustrated with the overall trajectory -- that's actually pretty interesting -- but the details of getting things done in a cross-continent, cross-platform collaboration are making me, well, cross. (Advisor in Germany, work I'm doing depends on Windows research software developed in Manhattan, target language is Chinese).

I wish it wasn't Windows. I wish it was supported. I wish it was documented. I wish that the interface wasn't a pop-up point-and-click (if I can't script it, it's irritating!). I wish I had the source (then it would probably not be Windows for long). I wish the system was robust to obvious user mistakes, instead of crashing with illegal memory accesses.

I wish it didn't crash when I ran it (or at least, that the crashes I get were reproducible in Manhattan). I wish the director of the New York group was actively working on fixing these problems. I wish I was doing research with my own software right now.

Comments

[marnanel.livejournal.com]

One of the research groups I'm eventually thinking of applying to work with produces a lot of software that all seems to be closed-source. I think this must get in the way of doing academic work so often, I wonder why they don't just go free and be done with it.

[lapartera.livejournal.com]

Slow deep breaths, dear heart. It does sound so very frustrating!

[trochee.livejournal.com]

believe it or not, I'm actually feeling pretty good about it. But it also feels good to list the ways in which the Manhattan team has been sloppy and made my life hard. Then I feel better about having made no progress with this project.

[lapartera.livejournal.com]

Yes -- that makes a lot of sense to me.

Sounds like you and imtboo are both learning about leaving other people's problems with the other person, not taking it all on as your own failing -- even when you're in the middle of it. Wow! I'm impressed.

[trochee.livejournal.com]

i hadn't considered the parallel, but I think it is apt.

[boobirdsfly.livejournal.com]

We are so good for each other, it's sometimes unbelievable. I hadn't thought of it that way either. But I think that there is a parallel there in the sense that we are both becoming better at not taking things personally. Maybe it is a symptom of each having someone in our lives who has utter faith in us.