User: mr_mischief

Re:Doesn't surprise me

On: When Scientists Give Up

Or look at Bob Noyce (physicist) and Gordon Moore (chemist).

and yet Netflix buffering with 105 Mbps

On: AT&T Says 10Mbps Is Too Fast For "Broadband," 4Mbps Is Enough

How about they focus more on delivering what they sell?

false dichotomy

On: Does Learning To Code Outweigh a Degree In Computer Science?

If you are hiring someone to develop code and you must pick one or the other, pick the person who knows how to code. If you can find someone with a degree in CS, math, physics, accounting, philosophy, a natural language, law, or anything else who also knows how to code then hire that person.

Especially if they have a degree in the subject matter and know how to program that's a bonus. Sometimes the actual subject matter really is CS. Sometimes it's accounting, medicine, physics, geology, or something else.

Saying one must hire a degreed person (with a specific degree no less) exclusive-or someone with skills is just silly. Don't weight the degree heavier than it deserves, but don't dismiss it either.

On standards

On: Can ISO 29119 Software Testing "Standard" Really Be a Standard?

The best known standard quip about standards itself has multiple versions and attributions. How meta:

"The nice thing about standards is that you have so many to choose from." - Andrew S. Tanenbaum, Computer Networks, 2nd ed., p. 254

"The nicest thing about standards is that there are so many of them to choose from." -- Ken Olsen

“The wonderful thing about standards is that there are so many of them to choose from.” -- Grace Murray Hopper

See also:

Obligatory (but who set that standard?): xkcd : Standards
Why are there so many plugs and sockets?

‘Mediocrity finds safety in standardization.’ -- Frederick Crane
‘It is not enough that X be standard, it should also be good.’ -- Rob Pike (Window Systems Should Be Transparent)
The two above can be found on the cat -v page on standards"
"Standards are like toothbrushes. Everybody wants one but nobody wants to use anybody else’s." -- Connie Morella

Re:24 CVE fixes in one language system release

On: PHP 5.6.0 Released

Exactly. 24 were reported and fixed in just this release cycle.

Re:DDR2/3/4

On: Intel's Haswell-E Desktop CPU Debuts With Eight Cores, DDR4 Memory

Well, I keep seeing clock rates go up and high-end DIMMs keep having CAS numbers like 9 and 10 despite the rate going from 1333 to 2400 the past few years. (1/2400000000)*10 is 4.16666666666667e-10 while (1/1333000_00)*10 is 7.50187546886722e-10 which looks like a relatively major difference to me.

Re:*drool*

On: Intel's Haswell-E Desktop CPU Debuts With Eight Cores, DDR4 Memory

Why spend $2000 to update from a P4 though? For $350 or $400 a system can show your P$ to be a waste of electricity.

Re:DDR2/3/4

On: Intel's Haswell-E Desktop CPU Debuts With Eight Cores, DDR4 Memory

CAS latency hasn't been measured directly in nanoseconds for some time now. It is now measured in clock cycles. The shorter your clock cycles (the higher your frequency) the shorter in absolute time your CAS latency is for the same number. CAS 10 at 2133 is about the same as CAS 5 on 1066.

CAS latency on Wikipedia
Memory timing on Hardware Secrets
FAQ on RAM timings from Kingston

Re:I love it when the IEEE...

On: IEEE Guides Software Architects Toward Secure Design

Well, that's a fair enough argument I guess. Neither Bill nor Hillary are as hardcore along party lines as some. I'd hardly place them with the Republicans, but they are closer to moderate/centrist Republicans than to a lot of the Democratic party. In the same way, lots of Republicans are closer to moderate/centrist Democrats than to the fringe right.

Re:I love it when the IEEE...

On: IEEE Guides Software Architects Toward Secure Design

Yeah, you mean that damn "Republican" Bill Clinton who was in office in 1996 when ITAR and EAR resulted in the DOJ going after Phil Zimmerman?

In case you hadn't noticed, Clinton was and is a Democrat, and the President is in charge of the Executive branch agencies.

Re:subjective list below, by genre and platform

On: Ask Slashdot: What Are the Best Games To Have In Your Collection?

I should also mention:

Combat - vehicle combat game - Atari 2600
Othello / reversi - board game - also many computer implementations
pente / fives - board game - also many computer implementations
Portal - dimensional perfuckery - Windows, Linux, OS X
icebreaker - bouncing balls and building walls - lots
AssaultCube - quirky shooter with many solo and team modes - Linux, Windows, OS X

Re:coordinated work

On: The American Workday, By Profession

There are asocial and antisocial asshats in pretty much every line of work.

subjective list below, by genre and platform

On: Ask Slashdot: What Are the Best Games To Have In Your Collection?

These are in no particular order of preference, as I heavily prefer these to most other games. I'll try to put them in broad categories and mention the platform.

• Megalomania - arcade style falling threat shooter - Atari 2600
• Gauntlet - cooperative overhead maze runner - arcade (some home systems may suffice, but the arcade is the best)
• Pitfall - side-scrolling platformer/runner - several, but 2600 is mine
• Axis and Allies - WWII board game - board game, Avalon Hill then some other companies. There are decent computer implementations. The Hasbro PC version is good except the AI is weak.
• chess - board game
• Spades, Euchre, Oh Heck - trick-taking card games - get Hoyle and a deck of cards, really
• Poker, especially Hold 'Em and Omaha - betting card games - get Hoyle and a deck of cards, really
• Fallout, Fallout 2 - isometric overhead CRPG - DOS (1 only), Windows, Mac OS, OS X (1 only), OnLive (I've played only on DOS/Win)
• Fallout 3, Fallout New Vegas - first person (with camera changes to 3rd over-shoulder if you like) CRPG - Windows, PS3, Xbox 360
• Half-Life, Team Fortress Classic - first-person shooters - Windows, Linux, OS X, PS2 (Half-Life only)
• Half-Life 2 - first-person shooter - Windows, Xbox, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, OS X, Linux, NVIDIA Shield
• Unreal Tournament or Unreal Tournament 2004 (take your pick) - first-person shooter - Dreamcast, Linux,
  Mac OS, Mac OS X, PlayStation 2, Windows
• Trivial Pursuit - trivia board game - board game or one of many computer implementations
• Asteroids - 2d space shooter with wrap-around threats from all direction - arcade, 2600, others
• Super Mario Brothers - platform run and jump - NES
• Bionic Commando - platform run, jump, swing, and shoot - NES
• Genghis Khan - tile-based, turn-based strategy and tactics - NES, very playable on Wii virtual console version
• Final Fantasy - multi-character sing;e-player RPG-like adventure - NES
• Savage Worlds - pen and paper RPG - I've been playing RPGs for more than two decades, and this is my current personal favorite ruleset
• Scorched Earth or some version of Worms - 2d power and angle turn-based artillery with weapons upgrades - various
• Scorch3d - 3d reimagining of Scorched Earth - probably various, but I've played it on Linux
• Starcraft - RTS - Windows
• Total Annihilation - RTS - Windows
• Spring - RTS - Linux, Windows (at least)
• Supreme Commander - RTS - Windows
• Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance - RTS - Windows
• Nuclear Dawn - FPS with minor RTT/RTS aspects - Windows, Linux
• Awesomenauts - 2d platform shooter - Linux, Windows, OS X
• Risk - board game - board game with many computer interpretations
• Boggle/Super Boggle - tabletop letter dice grid word-hunt game - special
• Scrabble - crossword board game - board game, but lots of computer implementations
• Castles 2 - castle building, defense, and siege game - DOS/Windows
• Stronghold series - castle building and defense game - Windows
• Apples to Apples - party card game
• Cards Against Humanity - like Apples to Apples gone horribly inappropriate - lots of implementations since it's Creative Commons
• Colonization or FreeCol - Civiliation-style expansion game in the settling of the new world - DOS (Col), multi (FreeCol)
• Civilization series - complex simulation of competing civilizations - Windows (but check out FreeCiv
• Alpha Centauri - Sid Meier's Civ series ... IN SPACE! - Windows (watch for another space-faring Civ title, Civ Beyond Earth)
• Master of Orion series - simple interface, complex 4X games in space - DOS, Windows
• Mortal Kombat series - 2d fighter - lots
• Killer Instinct - 2d fighter - SNES (others? IDK)
• Street Fighter series - 2d fighter - lots
• Eternal Champions - 2d fighter - Genesis
• Mechwarrior 4 - first-person mech combat - Windows
• Armored Core - first-person mech combat - PS/2

24 CVE fixes in one language system release

On: PHP 5.6.0 Released

Here are the lines matching for grep -P 'CVE-\d{4}-\d+':

Fixed bug #67390 (insecure temporary file use in the configure script). (CVE-2014-3981)
Fixed bug #66060 (Heap buffer over-read in DateInterval). (CVE-2013-6712)
Fixed bug #67716 (Segfault in cdf.c). (CVE-2014-3587)
Fixed bug #67705 (extensive backtracking in rule regular expression). (CVE-2014-3538)
Fixed bug #67327 (fileinfo: CDF infinite loop in nelements DoS). (CVE-2014-0238)
Fixed bug #67328 (fileinfo: fileinfo: numerous file_printf calls resulting in performance degradation). (CVE-2014-0237)
Fixed bug #67326 (fileinfo: cdf_read_short_sector insufficient boundary check). (CVE-2014-0207)
Fixed bug #67410 (fileinfo: mconvert incorrect handling of truncated pascal string size). (CVE-2014-3478)
Fixed bug #67411 (fileinfo: cdf_check_stream_offset insufficient boundary check). (CVE-2014-3479)
Fixed bug #67412 (fileinfo: cdf_count_chain insufficient boundary check). (CVE-2014-3480)
Fixed bug #67413 (fileinfo: cdf_read_property_info insufficient boundary check). (CVE-2014-3487)
Fixed bug #66731 (file: infinite recursion). (CVE-2014-1943)
Fixed bug #66820 (out-of-bounds memory access in fileinfo). (CVE-2014-2270)
Fixed bug #66946 (fileinfo: extensive backtracking in awk rule regular expression). (CVE-2013-7345)
Fixed bug #67060 (sapi/fpm: possible privilege escalation due to insecure default configuration). (CVE-2014-0185)
Fixed bug #67730 (Null byte injection possible with imagexxx functions). (CVE-2014-5120)
Fixed bug #66901 (php-gd 'c_color' NULL pointer dereference). (CVE-2014-2497)
Fixed bug #66356 (Heap Overflow Vulnerability in imagecrop()). (CVE-2013-7226)
Fixed bug #66815 (imagecrop(): insufficient fix for NULL defer). (CVE-2013-7327)
Fixed bug #67717 (segfault in dns_get_record). (CVE-2014-3597)
Fixed bug #67432 (Fix potential segfault in dns_get_record()). (CVE-2014-4049)
Fixed bug #67539 (ArrayIterator use-after-free due to object change during sorting). (CVE-2014-4698)
Fixed bug #67538 (SPL Iterators use-after-free). (CVE-2014-4670)
Fixed bug #67492 (unserialize() SPL ArrayObject / SPLObjectStorage Type Confusion). (CVE-2014-3515)

That's not the applications written in PHP, mind you. That's the language system.

coordinated work

On: The American Workday, By Profession

Lots of construction work is only safe to do when the crew is working together. You can't have people single-lifting things that require team lifting. You can't have a truck, pallet jack, front loader, paver, or crane operator running heavy equipment in confined areas without spotters and such. A roofer needs nails and shingles brought up to be efficient. Getting to lunch at the same time is good safety and good business. It's not just a union thing.

Re:Cooling is worse then warming.

On: Climate Scientist Pioneer Talks About the Furture of Geoengineering

The planet will be fine either way. Save the humans.

Cool? No. Common? Workhorse? Yes.

On: If Java Wasn't Cool 10 Years Ago, What About Now?

I doubt too many people think a cast iron pan is cool. Yet it can be used to bake, broil, fry, sauté, reduce, and more.

Is mergesort cool? Are linked lists and hash tables cool? They are common building blocks, but are very useful.

Is DRAM cool? Are x86_64 processors sexy?

Is the Honda Accord or the Toyota Camry "bitchin'"?

Are asphalt shingles as impressive as a slate roof?

When your job calls for a sturdy workhorse, you don't need a thoroughbred racehorse. You don't haul gravel in a Huracan. If your project calls for Java, or C++, or Fortran, Ada, or even for COBOL then you use what gets the job done. If it calls for rapid deployment from a small team, you might use Perl, Python, Ruby, Javascript, or even a shell script. If you need Erlang, Forth, Swift, some assembly language, or some Basic dialect due to platform, existing code, etc then you just suck it up and do that. If you have a chance to do greenfield development and can pick your language, pick anything that works.

If you're in a Java shop working on a Java project, you write and debug Java. Sometimes there's more than one right tool for the job, but you use the one everyone in your workshop has and can use.

Re:2GB of RAM?

On: New HP Laptop Would Mean Windows at Chromebook Prices

Who cares for the puroses of this story, since an AMD A4 is a 64-bit (AMD64 / x86_64) processor from AMD?

corruption in Chicago: film at 11 (every night)

On: Feds: Red Light Camera Firm Paid For Chicago Official's Car, Condo

What's really news is that corruption in Chicago makes the news.

Re:The drugs are terrible

On: Involuntary Eye Movement May Provide Definitive Diagnosis of ADHD

Not all ADHD folks are hyperactive. The "H" is common but not universal. Poor sleep can definitely cause a loss of ability to focus, though. It can also contribute to risk of stroke, heart attack, type 2 diabetes, and a lot of other problems. I wouldn't doubt that hyperactivity could be among those.

Re:Greetings, Starfighter.

On: DARPA Uses Preteen Gamers To Beta Test Tomorrow's Military Software

Listen, Centauri. I'm not any of those guys, I'm a kid from a trailer park.

Re:No, the CIA spies on the US Senate.

On: Cornering the Market On Zero-Day Exploits

That was a specific case in which the CIA was trying to protect itself from a specific investigation into their other illegal activities. In general the CIA does not spy on US citizens because there are other agencies already doing that.

Re:catch has gotten more specific, skill not chang

On: The ESports Athletes Who Tried To Switch Games

I'm not so sure I agree. When you practice out routes and sideline routes your whole career counting on push-out rules and then suddenly being pushed out means you're out of bounds for the catch, that's massive. An out route can't go as far out, and a sideline route has to be further in from the sideline. It's probably a bigger change than going from NCAA football with the one-foot rule to the NFL with the two-foot rule.

The reply rules made what counts as a catch a lot more strict, but a good solid catch with control of the ball was always the goal. Thayt didn't change too much other than getting incomplete passes more accurately called. The push-out rule changing OTOH changed how the routes are run on the same size field.

Re:They'll do the right thing

On: Cornering the Market On Zero-Day Exploits

Nah. The CIA spies overseas. The FBI spies domestically. The NSA does both. Then they all hand their analyses to DHS overlords to put us on watch lists for further Fourth Amendment violations with no actual evidence of anything.

Plus is primarily centralized account management

On: Google+ Photos To Be Separated From Google+

Google Plus is only incidentally a social network. It was designed to merge and centrally manage the YouTube, Picasa, GMail, et al accounts. It's been quite effective. The stream was an easy add-on goal and an additional selling point for consumers. Circles offer a nice benefit and are being used now not just for the Plus stream but to notify people about one another's activities on the other sites like YouTube.