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User: Dynedain

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  1. Re:perforce on Ask Slashdot: Version Control For Non-Developers? · · Score: 1

    Without built-in understanding of the revised file's format, the outside revision control system will treat it as binary changes and give either meaningless differences, or corrupted results.

  2. 3 Easy options on Ask Slashdot: Version Control For Non-Developers? · · Score: 2

    1 - Switch to Office 365 or Google Docs in which revisions are a built-in feature of document editing
    2 - Enable Office's built-in version tracking
    3 - Move all document storage into a CMS like Sharepoint (which has good Office integration at least on Windows) or BaseCamp, Jive, Confluence - any system that allows for online editing and has revision tracking built-in

    Any other ideas, skip. Anything having to do with a source-code like version control system will result in people "committing" but duplicating files over and over in the old pattern.

  3. Re:Checking for fundamentals is the way to go on Ask Slashdot: What Portion of Developers Are Bad At What They Do? · · Score: 1

    One of the problems that I have in IT is that many companies expect that new candidates have experience with all the equipment they would be expected to handle.

    I just interviewed several people to fill a position. I don't expect that they have experience in everything they will be touching, but I did ask each candidate about everything in our stack so I could guage how quickly the ramp-up time would be. For example, if you are an expert in 4/6 things in our stack, and haven't touched the last 2 items but have done work with comparable technologies, I can probably get you up to speed faster than if you have middling to mediocre experience in all 6.

    In fact, that's exactly what I did. I took the candidate who was strongest in certain areas, with no experience in another, over the person who had less expertise, but better coverage across the list of technologies. I will restructure the team and task assignment to take advantage of the hire's strengths, and find training where lacking.

    It's a lot easier to train an expert on 1 thing, then to try to improve an intermediate's skills in 5 things.

  4. Re:It's a vast field.... on Ask Slashdot: What Portion of Developers Are Bad At What They Do? · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Exactly the submitter's problem. He doesn't realize that PDF and Excel both have built in file encryption as part of their formats. Even Zip does as well!

    If he phrased his question differently, he'd get a different answer. "How would I securely encrypt an arbitrary file" - that's a very different problem then most business users who simply need to send a PDF or XLS with private details to a client or someone else in the office.

  5. Re:So now we have proof? on The Algorithm That 'Sees' Beauty In Photographic Portraits · · Score: 1

    They didn't rediscover it, they created predictive algorithms by leveraging machine learning. That's a pretty cool accomplishment similar to auto-focus and face detection algorithms.

    It's entirely possible that comparing their results to traditional photograph and compositional "rules" may result in even better rules than the time-trusted ones we use now.

  6. Re:Rand Paul said something similar ... on New Jersey Gov. Christie: Parents Should Have Choice In Vaccinations · · Score: 1

    Vaccination exemptions are highest in Orange County, which while in California, leans very conservative in politics.

  7. Re:Yup. on Wi-Fi Issues Continue For OS X Users Despite Updates · · Score: 1

    I neglected the important part - I've upgraded to Yosemite as well but have had no issues.

  8. Re:Yup. on Wi-Fi Issues Continue For OS X Users Despite Updates · · Score: 1

    Anecdotal - I have a 2012 MBPro (Retina) and have no problem sleeping and rejoining 5GHz APs on wake

  9. Re:Success! on FCC Fines Verizon For Failing To Investigate Rural Phone Problems · · Score: 1

    Seriously, that's probably less than the cost of installing/replacing a single rural circuit.

  10. Re:Pedantic, but... on Google Just Made It Easier To Run Linux On Your Chromebook · · Score: 5, Funny

    How long before that's SystemD/GNU/Linux?

  11. Re:In after somebody says don't run Windows. on Ask Slashdot: Best Anti-Virus Software In 2015? Free Or Paid? · · Score: 4, Insightful

    In the time I've not run a/v, I've never had an infection. (I never had an infection before that, either, but that's beside the point.)

    That you know of. There have been many documented cases of drive-by installs, worms that infect from external media, infected installers from legitimate installers. Hell, even legitimate open source projects having their servers unknowingly hijacked and malware injected into source or binaries during download.

    While some malware is geared at spamming your desktop with ads, the good stuff tries to be as unnoticeable as possible, especially for botnets or if the goal is keylogging. Today's sophisticated viruses aren't trying to wipe your machine - they're all about creating networks of vulnerability to sell later to the highest bidder.

  12. Re: Who are the interviewing??? on Obama Unveils Plan To Bring About Faster Internet In the US · · Score: 1

    And frankly, I am not so far from a reasonably large town

    That would put you firmly in a rural area. They clearly called out that rural broadband availability is too low.

  13. Re: We deserve this guy on Ted Cruz To Oversee NASA and US Science Programs · · Score: 1

    Read up on the Mason Dixon line and the formation of new states during the mid-19th century. And then come back here and tell me that isn't gerrymandering at the highest possible level.

  14. Re: Dumbest article on the subject. Ever. on PHP vs. Node.js: the Battle For Developer Mind Share · · Score: 1

    .Net has Sitecore are Sharepoint. Java has AEM (which is what Typo3 tries to be) and several others. These of course are "enterprise" proprietary solutions, but just as easy to install and configure. I could spend hours talking about what a joke Typo3 is. The truth is that web CMS platforms use PHP because it is the defacto standard in shared hosting plans, just like most desktop games are written for Windows with DirectX.

  15. Re: We deserve this guy on Ted Cruz To Oversee NASA and US Science Programs · · Score: 1

    It can be argued that gerrymandering senate seats directly lead to the Civil War.

  16. Re:I think the thing being missed here on Why We're Not Going To See Sub-orbital Airliners · · Score: 1

    And he's right that governments will get really nervous about hypersonic craft. As he says in TFA, the hypersonic flight could stick to its planned flight path and then deviate only for the last 20 minutes, and still be able to hit an arbitrary target. With less time to react to the threat, government will try to preemptively secure each flight, which means the already-inconvenient airport security will get even more inconvenient.

    That's a stupid argument. Most metropolises have their city core well within 20 minutes of flight time from the major airport. Many of the landing routes flyover those same urban cores.

  17. Re: get Particles out of a vacuum on Experiments Create Particles Out of a Vacuum Using Neutrinos · · Score: 1

    You don't breathe when you go outside? I guess that explains the basement dwelling tendencies.

  18. Re:Fashionable Fire Extinguishers? on Minecraft Creator Notch's $70 Million Mansion Recreated In Minecraft · · Score: 1

    Pretty certain the extinguishers are a sculpture.

  19. A cost to reduce another *potential* cost is still a cost, not a profit.

  20. Re:But what about my burger? on Tesla About To Start Battery-Swap Pilot Program · · Score: 2

    There's plenty of reason to spend as little time as possible at Harris Ranch.

  21. Re: There is no single "fair" value. on UK Announces 'Google Tax' · · Score: 1

    Wow - making judgmental calls on my beliefs based on what I say about logic.

    You realize this all stemmed from you claiming the Bible recommends a gold standard and I merely refuted your claim.

    That has absolutely nothing to do with my individual belief system (which you're absolutely wrong about) and is intentionally going off-topic so that you can feel you won some kind of argument.

  22. Re:Sorry. Just scrapped all of ours at work on Ask Slashdot: Best Software To Revive PocketPCs With Windows Mobile 5-6? · · Score: 1

    How do you think the poster got their hands on a bunch?

  23. Re: There is no single "fair" value. on UK Announces 'Google Tax' · · Score: 1

    As soon as you start hand-waving away and justifying portions you don't agree with (like the slavery example you just mentioned), you have opened the door for *any* portions to be justified away in the same manner. There is nothing in the Bible that instructs "follow this part, but ignore the previous page."

    The Bible cannot be used as a basis of logic and directive on human behavior for this very reason. It can be a fantastic tool for study, for allegorical lessons, for cautionary warnings, for a supplementary tool, and especially as the guiding principals of religious belief, but not as a logical basis for extrapolation into how people or cultures should act.

  24. Re: There is no single "fair" value. on UK Announces 'Google Tax' · · Score: 1

    The Bible clearly lays out mandatory tithing . Wether a particular denomination or church follows that practice is something altogether different.

    But it's completely wrong to claim that the Bible discourages taxation while ignoring what the Bible says about tithing. Not to mention the whole "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's" goes against your servitude argument as well.

    Hint: The Bible is inconsistent with itself in many ways. As a result, trying to use the Bible as foundation or any set of rules or behaviors requires making effectively arbitrary decisions as to which conflicting passages should be used or how they should be interpreted.

  25. Re: There is no single "fair" value. on UK Announces 'Google Tax' · · Score: 1

    The Bible also pushed for mandatory taxation, sorry, I meant tithing, to the prevaling religious power.