I've been doing C++ on and off (mostly on) for 20 years. I'm on the fence about whether or not it's great. I definitely like it, and I think the right subset of C++ is great, but the right subset changes over time (e.g., you couldn't have paid me to use templates and STL 12 years ago), but now I couldn't live without them, and it definitely changes for different people.
In fact, it really is the language's problem. C++ in its entirety is just too complex, and therefore, depending on the code, it can be way too hard to deal with. Of course, Java is a much simpler language and you can hardly do a Google search without seeing someone complain about how so much Java code is like dealing with the Soviet bureaucracy (an accurate description in my experience). I guess C++ makes good developers better and bad developers worse... and that is because of the language.
My language of choice these days would be Python and if I do anything for fun, it's with Python. I think Python is a far more elegant language, as well as simpler than C++, but doesn't lack the ability to be really expressive, usually with much less code. There are obviously issues with Python, too, it's not my intention to start a flame war, but as much as I like C++, I think a lot of its problems _are_ the fault of the language.
"Automated unit tests"... I thought those were just a myth. Are you sure you're in the Real World?
And don't get me started on "enterprise" software. I've almost never seen "enterprise" software that was worth the disk space it took up. We can complain all day about how bad Windows or Office, etc., is but compared to "enterprise" software, those products are amazingly good and user-friendly.
You can say what you want about Abrams' ability to make exciting action set pieces. He's got a lot of technical and artistic skill in that area. I think there's a lot of good that can be defended about the casting and art direction of the new "Star Trek" movies (disclaimer: I've only seen clips of "Khan Lite"). I would even go so far as to praise some of the changes that came out of the "reboot" aspect of altering the timeline.
But the plots were absolutely and utterly incoherent. Then again, this is true for most action movies nowadays. I'm not talking about "Oh, there's a plot hole", but more along the lines of "Nothing that happens makes any sense, other than to be a thin substrate linking interchangeable action scenes."
For too many software development companies, "alpha" now means, "Hop on board now because this is the next new hotness, and you can be one of the cool kids." "Beta" now means, "We're bored with this and have moved on to something else."
But, wait, didn't Adobe develop... oh, yeah, that's awful. But what about...? No, you're right, it's a usability nightmare. But you have to admit... no, wait you don't.
I give up. You're right. Adobe has all of the arrogance and user-hostility of Microsoft, but without the smart people that you can actually find at Microsoft.
A build a day isn't so bad when everything you are using is fully and truly documented (with source). Nowadays, a lot of debugging involves figuring out what the libraries (and sometimes the OS) are actually doing that isn't documented so you can work around them.
I took a Fortran class at Virginia Tech in 1983 that used punch cards. And you couldn't run your own jobs, so it was literally the same as "one compile a day" described in the article. Drop off your deck and come back the next morning to find you had a syntax error on card 2...
It was especially depressing since I'd been writing BASIC on an Apple ][ for years. It was probably one of the last classes that used punch cards.
True, but when it comes to markets where Microsoft's monopoly couldn't help so much, phones and tablets, they aren't doing so well. Those markets show what happens when there's a more level playing field and Microsoft's market share is negligible in the mobile market. It might not stay that way, but they are currently way behind Apple, Google and others. That could not have happened in the PC world in the last 20 years.
And if we had good public education in this country that would be a good plan. The problem is that by Federalizing the education system, we've only been spreading the pain... and most large inner cities still have third-world level education systems. Mississippi brags at least they aren't Louisiana and Louisiana still brags at least they aren't Mississippi. A majority of the public still believes in astrology. To listen to a lot of people the country's leading biochemist is Jenny McCarthy. And the average voter can't explain how our government works at a 6th grade Civics class level.
The voucher system at least offers the potential for competition, something that doesn't exist today at the primary or secondary levels unless you are in the top 5-10% income bracket and can afford private school.
I'd make a snide comment about kids these days, but some 3- or 4-digit UID is going to just put me in my place.
That sad thing about the whole "public interface" issue is that the damage was irrevocably done long before Windows 95 was made. By 1995, Microsoft had so cemented their dominance that no remediation by the courts would have made a difference... and of course, the courts and the DoJ ended up letting them off with a slap on the wrist.
Maybe they are resigned to the idea that there's not much we can do about the oligarchy. Despite what a lot of people seem to have thought a few years ago, it's as bad now as it's ever been and only getting worse. If anyone thinks switching between the Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum parties is going to make a difference, then I suggest they are not casting educated votes.
I understand how the boycott is supposed to work and what changes its exercise would hopefully effect. My question is whether its appropriate to target a company for the private actions of the CEO. What if the boycott were so successful that Mozilla were to go out of business? I know that's to far-fetched to ever happen, but it's conceivable. Would it still be an appropriate step to take? What if the CEO resigns as a result of the boycott, but the company were harmed to the point it couldn't recover? How do answer an employee who has lost his job? Do you really want to live in a world where you are held morally responsible for the private actions of your boss? I sure don't.
Slashdot Mirror
I've been doing C++ on and off (mostly on) for 20 years. I'm on the fence about whether or not it's great. I definitely like it, and I think the right subset of C++ is great, but the right subset changes over time (e.g., you couldn't have paid me to use templates and STL 12 years ago), but now I couldn't live without them, and it definitely changes for different people.
In fact, it really is the language's problem. C++ in its entirety is just too complex, and therefore, depending on the code, it can be way too hard to deal with. Of course, Java is a much simpler language and you can hardly do a Google search without seeing someone complain about how so much Java code is like dealing with the Soviet bureaucracy (an accurate description in my experience). I guess C++ makes good developers better and bad developers worse... and that is because of the language.
My language of choice these days would be Python and if I do anything for fun, it's with Python. I think Python is a far more elegant language, as well as simpler than C++, but doesn't lack the ability to be really expressive, usually with much less code. There are obviously issues with Python, too, it's not my intention to start a flame war, but as much as I like C++, I think a lot of its problems _are_ the fault of the language.
> Misplace a semicolon in a non-trivial meta-program or dsl in C++
Well, I see one obvious problem here...
Programming is math, I agree. But doing anything productive with code someone else has written is most definitely an art.
Science, industry - or is it really an art?
I've been doing it for more than 25 years... I consider it a vice.
"Automated unit tests"... I thought those were just a myth. Are you sure you're in the Real World?
And don't get me started on "enterprise" software. I've almost never seen "enterprise" software that was worth the disk space it took up. We can complain all day about how bad Windows or Office, etc., is but compared to "enterprise" software, those products are amazingly good and user-friendly.
I can assure you that when "Star Wars" was first shown in theaters, there was no mention of "Episode IV". That was a later addition.
Yes, because streaming music into your car sound system will instantly kill you.
You can say what you want about Abrams' ability to make exciting action set pieces. He's got a lot of technical and artistic skill in that area. I think there's a lot of good that can be defended about the casting and art direction of the new "Star Trek" movies (disclaimer: I've only seen clips of "Khan Lite"). I would even go so far as to praise some of the changes that came out of the "reboot" aspect of altering the timeline.
But the plots were absolutely and utterly incoherent. Then again, this is true for most action movies nowadays. I'm not talking about "Oh, there's a plot hole", but more along the lines of "Nothing that happens makes any sense, other than to be a thin substrate linking interchangeable action scenes."
That "Episode IV" stuff was put in after the fact. Years after the movie was first released.
4,294,967,296 Internets to you sir! That's all the internets!
You know, with IPv6, you get 340,282,366,920,938,463,463,374,607,431,768,211,456 internets.
Some things die so slowly it seems you have to literally wait for the actual users to die. IE6 is one of those things. Flash is another.
For too many software development companies, "alpha" now means, "Hop on board now because this is the next new hotness, and you can be one of the cool kids." "Beta" now means, "We're bored with this and have moved on to something else."
Nobody ever finishes anything any more.
But, wait, didn't Adobe develop... oh, yeah, that's awful. But what about...? No, you're right, it's a usability nightmare. But you have to admit... no, wait you don't.
I give up. You're right. Adobe has all of the arrogance and user-hostility of Microsoft, but without the smart people that you can actually find at Microsoft.
Oh, Dijkstra was right about BASIC, but a lot of us managed to recover.
A build a day isn't so bad when everything you are using is fully and truly documented (with source). Nowadays, a lot of debugging involves figuring out what the libraries (and sometimes the OS) are actually doing that isn't documented so you can work around them.
Or as a physic professor I had at Virginia Tech joked... you couldn't pull out a pen knife and edit your code while stuck at a traffic light.
I took a Fortran class at Virginia Tech in 1983 that used punch cards. And you couldn't run your own jobs, so it was literally the same as "one compile a day" described in the article. Drop off your deck and come back the next morning to find you had a syntax error on card 2...
It was especially depressing since I'd been writing BASIC on an Apple ][ for years. It was probably one of the last classes that used punch cards.
We won't get fooled again
Recent election results point to the contrary, unless I missed how Obama and the Democrats are really sticking it to big business.
True, but when it comes to markets where Microsoft's monopoly couldn't help so much, phones and tablets, they aren't doing so well. Those markets show what happens when there's a more level playing field and Microsoft's market share is negligible in the mobile market. It might not stay that way, but they are currently way behind Apple, Google and others. That could not have happened in the PC world in the last 20 years.
And if we had good public education in this country that would be a good plan. The problem is that by Federalizing the education system, we've only been spreading the pain... and most large inner cities still have third-world level education systems. Mississippi brags at least they aren't Louisiana and Louisiana still brags at least they aren't Mississippi. A majority of the public still believes in astrology. To listen to a lot of people the country's leading biochemist is Jenny McCarthy. And the average voter can't explain how our government works at a 6th grade Civics class level.
The voucher system at least offers the potential for competition, something that doesn't exist today at the primary or secondary levels unless you are in the top 5-10% income bracket and can afford private school.
I'd make a snide comment about kids these days, but some 3- or 4-digit UID is going to just put me in my place.
That sad thing about the whole "public interface" issue is that the damage was irrevocably done long before Windows 95 was made. By 1995, Microsoft had so cemented their dominance that no remediation by the courts would have made a difference... and of course, the courts and the DoJ ended up letting them off with a slap on the wrist.
On Slashdot, all accusations against government officials are deemed to be true. Evidence is not required.
Yeah, but they pretty much are... oh, wait, I see what you did there.
It doesn't have to be. It shouldn't be, but I'm afraid you're right.
Maybe they are resigned to the idea that there's not much we can do about the oligarchy. Despite what a lot of people seem to have thought a few years ago, it's as bad now as it's ever been and only getting worse. If anyone thinks switching between the Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum parties is going to make a difference, then I suggest they are not casting educated votes.
I understand how the boycott is supposed to work and what changes its exercise would hopefully effect. My question is whether its appropriate to target a company for the private actions of the CEO. What if the boycott were so successful that Mozilla were to go out of business? I know that's to far-fetched to ever happen, but it's conceivable. Would it still be an appropriate step to take? What if the CEO resigns as a result of the boycott, but the company were harmed to the point it couldn't recover? How do answer an employee who has lost his job? Do you really want to live in a world where you are held morally responsible for the private actions of your boss? I sure don't.