Now the drug companies are learning the true cost of not fighting the Canadian government extortionists.
When did _not_ giving companies a government-granted monopoly become 'extortion'?
I bet Canada will soon be paying market prices for its drugs.
How can a price be a 'market price' when it's the result of a government-granted monopoly? If you want people to pay a market price for a drug, then eliminate drug patents.
But the whole point of the EU is to put power in the hands of unelected bureaucrats rather than the people of Europe. Bit late to complain about that now.
Ron Paul isn't selling easy solutions: that's precisely why he won't get elected.
People don't want to hear that saving the country requires major changes and serious pain... which is why they'll vote for more of the same and then act surprised in ten years when the Chinese bailiffs turn up to load everything of value into ships as debt repayment after America goes bankrupt.
Neither of them are as complete as Gnome 2 was. While they're alternatives to Gnome 3, they require losing various features that people liked in Gnome 2.
Of course they also seem to be less buggy and have less retarded design choices copied from Windows.
"Whereas an actual, complete object who is treated as "the end" will not cause such problems."
Until you try to access its 'next' pointer.
Which will either return null, or point to some other random object (itself, the head of the list, etc) which will cause unexpected behaviour, or just crash.
"and your thread probably throws a null pointer exception... and you catch it and do a graceful shutdown."
Yeah, right. Show me all the Java programs which do that.
Not to mention that if one thread just threw an unexpected exception you have no idea what the state of the system is and a 'graceful shutdown' is just as likely to irretrievably corrupt your data as to preserve it. Assuming it can manage to shut down at all when the failed thread may be required in order to do so.
Sometimes 'just crash' is the correct answer to 'what should I do if this happens?'
Every object in Java is a pointer. It's one of the dumbest design choices in that language.
The only difference is that it's guaranteed to point to something or be null, rather than allowing you to point it to random chunks of memory. That means any Java function can be called with null pointers, whereas at least in C++ I can pass objects directly or by non-null references.
"Arguing that a null-free language doesn't buy you any safety is like arguing that type checking doesn't buy you anything; you are correct that you can still make the exact same mistakes, but the difference is that the compiler will catch most of them."
While that's somewhat true, I also disagree. Sure, the compiler will force you to add a null pointer check in a function wihch never expects to receive a null pointer.
But then what?
You write some code to deal with the case that you never expect to happen. Then it happens. Then your program does something completely inexpllicable because that code was never properly tested and a null pointer makes no sense and the code which called the function with the null pointer receives an error return from that function that it never expected to see and follows some default path that was never properly tested because it would never happen.
In some cases, an instant crash _is_ the correct response... better to restart the program that continue running in a state that should never happen and has never been tested.
"That's why we have 'managed' languages these days"
Managed languages are no solution; in fact they may be worse. Dereference a null pointer in C++ and your program crashes. Dereference it in a managed language and your thread probably throws a null pointer exception and stops running, but the rest of the program stays up. So it's still running, but just doesn't work.
"Who cares? How many of those "bazillion" C++ programmers would you entrust the security of your computer to, ideally?"
Reducing your choice of programmers to hire to those who think that writing a new language to write your application is is a good business plan... does not sound like a good business plan.
For example, I'm using Firefox right now. Let's say I can't remember how to add a bookmark. I would pop up the HUD box and start typing "bookmark", and just a few letters in I would see something like "Bookmark > Bookmark this page", which I would select.
True. Clicking on the 'Bookmarks' menu is much harder to figure out than that.
I like the example in TFS: why the heck is someone too clueless to use menus going to be searching for 'radial blur' in Gimp?
No, it's not. Gasoline engines work fine at -40, they just don't like starting; EVs suck ass at those temperatures at all times because batteries really don't like sub-zero temperatures. If you don't heat the battery you'll probably lose at least half the range and you'll then need to suck more power from it to heat the car.
"If you don't plug it in, you don't have a working vehicle either."
I've started it without plugging it in, but there's just no reason to put that much extra stress on the engine for the sake of a few cents of electricity. In addition, if the car's only been parked for half an hour it will start fine with no additional heating.
"Oh you say my gas vehicle doesn't work too well at -40 either?"
I regularly drive my gas vehicle at -40. Works fine so long as we plug it in at work to keep the engine warm enough to start easily.
"I'm sure an electric car will fail in 3 years too"
Last I read Honda Civic Hybrid owners were suing Honda, supposedly because the batteries were failing so fast that Honda reprogrammed the computer not to use them much so they'd survive the warranty period... wihch made them pointless.
The law above the government is the actual solution, not complete anarchy.
There is no 'law above the government' or the US government wouldn't have been able to grow into the bloated monster it is today. You can't 'restore the Constitution' because the majority of voters are feeding at the unconstitutional pork trough in some way.
If you had read Marx, you would realize that his communism was revolved around truly voluntary exchanges, and then a little critical thinking would tell you that the states of the USSR and North Korea are (or were) authoritarian regimes, and not at all communist.
All communist states are authoritarian, because you can't have a voluntary communist state. Capitalist behaviour is prohibited by force in a communist state, whereas you're free to set up a communist commune in a capitalist state so long as you buy the land first and 'progressives' haven't eliminated property rights.
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Now the drug companies are learning the true cost of not fighting the Canadian government extortionists.
When did _not_ giving companies a government-granted monopoly become 'extortion'?
I bet Canada will soon be paying market prices for its drugs.
How can a price be a 'market price' when it's the result of a government-granted monopoly? If you want people to pay a market price for a drug, then eliminate drug patents.
But the whole point of the EU is to put power in the hands of unelected bureaucrats rather than the people of Europe. Bit late to complain about that now.
Ron Paul isn't selling easy solutions: that's precisely why he won't get elected.
People don't want to hear that saving the country requires major changes and serious pain... which is why they'll vote for more of the same and then act surprised in ten years when the Chinese bailiffs turn up to load everything of value into ships as debt repayment after America goes bankrupt.
Neither of them are as complete as Gnome 2 was. While they're alternatives to Gnome 3, they require losing various features that people liked in Gnome 2.
Of course they also seem to be less buggy and have less retarded design choices copied from Windows.
1993: Year of whining that 'ordinary users' will never be able to use a Linux desktop.
3. Fanboys who'll buy anything with an Apple logo on it.
In that case, they could make it even easier by not forcing you to make a Googlebook account, couldn't they?
Google really has gone downhill in the last couple of years.
"Also, to "cpu6502" -- few, if any, people have to 'drive to the dump' to dispose (properly) of CFL's."
Indeed. 99% of people just thow them in the garbage.
"Whereas an actual, complete object who is treated as "the end" will not cause such problems."
Until you try to access its 'next' pointer.
Which will either return null, or point to some other random object (itself, the head of the list, etc) which will cause unexpected behaviour, or just crash.
"and your thread probably throws a null pointer exception ... and you catch it and do a graceful shutdown."
Yeah, right. Show me all the Java programs which do that.
Not to mention that if one thread just threw an unexpected exception you have no idea what the state of the system is and a 'graceful shutdown' is just as likely to irretrievably corrupt your data as to preserve it. Assuming it can manage to shut down at all when the failed thread may be required in order to do so.
Sometimes 'just crash' is the correct answer to 'what should I do if this happens?'
"Java doesn't expose you to pointers."
Every object in Java is a pointer. It's one of the dumbest design choices in that language.
The only difference is that it's guaranteed to point to something or be null, rather than allowing you to point it to random chunks of memory. That means any Java function can be called with null pointers, whereas at least in C++ I can pass objects directly or by non-null references.
"Arguing that a null-free language doesn't buy you any safety is like arguing that type checking doesn't buy you anything; you are correct that you can still make the exact same mistakes, but the difference is that the compiler will catch most of them."
While that's somewhat true, I also disagree. Sure, the compiler will force you to add a null pointer check in a function wihch never expects to receive a null pointer.
But then what?
You write some code to deal with the case that you never expect to happen. Then it happens. Then your program does something completely inexpllicable because that code was never properly tested and a null pointer makes no sense and the code which called the function with the null pointer receives an error return from that function that it never expected to see and follows some default path that was never properly tested because it would never happen.
In some cases, an instant crash _is_ the correct response... better to restart the program that continue running in a state that should never happen and has never been tested.
"That's why we have 'managed' languages these days"
Managed languages are no solution; in fact they may be worse. Dereference a null pointer in C++ and your program crashes. Dereference it in a managed language and your thread probably throws a null pointer exception and stops running, but the rest of the program stays up. So it's still running, but just doesn't work.
"Who cares? How many of those "bazillion" C++ programmers would you entrust the security of your computer to, ideally?"
Reducing your choice of programmers to hire to those who think that writing a new language to write your application is is a good business plan... does not sound like a good business plan.
They both make you crash when you dereference them, but the new crash is shinier.
BTW, is it just me or is Slashdot completely fscked these days? I had to turn off Javascript to get it to work at all.
"Slashdot requires you to wait between each successful posting of a comment to allow everyone a fair chance at posting a comment.
It's been 4 minutes since you last successfully posted a comment"
So how many minutes am I supposed to wait?
There are roughly a bazillion C++ programmers in the world that they can hire. How many Rust programmers are there?
As others have said, it's just another dumb idea to add to the recent history of dumb ideas coming out of Mozilla.
For example, I'm using Firefox right now. Let's say I can't remember how to add a bookmark. I would pop up the HUD box and start typing "bookmark", and just a few letters in I would see something like "Bookmark > Bookmark this page", which I would select.
True. Clicking on the 'Bookmarks' menu is much harder to figure out than that.
I like the example in TFS: why the heck is someone too clueless to use menus going to be searching for 'radial blur' in Gimp?
I like Linux and all but this sounds like a programer/power users interface.
Why would a 'power user' want to have to waste their time typing crap when they could just select it from the menu?
"Whooooooooooooosh.... That's EXACTLY his point."
No, it's not. Gasoline engines work fine at -40, they just don't like starting; EVs suck ass at those temperatures at all times because batteries really don't like sub-zero temperatures. If you don't heat the battery you'll probably lose at least half the range and you'll then need to suck more power from it to heat the car.
"If you don't plug it in, you don't have a working vehicle either."
I've started it without plugging it in, but there's just no reason to put that much extra stress on the engine for the sake of a few cents of electricity. In addition, if the car's only been parked for half an hour it will start fine with no additional heating.
"even my podunk town has several electric car charging points. Problem is some moron in a Pickup truck or SUV is always parked in front of it."
Why should pickup drivers be forced to pay an EV driver's fuel bill?
"Oh you say my gas vehicle doesn't work too well at -40 either?"
I regularly drive my gas vehicle at -40. Works fine so long as we plug it in at work to keep the engine warm enough to start easily.
"I'm sure an electric car will fail in 3 years too"
Last I read Honda Civic Hybrid owners were suing Honda, supposedly because the batteries were failing so fast that Honda reprogrammed the computer not to use them much so they'd survive the warranty period... wihch made them pointless.
http://www.autoblog.com/2010/08/16/hondas-fix-for-prematurely-dying-civic-hybrid-batteries-hurting/
World War 2, slightly less so, but still had a low approval rating among the public.
In case you failed to notice, America stayed out of the war until Japan had attacked Pearl Harbor and the Nazis declared war on America.
The law above the government is the actual solution, not complete anarchy.
There is no 'law above the government' or the US government wouldn't have been able to grow into the bloated monster it is today. You can't 'restore the Constitution' because the majority of voters are feeding at the unconstitutional pork trough in some way.
If you had read Marx, you would realize that his communism was revolved around truly voluntary exchanges, and then a little critical thinking would tell you that the states of the USSR and North Korea are (or were) authoritarian regimes, and not at all communist.
All communist states are authoritarian, because you can't have a voluntary communist state. Capitalist behaviour is prohibited by force in a communist state, whereas you're free to set up a communist commune in a capitalist state so long as you buy the land first and 'progressives' haven't eliminated property rights.
That may work for you, but most of us don't have >100.000 euro in our bank accounts when we want/need a house.
Which isn't a problem, because houses would be cheaper. Loans make things more expensive by creating artificial demand.
You'd think that after the recent housing debacle people would understand that.