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Comments · 97

  1. We might not have a civilisation left to do it., on Arctic Research Station: A Step Toward Mars · · Score: 1


    Exampled explored in Sci-Fi include:

    1. War on earth kills us all before we get there. (See Titan by Baxter)

    2. We just run out of resources before we escape the gravity well. (See Rainbow Mars)

    3. We might give up all technology due to religious or environmental reason.

    This is just of the top of my head, be aware that the human race is fragile, we might not live long enough as a race to leave this world.

  2. Old, but presumably easier to secure. on Zvezda Module Is Go For Launch · · Score: 1


    I am not sure, but are FTP servers subject to less exploits than a HTTP server because they do much less?

    But I would agree that it add an anoying delay......

  3. EMF and Security? on Electric Plug 14Mbps Spec Agreed On · · Score: 2

    From what I understand the trial systems in the UK ended up retransmitting the network signal using any meta object. For example every street lamp on the road.

    This is not good for EMF and for security of course.

  4. Warning do not press this link on AMD's New Thunderbird Articles & Benchmarks · · Score: 1


    Some sort of hack that will post to slashdot for you with the same link.

  5. Warning do not press this link on AMD's New Thunderbird Articles & Benchmarks · · Score: 1


    Some sort of hack that will post to slashdot for you with the same link.

  6. Refactoring, Extreme programming, and other books. on Space Shuttle Software: Not For Hacks · · Score: 1


    I think that re-writeing is a good thing check out the following books:

    Extremem Programming by Kent Beck
    Refactoring by Martin Fowler

    Both advocate the use of proper unit testing, which many people do not do, to make sure that any alterations to the structure of the code doesn't change the functionality.

    Also worth a look is "Software Project Survival Guide" by Steve McConnell. Has a groovey questionaire so that you can work out how doomed your project is.

    These books seems to be the best. I found that the projects I have been involved in have failed because msyelf and other didn't have enough knowledge of how projects go wrong. Also importantly processes to stop the failures.

    I have just spent quite a bit of time in the last month reading such book and OO design book and was amazed how obvious it all was.

    Note that 2 out of these 3 book mention the NASA programming method.

  7. Re:Why is MySQL more popular than PostgreSQL? on Why Not MySQL? · · Score: 1


    A database driven web site is different from more complex beasts. In the case of a web site most of the work is via selects from the database.

    But for maintaining multiple updates and other data changes you need ACID to ensure your data ingrity.

    For example I might use MySQL to serve the catalog pages but I will would use Oracle to maintian my ledger. Otherwise I will could end up with a corrupt financial record and ruin.

  8. Napster as Radio. on Metallica's "Justice" And Napster · · Score: 1


    Would it help bands if the band though of Napster as a form of broadcast medium, like radio, rather than a pirating method?

    As many people have said, they will gladly buy the CD of band they have heard on Napster.

    Perhaps release albums as MP3 with adverts in them even? Make some money that way?

  9. A reason for using NAT perhaps. on UK ADSL packages Announced By British Telecom · · Score: 1


    They might no beable to get enough new IP addresses for static allocation. They are planning to provide this service to a large portion of the UK population I suppose.

  10. Exponential curves. on Ask SCO Presidents About Linux Adoption · · Score: 1


    Just a quick thought. Hmm, exponential curves in a finite medium. How does that work? Doesn't that assume that there are an infinite amount of programmers out there?

    Having done my fair share of system analysis during my Cybernetics degree, I know that this is the sort of assumption that has royally messed up our enviroment. Theoretical systems have exponential curves, real one are more complex.

    Mind you I am probably wanting to argue with RSM on this one.

  11. Re:Because... on Babbage Engine Printer Finally Available · · Score: 1

    "Difference Engine" I think

  12. Other link for automatic translation on Germany Withdraws Open Source Article · · Score: 2


    http://translator.go.com/cb/trans_entry?input_ty pe=url&lp=ge_en&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.heise .de%2Fnewsticker%2Fdata%2Fodi-23.03.00-000%2F

  13. Re:Another possible explanation on It Came From Beyond ... In Buckyballs! · · Score: 1


    Hmm and I thought that BP stood "before present" or 1970 to be exact!

  14. proprietary with GPL on 'Experts' Back To Claiming Open Source Insecure · · Score: 1


    "He added that the issue could lead to proprietary versions of Linux being developed"

    Can you do this given that Linux is under GPL?

  15. Don't forget the palm. :-) on Workspot Offers Free Web-based Linux Accounts · · Score: 2


    See,

    http://www.icsi.berkeley.edu/~minenko/PalmVNC/

  16. UV levels at ground level. on Bill Joy On Extinction of Humans · · Score: 1


    .. are increasing.

    Erm that will be why we have a Ozone hole over my house at the moment. (Southern England) Burning times can start to get quite hairy.

    Also why sheep are going blind in South America. People are dying at a much greater rate in Australia etc.

  17. Energy/Enivornmental costs. on Proper Serial Console Support · · Score: 1


    Hmm cheap hardware, more rubbish in land fills.

    Also have lots of perhperal on standbye is a sure way of chewing more power that it note required. A CRT on standbye can still use a substantial amount of power because the transformer cannot handle such low loads.

  18. But more expensive in the long run. on New Federal Government Stance on Internet Taxes · · Score: 1


    Now I can't begin to say that I know anything about this subject, but isn't it less efficient to tax in lots of little places?

    For example the overhead of imposing a net tax rather than just increaseing wage tax must be quite big.

    Can somebody tell me why a flat rate tax system doesn't work?

  19. Re:My mum on Making Linux Beautiful · · Score: 1


    Ah but there are people here who would say that Linux is the future for the desktop, isn't that what the original post was about?

  20. My mum on Making Linux Beautiful · · Score: 1


    This may be true for you, but I will offer you $10 dollars is you can explain the contents of this email to my mum!

  21. Re:Not for newbies; what is? on Inside Java 2 Platform Security, Architecture, API Design and Implementation · · Score: 1

    It does have the disadvantage of not having the Swing/AWT in as compare to the first two editions.

    You might like to get Java Foundation Classes and Java Examples in a nutshell.

    Mind you I am a nutshell fan with 7 different titles on my desk....

  22. Re:Would Display PDF help? on Super LCD Screens: 200 PPI · · Score: 1


    AFAIK the new MacOs X uses PDF for just this reason. Totally scalable images and stuff.

  23. In the UK on BMG's New Copy-Protected Audio CDs · · Score: 1


    Some music shops will let you exchange if you don't like the music. (HMV for cert I think)

  24. Re:Good Location. NOT! on CFP2000 · · Score: 1


    Erm not everybody in the world is American. Perhaps it is good that it is not in America.... less pressure from big business and the holy right.

    (Sorry flamebit, but in bad mood)

  25. Re:Good Location. NOT! on CFP2000 · · Score: 1


    Erm not everybody in the world is American. Perhaps it is good that it is not in America.... less pressure from big business and the holy right.