It's Jon Erikson again! Good try with your "people come first" junk, but since the hypothetical question specifically stated that only computer stuff was destroyed, I doubt you get many takers. --
Non-meta-modded "Overrated" mods are killing Slashdot
"...fries all microprocessors and scrambles the contents of all existing ROMs, disks, CD-ROMs, and any other machine-readable media in all computers. And the same fate falls on all high-tech manufacturing equipment."
Got it. All computers and related machines and materials are toast.
"What would we do differently if we didn't have fifty years worth of legacy systems to continue maintaining?"
THIS is your question?? What would we do differently?? A better question would be HOW. With no computers, try designing (let alone manufacturing) a chip.
Which is why my answer is: we'd be pretty much in the same boat. Things like high-level languages and XML are luxuries afforded by cheap, high-speed computing power. If we had to start over, we'd have to go back to a hardwired computer to design/build a "machine code" one, then use that to build a compiler, etc. It might take less time, but we'd still have to build all the same infrastructure that we build the first time around.
Remember a lot of the "new" technology around today was invented decades ago--but only now became cheap or popular. Computer people in the 50's weren't idiots--they just didn't have computers to help them. --
Non-meta-modded "Overrated" mods are killing Slashdot
Businesses make money by having a product or service. What is Slashdot's product?
News? No, that's submitted by readers. Plus, there's precious little actual NEWS here--a couple of big industry stories, a bunch of OS-specific stuff and all the rest is nanobots.
The editorial writeup? I include this only for the humor value.
The comment system? Sure, that's a product--but it's also a commodity. Hundreds of sites provide the same service....for free. Can't beat that with a stick.
No, your only product was a sense of community. I say "was" because there's precious little of that now. Some will blame this on the influx of trolls, but I point the causal arrow the other direction. The trolls are a symptom, not a cause. In any case, no one will pay for the sense of community--that's an oxymoron.
I was going to end this post with a comment about "so many other sites provide this stuff for free because of the owner's passion" but that will just degrade into a useless "Taco gotta eat" discussion. I'll just leave the above alone and let people try to find a flaw in the logic that, no matter how much they want or need to make money, they can't. --
Non-meta-modded "Overrated" mods are killing Slashdot
See, this is what it's all about. Start off completely rational ("ads pay for content"). Add a hidden premise ("ads are mandatory"). Then end up with a totally bizarre conclusion ("blocking ads is stealing") that just enough crazies believe in that they carry the discussion for you. Nice! --
Non-meta-modded "Overrated" mods are killing Slashdot
Any post that trolls a "more effective ads" story on/. is OK by me. --
Non-meta-modded "Overrated" mods are killing Slashdot
Uh-oh, Karma must be sinking fast!
on
Making PKI Work
·
· Score: 1
Quick, grab one of the old troll accounts and pump the karma up with some "helpful" link-quoting. --
Non-meta-modded "Overrated" mods are killing Slashdot
I was going to post something about how not even Stephenson thought of this first, but then another thought occurred to me. This may not work very well. Here's what triggered that thought:
"Let's say i look up a piece of code. if I do not understand something I can look it up, and heave the thing teach me, from first principles using anti-crypt methods if necessary, everything I need to know, starting with addition or even with basic literacy if necessary."
EVERYTHING? Consider a simple piece of (psuedo) code:
Get X from user
For i = 2 to sqrt(x) do
if x mod i = 0
print "composite"
end
print "prime"
end
Let's say you didn't understand this. What's the primer going to teach you first? How you get input from a user? What a square root is? A prime number? How a for loop works? There's just too many possibilities.
On the way "up" the chain of complexity it's easy: just show the aliens (or whoever) exactly what they'll need to know. But if you START with something complex and then need to answer arbtrary questions about it--that's a whole different ball game. --
Non-meta-modded "Overrated" mods are killing Slashdot
"SOMEWHERE it has to say what courses are required for which major, otherwise nobody would be able to graduate."
That's what I kept telling the registrar. Eventually I DID graduate, but it was a close thing.
--
Non-meta-modded "Overrated" mods are killing Slashdot
I tried doing this I don't know how many times. The course catalog was useless. The only accurate information was when it was held, everything else--topic, professor, location, applicable major--was variable.
However, your plan suggests an improvement. Find out the course load for both majors and then find students who've taken those classes and ask them what they actually did.
Better yet, just take those classes that are overlapped between the majors and decide later. --
Non-meta-modded "Overrated" mods are killing Slashdot
I didn't say you needed training to be a professional, I said you needed it to be good. There are plenty of non-good professionals out there. There's even the occasional untrained good programmer, those these are MUCH rarer. --
Non-meta-modded "Overrated" mods are killing Slashdot
Don't just learn C and Unix. Learn how to program without an IDE. Learn how to use a non-GUI workstation. Learn HTML. Time spend on fundamentals NOW is time saved on reinventing (or relearning) the wheel later.
Oh and to the people saying that you may be required to declare a major up front: Yes, I know. That's why I said "if you MUST". --
Non-meta-modded "Overrated" mods are killing Slashdot
Programming is, at worst, a "skilled labor" job. That means it requires training to be good. (Your carpentry comment just reveals you've never done any). History, on the other hand, is simple memorization or, at the most, some thought as well. You don't need a teacher to learn history, you just need a book.
By all means, you should go to a liberal arts college--knowing history is very very very important. But for gosh sakes don't MAJOR in it. --
Non-meta-modded "Overrated" mods are killing Slashdot
First, unless you absolutely must, don't declare a major. Just take required classes your first semester to get them out of the way. If the school is large enough, every class will be offered nearly every semester anyway so you'll be in no danger of falling behind.
Second, talk to your advisor. This is invaluable. They will be able to explain the your different options (or point you to someone who can).
Third, as a quick guide. If you are interested in "computers" take an intro class that covers a wide range of topics so you'll get a feel for what's available. Also talk to fellow students who have related majors.
If you are interested in "programming" just go ahead and start in on the Computer Science major and decide on a concentration later. I would very strongly warn you against some kind of vo-tech, "we'll teach you VB and send you out into the world" type of major. Take the full science path--it's definitely worth it. --
Non-meta-modded "Overrated" mods are killing Slashdot
"Its mission is to educate its members of the latest scams, but its $99 membership fee may make it an unpopular choice with so many similar services already available for free."
Like which ones? This would be neat--but only if they have sarcastic comments like Consumer Reports does. --
Non-meta-modded "Overrated" mods are killing Slashdot
Think up some totally nonsensical or obvious "fact". Dress it up in some fancy language that may or may not mean what it sounds like ("the opportunity cost of network construction", indeed) and put it in some short clear paragraphs. Genius. Much better than the Urban Existential persona--and much MUCH better than the completely obvious Heidi Wall. --
Non-meta-modded "Overrated" mods are killing Slashdot
Excellent excellent work. The entire post is perfectly believable and the illogical hook follows naturally. --
Non-meta-modded "Overrated" mods are killing Slashdot
Homer: So, they have solar sails powered by light now. --
Non-meta-modded "Overrated" mods are killing Slashdot
Re:Does no one here have respect for language?
on
Uplifting Dolphins
·
· Score: 2
"That apes and dolphins are capable of using language is not in question. "
Yes, it is. I know of no scientific study that shows that apes OR dolphins "understand" more than simple words ("ball" "round" "go" etc). Can you give pointers to scientists (not animal trainers like Koko's Penny Marshall) who have published controlled studies (not anecdotal, "I swear the cat knows what I'm saying" evidence) in peer-reviewed journals (not Time magazine)?
--
Non-meta-modded "Overrated" mods are killing Slashdot
I would define both autism and hearing disorders as "pathological". But even deaf children learn language--when in the company of OTHER deaf people.
I have no idea about your three year old because 1) you give no data and 2) I'm not a child language development expert. --
Non-meta-modded "Overrated" mods are killing Slashdot
Despite the fact the at least two well-known trolls (Reality Master 101 and Urban Existentialist--don't believe me about them being trolls? Read any 3 posts by each and then follow the link in my sig) have already voiced their support, I'm going to follow suit--kinda. That is, I don't *support* it but neither will I resist it.
Junkbuster and Mozilla's "don't load images from this site" seem to work just fine for me. Let the people who are too rock-stupid to use these methods pay for the Internet (just like those with poor math skills pay for education). --
Non-meta-modded "Overrated" mods are killing Slashdot
Re:Does no one here have respect for language?
on
Uplifting Dolphins
·
· Score: 2
"For instance, elephants, dolphins, and apes all definately communicate in some manner, this stuff *is* hardwired...but it simply isn't the verbal "language" we are accustomed to. They're not teaching dolphins to speak English, they are just piggy backing on the dolphin's natural communication methods, to try to communicate with them."
You seem to have a very impoverished view of human language. Fish in water, no doubt.
Language is more than vocabulary. There are rules for creating words: Darwin. Darwin-ian. Darwin-ism. Even simpler: One wug, two wugs. There are rules for displaying meaning through grammar: "Dog bites man." vs "Man bites dog." Recursiveness: Darwin-ian-ism-s. "Do you think that the person who dumped the bucket could be the brother of Mary who chipped his tooth?"
Delve deeper into English (or look superficially at some other languages) and you'll find even more interesting items.
Compare that to an ape screech indicating (maybe) "Danger!" --
Non-meta-modded "Overrated" mods are killing Slashdot
Pretty good one. Although the impact is a LOT less when you do what I do with suspected trolls: Read the first line, then the last paragraph. You went from super-conductors to "terrorists irradiating our cities". Too much too fast. You should have stopped with "needs to be kept hidden". --
Non-meta-modded "Overrated" mods are killing Slashdot
The content says "While this is still much colder than some ceramic superconductors (which have superconducting temperatures of around -113 C or 160 K)". So what's the title? "High-Temp Superconducting".
I'd make a comment about lowered stock prices forcing the crew to buy much cheaper crack, but the mod-bots apparently grep for the phrase "stock price" and auto-decrement. --
Non-meta-modded "Overrated" mods are killing Slashdot
I never go out drinking so liquor laws don't really affect me. But let's take something I do like: books. I don't scope out the library at my new location, I just move. If the nearest library is no good, check the next nearest--or a used bookstore, or whatever. School no good? Get on the school board and fix it. No good clubs? Grow up and stop wasting your time.
What's the saying? "An unreasonable man changes the environment to suit HIM." I'm unreasonable. --
Non-meta-modded "Overrated" mods are killing Slashdot
Slashdot Mirror
It's Jon Erikson again! Good try with your "people come first" junk, but since the hypothetical question specifically stated that only computer stuff was destroyed, I doubt you get many takers.
--
Non-meta-modded "Overrated" mods are killing Slashdot
"...fries all microprocessors and scrambles the contents of all existing ROMs, disks, CD-ROMs, and any other machine-readable media in all computers. And the same fate falls on all high-tech manufacturing equipment."
Got it. All computers and related machines and materials are toast.
"What would we do differently if we didn't have fifty years worth of legacy systems to continue maintaining?"
THIS is your question?? What would we do differently?? A better question would be HOW. With no computers, try designing (let alone manufacturing) a chip.
Which is why my answer is: we'd be pretty much in the same boat. Things like high-level languages and XML are luxuries afforded by cheap, high-speed computing power. If we had to start over, we'd have to go back to a hardwired computer to design/build a "machine code" one, then use that to build a compiler, etc. It might take less time, but we'd still have to build all the same infrastructure that we build the first time around.
Remember a lot of the "new" technology around today was invented decades ago--but only now became cheap or popular. Computer people in the 50's weren't idiots--they just didn't have computers to help them.
--
Non-meta-modded "Overrated" mods are killing Slashdot
Businesses make money by having a product or service. What is Slashdot's product?
News? No, that's submitted by readers. Plus, there's precious little actual NEWS here--a couple of big industry stories, a bunch of OS-specific stuff and all the rest is nanobots.
The editorial writeup? I include this only for the humor value.
The comment system? Sure, that's a product--but it's also a commodity. Hundreds of sites provide the same service....for free. Can't beat that with a stick.
No, your only product was a sense of community. I say "was" because there's precious little of that now. Some will blame this on the influx of trolls, but I point the causal arrow the other direction. The trolls are a symptom, not a cause. In any case, no one will pay for the sense of community--that's an oxymoron.
I was going to end this post with a comment about "so many other sites provide this stuff for free because of the owner's passion" but that will just degrade into a useless "Taco gotta eat" discussion. I'll just leave the above alone and let people try to find a flaw in the logic that, no matter how much they want or need to make money, they can't.
--
Non-meta-modded "Overrated" mods are killing Slashdot
See, this is what it's all about. Start off completely rational ("ads pay for content"). Add a hidden premise ("ads are mandatory"). Then end up with a totally bizarre conclusion ("blocking ads is stealing") that just enough crazies believe in that they carry the discussion for you. Nice!
--
Non-meta-modded "Overrated" mods are killing Slashdot
Any post that trolls a "more effective ads" story on /. is OK by me.
--
Non-meta-modded "Overrated" mods are killing Slashdot
Quick, grab one of the old troll accounts and pump the karma up with some "helpful" link-quoting.
--
Non-meta-modded "Overrated" mods are killing Slashdot
I was going to post something about how not even Stephenson thought of this first, but then another thought occurred to me. This may not work very well. Here's what triggered that thought:
"Let's say i look up a piece of code. if I do not understand something I can look it up, and heave the thing teach me, from first principles using anti-crypt methods if necessary, everything I need to know, starting with addition or even with basic literacy if necessary."
EVERYTHING? Consider a simple piece of (psuedo) code:
Get X from user
For i = 2 to sqrt(x) do
if x mod i = 0
print "composite"
end
print "prime"
end
Let's say you didn't understand this. What's the primer going to teach you first? How you get input from a user? What a square root is? A prime number? How a for loop works? There's just too many possibilities.
On the way "up" the chain of complexity it's easy: just show the aliens (or whoever) exactly what they'll need to know. But if you START with something complex and then need to answer arbtrary questions about it--that's a whole different ball game.
--
Non-meta-modded "Overrated" mods are killing Slashdot
"SOMEWHERE it has to say what courses are required for which major, otherwise nobody would be able to graduate."
That's what I kept telling the registrar. Eventually I DID graduate, but it was a close thing.
--
Non-meta-modded "Overrated" mods are killing Slashdot
I tried doing this I don't know how many times. The course catalog was useless. The only accurate information was when it was held, everything else--topic, professor, location, applicable major--was variable.
However, your plan suggests an improvement. Find out the course load for both majors and then find students who've taken those classes and ask them what they actually did.
Better yet, just take those classes that are overlapped between the majors and decide later.
--
Non-meta-modded "Overrated" mods are killing Slashdot
I didn't say you needed training to be a professional, I said you needed it to be good. There are plenty of non-good professionals out there. There's even the occasional untrained good programmer, those these are MUCH rarer.
--
Non-meta-modded "Overrated" mods are killing Slashdot
Don't just learn C and Unix. Learn how to program without an IDE. Learn how to use a non-GUI workstation. Learn HTML. Time spend on fundamentals NOW is time saved on reinventing (or relearning) the wheel later.
Oh and to the people saying that you may be required to declare a major up front: Yes, I know. That's why I said "if you MUST".
--
Non-meta-modded "Overrated" mods are killing Slashdot
Programming is, at worst, a "skilled labor" job. That means it requires training to be good. (Your carpentry comment just reveals you've never done any). History, on the other hand, is simple memorization or, at the most, some thought as well. You don't need a teacher to learn history, you just need a book.
By all means, you should go to a liberal arts college--knowing history is very very very important. But for gosh sakes don't MAJOR in it.
--
Non-meta-modded "Overrated" mods are killing Slashdot
First, unless you absolutely must, don't declare a major. Just take required classes your first semester to get them out of the way. If the school is large enough, every class will be offered nearly every semester anyway so you'll be in no danger of falling behind.
Second, talk to your advisor. This is invaluable. They will be able to explain the your different options (or point you to someone who can).
Third, as a quick guide. If you are interested in "computers" take an intro class that covers a wide range of topics so you'll get a feel for what's available. Also talk to fellow students who have related majors.
If you are interested in "programming" just go ahead and start in on the Computer Science major and decide on a concentration later. I would very strongly warn you against some kind of vo-tech, "we'll teach you VB and send you out into the world" type of major. Take the full science path--it's definitely worth it.
--
Non-meta-modded "Overrated" mods are killing Slashdot
Unfortunately your quality has suffered. This is just pathetic.
--
Non-meta-modded "Overrated" mods are killing Slashdot
"Its mission is to educate its members of the latest scams, but its $99 membership fee may make it an unpopular choice with so many similar services already available for free."
Like which ones? This would be neat--but only if they have sarcastic comments like Consumer Reports does.
--
Non-meta-modded "Overrated" mods are killing Slashdot
Think up some totally nonsensical or obvious "fact". Dress it up in some fancy language that may or may not mean what it sounds like ("the opportunity cost of network construction", indeed) and put it in some short clear paragraphs. Genius. Much better than the Urban Existential persona--and much MUCH better than the completely obvious Heidi Wall.
--
Non-meta-modded "Overrated" mods are killing Slashdot
"...we should keep space in its pristine purity."
Excellent excellent work. The entire post is perfectly believable and the illogical hook follows naturally.
--
Non-meta-modded "Overrated" mods are killing Slashdot
"...Solar Sail powered by light."
Homer: So, they have solar sails powered by light now.
--
Non-meta-modded "Overrated" mods are killing Slashdot
"That apes and dolphins are capable of using language is not in question. "
Yes, it is. I know of no scientific study that shows that apes OR dolphins "understand" more than simple words ("ball" "round" "go" etc). Can you give pointers to scientists (not animal trainers like Koko's Penny Marshall) who have published controlled studies (not anecdotal, "I swear the cat knows what I'm saying" evidence) in peer-reviewed journals (not Time magazine)?
--
Non-meta-modded "Overrated" mods are killing Slashdot
I would define both autism and hearing disorders as "pathological". But even deaf children learn language--when in the company of OTHER deaf people.
I have no idea about your three year old because 1) you give no data and 2) I'm not a child language development expert.
--
Non-meta-modded "Overrated" mods are killing Slashdot
Despite the fact the at least two well-known trolls (Reality Master 101 and Urban Existentialist--don't believe me about them being trolls? Read any 3 posts by each and then follow the link in my sig) have already voiced their support, I'm going to follow suit--kinda. That is, I don't *support* it but neither will I resist it.
Junkbuster and Mozilla's "don't load images from this site" seem to work just fine for me. Let the people who are too rock-stupid to use these methods pay for the Internet (just like those with poor math skills pay for education).
--
Non-meta-modded "Overrated" mods are killing Slashdot
"For instance, elephants, dolphins, and apes all definately communicate in some manner, this stuff *is* hardwired...but it simply isn't the verbal "language" we are accustomed to. They're not teaching dolphins to speak English, they are just piggy backing on the dolphin's natural communication methods, to try to communicate with them."
You seem to have a very impoverished view of human language. Fish in water, no doubt.
Language is more than vocabulary. There are rules for creating words: Darwin. Darwin-ian. Darwin-ism. Even simpler: One wug, two wugs. There are rules for displaying meaning through grammar: "Dog bites man." vs "Man bites dog." Recursiveness: Darwin-ian-ism-s. "Do you think that the person who dumped the bucket could be the brother of Mary who chipped his tooth?"
Delve deeper into English (or look superficially at some other languages) and you'll find even more interesting items.
Compare that to an ape screech indicating (maybe) "Danger!"
--
Non-meta-modded "Overrated" mods are killing Slashdot
Pretty good one. Although the impact is a LOT less when you do what I do with suspected trolls: Read the first line, then the last paragraph. You went from super-conductors to "terrorists irradiating our cities". Too much too fast. You should have stopped with "needs to be kept hidden".
--
Non-meta-modded "Overrated" mods are killing Slashdot
The content says "While this is still much colder than some ceramic superconductors (which have superconducting temperatures of around -113 C or 160 K)". So what's the title? "High-Temp Superconducting".
I'd make a comment about lowered stock prices forcing the crew to buy much cheaper crack, but the mod-bots apparently grep for the phrase "stock price" and auto-decrement.
--
Non-meta-modded "Overrated" mods are killing Slashdot
I never go out drinking so liquor laws don't really affect me. But let's take something I do like: books. I don't scope out the library at my new location, I just move. If the nearest library is no good, check the next nearest--or a used bookstore, or whatever. School no good? Get on the school board and fix it. No good clubs? Grow up and stop wasting your time.
What's the saying? "An unreasonable man changes the environment to suit HIM." I'm unreasonable.
--
Non-meta-modded "Overrated" mods are killing Slashdot