Programmer's Day: how it became my holiday

My name is Vladimir. And it so happened that I became the founder of the Ivideon service. In a short time, he gained such popularity, which I did not expect myself, developing the epoll request server at night several years ago. Like many programmers at first, I did not think at all about the success or recognition of the project. For me, the task itself was interesting, the solution to which took most of my time, my life. At first, I didn’t even believe that something would work out for me and considered my project just like a good experience. And now the geography of Ivideon users is the whole globe. You open the camera and get to another country, to another world somewhere far, far away . Or not so far , but still not available at the moment.

Why do I say “it just happened”? Probably because I always wanted to be a programmer. Build great applications and not think about financial models, cash flow, and company portfolio management. But if you want your idea to come true, sometimes you need to take on its implementation yourself from beginning to end. But still, I believe that I remained a programmer, and today's holiday Programmer Day is my holiday.
')
A couple of months ago, one publication turned to Ivideon, asking them to tell about our project and sent a number of questions. One of them was a question for me as a founder: “How did I become a programmer?”
It seemed to be Saturday night ... I sat down and tried to connect all the points on my life path, which led me to today. So the evening smoothly passed on early Sunday morning, and the answer to the question took more than 10 pages. Then I went to bed, and in the morning I decided not to send what I wrote ... It seemed to me that very few people would be interested in my memories and answered something standard about addiction to computers from childhood. And today, on the day of the programmer, I came across those 10 pages in Google documents ...

97th year. What did Pushkin think about when he wrote “Eugene Onegin”

The amazing property of human memory is to forget the bad and remember only the good. You look back, and there the eternal summer and the nightingales sing. Although in reality, of course, everything was far from being so rosy.



For me, the 97th year was remembered primarily by the abundance of schoolgirls who, if they did not wear a Leonardo di Caprio T-shirt or a backpack, then surely they had a diary with his image. This was the year of James Cameron’s titanic triumph. The first film, box office which exceeded the mark of one billion dollars. But in the 97th year, I did not watch it. I never liked what the crowd liked. Although I later admitted that the film is really worth it. And then I simply considered the most ingenious film “People in Black,” which came out that same year. I was 13 and I was finishing 8th grade

It was in the 97th year, I received the same deuce for the essay. The deuce, which in a long series of events became the starting point for my story.



The thing is, I went to school at 6 years old. The fourth class, as usual, “jumped”. And in the end, almost all of my classmates were older than me. I was a very “not serious” student for which my teachers did not complain, and this was often reflected in my grades. And that deuce for an essay became one of many bad grades that I received “for my behavior.” This time I incorrectly stated in the essay about what Pushkin thought when he wrote “Eugene Onegin”. I was very hurt by my powerlessness. Because I could not prove anything. Where does the teacher of literature in general know about what Pushkin was thinking? How can you write essays on this topic ?! How can one evaluate such works? That day I thought about my future. I did not know which university I would go to. But, I knew for sure that he would not be humanitarian. Because I did not understand how a field of knowledge can be called a science, where there is at least an approximate formalization.

A year later, in the 10th grade, we introduced a mandatory “transitional” exam in literature. I was promised a quick deuce. But, I was lucky. On the day of the examination, inspectors from RANO arrived at the school. And I went to take them. It seems I was the only one who received that day 5.

99th. Farm Theorem

By the 10th grade, I was even more convinced that I wanted to get a technical education. I was drawn to any technique, I adored science fiction. I remember how often I went to VDNH and looked in the central pavilion to demonstrate various physical phenomena. It seems that now there are only shops. It's a pity.

We lived in Zelenograd, the city of electronics, where the Institute of Electronic Technology (MIET) was located in the very center. And at the beginning of the 11th grade I went to it for preparatory courses. My parents came with me and paid for them. Perhaps it was the only time they were with me at the institute.

In fact, another life began for me here. I took a fresh look at what I had been taught for almost 5 years. If the majority of students came in the evening after school to “rest” courses (sleep, launch aircraft, eat), then for me everything was completely different. All the 11th grade I rested at school. Still, out of 40 people 32 girls it was cool! But on the courses I really studied. I was really interested. And I felt great pleasure from the fact that everything worked out for me.

When I had been studying for several months, I learned that there was something like an Olympiad at MIET (I don’t even remember how it was called). When wanting to do submit thematic reports. The authors of the most interesting papers, noted by the jury, could be enrolled without exams.

Of course, I decided to try it! I found an interesting topic in my opinion “The Great Fermat Theorem”. I liked the legend that Fermat, reading a book, wrote down a theorem in the margins and added: “I have found truly wonderful proof for her. But the margins of the book are too narrow for me to write here. ” And 300 years of mathematics tried in vain to prove it. That's what I understand trolling!

On the day of the speech I arrived earlier than the appointed time. I found an audience and sat down. It seemed to me strange that most of the speakers came with their parents. They helped them hang up posters and rehearse speech. And when it came time to start, these same parents sat on the jury! That's what I certainly did not expect.

Needless to say, I won nothing. Of course, objectively, my report was never up to par. But, parents on the jury, this is somehow too much. For me, this event served as an excellent kick, which gave me speed for several years to come. I realized that I have no parents who could help me to enroll, pay for my studies or just help me to study (they have a humanitarian education). And that all depends on me.

2000th In the wake of fate

I wonder how, after another 50 or 100 years will relate to the year 2000? This is not even a new century. This is the new millennium! Only during the transition from 1999 to 2000 really nothing happened. People have not become better or worse. Life just went on as usual, not paying attention to the numbers.

In the spring of 2000, my friend, with whom we went to preparatory courses, invited me to go to train to take exams. His father learned that in the leading universities of Russia the entrance exams pass a little earlier. So that those who could not go through the competition, could try their hand at the institute easier. And I agreed. Moreover, it was free. We went to the Moscow State Technical University named after Bauman. The oldest institution of higher education in the country. At first it did not impress me. The building required repairs, the audience and the furniture too. I compared with MIET, which was at that time in the best condition. But, sitting in the audience, on one of the exams, having touched the desk tree, looking around, I felt the historical significance of this place. As if 170 years ago, when the university was founded, everything looked exactly the same. Unless the paint was fresh and there was no “lecturer into orbit” button scratched on the tabletop.

In general, without much effort and preparation, I passed all the exams, received positive points and forgot about it ...

The summer has come, and with it the time for examinations at MIET. For some reason I remember the Russian language most of all. It was required to write a statement after a double reading of the text by the teacher. The exam was held in a huge lecture hall, in which the rows were arranged like in a cinema, going upstairs. I do not remember who invented all this, perhaps I, but the four of us sat down. Two in front and two behind. And when the teacher read the text for the first time, it was already fully written down with us. So for the first time I applied the Round Robin algorithm. Instead of each of us being for himself, we agreed that I was writing the first sentence, the second was my friend, and so on. Round. We cheated the system.

Meanwhile, fate decided very differently. My parents planned to move to Moscow. Riding from there to MIET did not make sense. It seems it was July or August and I went to submit documents to the Bauman Moscow State Technical University. Although, to tell the truth, that day I went with my friend to the Mitinsky radio market. At that time there were legends about him. What, allegedly, it was possible to buy anything. From a mobile phone (then they were still a wonder), to a spare part for the American space satellite. And it was really true. And if not, where else to buy spare parts for the satellite, if not there?

I wanted to be in time before the market closes. Along the way, documents had to be submitted, but I had no idea that there would be long lines. It was necessary to choose the desired faculty and apply for admission to it. Well, well, in order not to delay either myself or my friend, I chose the smallest line-up. In the end, this is MSTU named after Bauman! One of the best universities in the country! There should not be “bad” faculties!

So, randomly passed “for training” exams turned into my actual admission. And the documents filed between times turned into my enrollment at the now-rote for me department of Robotics. It would seem that the absence of a queue spoke about the non-popularity of the faculty. That summer, for some reason, it was so. But next year, the Faculty of Robotics took the second place in popularity among applicants.

Sometimes, if you do not think, but simply act, having caught the necessary wave, everything happens by itself. As if your goals are like fish in the sea. You try to catch them with your hands, grab at least by the tail, and they only get farther. But, it is worth freezing, as they swim up to you.

2000th Autumn. Long-awaited study

A month remained before the start of university studies. Perhaps it was the longest month of my life. With what impatience I waited for my studies to start! I quite seriously imagined how at most to the third year I will be able to assemble the terminator myself! What else could teach at the department of robotics?
September and the day of dedication to students. It was clear and sunny, giving a false hope that the summer will continue and this autumn with rains and gray will forget to come this time. There were a lot of future students, and, possibly, real ones. Many teachers and famous graduates of the Moscow State Technical University spoke. Well, it was they who thought that they were famous, and I had no idea who it was. It would be better if they invited Anton Kamolov from MTV, who also graduated from Baumanka.
All I remembered is that it was a discovery for me on that day that the training lasts 6 years and the first 2 years - 6 days a week. Heck! yes I was 16! Life has just begun, but here it is! When to rest then ?!

2000th Winter. First computer

The first two years in Baumanka were very tough. Hope to create your own terminator collapsed under the weight of general engineering subjects, which were present in large quantities in the training program. What is it worth drawing on the paper Whatman A1 with a ruler and pencils? The teachers reassured us. They say, in their time, and even circled with ink. Well, and, of course, went to the library in the winter, in felt boots 3 kilometers up the hill. It was no easier for me.

Moving to Moscow was dragging on and I drove from Zelenograd. The first pair started at 8.30. And the whole year I woke up at 5.30 am and went to the train. During these trips, I noticed an interesting paradox. For some reason in the morning, quite decent people are going in the direction of Moscow. To work or study. But, here the evening train is already filled with people who, as if, instead of working, went not so much to the bars. Rather, sat with vodka somewhere in the courtyard and ate something not edible.

After the first course, exactly half of the original composition of the group remained. The fact that I was among them was very difficult for me. It was necessary to change something. And I managed it.



On the 17th anniversary I was given a computer. It was the end of the first semester, the first course. If you say that it was even better than the first sex, it means, to say nothing. Intel Pentium 3, 600 MHz, 32 Mb of RAM! 15 inch Sony monitor! And now the US Robotics courier 56K cultivator modem! Gagarin, who returned after the first flight into space, probably rejoiced less than me!
I went to the Mitinsky and Savelovsky markets. I found all those toys that I played on other people's computers. Starting from the classic Doom and ending with the new Half-Life and GTA. I could just sit for hours and drive a mouse, watching as she synchronously moves around the desktop!

The passion for toys quickly passed. It was not replaced by a fake interest in it, but how does it all work? How to make toys?
In the first year, we were taught the language “C”. We collected simple MS DOS text programs by the Borland 3.1 compiler. Needless to say, they were not at all like Half-Life.

The Internet was still dial up and not cheap, the torrents had not yet been invented. Most of the computer programs were bought on the collapse of computer markets. 1000 most needed programs, 100 applications for everything, Anthony of Windows.



I began to buy all the programming discs that I found. I watched, read, studied examples. I was happy when I managed to understand in the code what had to be changed in order for the program to behave differently. And by the end of the first course, instead of taking the program that draws a circle on the screen at the laboratory, I showed WYSWYG a graphical editor written under DOS with an interface like that of Windows. There were windows and buttons. You could draw any primitive by selecting the thickness of the lines and the color with the mouse. All buttons and windows were drawn by hand, taking into account all the overlaps of the written graphic library itself.
But this was not enough for me. Then I began to learn assembler and reverse engineering. And after a few weeks, I went around the serial number request for Mr. Shahidzhanyan Solo's application on the keyboard (I hope that he does not read Habr). A simple combination of JMP and NOP, together with an understanding of addressing, was done once or twice.
I realized that you can not protect 100% of any application with any serial numbers. It is only a matter of time. Therefore, protection should be such that the time for its hacking requires as much as writing a program with a similar functionality.

Reading all this, you can get a false impression about me as a “nerd” sitting at a computer. This was far from the case. Friends, girls, skateboard, electric guitar, concerts ... How fully I could be given to study and computers, I was just as good at rest. As comrade Marx said: “The best rest is a change of activity”. My activity changed dramatically.

2001 Blue ocean theory

Surely, all of you have heard about the theory of the blue ocean. When, instead of tough competition in existing markets (red oceans), companies create new ones. Where there are no competitors yet and they can achieve the greatest success. Instead of creating your own search engine and competing with Google, Facebook created its own Internet, terrified by Google. Apple could not circumvent Microsoft in the personal computer market. And Jobs created a new market for iPhones and iPads, where you don't have to compete with Microsoft. Now Microsoft is trying to catch up with Apple.

During my studies, I did not know this theory. But intuitively, I always sought to create precisely blue oceans. Although a smaller scale than the above examples. Theory of Machines and Mechanisms? Need to count and draw? I agreed with the professor to write a program that would automatically calculate and visualize everything. My library was replenished with a book on OpenGL and I got 5, without drawing a single line on the paper.
Machine parts? Draw again? I studied Solid Works and created a fully three-dimensional model, designed gear. Received on this model all the necessary sections and projections. I was told that my work is still hanging in the hall of the Department of Machine Parts.

I combined business with pleasure. Handed over the work, defended coursework and learned to program. That was my blue ocean. I did a job that nobody did before me. And I received only excellent marks for it. Since I could not compete with anyone.

2002 Science of the World

In the second year we were given lectures on physics by an amazing person. His name was Leonid Martinson. Looking at his full name, one could immediately understand that he was not a simple uncle. And visiting his lecture, you could see this even more.

He loved physics and loved to talk about it. Each of his lectures was akin to a theatrical performance. And even those who were neutral towards physics, listened with pleasure to it. I'm not sure that if instead of the iPhone, Jobs would have presented the distribution of electrons along the orbit of atoms, he could have made it more eloquent and interesting.

In each lecture of Leonid Karlovich there was something that can be found in history books. And most importantly - he was part of it. That only is the story of a meeting with Niels Bohr, who came to Moscow.

Unlike many junior teachers, Leonid Karlovich did not just talk about his subject. He told how and where it can be applied ...



Although in fact he very simply explained the difference between theoretical and engineering science. If theorists are engaged in research, then engineers should be able to use the results obtained in practice. With these words, he, as a rule, cited several colorful examples, as this or that physical phenomenon became the basis of new electronic components present in all electronic devices. It was especially impressive how in these examples one minor change in already existing elements led to the generation of completely new properties.

I really liked this thought. Look around and turn known phenomena or products into completely new directions.

2002 - 2003 How to make a student

Many at that time were forced to work. To live on a scholarship, however, as now, it was not realistic. Looking for ways to make money, I became a freelancer. I do not know, in my opinion, then there was no such thing. But, the work that I performed could be called the only way. Orders threw friends and acquaintances. More often, satisfied customers reapplied or recommended me. There was little money, but with each new order I learned something new. In my opinion, this is the best school that a programmer can take - real projects. Communication with customers has always been alive. Meetings, discussions, work, money. Businessmen, deputies, gangsters ... Very colorful personalities.



I remember once, a new customer called me home. It was evening and he said he wanted to meet urgently. And as he drives not far from me, he can drive straight to the house. I went out to the entrance. There was a local youth there, Gopniks in common, and occupied their time with cigarettes, beer and my neighbor opposite. Everything is clearly older than me. It was already in Moscow, where we moved recently, and I did not know anyone. They also did not know me and began to ask for cigarettes. I did not smoke. A familiar phrase was sounded to many: “And if I find it?” And then, a whole motorcade of Mercedes drives into the courtyard. Two Brabus'a with flashing lights and one S'ka in the middle. The door opened, and inside was my customer. He called me by name and patronymic. He offered to get into the car, which I immediately did. We went to the nearest cafe, where we discussed the technical task.

The next day, when I was leaving the porch, those same local guys, instead of asking for cigarettes again, recognized me and said “Hello”. This went on for the next few years.

2003 Viruses, watch out! We are going!

The year 2003 came, and with it came a thaw in the educational process. I wanted something more permanent than non-permanent freelancing and the same income. There was more free time and I could afford it. For some reason, I got the impression that this year was the start for the real flourishing of the Internet in Russia and the computer and computer business. As if everyone realized at once that the Internet is cool and computers too.
Also thought and Mr. Alexey Ivteev (last name and first name changed). Together with my friend and classmate, we went to him for an interview at the beautiful administrative building of the Ministry of Railways. We were sincerely sure that we are invited to work in the Ministry of Railways. In fact, everything turned out to be much simpler: Alexey, the big head of a small department of a unit of the Ministry of Railways, decided to build his own computer-based empire that would earn millions of dollars. And since he needed to start somewhere, he decided to hire a couple of students, that is, us. He had a lot of plans. Perhaps the most interesting is the use of their connections in order to sell dial-up Internet access in the Moscow region cities that stand along the railway lines. If you do not know, then along most Russian railways there is an excellent optical fiber, which is still used today. Selling access dialup would allow to earn thousands of percent of the cost price. Here are just a dialup already slowly becoming unpopular. And, looking ahead, I will say that things have not moved further than talk.
On the other hand, an excellent business case was found. Exit support service. Alexey found objects, and we, as engineers of his department, helped him to maintain them. Cute accountants called us every time they forgot to turn on the power filter, as a result, the computer did not boot, and the printer refused to print. For the sake of communicating with them, I even bought my first mobile phone Siemens C55. My salary was spent for a month and a half.

We were fighting with network viruses, which quite unexpectedly opened obscene pictures on the monitors of large managers. Of course, they sincerely assured us that they did not visit any such sites and had no idea where it came from on the desktop. We pretended that they believed and continued on their difficult task.
What we just do. From writing programs and raising servers, to laying a twisted pair on a building to provide it with Internet and IP telephony. We were promised that our work would become “cleaner” and we would be able to do the real business, and not be simple enikeyschiki. This did not happen.

- Why didn't you leave right away? - you ask. And I will tell you. The reason was in Her ... At such times, you begin to understand how limited the Russian language is ... how clumsy the words are ... It is difficult to pick them up to describe my feelings and, of course, the feelings of my friend ... She ... Dining room at the IPU! Imagine a decent restaurant and the cheapest student canteen ... In the dining room of the Ministry of Railways, the dishes were excellent as in a restaurant, and prices are lower than in our student canteen. In order to have dinner there, it was possible to deliberately break someone's printer in advance so that we could only be called.

The organizations that we served were large and public. Therefore, the contingent worked there appropriate. Once we were summoned by the big boss of one of these organizations and said that we will now work under the authority of Sergei Ivanovich - a cute gray-haired grandfather. Later it turned out that all his life he had worked in this organization. And he didn't want to retire. He was pityed and appointed to such a nominal position.While we are not there, he had to refuel everything. But, if I could not cope, I could always call us.
At first, we thought that we would have fewer trips. No matter how wrong!We began to drive twice as often. And every time it was utter nonsense, because of which we should not have bothered. That mouse somehow does not move that way, or the monitor radiates something wrong. Culler sounds suspicious. Just do not remember. And then, suddenly, everything. We have not been invited for a couple of weeks. We suspected something was wrong and arrived by ourselves.

Sergei Ivanovich was sitting near the computer in the leadership office. He was surrounded by a large pile of A4 papers and he was thinking hard about something. At least it was written on his face. He noticed us not immediately. And we watched with curiosity, what will happen next.
He saw us and then quickly gathered all A4 paper into a decent pile, took a pencil and came to us gesticulating vigorously.
- You see, guys. I read here that computers need to be cleaned. Not in the sense of a rag. And all sorts of unnecessary files to delete. Then they work better.
We nodded unanimously. And he continued:
- And when I cleaned the computer, I revealed extremely unstable file behavior. This is a viral infection and everything must be properly treated. Look!
With these words, he began to show us his papers and we were surprised to find on them neatly drawn trees of the Windows file system with beautiful daddies and files.
The fact is that before deleting each file, Sergei Ivanovich drew this very tree “before” and “after”. With and without a file. And when, before the completion of the “purge”, he found quite a bit of a “viral infection”. You delete the file, and in its place there appear two others of the same. The stack of drawn folders and files kept growing, and all the files appeared. Moreover, it was all in the same folder called TEMP ...

We worked with Alexey from the Ministry of Railways for about 3 months, and then we quit. On our last working day, the big head of the organization we served, called us over and poured vodka ... Just kidding. Vodka was not. In general, in fact, he was glad that we were leaving, because he wanted to offer us another job himself.
- Understand, I use the Internet here and I have to constantly look for a lot of things. And this Yandex, which should look good, is looking bad ... I will give you $ 500. Make me my own Yandex, but only better ... And, you know, at that time I was ready to take on this project, if not for the session If the search in Yandex already exists, then it can be done and improved. This is an excellent task, from which your eyes light up and you want to work, work and work ... After all, a real programmer is almost always an optimist! He needs “unsolvable problems” that he can successfully solve ... And money is just an addition to interesting work.

2003 Autumn. Vision systems

Most of the subjects at the senior courses were taught not in the main building of MSTU on Baumanskaya, but in our department of robotics at Izmailovo. It was something like Kaliningrad for Russia. It seems that he and her part, but still not quite. The atmosphere at the department was strikingly different from what was in the main building. Here the teacher is more of a partner and colleague for the student than a formal mentor. In the breaks between seminars and lectures, one could sit with professors in a cozy kitchen and communicate on any topic. Though about tracked, at least about walking humanoid robots guarding the borders of our Motherland.

Now I look back and understand that healthy freedom reigned at the department, allowing students to realize themselves. No, nobody canceled completely formal curricula. Yes, and put both fives and deuces. The teachers of the department allowed themselves to find and choose an interesting direction that students would like to do. And the choice was great. Say what you like, but robots are extremely entertaining.
The department had several of these industrial manipulators. It was fascinating to watch how quickly and precisely they moved, grabbing objects or performing other actions. Imagine the grip of one of these manipulators can safely crush a piece of battery. And the next second, he carefully takes a shot of vodka.egg and moves to another place. No, teachers did not punish students like that. The egg was chicken.



I just could not help but wonder how the robot “sees”? I had no idea if this would be useful in my life. But I began to study everything that I could find on the subject of computer vision. I wrote examples of programs, checked how they work “in life”. At that time, OpenCV and similar libraries were not there yet, so everything was done “by hand”. It was possible to write the program for months until at least some result was obtained. And I liked both the path itself and the ultimate goal. At that moment I finally realized that this is what I want to do in the future. Turn a hobby in the form of programming into a vocation and profession. Therefore, I began to look for work related to technical vision and programming ...

Afterword

That's how I became a programmer. Although, honestly, at that time I did not consider myself to be. Because the more I learned, the more I understood that I know very little. And he continued to explore new features, technologies, frameworks ...



What conclusions should be drawn from what I wrote? I do not know.It seems to me that everyone has his own way. But I can say quite definitely that programmers, like scientists, for whom the result of their work is much more important than anything else, including money, creates the most amazing and amazing things in our World. They are able to single-handedly implement products that could shatter multi-billion empires and generate new markets. These are people who create the future today. The main thing is to believe in yourself and your strength. Not gods burn pots! Congratulations to all of us! Get more interesting tasks and success in their implementation! Happy programmer!