for (i = 0; i array_size; i++)
free(array[i]);
free(array);
Surely it'd be even better to put something like:
// Get rid of the array we allocated in <function> // (This is the earliest we know we'll never need it again - // up to now it could be used by the <module> subsystem.)
for (i = 0; i < array_size; i++)
free(array[i]);
free(array);
As you said, tell me something I don't know. And as someone else said, WHY comments not HOW comments.
Java (okay, okay, you L337 C HAX0R5 can stop sniggering)'s JavaDoc syntax for embedded documentation is great for getting your comments sorted out - if you know people are going to be reading them away from the code, it forces you to put interface-level, rather than implementation-level, comments where they're needed.
I think you're missing the point with 'The Weakest Link'. I know I did when it first came out. (Here in the UK! Yes, not all entertainment is US-centric.</troll>)
Anne Robinson's character on the programme is exactly that: a character. It's probably the result of the public reaction to her appearances as host of 'Watchdog', a UK consumer affairs programme, in which she seemed a little patronising and imperious when dealing with companies at fault. 'The Weakest Link' seems very much like self-parody in that respect; it's an entertainment programme, after all, and people clearly enjoy a certain level of confrontation and scorn. Please don't mistake the persona you see on the programme for Anne Robinson's real character or views; I suspect they're quite distinct.
Seconded. Though I'm a Mac user, and find the iPod extremely appealing, I'll be sticking with my MDs for now, due to:
Capacity. My CD collection is just about into four figures, and I dread to think how much CF or HD space that'd take up even with lousy quality, let along the high quality I'm used to with MD.
Speed. When I'm late for work I can grab an MD from the shelf in seconds. Even with FireWire transfers, loading up an MP3 player wouldn't come close to that.
Portability. I've an MD deck, a portable recorder I use for listening on the way to work and for (legal!) recording of concerts, and a player in my car, and I can easily transfer music between them all, which I would currently find hard with MP3.
I look forward to a time when these issues are sorted out, and of course they're not problems for everyone, but for now and for me MDs are by far the best solution.
Last I knew people in the UK still listened to American music.
Some do; but not necessarily a lot. Less than 2% of my (1000-odd) CD collection is from the USA (most of that soundtracks and a 5-pack of old blues tracks). Sorry to disillusion you, but there are recording artists in other countries too:)
Did your tasks require very special libraries which Java includes by default?
It was about 3.5 years and two jobs ago, and I wasn't really involved in the C++ side, so I don't really remember. I think it was non-GUI, many small classes forming part of a huge business app. Although coding itself was faster, I they found the real gains were in debugging and other post-coding stages.
We found a large difference between C++ and Java - with Java being up to five times faster end-to-end.
As has been pointed out, static and dynamic languages have different areas of application. I'd hate to have to maintain 8MB of Perl code, for example...
I've never seen anything that comes close to the Psion 5mx. Small enough to fit into a trouser pocket; powerful enough to have its own office applications; efficient enough to run for 20-30 hours of a pair of AAs; deep enough to have several development options (OPL, Java, Perl etc. on-board, C++ on the desktop); a keyboard good enough for masses of data entry; a fast, smart, rock-solid OS (EPOC, aka Symbian) that made best use of the limited screen space and power; more software than you could shake a very big stick at... and the ideal: not an M$ logo in sight!
Of course, it's not perfect, but a revision or two - colour screen, Bluetooth, more memory, a decent JVM, headphone jack, MP3 support, USB - would have got it pretty close.
Yes, I know - none of you have heard of it. Typical British company. I told them they needed to market it, especially in the US, but they wouldn't listen - and now we're all suffering for it:( (Of course, you guys aren't exactly known for your support of foreign companies, are you... but it'd have been nice if more of you had at least heard of it!)
Anyone feel like licensing the design and making a killing in the PDA business? Please?
drag the CD to the trash, then asking you to burn the CD. Even I never have understood the user interface issues with dragging a disk to the trash to eject it
Which is why in Mac OS 10.1, the trash can changes into an 'eject' symbol or a 'burn' symbol when you start dragging a drive icon. Perfectly clear and logical.
I heard that in 1999, in Japan MiniDisc accounted for 60% of all pre-recorded music sales.
And I'm doing rather well, too, with nearly 500 MDs I've recorded (practically all legal, from my own CDs).
The format has many advantages over MP3 players: for one thing, when I'm about to miss my train I can grab an MD off the shelf in a couple of seconds, without plugging the player in, choosing music in software and then spending time transferring it.
It also has advantages over CD: smaller, no need for cases or inlays, titles etc. all on the disc, and they don't scratch (well, only deliberately). And if SCMS is a problem, just transfer digitally to/from a sound card.
If you Americans let your RIAA prevent you from taking advantage of a really neat format, that's your own problem...
If not... CD quality is
44100 (samples per second)
* 16 (bits per sample)
* 2 (stereo channels)
= 1411200 bits per second
= 1378.125kpbs
More than ten times your 128kbps.
ATRAC encoding, used on MiniDiscs, takes a fifth of that, about 275kbps, and sounds fine to me (a serious listener with good kit, though not exactly an audiophile). MP3 at 128kbps sounds poor. FWIW.
...is that BSD-style licenses make the code completely free, for now - though someone might release their own version that's not free in any sense of the word.
OTOH, GPL-style licenses, by making a few restrictions, make the code free (to that degree) for ever.
In an ideal world, we'd trust people not to profit from our work, to our loss, or attempt to take control of it from us. In such a trusting world, BSD-style licenses would be all you needed (if that). Unfortunately, in this world, I can understand why people choose GPL-style ones, and I hope you can too.
Firstly, I have every sympathy with what the US is going through now. I watched yesterday's tragic events, like many, with shock and disbelief. I even agree with our Prime Minster (must be a first!) when he said that we in the UK stand shoulder to shoulder with the US in this. (I encourage you all to donate, as I have, to the Amazon Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund.)
However, I hate to have to remind you that although this is clearly the largest terrorist attack the world has ever seen, it's not the first. The US had been lucky enough to be relatively unaffected before yesterday, but here in the UK terrorists have destroyed buildings (the Baltic Exchange in the City of London, for example), shopping centres, and many hundreds of innocent bystanders, and aircraft have been brought down over populated areas (Lockerbie). As a result, we already have strong security even on domestic flights, and in the City bomb procedures, CCTV surveillance, and other security measures (aka invasions of privacy - maybe some of you can now understand why we have generally been slower to complain about such things than Americans would). Most other countries also suffer - notably Israel from the PLO etc. (no need to elaborate there, I hope), Spain from ETA, etc..
Sometimes it seems to us here that the US is far too self-centred - calling the WTC 'the centre of western civilisation' (James Rubin, former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State, on BBC's Newsnight yesterday), for example, seems a little presumptious. Even your 'World News' seems to relegate other countries to tenth place behind domestic stories (IIRC from my visit last year). How tragically ironic that the US's first major experience of modern terrorism should be on such a terrible scale!
It's hard for any of us to get some sense of perspective on these events. But I fear that the US will retaliate too soon and too indiscriminately, leaving itself open to accusations of exactly the sort of inhumanity that it's just suffered. It's only natural to seek revenge, but please don't let this cloud your judgement. Taking out half of Afghanistan may not do any of us any good in the long term, and is exactly the sort of attitude that may have contributed to the tragedy. The world already knows of your military might - this may be a time to show it your wisdom, maturity, and fairness.
And more generally, I think many Americans would do well to learn a little more about world affairs (especially those in Ireland and Israel). No longer can you ignore the rest of the world, or consider it subject to your will, or way of life (or spelling!).
Pedophilia has been a big topic in the UK lately...
Erm, excuse me, but 'pedophilia' has not been a big topic over here; paedophilia has. That's right, we spell it with another 'a'. Not only must we put up with the Americanisation [sic] of the net, but we apparently have our own stories misspelt too! Who do you think invented the language, anyway???
...and no-one's mentioned I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue yet!
For those of you who don't listen to BBC Radio, it's a comedy programme billed as 'the antidote to panel games'. Amongst other amusements (most notably, the seminal game 'Mornington Crescent'), it has a round where the four panellists make up a sentence between them, adding one word each in turn, with the aim being to avoid completing the sentence. Admittedly, it makes for far less grammatical and logical sentences than those of the authors mentioned, but it's a whole lot more fun:)
I'd be absolutely stuck without my 5mx. It's not just the extremely powerful but simple-to-use built-in apps that have been designed from the ground up to work well on a small screen, and with keyboard or stylus; it's not just the amazing keyboard; it's not just that you can do development on the machine in OPL or Java (though Java's a bit painful on it); it's not just that it uses a standard filing system and medium (VFAT, CompactFlash) so that transferring files to/from my Mac is a doddle; it's not just that it fits into my pocket so that it's always with me; it's not just that there's a lot of 3rd-party software I need every day. It's the combination of all of these. There's nothing else that comes even close.
Is there any possiblity of getting another company to recognise their wonderful products, patents etc., and buy them out? Otherwise I'll have to start stockpiling 5mxs for spares...
Slashdot Mirror
As a wise person once said, "Plan to throw one away. You will, anyway."
free(array[i]);
free(array);
Surely it'd be even better to put something like:
for (i = 0; i < array_size; i++)
free(array[i]);
free(array);
As you said, tell me something I don't know. And as someone else said, WHY comments not HOW comments.
Java (okay, okay, you L337 C HAX0R5 can stop sniggering)'s JavaDoc syntax for embedded documentation is great for getting your comments sorted out - if you know people are going to be reading them away from the code, it forces you to put interface-level, rather than implementation-level, comments where they're needed.
Anne Robinson's character on the programme is exactly that: a character. It's probably the result of the public reaction to her appearances as host of 'Watchdog', a UK consumer affairs programme, in which she seemed a little patronising and imperious when dealing with companies at fault. 'The Weakest Link' seems very much like self-parody in that respect; it's an entertainment programme, after all, and people clearly enjoy a certain level of confrontation and scorn. Please don't mistake the persona you see on the programme for Anne Robinson's real character or views; I suspect they're quite distinct.
I look forward to a time when these issues are sorted out, and of course they're not problems for everyone, but for now and for me MDs are by far the best solution.
Some do; but not necessarily a lot. Less than 2% of my (1000-odd) CD collection is from the USA (most of that soundtracks and a 5-pack of old blues tracks). Sorry to disillusion you, but there are recording artists in other countries too :)
The RIAA? Since when would an American organisation like that have any relevance here in the UK?
Not here, it's not!
Oh, sorry, I forgot, America is the world. Us folks elsewhere must just be a group hallucination...
It was about 3.5 years and two jobs ago, and I wasn't really involved in the C++ side, so I don't really remember. I think it was non-GUI, many small classes forming part of a huge business app. Although coding itself was faster, I they found the real gains were in debugging and other post-coding stages.
As has been pointed out, static and dynamic languages have different areas of application. I'd hate to have to maintain 8MB of Perl code, for example...
What I want to know is why everyone's heard of Gibson, and yet no-one seems to have heard of W.T.Quick...
Of course, it's not perfect, but a revision or two - colour screen, Bluetooth, more memory, a decent JVM, headphone jack, MP3 support, USB - would have got it pretty close.
Yes, I know - none of you have heard of it. Typical British company. I told them they needed to market it, especially in the US, but they wouldn't listen - and now we're all suffering for it :( (Of course, you guys aren't exactly known for your support of foreign companies, are you... but it'd have been nice if more of you had at least heard of it!)
Anyone feel like licensing the design and making a killing in the PDA business? Please?
Which is why in Mac OS 10.1, the trash can changes into an 'eject' symbol or a 'burn' symbol when you start dragging a drive icon. Perfectly clear and logical.
Erm, sorry...? Surely you mean that you don't have a choice again - which is entirely the point!
And I'm doing rather well, too, with nearly 500 MDs I've recorded (practically all legal, from my own CDs).
The format has many advantages over MP3 players: for one thing, when I'm about to miss my train I can grab an MD off the shelf in a couple of seconds, without plugging the player in, choosing music in software and then spending time transferring it.
It also has advantages over CD: smaller, no need for cases or inlays, titles etc. all on the disc, and they don't scratch (well, only deliberately). And if SCMS is a problem, just transfer digitally to/from a sound card.
If you Americans let your RIAA prevent you from taking advantage of a really neat format, that's your own problem...
[fx: looks over at huge collection of Maxcell and Hi-Space MDs]
Er, yeah, we're Sony lackeys all right. No-one but Sony has anything to do with MDs, of course not...
44100 (samples per second)
* 16 (bits per sample)
* 2 (stereo channels)
= 1411200 bits per second
= 1378.125kpbs
More than ten times your 128kbps.
ATRAC encoding, used on MiniDiscs, takes a fifth of that, about 275kbps, and sounds fine to me (a serious listener with good kit, though not exactly an audiophile). MP3 at 128kbps sounds poor. FWIW.
Anyone know how we in the rest of the world, e.g. here in the UK, are supposed to get hold of it?
OTOH, GPL-style licenses, by making a few restrictions, make the code free (to that degree) for ever.
In an ideal world, we'd trust people not to profit from our work, to our loss, or attempt to take control of it from us. In such a trusting world, BSD-style licenses would be all you needed (if that). Unfortunately, in this world, I can understand why people choose GPL-style ones, and I hope you can too.
However, I hate to have to remind you that although this is clearly the largest terrorist attack the world has ever seen, it's not the first. The US had been lucky enough to be relatively unaffected before yesterday, but here in the UK terrorists have destroyed buildings (the Baltic Exchange in the City of London, for example), shopping centres, and many hundreds of innocent bystanders, and aircraft have been brought down over populated areas (Lockerbie). As a result, we already have strong security even on domestic flights, and in the City bomb procedures, CCTV surveillance, and other security measures (aka invasions of privacy - maybe some of you can now understand why we have generally been slower to complain about such things than Americans would). Most other countries also suffer - notably Israel from the PLO etc. (no need to elaborate there, I hope), Spain from ETA, etc..
Sometimes it seems to us here that the US is far too self-centred - calling the WTC 'the centre of western civilisation' (James Rubin, former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State, on BBC's Newsnight yesterday), for example, seems a little presumptious. Even your 'World News' seems to relegate other countries to tenth place behind domestic stories (IIRC from my visit last year). How tragically ironic that the US's first major experience of modern terrorism should be on such a terrible scale!
It's hard for any of us to get some sense of perspective on these events. But I fear that the US will retaliate too soon and too indiscriminately, leaving itself open to accusations of exactly the sort of inhumanity that it's just suffered. It's only natural to seek revenge, but please don't let this cloud your judgement. Taking out half of Afghanistan may not do any of us any good in the long term, and is exactly the sort of attitude that may have contributed to the tragedy. The world already knows of your military might - this may be a time to show it your wisdom, maturity, and fairness.
And more generally, I think many Americans would do well to learn a little more about world affairs (especially those in Ireland and Israel). No longer can you ignore the rest of the world, or consider it subject to your will, or way of life (or spelling!).
Welcome to the club :(
(That's my perspective, anyway :)
Erm, excuse me, but 'pedophilia' has not been a big topic over here; paedophilia has. That's right, we spell it with another 'a'. Not only must we put up with the Americanisation [sic] of the net, but we apparently have our own stories misspelt too! Who do you think invented the language, anyway???
(Pedant - and proud of it :)
For those of you who don't listen to BBC Radio, it's a comedy programme billed as 'the antidote to panel games'. Amongst other amusements (most notably, the seminal game 'Mornington Crescent'), it has a round where the four panellists make up a sentence between them, adding one word each in turn, with the aim being to avoid completing the sentence. Admittedly, it makes for far less grammatical and logical sentences than those of the authors mentioned, but it's a whole lot more fun :)
<rant>But of course, they're not made in the USA so none of you are prepared to buy them...</rant>
Is there any possiblity of getting another company to recognise their wonderful products, patents etc., and buy them out? Otherwise I'll have to start stockpiling 5mxs for spares...
If I write 23 bars of DNA music and my girlfriend writes 23 bars of DNA music, am I going to be paying royalties to her for the rest of my life?
:)
Only if you make beautiful music together