Slightly pedantic correction: For a problem to be in the class P means that a solution can be guaranteed to be found deterministically within polynomial time. NP-hard problems might have a deterministic polynomial-time solution for a specific instance, but it's not guaranteed for all instances. So, "NP" actually stands for non-deterministic polynomial, meaning that an answer can be verified in polynomial time, so if you get a lucky guess you could get a solution in polynomial time.
I am surprised that Red Hat had nothing to do with White Hat and Black Hat Hackers...I always assumed Red Hat was an option C; Not necessarily good, and not necessarily evil.
Yeah, that's what I always thought, too. Kind of like how a Red Mage is in between a Black Mage and a White Mage.
Just browsing through the listings for Carnegie Mellon, I saw a lot of textbooks that I've used here at NC State. Either there isn't much of a selection for books on some topics, or maybe there's not much of a difference between the two universities.
I first learned to program on a TI-83 calculator. Start with simple programs like "Press 2 to win" and move on to creating moving objects. Or, if your kid likes Legos, then get him a Lego Mindstorms kit.
It felt to me like the debate over switching from PC to Mac. I can stick with what's comfortable (PC/USA) and continue along my merry way ignoring the fact that some people are doing things differently (Mac/Europe), and claim that I've lived my whole life doing things this way, and it's good enough. On the other hand, I can switch over to the new system (which has been highly idealized) and spend a good deal of time learning to get things done in a new fashion. The price of entry is nontrivial for the new system, and I will have to leave behind a lot of things that I love.
The third option, which is Michael Moore's approach, is to take what you like out of the other system and bring it into the one you are familiar with. Whether you lobby Microsoft or the US government, no one will pay much attention to you unless you are in a position of power within that system. The process will be lengthy and difficult (and most likely buggy at first), but this change is ultimately necessary in order to keep the masses from migrating and/or killing off the system.
Yes, this analogy isn't perfect, and I didn't include Linux because the analog would be to make a new country which everyone can live in for free, or something like that...but anyway these are the three basic responses one has in response to a distaste with their system. Hopefully we can fix this problem a little easier than in 1861, the last time we were 50 years behind the rest of the Western world.
Slashdot Mirror
Slightly pedantic correction: For a problem to be in the class P means that a solution can be guaranteed to be found deterministically within polynomial time. NP-hard problems might have a deterministic polynomial-time solution for a specific instance, but it's not guaranteed for all instances. So, "NP" actually stands for non-deterministic polynomial, meaning that an answer can be verified in polynomial time, so if you get a lucky guess you could get a solution in polynomial time.
I am surprised that Red Hat had nothing to do with White Hat and Black Hat Hackers...I always assumed Red Hat was an option C; Not necessarily good, and not necessarily evil.
Yeah, that's what I always thought, too. Kind of like how a Red Mage is in between a Black Mage and a White Mage.
Just browsing through the listings for Carnegie Mellon, I saw a lot of textbooks that I've used here at NC State. Either there isn't much of a selection for books on some topics, or maybe there's not much of a difference between the two universities.
I first learned to program on a TI-83 calculator. Start with simple programs like "Press 2 to win" and move on to creating moving objects. Or, if your kid likes Legos, then get him a Lego Mindstorms kit.
It felt to me like the debate over switching from PC to Mac. I can stick with what's comfortable (PC/USA) and continue along my merry way ignoring the fact that some people are doing things differently (Mac/Europe), and claim that I've lived my whole life doing things this way, and it's good enough. On the other hand, I can switch over to the new system (which has been highly idealized) and spend a good deal of time learning to get things done in a new fashion. The price of entry is nontrivial for the new system, and I will have to leave behind a lot of things that I love.
The third option, which is Michael Moore's approach, is to take what you like out of the other system and bring it into the one you are familiar with. Whether you lobby Microsoft or the US government, no one will pay much attention to you unless you are in a position of power within that system. The process will be lengthy and difficult (and most likely buggy at first), but this change is ultimately necessary in order to keep the masses from migrating and/or killing off the system.
Yes, this analogy isn't perfect, and I didn't include Linux because the analog would be to make a new country which everyone can live in for free, or something like that...but anyway these are the three basic responses one has in response to a distaste with their system. Hopefully we can fix this problem a little easier than in 1861, the last time we were 50 years behind the rest of the Western world.