OT: productivity and long computing delays

[beliavsky at aol.com]

Paul Rubin wrote:
> I'm doing something where I frequently but unpredictably (i.e. I can't
> plan for it in advance) hit a snag that requires me to rebuild a large
> project.  The rebuild takes a couple hours.  During that time, I'm
> twiddling my thumbs and/or posting here, i.e. not getting anything
> useful done.  But the delay is not long enough that I can really
> switch to another project for a while.

Two hours is a long time! Maybe it takes a programmer 10 minutes to get
his mind focused on a new project, but that still leaves 110 productive
minutes. I think many programmers in corporate environments would
regard 2-hour blocks as luxuries. I have wondered the same thing as you
(how to be productive during "gaps"), but in situations where I am
often waiting a minute for a program to compile or run, not hours. I
suggest immersing yourself in the second project during 2-hour gaps.

>From reading your posts here I think you are a more experienced
programmer than I. I am a "quant" who programs, not a "programmer". But
those are my thoughts.