CGI Programmer Career Guide and Counseling

Question: How does one do CGI animation, such as in Final Fantasy? I really love how like in Final Fantasy 7, and Advent Children, they used animation, yet it look so highly realistic and flawless. What kind of person works on that? Is it animators, or some other kind of field? I've heard of CGI programmers, but how does one become that? What degree in college could you do that could relate to that? I looked at a few colleges, but most of the animation schools, like Ringling, focus more on cartoon-realism if that makes sense :p Sorry it that sounds confusing! But I'm seriously confused about this field, so any help is very appreciated :p

Answer: i believe you need artistic skills and computer animation skills to make videos like that. So you can just go to colleges like ITT Tech or jsut ask tehm online.

Question: What is CGI?! Why CGI is always mixed with other scripting language?! Is there a language called CGI? If people use Perl with CGI, that means CGI is not a stand alone language, right? Why programmers do not just use CGI by itself without mixing it with C, Perl, etc? I'm confused... So is it a special folder that gather all server side scripts?

Answer: CGI is not a language - it is an interface (in fact, the Common Gateway Interface). CGI is a standard for linking programming and scripting languages (C, Perl, etc.) to web servers. This allows, as you probably have seen, web sites to use dynamic content produced by other programs (and linked through CGI) rather than merely displaying static HTML pages.

Question: Will programmer work or will it hurt my car? I am wanting to buy this chip for my 2004 dodge neon to give it a little more power and better mileage, i am wanting to know if it will really work and if it will do anything to hurt my car, Please let me know what you think http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2-1-PERFORMANCE-CHIP-DODGE-NEON-1995-2005-2004-2003_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem41409800e8QQitemZ280256577768QQptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

Answer: Of course it will. All chips hurt cars because it changes how the enigne runs to something it wasnt designed to do. It can permanatly adavance the timing (if you have VVT), inject more fuel for power, run lean for fuel economy, etc. All of which will hurt your car. Plus, those $10 ebay chips are complete scams.

Question: What is the cost of a cgi script? I want to add some (four) mail-to forms to a small web site on a Linux server and want to know how much I can expect to pay a programmer? I know there are free scripts floating around but don't have the time or energy to figure out how to do it myself. Thanks!

Answer: it's all depend from developer, and how much he value his time. Also from what kind of forms you're requesting, e.g. would they have CAPTCHa, have some way to treat attachments, have complicated validation system for input field, would be ineractive, etc. And would you like them to be unique for your site or programmer may use form from he already wrote for other site. It could be 10$ or 100$ or more. (It's also hugely depend from country where programmer live)

Question: How does the programmer do this in this Ebay auction? There is a movable "contact us" box that slides down... the page equally as I move further down the web page. Which language allows me to do this? http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/SAVE-ON-GAS-NOW-51-MILES-PER-GALLON-03-HYBRID_W0QQitemZ200165692967QQihZ010QQcategoryZ6256QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Answer: You do that with JavaScript.

Question: in plain highschool language, what is a cgi-bin? what does it do? and how can i set it up? been trying to make a website and i'm ok with the mailto thing, although every darn programmer says that's stupid. so yeah, told me to get a cgi bin. And i'm like, "what the hell is that" pls help me!!!

Answer: The CGI (Common Gateway Interface) is the standard by which external programs (often called gateways, or gateway programs) can interface with a HTTP (Web) server. Thus CGI programs act as gateways between the HTTP server and databases, or between the server and local programs or document generators..... go to the link to see more

Question: What do real developers use to create programs for windows? I am a programmer who works mostly in perl cgi, asp, and unix. I have some ideas for programs I want to work on that people could install on thier pc but don't know what technology is the right one. I learned VB and that allowed me to create browser form elements, manipulate the local filesystem, and communicate with databases which get me 80% to where I want to be, but I really feel like real programs that people sell and distribute aren't vb and that I am trying i should learn the industrial strength stuff. So my question is basically what do people develop in to create windows programs and how can I get the software to develop? The more robust feature set I am looking for is mostly in browser type communication and file/data transfer between a web server and the local file system.

Answer: Plenty of programs are written in Visual Basic. You can also use C++, C#, J#, Java or Windows Forms. http://msdn.microsoft.com

Question: How to become a programmer? I am wondering which course would be better for me to become a programmer. I am currently thinking either databases or web applications. What would be better to do: a) computer science OR b) Information Technology with a major in Software Architecture. http://www.courses.qut.edu.au/cgi-bin/WebObjects/Courses.woa/wa/selectMajorFromMain?structureID=12892&courseID=5290#12892 And if it is computer science, what level of maths would I needed to of studied. I am currently doing intermediate maths at highschool. Thanks for your replies.

Answer: Hi there, Learning computer science does not make you a genius in programming. Most of the universities have their own labs for the students to learn how to use a computer which any 9 years old can learn easily nowadays. All sciences require knowledge in computers. As for the programming; in a short sentence: If you know one you can do them all. If you can master C++, later you would be adapting to VB or VBA or Java. It is as if you where speaking Malaysian Malay and that you had to go to Indonesia and start speaking the language, it would first sound weird for certain terms that are used differently until you tune up your ear and brain to understand and communicate with the people. Before looking into what to use, you should consider: 1. What is the most commonly used programming language? 2. The cost. (Since you are learning; is there any free versions) 3. Are there any books available in KL? 4. What about the net? Can you find Tutorials and support websites? 5. How powerful is the programming language? One of the answers I have read was about the books; yes, buying one or too books off the shelf is a good thing. You can find plenty of books of teach your self XYZ programming language in 30 days or so which I find very good for a start. I would advice you to use Visual Basic 2008 Express to quick off your learning curve, you can download it from Microsoft website and it is free. So that is one problem solved. As for the books, there are many titles to choose from: http://www.informit.com/store/product.aspx?isbn=0672329840 http://safari.quepublishing.com/9780735625372?suggested=other These are just examples I found by doing a search, I bet you can find more. Once you get that in hand and you have installed it on your machine, then you can learn how to start creating forms and other simple stuff. This is just a start to your adventure. I hope this would help. Cheers.

Question: I need user friendly shopping cart software for items that would be shipped & I am not a programmer. Any help? The shopping cart will be linked to a website for a physical store - both of which are already in place. I'm not a programmer, but not a dummy either. Does anyone have suggestions? Something that will work with paypal, usps, UPS. Do any of the administrative ends of these help manage inventory? Also, I am concerned about security and bugs in whatever software I use (again, I'm not a programmer so wouldn't know how to code my way out of any of that). It doesn't have to be free, but inexpensive would be good. Thought about eBay and Yahoo shopping, but the costs are prohibitive there for just starting out. It can be PHP or CGI. I've read a lot on here about OScommerce & ZenCart, but both also have responses saying that they would be difficult to use for the non-programming type. Please share whatever insight you might have. This is new for me and I'm grateful for any gems I can get. Hosting recommendations are appreciated too. Thanks!

Answer: osCommerce is not difficult to use - the admin section is laid out quite OK, and there is a "sexy admin" contribution that is free of charge which makes it even easier. It's difficult to make a store look really fantastic - but there are some really great exceptional looking oscommerce sites out there. My suggestion is for you to install osCommerce and have a play with it, it is free after all, so the only cost is your time. If you are happy with it, then stick with it, and maybe either learn how to make it look nice or buy a template (there are loads of decent ones available). You can see some really exceptional osCommerce sites at http://www.clubosc.com/hot100/ which will give you an idea of just what is possible. Cheers, Gary

Question: i have 1996 dodge ram 1500 5.2L will this hypertech power programmer work? i have a 96 but they only make these for 1997 dodge rams, and i was was wondering if i could use it for my 96, i just cant seem to find any power programer for my truck and it sucks!!!! http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/HYPERTECH-Max-Energy-1997-1998-1999-Dodge-Ram-5-2-5-9_W0QQitemZ110286505230QQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohosting

Answer: i got one of those and i cant say for sure that it will or will not work, they supposed to make that one only for the years they listed and above,i have had the same problem finding something for my truck,i got one of those on a 99 model and it works ,but it doesn't do exactly like they say it will, i didn't get all the gains from it that i wanted ,but then it was free so i cant complain to much,if i run across anything that will work i,ll post it for you,finding one for the older trucks is a lot harder than it seems like it should be, been looking for one though that actually says it will work on the older trucks and yet to find one with a cheap price tag on it,good luck.

Question: Help with this programmer? is this a good buy considering upside and warranty http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1-PERFORMANCE-CHIP-FORD-F150-1990-2009-2004-2003_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trkparmsZ65Q3a12Q7c66Q3a2Q7c39Q3a1Q7c72Q3a1171Q7c240Q3a1318Q7c301Q3a1Q7c293Q3a1Q7c294Q3a50QQ_trksidZp3286Q2ec0Q2em14QQhashZitem29fedc4e3fQQitemZ180369509951QQptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

Answer: I have a hard time believing you will get more that a 3 hp increase despite what they say. 3 hp for $25 is an alright deal.

Question: replacing our timer? our timer for the central heating doesn't work. How hard is it to replace the timer.. Our timer is Danfoss Randall 103, Thanks http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Danfoss-Randall-103-programmer-timer_W0QQitemZ140190443072QQihZ004QQcategoryZ3191QQtcZphotoQQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem to clarify, we have a timer connected to the heater which is used to automatically turn the heater on and off at specified times. There are 2 cables between the heater and the timer and 1 cable connected to the timer and the power. The timer rotates correctly just doesn't turn the power on.

Answer: The thermostat is what needs to be replaced, not a timer. They're easy to fix, just follow in the instructions form the manufacturer; or if you're not technically inclined, call a repairman, before you have to replace the furnace too.

Question: Other than ebay, where would be a good place to sell Database software? SQL PROGRAMMER EXPERT, BACKTRACK, CHANGE MGR, SMART DBA http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160009413590

Answer: craigslist...

Question: Feedback forms that work? I'm teaching myself web development, I'm now familiar with CSS and XHTML. Is it possible to build a good feedback form with these technologies? I've noticed alot of feedback form questions within yahoo answers have PHP and CGI queries with them.... I'll admit now: I'm no programmer and i've struggled when I've tried to do programming. I guess I'd like to know if i can get something to work within a web page using XHTML and CSS (for styling). I'd like a feedback form with a web-address field, customer comments and a submit button that can perhaps (when pressed) send it to more than 1 email address, and then to a thankyou page. Is this possible? Or should I look at different ways like php and similar. Any ideas? Thanks for your time.

Answer: Unfortunately you don't have much of a choice. While XHTML and CSS age GREAT for formatting and layout they don't really have any interactive features that your looking for. A few non server side solutions are A simple email link Feedback Form posting to email

Question: JOB: Programming Language qualifications: help!? This question goes to any programmer. That includes all programming like web, desktop etc. I need to know the TOP 10 programming and mark-up languages that are needed in today's IT/programming job. (I need to know if the programming languages that I learned are included). Which do you think has the most advantage when it comes to income? Is it web programming? database programming? desktop programming? any 3rd generation languages? CGI programming? or any Object-oriented programming? WHY? Thanks in advance...

Answer: The language you learn doesn't matter much. I'm doing work in Ada right now, and I didn't know it at all when I started. Languages are easy to pick up. I've picked up two since starting work 3 years ago. Just start by learning one of the ubiquitous languages like C++ or Java. As for the type of programming...probably the more important question is, which do you WANT to do?

Question: What Makes AMERICA so GREAT???? This is not my own work....but this article is written so well that all I can do is pass it on to the rest of you...Although there are many great things about America, that were left out of this article.....its still a fantastic piece of literature GOD BLESS AMERICA.......AND ALL THAT STAND WITH HER! 10 things to celebrate - Why I'm an anti-anti-American By Dinesh D'Souza http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi? f=/c/a/2003/06/29/IN290713.DTL America is under attack as never before -- not only from terrorists but also from people who provide a justification for terrorism. Islamic fundamentalists declare America the Great Satan. Europeans rail against American capitalism and American culture. South American activists denounce the United States for "neocolonialism" and oppression. Anti-Americanism from abroad would not be such a problem if Americans were united in standing up for their own country. But in this country itself, there are those who blame America for most of the evils in the world. On the political left, many fault the United States for a history of slavery, and for continuing inequality and racism. Even on the right, traditionally the home of patriotism, we hear influential figures say that America has become so decadent that we are "slouching towards Gomorrah." If these critics are right, then America should be destroyed. And who can dispute some of their particulars? This country did have a history of slavery and racism continues to exist. There is much in our culture that is vulgar and decadent. But the critics are wrong about America, because they are missing the big picture. In their indignation over the sins of America, they ignore what is unique and good about American civilization. As an immigrant who has chosen to become an American citizen, I feel especially qualified to say what is special about America. Having grown up in a different society -- in my case, Bombay, India -- I am not only able to identify aspects of America that are invisible to the natives, but I am acutely conscious of the daily blessings that I enjoy in America. Here, then, is my list of the 10 great things about America. -- America provides an amazingly good life for the ordinary guy. Rich people live well everywhere. But what distinguishes America is that it provides an impressively high standard of living for the "common man." We now live in a country where construction workers regularly pay $4 for a nonfat latte, where maids drive nice cars and where plumbers take their families on vacation to Europe. Indeed, newcomers to the United States are struck by the amenities enjoyed by "poor" people. This fact was dramatized in the 1980s when CBS television broadcast a documentary, "People Like Us," intended to show the miseries of the poor during an ongoing recession. The Soviet Union also broadcast the documentary, with a view to embarrassing the Reagan administration. But by the testimony of former Soviet leaders, it had the opposite effect. Ordinary people across the Soviet Union saw that the poorest Americans have TV sets, microwave ovens and cars. They arrived at the same perception that I witnessed in an acquaintance of mine from Bombay who has been unsuccessfully trying to move to the United States. I asked him, "Why are you so eager to come to America?" He replied, "I really want to live in a country where the poor people are fat." -- America offers more opportunity and social mobility than any other country, including the countries of Europe. America is the only country that has created a population of "self-made tycoons." Only in America could Pierre Omidyar, whose parents are Iranian and who grew up in Paris, have started a company like eBay. Only in America could Vinod Khosla, the son of an Indian army officer, become a leading venture capitalist, the shaper of the technology industry, and a billionaire to boot. Admittedly tycoons are not typical, but no country has created a better ladder than America for people to ascend from modest circumstances to success. -- Work and trade are respectable in America. Historically most cultures have despised the merchant and the laborer, regarding the former as vile and corrupt and the latter as degraded and vulgar. Some cultures, such as that of ancient Greece and medieval Islam, even held that it is better to acquire things through plunder than through trade or contract labor. But the American founders altered this moral hierarchy. They established a society in which the life of the businessman, and of the people who worked for him, would be a noble calling. In the American view, there is nothing vile or degraded about serving your customers either as a CEO or as a waiter. The ordinary life of production and supporting a family is more highly valued in the United States than in any other country. America is the only country in the world where we call the waiter "sir," as if he were a knight. -- America has achieved greater social equality than any other society. True, there are large inequalities of income and wealth in America. In purely economic terms, Europe is more egalitarian. But Americans are socially more equal than any other people, and this is unaffected by economic disparities. Alexis de Tocqueville noticed this egalitarianism a century and a half ago and it is, if anything, more prevalent today. For all his riches, Bill Gates could not approach the typical American and say, "Here's a $100 bill. I'll give it to you if you kiss my feet." Most likely, the person would tell Gates to go to hell! The American view is that the rich guy may have more money, but he isn't in any fundamental sense better than anyone else. -- People live longer, fuller lives in America. Although protesters rail against the American version of technological capitalism at trade meetings around the world, in reality the American system has given citizens many more years of life, and the means to live more intensely and actively. In 1900, the life expectancy in America was around 50 years; today, it is more than 75 years. Advances in medicine and agriculture are mainly responsible for the change. This extension of the life span means more years to enjoy life, more free time to devote to a good cause, and more occasions to do things with the grandchildren. In many countries, people who are old seem to have nothing to do: they just wait to die. In America the old are incredibly vigorous, and people in their seventies pursue the pleasures of life, including remarriage and sexual gratification, with a zeal that I find unnerving. -- In America the destiny of the young is not given to them, but created by them. Not long ago, I asked myself, "What would my life have been like if I had never come to the United States?" If I had remained in India, I would probably have lived my whole life within a five-mile radius of where I was born. I would undoubtedly have married a woman of my identical religious and socioeconomic background. I would almost certainly have become a medical doctor, or an engineer, or a computer programmer. I would have socialized entirely within my ethic community. I would have a whole set of opinions that could be predicted in advance; indeed, they would not be very different from what my father believed, or his father before him. In sum, my destiny would to a large degree have been given to me. In America, I have seen my life take a radically different course. In college I became interested in literature and politics, and I resolved to make a career as a writer. I married a woman whose ancestry is English, French, Scotch-Irish, German and American Indian. In my twenties I found myself working as a policy analyst in the White House, even though I was not an American citizen. No other country, I am sure, would have permitted a foreigner to work in its inner citadel of government. In most countries in the world, your fate and your identity are handed to you; in America, you determine them for yourself. America is a country where you get to write the script of your own life. Your life is like a blank sheet of paper, and you are the artist. This notion of being the architect of your own destiny is the incredibly powerful idea that is behind the worldwide appeal of America. Young people especially find irresistible the prospect of authoring the narrative of their own lives. -- America has gone further than any other society in establishing equality of rights. There is nothing distinctively American about slavery or bigotry. Slavery has existed in virtually every culture, and xenophobia, prejudice and discrimination are worldwide phenomena. Western civilization is the only civilization to mount a principled campaign against slavery; no country expended more treasure and blood to get rid of slavery than the United States. While racism remains a problem, this country has made strenuous efforts to eradicate discrimination, even to the extent of enacting policies that give legal preference in university admissions, jobs, and government contracts to members of minority groups. Such policies remain controversial, but the point is that it is extremely unlikely that a racist society would have permitted such policies in the first place. And surely African Americans like Jesse Jackson are vastly better off living in America than they would be if they were to live in, say, Ethiopia or Somalia. -- America has found a solution to the problem of religious and ethnic conflict that continues to divide and terrorize much of the world. Visitors to places like New York are amazed to see the way in which Serbs and Croatians, Sikhs and Hindus, Irish Catholics and Irish Protestants, Jews and Palestinians, all seem to work and live together in harmony. How is this possible when these same groups are spearing each other and burning each other's homes in so many places in the world? The American answer is twofold. First, separate the spheres of religion and government so that no religion is given official preference but all are free to practice their faith as they wish. Second, do not extend rights to racial or ethnic groups but only to individuals; in this way, all are equal in the eyes of the law, opportunity is open to anyone who can take advantage of it, and everybody who embraces the American way of life can "become American." Of course there are exceptions to these core principles, even in America. Racial preferences are one such exception, which explains why they are controversial. But in general, America is the only country in the world that extends full membership to outsiders. The typical American could come to India, live for 40 years, and take Indian citizenship. But he could not "become Indian." He wouldn't see himself that way, nor would most Indians see him that way. In America, by contrast, hundreds of millions have come from far-flung shores and over time they, or at least their children, have in a profound and full sense "become American." -- America has the kindest, gentlest foreign policy of any great power in world history. Critics of the United States are likely to react to this truth with sputtering outrage. They will point to long-standing American support for a Latin or Middle Eastern despot, or the unjust internment of the Japanese during World War II, or America's reluctance to impose sanctions on South Africa's apartheid regime. However one feels about these particular cases, let us concede to the critics the point that America is not always in the right. What the critics leave out is the other side of the ledger. Twice in the 20th century, the United States saved the world -- first from the Nazi threat, then from Soviet totalitarianism. What would have been the world's fate if America had not existed? After destroying Germany and Japan in World War II, the United States proceeded to rebuild both countries, and today they are American allies. Now we are doing the same thing in Afghanistan and Iraq. Consider, too, how magnanimous the United States has been to the former Soviet Union after its victory in the Cold War. For the most part America is an abstaining superpower; it shows no real interest in conquering and subjugating the rest of the world. (Imagine how the Soviets would have acted if they had won the Cold War.) On occasion the United States intervenes to overthrow a tyrannical regime or to halt massive human rights abuses in another country, but it never stays to rule that country. In Grenada, Haiti and Bosnia, the United States got in and then it got out. Moreover, when America does get into a war, as in Iraq, its troops are supremely careful to avoid targeting civilians and to minimize collateral damage. Even as America bombed the Taliban infrastructure and hideouts, U.S. planes dropped food to avert hardship and starvation of Afghan civilians. What other country does these things? -- America, the freest nation on Earth, is also the most virtuous nation on Earth. This point seems counterintuitive, given the amount of conspicuous vulgarity, vice and immorality in America. Some Islamic fundamentalists argue that their regimes are morally superior to the United States because they seek to foster virtue among the citizens. Virtue, these fundamentalists argue, is a higher principle than liberty. Indeed it is. And let us admit that in a free society, freedom will frequently be used badly. Freedom, by definition, includes the freedom to do good or evil, to act nobly or basely. But if freedom brings out the worst in people, it also brings out the best. The millions of Americans who live decent, praiseworthy lives desire our highest admiration because they have opted for the good when the good is not the only available option. Even amid the temptations of a rich and free society, they have remained on the straight path. Their virtue has special luster because it is freely chosen. By contrast, the societies that many Islamic fundamentalists seek would eliminate the possibility of virtue. If the supply of virtue is insufficient in a free society like America, it is almost nonexistent in an unfree society like Iran's. The reason is that coerced virtues are not virtues at all. Consider the woman who is required to wear a veil. There is no modesty in this, because she is being compelled. Compulsion cannot produce virtue, it can only produce the outward semblance of virtue. Thus a free society like America's is not merely more prosperous, more varied, more peaceful, and more tolerant -- it is also morally superior to the theocratic and authoritarian regimes that America's enemies advocate. "To make us love our country," Edmund Burke once said, "our country ought to be lovely." Burke's point is that we should love our country not just because it is ours, but also because it is good. America is far from perfect, and there is lots of room for improvement. In spite of its flaws, however, American life as it is lived today is the best life that our world has to offer. Ultimately America is worthy of our love and sacrifice because, more than any other society, it makes possible the good life, and the life that is good. Dinesh D'Souza's "What's So Great About America" has just been published in paperback by Penguin Books. He is the Rishwain Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. E-mail: thedsouzas@aol.com.

Answer: wow...give me a minute. a quick browse trough it seems to show me that youre basically trying to make america look like some shining example of perfection. the reality of the matter is is that ots not. the few things i did read seem to be the exact pola opposite of what america actually is. if america needs a brocure them im sure they can ask you (or whoever wrote this) to chime in. the america you portray and the america that is are two different things. i think you simply refuse to beleive that america is bad so youve either come up with or subscribed to someone elses claims at this point im willing to come to the conclusion that youre also a born again christian. if im correct about that then im correct about the post (the question you posted) welcome to reality. america is not a shining example OR a shining beacon. it is a good country tough...but horridly corrupt and poorly run. america CAN become a nation like you posted...but it isnt anywhere near that.