Nah. Java is cool for run of the mill OO projects where everyone else is using Java too, because everyone else is using Java.
If you want to look at something interesting check out Apple's Squeak, an implimentation of Smalltalk-80 where even the VM is written in open source Smalltalk.
They're terribly expensive though, and if you're the least bit handy with a saw and electric drill you can make your own experimental models out of little more than some scrounged MDF/Plywood and 2x4. Play with different hights.
In fact, if you just want to try out a low model to see how it feels, just go to Home Depot or wherever and pick up a precut 2'x4' piece of luan and set it on some empty coffee cans, and if you don't like it you've still got a coffeetable top.
Make sure to use a cushion though, or it'll suck.
Buy two of said boards and you can experiment with different desk/chair hight combinations. Low chair with coffee table hight desk is very nice, but probably not considered suitable for the office.
The kneeling chairs take a bit of getting used to. You have to adjust your position to the desk a bit, they aren't just a "drop in" replacement for a standard chair.
They also take a bit of time to build up the necessary muscular structure. People who sit in standard chairs have woefully underdeveloped trunk muscles, since the chair is explicitly designed to use as few muscles as possible, as seldom as possible.
It becomes a feedback cycle. The more you use a standard chair, the more you need one.
If you're willing to adapt your desk to the chair, rather than the other way around, a simple and common Japanese meditation bench will replace the sort of kneeling chair you are talking about. The trick for comfort with these is to place the bench on a zabuton, not directly on a hard floor.
What I like to use though is a simple platform, about 30"x36" on which one can sit crosslegged, move around, change postion constantly, etc. These can be built at normal chair hight for use with a standard desk.
Once you get used to these and build up a certain amount of supporting musculature you'll be loath to every go back to a standard chair. No matter how "ergonomic" a chair is it just isn't designed to hold a person in a position for which human body was designed. The old Greek and Roman benches on which one relined were far more suitable for human use.
Yeah, this one always annoys me too, and I'm not a Mac head by any means. I always try to say "IBM compatable PC" where the context makes it relvant to do so.
On the other hand, in the context of Slashdot, we know exactly what he's talking about.
Yeah, I also remember the days when, for me at least, all I needed to build a boat was a pile of wood and desire.
I am, nonetheless, greatful that Howard Chapelle took the trouble to distil the combined wisdom of boatbuilders into his books. Thus I get to spend my time building more sound boats while playing with new ideas instead of wasting it recreating what is fairly "common" knowledge.
And sometimes a book/how to can simply serve as inspiration to get you going. That is a valid function as well.
On the other hand, one makes the transition from normal user to abnormal user by trying things, breaking things, fixing the things you broke and then rinsing and repeating a few thousand times.
The knowledge you yourself have was not channeled to your by some Atlantean spirit creature. You earned it the hard way.
The mere fact that this person tried to upgrade their kernel in the first place places them outside of the "normal" catagory to begin with. Hell, he might even be a wizard larva given a bit of time to grow and pupate.
If he wants to get his hands dirty and is willing to take the risks I'm on his side. Note that he didn't come on here saying "Linux sucks." He noted that he has had problems, but took proper precautions, he's been working them out and that maybe with the aid of this paper he'll give it another go.
Yes, this does reduce safty in some areas, but that is the price you pay to avoid the real risk involved in allowing desaparacidos.
On the whole it's a pretty good bargain.
If we do not remove liberties than the people who died on 9/11 (I'm a New Yorker, so that list includes acquaintences and directly affected family members) did so as patriots protecting liberty.
If we use 9/11 as an excuse to remove liberties then they died so that we might all be less free and subvert the constitution.
If I've gotta die I'd rather do so for liberty, not a police state.
This is to be expected. The free product has the "luxury" of being able to concentrate on the quality of the product.
The commercial "Enterprise" distro makers are constrained to concentrating on sales.
Just as one can learn to make a chair of superiour construction techniques and engineering principles than you can buy from a commercial mass producer.
Look at the typical wooden barstool with legs that diverge from the seat, held together by stiles. This barstool will selfdestruct by design when a load is applied to the seat.
Ya wanna know how it compares? I'll tell ya how it compares. Tin Foil Hat Linux doesn't have the NSA back door in the system and compiler, that's how it compares.
For God's sake man, how can you trust NSA Linux for one second?
In other words, "He's productizing Linux," because, "To recognize the Linux isn't a distro available as a boxed product at Borders, and is, rather, the source code, is to leave him with no means of directly comparing the two, let alone comparing the two to his advantage."
He mentions Red Hat and SuSE "MULTIPLE TIMES," because it is to his advantage to draw your attention in that direction and away from others.
Slashdot Mirror
It's distributed under the Apple Open Source license.
KFG
Java is cool for uber-OO projects. . .
Nah. Java is cool for run of the mill OO projects where everyone else is using Java too, because everyone else is using Java.
If you want to look at something interesting check out Apple's Squeak, an implimentation of Smalltalk-80 where even the VM is written in open source Smalltalk.
Squeak
KFG
Sorry, you let that "Hi" line slip decades ago. No taking it back now.
KFG
Why yes, since we're dealing with issues of fashion and personal appearance and not testable scientific veractiy, yes it does. :)
KFG
The only functioning imaging device I have right now is my scanner. Kinda hard to hold a chair up to.
But here are some commercially available options:
Seating platforms
They're terribly expensive though, and if you're the least bit handy with a saw and electric drill you can make your own experimental models out of little more than some scrounged MDF/Plywood and 2x4. Play with different hights.
In fact, if you just want to try out a low model to see how it feels, just go to Home Depot or wherever and pick up a precut 2'x4' piece of luan and set it on some empty coffee cans, and if you don't like it you've still got a coffeetable top.
Make sure to use a cushion though, or it'll suck.
Buy two of said boards and you can experiment with different desk/chair hight combinations. Low chair with coffee table hight desk is very nice, but probably not considered suitable for the office.
KFG
Ah! But Bozo didn't mind being laughed at. :)
KFG
In a fair percentage of the cases where I find it relevant to make the distinction that would only draw a blank stare.
KFG
So I take it your not interested in my recommendation for wearing robes, dashiki and dhoti?
KFG
All of which says a good deal more about them than about you.
Perhaps one might develop some intestinal fortitude along with the intestinal physical support.
KFG
The kneeling chairs take a bit of getting used to. You have to adjust your position to the desk a bit, they aren't just a "drop in" replacement for a standard chair.
They also take a bit of time to build up the necessary muscular structure. People who sit in standard chairs have woefully underdeveloped trunk muscles, since the chair is explicitly designed to use as few muscles as possible, as seldom as possible.
It becomes a feedback cycle. The more you use a standard chair, the more you need one.
If you're willing to adapt your desk to the chair, rather than the other way around, a simple and common Japanese meditation bench will replace the sort of kneeling chair you are talking about. The trick for comfort with these is to place the bench on a zabuton, not directly on a hard floor.
What I like to use though is a simple platform, about 30"x36" on which one can sit crosslegged, move around, change postion constantly, etc. These can be built at normal chair hight for use with a standard desk.
Once you get used to these and build up a certain amount of supporting musculature you'll be loath to every go back to a standard chair. No matter how "ergonomic" a chair is it just isn't designed to hold a person in a position for which human body was designed. The old Greek and Roman benches on which one relined were far more suitable for human use.
Good luck getting one into your office though.
KFG
Yeah, this one always annoys me too, and I'm not a Mac head by any means. I always try to say "IBM compatable PC" where the context makes it relvant to do so.
On the other hand, in the context of Slashdot, we know exactly what he's talking about.
KFG
Yeah, I also remember the days when, for me at least, all I needed to build a boat was a pile of wood and desire.
I am, nonetheless, greatful that Howard Chapelle took the trouble to distil the combined wisdom of boatbuilders into his books. Thus I get to spend my time building more sound boats while playing with new ideas instead of wasting it recreating what is fairly "common" knowledge.
And sometimes a book/how to can simply serve as inspiration to get you going. That is a valid function as well.
KFG
On the other hand, one makes the transition from normal user to abnormal user by trying things, breaking things, fixing the things you broke and then rinsing and repeating a few thousand times.
The knowledge you yourself have was not channeled to your by some Atlantean spirit creature. You earned it the hard way.
The mere fact that this person tried to upgrade their kernel in the first place places them outside of the "normal" catagory to begin with. Hell, he might even be a wizard larva given a bit of time to grow and pupate.
If he wants to get his hands dirty and is willing to take the risks I'm on his side. Note that he didn't come on here saying "Linux sucks." He noted that he has had problems, but took proper precautions, he's been working them out and that maybe with the aid of this paper he'll give it another go.
That's hacker spirit.
KFG
Or am I getting this wrong ?
Rather.
KFG
Is to secure liberty.
Yes, this does reduce safty in some areas, but that is the price you pay to avoid the real risk involved in allowing desaparacidos.
On the whole it's a pretty good bargain.
If we do not remove liberties than the people who died on 9/11 (I'm a New Yorker, so that list includes acquaintences and directly affected family members) did so as patriots protecting liberty.
If we use 9/11 as an excuse to remove liberties then they died so that we might all be less free and subvert the constitution.
If I've gotta die I'd rather do so for liberty, not a police state.
KFG
Absolutely. My part in this thread began with a joke.
KFG
What is a crumbling monopoly to do?
Make gaming consoles?
KFG
Ken Thompson's compiler hack
KFG
Thank you, sir, for proving that today, at least, it was worth it to gnaw through the leather straps.
KFG
No. Even if you saw the code you would not be able to see the changes. They are placed where you cannot see them. Even with source.
Ever.
KFG
This is to be expected. The free product has the "luxury" of being able to concentrate on the quality of the product.
The commercial "Enterprise" distro makers are constrained to concentrating on sales.
Just as one can learn to make a chair of superiour construction techniques and engineering principles than you can buy from a commercial mass producer.
Look at the typical wooden barstool with legs that diverge from the seat, held together by stiles. This barstool will selfdestruct by design when a load is applied to the seat.
But people buy them by the thousands.
KFG
At least they have a sense of humor about it. Among the reasons to use Tinfoil Linux:
The Illuminati are watching your computer, and you need to use morse code to blink out your PGP messages on the numlock key.
KFG
Outsourcing spooks. Yeah, that'll work just spiffy.
KFG
Ya wanna know how it compares? I'll tell ya how it compares. Tin Foil Hat Linux doesn't have the NSA back door in the system and compiler, that's how it compares.
For God's sake man, how can you trust NSA Linux for one second?
KFG
In other words, "He's productizing Linux," because, "To recognize the Linux isn't a distro available as a boxed product at Borders, and is, rather, the source code, is to leave him with no means of directly comparing the two, let alone comparing the two to his advantage."
He mentions Red Hat and SuSE "MULTIPLE TIMES," because it is to his advantage to draw your attention in that direction and away from others.
It's called "misdirection."
And oh, two words. "Charm school."
KFG