The concept of graphical/visual programming languages is not new, and anyone who claims that it is similar to certain LISP projects are most likely correct, because the Lambda-Calculus has had graphical representations long before LISP was created.
Graphical/Visual programming languages have been a hot area of research for the past 20 years, at least. However, this current approach seems a bit naïve. With any language, you will have representations. To say that a language is representation independent is a paradoxical statement at best. Whether your language represents meaning with three-dimensional graphics, or it represents it with a symbol-string based method, you will still have the same restrictions that all languages share. One of the benefits to generalized graphical languages is that your code can contain far more self-documentation, without the use of additional comments. In a language like the C programming language, self-documenting techniques consist of a few basic constructs like descriptive identifier names (variable names, function names, etc...) and a healthy use of white space (carriage returns and tabs for code blocking, etc...). In fact, it is often considered a bad programming practice to not use a good amount of self-documentation in C. So why not take self-documenting code a step or two further?
Well, just imagine a generalized version of "white space" for a programming language like C from something, which controls a very rigid 2D orientation to a generalized Cartesian 3-space, and you start moving towards a graphical/visual programming language. Generalize the concept of "identifier" from just a plain string of text to a full color 3D graphical object.
There are other more fundamental differences that most visual programming languages have over this simple generalization of the C programming language to a Graphical C., and those fundamental differences deal with the representation of computation. They could choose a von Neumann model, a functional model (lambda-calculus), a mobile model (pi-calculus), or maybe a constructive logic, etc... all of which are popular (read widely used) mathematical models of computation.
So, besides cramming a bunch of buzz words into their language description, and coming close to stating a complete paradox... I don't know why this is supposed to be so exciting.
Don't get me wrong, I love alternative programming languages, such as PICT (based on the pi-calculus) and Haskell (based on pure lazily evaluated lambda-calculus), and whenever a new post is made about a language attempt like Eidola, I laugh and I cry - asking myself, "Why doesn't slashdot ever post news about serious alternative programming languages?"
Whoop de doo. Another extra-complicated Turing machine substitute
Yeah, and the universal Turing machine is an extra-complicated Lambda-Calculus substitute, which was the first formalization of computation. Its too bad that most schools just cram FSM and Turing Machines down students throats, when there are more more intuitive models of computation. For instance, the Turing Machines don't readily give any mechanism for high levels of abstraction, while the Lambda-Calculus has abstraction as one of its two constructs: abstraction and application. Can't get any more simpler than that.
Ha! So many people were fooled by Cantor and his absurd theories of infinity, which have no mathematical foundation. Infinity (especially Cantor's heirarchy of infinities) is NOT a mathematical concept, and until you understand that, you do not truely understand mathematics.
It is impossible for you to conjure up "infinity" in your mind, because that would take forever. Things that you can conjure up in your mind: a finite list of natural numbers and certain aspects thereof.
The concepts of aleph null and aleph one are silly dreams of a religious mathematician. So religious in fact, that he let religion pollute his mathematics.
The concept of doing anything which is infinite is completely absurd!
Next time an "infinite set" is used by someone, maybe your proff, ask that person what an infinite set really is. Heh, something which you claims exists, yet it cannot even be created, it cannot even exist by its own definition.
Check out this site for some info: REX Rumor Central. Some of the few drawbacks to the REX are: price ($150), lack up expandability (its the size of a small PCMCIA card for christsakes! where would expansions fit?), memory limitations (2MB), and the fact that you absolutely need a good case for it, so that it can be placed in your wallet and not get crushed when you sit on it.
The worst problem that I have heard of, yet cannot verify, is that no open/free dev kit exists for the REX 6000. This would make me not want to buy one, even though I am sure it is useful out of the box... I am a programmer by hobby and by profession, so being able to write tiny little apps for a tiny little computer would kick ass.
Other benefits are that the REX 6000 has a higher resolution display than the Palm Pilot and cousins. The REX can also function as a PCMCIA card, so it is a must have for laptop owners.
Now if I could figure out what type of CPU it has.
The new REX 6000 has 2MBs of memory, a touch screen for data entry, all useful PIM apps (like memo pad, date book, calculator, etc), and is still the size of the original REX's. That is roughly 1/4 the size of a PalmV (about the size of a business card). The thing is small enough to fit inside your wallet!
Last but not least, the batteries last for 6 months of normal day to day use.
If a game company could restrict the market from buying/selling used games, then it could greatly increase profits because everyone would have to give the game company money, when they wanted to play a game, as opposed to having the option to buy the game from someone who owns a copy that they no longer want.
Destroying consumer ownership definitely throws the ball into the BIG CORPORATIONs' court.
I am not being paranoid with this stuff either. Nintendo is one of many game companies that tried to make the renting of games, and buy/selling of used games illegal. Of course, the courts said "get out of here", but with a change of technology, anything is possible: even the loss of great amounts of freedom.
The other is that MS cannot force people to buy their OS.
Oh, sure its against the law, and Microsoft has been busted for doing it... but it seems that Microsoft is back at its old tactics, now that W Bush is in office. Just watch Microsoft start strong arming the OEMs again. They will force you to buy a copy of Windows.
Is this the XScale that can run at up to a 1000mhz, yet consumes less power than a 206mhz ARM (same CPU used in the Compaq IPAQ PocketPC).
If such a CPU was made this year... and was very inexpensive, well, ok, its too good to be true. Lets stop dreaming.
How could you forget the 100s of other emulators for game systems like the Nintendo, Super Nintendo, Gameboy, Atari, MSX, and on and on... There are great open source emulators for linux that work great on fast computers. So, actually, with classic game emulation alone, Linux has over 10,000 games easy. For a good arcade and console game system emulation site, check Zophar's Domain and look under the "Emulators for Unix" sections on the right hand side menu.
I admit that added full DOS/Windows emulation would add another 10,000 or so games, but do you even have the time to play that many games?
Oh, and nethack is cool and all, especially with that graphical front-end (has a Final Fantasy 1 look). Qt Graphical Nethack is a way to easily get your friends to start playing. Now, the best Rouge-like game has to be ADOM. It has everything that NetHack doesn't: a real storyline, towns with NPCs, agriculture, etc...
If the pay service doesn't offer enough additional quality or whatever, to make users want to pay for Nastper, as opposed to using a free service, then the pay service will never take off.
Someone forgot to tell you about the recent Sun vs Microsoft settlement on all their Java intanglements. Microsoft is completely dropping Java support from its next version of Internet Explorer, and they, for sure, are not going to support Java in.NET
Microsoft has, however, made it known that they will supply Java source code converters, to aid in the migration from Java on windows to C# on.NET
Sun's only way to save Java from becoming the next Delphi is to run to a standards organization and standardize the language. Then release the Java VM and its APIs under a true Open Source license, such as the GPL.
Otherwise, with a Bush in office, Microsoft will continue with their nasty tricks, and destroy Java. Many commercial companies have shown that Open Source is the way to compete with Microsoft. IBM is a good example.
Re:School Children saw it.
on
The Challenger
·
· Score: 1
I was one of the children that saw it live. I remember the hype and heavy school promotion of it. I think that I was in 2nd grade, at the time.
It was exciting watching the shuttle take off. Then *BOOM*! "Is it supposed to look like that?" I faintly remember confusion, at first. At first, I wasn't sure if it was supposed to "look like that". The reaction from the adults assured my fears. It wasn't supposed to "look like that". Something went wrong.
Then I remember the, what seemed like, 100 replays of the accident. I have the shape of the smoke cloud caused by the explosion etched into my mind. I remember thinking that the small off-shoot streams of smoke were from escape pods. I figured that the adults had things figured out enough to cover problems like this. I couldn't grasp the fact that adults (of my time) could make mistakes of this magnitude.
It wasn't until a while later that my mom told me that no one survived, and that no one was sure why the accident happened.
It was one of those moments as a child, that you realize that your elders do NOT have all of the answers - that they too made mistakes... big mistakes!
Then I went into the phase of thinking that I would be the one to figure out why the shuttle exploded. Call me a wannabe Feynman, even though I didn't know who he was, at the time.
Note that the recent DVD release of Transformers the movie is completely uncut (has swear words in it). However, if you want the uncut widescreen version, you will have to import an even more recent (only by a few months) DVD release... and you will probably have to disable region coding to play the imported DVD. Try a Hollywood Plus decoder along with a hack.
Finally, my vote for best transformer has to go to Soundwave. You just can't get anymore loyal than Soundwave. Sure he was a baddie, but his absolute loyalty to his leader is something to respect. Oh, and his voice is the coolest!
Dude, lay off. I am not joking at all... Bumblebee was one of my favorite Transformers. For some reason, when I was a kid, I was obsessed with things that were shaped like eggs, especially VW "Bugs".
I would even go as far as to keep bird eggs that I found, which had fallen out of trees. I would keep them near my pillow at night. Any shrinks know what any of those obsessions might have meant? I don't have them anymore.
Don't get me started on this!...Too late!
If I could design the curriculum of a CS degree, it would throw out the mostly useless mathematics (at least to CS majors), such as "Calculus", and replace it with lambda-calculus, intuitionistic logic, and automata theory. I would probably have Kleene's classic book "Introduction to Metamathematics" used as the core book of the course track. Also, introductory courses in mathematical philosophy would also be required.
The problem is that I believe in the importance of foundations for understanding... not notches on your resume.
Finally, let me repeat the importance of all CS students reading the notable mathematician's book: Introduction to Metamathematics by S.C. Kleene. Sure, most of the material that is covered in the book has most likely been covered in a combination of automata theory, logic theory, and descrete math text books, but never will you read a book with such insight. There is a reason that this computer science book has been in print for about 50 years now. Truth lasts forever.
Who needs pencil and paper? I say we go even more primitive and use rocks. Primitive means more simple, right?
Its not like it is possible to create a simple computer based system. Computers must be complicated, otherwise they aren't computers or something or whatever nevermind....
I have a robot that can run on hot grits alone! The bot has its grits poured down its pants, and then it starts first posting on slashdot. THE WONDERS OF SCIENCE!
Slashdot Mirror
The concept of graphical/visual programming languages is not new, and anyone who claims that it is similar to certain LISP projects are most likely correct, because the Lambda-Calculus has had graphical representations long before LISP was created.
Graphical/Visual programming languages have been a hot area of research for the past 20 years, at least. However, this current approach seems a bit naïve. With any language, you will have representations. To say that a language is representation independent is a paradoxical statement at best. Whether your language represents meaning with three-dimensional graphics, or it represents it with a symbol-string based method, you will still have the same restrictions that all languages share. One of the benefits to generalized graphical languages is that your code can contain far more self-documentation, without the use of additional comments. In a language like the C programming language, self-documenting techniques consist of a few basic constructs like descriptive identifier names (variable names, function names, etc...) and a healthy use of white space (carriage returns and tabs for code blocking, etc...). In fact, it is often considered a bad programming practice to not use a good amount of self-documentation in C. So why not take self-documenting code a step or two further?
Well, just imagine a generalized version of "white space" for a programming language like C from something, which controls a very rigid 2D orientation to a generalized Cartesian 3-space, and you start moving towards a graphical/visual programming language. Generalize the concept of "identifier" from just a plain string of text to a full color 3D graphical object.
There are other more fundamental differences that most visual programming languages have over this simple generalization of the C programming language to a Graphical C., and those fundamental differences deal with the representation of computation. They could choose a von Neumann model, a functional model (lambda-calculus), a mobile model (pi-calculus), or maybe a constructive logic, etc... all of which are popular (read widely used) mathematical models of computation.
So, besides cramming a bunch of buzz words into their language description, and coming close to stating a complete paradox... I don't know why this is supposed to be so exciting.
Don't get me wrong, I love alternative programming languages, such as PICT (based on the pi-calculus) and Haskell (based on pure lazily evaluated lambda-calculus), and whenever a new post is made about a language attempt like Eidola, I laugh and I cry - asking myself, "Why doesn't slashdot ever post news about serious alternative programming languages?"
Ha! So many people were fooled by Cantor and his absurd theories of infinity, which have no mathematical foundation. Infinity (especially Cantor's heirarchy of infinities) is NOT a mathematical concept, and until you understand that, you do not truely understand mathematics.
It is impossible for you to conjure up "infinity" in your mind, because that would take forever. Things that you can conjure up in your mind: a finite list of natural numbers and certain aspects thereof.
The concepts of aleph null and aleph one are silly dreams of a religious mathematician. So religious in fact, that he let religion pollute his mathematics.
The concept of doing anything which is infinite is completely absurd!
Next time an "infinite set" is used by someone, maybe your proff, ask that person what an infinite set really is. Heh, something which you claims exists, yet it cannot even be created, it cannot even exist by its own definition.
Ok, fit the thing with a mini-camera and you have a sellable geek/voyeur toy.
Check out this site for some info: REX Rumor Central. Some of the few drawbacks to the REX are: price ($150), lack up expandability (its the size of a small PCMCIA card for christsakes! where would expansions fit?), memory limitations (2MB), and the fact that you absolutely need a good case for it, so that it can be placed in your wallet and not get crushed when you sit on it.
The worst problem that I have heard of, yet cannot verify, is that no open/free dev kit exists for the REX 6000. This would make me not want to buy one, even though I am sure it is useful out of the box... I am a programmer by hobby and by profession, so being able to write tiny little apps for a tiny little computer would kick ass.
Other benefits are that the REX 6000 has a higher resolution display than the Palm Pilot and cousins. The REX can also function as a PCMCIA card, so it is a must have for laptop owners.
Now if I could figure out what type of CPU it has.
The new REX 6000 has 2MBs of memory, a touch screen for data entry, all useful PIM apps (like memo pad, date book, calculator, etc), and is still the size of the original REX's. That is roughly 1/4 the size of a PalmV (about the size of a business card). The thing is small enough to fit inside your wallet!
Last but not least, the batteries last for 6 months of normal day to day use.
If a game company could restrict the market from buying/selling used games, then it could greatly increase profits because everyone would have to give the game company money, when they wanted to play a game, as opposed to having the option to buy the game from someone who owns a copy that they no longer want.
Destroying consumer ownership definitely throws the ball into the BIG CORPORATIONs' court.
I am not being paranoid with this stuff either. Nintendo is one of many game companies that tried to make the renting of games, and buy/selling of used games illegal. Of course, the courts said "get out of here", but with a change of technology, anything is possible: even the loss of great amounts of freedom.
Is this the XScale that can run at up to a 1000mhz, yet consumes less power than a 206mhz ARM (same CPU used in the Compaq IPAQ PocketPC). If such a CPU was made this year... and was very inexpensive, well, ok, its too good to be true. Lets stop dreaming.
For more info on Macross Plus and other Macross anime, check out the Macross Compendium
How could you forget the 100s of other emulators for game systems like the Nintendo, Super Nintendo, Gameboy, Atari, MSX, and on and on... There are great open source emulators for linux that work great on fast computers. So, actually, with classic game emulation alone, Linux has over 10,000 games easy. For a good arcade and console game system emulation site, check Zophar's Domain and look under the "Emulators for Unix" sections on the right hand side menu.
I admit that added full DOS/Windows emulation would add another 10,000 or so games, but do you even have the time to play that many games?
Oh, and nethack is cool and all, especially with that graphical front-end (has a Final Fantasy 1 look). Qt Graphical Nethack is a way to easily get your friends to start playing. Now, the best Rouge-like game has to be ADOM. It has everything that NetHack doesn't: a real storyline, towns with NPCs, agriculture, etc...
If the pay service doesn't offer enough additional quality or whatever, to make users want to pay for Nastper, as opposed to using a free service, then the pay service will never take off.
Ignorance is what binds the chains that hold you down.
Someone forgot to tell you about the recent Sun vs Microsoft settlement on all their Java intanglements. Microsoft is completely dropping Java support from its next version of Internet Explorer, and they, for sure, are not going to support Java in .NET
.NET
Microsoft has, however, made it known that they will supply Java source code converters, to aid in the migration from Java on windows to C# on
Sun's only way to save Java from becoming the next Delphi is to run to a standards organization and standardize the language. Then release the Java VM and its APIs under a true Open Source license, such as the GPL.
Otherwise, with a Bush in office, Microsoft will continue with their nasty tricks, and destroy Java. Many commercial companies have shown that Open Source is the way to compete with Microsoft. IBM is a good example.
I was one of the children that saw it live. I remember the hype and heavy school promotion of it. I think that I was in 2nd grade, at the time.
It was exciting watching the shuttle take off. Then *BOOM*! "Is it supposed to look like that?" I faintly remember confusion, at first. At first, I wasn't sure if it was supposed to "look like that". The reaction from the adults assured my fears. It wasn't supposed to "look like that". Something went wrong.
Then I remember the, what seemed like, 100 replays of the accident. I have the shape of the smoke cloud caused by the explosion etched into my mind. I remember thinking that the small off-shoot streams of smoke were from escape pods. I figured that the adults had things figured out enough to cover problems like this. I couldn't grasp the fact that adults (of my time) could make mistakes of this magnitude.
It wasn't until a while later that my mom told me that no one survived, and that no one was sure why the accident happened.
It was one of those moments as a child, that you realize that your elders do NOT have all of the answers - that they too made mistakes... big mistakes!
Then I went into the phase of thinking that I would be the one to figure out why the shuttle exploded. Call me a wannabe Feynman, even though I didn't know who he was, at the time.
Yeah, like elections and intellectual property (patents, etc...).
See Democratic Party, Republican Party, Microsoft, and Rambus for specific examples.
Note that the recent DVD release of Transformers the movie is completely uncut (has swear words in it). However, if you want the uncut widescreen version, you will have to import an even more recent (only by a few months) DVD release... and you will probably have to disable region coding to play the imported DVD. Try a Hollywood Plus decoder along with a hack.
Finally, my vote for best transformer has to go to Soundwave. You just can't get anymore loyal than Soundwave. Sure he was a baddie, but his absolute loyalty to his leader is something to respect. Oh, and his voice is the coolest!
Dude, lay off. I am not joking at all... Bumblebee was one of my favorite Transformers. For some reason, when I was a kid, I was obsessed with things that were shaped like eggs, especially VW "Bugs".
I would even go as far as to keep bird eggs that I found, which had fallen out of trees. I would keep them near my pillow at night. Any shrinks know what any of those obsessions might have meant? I don't have them anymore.
Don't get me started on this! ...Too late!
If I could design the curriculum of a CS degree, it would throw out the mostly useless mathematics (at least to CS majors), such as "Calculus", and replace it with lambda-calculus, intuitionistic logic, and automata theory. I would probably have Kleene's classic book "Introduction to Metamathematics" used as the core book of the course track. Also, introductory courses in mathematical philosophy would also be required.
The problem is that I believe in the importance of foundations for understanding... not notches on your resume.
Finally, let me repeat the importance of all CS students reading the notable mathematician's book: Introduction to Metamathematics by S.C. Kleene. Sure, most of the material that is covered in the book has most likely been covered in a combination of automata theory, logic theory, and descrete math text books, but never will you read a book with such insight. There is a reason that this computer science book has been in print for about 50 years now.
Truth lasts forever.
I agree that Konqueror is the next best browser, second to IE. That fact that Konqueror is free and free makes it better than IE in the end.
I know you don't need to run KDE to use Konqueror, but let Konqueror be evidence of KDE's success.
KDE Konqueror
Yeah, programming for the PalmOS is fun. I love having such an extremely limited dynamic memory heap.
We will have to replace evolution with genetic engineering. Advancement is allot quicker when you plan things, as opposed to rolling the dice.
Who needs pencil and paper? I say we go even more primitive and use rocks. Primitive means more simple, right?
Its not like it is possible to create a simple computer based system. Computers must be complicated, otherwise they aren't computers or something or whatever nevermind....
hahahaha! Someone mod this guy's post up, ASAP! Hahahaha!
I have a robot that can run on hot grits alone! The bot has its grits poured down its pants, and then it starts first posting on slashdot. THE WONDERS OF SCIENCE!