"to build a free operating system that they then give away (and I mean BSD, not Linux, which relies on copyright)"
And despite this most people use an operating system with a charged for commercial licence and most installations of free operating systems is the one that relies on copyright.
Hmm, I'm not so sure Identity theft has risen sharply. However I am am certain that some companies have been selling "identity theft insurance" and generating all manner of stories in the press.
I had to go to the (NHS) dentist here in the Uk a few weeks ago, to have a crown re-fitted. I got an appointment in under a week and it cost me £15. Free would have been nice, but I'm not complaining havinvg paid private in other countries in the past.
The only benefit I have drawn from IBM Lotus Syphony was as a demonstration to my HCI students of very poor interface design. It has "features" that were sufficiently inelegant that if a student had included them in a project I would fail them.
The audience at slashdot is a really bad place to ask this question. This is an audience that is generally positive about solving complex problems, the harder the problem the more they enjoy it. An attitude just right for convincing people that programming is just too hard.
I saw students vanish like the mist when a department decided to switch from pascal (designed for teaching) to C (not designed for teaching). It is very easy to scare people off programming, and the language is only part of the story. I was put off programming for years by the simple assignment of "write a program to create a fibonacci series". Writing the program is easy if you had the algorithm but to me a fibbonaci series might as well have been a pasta dish.
Science is about the application of language. Without language it is impossible to explain and argue your theory. (Well it makes about as much sense as the science is about Mathematics argument)
"Media studies" yea heaven forbid that young people should have an understanding of the vast and expanding amount of media that is attempting to pursuade, seduce, sell and make them dissatisfied with their lot. Much more important they study latin I figure.
It's common sense that if exam grades go up the exams must be getting easier and if exam grades go down the students are more stupid and/or the teachers are incompetent. And for my next trick I shal demonstrate how chalk is so much better than cheese.
My book budget for a 3 year UK degree was around £20, for the entire 3 years. I spent more on pens and paper than books. The college library was an excellent resource. This was in the early 1980's so there was no interweb thingy. What is it with the US universities?
I'm starting to think its a US thing. In the UK and Australia I got through a BA, a Post Graduate Diploma and a PGCE with a tiny book purchasing budget. For my BA my entire book budget wouldn't have bought a Pizza and beer for two.
"There are plenty of people on Slashdot who are more than adequately qualified to write university-grade textbooks on various subjects."
As the author of several text books I won't hold my breath as the Slashdot community puts in several collective years of effort required to produce a good text book just for the love of the subject and for the warm fuzzy feeling it will give them. Get real.
Be careful, an awful lot of over confident people do not pass the "dippy cert that Sun hands out". It's not rocket science but you do need to know the essentials very well.
Slashdot Mirror
Super injunctions are no longer made in English courts and none have been made for over six months.
Bophal
"to build a free operating system that they then give away (and I mean BSD, not Linux, which relies on copyright)"
And despite this most people use an operating system with a charged for commercial licence and most installations of free operating systems is the one that relies on copyright.
I think you troll....
Dunno, neither Java or Mono are the name of infectious disease in my part of the world, where are you from?
You don't know much about software development do you...
Hmm, I'm not so sure Identity theft has risen sharply. However I am am certain that some companies have been selling "identity theft insurance" and generating all manner of stories in the press.
I had to go to the (NHS) dentist here in the Uk a few weeks ago, to have a crown re-fitted. I got an appointment in under a week and it cost me £15. Free would have been nice, but I'm not complaining havinvg paid private in other countries in the past.
Do you have any sources that backup your national and cultural stereotypes and your sweeping generalisations?
The only benefit I have drawn from IBM Lotus Syphony was as a demonstration to my HCI students of very poor interface design. It has "features" that were sufficiently inelegant that if a student had included them in a project I would fail them.
He is also very polite when hero worshippers (me) come up to him in public (The Green Man Music Festival), just to say hello.
Nice boast, got any contributions to the discussion of teaching programming?
The audience at slashdot is a really bad place to ask this question. This is an audience that is generally positive about solving complex problems, the harder the problem the more they enjoy it. An attitude just right for convincing people that programming is just too hard.
I saw students vanish like the mist when a department decided to switch from pascal (designed for teaching) to C (not designed for teaching). It is very easy to scare people off programming, and the language is only part of the story. I was put off programming for years by the simple assignment of "write a program to create a fibonacci series". Writing the program is easy if you had the algorithm but to me a fibbonaci series might as well have been a pasta dish.
Java runs on more actual physical devices than all the Windows,Linux,OSX, and Solaris installations put together
Your use of the word unambitious where you almost certainly meant unambiguous demonstrates my point better than I could ever have wished.
Science is about the application of language. Without language it is impossible to explain and argue your theory. (Well it makes about as much sense as the science is about Mathematics argument)
"Media studies" yea heaven forbid that young people should have an understanding of the vast and expanding amount of media that is attempting to pursuade, seduce, sell and make them dissatisfied with their lot. Much more important they study latin I figure.
It's common sense that if exam grades go up the exams must be getting easier and if exam grades go down the students are more stupid and/or the teachers are incompetent. And for my next trick I shal demonstrate how chalk is so much better than cheese.
How I love common sense
My book budget for a 3 year UK degree was around £20, for the entire 3 years. I spent more on pens and paper than books. The college library was an excellent resource. This was in the early 1980's so there was no interweb thingy. What is it with the US universities?
(But I did only get a Desmond)
Speakers corner has no legal exemptions and never has done. It is subject to the same law as elsewhere in the UK
"Which parts of the Newtonian physics principles will the textbook publishers try to claim is copyrighted"
You don't seem to understand copyright. If it were the principles that mattered then why not just read Newtons writing himself?
I'm starting to think its a US thing. In the UK and Australia I got through a BA, a Post Graduate Diploma and a PGCE with a tiny book purchasing budget. For my BA my entire book budget wouldn't have bought a Pizza and beer for two.
"There are plenty of people on Slashdot who are more than adequately qualified to write university-grade textbooks on various subjects."
As the author of several text books I won't hold my breath as the Slashdot community puts in several collective years of effort required to produce a good text book just for the love of the subject and for the warm fuzzy feeling it will give them. Get real.
"Many professors get a kickback of some sort."
Sounds like pure guessword to me, care to cite any evidence?
Be careful, an awful lot of over confident people do not pass the "dippy cert that Sun hands out". It's not rocket science but you do need to know the essentials very well.