Exactly!! It's so easy to tell people to "go get willlpower or get out of the gene pool when they don't understand the problem at all. At various times in my life I've worked 60+ hour weeks, compulsively felt I had to be constantly learning new technologies and upgrading my skills, exercised obsessively, and even gamed obsessively. I learned, though, that all of these behaviors were driven by the same psychological underpinnings. And they never happened at the same time. So I hopped from one addiction to the next.
Does this make me addicted to *all* of these things? No, it means I had/have to work on what it is about me psychologically that makes me need to do *everything* to excess. One could argue that being addicted to work or exercise is a good thing. I think it's just as bad. Either way you're ignoring the underlying problem and letting a sad (I mean that empathetically, of course) lack of something in you to cause you to compulsively look outwardly for reward and gratification. It's sad, it's real and unfortunately because of attitudes like many here on Slashdot it gets either ignored or dismissed. Or worse, the person labels themselves simply a (sex, gambling, work, Internet, gaming, etc.) addict without evaluating on a deeper level the strong psychological motivations for their behavior.
The autocode generation is meant only to be used initial. Eventually it's usefulness goes away, obviously. So I don't know if I'd find fault with that, personally. My biggest problem is that it relies on FastCGI which blows hard. I've been trying to get that setup, in part to test how easy getting a production environment of rails going is.... um... yeah... not going so well. At least with Tomcat or JBoss you can up and running in minutes. You may not be able to developer your app "10x FASTER", but at least you don't have to fight to get the app server running.
I like rails overall, though. I think it needs a better server than "use Apache and tie it to Fascgi". And I do think it's a bit overhyped, especially when you hear people talk about replacing Java with it. The idea of making software development more simple isn't a Ruby invention. It's something that projects from Hibernate to Spring are latching onto. Java will end up in roughly the same space eventually. Maybe not with the unified framework that does all aspects of web development. But it's getting better at being simpler.
What are you talking about? I find the Java community to be pretty pragmatic and grown up. We're mostly software developers solving problems. I don't see that many evangelists out here.
Exactly. If the powers that be can't adjust and find a more creative way to make money (say, give Tivo users free movie tickets if they watch 15 downloaded ads, or something) then eventually I just won't watch television. If it turns so bad (and it's already pure fluff right now for the most part) that it's pretty much wall to wall product placement, if the inegrity of the writing is so compromised because of product placement, then I just won't watch TV. I guess that's the evolution of TV.
Put 1 or 2 ads at the front of a show Put 3 or 4 ads during the show Pepper the entire show with ads Pepper the entire show with ads AND start doing product placement Advertise at me during the movies Advertise at me on the web When I ignore ads on the web throw pop-ups at me I block pop-ups so use pop-unders I get Tivo and then advertisers ask me if I want to opt into ads I say no, advertisers begin putting in more product placement I sell my TV and my Tivo and read books and play video games instead
It's an arms race. Who loses at the end there? The networks and Tivo. Not I.
The sad thing for me as I read this (and I did read the whole thing) is how bad JJ Abrams got it. It makes me worry that his TV show (which I loved, but am starting to dislike) is heading in the wrong direction because he is just a bad writer with a few good ideas.
Mod this down. How is this informative? He's just being a jerk. There are many of us who are quite in the present (I have a Pocket PC, a Nintendo DS, a Tivo, wireless, no land line) yet don't see the point of HDTV. We have a 20 inch TV. Works just fine. Why does everyone HAVE to go to HDTV? I've never understood that. Is TV that crucial to western culture that it's mandatory to watch it a certain way?
Yes and no. I dress appropriately for work, but there is more to life than work. Your #1 priority should be to be happy. If dressing in a suit doesn't make one happy, then finding another job is perfectly reasonable. Life is too short to be unhappy simply to please an employer. Talk about priorities.
Huh? I have an HP iPaq rx3115. It has bluetooth and 802.11b. It runs beautifully and the battery lasts at least 7 or 8 hours of normal use. A little less with WiFi. It also cost $300 retail and can be had for less. Get your facts straight.
My point isn't the stability of the OS, but rather the stability of future of the OS. In Linux-land (where I've been living for years now) stability is about more than just the kernel. You need an organization behind the distro that is strong and vibrant and reliable, so that you know that if you install SuSE that it will be viable if you need security updates or upgrades in the future. I feared SuSE was going to lose that and go the way of Red Hat with RHEL. So I switched.
I consider RHEL to be the superior distro. I preferred SuSE, however, because it was a cheap way to get a high quality distro that I knew would be supported for years. The Novell purchase shook that confidence, I couldn't afford RHEL for personal use, so I went with CentOS and couldn't be happier.
Exactly. Anyone who ever used SuSE (I used it for 3 years until they were purchased) knows Mantel if only because of the famous "Mantel Kernels" that would include special features not in the regular kernel. His contribution both to the distribution and offline were a big part of what made SuSE great in its time.
It *was* my favorite distro until they decided to join Red Hat in the enterprise fray. I saw the writing on the wall and now I use CentOS. I know, a Red Hat rebuild. At least there is some stability with CentOS.
The funny thing is that the GBA is often second. This should tell the PSP fanboys something. Real gamers like to play games. The PSP has a great install base with those who like to pirate games, watch movies on a 4 inch screen or listen to mp3s on a device that weighs about 12 times as much as an iPod Shuffle. But for those of us who just want to play good games, Nintendo is where it's at in the portable market.
I use Linux as my desktop at home. I have an XBox and a Pocket PC. So I'm no idealogue. I buy what works best for me. And for gaming that's been for years the Gameboy Advance. The DS (like the PSP since I've owned both) has some ergonomic issues due to its weight. At least for me, as a computer programmer with wrists and hands that have been abused for years, the ergonomic issues are pronounced. So I don't own either anymore. But the library of the GBA is top-notch. And when I owned both a PSP and DS the PSP gathered dust and was sold pretty quickly, while meanwhile I had a hard time letting the DS go. So many good games.
Advance Wars: Dual Strike Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow Meteos Kirby: Canvas Curse Electroplankton (import) Band Brothers (import) Ouendan (import)
And so many more to come. The DS is where the real innovation is taking place. It makes me sad I can't play it *physically*. If I could, the DS would be my number 1 system.
Concur. I am a J2EE developer by trade and PHP was my fallback language for non-profit, personal and other side projects for a while. But now I'm using Ruby on Rails. Faster to develop than PHP and much better structured (when using Rails).
Actually I couldn't disagree more. Palm DID make nice devices, IMO. But the recent round of color screens either are garishly painful on the eyes (Palm Zire 31) or they develop this problem where the screen makes a high-pitched whine or buzzing sound after a couple months (Tungsten, etc.). I went with Pocket PC because of the hardware problems with Palm. I would gladly switch back if one of these devices had a decent screen, but I'm not holding my breath. I'll wait until I can see one in the store.
It's frustrating to be one of the few people on the planet who doesn't have an iPod AND wants to listen to All Things Considered in its entirety. Something that used to be available via Audible.com, but now is no longer available. Anyone know how to rip an NPR stream to MP3? I can do it from a member station MP3 stream, but then it comes out as a 128 kbs MP3 that is HUGE. I'd like to be able to downsample to 64 kbs.
Here here!! I didn't like Audible.com. In fact I hated that company for many years. They had terrible customer service and surly workers. But at least they could deliver content (like All Things Considered) to a number of various devices. It really frustrates that me if I want to listen to National *Public* Radio, I have to use iTunes or an iPod. Why can't they just toss an MP3 up on the site and call it good? And an MP3 of the whole show too, music and everything. It's insanity.
Good advice. Although I hope that wasn't pointed at me, because if so it was way off base. Contractor insurance usually sucks and it ends and changes often, so in my case my wife carries the insurance. That's the nature of the tech industry these days, I'm afraid.
I've been contracting for a couple years ago. I've discovered that contractors often get brought on board often to organizations that either are experiencing unmanagable growth or are stuck in the mud because of problems with business process. So it can be frustrating. But the money is better and it's nice to know that you can take a couple weeks off here and there (assuming you save your money, etc.).
I think it's really a lifestyle thing. I like being permanently (although that word is a joke in this market) employed from the standpoint of working on the same project and getting some momentum for a while. But I don't have kids. Don't have a mortgage, so that's really the only advantage to me. That and if you like your co-workers a lot and want to stick with them. Those are reasons I'd rather be permanent.
Not much help, I know. Like I said, it's a mixed bag. Permanence is about more than just stability in work. It's about stability in what you do, stability in who you work with. And depending on if the job is boring and if you like your co-workers this can either be a plus or a minus. I'm just glad I have the financial flexibility to make that choice and not worry (as much) about the financial end of it.
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Why? So they know what NOT to do?
Exactly!! It's so easy to tell people to "go get willlpower or get out of the gene pool when they don't understand the problem at all. At various times in my life I've worked 60+ hour weeks, compulsively felt I had to be constantly learning new technologies and upgrading my skills, exercised obsessively, and even gamed obsessively. I learned, though, that all of these behaviors were driven by the same psychological underpinnings. And they never happened at the same time. So I hopped from one addiction to the next.
Does this make me addicted to *all* of these things? No, it means I had/have to work on what it is about me psychologically that makes me need to do *everything* to excess. One could argue that being addicted to work or exercise is a good thing. I think it's just as bad. Either way you're ignoring the underlying problem and letting a sad (I mean that empathetically, of course) lack of something in you to cause you to compulsively look outwardly for reward and gratification. It's sad, it's real and unfortunately because of attitudes like many here on Slashdot it gets either ignored or dismissed. Or worse, the person labels themselves simply a (sex, gambling, work, Internet, gaming, etc.) addict without evaluating on a deeper level the strong psychological motivations for their behavior.
I'd be interested to hear how you do that. How you can essentially run Rails standalone as a server.
The autocode generation is meant only to be used initial. Eventually it's usefulness goes away, obviously. So I don't know if I'd find fault with that, personally. My biggest problem is that it relies on FastCGI which blows hard. I've been trying to get that setup, in part to test how easy getting a production environment of rails going is.... um... yeah... not going so well. At least with Tomcat or JBoss you can up and running in minutes. You may not be able to developer your app "10x FASTER", but at least you don't have to fight to get the app server running.
I like rails overall, though. I think it needs a better server than "use Apache and tie it to Fascgi". And I do think it's a bit overhyped, especially when you hear people talk about replacing Java with it. The idea of making software development more simple isn't a Ruby invention. It's something that projects from Hibernate to Spring are latching onto. Java will end up in roughly the same space eventually. Maybe not with the unified framework that does all aspects of web development. But it's getting better at being simpler.
What are you talking about? I find the Java community to be pretty pragmatic and grown up. We're mostly software developers solving problems. I don't see that many evangelists out here.
Exactly. If the powers that be can't adjust and find a more creative way to make money (say, give Tivo users free movie tickets if they watch 15 downloaded ads, or something) then eventually I just won't watch television. If it turns so bad (and it's already pure fluff right now for the most part) that it's pretty much wall to wall product placement, if the inegrity of the writing is so compromised because of product placement, then I just won't watch TV. I guess that's the evolution of TV.
Put 1 or 2 ads at the front of a show
Put 3 or 4 ads during the show
Pepper the entire show with ads
Pepper the entire show with ads AND start doing product placement
Advertise at me during the movies
Advertise at me on the web
When I ignore ads on the web throw pop-ups at me
I block pop-ups so use pop-unders
I get Tivo and then advertisers ask me if I want to opt into ads
I say no, advertisers begin putting in more product placement
I sell my TV and my Tivo and read books and play video games instead
It's an arms race. Who loses at the end there? The networks and Tivo. Not I.
Weird. I have version 5 and have none of these problems. I didn't even know it didn't run Linux any longer. I know, lazy Slashdot reader, I am.
Don't forget the power to throw a giant cellophane S from the second movie. Or the ability to shoot white lasers out of your finger. Or to teleport.
I don't know. 2 had it's moments as well.
Too true. Mod up!!!
The sad thing for me as I read this (and I did read the whole thing) is how bad JJ Abrams got it. It makes me worry that his TV show (which I loved, but am starting to dislike) is heading in the wrong direction because he is just a bad writer with a few good ideas.
I'm relaxed. He wasn't being funny, though. He was being a wise-a**. Poking fun at people who don't quite get the importance of HDTV.
Mod this down. How is this informative? He's just being a jerk. There are many of us who are quite in the present (I have a Pocket PC, a Nintendo DS, a Tivo, wireless, no land line) yet don't see the point of HDTV. We have a 20 inch TV. Works just fine. Why does everyone HAVE to go to HDTV? I've never understood that. Is TV that crucial to western culture that it's mandatory to watch it a certain way?
HAHAHAHA!!!
MOD UP!
Yes and no. I dress appropriately for work, but there is more to life than work. Your #1 priority should be to be happy. If dressing in a suit doesn't make one happy, then finding another job is perfectly reasonable. Life is too short to be unhappy simply to please an employer. Talk about priorities.
You miss the point. I said "retail". The device I just detailed can be had on eBay for even less - http://search.ebay.com/ipaq-rx3115_W0QQfromZR40.
Huh? I have an HP iPaq rx3115. It has bluetooth and 802.11b. It runs beautifully and the battery lasts at least 7 or 8 hours of normal use. A little less with WiFi. It also cost $300 retail and can be had for less. Get your facts straight.
My point isn't the stability of the OS, but rather the stability of future of the OS. In Linux-land (where I've been living for years now) stability is about more than just the kernel. You need an organization behind the distro that is strong and vibrant and reliable, so that you know that if you install SuSE that it will be viable if you need security updates or upgrades in the future. I feared SuSE was going to lose that and go the way of Red Hat with RHEL. So I switched.
I consider RHEL to be the superior distro. I preferred SuSE, however, because it was a cheap way to get a high quality distro that I knew would be supported for years. The Novell purchase shook that confidence, I couldn't afford RHEL for personal use, so I went with CentOS and couldn't be happier.
Exactly. Anyone who ever used SuSE (I used it for 3 years until they were purchased) knows Mantel if only because of the famous "Mantel Kernels" that would include special features not in the regular kernel. His contribution both to the distribution and offline were a big part of what made SuSE great in its time.
It *was* my favorite distro until they decided to join Red Hat in the enterprise fray. I saw the writing on the wall and now I use CentOS. I know, a Red Hat rebuild. At least there is some stability with CentOS.
The funny thing is that the GBA is often second. This should tell the PSP fanboys something. Real gamers like to play games. The PSP has a great install base with those who like to pirate games, watch movies on a 4 inch screen or listen to mp3s on a device that weighs about 12 times as much as an iPod Shuffle. But for those of us who just want to play good games, Nintendo is where it's at in the portable market.
I use Linux as my desktop at home. I have an XBox and a Pocket PC. So I'm no idealogue. I buy what works best for me. And for gaming that's been for years the Gameboy Advance. The DS (like the PSP since I've owned both) has some ergonomic issues due to its weight. At least for me, as a computer programmer with wrists and hands that have been abused for years, the ergonomic issues are pronounced. So I don't own either anymore. But the library of the GBA is top-notch. And when I owned both a PSP and DS the PSP gathered dust and was sold pretty quickly, while meanwhile I had a hard time letting the DS go. So many good games.
Advance Wars: Dual Strike
Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow
Meteos
Kirby: Canvas Curse
Electroplankton (import)
Band Brothers (import)
Ouendan (import)
And so many more to come. The DS is where the real innovation is taking place. It makes me sad I can't play it *physically*. If I could, the DS would be my number 1 system.
Concur. I am a J2EE developer by trade and PHP was my fallback language for non-profit, personal and other side projects for a while. But now I'm using Ruby on Rails. Faster to develop than PHP and much better structured (when using Rails).
Actually I couldn't disagree more. Palm DID make nice devices, IMO. But the recent round of color screens either are garishly painful on the eyes (Palm Zire 31) or they develop this problem where the screen makes a high-pitched whine or buzzing sound after a couple months (Tungsten, etc.). I went with Pocket PC because of the hardware problems with Palm. I would gladly switch back if one of these devices had a decent screen, but I'm not holding my breath. I'll wait until I can see one in the store.
It's frustrating to be one of the few people on the planet who doesn't have an iPod AND wants to listen to All Things Considered in its entirety. Something that used to be available via Audible.com, but now is no longer available. Anyone know how to rip an NPR stream to MP3? I can do it from a member station MP3 stream, but then it comes out as a 128 kbs MP3 that is HUGE. I'd like to be able to downsample to 64 kbs.
Here here!! I didn't like Audible.com. In fact I hated that company for many years. They had terrible customer service and surly workers. But at least they could deliver content (like All Things Considered) to a number of various devices. It really frustrates that me if I want to listen to National *Public* Radio, I have to use iTunes or an iPod. Why can't they just toss an MP3 up on the site and call it good? And an MP3 of the whole show too, music and everything. It's insanity.
Good advice. Although I hope that wasn't pointed at me, because if so it was way off base. Contractor insurance usually sucks and it ends and changes often, so in my case my wife carries the insurance. That's the nature of the tech industry these days, I'm afraid.
I've been contracting for a couple years ago. I've discovered that contractors often get brought on board often to organizations that either are experiencing unmanagable growth or are stuck in the mud because of problems with business process. So it can be frustrating. But the money is better and it's nice to know that you can take a couple weeks off here and there (assuming you save your money, etc.).
I think it's really a lifestyle thing. I like being permanently (although that word is a joke in this market) employed from the standpoint of working on the same project and getting some momentum for a while. But I don't have kids. Don't have a mortgage, so that's really the only advantage to me. That and if you like your co-workers a lot and want to stick with them. Those are reasons I'd rather be permanent.
Not much help, I know. Like I said, it's a mixed bag. Permanence is about more than just stability in work. It's about stability in what you do, stability in who you work with. And depending on if the job is boring and if you like your co-workers this can either be a plus or a minus. I'm just glad I have the financial flexibility to make that choice and not worry (as much) about the financial end of it.