Mike, I also use these extensions, and I wish you gave me the options of enabling them.
I am unhappy that something I use gets unilaterally removed by Firefox.
At the same time, Firefox makes no effort to remove truly hostile software like ICQSearch - I spent at least an hour removing ICQ from Firefox, and it suddenly comes back to life a week later.
In C++, one line of code such as 'a = smartPtr->b;' can have a whole smart-pointer mess behind it. That can be an endless pain to debug, when it goes wrong (think large destructor chains).
I would argue instead that Java and C#, with their garbage collection, have a more trivial mapping of the same line: Just a plain assignment.
Majority of native-language development is still done in C++. I agree with Animats that C++ si full of security holes - the lack of checks is what gives C++ the 'native speed'. But after some years of dealing with C++ memory leaks, buffer overflows, smart pointers going dumb, incomprehensible templates, code which compiles but does nothing (see below), you want change. More C++ rants here and here. And now Bjarne Stroustrup wants to create another version C++09? That's just wrong.
1) VB.NET offers 'scripting', or 'late-binding' capabilities that allow you to write one line of VB code, where C# needs 20 or more. Example: Late binding myths.
2) VB.NET exposes some elements of the underlying CLR (runtime) that C# hides, e.g. a 'where' clause during catching of an exception. Link
3) Upcoming VB.NET (with DLinq & XLinq) will include native support for XML, whereas C# has no such plans. Link
Personally, for new projects, I would choose C# over VB.NET. Good luck! George
I think it's a good idea to switch from C++ to Java (or C#) if:
if you are getting bogged down in memory leaks,
if stepping through smart pointers makes debugging complicated,
if you have 20-minute compile times
if some trivial functionality (say, de-serialization of XML, or web service calls)
requires pages of C++ code
If you go ahead and start switching, try to do the following: A) keep as much of existing C++ code, and call into via JNI, B) use jazillian http://jazillian.com/ to translate existing code to Java, C) use my web site http://code2code.net/ to translate to C# or VB, if you want the.NET route.
Good luck, switching will be an enormous project!/george
1) dozens of additional compile warnings as.NET 1.1 APIs have been marked [Obsolete]. Makes it harder to find genuine problems.
2) StackOverflowException: it now kills your app without leaving a stack trace, and it's very difficult to find it. (if you are not the author of the code)
If you have a test suite, your problems are easy to solve./g
Via claims it's shipping? notice - there is no price anywhere, nobody even has any photos from 2005. All the photos are from 2004.
Beware of these problems with VIA CPUs: I tried to install SuSE Linux 9.1 on it this January (2005), and it kept failing on the 'grub' stage. The reason? VIA chips identify themselves as 686-class, but they don't implement all the instructions from the 686 set. If you have the same problem, instead of SuSE, you should install Fedora.
Via mini-ATX platform: a word of warning
on
Mac mini to PC Hack
·
· Score: 1
A word of warning to those interested in playing with via: Last month (2004-Dec), I bought a $330 'xmachine' system from Directron. It has difficulty booting into Suse Linux. Further research on google indicates that Via identifies itself as a 686-class CPU, but does not support the entire 686 instruction set. Instead of Suse, I had to install Fedora, and suffer a bit of a learning curve. Also: the BIOS has does not work with USB keyboards. On the first day, the system froze while transferring a 2-Gig Samba file, I suspect the ethernet driver or controller. Otherwise, it's amazingly small. It is much cheaper, and dog slow, compared to same speed Centrino.
THE AMERICAS: 1. The Inka trail in Peru ($300 for 2-day walk, must travel in a group) even includes a tunnel and ends at Machu Picchu. Numerous guides offer tours, just shop around in Cusco. 2. Yaxchilan Ruins on Usumacinta river in Mexico include ruins of possibly oldest bridge in North America. Great adventure to see. I was stopped by the army who sealed off the entire area. To be flooded by dam. link1, link2 to people who have been there 3. Mexico - their pyramids (Sun,Moon,Oaxaca) are built without knowledge of the wheel (even though their kids played with toy carts) and without horsepower. 4. ESO telescopes in Chile ESO visitor information - must register far in advance. 5. Hoover Dam, Golden Gate Bridge (US)
EUROPE: 1. Cloaka Maxima, Ancient Rome 2. Reconstruction of Frauenkirche, Dresden 3. World War II Bunkers and SS-20 silos (Bouda) in Czech Republic (Visitors only permitted May-August) 4. TGV trains in France 5. Ancient Mines (Cornwall and Sinai- Egypt
Sounds like he is re-inventing C#. But forgot the most for powerful feature of C# - Attributes, which allows you to do things like XmlSerialization with no hand-written code. I think Attribs will improve the way we write DB clients. If you want to see an example, go see Example4, listing one.
It's also annoying he never mentions the term "boxing" and "unboxing" when he talks about turning 'ints' etc into objects. Sometimes you can borrow a page from your competitors' vocabulary.
Also - how about adding the following C# language features: A) foreach(Type t in mylist){...} to prepare ground for templates B) tailcall IL instruction to allow Prolog etc C) System.Windows.Forms for a fast windows kit
(goodness, IBM had to invent their own AWT replacement to create eclipse IDE) D) enums which can be flags, which can be or'd together E) events + function pointers ("delegates" in msspeak)
There must be lots of other under-appreciated databases. I think we need a product-comparison site, similar to Linux Hosting Comparison, for more software categories.
I would definitely be insterested in comparison of object and XML databases.../g
I'm trying to find ways to stream video, without relying on the wine library. I am looking for video players that run on linux, ideally embedded linux with framebuffer (without XFree86).
XINE: I saw that Xine should do that, but when I run it, the open menu cannot open anything besides local files. here is the link for Xine's MMS plugin: MajorMMS
OGG TARKIN is not even started yet. 3iVX: anyone using their protocol/codec? AVIFILE and MPLAYER - do you know if they can play back video streams aside from crazy ideas such as this asfrecorder-mplayer hack? And any users of linux4TV codecs? Thanks for any help - gigi
Great reply, but does not mention these benefits and disadvantages:
benefit 1) to author 1 component, you write 1 file, as opposed to authoring IDL files, C files, OAF files, and gods know what.
benefit 2) no more gtk+, gtk-- etc.
benefit 3) compared to java, a lot of my complaints have been solved - C# has destructors, attributes, foreach keyword etc.
benefit 4) I can use MS Visual Studio.
benefit 5) haven't tried yet the ActiveState kit, but now it looks trivial to link in a Perl subroutine.
problem 1) MS can screw you over by patenting part of.NET (see the 'just ask Alan comment above)
problem 2) MS can modify interfaces ('right to innovate', haha) to make sure your code stops working w/ theirs.
problem 3) C# lacks generic programming. (java also)
problem 4) for graphics programming (forms etc) you need to start using MS concepts such as Pen and Brush. So you have to create a pen before you can draw anything. You cannot just say 'graphics.drawLine(Color.Red,0,0,100,100);'
Other than that, I am excited just like Miguel.
I am downloading the Mono stuff. This might make me more insterested in Gnome than KDE.
George
that's where it all came from.
let's hope we don't get eaten by this baby.
Re:What is thanksgiving day?
on
KDE 2.2.2
·
· Score: 0, Offtopic
Thanksgiving: celebrated in 1620 by the immigrants of the ship Mayflower when they saw that they will survive through the first winter. They have not been attacked by the indians, so in the coming years they could borrow some land. There have been many ships before and after, but the Mayflower was the first ship carrying religious fanatics, and that's why we celebrate. This fine religious spirit is now continued by people like reverend Jerry Falwell ('it is okay to send anthrax to clinics').
Yes, it's pretty sad the he invented a new language. This will now need to get validation tools and processing libraries, etc, whereas something XML-based would have that for free.
Not to mention the learning curve.
I wish he used XUL from mozilla instead:
http://www.mozilla.org/xpfe/xptoolkit/xulintro.htm l Then you could display make xconfig directly in moziila...
hmmm ESR is a "leader" and here in the US, we cannot do without "leadership". Or maybe he is an inventor? That's because he had to invent his own cryptic language for kernel configuration. But oh boy, did he have to also invent Noosphere?
CL: You sometimes describe yourself as an anthropologist.
ESR: Yes. An anthropologist is a person who studies the behavior of human beings and societies, who studies how human beings form culture, how those cultures behave, how do they change overtime, how they adapted to different conditions. Most of the important things I've done have come out of considering the culture of computer hackers anthropologically. Focusing less on their technological artifacts and their programs, and more of the social machinery, less on the technological machinery that they used, and more on the social machinery that they created in order to support their behavior, and support their craft.
CL: When I first read your "Homesteading the Noosphere", I was impressed by your tone of analysis, because you yourself were a hacker and your analysis was very objective.
a few calls to select U.S. retailers to buy a "thin-and-light 14"TFT linux notebook",
2000.dec.19 - dec.23
dell seems to offer some redhat models on their website, but the links fail if you try to buy.
dell sales-people (on the phone) say linux is not available.
dell's Inspiron 4000 comes very close to how i'd like to see my machine, at $2350.
compaq 1.800.888.0220: (don't have any linux notebooks at this time)
compaq is the reason why i want the manufacturer to install the OS for me -
i spent 2 days in 2000-may failing to become friends with compaq's graphics chip.
fujitsupc.com 877-372-3473 (don't sell linux.)
gateway.com 800-846-4208 (we don't offer that operating system)
toshiba.com 1-800-316-0920 (runs on eastern time or something?) no linux
ibm-direct: yes they have linux pre-installed but the price seems to be about 60% higher
than dell+windowsMe
--- some lesser-known retailers and re-sellers:
tuxtops: don't have "thin-and-light" models
enpower: "thin-and-light" model coming soon - that may be worth the wait.
here in LA, some PC Club employees said they would put linux on there for me.
necxdirect.com (failed - no phone number listed)
microwarehouse 1-800-397-8508 "sorry, we don't carry any."
elinux has some 20 models of older yet pricey notebooks, nothing juicy.
--- places that I didn't get through ---
nec 888-632-8701 just rings and rings
sony 1 800 352-7669 (will try next week)
CDW 800 850 4239 (closes early?)
I'm currently working on a project where we might be using Michael Schechter's FrameCal running on a bank's intranet and need to sync with Outlook. Post a message if you are interested in this direction. /g
PS. Development is not approved yet. PPS. Have not studied these RFCs ( here is RFC2445), but at first glance it appears that RFC2445 is not XML-based and therefore I am not very interested.
i just tried Gnome 1.0. overall I really like it and I hope it's included in RH6. But since it's been released so recently (Apr 12?) I am afraid it will not get enought testing by the time of RH6 release (May 10).
the one problem I had: my crude install of gnome-1 somehow broke the 'control-panel' program. /gigi
Slashdot Mirror
Mike, I also use these extensions, and I wish you gave me the options of enabling them.
I am unhappy that something I use gets unilaterally removed by Firefox.
At the same time, Firefox makes no effort to remove truly hostile software like ICQSearch - I spent at least an hour removing ICQ from Firefox, and it suddenly comes back to life a week later.
One counterexample that keeps me busy:
:-}
In C++, one line of code such as 'a = smartPtr->b;'
can have a whole smart-pointer mess behind it.
That can be an endless pain to debug, when it goes wrong (think large destructor chains).
I would argue instead that Java and C#, with their garbage collection,
have a more trivial mapping of the same line: Just a plain assignment.
Just my five cents
http://code2code.net/ - Migrate your C++ to C#
I agree with Animats that C++ si full of security holes - the lack of checks is what gives C++ the 'native speed'.
But after some years of dealing with C++ memory leaks, buffer overflows, smart pointers going dumb, incomprehensible templates,
code which compiles but does nothing (see below), you want change. More C++ rants here and here.
And now Bjarne Stroustrup wants to create another version C++09? That's just wrong.
My suggestion: Think about moving.
Move to Java via http://jazillian.com/trial.html,
or translate your code to C# on code2code.net.
Disclaimer: code2code is my web site.
PS. Example of code that compiles with GCC and microsoft's CL.EXE but never does what it seems to do -
It never calls fct2():
Three comments:
1) VB.NET offers 'scripting', or 'late-binding' capabilities that allow you to
write one line of VB code, where C# needs 20 or more.
Example: Late binding myths.
2) VB.NET exposes some elements of the underlying CLR (runtime) that C# hides,
e.g. a 'where' clause during catching of an exception. Link
3) Upcoming VB.NET (with DLinq & XLinq) will include native support for XML, whereas
C# has no such plans. Link
Personally, for new projects, I would choose C# over VB.NET.
Good luck!
George
I think it's a good idea to switch from C++ to Java (or C#) if:
.NET route.
/george
if you are getting bogged down in memory leaks,
if stepping through smart pointers makes debugging complicated,
if you have 20-minute compile times
if some trivial functionality (say, de-serialization of XML, or web service calls)
requires pages of C++ code
If you go ahead and start switching, try to do the following:
A) keep as much of existing C++ code, and call into via JNI,
B) use jazillian http://jazillian.com/ to translate existing code to Java,
C) use my web site http://code2code.net/ to translate to C# or VB, if you want the
Good luck, switching will be an enormous project!
I am also looking for more detailed images of Europe.
i c&lang=&pc=W1
% 20most&pw=1258&ph=919&ocx=135754112&ocy=135346752& ozm=6&omp=ophoto
I can't find one site that would cover all countries.
Here are two links of interest:
In the UK, multimap has some photos (on a truly unpleasant interface)
(In bottom right corner, you have Houses of Parliament & the London Eye)
http://www.multimap.com/map/photo.cgi?client=publ
Here is a photo site for CZ/Prague:
([2] Marks the sport where St Johannes was executed, if visiting on foot, look for the bronze cross on side of bridge)
http://beta.mapy.cz/?st=search&fr=Praha,%20karluv
1) dozens of additional compile warnings as .NET 1.1 APIs have been marked [Obsolete].
/g
Makes it harder to find genuine problems.
2) StackOverflowException: it now kills your app without leaving a stack trace, and it's very difficult to find it. (if you are not the author of the code)
If you have a test suite, your problems are easy to solve.
Via claims it's shipping?
notice - there is no price anywhere,
nobody even has any photos from 2005.
All the photos are from 2004.
Beware of these problems with VIA CPUs:
I tried to install SuSE Linux 9.1 on it this January (2005), and it kept failing on the 'grub' stage. The reason? VIA chips identify themselves as 686-class, but they don't implement all the instructions from the 686 set. If you have the same problem, instead of SuSE, you should install Fedora.
A word of warning to those interested in playing with via:
Last month (2004-Dec), I bought a $330 'xmachine' system from Directron. It has difficulty booting into Suse Linux. Further research on google indicates that Via identifies itself as a 686-class CPU, but does not support the entire 686 instruction set. Instead of Suse, I had to install Fedora, and suffer a bit of a learning curve.
Also: the BIOS has does not work with USB keyboards. On the first day, the system froze while transferring a 2-Gig Samba file, I suspect the ethernet driver or controller.
Otherwise, it's amazingly small. It is much cheaper, and dog slow, compared to same speed Centrino.
Here are some places I want to visit:
THE AMERICAS:
1. The Inka trail in Peru ($300 for 2-day walk, must travel in a group) even includes a tunnel and ends at Machu Picchu. Numerous guides offer tours, just shop around in Cusco.
2. Yaxchilan Ruins on Usumacinta river in Mexico include ruins of possibly oldest bridge in North America. Great adventure to see. I was stopped by the army who sealed off the entire area. To be flooded by dam. link1, link2 to people who have been there
3. Mexico - their pyramids (Sun,Moon,Oaxaca) are built without knowledge of the wheel (even though their kids played with toy carts) and without horsepower.
4. ESO telescopes in Chile ESO visitor information - must register far in advance.
5. Hoover Dam, Golden Gate Bridge (US)
EUROPE:
1. Cloaka Maxima, Ancient Rome
2. Reconstruction of Frauenkirche, Dresden
3. World War II Bunkers and SS-20 silos (Bouda) in Czech Republic (Visitors only permitted May-August)
4. TGV trains in France
5. Ancient Mines (Cornwall and Sinai- Egypt
Sounds like he is re-inventing C#.
/g
But forgot the most for powerful feature of C# -
Attributes, which allows you to do things like XmlSerialization with no hand-written code. I think Attribs will improve the way we write DB clients.
If you want to see an example, go see Example4, listing one.
It's also annoying he never mentions the term "boxing" and "unboxing" when he talks about turning 'ints' etc into objects. Sometimes you can borrow a page from your competitors' vocabulary.
Also - how about adding the following C# language features:
A) foreach(Type t in mylist){...} to prepare ground for templates
B) tailcall IL instruction to allow Prolog etc
C) System.Windows.Forms for a fast windows kit
(goodness, IBM had to invent their own AWT replacement to create eclipse IDE)
D) enums which can be flags, which can be or'd together
E) events + function pointers ("delegates" in msspeak)
go mono!
There must be lots of other under-appreciated databases. I think we need a product-comparison site, similar to Linux Hosting Comparison, for more software categories.
/g
I would definitely be insterested in comparison of object and XML databases...
I'm trying to find ways to stream video, without relying on the wine library. I am looking for video players that run on linux, ideally embedded linux with framebuffer (without XFree86).
XINE: I saw that Xine should do that, but when I run it, the open menu cannot open anything besides local files. here is the link for Xine's MMS plugin: MajorMMS
OGG TARKIN is not even started yet.
3iVX: anyone using their protocol/codec?
AVIFILE and MPLAYER - do you know if they can play back video streams aside from crazy ideas such as this asfrecorder-mplayer hack?
And any users of linux4TV codecs?
Thanks for any help - gigi
Great reply, but does not mention these benefits and disadvantages:
.NET (see the 'just ask Alan comment above)
benefit 1) to author 1 component, you write 1 file, as opposed to authoring IDL files, C files, OAF files, and gods know what.
benefit 2) no more gtk+, gtk-- etc.
benefit 3) compared to java, a lot of my complaints have been solved - C# has destructors, attributes, foreach keyword etc.
benefit 4) I can use MS Visual Studio.
benefit 5) haven't tried yet the ActiveState kit, but now it looks trivial to link in a Perl subroutine.
problem 1) MS can screw you over by patenting part of
problem 2) MS can modify interfaces ('right to innovate', haha) to make sure your code stops working w/ theirs.
problem 3) C# lacks generic programming. (java also)
problem 4) for graphics programming (forms etc) you need to start using MS concepts such as Pen and Brush. So you have to create a pen before you can draw anything. You cannot just say 'graphics.drawLine(Color.Red,0,0,100,100);'
Other than that, I am excited just like Miguel.
I am downloading the Mono stuff. This might make me more insterested in Gnome than KDE.
George
that's where it all came from.
let's hope we don't get eaten by this baby.
Thanksgiving: celebrated in 1620 by the immigrants of the ship Mayflower when they saw that they will survive through the first winter. They have not been attacked by the indians, so in the coming years they could borrow some land. There have been many ships before and after, but the Mayflower was the first ship carrying religious fanatics, and that's why we celebrate. This fine religious spirit is now continued by people like reverend Jerry Falwell ('it is okay to send anthrax to clinics').
Yes, it's pretty sad the he invented a new language. This will now need to get validation tools and processing libraries, etc, whereas something XML-based would have that for free.m l
Not to mention the learning curve.
I wish he used XUL from mozilla instead:
http://www.mozilla.org/xpfe/xptoolkit/xulintro.ht
Then you could display make xconfig directly in moziila...
hmmm ESR is a "leader" and here in the US, we cannot do without "leadership". Or maybe he is an inventor? That's because he had to invent his own cryptic language for kernel configuration. But oh boy, did he have to also invent Noosphere ?
CL: You sometimes describe yourself as an anthropologist.
ESR: Yes. An anthropologist is a person who studies the behavior of human beings and societies, who studies how human beings form culture, how those cultures behave, how do they change overtime, how they adapted to different conditions. Most of the important things I've done have come out of considering the culture of computer hackers anthropologically. Focusing less on their technological artifacts and their programs, and more of the social machinery, less on the technological machinery that they used, and more on the social machinery that they created in order to support their behavior, and support their craft.
CL: When I first read your "Homesteading the Noosphere", I was impressed by your tone of analysis, because you yourself were a hacker and your analysis was very objective.
okay sorry about all this
thanks for the tip - aslab's 15 inch is v.heavy (7.2lbs), but the 13 inch looks decent.
/gg
a few calls to select U.S. retailers to buy a "thin-and-light 14"TFT linux notebook",
2000.dec.19 - dec.23
dell seems to offer some redhat models on their website, but the links fail if you try to buy.
dell sales-people (on the phone) say linux is not available.
dell's Inspiron 4000 comes very close to how i'd like to see my machine, at $2350.
compaq 1.800.888.0220: (don't have any linux notebooks at this time)
compaq is the reason why i want the manufacturer to install the OS for me -
i spent 2 days in 2000-may failing to become friends with compaq's graphics chip.
fujitsupc.com 877-372-3473 (don't sell linux.)
gateway.com 800-846-4208 (we don't offer that operating system)
toshiba.com 1-800-316-0920 (runs on eastern time or something?) no linux
ibm-direct: yes they have linux pre-installed but the price seems to be about 60% higher
than dell+windowsMe
--- some lesser-known retailers and re-sellers:
tuxtops: don't have "thin-and-light" models
enpower: "thin-and-light" model coming soon - that may be worth the wait.
here in LA, some PC Club employees said they would put linux on there for me.
necxdirect.com (failed - no phone number listed)
microwarehouse 1-800-397-8508 "sorry, we don't carry any."
elinux has some 20 models of older yet pricey notebooks, nothing juicy.
--- places that I didn't get through ---
nec 888-632-8701 just rings and rings
sony 1 800 352-7669 (will try next week)
CDW 800 850 4239 (closes early?)
okay, add also: /etc/hosts smb.conf and in comes instant remote management!
I'm currently working on a project where we might be using Michael Schechter's FrameCal running on a bank's intranet and need to sync with Outlook. Post a message if you are interested in this direction.
/g
PS. Development is not approved yet.
PPS. Have not studied these RFCs ( here is RFC2445), but at first glance it appears that RFC2445 is not XML-based and therefore I am not very interested.
i just tried Gnome 1.0.
overall I really like it and I hope it's included in RH6. But since it's been released so recently (Apr 12?) I am afraid it will not get enought testing by the time of RH6 release (May 10).
the one problem I had:
my crude install of gnome-1 somehow broke the 'control-panel' program.
/gigi