I have been reading slashdot for 6 years or so and it has indeed changed my life as a nerd, as a techie, and as a person. I could go on and on . . .

In spite of the astroturfers and other unsavory characters that have made their presence felt here, there still are indeed very many worthwhile posts every single day, which is the reason I read Slashdot.

Thank you for making all this happen man.

Best wishes,

Mauricio Roman

Well said!

I live in a third world country, work in the tech field (mostly remote freelance web dev work) and feel that we are all one big brotherhood of tech workers (I am naive like that I suppose). My take on this is that you should not. Why? because the cheap a-holes that are in love with outsourcing love it for more than just lower rates. They seem to love the abuse that they are in a position to dish out to tech workers in third world countries. Part of the abuse is feeling entitled to pay miserly rates simply because someone is in a third world country, sometimes DEMANDING such rates and calling a man's competence and integrity into question, belittling a man's accomplishments even when having direct evidence to the contrary SHOVED INTO THEIR FACE (Google search results as proof of good SEO work) so as to justify said rates. I have been subjected to this, when in fact I perform work that is just as good or in many many instances better than many people in industrialized and civilized countries. In other words, the FUCKS add insult to injury. Don't enable them to. Helping them set that up is helping them pay people (fellow techies someplace) miserly rates AND treat them like dung. I have had jokers get all flustered when I refuse to work for LESS than what people pay HERE (Colombia) . . . I rather see them types pay someone in America what the work is worth than to see them get away with paying a fellow techie somewhere one tenth if that for the same thing. I don't work for peanuts anymore, I did a few times, but, them days are over.

Maybe if enough people refuse to work for next to nothing, prices will begin to go up . . . wishful thinking, I know, but I am doing my part by telling them to FUCK OFF.

I quit programming as a freelancer, and why I WILL NOT program as an employee or contractor.

Fuck them people!

I program for myself. If I ever go commercial it will be within the context of selling an app or apps.

Programming is sacred and beautiful to me.

"Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you."
Matthew 7:6

What I have done is identify what makes me anxious and stresses me out, and I avoid those activities.

Helpdesk type support for users/train users - avoid
TALK about technology with anyone other than other pros - avoid
Old PC's - avoid
Fix Windoze machines - avoid
Deal with printers - avoid
Deal with user PROBLEMS in general - avoid. I create stuff. I get it done so as to avoid problems. Once something has done turned into a clusterfuck because the imbeciles did not listen to reason or had enough sense to seek the counsel of those who know I stay away. I don't do nasty little problems. The best way to get them off your back is to price them out. That always works.
Develop websites or software for pretentious small biz owner types/wanna be techie types/MBA shitheads/just got started freelancing don't know what they are doing in a hurry just discovered tah internet stuck in the mid 90's types - avoid (I make myself visible to smart, down to earth, serious people who know what the F they are doing in their own field and have enough sense and smarts to let me do my job - all the above types either want you to in effect pay them for the privilege of working for them, want to guide your hand as if they were smarter than you, or both)

In other words, I stick to what I like, and F the rest. I USED to care, and it only got me grief. I used to worry about costs, I used to sit there and go the extra mile to save someone some cash - until I started seeing the idiots spending the cash I saved them on booze, and overpriced inane BS items. That's when I said F this, most users are cheap ingrates. You mean I missed taking some hottie who's willing to do the NASTY for REALS :) out for a night on the town (country where I live is great in that sense - even geeks get laid!) just so some asswipe douchebag fuckhead double digit IQer can buy fn Britney Spears CD's? and then not even put in a good word for me with anyone in spite of the fact that I got it done well AND did it super cheap? LOL
Anyone who does not pay up for me to do what I LIKE to do has nothing coming from me . . . I.simply.don't.care.

People who are paying up and letting me do my job get their money's worth. I get it done, and that is that. I let it go once I fulfill my end of the bargain. Laptop not as fast as you WISH it were for your graphic design work? Should have paid me and asked me before getting burned by a sales drone. Is it now twice as fast as it was before you paid me? It is? OK THEN. I'm done. See ya'. Not going to spend all night looking for ways to squeeze a bit more performance out the thing unless I am paid to do so.

I.simply.don't.care.

Users will suck the life out of you if you let them.

There are many forests and fields large and full of fruit and game - avoid swamps, deserts, cliffs, mountains, small game, and find those places . . . happy feeding.

MOE

Whoever modded me troll needs a reality check. Their very severe national alcohol problem is well documented. I have never seen humans consume alcohol in that manner.

Indeed. I see a lot of that around here (Colombia) . . . imbeciles think that using MicroShaft products and advocating them will . . . somehow . . . make them . . . money ROFLMAO

A-men! I mean, sheesh, I recently had to end a relationship with a Russian woman over the issue . . . she thinks ethanol is WATER - whew!

AK-47's :)

he's probably been nippin' on the cooking ethanol just a wee bit too much