If you don't get why it's an SUV, then you didn't read the article.
The point is that most programmers use Java because of its premise of programmatic power. While the metaphor may not stretch to every use of Java, Greenspun talks particularly about WebApps in general, and JSPs in particular. His only point was that while Java *is* powerful, for a low or mid-end Web application system, most of the engineering has to do with designing the database correctly, and integrating everything tightly. Perl and PHP are widely used because they're not as verbose in such situations, and a more powerful language is NOT needed at the presentation layer, and Java _is_ infamous for its boiler plate requirements.
This, and this alone, is why he likens Java to SUVs, because of the metaphorical holier-than-thou driver, who buys into a $100k Hummer because supposedly it can handle hardcore 4x4ing, but in reality knows it's only driving to Bed, Bath, and Beyond and back. Personally, I'm not often a detractor of Java, but I have worked a good deal with Perl for such things, and in this respect: I agree with him.
There are many, many Americans who would disagree with you. Granted, the lot of us aren't losing fingers to meat grinders, which are subsequently fed back to us in hotdogs anymore, but there *was* a recent article on Slashdot (I believe? maybe I read it somewhere else) that this generation is the first in a long, long time to have less than their forebears.
Did you even look at the topic? There's a link straight to here, which was the ruling against Verizon when they (an ISP) tried to stand up to the RIAA against 'subpoenaing' customers' info from IPs. They did lose in court.
Nevertheless, it's good that SBC is also backing down, the ruling against Verizon wasn't necessarily precedent-setting, but by companies not standing up, a de facto one would form for years and industries to come.
As someone else posted, and as is stated in the article, the 959 was not barred from importation due to poor crash test results, it was merely due to bumper and height restrictions imposed on all cars imported into the US. RTFA. That was the whole problem, the 'sacrificial car' thing they figured *would not* work, so they didn't do it.
That's actually a really, really good point. While I personally am not a good candidate for outsourcing (writing process control software that for now requires me to be on-site), my morale and loyalty to the company would be greatly depleted if my company were to send hundreds of IT jobs offshore.
Why? Well, regardless of my necessity at current, I'm always going to be working with one foot out the door if I know that I'm really only around until they can figure out how to pay someone else less for what I'm doing now.
For most intents and purposes, the numeric properties of NASA funding is equivalent to the zero: 10% of 'not enough to do anything interesting' is still 'not enough to do anything interesting'. Considering how they're running now, I don't see how you can possibly stuff "cut their budget tenfold" and "interesting results" into one sentence.
Also, I don't see how things are going get any better in the next few decades barring some huge changes. Even if there were a mystical solution to some of (I'm not going to spoil my point by assuming you meant all of the world's problems, I'll assume you're realistic too) the problems down here, they would by necessity be complex sociopolitical solutions, which a few billion dollars gathered from the scrapped space program is not going to make or break.
It's really hard to say. Cringely, on the whole, does have some tech-sense about him, but he certainly has no qualms regularly reporting *and* editorializing on topics which he clearly has no more knowledge of than the average Slashdot poster.
The visible difference being that most large organizations are not funded by the government, and do not strap men and women to tons of explosives and try to get them back without any danger to the astronauts or the people of Earth.
"However, the general chit-chat that ham operators do IS valuable. Without it, ham radio would become worthless."
So, you're effectively saying, without the communication that goes on in a public communication spectrum, the spectrum is worthless?
I..I don't even know what to say to that.
"Its not that ham-radio is old and more reliable than newer technologies, its that nothing yet can easily replace ham-radio(try to think of something that really can), and seeing how the internet has been turned into a marketing/media tool, there may not be anything for a while."
The only reason HAM is still any one of those things is because it has no marketable value, in terms of the average consumer. Can you imagine if one day out of the blue, the major telecom companies decided to market HAM, and everyone had one? Can you imagine how useful it'd be then? In my opinion, its saving grace is the fact that it never caught on (though I agree, it does certainly have its place).
For most of the effected areas, coordinating service attempts with local line workers would NOT HAVE ACCOMPLISHED ANYTHING. He was talking about a backup system for the grid, one that wouldn't have allowed the failure in the first place. More likely, they worked with emergency personnel (as it says in the article) helping those in need because of the blackout, not people fixing the problem. I think you're confusing "proactive solution to prevent problem" with "fixing problems as they happen". A "REAL backup system" would kick in and [hopefully] be subverted before RACES ever caught wind of this.
"This actually raises the most interesting question of all, is it a crime to knock down a system that was incompetently implemented?"
Well, ultimately, the answer is yes. Whether or not that was the focus of litigation, according to your story, that's what actually happened. If that's what actually happened, he WAS convicted for toppling a system already teetering on the precipice.
I half agree. Yes, I believe personal responsibility is a factor in both cases (much moreso in the first), but in the case you supplied, that was not an accident that he got coupons and promotions from the casino. Just like there's a do-not-call list, there needs to be more accountability in direct marketing communications of all sorts, in my opinion.
The latter is what he meant. He already talked about knowing an approximation of his customer base who sends mass-email, so it follows that he'd only ask those who send mass-mailings. Plus it'd be wasteful if you've got many customers who mail to 1,000+ people to ask you in particular the Real name, Company name, telephone number of Josuahs_mom@yahoo.com when you send out "Subject: How are things?", you shady character you.
I disagree, who are you to say that every driver ever written for Windows was 100% compliant, written exactly to Microsoft's DDK recommendations, and free of all semantic blunders? At best, that's naivete, at worst, unwitting zealotry.
I'm not suggesting that Windows infrastructure isn't to blame for many system failures, but making blanket statements is far beyond that.
Ahh...Slashdot syndrome. You really think it works that way, don't you? You probably think radio is still about the music. You have some reading ahead of you, young padewan. In particular, an article called Radio - pay for play?. But more than that, just search google for "radio payola", and see what you can read. Most of the money made by ads that isn't profit goes into operating costs.
PS - it scales downward like that, independent radio stations with enough of an established listener base get sent almost all (if not all) of their music by labels for free, while lesser ones still may have to pay for their music.
Mmm....That's the point. A large part of SCO's case is that they claim that code put into any official, registered branch of UNIX (a'la AIX) is their intellectual property in accordance with the UNIX licensing terms. By paying the royalties to SCO now, Sun will be indemnified of all discrepencies (on SCO's part), in the event that the AIX code is, in fact, determined to be owned by SCO through that indirect and shady means.
What I think is interesting is whether or not Sun can and/or will go after SCO to recoup losses for royalty payments that SCO never actualy owned, after this case is settled (provided SCO loses, that is).
Slashdot Mirror
If you don't get why it's an SUV, then you didn't read the article.
The point is that most programmers use Java because of its premise of programmatic power. While the metaphor may not stretch to every use of Java, Greenspun talks particularly about WebApps in general, and JSPs in particular. His only point was that while Java *is* powerful, for a low or mid-end Web application system, most of the engineering has to do with designing the database correctly, and integrating everything tightly. Perl and PHP are widely used because they're not as verbose in such situations, and a more powerful language is NOT needed at the presentation layer, and Java _is_ infamous for its boiler plate requirements.
This, and this alone, is why he likens Java to SUVs, because of the metaphorical holier-than-thou driver, who buys into a $100k Hummer because supposedly it can handle hardcore 4x4ing, but in reality knows it's only driving to Bed, Bath, and Beyond and back. Personally, I'm not often a detractor of Java, but I have worked a good deal with Perl for such things, and in this respect: I agree with him.
Read much?
There are many, many Americans who would disagree with you. Granted, the lot of us aren't losing fingers to meat grinders, which are subsequently fed back to us in hotdogs anymore, but there *was* a recent article on Slashdot (I believe? maybe I read it somewhere else) that this generation is the first in a long, long time to have less than their forebears.
"The last I heard, the median for income earners in America was $27,000 per year... doesn't sound so poor to me."
True enough, until you account for the cost of living in America.
Free Lindows post-settlement PC + Free RedHat Download = Free RedHat PC (for all intents and purposes)
Did you even look at the topic? There's a link straight to here, which was the ruling against Verizon when they (an ISP) tried to stand up to the RIAA against 'subpoenaing' customers' info from IPs. They did lose in court.
Nevertheless, it's good that SBC is also backing down, the ruling against Verizon wasn't necessarily precedent-setting, but by companies not standing up, a de facto one would form for years and industries to come.
As someone else posted, and as is stated in the article, the 959 was not barred from importation due to poor crash test results, it was merely due to bumper and height restrictions imposed on all cars imported into the US. RTFA. That was the whole problem, the 'sacrificial car' thing they figured *would not* work, so they didn't do it.
"Does it strengthen the company from within? No."
That's actually a really, really good point. While I personally am not a good candidate for outsourcing (writing process control software that for now requires me to be on-site), my morale and loyalty to the company would be greatly depleted if my company were to send hundreds of IT jobs offshore.
Why? Well, regardless of my necessity at current, I'm always going to be working with one foot out the door if I know that I'm really only around until they can figure out how to pay someone else less for what I'm doing now.
For most intents and purposes, the numeric properties of NASA funding is equivalent to the zero: 10% of 'not enough to do anything interesting' is still 'not enough to do anything interesting'. Considering how they're running now, I don't see how you can possibly stuff "cut their budget tenfold" and "interesting results" into one sentence.
Also, I don't see how things are going get any better in the next few decades barring some huge changes. Even if there were a mystical solution to some of (I'm not going to spoil my point by assuming you meant all of the world's problems, I'll assume you're realistic too) the problems down here, they would by necessity be complex sociopolitical solutions, which a few billion dollars gathered from the scrapped space program is not going to make or break.
It's really hard to say. Cringely, on the whole, does have some tech-sense about him, but he certainly has no qualms regularly reporting *and* editorializing on topics which he clearly has no more knowledge of than the average Slashdot poster.
You guys are BOTH nuts.
Hm. Odd, that seems a bit early. I didn't start using Coke in Education until at _least_ freshman year of college.
..or being wheeled away, either works.
The visible difference being that most large organizations are not funded by the government, and do not strap men and women to tons of explosives and try to get them back without any danger to the astronauts or the people of Earth.
"However, the general chit-chat that ham operators do IS valuable. Without it, ham radio would become worthless."
So, you're effectively saying, without the communication that goes on in a public communication spectrum, the spectrum is worthless?
I..I don't even know what to say to that.
"Its not that ham-radio is old and more reliable than newer technologies, its that nothing yet can easily replace ham-radio(try to think of something that really can), and seeing how the internet has been turned into a marketing/media tool, there may not be anything for a while."
The only reason HAM is still any one of those things is because it has no marketable value, in terms of the average consumer. Can you imagine if one day out of the blue, the major telecom companies decided to market HAM, and everyone had one? Can you imagine how useful it'd be then? In my opinion, its saving grace is the fact that it never caught on (though I agree, it does certainly have its place).
For most of the effected areas, coordinating service attempts with local line workers would NOT HAVE ACCOMPLISHED ANYTHING. He was talking about a backup system for the grid, one that wouldn't have allowed the failure in the first place. More likely, they worked with emergency personnel (as it says in the article) helping those in need because of the blackout, not people fixing the problem. I think you're confusing "proactive solution to prevent problem" with "fixing problems as they happen". A "REAL backup system" would kick in and [hopefully] be subverted before RACES ever caught wind of this.
"This actually raises the most interesting question of all, is it a crime to knock down a system that was incompetently implemented?"
Well, ultimately, the answer is yes. Whether or not that was the focus of litigation, according to your story, that's what actually happened. If that's what actually happened, he WAS convicted for toppling a system already teetering on the precipice.
I half agree. Yes, I believe personal responsibility is a factor in both cases (much moreso in the first), but in the case you supplied, that was not an accident that he got coupons and promotions from the casino. Just like there's a do-not-call list, there needs to be more accountability in direct marketing communications of all sorts, in my opinion.
The latter is what he meant. He already talked about knowing an approximation of his customer base who sends mass-email, so it follows that he'd only ask those who send mass-mailings. Plus it'd be wasteful if you've got many customers who mail to 1,000+ people to ask you in particular the Real name, Company name, telephone number of Josuahs_mom@yahoo.com when you send out "Subject: How are things?", you shady character you.
Unless we find one in nature, that is.
But you just asserted that there can be no more natural elements by saying that all of them have been found..
I disagree, who are you to say that every driver ever written for Windows was 100% compliant, written exactly to Microsoft's DDK recommendations, and free of all semantic blunders? At best, that's naivete, at worst, unwitting zealotry.
I'm not suggesting that Windows infrastructure isn't to blame for many system failures, but making blanket statements is far beyond that.
I have not yet begun to piss.
"I wish they could just take their pieces of code back.."
Eh, that should be more like, "I wish they could just take back IBM's pieces of code back.." Frankly, I don't wish that. I wish them failure.
Tell your kids it's Koolaid and see what they have to say about it.
Ahh...Slashdot syndrome. You really think it works that way, don't you? You probably think radio is still about the music. You have some reading ahead of you, young padewan.
In particular, an article called
Radio - pay for play?. But more than that, just search google for "radio payola", and see what you can read. Most of the money made by ads that isn't profit goes into operating costs.
PS - it scales downward like that, independent radio stations with enough of an established listener base get sent almost all (if not all) of their music by labels for free, while lesser ones still may have to pay for their music.
Mmm....That's the point. A large part of SCO's case is that they claim that code put into any official, registered branch of UNIX (a'la AIX) is their intellectual property in accordance with the UNIX licensing terms. By paying the royalties to SCO now, Sun will be indemnified of all discrepencies (on SCO's part), in the event that the AIX code is, in fact, determined to be owned by SCO through that indirect and shady means.
What I think is interesting is whether or not Sun can and/or will go after SCO to recoup losses for royalty payments that SCO never actualy owned, after this case is settled (provided SCO loses, that is).