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Knuth: All Questions Answered

Posted by timothy on from the art-of-computer dept.

sunhou writes: "The AMS published a lecture by Donald Knuth called All Questions Answered (pdf), where Knuth simply responded to questions from the audience. Topics ranged from errors in software ('I think Microsoft should say, "You'll get a check from Bill Gates every time you find an error"') to how he gets distracted by fonts on restaurant menus, to software patents. There were some really good questions (and responses)."

3 of 352 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Online PDF Conversion Here -- by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Flamebait
    Congratulations on your first post ever on slashdot, pinhead.

    Now please stop posting your idiotic advocacy in completely unrelated stories. Nobody gives a fuck how much you like your OS.

  2. Re:I don't have acrobat. by Com2Kid · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    PDF, for when you REALLY want that whole entire paper metaphor mapped onto a screen that has no bearing what so ever to paper at all!

    I HATE having to pan around PDF documents to read what I wan to read, websites that do that are considered piss poor designed, but nooo, PDF files can get away with using size 4 fonts with fixed cartridge returns. Bleh. I _HAVE_ seen a few GOOD PDF documents that are meant to be readable on a computer monitor without horizontal scrolling, but they are VERY rare.

    Pray tell, how the HELL did PDF files catch on anyways? They are icky icky icky ICKY to use.

    "Oh look mah, I can make the text wrap around the image in all sorts of nifty ways!"

    Well yah that's great bub, but do you have to keep that book/magazine 2 column format? Really now, that is nice and all when I am viewing a friggin BOOK or MAGAZINE but NOT when I am looking at it on a COMPUTER MONITOR.

    Yeesh.

    --
    Need help treating your acne? Come here!
  3. Re:Knuth Does Not Read E-Mail by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    Knuth's a pretty cool guy, but I really don't understand why he can't simply have his secretary check his email address and "batch mode" it for him. Wow. Oh well, everyone has their way.

    Probably because too many annoying people like you e-mail him. Some people spend their lives whining to others, while the rest try to block out the whine so they can get on with productive work.

    My way is I don't write snail mail to anyone who is online. Period. No matter how cool they are. Well, I'll take paying bills and answering legal inquiries as required exceptions.

    Ok, then don't expect a response. Crapflood his/her mailbox for all I care, the only one who will look silly at the end of the day is you. I guess The System has weeded you out already. Good bye.