There is certainly room for copy and paste in programming.
No there isn't. This is probably one of the only hard rules in programming.
If you end up writing the same thing in multiple places (or worse, if you explicitly copy to write the same thing), then you need to refactor the code.
I've re-used code between different PalmOS applications I've developed.
Ever heard of functions?
I could, of course, set up a library, but to do that for small snippets of code is a nuisance.
Less of a nuisance than having to test and maintain N bits of code that could just be one?
Plus I will often want to adapt the code for different applications, and if I wrote general purpose library code, it would be bloated
Learn to code generically? Functional programming can help.
(a shared library would help, but that would require an installer to install it)
I don't understand your issue with shared libraries or even libraries. You don't even need a library to refactor some code in one unique place.
In a current project, a GPL astronomy app for Android, I'm re-using ephemeris code from GPL'd applications for other platforms. Why should I spend many hours trying to figure out and optimize all of the math myself, potentially introducing various bugs and inaccuracies? Instead, I can adapt mature code from other people's GPL applications, and then just include the appropriate copyright acknowledgments.
Since when does using an existing library require copy-pasting?
I never understood why IT people did one machine per service. This is a great waste of resources. Of course if they do that, they kind of have to resort to virtualization.
But if they provided all services from the same machine, or multiple ones at least, there would be no need for that to begin with.
The OS supports running multiple processes at the same time, no need to use virtualization...
They want to give up on the idea of organizing your files as trees. Put all your files of one type into one "application" and then use a search engine or the "recent documents" feature whenever you want to open it again.
Lately, web browsers have been trying to replace the URL bar by a search engine. This was utterly stupid. But what they want to go? It is way beyond that. It makes absolutely no sense. UNIX was built on the idea that the filesystem is the centre of the operating system. Clearly, they have forgotten that.
Their cards have less computing power, but they make up for it with nifty tricks that only work in certain cases. As soon as you get out of these idealized cases, performance drops dramatically.
Games use too many polygons, so what? They also use too much RAM, too much disk space, and too much processing power in general. The important thing in video games is making them work, not making them optimal.
Why is tessellation done everywhere even on relatively flat stuff? Because the development team did not waste time studying each object one by one, the tessellation aspect was computer-generated for everything.
This standard is late and is full of little quirks. It has some pretty nice stuff, but some areas still leave to be desired.
Hopefully evolution will resume now, and the upcoming work and standardizing meta-programming, domain-specific embedded languages, AST manipulation, polymorphic lambdas, constrained templates, concepts, axioms and modules will be able to take form.
It could be argued "true" hardcore RPG gamers don't distinguish between western and eastern games, but of course that would be yet another silly "true scotsman" argument.
It is a fact, however, than in recent years western RPGs have been dumbed down in order to sell more to casual players, while most japanese ones (especially those for the PSP) have gone even more niche. There are also korean RPGs emerging now, though the korean industry is mostly focused on MMORPGs. I don't think they're meant to be accessible to casual gamers either -- a casual MMORPG means little sense anyway, since to play in a guild etc. you need to be online very regularly.
Even Dragon Age demonstrates the trend of dumbing down -- even though it was initially presented as going back to the roots of old-school RPGs --, and it's even worse in Dragon Age 2 and other games. Mass Effect is essentially a FPS now, too. And it is still uncertain how much dumbing down there will be in Skyrim.
The western RPGs that are have the less dumbing down are from eastern europe now, it seems.
Aren't smartphone games more for the adult casual gamer with some free time between the events that constitute their life and the nintendo handhelds more for young children with more free time than a life?
Adults play real video games too, you know. Actually, the PSP mostly had old-school JRPGs. The PSP was the console preferred by hardcore RPG gamers, which are typically young adults. On the other hand, the DS had more games for kids.
Slashdot Mirror
Most apple keyboards I've seen have a "fn" button before control.
That's not copy and paste, that's cut and paste.
Moving is *very* different than copying.
No there isn't.
This is probably one of the only hard rules in programming.
If you end up writing the same thing in multiple places (or worse, if you explicitly copy to write the same thing), then you need to refactor the code.
Ever heard of functions?
Less of a nuisance than having to test and maintain N bits of code that could just be one?
Learn to code generically? Functional programming can help.
I don't understand your issue with shared libraries or even libraries. You don't even need a library to refactor some code in one unique place.
Since when does using an existing library require copy-pasting?
Programming is not normally done with copy and paste.
If it is, you have a serious problem.
Who praises the iPad? Certainly not ergonomics people.
At least you have a good reason not to use the feature, since Command (and even Ctrl) are in very impractical places on Apple keyboards.
It works in other text-mode viewers and editors.
But beware, it expects a regular expression, not just text to search for.
No one ever uses CTRL+A, it's fairly useless.
Even the triple-click is not that useful.
There is a difference between a function imposing a precondition and one that is broken.
You mean Windows XP.
Visual Studio is essentially free.
I never understood why IT people did one machine per service. This is a great waste of resources.
Of course if they do that, they kind of have to resort to virtualization.
But if they provided all services from the same machine, or multiple ones at least, there would be no need for that to begin with.
The OS supports running multiple processes at the same time, no need to use virtualization...
That's not virtualization, that's emulation.
This is exactly the bit that motivated my comment.
Notice the words 'advanced', 'complex' and 'mess around' to qualify what should be the primary paradigm to manage the computer.
It's going to be disappointing, but I'll be getting it anyway.
From rlslog, of course.
is what it seems they want to do.
They want to give up on the idea of organizing your files as trees. Put all your files of one type into one "application" and then use a search engine or the "recent documents" feature whenever you want to open it again.
Lately, web browsers have been trying to replace the URL bar by a search engine. This was utterly stupid.
But what they want to go? It is way beyond that. It makes absolutely no sense. UNIX was built on the idea that the filesystem is the centre of the operating system. Clearly, they have forgotten that.
Oops, wrong place in thread. Can someone remind me why slashdot still doesn't allow editing or deleting posts?
I did read TFA.
It's a missed optimization. Are optimizations compulsory now?
If ATI cards can't deal with a higher computation load, it's just because they're not as good, that's all there is to it.
ATI is the one trying to trick you.
Their cards have less computing power, but they make up for it with nifty tricks that only work in certain cases. As soon as you get out of these idealized cases, performance drops dramatically.
Games use too many polygons, so what? They also use too much RAM, too much disk space, and too much processing power in general.
The important thing in video games is making them work, not making them optimal.
Why is tessellation done everywhere even on relatively flat stuff? Because the development team did not waste time studying each object one by one, the tessellation aspect was computer-generated for everything.
Since when is this newsworthy?
This standard is late and is full of little quirks.
It has some pretty nice stuff, but some areas still leave to be desired.
Hopefully evolution will resume now, and the upcoming work and standardizing meta-programming, domain-specific embedded languages, AST manipulation, polymorphic lambdas, constrained templates, concepts, axioms and modules will be able to take form.
It could be argued "true" hardcore RPG gamers don't distinguish between western and eastern games, but of course that would be yet another silly "true scotsman" argument.
It is a fact, however, than in recent years western RPGs have been dumbed down in order to sell more to casual players, while most japanese ones (especially those for the PSP) have gone even more niche.
There are also korean RPGs emerging now, though the korean industry is mostly focused on MMORPGs. I don't think they're meant to be accessible to casual gamers either -- a casual MMORPG means little sense anyway, since to play in a guild etc. you need to be online very regularly.
Even Dragon Age demonstrates the trend of dumbing down -- even though it was initially presented as going back to the roots of old-school RPGs --, and it's even worse in Dragon Age 2 and other games. Mass Effect is essentially a FPS now, too.
And it is still uncertain how much dumbing down there will be in Skyrim.
The western RPGs that are have the less dumbing down are from eastern europe now, it seems.
Adults play real video games too, you know.
Actually, the PSP mostly had old-school JRPGs. The PSP was the console preferred by hardcore RPG gamers, which are typically young adults.
On the other hand, the DS had more games for kids.
Why would you do such a thing?
Always on is perfectly fine, especially for a work desktop computer.