medical profession does require memorization of a large amount of raw data, but it's the synthesis of that base knowledge that makes you a doctor.
Unlike mathematics and it's branches like CS or physics, you can not derive how a human being works from some raw initial data (like you can derive a theory from axioms). Hence in math you just memorize the initial axioms and nerves of proofs of important theorems and go from there. If you are good at it you can get by with just that. If you are not so good you memorize more of the key points of the proofs.
In medicine you actually don't have axioms just raw data and very few theories on how things should work. So you must memorize that data.
But as a practicing doctor your daily life depends on the synthesis of that data. You must derive conclusions from much larger base of knowledge and be good at recognizing patterns.
Usually several hundred ailments have similar symptoms. So the first step is always to make a differential diagnosis listing all possible things that might have those symptoms and then sorting the list by likelihood, and then you start eliminating the problems one by one by doing diagnostic tests and routing patients further to people who specialize in particular areas.
Needless to say mistakes can be costly both in terms of patients well being if you do not consider something in your differential diagnosis or economically if you suspect something whose elimination requires an expensive diagnostic test or invasive for the patient.
So I guess all I'm saying is that oversimplification of professions like that is never going to lead to reliable conclusions.
You most certainly can if you want to. But if you have system files A and B and you modify B and later system update modifies A to call something in B that you changed the behavior of, then don't blame the system update.
That's exactly my point. There is no comparable product.
If all you care about is the CPU speed, more memory, etc, all wrapped in a shitty plastic case with horrible keyboard and aesthetics then yes, you can buy/build one for half the price.
If you want the complete package, solid performance and amazing OS to boot, then to me Apple is currently the only choice.
I would buy Apple laptop even if I were to run Linux or God forbid Windows on it.
By saying that you show that you completely misunderstand the mindset of the Apple customer.
People that buy Apple products are not concerned with motherboards, chipsets, memory speed, CPU or other technical details so much (except perhaps MacPro buyers, esp. if they come from PC background).
People that care about that build their own PCs (I have certainly).
People who buy Apple want their computer to be transparent, they don't want to tinker with it endlessly (like that guy fixing old cars in his garage and never having it actually working, he just enjoys tinkering - kind of like Linux people early on).
If you say macbook is just like any other laptop then you don't get it. Look at any other laptop and just look at the level of "noise" on the keyboard designs these days. Find me one keyboard that doesn't scream at you with 5 things written on each keyboard with different colored letters, keys non-standard width or position etc.
That's just one detail, and then look at the beauty of simplicity of classical Macbook keyboard. It just disappears, and doesn't scream at you.
Macbook aluminum case feels so solid and sturdy, better than any other laptop I have ever held. And it does not have things written on it all over the place (certainly not stupid metal labels like Intel Inside or built for Vista), or things glued to it at the bottom containing certain product key.
The computer is sophisticated and simple, understated like luxury European sedan (think BMW, a lot of people don't get that one either, that's why you see idiots that put chrome wheels, and fart exhausts on their BMW).
And then we get to other soft things like the OS. That one is a topic on its own, but the joy of using OS X would be worth it to me even without these other things.
They did not get rid of the buttons on trackpad, they added more. You now have 2 buttons on the trackpad for left and right click. They are just not "proper" buttons, more like an area on the trackpad that can get depressed when pressure is applied and the make a clicking sound.
and that's the only official way to defrag HFS+. Of course there are 3rd party tools to do it (iDefrag) even though the Mac users are under the impression that HFS+ does not need be de-fragmented.
Of course anyone who knows how file systems work will know that is not true.
OS X has some built in strategies to defrag files on the fly, but they don't apply to files larger than 20 MB or writable files or files that have less than 8 fragments, so obviously it is not sufficient.
Yes, I'm quite aware of threading and worker threads. I use them every day. However, thread and process are not a same thing. This is why I'm saying I hope Firefox does not start spawning worker processes (i.e. OS processes).
Threads could be OK, but it will complicate the web programming model and it won't be uncommon to see deadlocks in web apps, leading you to kill your browser session.
Well let's see Macboo vs Dell 13'' screen vs 8.9 '' screen 2.0 GHz CPU vs 1.6 GHz 1066 MHz FSB vs 533 MHz FSB Up to 4 GB RAM (2 standard) vs up to 1 GB RAM NVIDIA GeForce 9400M vs Intel GMA 950 built in stereo speakers vs one external speaker 11a/b/g/n vs 11a/b/g 160 GB HDD standard (SSD Option) vs up to 16 GB SSD Built in dual layer DVD burner vs no CD/DVD ROM built in Gigabit vs 100 Mbit adapter Full sized keyboard vs small keyboard Built in mini display port vs 15 pin VGA aluminum case vs plastic
they both have USB 2.0 ports, audio in/out, bluetooth.
So, yeah, they are not even comparable. Macbook outclasses it quite a bit.
The new aluminum Macbook is a better Macbook Air. Seriously, it is almost as sturdy, it has DVD burner, better CPU, more and easily accessible ports, and stereo speakers (although totally useless on both models).
It's not as light, but it's not much heavier either.
On the other hand, my Macbook has no heat issues, it's actually amazingly cool for normal use.
If you are up to date with all the updates and don't run unnecessary services, software etc, then perhaps you might be ok (it is most dangerous on days patches are released since that also means that details of vulnerabilities are made known too. So if users are not pro active with updates as soon as they are available, technically they might be exposed.)
But the point is that Windows has had problems like that not too long ago, and that there is a stigma attached to it because of it.
I'm sure Windows security is getting better as well and users might be getting more educated, but it certainly took a long time:D.
Yes, that's called a worm or trojan etc, which is different from virus.
To get infected with a worm or trojan user must download it, give it permissions to run and execute it. (So it usually requires some social engineering to get someone to do all this for you if you are malware writer).
Virus, on the other hand usually means user does not have to do anything but use computer normally to get infected.
Unpatched Windows XP (no service packs) connected to the Internet with no firewall and left unattended will get infected within seconds.
This is what we are talking about. OS X, BSD, Linux do not currently get infected with anything in the same scenarios.
No OS is safe from worms or malware that requires user cooperation. E.g. someone can send you an install script that has a line
rm -rf /
hidden among lots of comment lines it it. If you run it as super user, well you delete everything on your system partition. But this requires YOU to RUN it, it won't happen on its own.
Because I know windows inside and out (I'm a software developer) and because I had million little command line utilities to monitor my system (from UNIX korn shell and utilities) to sys internals utils etc.
Before I would install anything, I would research the reviews. Then I would install it on virtual machine and monitor what it does to the system, then when satisfied I would install it on my "production" machine. I would never install anything that was not necessary. I would know exactly what each program does, which registry keys it modifies, what files it accesses, what ports it opens, which ones it listens on, if it connects online, where it goes and what does it send etc.
This is really tiresome though, and it requires enormous knowledge to run your system smoothly, but I do have a single windows XP installation that I installed in 2002 and that is still running fine without re-install (quite a feat in windows world).
Not using Internet Explorer, and good hardware firewall are also essential.
I wish people would stop parroting this fallacy all the time. Market share has nothing to do with how easy it is to break into a system.
If you have something like windows where security is bolted on after the fact, and OS that was never meant to be a multi-user OS connected to the internet (all these were added as features later on and done poorly) then you will have a system that is much harder to keep secure.
UNIX on the other hand was designed from day one to be networked multi-user OS, and security and separation of concerns was there from beginning.
This has more to do with the protection from law suit from clueless users who might get some virus or whatever installed and claim "what, you have not told me I need an anti-virus software".
But in all seriousness, I would never ever, ever install any kind of anti-virus crap on Windows, let alone non-Windows OS. Those things are more taxing and costly (as in CPU and disk arm cycles) than a virus:D. I have used Windows for decades and never had a virus, and I sure as hell won't be installing anti-virus software on my Macs now.
How much do you want to be a janitor. Companies these days treat their hard working, talented, educated (with Masters or PhD) people like crap, let alone someone they pick off the street with no education.
I would say, Masters is becoming the new college (aka university) degree. And due to influx of educated people and massive number of Chinese and Indians who believe in education, soon enough PhD might be considered a normal thing to have to be a programmer.
So, however you look at it, get education if you at all can. I know it is not easy and affordable any more. But it is worth it and it will change you and make you see more and be more independent. However it will also make you more frustrated and unhappy as well.
Talk a lot, play and bond, and let it learn directly from you. Computer is not a substitute for parenting.
That said, once your child is ready and interested get HP 50G programmable graphing calculator and let it master it! (RPN and simple but powerful programming constructs are available).
The device is still small and capable, but there is nothing like the satisfaction of knowing how it truly works.
Computers of today are too abstract and too separated from the metal, and you can't really feel you intimately know it any more (you know that feeling we had back in our childhood when we knew our Commodore 64's ROM addresses and functions they do. You don't get that any more).
When it comes to cell phones, I kind of like a bit of control so that crap like adware, dialers phoning numbers in Nigeria and charging you $10 per minute etc don't get installed on my phone. Also, someone else takes care of those details so I don't have to spend my valuable time staying on top of what software is safe to install on my phone.
Phone is not a general purpose computer, and honestly I don't want my phone to be one.
Now if we are talking about personal computers, then that kind of control would be unacceptable. On the other hand Apple (not anyone else) does not control what you can put on your apple computer.
13'' Macbook serves me as a netbook pretty well. It's not too big to prevent you from taking it with you and it's not so small that you can't browse internet (in comfort of 1280x800 resolution).
You can run Skype on it and use it as a phone as well at any WiFi hotspot.
It's stable, and perfectly usable with only a keyboard and track pad (no need to bring a mouse).
And the keyboard is nice and you can actually type on it comfortably unlike most netbooks.
Slashdot Mirror
medical profession does require memorization of a large amount of raw data, but it's the synthesis of that base knowledge that makes you a doctor.
Unlike mathematics and it's branches like CS or physics, you can not derive how a human being works from some raw initial data (like you can derive a theory from axioms). Hence in math you just memorize the initial axioms and nerves of proofs of important theorems and go from there. If you are good at it you can get by with just that. If you are not so good you memorize more of the key points of the proofs.
In medicine you actually don't have axioms just raw data and very few theories on how things should work. So you must memorize that data.
But as a practicing doctor your daily life depends on the synthesis of that data. You must derive conclusions from much larger base of knowledge and be good at recognizing patterns.
Usually several hundred ailments have similar symptoms. So the first step is always to make a differential diagnosis listing all possible things that might have those symptoms and then sorting the list by likelihood, and then you start eliminating the problems one by one by doing diagnostic tests and routing patients further to people who specialize in particular areas.
Needless to say mistakes can be costly both in terms of patients well being if you do not consider something in your differential diagnosis or economically if you suspect something whose elimination requires an expensive diagnostic test or invasive for the patient.
So I guess all I'm saying is that oversimplification of professions like that is never going to lead to reliable conclusions.
and comfort myself with the thoughts like "it's ok, I'm getting paid for this" or "If everyone knew everything I'd be out of job".
Of course if I don't think I'm fairly compensated or even paid at all I get pissed off quite fast :D.
a bus :D
You most certainly can if you want to. But if you have system files A and B and you modify B and later system update modifies A to call something in B that you changed the behavior of, then don't blame the system update.
That's all I'm saying.
Some users installing third party apps that modify their system files, and then apply updates over them have issues is hardly newsworthy.
That's exactly my point. There is no comparable product.
If all you care about is the CPU speed, more memory, etc, all wrapped in a shitty plastic case with horrible keyboard and aesthetics then yes, you can buy/build one for half the price.
If you want the complete package, solid performance and amazing OS to boot, then to me Apple is currently the only choice.
I would buy Apple laptop even if I were to run Linux or God forbid Windows on it.
I have actually for a few years.
All christian fundamentalists are satanists anyway.
By saying that you show that you completely misunderstand the mindset of the Apple customer.
People that buy Apple products are not concerned with motherboards, chipsets, memory speed, CPU or other technical details so much (except perhaps MacPro buyers, esp. if they come from PC background).
People that care about that build their own PCs (I have certainly).
People who buy Apple want their computer to be transparent, they don't want to tinker with it endlessly (like that guy fixing old cars in his garage and never having it actually working, he just enjoys tinkering - kind of like Linux people early on).
If you say macbook is just like any other laptop then you don't get it. Look at any other laptop and just look at the level of "noise" on the keyboard designs these days. Find me one keyboard that doesn't scream at you with 5 things written on each keyboard with different colored letters, keys non-standard width or position etc.
That's just one detail, and then look at the beauty of simplicity of classical Macbook keyboard. It just disappears, and doesn't scream at you.
Macbook aluminum case feels so solid and sturdy, better than any other laptop I have ever held. And it does not have things written on it all over the place (certainly not stupid metal labels like Intel Inside or built for Vista), or things glued to it at the bottom containing certain product key.
The computer is sophisticated and simple, understated like luxury European sedan (think BMW, a lot of people don't get that one either, that's why you see idiots that put chrome wheels, and fart exhausts on their BMW).
And then we get to other soft things like the OS. That one is a topic on its own, but the joy of using OS X would be worth it to me even without these other things.
My Mac Pro cold boots in 20 sec on a 7200 RPM hard drive. So I would expect that to go down to less than 10 seconds on really fast SSD.
They did not get rid of the buttons on trackpad, they added more. You now have 2 buttons on the trackpad for left and right click. They are just not "proper" buttons, more like an area on the trackpad that can get depressed when pressure is applied and the make a clicking sound.
and that's the only official way to defrag HFS+. Of course there are 3rd party tools to do it (iDefrag) even though the Mac users are under the impression that HFS+ does not need be de-fragmented.
Of course anyone who knows how file systems work will know that is not true.
OS X has some built in strategies to defrag files on the fly, but they don't apply to files larger than 20 MB or writable files or files that have less than 8 fragments, so obviously it is not sufficient.
Yes, I'm quite aware of threading and worker threads. I use them every day. However, thread and process are not a same thing. This is why I'm saying I hope Firefox does not start spawning worker processes (i.e. OS processes).
Threads could be OK, but it will complicate the web programming model and it won't be uncommon to see deadlocks in web apps, leading you to kill your browser session.
I really do hope that the submitter is confused and that Firefox will not be spawning background processes, or else that would be the end of Firefox.
Well let's see
Macboo vs Dell
13'' screen vs 8.9 '' screen
2.0 GHz CPU vs 1.6 GHz
1066 MHz FSB vs 533 MHz FSB
Up to 4 GB RAM (2 standard) vs up to 1 GB RAM
NVIDIA GeForce 9400M vs Intel GMA 950
built in stereo speakers vs one external speaker
11a/b/g/n vs 11a/b/g
160 GB HDD standard (SSD Option) vs up to 16 GB SSD
Built in dual layer DVD burner vs no CD/DVD ROM
built in Gigabit vs 100 Mbit adapter
Full sized keyboard vs small keyboard
Built in mini display port vs 15 pin VGA
aluminum case vs plastic
they both have USB 2.0 ports, audio in/out, bluetooth.
So, yeah, they are not even comparable. Macbook outclasses it quite a bit.
The new aluminum Macbook is a better Macbook Air. Seriously, it is almost as sturdy, it has DVD burner, better CPU, more and easily accessible ports, and stereo speakers (although totally useless on both models).
It's not as light, but it's not much heavier either.
On the other hand, my Macbook has no heat issues, it's actually amazingly cool for normal use.
If you are up to date with all the updates and don't run unnecessary services, software etc, then perhaps you might be ok (it is most dangerous on days patches are released since that also means that details of vulnerabilities are made known too. So if users are not pro active with updates as soon as they are available, technically they might be exposed.)
But the point is that Windows has had problems like that not too long ago, and that there is a stigma attached to it because of it.
I'm sure Windows security is getting better as well and users might be getting more educated, but it certainly took a long time :D.
Yes, that's called a worm or trojan etc, which is different from virus.
To get infected with a worm or trojan user must download it, give it permissions to run and execute it. (So it usually requires some social engineering to get someone to do all this for you if you are malware writer).
Virus, on the other hand usually means user does not have to do anything but use computer normally to get infected.
Unpatched Windows XP (no service packs) connected to the Internet with no firewall and left unattended will get infected within seconds.
This is what we are talking about. OS X, BSD, Linux do not currently get infected with anything in the same scenarios.
No OS is safe from worms or malware that requires user cooperation. E.g. someone can send you an install script that has a line
rm -rf /
hidden among lots of comment lines it it. If you run it as super user, well you delete everything on your system partition. But this requires YOU to RUN it, it won't happen on its own.
Because I know windows inside and out (I'm a software developer) and because I had million little command line utilities to monitor my system (from UNIX korn shell and utilities) to sys internals utils etc.
Before I would install anything, I would research the reviews. Then I would install it on virtual machine and monitor what it does to the system, then when satisfied I would install it on my "production" machine. I would never install anything that was not necessary. I would know exactly what each program does, which registry keys it modifies, what files it accesses, what ports it opens, which ones it listens on, if it connects online, where it goes and what does it send etc.
This is really tiresome though, and it requires enormous knowledge to run your system smoothly, but I do have a single windows XP installation that I installed in 2002 and that is still running fine without re-install (quite a feat in windows world).
Not using Internet Explorer, and good hardware firewall are also essential.
I wish people would stop parroting this fallacy all the time. Market share has nothing to do with how easy it is to break into a system.
If you have something like windows where security is bolted on after the fact, and OS that was never meant to be a multi-user OS connected to the internet (all these were added as features later on and done poorly) then you will have a system that is much harder to keep secure.
UNIX on the other hand was designed from day one to be networked multi-user OS, and security and separation of concerns was there from beginning.
This has more to do with the protection from law suit from clueless users who might get some virus or whatever installed and claim "what, you have not told me I need an anti-virus software".
But in all seriousness, I would never ever, ever install any kind of anti-virus crap on Windows, let alone non-Windows OS. Those things are more taxing and costly (as in CPU and disk arm cycles) than a virus :D. I have used Windows for decades and never had a virus, and I sure as hell won't be installing anti-virus software on my Macs now.
How much do you want to be a janitor. Companies these days treat their hard working, talented, educated (with Masters or PhD) people like crap, let alone someone they pick off the street with no education.
I would say, Masters is becoming the new college (aka university) degree. And due to influx of educated people and massive number of Chinese and Indians who believe in education, soon enough PhD might be considered a normal thing to have to be a programmer.
So, however you look at it, get education if you at all can. I know it is not easy and affordable any more. But it is worth it and it will change you and make you see more and be more independent. However it will also make you more frustrated and unhappy as well.
Talk a lot, play and bond, and let it learn directly from you. Computer is not a substitute for parenting.
That said, once your child is ready and interested get HP 50G programmable graphing calculator and let it master it! (RPN and simple but powerful programming constructs are available).
The device is still small and capable, but there is nothing like the satisfaction of knowing how it truly works.
Computers of today are too abstract and too separated from the metal, and you can't really feel you intimately know it any more (you know that feeling we had back in our childhood when we knew our Commodore 64's ROM addresses and functions they do. You don't get that any more).
When it comes to cell phones, I kind of like a bit of control so that crap like adware, dialers phoning numbers in Nigeria and charging you $10 per minute etc don't get installed on my phone. Also, someone else takes care of those details so I don't have to spend my valuable time staying on top of what software is safe to install on my phone.
Phone is not a general purpose computer, and honestly I don't want my phone to be one.
Now if we are talking about personal computers, then that kind of control would be unacceptable. On the other hand Apple (not anyone else) does not control what you can put on your apple computer.
13'' Macbook serves me as a netbook pretty well. It's not too big to prevent you from taking it with you and it's not so small that you can't browse internet (in comfort of 1280x800 resolution).
You can run Skype on it and use it as a phone as well at any WiFi hotspot.
It's stable, and perfectly usable with only a keyboard and track pad (no need to bring a mouse).
And the keyboard is nice and you can actually type on it comfortably unlike most netbooks.