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Yes, Works very well for C/C++ development. It has a number of templates for things like command line apps and such. Also I've done a tool PBtomake http://members.bellatlantic.net/~vze35xda/software.html that can convert the XCode project to standard make files (useful to port things from OSX XCode to Linux, Sun,HP.... etc).

I've been treating myself with my Violet Ray Machine "Violet Ray Machine" for a while now. I guess they figured out a new way to increase secretions.

This is what made us balk at using XML for storing NMR spectroscopy data...The current textual form is whitespace-separated, little short numbers less than 5 digits long, for hundreds of thousands of rows...

...we can't find an in-memory representation of the data as a table which is more compact than the ascii file is. The original ascii file is even more compact than a 2-D array in RAM. (because it takes 4 bytes to store an int even when that int is typically just one digit and is only larger on rare occasions.)

Huh? It should be trivial to devise a more compact memory structure for that data. Given only a few minutes of thought I came up with this:

Every value gets a single byte in a big 2D array. All bytes values but one are valid data values. The remaining byte value (the key value) is used for large data values (greater than can be encoded in a single byte). For these data values, we look in a second array which contains entries only for the large values. Assuming we need a 1024x1024 matrix, the C declarations are:

char matrix[1024][1024];
int *big_value[1024];
#define KEY_VALUE 0xff

Each row of big_value corresponds to one row in matrix and has one element for each element in matrix that contains the key value. In order to find the value of any data point (x,y), first look it up in matrix: if the value matrix[x][y] is not the key value, you have the actual data value. If the value matrix[x][y] is the key value: find out how many key values preceed this data point in row x (call that n) and then get the value at big_value[x][n] which is the actual value.

The C function to get a value from this data structure is:

int get_value(int< x, int y)
{
int i, n;

if(matrix[x][y] == KEY_VALUE)
{
for(i=n=0; i<y; i++)
if(matrix[x][i] == KEY_VALUE)
n++;

return big_value[x][n];
}

return matrix[x][y];
}

The code to insert into the data structure is left as an exersise for the student (it will require some dynamic memory allocation and an initialization routine).

Other, more exotic, data structures could be used to get even better memory efficiency: they are called sparse matrices and have been well understood for decades. Do a google search, go to the library or ask a computer scientist for advice.

(Thank-you, thank-you. I'll be here all week. I do weddings and bar-mitzvahs and am available for hire)

Failing that, as most of us do, the next best practice is to program defensively: anticipate where problems might occur in your code and include assertion checking and logging (yes, print statements) to illuminate those problem spots. Generally, I include debugging flags on the command line that allow me to control the level of assertion checking and logging (0=no logging, except for errors (the default), 1=log all branches, 2=log branches and variable values, 4=log everything).

This defensive debugging strategy works quite well. First, it forces the programmer to think harder about both the algorithms they are using, and their implementation. I catch about a quarter of my programming errors just in the process of adding assertions. Second, the program will tend to abort as soon as a problem is detected, rather than running on for a couple billion instructions, dumping crap into the output file or database and then either aborting mysteriously on some marginally related condition, or, worse, completing without any reported errors! Finally, when errors are detected, the debugging can usually be done simply by inspecting the soure and following actual execution from the log file.

All debugging comes down to one, fairly simple, idea: show me the program status at crucial points in the flow of control (generally at every branch and return). A few other tools are of some use under special circumstances: Purify, Electric Fence or Valgrind for detecting problems with dynamically allocated memory, or something like ddd for examining linked structures (though I prefer to just write a validation function for my data structures, see my AVL-tree code for an example). Defensive programming works because it answers the important question that usually forces you into using the debugger: what the hell just happened?!? Defensive programming gives you a way to examine program states without invoking an outside tool.

The only class of bugs that doesn't succumb well to this approach is race conditions. Unfortunately, anything that changes the timing of the program (such as stepping instruction-by-instruction in a debugger, or writting log messages out to a disk file) will change the behavior of the race condition. I'd be really interested in tools or techniques that could address this class of bugs.

Is that the same government we have elected?

No. It's the government elected by Electoral College, an obsolete instutution that hardly any democratic country uses these days. You - the voters - have elected Al Gore, who won the popular vote, but he was turned down by the electors. First such occurence since 1888 and a MAJOR signal that America needs a significant upgrade of its voting system. Electoral College is sooo last century... no, not even that, it's actually sooo last century before the last century!

Pictures from my day at feild day http://members.bellatlantic.net/~vze3sxhy/FD2003/f ield_day_2003_for_w3yi.htm
this is only the second year that we have done a field day. It was alot of fun, I wish I was still there but I had to work tonight so, I had to leave early.

excellent suggestions. if your camera runs on lithium batteries, be sure you bring one or two extra ones, and keep em in your pants. they batteries like to poop out in the cold.

i shot TMAX-100 at 100, with f3.5 lens at 28mm, and kept the sucker open for 15 minutes for each exposure-- got wunnerful trails, but only ONE nice-lookin meteor (dumb camera was pointed in the wrong direction). only got a couple of usable shots, as i only brought one battery (which is why i remind you of the above suggestion).

it's very important to have a tripod! and don't futz with your camera! if you've got a shutter release, that's great too.

here's my obligatory photo of the leonids from last year. one nice one, several very faint ones.

Even first world countries have long used kites for reconaissance. A lot of kiting development has taken place for military applications. Check this page for more details.

Step 1. Go to http://java.sun.com and download the JRE 1.4.1.

Step 2. Visit http://www.datadino.com and click on "Webstart Now!".

Step 3. Right click and save Meat Fighter. Find where you saved the JAR file and double click.

Step 4. Right click and save Duke Nukes Stuff. Double click on the JAR.

Step 5. Visit jGoodies and try their wide variety of products.

If you are under Linux, I'm afraid the games probably won't perform well. (Little issue with getting X to be configured to handle high speed direct-framebuffer graphics). However, DataDino should work, although you may need to get the installer instead of using the super-cool WebStart link (Mozilla problem only!). If you don't have a database to use, visit the "Supported Databases" page and download the test HSQLDB database.

The plain and simple fact is that Java is fighting two issues:

1. Poorly written apps that give all Java apps a bad name. (For example, "genius" A decides to load a table before releasing the event thread. Table takes 5 minutes to load and user gets annoyed. The solution would have been to load the table in a separate thread so that the user can see and interact with the table items as they are being loaded.)

2. Perceived performance vs. actual performance. People see Swing and the default look and feel and instantly "feel" that the app is slower than windows. Nothing could be farther from the truth. In all reality, it is probably running faster than the Windows app, it just doesn't seem right. This is caused by the Java L&F being way too "flat". Your brain doesn't quite connect the buttons and other objects as being solid objects to be manipulated.

Yes. Next question?

Slip F-18 is the best place to spend the summer!

This means that things like Slashdots own palm friendly version and my AvantSlash (along with thousands of other non-profit making sites who provide an ability to view their content for free) are going to be left a little out in the cold.

As already mentioned, Plucker is one alternative. For PPC users you could try Mazingo

The biggest downside to Avantgo alternatives is that they don't have some of the custom channels that Avantgo has and you can't get the URL for. Some however you can, and Plinkit is a useful list of those.

Come on guys, if you expect us to pay and help you out here, the least you could do it take breaking news that we submit and actually post it. Rather than waiting a fortnight and then sticking it up.

"Stuff that matters" is all very fine and well, but "Stuff that matters, once everyone knows about it" would seem closer to the point, although less catchy.

What about Solar Wars?

A lot of people hack QuickCams for astronomical images. I've mostly seen images of bright objects, though. If you could put the sensor behind a large-aperture wide-angle lens you might have luck with meteors.

If I'm still alive in 50 years, I'll still be reading John D. MacDonald. His Travis McGee series is a classic. Those novels, written from the 1960s to the 1980s, are not only enjoyable to read, but are also filled with MacDonald's accurate social commentary and predictions.

Well, speaking as an ex-Brit and now American, I find the two nations more similar than different. Both know funny when they see it.

And from that day forward, little Johnny had to live with the knowledge that were it not for some quirk of fate, his parents wouldn't have had him.

I would also say that little Johnny has to live with the fact that if he had not been born, his older sister would most likely have died. I think the fact that knowing you have saved someone else's life (especially a family memeber) would cancel out any negative feelings. Think about it, this baby is a hero, and he didn't even have to do anything!

Just my $0.02.
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segfault@bellatlantic.net

crap, sorry it's here, put too one too many http://

solar in addition to a battery?

segfault@bellatlantic.net

They are't rogue employees, I belive both Adrian and Kevin were co-founders of id (correct me if I'm wrong about that) with John Carmack and John Romero.

Adrian yes, but Kevin came later. The original guys from Softdisk were J. Carmack, A. Carmack, Tom Hall, and John Romero.

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segfault@bellatlantic.net

Unfortunately, John couldn't do much to stop it. Kevin & Adrian own 66% of id compared to John's 33%. So, it was either agree, or leave. Personally, I think that if J. Carmack went to work at Valve, they could have an incredible game.--------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------

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segfault@bellatlantic.net

Since everything is slashdotted right now, here's Carmack's plan update:

Welcome to id Software's Finger Service V1.5!

Name: John Carmack
Email: johnc@idsoftware.com
Description: Programmer
Project: Quake 3 Arena
Last Updated: 06/01/2000 02:51:45 (Central Standard Time)
-------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------
6/1/00
------
Well, this is going to be an interesting .plan update.

Most of this is not really public business, but if some things aren't stated explicitly, it will reflect unfairly on someone.

As many people have heard discussed, there was quite a desire to remake DOOM as our next project after Q3. Discussing it brought an almost palpable thrill to most of the employees, but Adrian had a strong enough dislike for the idea that it was shot down over and over again.

Design work on an alternate game has been going on in parallel with the mission pack development and my research work.

Several factors, including a general lack of enthusiasm for the proposed plan, the warmth that Wolfenstien was met with at E3, and excitement about what we can do with the latest rendering technology were making it seem more and more like we weren't going down the right path.

I discussed it with some of the other guys, and we decided that it was important enough to drag the company through an unpleasant fight over it.

An ultimatum was issued to Kevin and Adrian(who control >50% of the company): We are working on DOOM for the next project unless you fire us.

Obviously no fun for anyone involved, but the project direction was changed, new hires have been expedited, and the design work has begun.

It wasn't planned to announce this soon, but here it is: We are working on a new DOOM game, focusing on the single player game experience, and using brand new technology in almost every aspect of it. That is all we are prepared to say about the game for quite some time, so don't push for interviews. We will talk about it when things are actually built, to avoid giving misleading comments.

It went smoother than expected, but the other shoe dropped yesterday.

Kevin and Adrian fired Paul Steed in retaliation, over my opposition.

Paul has certainly done things in the past that could be grounds for dismissal, but this was retaliatory for him being among the "conspirators".

I happen to think Paul was damn good at his job, and that he was going to be one of the most valuable contributors to DOOM.

We need to hire two new modeler/animator/cinematic director types. If you have a significant commercial track record in all three areas, and consider yourself at the top of your field, send your resume to Kevin Cloud.

-------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------
There you have it.

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segfault@bellatlantic.net

Northern VA is a very nice place. I moved here 2 years ago for a tech job, and I love it. Sure, DC is very crowded, but most of the good tech jobs aren't there anyway. I am getting about $40K a year (ok, so the stock options help), and I don't have much trouble making ends meet.

Apartments are pretty expensive (at least compared to where I moved from) at around $1000/month for a 1 bedroom. However, I rent the master bed/bath in a townhouse for about $450, and it's only about 15 mins from work. There are *tons* of tech jobs in this area, and you can usually find good housing outside the area for a good price. Now, all you California Girls, you just call me when you get here, and we can work something out :o) Just my $0.02.

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segfault@bellatlantic.net

Ahhhrrrrrggghhhh... brain.. hurts..

segfault@bellatlantic.net

I think developers releasing source to old games is a great idea. It gives young developers guidance and inspiration. That's one of the things I admire about Carmack, Quake isn't really even all that out of date, and he already released the source. What a guy :o)

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segfault@bellatlantic.net

I think that many corporations would be hesitant to resgister company.god simply because they would fear alienating and pissing off customers who have strong religious beliefs. This really seems to be more of a TLD for people who dont give a damn. Maybe not tho..

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segfault@bellatlantic.net

...Schmam notes that Stevie Case, one of the designers for Quake II, now working with Ion Storm...

Maybe I am on crack here, but Stevie Case wasn't a designer on Quake II. She worked on Daikatana (a Quake II engine game) but had nothing to do with the development of Quake II. I don't think that she even gained widespread recognition until the development of SiN (At least I had never heard of her before that and I used to follow the community pretty closely). At the time she was dating Paradox at Ritual (or Hipnotic as it was called at the time). IIRC, she was a a student in Kansas, and somehow made her way to Texas to play games.. And the rest is history. Oh, and I do think she looks better now, but not cause of the new b00bs, but because I prefer blondes :o)

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segfault@bellatlantic.net

Of course, you realize that if Slashdot complies, we should be expecting an email from Natalie Portman any day requesting that Slashdot remove all those "hot grits" articles.

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segfault@bellatlantic.net

Of course, you realize that if Slashdot complies, we should be expecting an email from Natalie Portman any day requesting that Slashdot remove all those "hot grits" articles.

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segfault@bellatlantic.net

>What we need is some sort of a universial translator. So depending on a browser setting, all text on a website would automatically be converted to the language set as default in the browser.

In the mean time, try babelfish.altavista.com. I agree it isn't perfect, and doesn't cover all languages, but it covers the major one, and usually it gives you enough that you at least get a basic understanding of the page.

segfault@bellatlantic.net

Must be linux, because in space, no one can hear you scream.. when you blue screen :o)

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segfault@bellatlantic.net

I'll pay $1/point for some Slashdot karma :o)

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Found the price. It's $214 USD.

segfault@bellatlantic.net

Yes, there is one for your car.. Check it out at http://www.carplayer.com. Here are some of the specs (pulled from thier site):

1. Runs with any ATAPI device i.e. CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW or even DVD-ROM. (required)

2. Full support for MPEG1, MPEG2 Audio Layer III, MP3 files (except 256+Kbits).

3. Multiple CD file formats: ISO-9660, Joliet, Romeo and most others.

4. Auto switch play mode between CD-DA (audio CD) or MP3 Disk.

5. Supports CD-DA, CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW and DVD-ROM media.

6. Can have up to 2200 files per cd.

7. Accepts 63 play list numbers in user programmable memory and has Single, Shuffle, Repeat, 10 second scan and more.

8. 31 Key Remote Control

9. Output level for headphones, speakers, tape adapter (for car), and stereo amps.


I didn't see a price on thier site, but you can be sure it isn't cheap. But then again, geek toys rarely are :o)



segfault@bellatlantic.net

Wow this is cool.. not my favorite show of all time, but still a very good one. I don't get the SciFi channel right now, but I will beginning in May.. the downside is the SciFi channel is replacing the porn channel. Dammit!


segfault@bellatlantic.net

Yes, if you check out Bero's Post from an earlier thread, it does appear that RedHat wants to wait for 2.4.5 (which makes perfect sense to me too)

segfault@bellatlantic.net

Yes, I get a dynamic from Bell.. Do you live in Northern VA? Possibly it's dynamic in some places and static in others.. However, I am sure that bell would give me a static if i wanted to shell out a few bucks :o)

segfault@bellatlantic.net

I have read that PPPoE support is supposed to be in the kernel, although I don't know how well it will work or what hardware it will support. In the meantime however, you can use the PPPoE drivers from Roaring Penguin. I have Bell Atlantic DSL, and it works great.

segfault@bellatlantic.net

So does this mean that 2.4 is released? I checked kernel.org, and it still has 2.2.14 as the most recent stable kernel.

segfault@bellatlantic.net

I am sure that his motherboard will still make him stop and ask for directions!



segfault@bellatlantic.net

You have been in an auto accident.
(A)bort, (R)etry, (F)ail?


segfault@bellatlantic.net

IMHO, This is good, because installing Win98 inside VMware on my linux machine was probably one of the most painful experiences I have ever had. It took FOREVER. Now, perhaps I should clarify myself my saying that this is a good thing as long as there is still an option to purchase VMware without any OS. Actually, I think the best thing for VMWare to do would be to offer a pre-compiled version for every OS that they support. Just my $0.02.

segfault@bellatlantic.net

Yes, I sure did! I think the glitz & glamour of getting a first post on Slashdot got the better of me. I've been beaten senseless with a carp since, and I am feeling much better now! Thanks!

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segfault@bellatlantic.net

Hey, this is really cool.. This would be good for a lot of beginning developers to get some real hands on experience without getting in over their heads on a full blown project. The linux communtity never ceases to amaze me with thier neverending list of Good Ideas.

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segfault@bellatlantic.net

I got a lot of lesbian porn that I don't want my freinds to see.

If you can't share lesbian porn, they aren't really friends now, are they?

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segfault@bellatlantic.net

First off, I can remember when MS said (in court) that it was technically impossible for them to remove IE from Windows. They might have even had a tech expert at the trial, i don't remember exactly. Now, I have read that they are offering this as a settlement. What gives? No matter how you package it, this is a lie by MS. Pure and simple. Next, competition is A Good Thing. Take a look at Intel & AMD for instance. Before AMD was making processors that could compete, prices were fairly high. Now that AMD is really giving Intel a run for thier money, the prices are falling like a rock. Now, are AMD's chips as good as Intel's? Depends on who you ask. But I am getting off topic a bit. My point is that MS deserves some type of punishment to encourage competition. IANAL, so I will leave that up to Those Who Are Lawyers. I like the earlier post however about the top 100 execs feet first into a wood chipper tho :o) Segfault

segfault@bellatlantic.net

I am all for security and privacy of your personal information, but what home user needs DoD strength security at home? That's pretty paranoid if you ask me. The DoD should develop their own Linux distro if you ask me.. Just my $0.02.

segfault@bellatlantic.net

> Support for X or TT fonts

See http://members.bellatlantic. net/~smithrod/wpfonts.html for information about getting your fonts of choice in WP 8 for Linux.

> How about a REAL print preview function?

We only had a small handful of programmers, and most of our time was spent getting the port done, and working out the bugs. Basically, we took a subset of WP8 for Windows features, and ported them to the Unix version. We didn't have time for anything else.

> Work on the import of MS Word files?

We utilized a third party filtering program. We were lucky to even get MS Word 97 import functionality before release.

> An install script that automatically adds an icon or a menu entry for Gnome, KDE, or Afterstep.

I agree. I actually added this ability (for KDE at the time) as a post-install option, but it never made it in to the release. Oh well.

Part of the reason WP 8 for Linux works the way it does is because it is a legacy application. It has more than four million lines of code, and the engine was ported straight from assembly to C with as few changes as possible (to make code transplants easier during the assembly days). It was a pain to maintain, and Novell and Corel didn't put much money into it. I'm happy that it works as well as it does.

I hope that satisfies your curiosity :)