Hotmail and all "Live" services lock you in by not allowing you to forward email. This prevents you from migrating your Microsoft address. I have encountered this issue numerous times when organizations start up with Hotmail addresses, then need to a better system. They need to continue logging in to Hotmail for years until they are sure that the published Hotmail address is no longer being used.
Every other major free mail service supports mail forwarded. I strongly recommend against ANY organization or person using Microsoft mail services because of this. You will be stuck!
Newt Gingrich may be many things, good and bad, but "utterly clueless" he is not. I doubt the poster has 1/10 of the knowledge about either world history or our constitution that Gingrich has. You may not agree with him, but anything Gingrich says should be taken seriously - Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity he is not.
It's all comes down manufacturing costs. Everything is bid out to the lowest cost manufacturer that can meet requirements. Products are now made to spec and no better; flimsy motors, gears, glue, etc. are used where they will pass quality tests, but won't last for 20 years like the old stuff. The specs have lowered standards as well to control costs. My mother still uses the Kitchen Aid blender she used 30 years ago when I was a kid - imagine that today; the idea is laughable.
On the other hand, all that manufacturing price pressure quickly ends up leading to cheaper consumer prices when competition copies also substitutes cheaper parts. Now you can buy a blender for $10 instead of $150, even if the motor will burn out after six months and the blades will be dull and warped the first time you give it something challenging.
If you want quality, you can generally still get it buy buying the "industrial" models at a higher cost. That won't work on mobiles, but who cares - do you really want that old Nokia from 1995 to still work - the network probably wouldn't even support it anymore. Any industry where people upgrade every 2-5 years doesn't need to make 20 year products.
With so many engineers, you'd think they'd have a few to spare whom they could assign to writing unit tests. Microsoft seems to push these releases out after an all hands call to "try it out" rather than any comprehensive testing.
Flourescent lights blink rapidly and give me a headache. They make me I feel like I'm in a WalMart or a hospital. Everyone in China uses them and they drive me f'ing CRAZY. When I remodelled a place there they kept trying to push them on me - NO WAY! Future of humanity be damned, I'll stick with incandescent, halogen, and my sanity.
I'm not sure if everyone can notice or not, but these lights blink like a TV and cause your cerebral cortex to resonate and melt. It's a fact. Look it up.
Don't get me wrong, AJAX has greatly improved web applications.
But how sad is it that we've finally approached some level of responsiveness and interactivity in web applications through the desperate accumulation of hacks, when there are many great technologies and languages out there that could accomplish the same thing in a reasonably well designed environment. At this advanced stage of modern languages and development practices, we have resorted to hacking an ill-conceived scripting language on top of a bloated layout language to become the standard of client/server interaction.
Here we have the developers and users just drooling over being able to click on a button and get an instant response. And it takes this giant hack to get there. Does this cause anyone else to let out a big sigh?
There is obviously nothing new about what AJAX does, only the widespread platform on which it can easily run and the free as in speech nature of the technology. Other than that, it sucks donkey balls. There is nothing inherently good about the AJAX way of doing things.
This is old, but I just read it and you are not correct.
long SomeFunction(): long x = SomeFunction();
The "long" is redundant. You can replace it with the generic "var".
void SomeFunction(long x); long y = 1234; SomeFunction((long)y);
The long cast is redundant. You can get rid of it, thus implying the type, and as you said, "If you want to add it because you think it makes your code more readable, then that's allowed, but the compiler doesn't need it."
It's EXACTLY the same.
I live in Shanghai. Tor and Privoxy have been a godsend. If only it had one-click setup (instead of coming with instructions for fixing the config files) it might be widely used.
"No one may make use of religion to engage in activities that disrupt public order, impair the health of citizens or interfere with the educational system of the state."
Indeed, Falun Gong blockaded Tiananmen Square and made demands on the government. That is disruption of the public order. Whether or not you agree with the law, the Chinese in this (rare) instance are within their rights to persecute FG. Torture is another matter though.
Criticizing the government of China for its human rights record is entirely different from buying products or trading with China. We buy oil from Saudi Arabia, but does that mean we can't criticize their treatment of women? Just because you love and feed your children, does that mean you can't criticize their smoking habits? Just because we engage them doesn't mean we have to accept them fully. You may argue that we shouldn't trade with them, but that's an entirely different subject.
Having and continuing to live in China for 2 years, and having spent significant time in the countryside, I can tell you that your comments about poverty are misguided at best. Indeed, many towns are 50 years behind in infrastructure and lack plumming (almost all have electricity). However, mankind lived for millions of years without plumming. It is not a basic necessity and no one living in those villages gives a sh1t, pardon the pun. They sh1t in buckets and feed the shit to their pigs or use it for fertilizer, as they did for thousands of years before. Just because they don't live like you doesn't mean they need to be rescued. Most are perfectly happy with their village lives, and all of them have plenty to eat. Calculating poverty by converting currencies on irrelevent international exchange rates or by looking at factors such as electricity and plumbing is foolish. Poverty is a lack of basic material needs - food, shelter, water. Plumbing, internet connections, electric light, and ergonomic chairs are not necessary for human susistence or happiness.
And for those in the cities, they DO care about which sites they can access. Your "having been to China" and chatted with English students at the local pub does not qualify you to say this. Why would the Chinese government be in a constant panic to block all these sites if the Chinese weren't discussing prohibited topics or trying to read prohibited sites? Why would there be thousands of riots across China every month if the Chinese were not politically aware?
The criticism of the example name of SomeFunction notwithstanding, you raise a valid point
If there is a benefit to this, it is because when you decide to change your database id from an int to a long, you don't need to change every reference to an id. In fact, Java does have implied types just like this. It just doesn't work in nearly as many cases.
For example, if SomeFunction returns an int and SomeOtherFunction takes an int as a parameter.
In Java, you can do this:
SomeOtherFunction(SomeFunction());
The type is "implied". But god forbid you want to use the return value of SomeFunction() before passing into SomeOtherFunction(). Now you have to declare the type:
int i = SomeFunction(); i++ SomeOtherFunction(i);
Now lets say you want to change your whole system to use longs. In Java (assuming this stuff is scattered all over your code) ugh.... In C#, it's trivial.
Implied types are not for convenience of not typing the actual type on declaration. It is to allow for better flexibility and mutibility.
Using different passwords everywhere my help, but not that much. There is only one password someone needs to get access to most of your accounts: your email - and they may not even need that. Most emails passwords are sent in plaintext and can be sniffed on the network or keyboard.
Just about every bank, brokerage, etc. site will email you a password or password change/reset URL if you "forgot" your password. If someone has access to your email - or the network your email is delivered to - you're easily toast.
Those of you using webmail and checking it from an internet cafe on Soi Cowboy, take note.
This is really a response to all the ranting against Starbucks.
While there may be some image benefit to going to Starbucks for some people, I - and most people I know - continue to go back because they *consistently* offer an excellent, strong cup of coffee. The key word is "consistently" - it is rare to find a local shop that can do that. They also make a damn good latte - and not like you're thinking - I hate flavoured coffees and syrup.
Personally, I always try to go local, since I like character, I like people, and I like supporting both of these things locally. But just like I'm not going to buy a Ford just because it's American, I'm not going to pay for shitty coffee just to satisfy any remaining adolescent, jealousy-born resentment of successful companies. I almost never find a local coffee shop with good coffee. Sorry.
All of the above is especially true for heavy travellers. When I live in one place, I often eventually find a place with superior product and atmosphere, but it ain't easy.
The bottom line is, people go back because the product is good (even if not the best), and people always know they'll get what they expect and pay for. This is absolutely not a Microsoft case of a well marketed, inferior product. There are many choices - and no lock-in - for coffee, yet people choose Starbucks, even if they are a bit ashamed at the choice as am I.
I live in Shanghai. Google Cache and Google Groups are both blocked from anywhere in China (except oddly through China Mobile GPRS.)
This can be quite annoying, particuliarly when a site is down or I don't want to load a.doc file. Being unable to research with Google Groups is also a problem since I work in technology.
It is true that SOME provisions of the Patriot Act are limited to acts of domestic terrorism, and that the definition of domestic terrorism is limited to illegal acts that endanger human life.
Well, think about that for a second. How limiting is it?
If I go 46mph in a 45 zone on the way to an anti-war rally, might that qualify? Illegal, threatens human life, must be terrorism.
When picking apart a law, you must look at the possibility for abuse, assuming a less altruistic [cough] attorny general takes over.
I'd have to disagree. As a former coder who is now a VP, I can say that I understand the need for offices. VPs very frequently discuss sensitive information that just can't be discussed in cube - e.g. who to fire, who to hire, whether to close the office down, why the ceo needs to be fired, who fucked up when. While the coders can go on about that kind of stuff any time they want, when a VP talks about it, people listen, often misunderstand or draw incorrect conclusions. We consider closing our office on occasion, but no one should EVER hear about that if the decision is negative.
I won't comment on whether coders need offices. I preferred being able to shout questions over the wall, or the occasional beer in the cube isle. On the other hand, by the time I left my company, I was annoyed by enough people and had enough phone calls to make (about my next job) that an office would have been nice.
Unfortunately, I doubt many "legistators" read/. Who's going to stand up for Linux and open-source so that open-source doesn't suddenly get "commies" stamped all over it and become the new evil buzzword tossed around on capital hill?
I can see it now. Election 2004.
"Al Gore, are you or have you ever been a member of the Free Software Foundation?"
Slashdot Mirror
Hotmail and all "Live" services lock you in by not allowing you to forward email. This prevents you from migrating your Microsoft address. I have encountered this issue numerous times when organizations start up with Hotmail addresses, then need to a better system. They need to continue logging in to Hotmail for years until they are sure that the published Hotmail address is no longer being used.
Every other major free mail service supports mail forwarded. I strongly recommend against ANY organization or person using Microsoft mail services because of this. You will be stuck!
Newt Gingrich may be many things, good and bad, but "utterly clueless" he is not. I doubt the poster has 1/10 of the knowledge about either world history or our constitution that Gingrich has. You may not agree with him, but anything Gingrich says should be taken seriously - Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity he is not.
It's all comes down manufacturing costs. Everything is bid out to the lowest cost manufacturer that can meet requirements. Products are now made to spec and no better; flimsy motors, gears, glue, etc. are used where they will pass quality tests, but won't last for 20 years like the old stuff. The specs have lowered standards as well to control costs. My mother still uses the Kitchen Aid blender she used 30 years ago when I was a kid - imagine that today; the idea is laughable.
On the other hand, all that manufacturing price pressure quickly ends up leading to cheaper consumer prices when competition copies also substitutes cheaper parts. Now you can buy a blender for $10 instead of $150, even if the motor will burn out after six months and the blades will be dull and warped the first time you give it something challenging.
If you want quality, you can generally still get it buy buying the "industrial" models at a higher cost. That won't work on mobiles, but who cares - do you really want that old Nokia from 1995 to still work - the network probably wouldn't even support it anymore. Any industry where people upgrade every 2-5 years doesn't need to make 20 year products.
Harrumph! Definitive proof!
China does not block access to Slashdot, at least from Shanghai. There seem to be more restrictions in the provinces.
With so many engineers, you'd think they'd have a few to spare whom they could assign to writing unit tests. Microsoft seems to push these releases out after an all hands call to "try it out" rather than any comprehensive testing.
Flourescent lights blink rapidly and give me a headache. They make me I feel like I'm in a WalMart or a hospital. Everyone in China uses them and they drive me f'ing CRAZY. When I remodelled a place there they kept trying to push them on me - NO WAY! Future of humanity be damned, I'll stick with incandescent, halogen, and my sanity.
I'm not sure if everyone can notice or not, but these lights blink like a TV and cause your cerebral cortex to resonate and melt. It's a fact. Look it up.
Indeed I can confirm: Also broken in MSIE 6.0.
Don't get me wrong, AJAX has greatly improved web applications.
But how sad is it that we've finally approached some level of responsiveness and interactivity in web applications through the desperate accumulation of hacks, when there are many great technologies and languages out there that could accomplish the same thing in a reasonably well designed environment. At this advanced stage of modern languages and development practices, we have resorted to hacking an ill-conceived scripting language on top of a bloated layout language to become the standard of client/server interaction.
Here we have the developers and users just drooling over being able to click on a button and get an instant response. And it takes this giant hack to get there. Does this cause anyone else to let out a big sigh?
There is obviously nothing new about what AJAX does, only the widespread platform on which it can easily run and the free as in speech nature of the technology. Other than that, it sucks donkey balls. There is nothing inherently good about the AJAX way of doing things.
I live in Shanghai. Tor and Privoxy have been a godsend. If only it had one-click setup (instead of coming with instructions for fixing the config files) it might be widely used.
"No one may make use of religion to engage in activities that disrupt public order, impair the health of citizens or interfere with the educational system of the state."
Indeed, Falun Gong blockaded Tiananmen Square and made demands on the government. That is disruption of the public order. Whether or not you agree with the law, the Chinese in this (rare) instance are within their rights to persecute FG. Torture is another matter though.
Criticizing the government of China for its human rights record is entirely different from buying products or trading with China. We buy oil from Saudi Arabia, but does that mean we can't criticize their treatment of women? Just because you love and feed your children, does that mean you can't criticize their smoking habits? Just because we engage them doesn't mean we have to accept them fully. You may argue that we shouldn't trade with them, but that's an entirely different subject.
Having and continuing to live in China for 2 years, and having spent significant time in the countryside, I can tell you that your comments about poverty are misguided at best. Indeed, many towns are 50 years behind in infrastructure and lack plumming (almost all have electricity). However, mankind lived for millions of years without plumming. It is not a basic necessity and no one living in those villages gives a sh1t, pardon the pun. They sh1t in buckets and feed the shit to their pigs or use it for fertilizer, as they did for thousands of years before. Just because they don't live like you doesn't mean they need to be rescued. Most are perfectly happy with their village lives, and all of them have plenty to eat. Calculating poverty by converting currencies on irrelevent international exchange rates or by looking at factors such as electricity and plumbing is foolish. Poverty is a lack of basic material needs - food, shelter, water. Plumbing, internet connections, electric light, and ergonomic chairs are not necessary for human susistence or happiness.
And for those in the cities, they DO care about which sites they can access. Your "having been to China" and chatted with English students at the local pub does not qualify you to say this. Why would the Chinese government be in a constant panic to block all these sites if the Chinese weren't discussing prohibited topics or trying to read prohibited sites? Why would there be thousands of riots across China every month if the Chinese were not politically aware?
The criticism of the example name of SomeFunction notwithstanding, you raise a valid point
If there is a benefit to this, it is because when you decide to change your database id from an int to a long, you don't need to change every reference to an id. In fact, Java does have implied types just like this. It just doesn't work in nearly as many cases.
For example, if SomeFunction returns an int and SomeOtherFunction takes an int as a parameter.
In Java, you can do this:
SomeOtherFunction(SomeFunction());
The type is "implied". But god forbid you want to use the return value of SomeFunction() before passing into SomeOtherFunction(). Now you have to declare the type:
int i = SomeFunction();
i++
SomeOtherFunction(i);
Now lets say you want to change your whole system to use longs. In Java (assuming this stuff is scattered all over your code) ugh.... In C#, it's trivial.
Implied types are not for convenience of not typing the actual type on declaration. It is to allow for better flexibility and mutibility.
Using different passwords everywhere my help, but not that much. There is only one password someone needs to get access to most of your accounts: your email - and they may not even need that. Most emails passwords are sent in plaintext and can be sniffed on the network or keyboard.
Just about every bank, brokerage, etc. site will email you a password or password change/reset URL if you "forgot" your password. If someone has access to your email - or the network your email is delivered to - you're easily toast.
Those of you using webmail and checking it from an internet cafe on Soi Cowboy, take note.
Usually I pay extra for that.
Next time I'll just bring porn.
This is really a response to all the ranting against Starbucks.
While there may be some image benefit to going to Starbucks for some people, I - and most people I know - continue to go back because they *consistently* offer an excellent, strong cup of coffee. The key word is "consistently" - it is rare to find a local shop that can do that. They also make a damn good latte - and not like you're thinking - I hate flavoured coffees and syrup.
Personally, I always try to go local, since I like character, I like people, and I like supporting both of these things locally. But just like I'm not going to buy a Ford just because it's American, I'm not going to pay for shitty coffee just to satisfy any remaining adolescent, jealousy-born resentment of successful companies. I almost never find a local coffee shop with good coffee. Sorry.
All of the above is especially true for heavy travellers. When I live in one place, I often eventually find a place with superior product and atmosphere, but it ain't easy.
The bottom line is, people go back because the product is good (even if not the best), and people always know they'll get what they expect and pay for. This is absolutely not a Microsoft case of a well marketed, inferior product. There are many choices - and no lock-in - for coffee, yet people choose Starbucks, even if they are a bit ashamed at the choice as am I.
Isn't that fixed in the 2.6 kernel?
I live in Shanghai. Google Cache and Google Groups are both blocked from anywhere in China (except oddly through China Mobile GPRS.)
.doc file. Being unable to research with Google Groups is also a problem since I work in technology.
This can be quite annoying, particuliarly when a site is down or I don't want to load a
Does anyone else find it as difficult to read an article about how we read as I do? Like trying to describe how you walk.
It is true that SOME provisions of the Patriot Act are limited to acts of domestic terrorism, and that the definition of domestic terrorism is limited to illegal acts that endanger human life.
Well, think about that for a second. How limiting is it?
If I go 46mph in a 45 zone on the way to an anti-war rally, might that qualify? Illegal, threatens human life, must be terrorism.
When picking apart a law, you must look at the possibility for abuse, assuming a less altruistic [cough] attorny general takes over.
Now corporations accused of fraud can blame the loss of "missing files" on mad cow disease.
I'd have to disagree. As a former coder who is now a VP, I can say that I understand the need for offices. VPs very frequently discuss sensitive information that just can't be discussed in cube - e.g. who to fire, who to hire, whether to close the office down, why the ceo needs to be fired, who fucked up when. While the coders can go on about that kind of stuff any time they want, when a VP talks about it, people listen, often misunderstand or draw incorrect conclusions. We consider closing our office on occasion, but no one should EVER hear about that if the decision is negative.
I won't comment on whether coders need offices. I preferred being able to shout questions over the wall, or the occasional beer in the cube isle. On the other hand, by the time I left my company, I was annoyed by enough people and had enough phone calls to make (about my next job) that an office would have been nice.
Unfortunately, I doubt many "legistators" read /. Who's going to stand up for Linux and open-source so that open-source doesn't suddenly get "commies" stamped all over it and become the new evil buzzword tossed around on capital hill?
I can see it now. Election 2004.
"Al Gore, are you or have you ever been a member of the Free Software Foundation?"