Get APLawrence.com by RSSSpouse of EA programmer's blog.
Thu Nov 11 16:11:10 2004 Spouse of EA
programmer's blog.
Posted by Drag
Referencing: http://www.livejournal.com/users/ea_spouse/
I don't know about you. But I find this blog very upsetting.
Maybe I am just over reacting because I am tired.
I guess stuff like this is why people like RMS put the "Free" free
software... Especially this part:
The EA Mambo, paired with other giants such as Vivendi, Sony, and Microsoft, is rapidly either crushing or absorbing the vast majority of the business in game development. A few standalone studios that made their fortunes in previous eras -- Blizzard, Bioware, and Id come to mind -- manage to still survive, but 2004 saw the collapse of dozens of small game studios, no longer able to acquire contracts in the face of rapid and massive consolidation of game publishing companies. This is an epidemic hardly unfamiliar to anyone working in the industry.
All in all it seems like a very poor way to run a company, if it's true.
More Articles by Drag Sidious
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---November 11, 2004
I've said before that we need limits on corporate growth. For things like food and OS software, it could affect our national security. We NEED small businesses, not giant corporations. The giants may save us money, but they cost us so much more in other ways..
This is a problem not very many yet understand. In fact, I don't know anyone important who does grok that. If there is someone, please let me know - I'm lonely :-)
--TonyLawrence
---November 11, 2004
I've said before that we need limits on corporate growth. For things like food and OS software, it could affect our national security. We NEED small businesses, not giant corporations. The giants may save us money, but they cost us so much more in other ways..
This is a problem not very many yet understand. In fact, I don't know anyone important who does grok that. If there is someone, please let me know - I'm lonely :-)
--TonyLawrence
---November 11, 2004
Well I don't know to much about the limits that should be imposed. I suppose I could go for that, but before that I'd take a hard look at laws that encourage large corporations.
For instance one of the things that make these things possible is the very limited liability that people have from being owners of corporations. Also corporate welfare is something that realy pisses me off sometimes. It doesn't make sense, we are a capitolist state then why don't we allow big companies to die when they go bankrupt so that they can replaced by more effecient/effective business models?
Oh well.
--Drag
---November 11, 2004
I've said before that we need limits on corporate growth. For things like food and OS software, it could affect our national security. We NEED small businesses, not giant corporations. The giants may save us money, but they cost us so much more in other ways..
This is a problem not very many yet understand. In fact, I don't know anyone important who does grok that. If there is someone, please let me know - I'm lonely :-)
--TonyLawrence
---November 11, 2004
Well I don't know to much about the limits that should be imposed. I suppose I could go for that, but before that I'd take a hard look at laws that encourage large corporations.
For instance one of the things that make these things possible is the very limited liability that people have from being owners of corporations. Also corporate welfare is something that realy pisses me off sometimes. It doesn't make sense, we are a capitolist state then why don't we allow big companies to die when they go bankrupt so that they can replaced by more effecient/effective business models?
Oh well.
--Drag
---November 11, 2004
Another protest blog, this is from a EA ex-employee that got fired, mind you...
http://www.livejournal.com/users/joestraitiff/368.html
--Drag
---November 11, 2004
I've said before that we need limits on corporate growth. For things like food and OS software, it could affect our national security. We NEED small businesses, not giant corporations. The giants may save us money, but they cost us so much more in other ways..
This is a problem not very many yet understand. In fact, I don't know anyone important who does grok that. If there is someone, please let me know - I'm lonely :-)
--TonyLawrence
---November 11, 2004
Well I don't know to much about the limits that should be imposed. I suppose I could go for that, but before that I'd take a hard look at laws that encourage large corporations.
For instance one of the things that make these things possible is the very limited liability that people have from being owners of corporations. Also corporate welfare is something that realy pisses me off sometimes. It doesn't make sense, we are a capitolist state then why don't we allow big companies to die when they go bankrupt so that they can replaced by more effecient/effective business models?
Oh well.
--Drag
---November 11, 2004
Another protest blog, this is from a EA ex-employee that got fired, mind you...
http://www.livejournal.com/users/joestraitiff/368.html
--Drag
---November 11, 2004
Consider this: an awful lot of our food comes from one giant company with three letters in its name (ADM). Suppose they screw up, accidentally poison us, create a frankenfood that causes birth defects, whatever. They can KILL us.
Small farms are inefficient, but they are unlikely to cause major health problem for entire coutries.
Software: if Msoft takes over the world, and terrorists find a way to pervert their software, we again can be killed or badly hurt.
You can make the same argument in almost any industry: giant coroporations are dangerous and simply should not be allowed to exist. Look what happened to the flu vaccine because we farmed most of it out to one company. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
I know it sounds insane - it really is not.
--TonyLawrence
---November 11, 2004
I've said before that we need limits on corporate growth. For things like food and OS software, it could affect our national security. We NEED small businesses, not giant corporations. The giants may save us money, but they cost us so much more in other ways..
This is a problem not very many yet understand. In fact, I don't know anyone important who does grok that. If there is someone, please let me know - I'm lonely :-)
--TonyLawrence
---November 11, 2004
Well I don't know to much about the limits that should be imposed. I suppose I could go for that, but before that I'd take a hard look at laws that encourage large corporations.
For instance one of the things that make these things possible is the very limited liability that people have from being owners of corporations. Also corporate welfare is something that realy pisses me off sometimes. It doesn't make sense, we are a capitolist state then why don't we allow big companies to die when they go bankrupt so that they can replaced by more effecient/effective business models?
Oh well.
--Drag
---November 11, 2004
Another protest blog, this is from a EA ex-employee that got fired, mind you...
http://www.livejournal.com/users/joestraitiff/368.html
--Drag
---November 11, 2004
Consider this: an awful lot of our food comes from one giant company with three letters in its name (ADM). Suppose they screw up, accidentally poison us, create a frankenfood that causes birth defects, whatever. They can KILL us.
Small farms are inefficient, but they are unlikely to cause major health problem for entire coutries.
Software: if Msoft takes over the world, and terrorists find a way to pervert their software, we again can be killed or badly hurt.
You can make the same argument in almost any industry: giant coroporations are dangerous and simply should not be allowed to exist. Look what happened to the flu vaccine because we farmed most of it out to one company. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
I know it sounds insane - it really is not.
--TonyLawrence
---November 11, 2004
That blog is disgusting - typical corporate bastards.
It's WRONG. It's abuse. It stinks.
--TonyLawrence
---November 11, 2004
I've said before that we need limits on corporate growth. For things like food and OS software, it could affect our national security. We NEED small businesses, not giant corporations. The giants may save us money, but they cost us so much more in other ways..
This is a problem not very many yet understand. In fact, I don't know anyone important who does grok that. If there is someone, please let me know - I'm lonely :-)
--TonyLawrence
---November 11, 2004
Well I don't know to much about the limits that should be imposed. I suppose I could go for that, but before that I'd take a hard look at laws that encourage large corporations.
For instance one of the things that make these things possible is the very limited liability that people have from being owners of corporations. Also corporate welfare is something that realy pisses me off sometimes. It doesn't make sense, we are a capitolist state then why don't we allow big companies to die when they go bankrupt so that they can replaced by more effecient/effective business models?
Oh well.
--Drag
---November 11, 2004
Another protest blog, this is from a EA ex-employee that got fired, mind you...
http://www.livejournal.com/users/joestraitiff/368.html
--Drag
---November 11, 2004
Consider this: an awful lot of our food comes from one giant company with three letters in its name (ADM). Suppose they screw up, accidentally poison us, create a frankenfood that causes birth defects, whatever. They can KILL us.
Small farms are inefficient, but they are unlikely to cause major health problem for entire coutries.
Software: if Msoft takes over the world, and terrorists find a way to pervert their software, we again can be killed or badly hurt.
You can make the same argument in almost any industry: giant coroporations are dangerous and simply should not be allowed to exist. Look what happened to the flu vaccine because we farmed most of it out to one company. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
I know it sounds insane - it really is not.
--TonyLawrence
---November 11, 2004
That blog is disgusting - typical corporate bastards.
It's WRONG. It's abuse. It stinks.
--TonyLawrence
"And the kicker: for the honor of this treatment EA salaried employees receive a) no overtime; b) no compensation time! ('comp' time is the equalization of time off for overtime -- any hours spent during a crunch accrue into days off after the product has shipped); c) no additional sick or vacation leave. The time just goes away."
What the author has described is a violation of Federal labor laws regarding overtime. Unless an employee has been legally classified as exempt under Federal law (the usual litmus test is whether the employee has the authority to hire and fire, or make capital decisions), he or she *MUST* be paid overtime for any work in excess of 40 hours per week. Non-magerial technical employees -- computer programmers are generally in that rank -- are non-exempt employees under Federal law and therefore are eligible for overtime pay.
If I were the person involved with this abuse I'd be talking to the appropriate authorities, the EEOC would be a good place to start. BTW, "comp time" is not a legally accepted substitute for mandated overtime pay unless an employee agrees to it in writing. Only a fool would do so...
--BigDumbDinosaur
---November 11, 2004
I've said before that we need limits on corporate growth. For things like food and OS software, it could affect our national security. We NEED small businesses, not giant corporations. The giants may save us money, but they cost us so much more in other ways..
This is a problem not very many yet understand. In fact, I don't know anyone important who does grok that. If there is someone, please let me know - I'm lonely :-)
--TonyLawrence
---November 11, 2004
Well I don't know to much about the limits that should be imposed. I suppose I could go for that, but before that I'd take a hard look at laws that encourage large corporations.
For instance one of the things that make these things possible is the very limited liability that people have from being owners of corporations. Also corporate welfare is something that realy pisses me off sometimes. It doesn't make sense, we are a capitolist state then why don't we allow big companies to die when they go bankrupt so that they can replaced by more effecient/effective business models?
Oh well.
--Drag
---November 11, 2004
Another protest blog, this is from a EA ex-employee that got fired, mind you...
http://www.livejournal.com/users/joestraitiff/368.html
--Drag
---November 11, 2004
Consider this: an awful lot of our food comes from one giant company with three letters in its name (ADM). Suppose they screw up, accidentally poison us, create a frankenfood that causes birth defects, whatever. They can KILL us.
Small farms are inefficient, but they are unlikely to cause major health problem for entire coutries.
Software: if Msoft takes over the world, and terrorists find a way to pervert their software, we again can be killed or badly hurt.
You can make the same argument in almost any industry: giant coroporations are dangerous and simply should not be allowed to exist. Look what happened to the flu vaccine because we farmed most of it out to one company. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
I know it sounds insane - it really is not.
--TonyLawrence
---November 11, 2004
That blog is disgusting - typical corporate bastards.
It's WRONG. It's abuse. It stinks.
--TonyLawrence
"And the kicker: for the honor of this treatment EA salaried employees receive a) no overtime; b) no compensation time! ('comp' time is the equalization of time off for overtime -- any hours spent during a crunch accrue into days off after the product has shipped); c) no additional sick or vacation leave. The time just goes away."
What the author has described is a violation of Federal labor laws regarding overtime. Unless an employee has been legally classified as exempt under Federal law (the usual litmus test is whether the employee has the authority to hire and fire, or make capital decisions), he or she *MUST* be paid overtime for any work in excess of 40 hours per week. Non-managerial technical employees -- computer programmers are generally in that rank -- are non-exempt employees under Federal law and therefore are eligible for overtime pay.
If I were the person involved with this abuse I'd be talking to the appropriate authorities, the EEOC would be a good place to start. BTW, "comp time" is not a legally accepted substitute for mandated overtime pay unless an employee agrees to it in writing. Only a fool would do so...
--BigDumbDinosaur
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