As usual, the opinions of the folks most directly involved are much more rational and realistic then the crazed fan hoardes
In an article from a Brazilian netmag, Mathias Ettrich had a pretty unrealistic and irrational rant about GNOME (as well as Mozilla). Seems more like the core KDFE guys are trying a little face saving maneouvre after the initial misinterpretation of the GNOME foundation's purpose. For a good indication of waht the GNOME foundation will do and how, see this interview with Eazel's Bud Tribble. Chris
What is there to stop a malicious hacker from penetrating Helix's servers and sending "updates" which reformat your root partition?
Exisiting package formats (RPM, deb, etc) are already insecure
\begin{sarcasm}
Oh shit! You better not install any more software off of the web - I mean, who knows what could be lurking in that tarball from ftp.gnu.org? Anyone could have hacked the server and put a backdoor into the GCC code! And those ISO images on the RedHat site... ohmygawd!
\end{sarcasm}
But seriously, while a little bit of paranoia is good for raising security conscousness, I think you're taking it to an extreme.
Look at, for example, the OpenBSD default inetd.conf and be amazed at everything that they enable.
But first you might like to take a look at the init scripts, where you'll find that inetd isn't enabled by default. On all my RedHat and OpenBSD machines inetd isn't running (on the RedHat machines it isn't even installed).
Debian has a tendency to backport security fixes instead of shipping the newest versions
A bit of a bizarre thing to do in the case of the APache and ProFTPD versions mentioned in the article. The newer versions only include bugfixes - so why not ship the real thing? I can't beleive that the Debian maintainers know more than the Apache/ProFTPD maintainers about the inner workings of the software, so what makes their backported fixes any better?
Chris
Re:Celeberty Deathmatch anyone?
on
KDE Strikes Back
·
· Score: 2
from the article: Gnome's stated purpose, its whole reason for existence,is to kill KDE. Nice, huh?
Which just proves the cluelessness of the articles' author. GNOME was started to offer a totally free (in the FSF sense) alternative to KDE. It was also an attempt to coalesce various projects based around the Gimp Toolkit.
I think it's fallout from the GNOME Foundation announcement of a week or so ago. The backing of big names like Sun means that GNOME is suddenly an editorial hot topic.
This is raising the hackles of some in the Qt/KDE camp. Most notably TrollTech, with their infantile comments on the Qt Developer page, and Matthias Ettrich, with his off the mark comments in a recent interview. This is a shame, because both projects should benefit from each others publicity. As long as both projects are producing great things, then people will want to use them both, if only to be different. Perhaps this is the only benefit of the `tribalism' that often surrounds software. The BSD's benefit because they're seen as a different `tribe' to Linux, and the same happens with KDE and GNOME. In the long run, they each feed of off the popularity of the other.
I learnt to program for real on a Vax running VMS. It was a seriously unwelcoming environment at first, especially to someone used to an Atari ST with it's nice GEM desktop. But once I'd written a bunch of DCL scripts to make it a little friendlier, I found that VMS offered everything a budding programmer needs. An editor, compiler, debugger, profiler and help system. The only things I never got used to was the fact the editor didn't wrap like vi, and the help system wasn't as straightforward as using man pages.
One thing that always struck me as odd though was the terminals. They *always* looked really old - I've never seen a Vax terminal that didn't look yellowed with age. Was this how they came from the factory, or were they made from cheap plastic that went a funny colour really quick?
And if anyone knows where I can pick up a dirt-cheap VT100 terminal please let me know. A former colleague used to have one hanging of the serial port of his PC with emacs running on it!!!
My grandfather fought in the Russo-Finnish Winter War (1939-1940), and later volunteered to serve in the SS for roughly two years. After his contract was finished, he returned to Finland having fought extensively on the Eastern Front. He then reentered the Finnish armed forces, until he was demobilised in 1944.
He volunteered for the SS because he wanted to a chance to fight the Russians, who he blamed for the loss of his home city Viipuri. I was in total awe of my grandfather as a child, although he never mentioned his wartime experiences. In fact the only time he ever alluded to it was when he expressed disgust at how the American film industry often portrays Axis soldiers.
Now my grandfather is dead, all I have to remember him by is my memories. Whether it is "right or wrong" or not I wear an SS belt buckle in remembrance of him. This doesn't make me a Nazi - I vote Liberal, my flatmate is Jewish and my girlfriend is French.
I don't know what I'm trying to say here - perhaps it's just that the victors in any war are able to write their own version of history. In the French case the official line is to try and obscure their collaboration in the Holocaust by emphasising the (negligible) role of the Resistance. I find this as offensive as German skinheads, so I can't help feeling that this court case smacks of hypocrisy. Perhaps the French should come to terms with their own past (and present in the case of their National Front) before trying to censure what their citizens can and can't do on the Internet.
I have a photograph of an altar in Lapland (I'm part Finnish) which has two swastikas on it - pointing the same direction as the Nazi Harakrista. They're blue - the same colour as that used on Finnish miltary aircraft until the end of the Continuation War.
In the semi-pagan folklore that prevailed in Northern Europe until a few hundred years ago, the swastika was a symbol of the sun. It's unfortunate that it has become a symbol of hate for so many people.
This AC comment looks like a cut & paste from a kernel traffic article where someone was bemoaning the lack of zero copy trnsmit in Linux' TCP/IP stack. The fact it's posted anonymously smells a bit fishy as well, 'cos if I remember rightly the KT article went on to discuss why the complaints were not really valid.
I'll try and find the relevant Kernel Traffic issue when I've got a spare five minutes.
Linus isn't in charge of Linux any more, but his opinions are taken very seriously by Linux developers
Hmmm, arguably he never was `in charge' of Linux as it's licensed under the GPL. However ABC seem to be implying he's taken a back seat, which will come as a surprise to readers of Kernel Traffic.
The core of Linux is a text-based operating system, like DOS. But several different competing graphical interfaces have sprung up to make it friendlier. They look like a streamlined version of Windows or the Mac, generally with bigger icons and fewer shadows
I can see a DOS / Unix shell comparison being valid given the likely cluelessness of ABC's regular readership, but they clearly haven't got much idea about the X Window system and its relationship to desktop environments, etc.
It may soon become easier to use with a product called Eazel, being developed by several of the original programmers for the Macintosh. They claim that they'll be able to put an easy-to-use face on Linux
Hmmm... Eazel - that'll be the people making one key application that will be the new file manager shell in Gnome 2.0. Not that Gnome isn't already a viable easy-to-use interface.
Critics of Linux say that the software is a "perpetual beta" - always under development, always mutating, always buggy, and never quite ready for prime time
Critics (like good old Fred Moody) might say that, but most people writing crass editorials aren't experts in any field, let alone Linux. And if it's so buggy, why have I spent the last four years working for big companies where Linux is increasingly the server OS of choice thanks to its stability and flexiblility? My current employer doesn't have anything but Linux on the servers - including file, print and database servers, not just our firewall or web servers.
What applications are available? Lots of server and Internet software, but little else
They might want to check out freshmeat.net - not all that stuff can be vaporware...
The three biggest Linux companies are Red Hat (partially owned by Intel), Slackware, and VA/Linux
Now I stand to be corrected on this one, but Slackware - a company? And waht about SuSE or the makers of TurboLinux? Do I detect classic signs of Yankocentricism in this great American institution?
Linux is a complex system, and tech support is usually a must
For a newbie, yup. But I've yet to come across a company or cluefull user that needed tech support.
One thing I've noticed is that simply working longer hours doesn't normally make me more productive. There seems to be a two or three hour surge of activity, after which I have to take a break - read some newsgroups, go for a walk, whatever. In these situations the "leave it and come back to it" approach really works.
If the problem still looks bad when I get back to it, then the next thing I do is ask a colleague for advice. In situations where there isn't another programmer around, I simply describe the problem to any willing listener. Often the simple act of talking about a problem elucidates the solution. Now this is going to sound silly, but I've even talked to my cat when working at home and sometimes had that "eureka" moment.
If the task is simply beyond your ability, then it's time to admit it - approach your manager and say so. Grit your teeth and accept that no proprammer can do everything. Just hope that your boss understands that. If you lied about your abilities to get the job, then I've no sympathy for you (having fixed cock-ups by such people). Otherwise, if your boss is able to do his job properly, then he should be able to see this is a resource issue - not a general failing in yourself.
I've actually quit a job because I felt the task I got given was beyond my abilities - finding some comfort in the fact that programmers are a scarce resource. While it is a drastic course of action, I felt almost europhic knowing the stress was over. So if it's not just burn-out consider getting out of the job.
Couldn't we have a Napster topic on the preferences page? It's getting tedious avoiding the whinings of people with excessive bandwidth and shallow pockets - in other words cable modem users too tight to buy fucking CD's.
Script kiddies and hackers are like the Ralph Nader of the auto industry
Hmmm... Nader was clearly concerned at the lack of safety in contemporary vehicles. This motivated him to write Unsafe At Any Speed to highlight that concern. Script kiddies aren't bothered about the damage they cause, in fact they generally do what they do just for kicks. Don't mistakenly attribute any goodwill to the little fsckers.
In what possible sense to BSD's have a "closed" deveopment model?
I'm speaking from an OpenBSD/NetBSD perspective here, but I am reasonably confident that FreeBSD development is managed in the same way. The development model is "closed" in the sense that a cabal known as `the core' direct work on the kernel, and administer CVS access. This is more like a corporate development model than say Linux development. In fact Linux development is often termed a `benevolent dictatatorship' with Linus Torvalds in charge.
I certainly think that the *BSD way has some advantages - a more easily recognised controlling authority, and more centralised project planning. While this may sometimes hinder a true meritocracy (see the OpenBSD/NetBSD feud), this isn't any better in the Linux world (see the recent fracas between Hans Rieser and Alan Cox).
For a rewrite of Perl, some decisive steps need to be taken - and a more closed development model during the early stages could be beneficial.
If your tired of downloading adverts on Slashdot and elsewhere, then do yourself a favour and install junkbuster. It's a little proxy that sits in between your browser and the web, filtering adverts based on regular expressions. It also selectively blocks the reading and/or writing of cookies.
On my piss-poor 33.6K modem at home it makes the web a much more bearable proposition. Check out the junkbuster at:
http://www.junkbuster.com/
Don't worry about the ".com" suffix, it's available under the GPL.
I hope it isn't a hoax that Larry and the team want to rewrite Perl - it's internals are a mess at the moment. There has been a number of discussions about Perl 6 before, most notably the idea of using C++ - so if this is a hoax it is a long standing one.
As for the 'closed' planning stage (not coding - the Larry Wall statement simply mentions laying the foundations for Perl 6) - this makes sense. Allowing anyone to put in their tuppence worth as to how Perl should progress isn't best handled on one mailing list. I assume other forums would be used to solicit general feedback.
The closed development model seems to suit other projects well - the *BSD's being the most notable ones - so don't dismiss it out of hand for Perl.
Or at least, the band have played, even if you haven't
Yup. I've taken a couple of months out to sort out my career and a certain other matter... The jobs now sorted (no more commuting for four hours a day) and the other thing seems to be moving to some kind of closure. So if you're going to be at Eurorock in Belgium for the next gig you'll witness the full five piece lineup again!
Unless of course Richard and Alien Dave do another impromptu electronic set in the meantime. Belle and I were barely able to contain ourselves watching Alien's two finger keyboard playing on Friday - although Richard did have to spoil the illusion by pointing out the keyboard wasn't plugged in...
Why bother to provide a common interface to GNOME and KDE?
In the real world people pick applications that solve problems for them. It is likely that these will be a mixture of GNOME and KDE programs.
So, does Visual Python offers something like the integration of Guile into parts of GNOME, or is it a language binding that happens to integrate with both GNOME and KDE? If so, can anyone tell me what it offers beyond the regular bindings already available (for GNOME at least)?
Sorry about the delay in replying - I rarely get time to check the web outside of work. But anyway, what is a 'corporate rock pig'? It simply means I pay the bills by working as a programmer, while wishing that my beloved band (killingmiranda.pair.com - sorry for the Shockwave nonsense, the guitarist did it) would get a *real* record contract...
The pig part relates to our reputation (in the UK at least) for being alcohol fueled maniacs. This doesn't stop us selling several thousand CD's a year, or playing some quality gigs. In the last month alone we've played London twice, Leipzig in Germany and Oporto in Portugal. Fitting that in around work is a nightmare though.
The idea of an abstraction layer is that it's rewritten (as much as required) for each platform it provides an abstract interface to
This wasn't the primary purpose of GDK at it's inception. It was simply a nice wrapper around Xlib's graphics primitives. This may have hindered the porting of GTK+ to platforms like Win32, as it was never intended for portablility, just as a decent foundation for a toolkit to replace Motif (don't forget that early version of the GIMP used Motif). The initial impetus for creating GDK/GTK+ was the paucity of graphic manipulation routines that were directly accessible from Motif.
Having had a poke around the current CVS versions of Glib and GTK+ it looks like porting efforts were initially focused on getting the GIMP working on Win32. This has been acheived reasonably well, so the next stage is to get the toolkit *really* stable for other applications. Reading the docs that are in CVS it looks like Win32 and Beos support are desirable but non-showstopper features for GTK+ 1.4. The real goodies are:
1) gdk-pixbuf merged into GDK. 2) Pango work integrated into GTK+ for fully internationalised text. 3) a cleaner object model 4) a new text widget based on the one from Tk
Slashdot Mirror
Come now, the UltraSparc volumes would make intel and amd roll over laughing.
...
True, but then Sun hardware's all about quality not quantity. Although I don't think they'd mind selling SparcStations at PC volumes
Chris
I hope they fix it soon
It's fixed in 4.75.
Chris
As usual, the opinions of the folks most directly involved are much more rational and realistic then the crazed fan hoardes
In an article from a Brazilian netmag, Mathias Ettrich had a pretty unrealistic and irrational rant about GNOME (as well as Mozilla). Seems more like the core KDFE guys are trying a little face saving maneouvre after the initial misinterpretation of the GNOME foundation's purpose. For a good indication of waht the GNOME foundation will do and how, see this interview with Eazel's Bud Tribble.
Chris
What is there to stop a malicious hacker from penetrating Helix's servers and sending "updates" which reformat your root partition?
... ohmygawd!
Exisiting package formats (RPM, deb, etc) are already insecure
\begin{sarcasm}
Oh shit! You better not install any more software off of the web - I mean, who knows what could be lurking in that tarball from ftp.gnu.org? Anyone could have hacked the server and put a backdoor into the GCC code! And those ISO images on the RedHat site
\end{sarcasm}
But seriously, while a little bit of paranoia is good for raising security conscousness, I think you're taking it to an extreme.
Chris
Has anyone been reading BugTraq lately? It's full of complaints about how insecure HelixCode is!
The installer had several issues, that's all.
Chris
Look at, for example, the OpenBSD default inetd.conf and be amazed at everything that they enable.
But first you might like to take a look at the init scripts, where you'll find that inetd isn't enabled by default. On all my RedHat and OpenBSD machines inetd isn't running (on the RedHat machines it isn't even installed).
Chris
Debian has a tendency to backport security fixes instead of shipping the newest versions
A bit of a bizarre thing to do in the case of the APache and ProFTPD versions mentioned in the article. The newer versions only include bugfixes - so why not ship the real thing? I can't beleive that the Debian maintainers know more than the Apache/ProFTPD maintainers about the inner workings of the software, so what makes their backported fixes any better?
Chris
from the article: Gnome's stated purpose, its whole reason for existence,is to kill KDE. Nice, huh?
Which just proves the cluelessness of the articles' author. GNOME was started to offer a totally free (in the FSF sense) alternative to KDE. It was also an attempt to coalesce various projects based around the Gimp Toolkit.
Chris
I think it's fallout from the GNOME Foundation announcement of a week or so ago. The backing of big names like Sun means that GNOME is suddenly an editorial hot topic.
This is raising the hackles of some in the Qt/KDE camp. Most notably TrollTech, with their infantile comments on the Qt Developer page, and Matthias Ettrich, with his off the mark comments in a recent interview. This is a shame, because both projects should benefit from each others publicity. As long as both projects are producing great things, then people will want to use them both, if only to be different. Perhaps this is the only benefit of the `tribalism' that often surrounds software. The BSD's benefit because they're seen as a different `tribe' to Linux, and the same happens with KDE and GNOME. In the long run, they each feed of off the popularity of the other.
Chris
I learnt to program for real on a Vax running VMS. It was a seriously unwelcoming environment at first, especially to someone used to an Atari ST with it's nice GEM desktop. But once I'd written a bunch of DCL scripts to make it a little friendlier, I found that VMS offered everything a budding programmer needs. An editor, compiler, debugger, profiler and help system. The only things I never got used to was the fact the editor didn't wrap like vi, and the help system wasn't as straightforward as using man pages.
One thing that always struck me as odd though was the terminals. They *always* looked really old - I've never seen a Vax terminal that didn't look yellowed with age. Was this how they came from the factory, or were they made from cheap plastic that went a funny colour really quick?
And if anyone knows where I can pick up a dirt-cheap VT100 terminal please let me know. A former colleague used to have one hanging of the serial port of his PC with emacs running on it!!!
Chris
My grandfather fought in the Russo-Finnish Winter War (1939-1940), and later volunteered to serve in the SS for roughly two years. After his contract was finished, he returned to Finland having fought extensively on the Eastern Front. He then reentered the Finnish armed forces, until he was demobilised in 1944.
He volunteered for the SS because he wanted to a chance to fight the Russians, who he blamed for the loss of his home city Viipuri. I was in total awe of my grandfather as a child, although he never mentioned his wartime experiences. In fact the only time he ever alluded to it was when he expressed disgust at how the American film industry often portrays Axis soldiers.
Now my grandfather is dead, all I have to remember him by is my memories. Whether it is "right or wrong" or not I wear an SS belt buckle in remembrance of him. This doesn't make me a Nazi - I vote Liberal, my flatmate is Jewish and my girlfriend is French.
I don't know what I'm trying to say here - perhaps it's just that the victors in any war are able to write their own version of history. In the French case the official line is to try and obscure their collaboration in the Holocaust by emphasising the (negligible) role of the Resistance. I find this as offensive as German skinheads, so I can't help feeling that this court case smacks of hypocrisy. Perhaps the French should come to terms with their own past (and present in the case of their National Front) before trying to censure what their citizens can and can't do on the Internet.
Chris
It would depend which way the swastika points...
I have a photograph of an altar in Lapland (I'm part Finnish) which has two swastikas on it - pointing the same direction as the Nazi Harakrista. They're blue - the same colour as that used on Finnish miltary aircraft until the end of the Continuation War.
In the semi-pagan folklore that prevailed in Northern Europe until a few hundred years ago, the swastika was a symbol of the sun. It's unfortunate that it has become a symbol of hate for so many people.
Chris
Another link with info is All Linux Devices.
Chris
This AC comment looks like a cut & paste from a kernel traffic article where someone was bemoaning the lack of zero copy trnsmit in Linux' TCP/IP stack. The fact it's posted anonymously smells a bit fishy as well, 'cos if I remember rightly the KT article went on to discuss why the complaints were not really valid.
I'll try and find the relevant Kernel Traffic issue when I've got a spare five minutes.
Chris
You might want to check out ABC New's very own Linux FAQ - some of the innacuracies are quite amusing and suggest a general cluelessness at ABC as a whole. The URL is http://abcnews.go.co m/sections/tech/DailyNews/linux000403.html.
... Eazel - that'll be the people making one key application that will be the new file manager shell in Gnome 2.0. Not that Gnome isn't already a viable easy-to-use interface.
...
Some notable cock-ups are:
Linus isn't in charge of Linux any more, but his opinions are taken very seriously by Linux developers
Hmmm, arguably he never was `in charge' of Linux as it's licensed under the GPL. However ABC seem to be implying he's taken a back seat, which will come as a surprise to readers of Kernel Traffic.
The core of Linux is a text-based operating system, like DOS. But several different competing graphical interfaces have sprung up to make it friendlier. They look like a streamlined version of Windows or the Mac, generally with bigger icons and fewer shadows
I can see a DOS / Unix shell comparison being valid given the likely cluelessness of ABC's regular readership, but they clearly haven't got much idea about the X Window system and its relationship to desktop environments, etc.
It may soon become easier to use with a product called Eazel, being developed by several of the original programmers for the Macintosh. They claim that they'll be able to put an easy-to-use face on Linux
Hmmm
Critics of Linux say that the software is a "perpetual beta" - always under development, always mutating, always buggy, and never quite ready for prime time
Critics (like good old Fred Moody) might say that, but most people writing crass editorials aren't experts in any field, let alone Linux. And if it's so buggy, why have I spent the last four years working for big companies where Linux is increasingly the server OS of choice thanks to its stability and flexiblility? My current employer doesn't have anything but Linux on the servers - including file, print and database servers, not just our firewall or web servers.
What applications are available? Lots of server and Internet software, but little else
They might want to check out freshmeat.net - not all that stuff can be vaporware
The three biggest Linux companies are Red Hat (partially owned by Intel), Slackware, and VA/Linux
Now I stand to be corrected on this one, but Slackware - a company? And waht about SuSE or the makers of TurboLinux? Do I detect classic signs of Yankocentricism in this great American institution?
Linux is a complex system, and tech support is usually a must
For a newbie, yup. But I've yet to come across a company or cluefull user that needed tech support.
Chris
One thing I've noticed is that simply working longer hours doesn't normally make me more productive. There seems to be a two or three hour surge of activity, after which I have to take a break - read some newsgroups, go for a walk, whatever. In these situations the "leave it and come back to it" approach really works.
If the problem still looks bad when I get back to it, then the next thing I do is ask a colleague for advice. In situations where there isn't another programmer around, I simply describe the problem to any willing listener. Often the simple act of talking about a problem elucidates the solution. Now this is going to sound silly, but I've even talked to my cat when working at home and sometimes had that "eureka" moment.
If the task is simply beyond your ability, then it's time to admit it - approach your manager and say so. Grit your teeth and accept that no proprammer can do everything. Just hope that your boss understands that. If you lied about your abilities to get the job, then I've no sympathy for you (having fixed cock-ups by such people). Otherwise, if your boss is able to do his job properly, then he should be able to see this is a resource issue - not a general failing in yourself.
I've actually quit a job because I felt the task I got given was beyond my abilities - finding some comfort in the fact that programmers are a scarce resource. While it is a drastic course of action, I felt almost europhic knowing the stress was over. So if it's not just burn-out consider getting out of the job.
Chris
Couldn't we have a Napster topic on the preferences page? It's getting tedious avoiding the whinings of people with excessive bandwidth and shallow pockets - in other words cable modem users too tight to buy fucking CD's.
Chris
Script kiddies and hackers are like the Ralph Nader of the auto industry
... Nader was clearly concerned at the lack of safety in contemporary vehicles. This motivated him to write Unsafe At Any Speed to highlight that concern. Script kiddies aren't bothered about the damage they cause, in fact they generally do what they do just for kicks. Don't mistakenly attribute any goodwill to the little fsckers.
Hmmm
Chris
In what possible sense to BSD's have a "closed" deveopment model?
I'm speaking from an OpenBSD/NetBSD perspective here, but I am reasonably confident that FreeBSD development is managed in the same way. The development model is "closed" in the sense that a cabal known as `the core' direct work on the kernel, and administer CVS access. This is more like a corporate development model than say Linux development. In fact Linux development is often termed a `benevolent dictatatorship' with Linus Torvalds in charge.
I certainly think that the *BSD way has some advantages - a more easily recognised controlling authority, and more centralised project planning. While this may sometimes hinder a true meritocracy (see the OpenBSD/NetBSD feud), this isn't any better in the Linux world (see the recent fracas between Hans Rieser and Alan Cox).
For a rewrite of Perl, some decisive steps need to be taken - and a more closed development model during the early stages could be beneficial.
Chris
If your tired of downloading adverts on Slashdot and elsewhere, then do yourself a favour and install junkbuster. It's a little proxy that sits in between your browser and the web, filtering adverts based on regular expressions. It also selectively blocks the reading and/or writing of cookies.
On my piss-poor 33.6K modem at home it makes the web a much more bearable proposition. Check out the junkbuster at:
http://www.junkbuster.com/
Don't worry about the ".com" suffix, it's available under the GPL.
Chris
I hope it isn't a hoax that Larry and the team want to rewrite Perl - it's internals are a mess at the moment. There has been a number of discussions about Perl 6 before, most notably the idea of using C++ - so if this is a hoax it is a long standing one.
As for the 'closed' planning stage (not coding - the Larry Wall statement simply mentions laying the foundations for Perl 6) - this makes sense. Allowing anyone to put in their tuppence worth as to how Perl should progress isn't best handled on one mailing list. I assume other forums would be used to solicit general feedback.
The closed development model seems to suit other projects well - the *BSD's being the most notable ones - so don't dismiss it out of hand for Perl.
Chris
Or at least, the band have played, even if you haven't
... The jobs now sorted (no more commuting for four hours a day) and the other thing seems to be moving to some kind of closure. So if you're going to be at Eurorock in Belgium for the next gig you'll witness the full five piece lineup again!
...
Yup. I've taken a couple of months out to sort out my career and a certain other matter
Unless of course Richard and Alien Dave do another impromptu electronic set in the meantime. Belle and I were barely able to contain ourselves watching Alien's two finger keyboard playing on Friday - although Richard did have to spoil the illusion by pointing out the keyboard wasn't plugged in
Chris
From the FAQ:
Why bother to provide a common interface to GNOME and KDE?
In the real world people pick applications that solve problems for them. It is likely that these will be a mixture of GNOME and KDE programs.
So, does Visual Python offers something like the integration of Guile into parts of GNOME, or is it a language binding that happens to integrate with both GNOME and KDE? If so, can anyone tell me what it offers beyond the regular bindings already available (for GNOME at least)?
Chris
Sorry about the delay in replying - I rarely get time to check the web outside of work. But anyway, what is a 'corporate rock pig'? It simply means I pay the bills by working as a programmer, while wishing that my beloved band (killingmiranda.pair.com - sorry for the Shockwave nonsense, the guitarist did it) would get a *real* record contract ...
The pig part relates to our reputation (in the UK at least) for being alcohol fueled maniacs. This doesn't stop us selling several thousand CD's a year, or playing some quality gigs. In the last month alone we've played London twice, Leipzig in Germany and Oporto in Portugal. Fitting that in around work is a nightmare though.
Chris
The idea of an abstraction layer is that it's rewritten (as much as required) for each platform it provides an abstract interface to
This wasn't the primary purpose of GDK at it's inception. It was simply a nice wrapper around Xlib's graphics primitives. This may have hindered the porting of GTK+ to platforms like Win32, as it was never intended for portablility, just as a decent foundation for a toolkit to replace Motif (don't forget that early version of the GIMP used Motif). The initial impetus for creating GDK/GTK+ was the paucity of graphic manipulation routines that were directly accessible from Motif.
Having had a poke around the current CVS versions of Glib and GTK+ it looks like porting efforts were initially focused on getting the GIMP working on Win32. This has been acheived reasonably well, so the next stage is to get the toolkit *really* stable for other applications. Reading the docs that are in CVS it looks like Win32 and Beos support are desirable but non-showstopper features for GTK+ 1.4. The real goodies are:
1) gdk-pixbuf merged into GDK.
2) Pango work integrated into GTK+ for fully internationalised text.
3) a cleaner object model
4) a new text widget based on the one from Tk
Chris