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User: aflat362

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  1. Mac Exclusive? on HyperCard, What Could Have Been · · Score: 1

    I wonder if "TileStack" is going to be Mac Exclusive? I'm assuming that it is. If it can run on Windows I might take a look at it.

    Please, refrain from making a flippant reply dissing Windows and endorsing Linux. I know how great Linux is already.

  2. Re:Open Source Terrorism? on Iron Man's New Villain — an Open Source Terrorist · · Score: 1

    For a few ideological zealots, closed source drivers are as good as, or worse than, no drivers. For "many users", closed source drivers make the product work and thus are fine. many != most
  3. Re:Oy vey on Vinyl Gets Its Groove Back · · Score: 1

    I'm 27, have been playing records since I was a teenager. For me its not about the sound quality as much as it is about the interaction with playing a record.

    I like going through albums, looking at them, putting the record on, letting it spin up and moving the arm onto the record.

    Its a little more personal than an MP3 Playlist (which I also use when I'm not actively listening to music or not at home).

    I have a pretty modest player and It does sound pretty good if the records are in good shape. Mine is a direct drive techniqs with a new needle. The stero isn't anything that great, just an Optimus with bookshelf speakers. But if I have a newly pressed record, it easily rivals a CD.

  4. Re:Good for them... on Microsoft to Sell PCs, Starting in India · · Score: 1

    Also - I think that since they are no longer a tiny company maybe they should be "MegaHard"

  5. Re:Wow... that's cool on Optimus Keyboard Pre-Orders In Mere Hours · · Score: 1
    Oh yeah - Rolling Stones - Street Fighting man . . . GEEE SEVEENNNN! . . . ."Dude, you just hit G8"

    "if you like pina colladas"

    //sorry, obscure

  6. Re:Tag: UpUpDownDownLeftRightLeftRightBA on Konami Slot Machines Flashing Subliminal Messages? · · Score: 2, Informative

    You must not have had any friends to play with - its "Select - Start" for 2 players.

  7. Re:I got one... on Why the Word 'Planet' Will Never Be Defined · · Score: 1

    "The Moon" - not a moon http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Moon And yes, I realize your post was an attempt at humor.

  8. How??? on Ballmer Says Linux "Infringes Our Intellectual Property" · · Score: 1

    The crack journalist failed to mention how exactly linux is infringing on Microsoft's Intellectual property. Can someone clarify this?

  9. Re:Before the comments roll in... on Libya Purchases 1.2 mil Wind-up Laptops · · Score: 1

    Putting one computer in the middle of a slum is one thing. Buying 1.2 million computers is quite another. Really, why not buy one or a few computers for a slum and oh say . . . a clean water supply?

  10. Oh Great on RAID Problems With Intel Core 2? · · Score: 1

    and I just spent all this money on my Core 2. Or wait . . did I get the core Duo . . . er . . maybe the Core 2 Duo. Double Duo 2?

  11. Java - Without on Should Students Be Taught With or Without an IDE? · · Score: 1
    I am a java programmer - I'd say learning java without an IDE is important to understand the details of the platform.

    I would say let the students use whatever text editor they want - I would recommend something that does syntax highlighting such as EditPlus. Using an IDE like eclipse is great for pros but it undercuts a learning student because it makes it too easy to code and you can't learn the libraries as well. When you type an object name and hit the period key, a context menu of available methods and properties come up. Makes it too easy! it also makes it too easy to package up jar files. When all you have to do is right click and select export you have no idea what is going on.

    So - have them use a text editor to compose their java files and require them to use the Sun java command line compiler javac to compile their applications. You could even make them prove that they used command line by printing off their command line session and handing it in with their homework if you wanted.

    And I'd recommend getting them familiar with the other java command line tools such as jar.

    Towards the end of the semester you might want to introduce an IDE and have them use it in like one assignment to make a simple application. If you teach a more advanced course then I'd say let them use an IDE.

  12. connect to Xbox 360 on Microsoft Confirms 6 Versions of Vista · · Score: 2, Insightful
    from the article: "PCs running the Premium edition will also be able to connect their machine to an Xbox 360 gaming console."

    What for?

  13. Re:$20? on HL2 Not Required For Episode 1 · · Score: 1

    I'm replaying through HL2 now - and liking it. can't wait for episode 1

  14. Basic Computer Terms and concepts please on What Should People Understand About Computers? · · Score: 1
    Please explain the following terms simply, and with illustrations
    • Operating System
    • File
    • Directory / Folder
    • Program / Software
    • Cut
    • Copy
    • Paste
    It wouldn't hurt to explain that Microsoft Windows is an Operating System - and that other Operating Systems exist. A little anti-MS bias is always good.

    And if you can write it in a way to get my Mom, Grandma and Aunt to understand these things these things I will buy them each a copy.

    Get a thread highlighted in Slashdot (Sneak it in a book review or a followup to this post) so we can all know when its published!

  15. Re:Whatever happened to Java applets? on Mastering Ajax Websites · · Score: 1

    I'm genuinely confused. What does AJAX give you that Java applets do not? For example, people talk about Google's mapping application, and the ability to drag the map around. Isn't this something that Java was supposed to be able to do? And as far as browser incompatibilities go, isn't that what a Java applet program could circumvent?

    Simple - Ajax allows you to do operations outside the realm of a java applet. You interact with the web page's DOM directly to manipulate the appearance. Plus, no JRE is required to run Ajax - just a javascript compatible browser. Yes, java applets are powerful - but this is just another tool we have at our disposal.

    What am I missing here? Furthermore, AJAX seems to force open source -- all of your source code is available so that malicious people can exploit its vulnerabilities.

    Not all your source code is available - just the presentation layer (which was always available with javascript / html) And the calls to your web server (which were also always available in HTML - think about regular HTML forms). The source code that does the actual processing of an XML request lies on the server. Ajax is not really a fundamental change of how things have always been done - its just a technique to gather data from the webserver (and then display the info) without navigating the whole page to get the data.
  16. Why not just return the thing? on Microsoft Sued Over Alleged Xbox 360 Defects · · Score: 5, Insightful

    If you aren't happy with the 360 why not just take it back? Why does everything have to resort to a law suit?

  17. This is my JOB right now on Too Many Passwords · · Score: 1
    I just finished converting one of our web applications from having a log on screen to be LDAP integrated AND single sign on.

    It was not a simple task - its a shame - it shouldn't be complicated.

    Anyway. The solution to too many passwords is implementing server side apps that use some sort of single sign on.

    Also - personally I have hundreds of passwords for work ( I admin lots of stuff and work on lots of different servers )

    And hundreds of passwords for my personal use. I manage them all with PasswordSafe - available on Source Forge.

  18. Cross Skilled Programming on Cross Skilling Across Multi-OS Platforms? · · Score: 1
    I might be in a slightly more difficult position - I am in a decent size "enterprise" shop and have an unusual programming position.

    Most guys in our shop have one programming language and platform they work on and one or two vendor products.

    My unit writes Java J2EE on Unix and Windows, VB.NET and C# apps, Still have some VB 6 apps to maintain, work on a product that is a derivative of VB. We admin several large server applications and do much of our own sys-adminning on each of the server boxes. And we even have some COBOL / JCL stuff on the Mainframe to take care of. I'm sure I'm leaving some languages and platforms out.

    Java and J2EE or .NET are pretty big each on their own. Learning anything in depth is basically up to us in our free time.

    Kinda sucks but it is also kind of fun sometimes because there is always something new. As long as things are working fine in production and we don't have project managers bitching at us for anything we're pretty happy.

  19. Re:The only thing this will mean... on Repercussions of the EB Buyout · · Score: 1
    ". . . is the buyback prices will become more ridiculous."

    Probably . . But at least they can't raise their prices any more on used games. They already are about even with the prices of new games.

  20. Upgrade pricing on Tiger's 200 New Features · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Seeing as how all Apple computers come with some version of Mac OS - wouldn't you say that this IS upgrade pricing?

  21. Re:Why all the models suck on The Fate of The Free Newspaper · · Score: 1
    Isn't that much the same as ad-based, just that most/all the adds come from one company?

    no.

  22. Re:Why all the models suck on The Fate of The Free Newspaper · · Score: 1
    You are forgetting one model: the sponsorship model

    This is used by public radio and TV

    Businesses and individuals donate their money if they feel they are getting value out of the service.

  23. Re:LCDs on How Are You Conserving Energy? · · Score: 1
    I guess switching your home computer to a laptop would do the same thing and more.

    Good luck waiting for your CRT to die. You should just save the cash separate from your normal funds, tell your wife you are getting a new monitor and go buy an LCD.

    In addition to the above arguments you could also say that CRT monitors produce an electromagnetic field and LCDs do not. Who knows if this is a health risk but it could be.

  24. Re:WTF? on Programming Until Retirement? · · Score: 1
    Er.. like, so fucking what? Anyone who thinks LOC matter is either a 'tard or an IBM manager, possibly both.

    I think he was pointing out the fact that he programmed a lot of stuff.

    Sorry, but you can't always fit a commercial application into 10 lines of code. If you program enough stuff you'll end up with a million lines of code.

    Obviously functionality / maintainability are more important than LOC - As this guy has written a few programs in his time I'm sure he knows this too.

    No reason to be a nitpicking obnoxious asshole about it.

  25. Re:When the Revolution comes on $1.5 Million Bar-code Scheme Bilks Wal-Mart Stores · · Score: 1
    Microsoft would only come first if geeks started the revolution.

    Walmart is bigger, more visible, more accessible, more evil than Microsoft and more deserving of the wrath of an angry hoard.