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User: Hard_Code

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  1. It all boils down to: on Slack · · Score: 3, Insightful

    "Premature optimization is the root of all evil." -Knuth

    Companies, especially in the cut-throat US market, consistently choose immediate gains over long term gains. This is why we can have billion-dollar corporations just crumbling within days. At some point you can no longer borrow from Peter to pay Paul, and it all falls apart. Companies should be looking not only 1 or 5 years (or god forbid, just months!) into the future, but 10 or 20...not only with respect to human resources, but all the other resources and strategies available. Unfortunately, when you are surrounded with competition which will gladly eat your lunch if you attempt to forego immediate efficiencies for long term efficiencies, this can be very hard. Somehow this premature optimization needs to be disincentivized, but I'm not sure how that can be done. Also, with such "premature optimizations" the damage is long done before the long court process can resolve any wrong doing (HOW many years has the MS trial been going on without any ramifications or reparations so far?) Perhaps corporations should be forced to submit long term business strategy documents or have their charter revoked (maybe make this public record, so that companies cannot eat each other's lunch?) Who knows. But it a larger issue than just human resources. The free market optimizes very locally (and while some may argue the failure of those that optimize too locally, and the subsequent emergence of other companies support, not detract, from the free market - remember, big giants make BIG fucking holes when they fall...maybe we should be wary of letting the giants get that big without looking where they are going)

  2. Re:just a kernel tool(well Linux is just a kernel) on New Linux Configuration Tool · · Score: 2

    "Nobody wanted it."

    Who the heck are you talking about? I sure as hell would like it! Why the hell would you NOT like autodetection? Do you LIKE clicking widgets for no reason or something? I suppose you ENJOY writing your own X modelines? If things can be made easier without any extra effort (it is already done!), why the heck would you NOT want this? Of course there is middle ground. In fact, I'd argue this "middle ground" is the majority user base of Linux - because anybody now has the freedom of throwing Linux on an old machine and running a server. These are above power-users, but below kernel hackers - a really BIG middle ground. And if you ever hope for Linux to be viable to the masses, this stuff certainly needs to be easier...if only to make life easier for VARs. I don't understand this "if it is hard it must be better" mentality.

  3. Re:Cobol on If Programming Languages Could Speak · · Score: 2

    Yeah it's a pity...they were all set to do it New Years eve Y2K...

  4. Re:C on If Programming Languages Could Speak · · Score: 2

    Admit it, you just made that all up didn't you?

  5. Re:If this php script could speak on If Programming Languages Could Speak · · Score: 3, Funny

    Don't worry MySQL - just keep running and don't look back!!

  6. Re:If Java could speak...... on If Programming Languages Could Speak · · Score: 5, Funny

    "A converstaion would take all day."

    No, because it would fail during compilation at:

    Error at line 1: unknown symbol: "converstaion"

  7. Re:We did it. on Using the DocBook DTD for Internal Documents? · · Score: 3, Funny

    "There is no place for someone who is deliberately not doing their job."

    Except a union apparently.

  8. You are doomed on ColdFusion Programming Methodologies? · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Gah. The web is just the WRONG paradigm (can I say that?) to use for complex interactive applications. When you purchase a car, does it come with a "page-based" interface metaphor? Are there "steering-wheel-emulation" frameworks for emulating a steering wheel on a piece of paper? Yet that is what all these MVC frameworks which attempt to emulate an interactive stateful application on the client side propose to do.

    It's just wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong. The web is great for displaying PAGES, not applications.

    For the complicated applications people are trying to shove on the web, we need a new solution. Something in between a standalone fat application, and completely server-rendered pages (web). Something like cURL, or XULUX, or (choke) XUL + scripting glue.

    When you try to add complicated statefullness and interactivity to the page-based server-based metaphor, complexity scales exponentially...it's just crazy. Your app just becomes a Big Hairy finite state machine DSP.

  9. Hmm... on Wanted: Female Game Testers · · Score: 2

    ...yeah, I wonder why there are so few female game testers in an industry which largely objectifies, sexualizes, and demeans femails...

    Oh well, off to murder some prostitutes in GTA...

  10. Re:chicken and egg on Los Angeles City Employees To Drive Hydrogen Power · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Except that with gasoline autos ALL of the infrastructure had to be created, and there simply wasn't an alternative. Right now people can just shrug and use gasoline instead of anteing up for hydrogen infrastructure.

  11. Re:Apache Saying Matthew Murphy Was Irresponsible? on Apache 1.3.27, Bug Fix and Security Updates · · Score: 2

    No, you expect to be called Finagle...

  12. Uh... on Lofgren's Anti-DRM Bill · · Score: 2

    So, is this good or bad for the small developer? How does this bill relate to UCITA? Is it generally against the provisions of UCITA or for them? *confused*

  13. Re:Lets get this over with....... on KDE 3.1 Second Beta Released · · Score: 2

    Hey, can we have a "Why was this posted on slashdot?" topic? It can have its own icon. And it can be excluded by default. All whiners can post there.

  14. Governments? on Cheap SSL Certificates for Small Websites? · · Score: 2

    What about governments providing a non-profit cert service? Sure, there is the typical caveat of having to "trust" the government...but how much do you really "trust" Verisign anyway? Governments already certify physical documents...why not electronic ones? You could just get a cert from the government covering the region you operate in (ok, I know on the net this can be worldwide)...from city, to state, to regional, to national, or maybe even international. This might also have the effect of localizing the trust - perhaps as a consumer you don't trust a cert generated by some middle of nowhere town or province...

  15. Re:Read the comments under the announcement... on Lunar Linux 1.0 Released · · Score: 3, Informative

    If you are coming from Win2k without much prior Linux or Unix experience I was seriously suggest installing RedHat or Mandrake. Give it a whirl for a month or so to get familiar, then when you think you are 'leet enough (i.e. your pain threshold has risen enough), try out a source distro.

    I haven't tried out a source distro yet (it seems the only occasions I have to install Linux happen to be pretty bizarre network installs...so I usually just opt for RedHat because this is the *only* distro I've been able to get to install easily in these circumstances).

  16. Old Term New Term on Lunar Linux 1.0 Released · · Score: 4, Funny

    Old Command: rm -rf /
    New Command: fakelunarlanding

    Old Term: Kernel Panic
    New Term: apollo13

  17. Re:I'm interested on Slashdot Turns 5 · · Score: 2

    I sure hope that accepting/rejecting stories is not the ONLY task they have. There is constant maintenance of servers, work on Slash, traipsing around to conferences, etc.

  18. Re:What you mean to say, of course, on Slashdot Turns 5 · · Score: 2

    My, those pants looks like they are in need of some hot grits, baby!

  19. Deeper Analysis on Slashdot Turns 5 · · Score: 5, Funny
    And now for some deeper analysis, courtesy of the University of Maine:

    What are 5-Year-Olds Like?
    How I Move:
    • I enjoy activities requiring hand skills.
    • I draw a recognizable person.
    • I am skilled and accurate with simple tools.
    • I can sit still for brief periods.
    • I enjoy jumping, running and skipping.
    • I have adult-like posture in throwing and catching.
    • I have great physical drive.
    • I like dancing, am rhythmic and graceful.
    • I sometimes roughhouse and fight.
    • I am well coordinated.
    How I Think:
    • I am curious about everything.
    • I am ready for short trips into the community.
    • I know my family name and address.
    • I talk clearly about my ideas.
    • I am self-centered about my ideas.
    • I like to be busy making something.
    • I make a plan before starting a project.
    • My attention span is 12 to 28 minutes long.
    • I can carry over play interests for more than one day.
    • I play on a realistic level in dramatic play.
    • I readily use complete sentences.
    • I count 10 objects.

    How I Get Along:
    • I am becoming poised and self-confident.
    • I copy adult behavior and act grown-up.
    • I am aware of rules and define them for others.
    • I play in groups of two to five children.
    • I am less competitive than at age 4.
    • I am sensitive to teasing and get hurt feelings easily.
    • I like the companionship of adults.
    • I have to be right.
    • I am sociable and like to visit.
    • I may get wild, silly and giggly.


    Crafted with love by a fellow slashdotter! :)
  20. Long term studies? on Laser Vision Surgery for Developers? · · Score: 2

    Have there been any long term studies on this type of surgery? I don't think there have. You don't want to have a surgery which is great for 5-10 years, and then, I don't know, your eyes self destruct or melt or whatever. Might want to find some people who have had this for a long time.

  21. Re:Bad Idea... on Streaming Satellite TV Service to Another Country? · · Score: 2
    When that kid was caned for chewing gum or whatever "crime" he committed
    He was spray-painting cars IIRC. Serves him right. A great embassador he was.
  22. Re:HOORAY! on AOL's new Linux PC · · Score: 2

    "candlelight visual"

    If you use this phrase in spoken conversation, be sure to pronounce it: "candlelight vi-gil"

  23. Re:one paragraph book? on Why Does Software Cost So Much? · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The whole free market house of cards is supposedly built on, at its basic, fundamental assumption, that the consumer is aware of the choices. I think it can easily be argued that in this day and age of centralized media conglomerations in bed with content-creators, that the consumer is less and less aware of the choices. The market is just flooded with 500 choices of the same thing rebranded with different names by different subsidiaries. So be careful when you toe that free market line. Do you really think MS software would be as dominant if it wasn't for scads of marketing and anti-competitive OEM deals? I don't.

  24. indead on What's the Best Server for Home Use? · · Score: 2

    Heh, not "indead" "indeed" :)

  25. Re:This is easy. on What's the Best Server for Home Use? · · Score: 3, Informative

    Indead. I just gave a new lease on life to my girlfriends seriously underused p100 32mb ram ibm pc350 desktop. I was pleasantly surprised how well it runs: apache + php + mysql + sendmail + imaps + ssh. Take 5 minutes to create a free dyndns.org account and you are set. Installing Linux on it was a bitch though because it had a really old flaky NE2000 10mb/s card. Although, you could see the reduced bandwidth as a good thing.