Tata Photon Whiz - A Review

Since I was going to shift in a month or two, it didn't make sense for me to get a new broadband connection form Airtel or BSNL. So, I bought TATA Photon Whiz.
The unlimited plan costs Rs. 700/month and the installation charges are Rs. 1500.
I did not opt for TATA Photon Plus because

1. It has limited regions under its coverage.
2. It does not have an unlimited pack.
3. Outside the regions, its speed becomes 153 kbps, same as that of Whiz.

I have been using Whiz for 2 weeks and I have faced no problems. It gives me a speed of around 15 kB/s all day round which is slow but thats what they offer.
There are no connection snags until now and it has been smooth.

I would rate it 7/10 G G G G G G G G G G

Ubuntu - All the perks, none the viruses

Ubuntu is one of the different forms of linux. It is the most popular one because of its ease of use and its ability to work out-of-the-box i.e. everything works with it, you plug-in the hardware and it'll start working.

I have been using Ubuntu for the past one year and my experience with it has been mixed. Let me tell some good things about Ubuntu first.

• Its free. No need for pirated Windows.
• No viruses. Viruses are written for Windows only. You'll have a completely virus free system.
• Weekly updates.
• Comes with pre-installed applications including an office suite(OpenOffice), graphics edition(GIMP), Media Player(Totem and Rhythmbox), torrent client(Transmission), web browser(Firefox).
• Does all you can want from an OS.

In short, it does all the stuff we do - surf online, watch movies, listen to music, write and edit documents etc.

There's a down side too,

• The codecs required for mp3, mpg, avi etc aren't pre-installed but have to be downloaded.
• The games for linux are pathetic.

But still for a regular user, who just needs a computer to surf online, watch movies, listen to music, write and edit documents etc, Ubuntu is perfect.

Infosys - Pros & Cons

Infosys, the Indian MNC, the Multinational IT Giant. Ask anyone outside IT and they'll tell you that it is the biggest company in India.
At this time, I have a job offer from Infosys. I am also waiting for the offer letter from Petron Engineering (I cleared their interview as well :)). So I did a bit of digging on what to do at this point of time. I googled about working at Infy and search various forums about the same. The results weren't very optimistic.
Lets look at the Pros for joining Infy:

• Very good brand name.
• Good infrastructure (buildings).
• Desk job.
• Chance of going on-site(abroad) for projects.
• Good training.

And the Cons:

• iRACE (Just google it and you'll find out).
• CRR system of appraisal is apparently the worst in the industry. There is very little difference b/w the best performing & the worst performing employee.
• Poor compensation.
• Extremely slow career progression.
• Apparently they have internal certifications, which are compulsory and have zero value outside Infy.
• Long working hours, 9.15hrs mandatory, but 12-13hrs seem to be the norm.
• Not for super performers.
• Lots of policies.

Considering the above points, it seems even if one wants to join Infy, he/she shouldn't stick around long enough, atleast thats what the reviews by Infy employees suggest.

Another thing I'd like to add is that IT's contribution to the growth of the economy is reducing. Production and Engineering seem to be on the rise. So at this time, if someone has an option of joining a core engineering company instead of an IT one, he/she should consider it very carefully. I know I am.

Disclaimer: All the above points have been taken up from reviews by Infy employees on various websites and do not reflect the viewpoint of the blogger.