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Software Engineering Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [development-environment]

Questions about the environment in which software development happens. This includes the hardware, software, and processes and methodologies used. Questions are expected to be unique to software development and require the expertise of people with education or experience in the field of software development.

Questions about the environment in which software development happens. This includes the hardware, software, and processes and methodologies used. Questions are expected to be unique to software development and require the expertise of people with education or experience in the field of software development.

Please be careful when using this tag. It is easy for questions to be off topic, too broad or opinion based.

See: Why was my question closed or down voted?

145 questions
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31 answers

Why do ads for s/w engineers always say they "offer a fast-paced environment"?

Who wants to work in a fast-paced environment? Not me! I want a civilized environment where people have a sense of balance. Higher quality work gets done that way and work life isn't full of stress and anguish.
Chuck Stephanski
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112
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90 answers

Stuff every programmer needs while working

I've been tasked with creating a fun and relaxing environment, one thing I know that I want is ergonomic mice and keyboards, others have suggested exercise balls and bands. What is it that every programmer needs while working? What might not be…
Desai Shukla
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87
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33 answers

When deciding on whether or not to work for a new company, what are your dealbreakers?

I know we've covered what questions you should ask about a company before you would decide to work there. But what do you do with the answers? In other words, what would you consider a dealbreaker? I.e. what would scare you so much about a company…
Jaco Pretorius
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75
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16 answers

How to suggest changes as a recently-hired employee?

I was recently hired in a big company (thousands of people, to give an idea of the size). They said they hired me because of my rigor and because I was, despite my youngness (i'm 25), experienced as a C/C++ programer. Now that I'm in, I can see that…
ereOn
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73
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10 answers

What stressors do programmers encounter on the job, and how do you deal with them?

Learning to manage stress is vital to staying healthy while working at any job. A necessary subtask is learning to recognize and limit the sources of stress. But, in the midst of the daily grind, it can be difficult to recognize sources of stress…
Matthew Rodatus
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10 answers

Where to look for challenging jobs with a relaxed atmosphere?

I'm a dev at one of the big-name tech companies. I like the job for many reasons: I do interesting work on a cool product I solve challenging problems and use a lot of high-level skills (quantitative, creative, writing, presenting) It pays…
RBTree
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48
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17 answers

Are there any jobs in the programming field that don't require you to sit at a desk all day?

I'm new in the field of programming. I really enjoy it as a career, but I'm not sure I can handle sitting at a desk for eight hours a day. I don't mind it for short stretches of time of course, but I can't do it day in and day out. Is there a field…
Beef
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12 answers

Boss Asking To Work Overtime But Under the Radar

So the other day my boss (let's call him Colfax) asked me to work on a project, but that I should not discuss it with anyone (including the other programmers on my team) and that it would have to be done outside of normal work hours. In exchange,…
RHPT
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37
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8 answers

What are the pressures of being a software engineer?

I am thinking about a career in software engineering, but before I look for work I wanted to get an idea of what to expect particularly with pressure. This will be my first programming job (so I am looking for entry level), so I am not yet mature…
Ecurbed
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33
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14 answers

How is leaving on time perceived in software companies?

What are the consequences of leaving work on time in software companies? What's the professional way to deal with this? [Editorial addition] The question is about working standard hours and not putting in extra hours without being explicitly asked…
DisEngaged
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17 answers

Does anyone work 10 hours shifts as a developer?

I would like to switch from a 5 day week to a 4 day, but maintain a 40 hour working week. Would the 10 hour days affect your ability to be productive? I hate our public transit system so if I could reduce my transportation by 20% I would be…
davidahines
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29
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Introducing "20% time" at a workplace

20% time it's the culture of an employer allowing it's employees to spend 20% of their time working on projects that they find interesting - it may be inventing a new app, or improving an existing process, etc. Some people may know this as skunk…
dannywartnaby
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27
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14 answers

What's the difference between working at a software company and a company whose focus is in another field?

Recently, I was approached by a local ad agency with a job opportunity. They are bringing all web/interactive development in-house and adding to their development team. I'm growing sick of my cushy, yet boring corporate job, and am intrigued by the…
Mike Vormwald
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21
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10 answers

How to tackle a boss who thinks everybody in this world is wrong except him?

I mean seriously, how do you tackle a guy who even changes our variable names (even though they are reasonable) and sends back the code (after review) like 4 times? I know for sure I'm not that bad a developer! So many times, he enforces his ideals,…
anon
21
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6 answers

How do you take advantage of your whiteboard in your development team?

Today we got our own website design. The theme is the "whiteboard". I'm a big fan of them. I would like you to share with me how you use it. I'm sure I don't exploit its potential enough. I will really enjoy answers that will come with pictures of…
user2567
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