Heck, If they gave you a good idea which you implemented, why not share some of the wealth it will generate?
I've been in the same situation, having beta clients use software in development. I give them extra help so I can learn how the user reacts to my software and to find out what their needs are to make it easier for them to use.
They give lots of suggestions, 99% of which I have already thought of and either they are on my To-Do list, or the idea was discarded after realizing conflicts that they would cause.
However, once in a while they do have some good insights, and I welcome those ideas. I'm not under any contract to pay them anything, yet being a 'Good Person', I choose to reward them for their help. If your beta clients are in business (chances they are), then why not give them some cash that they can invest to help themselves grow, promote or advertise them extra, even buy lots of their products.
I do plenty of programming... And I read Slashdot. It's pretty typical to keep a browser window open with a story or dozen from slashdot while I'm coding. I agree it keeps your mind fresh with ideas. I also know that sometimes I end up reading more than I should when there's code to write...
My main preferences of ways to keep fresh mind involve stuff away from the computer: playing guitar, building acrylic bubble fountains working with powertools and acetylene torches, and with my girlfriend.. All that *should* keep me with a fresh mind to code all day, yet I keep returning to Slashdot.
But lots of time my mind is coding while I read. Some of the tougher algorithms seem like my mind needs to grind over it for a while when I'm doing something else, and then it comes together nicely...
- How many man-hours are spent by people reading/posting to SlashDot?
You gotta figure there's millions of hours spent by young smart programmer's minds reading this stuff instead of writing code. Think of all the great improvements that could have been made to the world's software if we hadn't been wasting time on this website!?
Maybe Slashdot can add some rough time-calculating scripts to slashcode for tracking user hours spent.
I got the source for the michaelango virus from that link.
The plain text source is benign, although the collection would feel cooler if all the CD's had the 'alive' executables that are just ready to jump off the disk and spread. Think of having a big collection of 'em and realizing how much money those innocent lines of code caused the world. Mega millons..
I then found the source for the I Love You virus using google. Norton did a good job because it wouldn't let me save it as any type of file, so I imported the text from the screen into a.gif and.swf image. Even saving the.fla file from Flash containing the text field with the source got erased from Norton. So I have that one as bitmap image only, which should suffice for the time being..
hhmm..... maybe I can extend the idea to making sculpture pc's which can be killed dead with a flick of a switch to unleash the virii...
Any more links or ideas for a virus collection, post them here!
During my college days, I remember a friend telling me about somebody who's hobby was collection computer viruses. They had them all on a separate disk, labeled and displayed.
I thought that would be something cool to do. Maybe burn each of them on a CD-R and make a cool plexiglass lighted display for them.
Now I'm wondering the best way to go about collecting virii. Especially the classic ones like Michealango, as well as the latest infamous ones.
Anybody have ideas how to find them in a safe way? i.e. getting the source code, or a binary file which *won't* give me trouble when burning them on a cd? probably just raw text of the source would be fine...
Let me know!!
(bonus points if anybody can find resources on the man who had a similar collection)
Interesting photos shown on that link of the satellite itself
Funny, I've read that they used a tape measure for the antenna.
I had assumed that they used the same type of spring steel, and on the photos show on that link, it's actually a tape measure complete with the yellow paint and increment/number markings.
I would have thought they would have stripped off the paint or use the pure spring steel for a cleaner transmission...
Imagine keeping a laptop/handheld with you wherever you go, but only having it on when you need it. You can instantly close the lid on it, shutting off it's power. This would preserve battery life to possibly many days at a time for a traveler. Then when you need to use the computer, just open the lid, and it's exactly where it was when you closed it.
Desktop computers would also be nice to instantly shut off and turn on at the same state, but the portable computer market seems much more useful, especially for conserving battery life.
I do agree driving your crates is the best thing when the option is available.
My larger, custom bubble fountians typically cost $300-$1500 to ship. That's a lot of money to pay to a trucking company, UPS, etc.
So my first choice on the larger fountains is just to load it in the back of my truck, and drive there. The savings of paying high shipping costs is usually enough to drive anywhere in the country, plus have a great time traveling.
Customers love it when you personally deliver high-ticket items instead of just having it arrive in a box.
I build and ship custom acrylic water bubble fountains. Imagine routed/shaped plexiglass the size of a coffin. UPS used to smash them occasionally (but were well in$ured), until I switched to making all boxes out of 1/2" plywood. Home Depot will cut a $6.99 sheet of plywood for about 25 cents. Just screw it together and you have an instant UPS-proof crate for dirt cheap. Rope handles are good, too, so they UPS guy can easily pick up the box instead of dragging/throwing/dropping it.
For better protection, spray paint the crate in really bright, catchy colors. I would use yellow/red/black/green/blue spray paint and paint swirls, spots, lines, outline corners and 12 inch tall letters saying FRAGILE. That way your package isn't 'just another box' to UPS. It's a box that really stands out to them and catches attention. Kinda like how poisonious tree frogs are brightly colored for their protection.
I had taught myself to program computers in the 4th grade and always thought I would be a programmer when I grew up.
Went to N.A.U. for CSE degree.
The summer between my sophomore and junior I went on a 100 day road trip, vagabond adventure style all around America.
Coming back to college after that made me dread sitting at a desk after all the traveling and free spirits.
I got burned out on CS, and then a bunch of amazing things happened. I was bored and built a water fountain in my dorm room. A really unique color changing optical illusion fountain. I liked it and so did my friends, so I started making more of them. Then I dropped out of school and started up a business of making acrylic bubble fountains. Didn't touch a computer for 2 years, except to make a website for my fountains www.Beyond7.com. I traveled around the country building custom bubble panels for stores, restaurants, galleries, homes, etc. I also got my own commercial shop/storefront. It was a ton of fun.
During that time I got a really great breaking from coding, and after 2 years I started getting some really great ideas for some internet start-up ventures. So I found an investor for my ideas and started coding again. It was great to code again, and I wasn't burned out this time. Mixing my time between coding and building bubble fountains helped keep me refreshed with both lines of work. When I got tired of coding at a desk, I'd go into my bubble fountain shop and use powertools: saws, drills, routers, acetlyene torches, and more. Then after a lot of hard shop work, I wouldn't mind sitting down at a desk to program for a while. Makes for a good balance.
>I believe SVG and Flash will coexist,
>they'll both have appications that they,
> are better suited for.
True - no single tool is every the best tool for every job.. Using what's suited for your goal is always the best choice!
>How many web-based Flash applications are
>there besides a few trivial Flash based games?
I've been developing a very powerful web-based graphic design application this year. Flash was on the only way I found that allowed all the flexibility and power I needed to maked it totally browser based. There are also more Flash apps emerging in the near future.
>You forgot to mention that these "apps"
>and their database integration is flaky at best.
>SVG is text based making server side generation
>of SVG with database data is trivial.
There are solid implementations of database driven flash out there, including the project i've been working on.
>Flash is binary, making changes difficult.
>To make a change to an SVG document just open
>it up with a text editor.
Good advantage for SVG, I admit.. Although if you have parts of an app you don't want revealed to the public, then binary is preferred.. (i'll get flamed for mentioning closed-source, but hey, it's true)
Flash SWF format already has widespread installation... SVG has about 0%.
The SWF format is already open standard, letting Flash vector animation files be created by anybody who is willing to create a program for it. There are a number of such programs available, including several open source linux varieties...
Flash SWF also has very powerful Object Oriented programming features available with Actionscript. You can do amazing things with it, especially for custom applications.
Don't get me wrong, I think most of the Flash used currently is wasteful, annoying crap! But there are some really great applications of Flash that I have seen, and many more are emerging.
Have you ever tried to make dynamic web-based applications that run in a browser using javascript, java, DHTML, etc? Almost impossible to get anything that runs cross-browser/platform without writing multiple versions of it.. FLASH works great on Netscape, Explorer, Linux, PC, Mac, etc.
Flash already supports XML data transfer and when used in conjunction with a Database on the webserver, *powerful* apps emerge! For any application involving more than static text on a screen, Flash excels...
I didn't feel this way a few months ago, I just thought flash was annoying for animations.....then when i looked into Flash to solve some web-based app problems I was having with cross-broswer DHTML, etc, I was convinced! Properly used Flash is great!
So why use another standard proposed as SVG when there is already a great vector graphic system available that has lots of features: O.O. scripting, XML, huge user base, cross-platform compatibility?
..etc.. get the brands they already know to push distros..
Probably just as important would be to have start-up turorials to get the kids familiar with the environment.
-speaking of kid distros, i remember talking to a teacher in charge of the computers at a school, and they said they needed to have all software programs approved by the school board, to ensure that there were no nasty pictures, foul language, or other possible politicly incorrect content.. they have a big problem watching out for lawsuits if the kiddies see offending stuff.
i've seen to see lots of error messages and other included packages that would have stuff that would get 'em banned...
the kid distros would need to be cleaned up for stuff like that...
Zeppelin 2000 Professional is okay for small amounts of people and crew.
It is not recommended for mass transportation of many people for long distances...
...they suggest Zeppelin 2000 Passenger Server for your bulk transportation needs.
Features include:
Multi-Threaded Passenger Loading
Multiple destinations per blimp
64 bit customer addressing
Separate cup-holders for each passenger
Automated Back-Up Protection (restore full crew and passengers to Last Known Good State in the event of any 'unknown features')
Ability to repair and install Patches during flight without the need for landing.
24/7 Customer Support
Of course, most of Slashdot would rather fly on Debian Derigibles - This new and exciting form of air transportation is recommended only for the aeronotical elite who prefer to build their own blimps. Using a network of peer-to-peer open source docking bays and home-built blips, you can get a hair-raising trip around the world for free!
Plus you'll be laughing at all of those paying outrages amounts of money for just a little spin in the air with NT.
Slashdot Mirror
All Your Ideas Are Belong To Us
Heck, If they gave you a good idea which you implemented, why not share some of the wealth it will generate?
I've been in the same situation, having beta clients use software in development. I give them extra help so I can learn how the user reacts to my software and to find out what their needs are to make it easier for them to use.
They give lots of suggestions, 99% of which I have already thought of and either they are on my To-Do list, or the idea was discarded after realizing conflicts that they would cause.
However, once in a while they do have some good insights, and I welcome those ideas. I'm not under any contract to pay them anything, yet being a 'Good Person', I choose to reward them for their help. If your beta clients are in business (chances they are), then why not give them some cash that they can invest to help themselves grow, promote or advertise them extra, even buy lots of their products.
A Good Deed Repayed Never Goes Unnoticed!!
I do plenty of programming... And I read Slashdot. It's pretty typical to keep a browser window open with a story or dozen from slashdot while I'm coding. I agree it keeps your mind fresh with ideas. I also know that sometimes I end up reading more than I should when there's code to write...
My main preferences of ways to keep fresh mind involve stuff away from the computer: playing guitar, building acrylic bubble fountains working with powertools and acetylene torches, and with my girlfriend.. All that *should* keep me with a fresh mind to code all day, yet I keep returning to Slashdot.
But lots of time my mind is coding while I read. Some of the tougher algorithms seem like my mind needs to grind over it for a while when I'm doing something else, and then it comes together nicely...
Here's what I really want to know:
- How many man-hours are spent by people reading/posting to SlashDot?
You gotta figure there's millions of hours spent by young smart programmer's minds reading this stuff instead of writing code. Think of all the great improvements that could have been made to the world's software if we hadn't been wasting time on this website!?
Maybe Slashdot can add some rough time-calculating scripts to slashcode for tracking user hours spent.
How About:
"Don't Break What You Can't Fix"
..
Thanks!
.gif and .swf image. Even saving the .fla file from Flash containing the text field with the source got erased from Norton. So I have that one as bitmap image only, which should suffice for the time being..
I got the source for the michaelango virus from that link.
The plain text source is benign, although the collection would feel cooler if all the CD's had the 'alive' executables that are just ready to jump off the disk and spread. Think of having a big collection of 'em and realizing how much money those innocent lines of code caused the world. Mega millons..
I then found the source for the I Love You virus using google. Norton did a good job because it wouldn't let me save it as any type of file, so I imported the text from the screen into a
hhmm..... maybe I can extend the idea to making sculpture pc's which can be killed dead with a flick of a switch to unleash the virii...
Any more links or ideas for a virus collection, post them here!
Hello all,
During my college days, I remember a friend telling me about somebody who's hobby was collection computer viruses. They had them all on a separate disk, labeled and displayed.
I thought that would be something cool to do. Maybe burn each of them on a CD-R and make a cool plexiglass lighted display for them.
Now I'm wondering the best way to go about collecting virii. Especially the classic ones like Michealango, as well as the latest infamous ones.
Anybody have ideas how to find them in a safe way? i.e. getting the source code, or a binary file which *won't* give me trouble when burning them on a cd? probably just raw text of the source would be fine...
Let me know!!
(bonus points if anybody can find resources on the man who had a similar collection)
Interesting photos shown on that link of the satellite itself
Funny, I've read that they used a tape measure for the antenna.
I had assumed that they used the same type of spring steel, and on the photos show on that link, it's actually a tape measure complete with the yellow paint and increment/number markings.
I would have thought they would have stripped off the paint or use the pure spring steel for a cleaner transmission...
Batteries are okay for keeping RAM persistant...
...until your battery gets disconnected!
RAM that never 'forgets' would be much better.
Think about what would happen when you need to change the battery on your computer without loosing the RAM? hmm.....
This would be so great for portable computers.
Imagine keeping a laptop/handheld with you wherever you go, but only having it on when you need it. You can instantly close the lid on it, shutting off it's power. This would preserve battery life to possibly many days at a time for a traveler. Then when you need to use the computer, just open the lid, and it's exactly where it was when you closed it.
Desktop computers would also be nice to instantly shut off and turn on at the same state, but the portable computer market seems much more useful, especially for conserving battery life.
I do agree driving your crates is the best thing when the option is available.
My larger, custom bubble fountians typically cost $300-$1500 to ship. That's a lot of money to pay to a trucking company, UPS, etc.
So my first choice on the larger fountains is just to load it in the back of my truck, and drive there. The savings of paying high shipping costs is usually enough to drive anywhere in the country, plus have a great time traveling.
Customers love it when you personally deliver high-ticket items instead of just having it arrive in a box.
I feel your pain...
I build and ship custom acrylic water bubble fountains. Imagine routed/shaped plexiglass the size of a coffin. UPS used to smash them occasionally (but were well in$ured), until I switched to making all boxes out of 1/2" plywood. Home Depot will cut a $6.99 sheet of plywood for about 25 cents. Just screw it together and you have an instant UPS-proof crate for dirt cheap. Rope handles are good, too, so they UPS guy can easily pick up the box instead of dragging/throwing/dropping it.
For better protection, spray paint the crate in really bright, catchy colors. I would use yellow/red/black/green/blue spray paint and paint swirls, spots, lines, outline corners and 12 inch tall letters saying FRAGILE. That way your package isn't 'just another box' to UPS. It's a box that really stands out to them and catches attention. Kinda like how poisonious tree frogs are brightly colored for their protection.
(Imagine a Beowolf closter of signature lines)
That happened to me too...
I had taught myself to program computers in the 4th grade and always thought I would be a programmer when I grew up.
Went to N.A.U. for CSE degree.
The summer between my sophomore and junior I went on a 100 day road trip, vagabond adventure style all around America.
Coming back to college after that made me dread sitting at a desk after all the traveling and free spirits.
I got burned out on CS, and then a bunch of amazing things happened. I was bored and built a water fountain in my dorm room. A really unique color changing optical illusion fountain. I liked it and so did my friends, so I started making more of them. Then I dropped out of school and started up a business of making acrylic bubble fountains. Didn't touch a computer for 2 years, except to make a website for my fountains www.Beyond7.com. I traveled around the country building custom bubble panels for stores, restaurants, galleries, homes, etc. I also got my own commercial shop/storefront. It was a ton of fun.
During that time I got a really great breaking from coding, and after 2 years I started getting some really great ideas for some internet start-up ventures. So I found an investor for my ideas and started coding again. It was great to code again, and I wasn't burned out this time. Mixing my time between coding and building bubble fountains helped keep me refreshed with both lines of work. When I got tired of coding at a desk, I'd go into my bubble fountain shop and use powertools: saws, drills, routers, acetlyene torches, and more. Then after a lot of hard shop work, I wouldn't mind sitting down at a desk to program for a while. Makes for a good balance.
http://www.devnull.net/nethack/
This one works!!
- Why spend the $$$ to get 'free applications' that I already have?
- Now you need to replace your old dos and 9x apps...
- You get IE 6, which is already free
- You get 'reduced desktop clutter' -- as if you can't clear your desktop already?
- 'bubbly buttons' - will that speed up my productivity?
Though I know there are things that have been improved over 2K, etc, I'll still wait a while. Need to make let a couple service packs hit first...>I believe SVG and Flash will coexist,
>they'll both have appications that they,
> are better suited for.
True - no single tool is every the best tool for every job.. Using what's suited for your goal is always the best choice!
>How many web-based Flash applications are
>there besides a few trivial Flash based games?
I've been developing a very powerful web-based graphic design application this year. Flash was on the only way I found that allowed all the flexibility and power I needed to maked it totally browser based. There are also more Flash apps emerging in the near future.
>You forgot to mention that these "apps"
>and their database integration is flaky at best.
>SVG is text based making server side generation
>of SVG with database data is trivial.
There are solid implementations of database driven flash out there, including the project i've been working on.
>Flash is binary, making changes difficult.
>To make a change to an SVG document just open
>it up with a text editor.
Good advantage for SVG, I admit.. Although if you have parts of an app you don't want revealed to the public, then binary is preferred.. (i'll get flamed for mentioning closed-source, but hey, it's true)
Macromedia welcomes anybody to create their own plugin, as their SWF specs are open.
This is allow ports to platforms like Palm and other handhelds, linux, or whatever device you are creating.
They require that it pass all the compatibility standards, to keep everything working.
Flash SWF format already has widespread installation... SVG has about 0%.
The SWF format is already open standard, letting Flash vector animation files be created by anybody who is willing to create a program for it. There are a number of such programs available, including several open source linux varieties...
Flash SWF also has very powerful Object Oriented programming features available with Actionscript. You can do amazing things with it, especially for custom applications.
Don't get me wrong, I think most of the Flash used currently is wasteful, annoying crap! But there are some really great applications of Flash that I have seen, and many more are emerging.
Have you ever tried to make dynamic web-based applications that run in a browser using javascript, java, DHTML, etc? Almost impossible to get anything that runs cross-browser/platform without writing multiple versions of it.. FLASH works great on Netscape, Explorer, Linux, PC, Mac, etc.
Flash already supports XML data transfer and when used in conjunction with a Database on the webserver, *powerful* apps emerge! For any application involving more than static text on a screen, Flash excels...
I didn't feel this way a few months ago, I just thought flash was annoying for animations... ..then when i looked into Flash to solve some web-based app problems I was having with cross-broswer DHTML, etc, I was convinced! Properly used Flash is great!
So why use another standard proposed as SVG when there is already a great vector graphic system available that has lots of features: O.O. scripting, XML, huge user base, cross-platform compatibility?
Lots of schools depend on donated computers.
Most donated computers are usually pre-used by businesses or indivuduals who have upgraded to faster machines...
therefore the schools get 3-7 year old boxes, which would be too slow to decently run Windows, but handle Linux nicely...
How about names like:
Probably just as important would be to have start-up turorials to get the kids familiar with the environment.
-speaking of kid distros, i remember talking to a teacher in charge of the computers at a school, and they said they needed to have all software programs approved by the school board, to ensure that there were no nasty pictures, foul language, or other possible politicly incorrect content.. they have a big problem watching out for lawsuits if the kiddies see offending stuff.
i've seen to see lots of error messages and other included packages that would have stuff that would get 'em banned...
the kid distros would need to be cleaned up for stuff like that...
I really hope they make sure that WORMS can't chew through the blimp material.
Zeppelin 2000 Professional is okay for small amounts of people and crew.
It is not recommended for mass transportation of many people for long distances...
Features include:
Of course, most of Slashdot would rather fly on Debian Derigibles - This new and exciting form of air transportation is recommended only for the aeronotical elite who prefer to build their own blimps. Using a network of peer-to-peer open source docking bays and home-built blips, you can get a hair-raising trip around the world for free!
Plus you'll be laughing at all of those paying outrages amounts of money for just a little spin in the air with NT.
All the need for patches is un-intentional...
The blimp started out being a little hot air ballon, and they kept expanding upon it to turn it into a full passenger carrying blimp.
As a result, the current blimp is a monster built over an old and tiny framework.
They should have built it all from Scratch
To avoid having to Patch
Sounds like trouble!!
Zeppelin NT?
Now we get the Blue Blimps of Death...
it'll crash even more now....
Does anybody have a source on the number of servers that the code red worm affected?
I'm curious what the numbers are, how many are left, along with ways of tracking them down...
isn't everything in the world solar powered?
if it wasn't for the sun, nothing would ever have been alive (dinosaurs), resulting in no fuels such as oil and gas...
indy 500 is just an indirect solar car race.