Re:Will it enforce readable code?
on
Perl 5.8.0 Released
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· Score: 4, Insightful
The fundamental point of perl is its a quick way to write one-off scripts to do quick repetitive jobs - therefore maintainable code is not necessary.
I could not disagree more. I keep a copy of all interesting scripts I write. I often give them to friends or peers. In addition, I may not look at a saved script for some time in the future. Well written, documented code is key to being able to remember just what it was that you were doing and communictating these ideas effectively with others.
Don't loose heart. I worked my way up from basic in high school to a little C in college. I read Learning Perl 3 times before it really started to sink in.
However, teaching them the tools first is not going to make them a good programmer.
This is certainly true. One can learn a programming or markup language easily and still not be a good programmer. However, for some people, as they learn the also begin to pickup the good programming habits that makes one a good programmer.
Not to be arguementative, but if you are a good programmer and an non-programmer came to you wishing to learn; what would you tell them? How does one learn to be a good programmer?
Are Microsoft's "changes" intentional or are they errors? If they are intentional then they should be submitted to the W3C for acceptance. If they are mistakes then they should fixed.
I was in a meeting lately when following web standards was debated. These was some resistance as it was going to take some people longer to design their web pages. My boss hit the nail on the head:
Don't think of it as having to change your design for 5% of the people. Think of it a designing to gain 5% more customers.
I have users wish/ask for upgrades from time to time:
"Why don't we have Office XP?" "I need the latest version of Windows and Office on my PC"
My answer is always the same. "If you can tell me three features that you need that the latest version of Windows or Office has then I'll get you that upgrade." No one has yet to tell me those features.
It seems that Microsoft wants us to not think of that least they slow their revenue. Ever notice that all those flashy Microsoft commercials never seem to mention any new or useful features? The commercials never state that Windows NEW is better than the previous version let alone why.
Garage at home? You can't use that for storing a car. That's where people store their BBQs, bikes, hoses, workmates, saw horses, empties, garbage cans, non working appliances, non working cars, jacks, creeper, old shoes, pink flamingos, broken garden gnomes...
Do you want to put the garage sale business out of business?
I disagree. That would be equivalent to saying you are responsible for your house being burglared. Not having (adequate) security makes one a likely target. It does not, however, make you responsible.
I see your point. Still, would you say the same for all the Windows users that did not patch there IIS code when Red Code hit?
Anyone who has a box attached to the internet has a responsibilty to others. They have to be held accountable for something. It is true that nothing is crack proof and you can't expect people to have perfect security. However, they have to take reasonable steps to protect themselves and others. But, what are reasonable steps? Who can judge?
If someone breaks into a house and steals a handgun, that was not locked up securly, and then uses it to commit armed robbery; should the home owner be responsible for the robbery? Of course not. However, the home owner should be responsible for improperly storying his handgun. This is the kind of responsiblity I'd like to see. Did someone take reasonable steps to secure their server?
As for the IP in question at the beginning of this thread. At this time, I don't know any details so I'm not casting any blame.
[nwatson@valetta ~]$whois 213.77.115.17 % This is the RIPE Whois server. % The objects are in RPSL format. % Please visit http://www.ripe.net/rpsl for more information. % Rights restricted by copyright. % See http://www.ripe.net/ripencc/pub-services/db/copyri ght.html
person: Arkadiusz Wrobel address: "DataCOM" S. A. address: ul Radiowa 21a m20 address: 01 - 485 Warszawa address: POLAND phone: +48 606 298639 fax-no: +48 22 6672495 e-mail: awrobel@wat.waw.pl nic-hdl: AW7760-RIPE mnt-by: AS5617-MNT changed: tkielb@cst.tpsa.pl 20000915 source: RIPE
person: Rafal Wrzosek address: "DataCOM" S. A. address: ul Kaliskiego 11a/312 address: 01 - 485 Warszawa address: POLAND phone: +48 606 145187 fax-no: +48 22 6672495 e-mail: awrobel@wat.waw.pl nic-hdl: RW7118-RIPE mnt-by: AS5617-MNT changed: tkielb@cst.tpsa.pl 20000915 source: RIPE
Yes, someone has most likely compromised the box and is using it for the backdoor. However, the owners of the box are still responsible for the lack of security that allowed their box to be compromised.
They still have to switch to metric first. Apparently crashing a multi-million dollar space probe due to a feet to meters conversion is not incentive enough.
Try to stop the ignorant general public from panicing when you tell them your carrying a relatively large nuclear reactor to space.
That aside, I think there is less to go wrong with a solar array. It would be nice if we could invent batteries that could store the electricity long term.
A hard drive is not a safe backup medium. Hard drives fail. They are also vulnerable to shock, cosmic waves and magnetic fields. The life span of data stored on a hard drive that is not connected to a computer is not long. Even magnetic tapes suffer from this.
Large, non volatile mediums are definitely needed. DVD's may be a good start but, commercial squabbling has prevented a universal standard from emerging.
Isn't it just a laptop hard drive? Possibly some hotswap hardware may be coupled to it but, it's still just a laptop drive. That makes it an expensive floppy replacement not to mention somewhat fragile.
Software doesn't just appear on the shelves by magic. That program shrink-wrapped inside the box along with the indecipherable manual and 12-paragraph disclaimer notice actually came to you by way of an elaborate path, through the most rigid quality control on the planet. Here, shared for the first time with the general public, are the inside details of the program development cycle:
1. Programmer produces code he believes is bug-free. 2. Product is tested. 20 bugs are found. 3. Programmer fixes 10 of the bugs and explains to the testing department that the other 10 aren't really bugs. 4. Testing department finds that five of the fixes didn't work and discovers 15 new bugs. 5. See 3. 6. See 4. 7. See 5. 8. See 6. 9. See 7. 10 See 8. 11. Due to marketing pressure and an extremely pre-mature product announcement based on over-optimistic programming schedule, the product is released. 12. Users find 137 new bugs. 13. Original programmer, having cashed his royalty check, is nowhere to be found. 14. Newly-assembled programming team fixes almost all of the 137 bugs, but introduce 456 new ones. 15. Original programmer sends underpaid testing department a postcard from Fiji. Entire testing department quits. 16. Company is bought in a hostile takeover by competitor using profits from their latest release, which had 783 bugs. 17. New CEO is brought in by board of directors. He hires programmer to redo program from scratch. 18. Programmer produces code he believes is bug-free. 19. See step 2
While I like O'Reilly and have many of their books, this one was disappointing. It should have been called "Building E-Commerce Applications with PHP and MySQL" as most of the book focuses on building an online shopping site.
If that's what you want then it's a good book. If you just want a general overview of the different sites you can design using the php/mysql combination then I think you'll be disappointed. I was.
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I could not disagree more. I keep a copy of all interesting scripts I write. I often give them to friends or peers. In addition, I may not look at a saved script for some time in the future. Well written, documented code is key to being able to remember just what it was that you were doing and communictating these ideas effectively with others.
Is all this reminding anyone of the great communist hunts of the 50s and 60s?
Try this thread
Don't loose heart. I worked my way up from basic in high school to a little C in college. I read Learning Perl 3 times before it really started to sink in.
This is certainly true. One can learn a programming or markup language easily and still not be a good programmer. However, for some people, as they learn the also begin to pickup the good programming habits that makes one a good programmer.
Not to be arguementative, but if you are a good programmer and an non-programmer came to you wishing to learn; what would you tell them? How does one learn to be a good programmer?
How much will %30 of the effort cost? How much revenue will be gained if you lure 5% more costomers? Will the investment payoff?
If you design the website using the proper standards no dual maintenance would be needed. What you design would work on all browsers.
Are Microsoft's "changes" intentional or are they errors? If they are intentional then they should be submitted to the W3C for acceptance. If they are mistakes then they should fixed.
Don't think of it as having to change your design for 5% of the people. Think of it a designing to gain 5% more customers.
"Why don't we have Office XP?"
"I need the latest version of Windows and Office on my PC"
My answer is always the same. "If you can tell me three features that you need that the latest version of Windows or Office has then I'll get you that upgrade." No one has yet to tell me those features.
It seems that Microsoft wants us to not think of that least they slow their revenue. Ever notice that all those flashy Microsoft commercials never seem to mention any new or useful features? The commercials never state that Windows NEW is better than the previous version let alone why.
Do you want to put the garage sale business out of business?
Cons
- Steep initial learning curve
- Not as pretty
- Not as much mainstream game support
ProsWindows (XP)
Cons
- High Price
- No office suite
- Poor security (many virii)
- More instability
- Poor crash recovery (registry becomes more unstable over time)
- Requires more RAM.
ProsThere it is. Tell your friends and let them decide.
Oh well hopefully people will have sense to stay out of the clutches of the evil empire. /i>
They'll be trying to draw you in. Maybe the Dianetics both will be next to them :)
I see your point. Still, would you say the same for all the Windows users that did not patch there IIS code when Red Code hit?
Anyone who has a box attached to the internet has a responsibilty to others. They have to be held accountable for something. It is true that nothing is crack proof and you can't expect people to have perfect security. However, they have to take reasonable steps to protect themselves and others. But, what are reasonable steps? Who can judge?
If someone breaks into a house and steals a handgun, that was not locked up securly, and then uses it to commit armed robbery; should the home owner be responsible for the robbery? Of course not. However, the home owner should be responsible for improperly storying his handgun. This is the kind of responsiblity I'd like to see. Did someone take reasonable steps to secure their server?
As for the IP in question at the beginning of this thread. At this time, I don't know any details so I'm not casting any blame.
Yes, someone has most likely compromised the box and is using it for the backdoor. However, the owners of the box are still responsible for the lack of security that allowed their box to be compromised.
Apart from the war rant I think this deserves a little +1 MOD.
They still have to switch to metric first. Apparently crashing a multi-million dollar space probe due to a feet to meters conversion is not incentive enough.
That aside, I think there is less to go wrong with a solar array. It would be nice if we could invent batteries that could store the electricity long term.
Sorry, that should be cosmic rays not cosmic waves.
Large, non volatile mediums are definitely needed. DVD's may be a good start but, commercial squabbling has prevented a universal standard from emerging.
The coporate world is just like the Dark Side I'm afraid. Once you start down its path....
Isn't it just a laptop hard drive? Possibly some hotswap hardware may be coupled to it but, it's still just a laptop drive. That makes it an expensive floppy replacement not to mention somewhat fragile.
Someone once told me:
Software doesn't just appear on the shelves by magic. That program shrink-wrapped inside the box along with the indecipherable manual and 12-paragraph disclaimer notice actually came to you by way of an elaborate path, through the most rigid quality control on the planet. Here, shared for the first time with the general public, are the inside details of the program development cycle:
1. Programmer produces code he believes is bug-free.
2. Product is tested. 20 bugs are found.
3. Programmer fixes 10 of the bugs and explains to the testing department that the other 10 aren't really bugs.
4. Testing department finds that five of the fixes didn't work and discovers 15 new bugs.
5. See 3.
6. See 4.
7. See 5.
8. See 6.
9. See 7.
10 See 8.
11. Due to marketing pressure and an extremely pre-mature product announcement based on over-optimistic programming schedule, the product is released.
12. Users find 137 new bugs.
13. Original programmer, having cashed his royalty check, is nowhere to be found.
14. Newly-assembled programming team fixes almost all of the 137 bugs, but introduce 456 new ones.
15. Original programmer sends underpaid testing department a postcard from Fiji. Entire testing department quits.
16. Company is bought in a hostile takeover by competitor using profits from their latest release, which had 783 bugs.
17. New CEO is brought in by board of directors. He hires programmer to redo program from scratch.
18. Programmer produces code he believes is bug-free.
19. See step 2
I've seen the first and second mini-series on DVD. Not sure about the TV series that followed but, it was disappointing anyway.
If that's what you want then it's a good book. If you just want a general overview of the different sites you can design using the php/mysql combination then I think you'll be disappointed. I was.
That's fscking depressing.