I've decided to release Fixx'm and IRCKit under the GPL. Why? Well, when I first created Fixx'm in 1998 I had never intended it to be a shareware program, always freeware. Since I haven't done much more than bug fixes lately, I might as well go ahead and make the source code available. Fixx'm was originally intended as a standards based "AIM replacement." Back in 1998 when I was working on building Full System, I was communicating with everyone involved over the...

Well the company almost managed to get their test working. I still had to go around and around with them to even get it as far as they did. I wasn't able to complete it, but I was able to get through 39 of their 44 questions. It was as I expected, just a lot of useless trivia questions. Most of the questions looked like they came right out of a textbook's end-of-chapter review. None of the questions would test a person's critical thinking or problem solving ability. I suggested to...

After my recent post about programming skill tests, it makes me wonder if there's any correlation between someone's preference of video game type and their programming skills. Probably not, but I'm still curious. My preference for video games tends to lean more towards the puzzle and exploration type games. I love the entire Zelda and Metroid series (although some of the more recent Zeldas have deviated from the non-linear exploration). I've also enjoyed Lemmings and Lost...

Wow! I just got a spam from Betty Crocker telling me I need to use my points before they close up shop! No way! According to their web site they are discontinuing the whole catalog thing. Of course, I haven't bought anything from them in ages (and don't intend to now, I'm still broke and looking for work). The last time I bought something was several years ago, and it was a large silverware set. I think I'm pretty much set for life now, I have 28 place settings for...

I have recently been emailing back and forth with an HR department that is interested in hiring me for some contract programming work. They had their lead programmer build an online "test" to test my programming skills. I had been waiting for this in great anticipation to see what kind of crazy things they might ask and to see how much it might test programming logic skills and how much would be nothing more than checking syntax. Unfortunately their test did not work at all. On the...