Re:I could have helped out with this
on
Saving Huygens
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· Score: 1
I own a FIAT, please, give what you can I'm broken and tired and footsore young man I walk the cold earth with my hat in my hand Saying, I own a FIAT, please. ..give what you can.
Yeah, I, ummmmm, 'drove' a FIAT for years too. As a friend of mine noted just last night, "never piss off a songwriter.
Driving a FIAT and trying to listen to the radio is like being punished for the same thing twice.
It worked out ok though, I now use its cylinder head as a towel rack (pull the cam boxes, leaves lots of long studs to hang things off of).
A seven hour documentary will be watched by 7 people, and interest none. The subject would be far better served by something edited to a size mere mortals could digest.
If its target were mere mortals. Frankly, since mere mortals won't even be interested in the subject and wouldn't watch even two hours I don't think they are the intended audience.
I've listened to 13 hours of Feynman lectures, multiple times.
Maybe there are only 7 of us who have done that, I don't know, but I know for certain that we did it because we were interested in the material. It's ok to produce works not intended for mere mortals. Not everything has to be dumbed down for 'mere mortals', any more than the world has to Nerf(tm) and sugar coated "for the children."
If you don't want to watch. ..don't. It's that simple.
Hey Dudes and Dudettes, just think of the swinging beach party time you'll have while playing virtual spin the bottle on your Hip-e while riding a conference bike!
Don't forget to bring your Shoop-Shoop Hula Hoop and wear your Davey Crocket hat.
I've posted this before, but it's apropos here, in an interview given in his later years he was asked the question, "What would you do if you knew this was your last day?"
As one of the/. bicycle advocates and experimenter with human powered vehicles I'd love to comply with your mod wish, however, I find the issue complicated by being in complete agreement with you.
... that human error can happen even in the most expensive projects.
Because no matter how much money you spend you can't buy perfect humans, and to err is human.
To correct error is engineering.
Once upon a time some 'wires' in my brain got crossed and I actually picked up a hot soldering iron from the wrong end. Have you ever had that experience where you realize you're about to do something terribly, terribly wrong, but the impulse has already been sent and you can't stop it?
I hate when that happens.
But I only did that once. Pain is a great teacher. One might almost come to the conclusion that that's what it's there for.
So the next probe will have the sensor absolutely correct and working. They'll have to come up with brand new ways to mess things up.
. ..but if counterfeiters can counterfeit hard currency worth a damn. ..
They aren't using a printer to do it. Hard currency is money with an innate value. Your silver dimes and quarters are worth more than a dime or a quarter because silver itself is more valuable than that.
That's why in unstable ecomonies the concept of hard currency is important. Printed money is simply a promise built on an abstraction. It's "soft." If you don't believe in it it ceases to exist. A lump of gold 'is'.
. ..they can certainly hack a printer
And buy the bits, or a whole new printer, with funny money. Obviously evey pixel in the universe needs an ID number tied to a registered printer owner.
If possession of an unregistered printer is a crime, only criminals will own unregistered printers.
Dude, their lawyers are gonna take that as a death threat...
Seems reasonable, since it's overtly a recycled lawyer joke.
KFG
Re:SQL has shortcomings...is this news?
on
An Alternative to SQL?
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· Score: 0, Offtopic
So you essentially saying "If you disagree, you're not clever enough to agree?"
No. Actually, what I said was that I think you're clever enough to study college level introductory mathematics on your own without someone to hold your hand.
I could, of course, be wrong.
KFG
Re:SQL has shortcomings...is this news?
on
An Alternative to SQL?
·
· Score: 4, Informative
How is SQL "not good enough"?
Look, I don't mean to be terse, really, but a Slashdot post is not the appropriate place to give a freshman tutorial on database theory, and the very fact that you ask your question means you need one.
In that light about all I can say is that SQL corrupts data, gives the logically wrong answers to querys and ties the logical model to the physical platform (think of Java and the JVM for an idea of why this might not be a good thing for a cross platform data manipulation system).
If this answer does not satisfy the solution is simple, read Chris Date's introductory book. He's already written it. I'm not going to duplicate it here. Until you do so you will probably remain ignorant of what a database even is, which, per above, makes it rather hard to explain what's wrong with a particular implimentation (just as it would be hard for me to explain a problem in orbital mechanics to you if you hadn't at least gone through an introductory physics text).
Of course, you can always go to Fabian Pascal's website ( which Date is a contributor to), but until you read Date's book you're likely to just think of Fabian as some sort of crank, out of ignorance. Until you take the trouble to learn what you need to know to evaluate his arguments you have no real basis for judging him in error.
could it be that the areas where it is "incomplete" (besides, as noted in "Metamagical Themas", any formal system, as SQL is, is incomplete) don't really matter much?
More to the point, RTFM, i.e. Date's book, which explains what the relational calculus is, and thus what relational databases are all about.
At the very least go over an introductory text on set theory and prepositional logic so that you might at least have a basic understanding of what a database query even is.
Before that about all that can be said to answer OP's question is that SQL is mathmatically incomplete and incorrect, i.e., it gives the wrong answers.
It amazes me that people got all worked up over the Pentium rounding error when it wouldn't even effect most people, but businesses are willing to put up with provably far greater flaws in software that affects everyone's data, and with nary a peep of complaint about it.
No, it isn't news. Nor is it correct to say that Tutorial D was developed to overcome the shortcomings of SQL. It was developed as a teaching language to demonstrate and implement the relational calculus in a product independent manner, which SQL does not.
SQL was an alpha development language as a first step to testing the relational database concept, but IBM decided to release it as "good enough."
It isn't. Not nearly....no one will be dropping their Oracle license over this.
This, however, is likely true, more's the pity. However, if this new implimentation is not done in a hardware independant way much of the point may be lost anyway.
Slashdot Mirror
I, for one, welcome our new genetically-engineered cat overlords.
Allow me to introduce you to the K'zinti mothership. . . as a playtoy.
Remember to squeak when we bite. We like it when you squeak.
KFG
A rocket being launched from the equator is less affected from the earth's gravitational pull.
One might wish to review the definition of 'sphere.'
Advance students can move on to 'spheroid' and consider the consequences.
KFG
Why Buy a Z80?
Because you can just buy one for a few bucks.
KFG
My grandfather had a Flymo and loved it. One of the advantages is the same for hovercraft, it can go anywhere.
Like right down to the verge of the canal in the backyard. Just push it out over the water and then pull it back. Perfect cut.
KFG
So why dump the cartridges?
So you can scratch it and buy another, silly.
KFG
I own a FIAT, please, give what you can .give what you can.
I'm broken and tired and footsore young man
I walk the cold earth with my hat in my hand
Saying, I own a FIAT, please. .
Yeah, I, ummmmm, 'drove' a FIAT for years too. As a friend of mine noted just last night, "never piss off a songwriter.
Driving a FIAT and trying to listen to the radio is like being punished for the same thing twice.
It worked out ok though, I now use its cylinder head as a towel rack (pull the cam boxes, leaves lots of long studs to hang things off of).
KFG
I'm sure that according to florists the 'market share' of dandelions and wild daisies is zilch.
KFG
Well my other record player is a 78 Victrola....
You kids these days with your 'records.' Wax cylinders were good enough for me when I was your age, and they're good enough for me now.
By the way, your sig is the cat's meow.
KFG
If they don't, why are they calling themselves professionals.
Because they get paid for their misinformation.
KFG
A seven hour documentary will be watched by 7 people, and interest none. The subject would be far better served by something edited to a size mere mortals could digest.
.don't. It's that simple.
If its target were mere mortals. Frankly, since mere mortals won't even be interested in the subject and wouldn't watch even two hours I don't think they are the intended audience.
I've listened to 13 hours of Feynman lectures, multiple times.
Maybe there are only 7 of us who have done that, I don't know, but I know for certain that we did it because we were interested in the material. It's ok to produce works not intended for mere mortals. Not everything has to be dumbed down for 'mere mortals', any more than the world has to Nerf(tm) and sugar coated "for the children."
If you don't want to watch. .
KFG
I think this will make it a damed sight easier to drive my flying car, that's what I think
KFG
Hey Dudes and Dudettes, just think of the swinging beach party time you'll have while playing virtual spin the bottle on your Hip-e while riding a conference bike!
Don't forget to bring your Shoop-Shoop Hula Hoop and wear your Davey Crocket hat.
It's, like, Dork-O-Rama time!
KFG
I've posted this before, but it's apropos here, in an interview given in his later years he was asked the question, "What would you do if you knew this was your last day?"
Asimov responded, "Type faster."
KFG
As one of the /. bicycle advocates and experimenter with human powered vehicles I'd love to comply with your mod wish, however, I find the issue complicated by being in complete agreement with you.
Come one! Come all! It's a Doof Fest on wheels!
You'll have to try harder next time.
KFG
Because no matter how much money you spend you can't buy perfect humans, and to err is human.
To correct error is engineering.
Once upon a time some 'wires' in my brain got crossed and I actually picked up a hot soldering iron from the wrong end. Have you ever had that experience where you realize you're about to do something terribly, terribly wrong, but the impulse has already been sent and you can't stop it?
I hate when that happens.
But I only did that once. Pain is a great teacher. One might almost come to the conclusion that that's what it's there for.
So the next probe will have the sensor absolutely correct and working. They'll have to come up with brand new ways to mess things up.
Just like I do.
KFG
That's why I said your silver dimes and quarters. I've got a few silver nickels too.
KFG
. . .but if counterfeiters can counterfeit hard currency worth a damn. . .
.they can certainly hack a printer
They aren't using a printer to do it. Hard currency is money with an innate value. Your silver dimes and quarters are worth more than a dime or a quarter because silver itself is more valuable than that.
That's why in unstable ecomonies the concept of hard currency is important. Printed money is simply a promise built on an abstraction. It's "soft." If you don't believe in it it ceases to exist. A lump of gold 'is'.
. .
And buy the bits, or a whole new printer, with funny money. Obviously evey pixel in the universe needs an ID number tied to a registered printer owner.
If possession of an unregistered printer is a crime, only criminals will own unregistered printers.
KFG
KFG
Dude, their lawyers are gonna take that as a death threat...
Seems reasonable, since it's overtly a recycled lawyer joke.
KFG
So you essentially saying "If you disagree, you're not clever enough to agree?"
No. Actually, what I said was that I think you're clever enough to study college level introductory mathematics on your own without someone to hold your hand.
I could, of course, be wrong.
KFG
How is SQL "not good enough"?
Look, I don't mean to be terse, really, but a Slashdot post is not the appropriate place to give a freshman tutorial on database theory, and the very fact that you ask your question means you need one.
In that light about all I can say is that SQL corrupts data, gives the logically wrong answers to querys and ties the logical model to the physical platform (think of Java and the JVM for an idea of why this might not be a good thing for a cross platform data manipulation system).
If this answer does not satisfy the solution is simple, read Chris Date's introductory book. He's already written it. I'm not going to duplicate it here. Until you do so you will probably remain ignorant of what a database even is, which, per above, makes it rather hard to explain what's wrong with a particular implimentation (just as it would be hard for me to explain a problem in orbital mechanics to you if you hadn't at least gone through an introductory physics text).
Of course, you can always go to Fabian Pascal's website ( which Date is a contributor to), but until you read Date's book you're likely to just think of Fabian as some sort of crank, out of ignorance. Until you take the trouble to learn what you need to know to evaluate his arguments you have no real basis for judging him in error.
Of course, that doesn't stop most people.
KFG
could it be that the areas where it is "incomplete" (besides, as noted in "Metamagical Themas", any formal system, as SQL is, is incomplete) don't really matter much?
No.
KFG
More to the point, RTFM, i.e. Date's book, which explains what the relational calculus is, and thus what relational databases are all about.
At the very least go over an introductory text on set theory and prepositional logic so that you might at least have a basic understanding of what a database query even is.
Before that about all that can be said to answer OP's question is that SQL is mathmatically incomplete and incorrect, i.e., it gives the wrong answers.
It amazes me that people got all worked up over the Pentium rounding error when it wouldn't even effect most people, but businesses are willing to put up with provably far greater flaws in software that affects everyone's data, and with nary a peep of complaint about it.
KFG
No, it isn't news. Nor is it correct to say that Tutorial D was developed to overcome the shortcomings of SQL. It was developed as a teaching language to demonstrate and implement the relational calculus in a product independent manner, which SQL does not.
...no one will be dropping their Oracle license over this.
SQL was an alpha development language as a first step to testing the relational database concept, but IBM decided to release it as "good enough."
It isn't. Not nearly.
This, however, is likely true, more's the pity. However, if this new implimentation is not done in a hardware independant way much of the point may be lost anyway.
KFG
People should start suing *them*.
Q: What do you need when you've just shot down part of the DMCA?
A: More bullets
KFG
While offtopic. . .
.this is easily the most interesting comment in this story. Thank you.
See above.
. .
You're welcome. That entitles you to second prize, as per above. My condolences.
KFG