What do you do while code runs?

[gibbo88]

Since this seems to be a common theme for me recently, I thought I'd ask what the fine group here does to fight the code-running/compiling boredom?

I had been playing Age of Empires III however my supervisor gives me these stern looks since its not even remotely related to my work.

On a side note, if anyone knows about Radio Astronomy can they give me suggestions to what wavelengths/frequencies they like to pick up? Its part of my 4th year project....kinda, relates to it anyway. If anyone wants an explanation I can give one on request!

[Archonic Energy]

Obligatory XKCD LINK (http://xkcd.com/303/)

would reading annoy you boss too much?

*need spell checker!
no sir no editing here...

[gibbo88]

Actually, since the supervisor got his Bachelors in computer science that would do it. Obligatory.

[Lioness]

I was ninja'd...xkcd was my first thought too.

Anyway, I know very little about compiling code, and what the computer can and can't cope with, but I'd probably play with photoshop, or go and take some photos, or read, or forum. Or something.

Truth be told I have no idea, the closest I've come to waiting for a program to do something was on photostudio on my 128MB RAM laptop. I was waiting for a photo to stitch itself onto one side of a 10000 pixel wide panorama.

[Dispozition]

obligatory* XKCD LINK (http://xkcd.com/303/)

First thing I thought of when I saw the tread title :P

But while I wait for computers to finish processing stuff (normally video conversions or photoshop/illustrator massive tasks) I read or jump on a forum.

[Starscream]

Yeah, I too came here hoping to be the first with the XKCD link. I should have known it was hopeless when I saw that the number of replies wasn't zero.

Usually I bring a book or do any other work that's lying around. But that's boring, so I'm just going to claim that I fight velociraptors with a trident from the back of a flaming motorcycle. You can't actually prove that I don't.

[Archonic Energy]

First thing I thought of when I saw the tread title :P

But while I wait for computers to finish processing stuff (normally video conversions or photoshop/illustrator massive tasks) I read or jump on a forum.

having mutiple PCs connected to a KVM switch can be... helpful!
or a DS with Tetris.

[gibbo88]

Wouldnt that make you Ghostrider in Jurassic Park.

[The Rose Dragon]

While code runs? Not much. It takes like 5 minutes for the code to run, since I'm not a CS student.

While code compiles? Chat with friends. Can't just sit around doing nothing for 30 minutes now, can I?

[Dispozition]

having mutiple PCs connected to a KVM switch can be... helpful!
or a DS with Tetris.

I do have two computers and a laptop...As well as a DS and a PSP. I just prefer to read a book or something inbetween tasks.

[Pyrian]

...I come here. :smallbiggrin:

[valadil]

Since this seems to be a common theme for me recently, I thought I'd ask what the fine group here does to fight the code-running/compiling boredom?


Realistically, get distracted. I have some code for a web server that doesn't take too long to compile, but re-deploying is a 2-4 min exercise in boredom. Usually I check email/lj/twitter/giantitp/reddit. If there are any interesting threads, I get lost in them for up to a half hour. In fact, as I'm responding to this post I'm waiting for something to finish compiling.

I'm less likely to waste time if I don't leave the window that's compiling. Reading a book or playing with my rubik's cube works pretty well for that.

The best thing I can do while code runs is document the code I'm testing. Having 2-4 min between functions is plenty of time to correctly document the function I just wrote. This tends to happen more when I'm writing new code instead of fixing old code.

[Rettu Skcollob]

I run and catch it.

[Ichneumon]

I don't compile code, at least not that I am aware of, but to fight boredom in situations where I have to wait I either read a book, think about something cool, brows the internet, play computer computer. btw, I think Age of Empires III is a very cool game.:smallcool:

[Hzurr]

While I don't do much code compiling at the moment (despite my CS degree), I do run several programs which can take several hours to complete. I actually have a schedule worked out: In the mornings, I read Kotaku, Gizmodo, Ars Technica, Google News, failblog, and Not Always Right. In the afternoons, I read MyLifeIsAverage, The GiantITP Forums, and Fark.

[thubby]

find another computer and make it compile something?

[xanaphia]

I personally prefer Age of Mythology to AOE3.

I'm just a n00b programmer, and have never spent large amounts of time waiting for things to compile.

However, when I'm feeling bored I execute this in IDLE and wait:

high=100000
nums = range(2, high+1)
z = 2
while(z**2<=high+1):
for y in range(z**2, high+1, z):
if y in nums:
nums.remove(y)
z=z+1
for x in nums:
print x,

[Zocelot]

Yeah, I too came here hoping to be the first with the XKCD link. I should have known it was hopeless when I saw that the number of replies wasn't zero.

Usually I bring a book or do any other work that's lying around. But that's boring, so I'm just going to claim that I fight velociraptors with a trident from the back of a flaming motorcycle. You can't actually prove that I don't.

Wow, that's exactly what I do too. Except sometimes I just wrestle them with my bare hands instead of using a trident.

And I was also going to post the xkcd comic too.

[madtinker]

Yeah, I too came here hoping to be the first with the XKCD link. I should have known it was hopeless when I saw that the number of replies wasn't zero.

Usually I bring a book or do any other work that's lying around. But that's boring, so I'm just going to claim that I fight velociraptors with a trident from the back of a flaming motorcycle. You can't actually prove that I don't.

It's funner to find some T-Rex's. Velociraptors just aren't big or fast enough to be really interesting. At least, that's what I dp while code complies. Oh, and my motorcycle isn't on fire, but the tailpipes do blow fire.

[Lupy]

I wish I had this problem.

Since it would mean I had code to compile. :smalltongue: