If that's Paulie "Walnuts" Gualtieri in the photo, I'd be handing the computer off to the next guy. I'm not gonna whacked over stealing some wiseguy's pr0n or music files.
After getting the basics of the language down, I would definitely recommend "Effective C#: 50 Specific Ways to Improve Your C#" by Bill Wagner (ISBN 0321245660).
FWIW, I was a college freshman and my first programming class was "Programming Concepts Using Pascal". Rather than use the university's mini-computer (horrible edit and compile environment), I wanted something I could use on a PC. Other Pascal compilers at that time were prohibitively priced for a student at hundreds/thousands of dollars. A friend pointed me to Turbo Pascal and I bought my own copy at Egghead for under $90. My very first software purchase by the way. I was a loyal fan following the product line from TP3->TP4->TC1->TC2->TP5->TC++1->BC++2->BC++4->BC5+ +.
With every iteration, they got a little more expensive even for loyal customers. Then they brought out the "Professional" versions and wanted more money - so I stopped.
How does this relate? TP3 let me do everything and anything I wanted (no-nonsense license) at an expensive (for me) but reasonable price. For the hobbyist or beginner, they will get frustated very quickly with the limitations imposed by the free editions but balk at paying $500 for a professional license. Offer them the professional level software with a no-nonsense license for $99 and Borland may see things turn around.
Maybe another solution may be to try a negative approach. Given the idea is to display at night, light up the background and Tux's stomach with white lights, fill in the feet with yellow ones, and then outline the arms, eyes, and other features with white. As long as the area it's displayed in is not too lit up and the other lights aren't overwhelming, the darkness should fill in naturally for the black areas. Or maybe not...
I've been looking hard at these iRiver players for the last month even though I have an Archos 6GB Jukebox. Why?
Built-in FM Tuner: the Archos doesn't have one and I enjoy listening to Lex & Terry in the mornings;
Portability: my Archos is big & heavy, although it didn't feel like that two years ago when I got it;) These would easily fit in your pocket. And I don't really need 6GB of music with me everywhere I go - 256MB would be just fine;
Battery life: When using new rechargeables, I can get 8 hours with my jukebox but after awhile, it goes down to 3. These take a standard AA battery and can play up to 24 hours (claimed);
USB Flash Drive: these flash players and my Archos can function as USB hard drives but it's not very often I need to transfer more than 256MB.
All that said, the two reasons why I haven't bought one yet are price and USB 1.1. While the 128MB models can be had for $99, the 256MB are usually priced from $150 - $200. For that much money, I can save a little longer and get the iHP-120 HDD player which has everything I want (20GB, FM tuner, reduced form-factor, battery, USB 2.0). And believe me, there is a phenonemal difference between USB 1.1 and 2.0 when transferring files. Just my thoughts.
What they don't know is I can now return all 1M copies I bought and exchange them for Buffy, Angle, Dark Angel, Raiders, Hot Beach Bunnies. What a great way to screw with their statistics!:)
My best friend used to live across town. One day, I discovered our remote operated his garage door too. So for about a month, whenever I drove by his house, I opened his door. Only when somebody was obvisously home of course. My friend laughed his butt off when he found out but thank god he never told his parents.
I think one of the more interesting books on the Microsoft culture is Show-Stopper! by G. Pascal Zachary detailing the development of Windows NT. The book is not so much about the nitty-gritty details of the OS but about the team, led by Dave Cutler, that developed it and the impact it had on their individual professional and personal lives.
Or other original programming (e.g. NPR, etc.)? I listen to Lex & Terry every morning, in the bathroom and on the way to work. Audio streaming is not going to easily fix the bathroom situation, much less be viable in my car. That's why I need radio.
It's a given you can't use it for anything relating to timing but being the first compiler I ever bought (along with my first game, Karateka), it brings back nostalgic memories.
Just to add to the drivel, I use TextPad every day for everything from simple text files to Perl scripts to HTML coding and anything else the crippled NotePad can't do. Regular expression search-and-replace (even in files), sorting, blocking, spell checking, syntax highlighting, and a whole other list of included features. And it saves it all in plain old ASCII text files (DOS or UNIX formatted). Of course, it includes saving in UniCode but we won't go there.
While I believe Microsoft has the right to make patched machines a requirement for operation on their network, I'm disturbed by the fact these patches are being performed without asking permission.
But what really disturbs me is the concept of patching the console itself. The console gaming industry is built on a model of consistency, very much different from the PC industry. A console purchased last week is nearly identical to one purchased two years ago. Any differences are in the hardware installed at the factory.
Now you've got patches being delivered over the network, which leads to different console configurations, which leads to gamers asking themselves, "Do I have DirectX 8.0 installed or is it 8.1 or 8.1a or 8.1b or even 9.0?"
We've all been witness to the horrendous patching mess that every software vendor on the face of the earth has contributed to. When you start patching consoles via software, you break that integral quality control. What happens when the update goes awry (suddent losss of power)? And when a new game comes out, will it still run on every XBox out there or will it require XBox v1.1.8.2a?
If I was in charge, I would do it this way: free head-to-head playing and an entry fee to compete in tournaments.
For head-to-head play, no stats are kept. You just play against your friends or whomever. This allows new players to learn how to play against real opponents. If expert players are willing to help novices learn, all the better. After all, I won't willingly pay to get my ass handed to me time after time.
But for tournament play (monthly charge), stats are kept on each player along with their rankings, games are scheduled between players with a choice of equal calibar or unbalanced matchups, and the occasional super-tournament can be set up.
I think something like this would be fair to everybody (novice players, expert players & the game companies alike).
Yeah, like I need another virus called Sierra Utilities installed on my PC. I played HL six months ago and the weekend before last, uninstalled Sierra Utilities. After all was said and done, my entire Games folder (NWN, MW, MOHAA, UT2K3, etc.) was wiped out. Think I'll pass...
Pulling up the 4th article on the evil bit and seeing an in-line ad for Visual Studio.NET (try it - no obligation) - God, there's gotta be a joke there somewhere...
Slashdot Mirror
If that's Paulie "Walnuts" Gualtieri in the photo, I'd be handing the computer off to the next guy. I'm not gonna whacked over stealing some wiseguy's pr0n or music files.
After getting the basics of the language down, I would definitely recommend "Effective C#: 50 Specific Ways to Improve Your C#" by Bill Wagner (ISBN 0321245660).
FWIW, I was a college freshman and my first programming class was "Programming Concepts Using Pascal". Rather than use the university's mini-computer (horrible edit and compile environment), I wanted something I could use on a PC. Other Pascal compilers at that time were prohibitively priced for a student at hundreds/thousands of dollars. A friend pointed me to Turbo Pascal and I bought my own copy at Egghead for under $90. My very first software purchase by the way. I was a loyal fan following the product line from TP3->TP4->TC1->TC2->TP5->TC++1->BC++2->BC++4->BC5+ +.
With every iteration, they got a little more expensive even for loyal customers. Then they brought out the "Professional" versions and wanted more money - so I stopped.
How does this relate? TP3 let me do everything and anything I wanted (no-nonsense license) at an expensive (for me) but reasonable price. For the hobbyist or beginner, they will get frustated very quickly with the limitations imposed by the free editions but balk at paying $500 for a professional license. Offer them the professional level software with a no-nonsense license for $99 and Borland may see things turn around.
What Will Disney Copyright?
Does the RIAA have interplanetary jurisdiction? Rover must be playing illegal MP3s, WMA, or something, right? Or did NASA include a 100-disc changer?
Maybe another solution may be to try a negative approach. Given the idea is to display at night, light up the background and Tux's stomach with white lights, fill in the feet with yellow ones, and then outline the arms, eyes, and other features with white. As long as the area it's displayed in is not too lit up and the other lights aren't overwhelming, the darkness should fill in naturally for the black areas. Or maybe not...
All that said, the two reasons why I haven't bought one yet are price and USB 1.1. While the 128MB models can be had for $99, the 256MB are usually priced from $150 - $200. For that much money, I can save a little longer and get the iHP-120 HDD player which has everything I want (20GB, FM tuner, reduced form-factor, battery, USB 2.0). And believe me, there is a phenonemal difference between USB 1.1 and 2.0 when transferring files. Just my thoughts.
What they don't know is I can now return all 1M copies I bought and exchange them for Buffy, Angle, Dark Angel, Raiders, Hot Beach Bunnies. What a great way to screw with their statistics! :)
My best friend used to live across town. One day, I discovered our remote operated his garage door too. So for about a month, whenever I drove by his house, I opened his door. Only when somebody was obvisously home of course. My friend laughed his butt off when he found out but thank god he never told his parents.
I think one of the more interesting books on the Microsoft culture is Show-Stopper! by G. Pascal Zachary detailing the development of Windows NT. The book is not so much about the nitty-gritty details of the OS but about the team, led by Dave Cutler, that developed it and the impact it had on their individual professional and personal lives.
Who programs the programmers?
Or other original programming (e.g. NPR, etc.)? I listen to Lex & Terry every morning, in the bathroom and on the way to work. Audio streaming is not going to easily fix the bathroom situation, much less be viable in my car. That's why I need radio.
And if they spell it M$, then they're an old-school UNIX wizard.
n : a tropical cyclone occurring in the W Pacific or Indian oceans
It's a given you can't use it for anything relating to timing but being the first compiler I ever bought (along with my first game, Karateka), it brings back nostalgic memories.
I guess it's too late for some SCO execs I know.
Just to add to the drivel, I use TextPad every day for everything from simple text files to Perl scripts to HTML coding and anything else the crippled NotePad can't do. Regular expression search-and-replace (even in files), sorting, blocking, spell checking, syntax highlighting, and a whole other list of included features. And it saves it all in plain old ASCII text files (DOS or UNIX formatted). Of course, it includes saving in UniCode but we won't go there.
But what really disturbs me is the concept of patching the console itself. The console gaming industry is built on a model of consistency, very much different from the PC industry. A console purchased last week is nearly identical to one purchased two years ago. Any differences are in the hardware installed at the factory.
Now you've got patches being delivered over the network, which leads to different console configurations, which leads to gamers asking themselves, "Do I have DirectX 8.0 installed or is it 8.1 or 8.1a or 8.1b or even 9.0?"
We've all been witness to the horrendous patching mess that every software vendor on the face of the earth has contributed to. When you start patching consoles via software, you break that integral quality control. What happens when the update goes awry (suddent losss of power)? And when a new game comes out, will it still run on every XBox out there or will it require XBox v1.1.8.2a?
That's exactly what she said to me the other night. So then I asked who you were.
The marketing droids win again. It's not $12 a CD, it's $13 ($12.98). Just like I don't pay $1.93 per gallon of gas; I pay $1.94 ($1.939). Sheesh!
For head-to-head play, no stats are kept. You just play against your friends or whomever. This allows new players to learn how to play against real opponents. If expert players are willing to help novices learn, all the better. After all, I won't willingly pay to get my ass handed to me time after time.
But for tournament play (monthly charge), stats are kept on each player along with their rankings, games are scheduled between players with a choice of equal calibar or unbalanced matchups, and the occasional super-tournament can be set up.
I think something like this would be fair to everybody (novice players, expert players & the game companies alike).
1 redefined as 0,
and
10 redefined as 27.
Just think: if 1 were redefined as 3, Windows 3.0 would've been stable and an instant hit.
Yeah, like I need another virus called Sierra Utilities installed on my PC. I played HL six months ago and the weekend before last, uninstalled Sierra Utilities. After all was said and done, my entire Games folder (NWN, MW, MOHAA, UT2K3, etc.) was wiped out. Think I'll pass...
Pulling up the 4th article on the evil bit and seeing an in-line ad for Visual Studio.NET (try it - no obligation) - God, there's gotta be a joke there somewhere...