Ok, the previous posts are entering flame territory, and I don't wish to pursue them anymore - let's just say that I mostly agree with you.
Re-reading my original post:
"The designing of software is much like describing the plot of a book.. by the time you've given the typist enough details to write what you want, you may as well have written it yourself."
Isn't that essentially what you are saying to me?
My point is that the tools we have available for software design fall short of being able to implement complex applications for us. So we still need programmers to do the grunt work. In an ideal world, we would not need programmers, the designer would be able to produce the application themselves, and then simply hire a publisher, some testers and manual writers etc, and all would be well.
My other point is that it is virtually impossible to design an application when there are more than a few people all wanting to 'help' design. This is where my analogy to novel writing began. You simply don't get as coherent a product if you have a team of designers all trying to push their agenda. This leads to internal conflict, compromises being made, misunderstandings between the design and implementation; the end result is unpredictable, but rarely good.
The quote "A camel is a horse designed by a committee" comes to mind.
And finally: in an ideal world, I would be able to design an application without having to ever see a single line of source code, yet still have a finished product at the end of the process. Although this would probably mean a huge downscaling of the software industry, as everyone would just write their own applications.
Oh, and I probably should have said 'book' instead of 'novel' with the printing press thing. You learn something every day.
Firstly, I love the idea of Source Code as design - I always try to use CASE tools, a good IDE etc. to make writing code as much as possible about the design, rather than just mindless implementation. However, I don't think there are many large projects that are actually done this way.
So for an idealized project, the premise of the programmer being the designer is a great one, and something we should strive towards. However, software development is currently at the stage where novel writing was before the advent of the printing press. We currently still need designers to translate what a designer can easily imagine into something that will become a scalable, robust and well-implemented system.
Until we get there, large projects simply cannot afford to wait around until the designer (author) is able to laboriously code each and every feature to an acceptable standard. This is why we separate the design from the implementation. I know it's not ideal, but it's just the way it is - except for rather small projects.
Yeah, but how many co-authors did you use?
The design stage is where software development has the highest risks. And in many projects, there are literally dozens of people all with their invaluable contributions to the design.
Once the design is complete - to a point where code monkeys can implement it, feel free to hire dozens of coders, testers, project managers, graphic designers, publishers etc.
The designing of software is much like describing the plot of a book.. by the time you've given the typist enough details to write what you want, you may as well have written it yourself.
Since programmers are just the typists, they usually have no idea what the architect has in mind. When the architect / designer leaves a lot of the design to the programmers, the end result will fall short of what the designer had in mind.
This is why a lot of awesome software projects are generally one or two man efforts, not designed by a team. If you're writing a novel, you don't bring in a dozen co-authors; at most, you collaborate with on or perhaps two people.
What's up with the made up terms like 'Reverse sync', 'gas gauge', 'visual navigation' to describe what are very basic features.
Should we start applying them to general computer use too?
'Hey Bob, I need you to reverse sync that report to my computer, so you don't run out of gas, check the gas gauge, and you'll receive a great sync experience.'
I think that the third option is possibly 'too subtle' for most companies. I'm not saying that it's not a good option, just that most companies can't see past the bottom line.
As it stands, there is currently no competition between green and polluting means of production. Pollution costs nothing, and is already implemented. Green methods, on the other hand, require research, implementation and arguably greater running costs.
As a government, they have to make pollution undesirable to companies, and basically have 2 ways doing it:
1. Create legsitlation to prohibit undesirable actions. 2. Place taxes on undesirable actions.
You're right, although I was thinking more of the scenario where 'harmful' viruses start using the same algorithms and signatures that ought to be ignored by AV software since they are part of this VOIP monitoring application. The AV vendors will be in a bind, since they will have to balance out finding 'harmful' viruses and ignoring the government sponsored stuff.
As far as the 'black box' solution, it is indeed far more likely. I'd be surprised if this kind of network monitoring/logging technology isn't already in use by governments.
The trojan idea has some merit now that I think about it, since it allows you to listen in on conversations of people regardless of where they are physically located; as long as you have their IP (or email address?) and a means to send the trojan to their PC.
The only possible means by which a trojan can get around anti-virus tools, operating systems and firewalls is if the tools themselves have been modified to allow this trojan to work.
I suspect that the software vendors / designers of these tools will be contacted, asked to participate and sign a ND agreement.
All people running software by these vendors will then be susceptible to attacks from this trojan - a trojan which will undoubtedly be in the hands of black hat hackers by then.
Additionally, if this sort of thing becomes common practice, it will result in anti-virus software becoming practically useless, as the virus writers will take advantage of these 'back doors' to create new malware that can mimick the behaviour of the trojans.
Gapless playback was supported by my old "Archos Jukebox" portable MP3 player - that clunky old thing must be at least 7 years old now.
Without gapless playback, good luck listening to DJ mixed sets, where each new song is beat-matched and mixed into the previous one. I couldn't comprehend why anyone would release an MP3 player WITHOUT it, and was pretty disappointed when told the iPod couldn't do it.
Forum, Noun:
* a public meeting or assembly for open discussion
* assembly, meeting place (a public facility to meet for open discussion)
I'd say, from the definition, that a forum appears to be a public meeting place for open discussion, not an archive of knowledge.. just coz it's online, doesn't make it any different.
An online forum as a repository of knowledge is a side-effect of searchable online content, not the main purpose of a forum.
I would point out that such an OS would need to be task oriented, rather than user oriented.
If I start working a novel task, one that I've never done before, I'd hate to have to 'teach' my OS how to behave.
Many people I know already customize their OS for the task they are doing.
The easiest way is to just create several user accounts or desktops, each of which runs different 'background' applications. My gaming logon in windows runs very few services, keeping the system as lean as possible , whereas my 'day-to-day' login has virus scanners, screensavers, desktop backgrounds etc configured.
The next iteration of this, for me, at least, is the virtual appliance. While popular in servers for a while now, they are really beginning to take off for home/desktop use.
I am beginning to use these quite frequently, creating my own installations that contain the tools neccessary for a given task.
Biggest advantages include cross-platform, wide availabilty, and great uptime (as long as you backup your images.
I'll add one last thing to this rather pointless debate:)
I was arguing this very point with an (older) colleague of mine, who has already paid off his home mortgage, and is now planning his retirement. We did some white board calculations which showed, that in real terms, had he been starting his working life now, he could expect to be working 15 years longer than he is planning to, purely to pay off his mortage while maintaining the standard of living he was accustomed to.
This is what scares me - I'm on a good income, my wife does not need to work, and our children are well cared for. However, I can easily see a day where my kids will simply not be able to achieve as much as I have without working an extra 15-20 years.
As far as the requirement of a 'good' job to have children - how many generations since someone in your family tree was an unskilled labourer? Are you happy that they were somehow able to afford to have kids?
"Merely existing doesn't entitle you to live whatever life you dream up in your head... Hard work does..."
Absolutely.
What about if I work 40 hrs per week at minimum wage? As it stands, I am likely to be living well below the poverty line, and this is what bothers me. Currently, only about 5% of people in the US are living on minimum wage, but the number is increasing, and the gap between minimum wage and minimum living wage is also increasing. This means more and more people cannot, and according to you, should not reproduce.
Any civilisation that makes it impossible for a large percentage of their population to reproduce is unsustainable.
And don't forget that educated, well-off individuals are much less likely to enter long term relationships, have fewer kids, and have them much later in life. There are many reasons why this is very bad, especially combined with the fact that people are living longer than ever, with increased medical costs the older you get.
Talking crap when you have absolutely no idea is basically saying... "I am an ignorant selfish idiot who will tread over everyone else to get what I want". THAT'S BS... Everyone should have a chance to live the life they want, why should they live and work like slaves so that a privilged few can enjoy life's luxuries?
Re:Why does everything need to be tech based?
on
Re-Inventing Hotwheels
·
· Score: 5, Insightful
The reason kids these days are more into Gameboys and iPods than trucks and footballs is that many parents these days can't be bothered to actually play with their kids .
Gameboys can be played solo, and it is much easier, as a parent, to buy your kid a gameboy and tell them to go play with it than to spend time with them.
A toy truck is a pretty boring toy in itself, but if you have several toy trucks, a few kids of the right age, and one or more helpful parents, I guarantee that it's a lot more fun than playing a gameboy solo.
As someone who had terrible RSI in my right wrist and thumb, I can attest to this. I found that simply uncluttering my desk, getting the chair at the right height, and moving both my mouse and keyboard away from my body completely fixed the problem. I think that at least in my case, the pain was a symptom of my wrist and elbow being held at an odd angle - I now have my right arm almost straight out in front of me, and my wrist is level with my elbow.
The thing that makes Microformats stand out from homebrew versions is the attempt to standardize the formats, allowing others to easily work out what microformat you are using and integrate them into their own site.
The article mentions the wiki, but doesn't link to it, except at the very bottom of the resources section.
I no longer remember (it was a while ago) but I think it was Thermal Grease . No mention of the nappy rash cream, so it's either been edited out or I can't find the correct article anymore.
I went to wiki to search for a household item substitute for thermal compound to replace a CPU on a spare motherboard, and it suggested nappy rash cream. Since we have a rug-rat, and therefore loads of nappy rash cream, I (st00pidly) decided to try it out.
Let's just say that at least in modern processors, I definately DO NOT recommend anything but actual thermal compound, and wikipedia owes me $50.
Slashdot Mirror
Re-reading my original post:
"The designing of software is much like describing the plot of a book.. by the time you've given the typist enough details to write what you want, you may as well have written it yourself."
Isn't that essentially what you are saying to me?
My point is that the tools we have available for software design fall short of being able to implement complex applications for us. So we still need programmers to do the grunt work. In an ideal world, we would not need programmers, the designer would be able to produce the application themselves, and then simply hire a publisher, some testers and manual writers etc, and all would be well.
My other point is that it is virtually impossible to design an application when there are more than a few people all wanting to 'help' design. This is where my analogy to novel writing began. You simply don't get as coherent a product if you have a team of designers all trying to push their agenda. This leads to internal conflict, compromises being made, misunderstandings between the design and implementation; the end result is unpredictable, but rarely good.
The quote "A camel is a horse designed by a committee" comes to mind.
And finally: in an ideal world, I would be able to design an application without having to ever see a single line of source code, yet still have a finished product at the end of the process. Although this would probably mean a huge downscaling of the software industry, as everyone would just write their own applications.
Oh, and I probably should have said 'book' instead of 'novel' with the printing press thing. You learn something every day.
So for an idealized project, the premise of the programmer being the designer is a great one, and something we should strive towards. However, software development is currently at the stage where novel writing was before the advent of the printing press. We currently still need designers to translate what a designer can easily imagine into something that will become a scalable, robust and well-implemented system.
Until we get there, large projects simply cannot afford to wait around until the designer (author) is able to laboriously code each and every feature to an acceptable standard. This is why we separate the design from the implementation. I know it's not ideal, but it's just the way it is - except for rather small projects.
Yeah, but how many co-authors did you use? The design stage is where software development has the highest risks. And in many projects, there are literally dozens of people all with their invaluable contributions to the design. Once the design is complete - to a point where code monkeys can implement it, feel free to hire dozens of coders, testers, project managers, graphic designers, publishers etc.
The designing of software is much like describing the plot of a book.. by the time you've given the typist enough details to write what you want, you may as well have written it yourself. Since programmers are just the typists, they usually have no idea what the architect has in mind. When the architect / designer leaves a lot of the design to the programmers, the end result will fall short of what the designer had in mind. This is why a lot of awesome software projects are generally one or two man efforts, not designed by a team. If you're writing a novel, you don't bring in a dozen co-authors; at most, you collaborate with on or perhaps two people.
myspace, youtube and digg?
That's the smartest thing I've read on the internet in a while.
What's up with the made up terms like 'Reverse sync', 'gas gauge', 'visual navigation' to describe what are very basic features.
Should we start applying them to general computer use too?
'Hey Bob, I need you to reverse sync that report to my computer, so you don't run out of gas, check the gas gauge, and you'll receive a great sync experience.'
I think that the third option is possibly 'too subtle' for most companies. I'm not saying that it's not a good option, just that most companies can't see past the bottom line.
As it stands, there is currently no competition between green and polluting means of production. Pollution costs nothing, and is already implemented. Green methods, on the other hand, require research, implementation and arguably greater running costs.
As a government, they have to make pollution undesirable to companies, and basically have 2 ways doing it:
1. Create legsitlation to prohibit undesirable actions.
2. Place taxes on undesirable actions.
I prefer option 2.
You're right, although I was thinking more of the scenario where 'harmful' viruses start using the same algorithms and signatures that ought to be ignored by AV software since they are part of this VOIP monitoring application. The AV vendors will be in a bind, since they will have to balance out finding 'harmful' viruses and ignoring the government sponsored stuff.
As far as the 'black box' solution, it is indeed far more likely. I'd be surprised if this kind of network monitoring/logging technology isn't already in use by governments.
The trojan idea has some merit now that I think about it, since it allows you to listen in on conversations of people regardless of where they are physically located; as long as you have their IP (or email address?) and a means to send the trojan to their PC.
The only possible means by which a trojan can get around anti-virus tools, operating systems and firewalls is if the tools themselves have been modified to allow this trojan to work.
I suspect that the software vendors / designers of these tools will be contacted, asked to participate and sign a ND agreement.
All people running software by these vendors will then be susceptible to attacks from this trojan - a trojan which will undoubtedly be in the hands of black hat hackers by then.
Additionally, if this sort of thing becomes common practice, it will result in anti-virus software becoming practically useless, as the virus writers will take advantage of these 'back doors' to create new malware that can mimick the behaviour of the trojans.
Gapless playback was supported by my old "Archos Jukebox" portable MP3 player - that clunky old thing must be at least 7 years old now.
Without gapless playback, good luck listening to DJ mixed sets, where each new song is beat-matched and mixed into the previous one. I couldn't comprehend why anyone would release an MP3 player WITHOUT it, and was pretty disappointed when told the iPod couldn't do it.
Forum, Noun:
* a public meeting or assembly for open discussion
* assembly, meeting place (a public facility to meet for open discussion)
I'd say, from the definition, that a forum appears to be a public meeting place for open discussion, not an archive of knowledge.. just coz it's online, doesn't make it any different.
An online forum as a repository of knowledge is a side-effect of searchable online content, not the main purpose of a forum.
I would point out that such an OS would need to be task oriented, rather than user oriented. /desktop use.
If I start working a novel task, one that I've never done before, I'd hate to have to 'teach' my OS how to behave.
Many people I know already customize their OS for the task they are doing.
The easiest way is to just create several user accounts or desktops, each of which runs different 'background' applications. My gaming logon in windows runs very few services, keeping the system as lean as possible , whereas my 'day-to-day' login has virus scanners, screensavers, desktop backgrounds etc configured.
The next iteration of this, for me, at least, is the virtual appliance. While popular in servers for a while now, they are really beginning to take off for home
I am beginning to use these quite frequently, creating my own installations that contain the tools neccessary for a given task.
Biggest advantages include cross-platform, wide availabilty, and great uptime (as long as you backup your images.
They should have googled it.
Sheesh, those astronomers sure are lacking in the geekiness department.
I was arguing this very point with an (older) colleague of mine, who has already paid off his home mortgage, and is now planning his retirement. We did some white board calculations which showed, that in real terms, had he been starting his working life now, he could expect to be working 15 years longer than he is planning to, purely to pay off his mortage while maintaining the standard of living he was accustomed to.
This is what scares me - I'm on a good income, my wife does not need to work, and our children are well cared for. However, I can easily see a day where my kids will simply not be able to achieve as much as I have without working an extra 15-20 years.
As far as the requirement of a 'good' job to have children - how many generations since someone in your family tree was an unskilled labourer? Are you happy that they were somehow able to afford to have kids?
Absolutely. What about if I work 40 hrs per week at minimum wage? As it stands, I am likely to be living well below the poverty line, and this is what bothers me. Currently, only about 5% of people in the US are living on minimum wage, but the number is increasing, and the gap between minimum wage and minimum living wage is also increasing. This means more and more people cannot, and according to you, should not reproduce.
Any civilisation that makes it impossible for a large percentage of their population to reproduce is unsustainable. And don't forget that educated, well-off individuals are much less likely to enter long term relationships, have fewer kids, and have them much later in life. There are many reasons why this is very bad, especially combined with the fact that people are living longer than ever, with increased medical costs the older you get.
Talking crap when you have absolutely no idea is basically saying... "I am an ignorant selfish idiot who will tread over everyone else to get what I want". THAT'S BS... Everyone should have a chance to live the life they want, why should they live and work like slaves so that a privilged few can enjoy life's luxuries?
Gameboys can be played solo, and it is much easier, as a parent, to buy your kid a gameboy and tell them to go play with it than to spend time with them.
A toy truck is a pretty boring toy in itself, but if you have several toy trucks, a few kids of the right age, and one or more helpful parents, I guarantee that it's a lot more fun than playing a gameboy solo.
As someone who had terrible RSI in my right wrist and thumb, I can attest to this. I found that simply uncluttering my desk, getting the chair at the right height, and moving both my mouse and keyboard away from my body completely fixed the problem. I think that at least in my case, the pain was a symptom of my wrist and elbow being held at an odd angle - I now have my right arm almost straight out in front of me, and my wrist is level with my elbow.
The article mentions the wiki, but doesn't link to it, except at the very bottom of the resources section.
I no longer remember (it was a while ago) but I think it was Thermal Grease . No mention of the nappy rash cream, so it's either been edited out or I can't find the correct article anymore.
Call it karma, if you will :)
I found the motherboard and processor on the street in a local council cleanup - the $50 is what I was going to sell the PC for :)
I went to wiki to search for a household item substitute for thermal compound to replace a CPU on a spare motherboard, and it suggested nappy rash cream. Since we have a rug-rat, and therefore loads of nappy rash cream, I (st00pidly) decided to try it out.
Let's just say that at least in modern processors, I definately DO NOT recommend anything but actual thermal compound, and wikipedia owes me $50.