While I agree that a good programmer will use the right tool for the job, I don't think that means we should be blind to criticism of the tool. Visual Basic happens to be a personal hated language of mine for many reasons; automatic variable declaration leads to far more problems than it solves (yes I know it can be turned off), I do not like variant types, the ByVal/ByRef seems too subtle for my liking, some of the object schemes are very strange in VBA (excel cells for example) and flexible syntax is not up there on my list of good things.
This is all IMHO of course, but I'm afraid I couldn't read that VB is "Not That Bad" without biting...
You're right sorry, I tend to use the terms interchangeably because I always use them together. By NAT box I did of course mean firewall with NAT. And likewise I would not put a non-firewalled windows box on the net.
This yielding only applies at roundabouts to my mind (can't think of any other places where yielding is an issue). So basically roundabouts in the US are screwed from the outset because someone chose the priority to go the wrong way for them? I'm not complaining, just trying to find out the facts.
I run a Windows machine. There is no way at the moment that I'd give it an IP address and let the internet get to it, even if I had the option. So I have a BSD box to hide it behind. Everyone I know who has got ADSL has bought a NAT box to hide PCs behind even if there is only one, because no-one trusts Windows being exposed to the internet. nmap a Windows box and you'll see why.
Is the solution to nerf the sniper rifle, like in CS? No. Matches are still slow - probably slower than before, actually
What does the guy mean by nerf? I don't remember the rifles becoming foam, but then I don't actually remember any significant changes to the sniper rifles in CS, so I'm lost as to this bit. Good article generally though, sniper rifles do spoil CS.
I've used it, not in-depth enough to vouch for all its major features, but always seemed fine for me. YaBB can be found here, a Perl (I think!) forum with all your standard stuff, moderation, avatars, smiley faces etc etc. Worth a mention, since I didn't see it so far in the comments.
Interestingly, two of those are art forms that, while generally considered childish, certainly have mature alternatives (e.g. The Simpsons). Maybe video games are similar, but with more mature than childish options?
I got winamp 3, hated it and downgraded to 2, then my brother convinced me to try winamp 5. I installed it, I still use my winamp 2 skin, still use my winamp 2 plugins, didn't see much use for the media library, and thus the sole benefit of winamp 5 was this: the fonts seem slightly sharper. A mighty upgrade indeed.
I would say the office is indeed subtle. Compare it to something like Friends. In Friends it's all jokes with signposted punchlines, and obvious quirks in the characters. The Office has a lot more humour in the general conversation, more observational than gag-based, which I would say was the more subtle of the two. Also the Office often works on facial expressions and reactions for humour, the sort of thing often lost in comedies filmed in front of live audiences.
Sorry, I misread you. I thought you meant just cancel out taxes, where I see now you suggest giving the money back to everyone rather than providing the services. I don't agree (I believe healthcare should be given to anyone, not those who can afford the insurance) but I understand your motives.
I have always thought that all that this debate surrounding skipping ads will just cause a change in the business model for TV ads. If people are going to skip the ads, I figure there are a few options - display them while the actual program is running (not popular, and can be disabled by image processing hardware), shift towards product placements (which has been happening the past few years), or start charging proper subscription to channels. The last option makes the most business sense, but that would force TV companies to make TV that people actively want to watch, a pretty tricky business. I wouldn't want to be a broadcaster at the moment.
I remember reading (can't find mention on the site though) that Al Lowe, creator of the Leisure Suit Larry series, released the copyright on various old games (the ones owned by him rather than the publishers) for abandonware, since otherwise they would have died out... Confirmation would be good though.
As I say, perhaps we would all be better off if everyone got their GBP 3000 without wasting money on all the bureaucracy in the middle. Remember that's not GBP 3000/household but per person, including children.
What you suggest is extreme right-wing economics. The government would no almost nothing, and people would use their own money. What would occur is companies providing services (including education, healthcare, etc) instead of the government. Sure you get competition in the services but if you have no job, you pretty much die (no food, no healthcare, etc). If you want it that way, fair enough, but I really hope you won't find too many people agreeing with you.
I would say that the office is near the opposite of pretention, poking fun at all the pretentious characters contained within. It's very subtle humour, not to everyone's tastes I guess.
Depends on what sort of humour you appreciate really. Tim's expressions while the crazy world happens around him are hilarious, Keith can even make exhaling funny, and Brent so perfectly picks out all the terrible boss characteristics that some find it amazing, and many find it too close to home...
Also, not on a hysterical note, your sympathy for Brent grows more and more towards the end of the series (last 2 included), including the amazing scene where he is fired and then stands up to reveal his costume:)
You make interesting points, but here goes:
It's best to be prepared. I'm for giving my generals the military might they need to win decisively, because, hell, they're on my side, and I think my side is better than all of the others.
Surely whether your side is better depends on the conflict your country decides to enter (not decided by the military themselves, I admit). For example if you were a US citizen you might have backed them in WWII and the first gulf war say, but not the second one or vietnam.
But hey, I'd be perfectly happy for the US to pack up all around the world, and leave the rest of the world to itself. You can imagine how many days it would take for China to obliterate Taiwan, for Israel to flatten the rest of the mid-east (yes, they have a very advanced military), etc. etc. etc. You can imagine what the Soviet Union would have done absent our influence.
Considering the amount of aid the US gives Israel, I'd say that the US leaving them alone would be a serious dent in their military capability. Also I am not aware that the US is actively defending Taiwan from attack. China don't invade because they don't want to anger the international community, which consists of more than just the US as it happens.
On one hand, it would be so gratifying to sit and watch Europe have to eat its words
I am presuming (correct me if I'm wrong) that you are referring to Europe's anti-interventionist stance on the recent Iraq conflict. Considering how likely it appears to have been that Iraq could attack anyone, I fail to see how Europe would have been eating its words (the suffering in Iraq aside).
Interesting... The author slates NAT for being an easy security option, causing firewalling problems and not letting each device have its own IP. Then he seems to fail to mention that letting each device have its own IP opens up a whole host of possible attacks. Who would honestly let an out of the box Windows machine be open to the rest of the internet with no NAT?
I, personally, don't blame them. Bungie are a lot more famous now than before joining with Microsoft, and Halo became pretty much the killer app for the X-Box. It's like having a go at a football player for signing for a team in a higher division who will pay more - loyal followers will be angry but that player wouldn't have wanted to miss the opportunity.
IIRC, Apogee sell all their old games online on their website www.3drealms.com -quick check- Yep, if you go here: http://store.yahoo.com/3drealms/dowit.html you can find classics such as Duke Nukem (1&2), Commander Keen (various episodes), and lesser known games such as the "cute" Cosmo, Crystal Caves, etc. Those were the days!
And there was us thinking Asia couldn't teach us anything about how to do IT, but then they turn out to have companies that actually agree on common standards at the outset!
Slashdot Mirror
or accepted so gracefully..
This is all IMHO of course, but I'm afraid I couldn't read that VB is "Not That Bad" without biting...
You're right sorry, I tend to use the terms interchangeably because I always use them together. By NAT box I did of course mean firewall with NAT. And likewise I would not put a non-firewalled windows box on the net.
This yielding only applies at roundabouts to my mind (can't think of any other places where yielding is an issue). So basically roundabouts in the US are screwed from the outset because someone chose the priority to go the wrong way for them? I'm not complaining, just trying to find out the facts.
I run a Windows machine. There is no way at the moment that I'd give it an IP address and let the internet get to it, even if I had the option. So I have a BSD box to hide it behind. Everyone I know who has got ADSL has bought a NAT box to hide PCs behind even if there is only one, because no-one trusts Windows being exposed to the internet. nmap a Windows box and you'll see why.
What does the guy mean by nerf? I don't remember the rifles becoming foam, but then I don't actually remember any significant changes to the sniper rifles in CS, so I'm lost as to this bit. Good article generally though, sniper rifles do spoil CS.
I've used it, not in-depth enough to vouch for all its major features, but always seemed fine for me. YaBB can be found here, a Perl (I think!) forum with all your standard stuff, moderation, avatars, smiley faces etc etc. Worth a mention, since I didn't see it so far in the comments.
Interestingly, two of those are art forms that, while generally considered childish, certainly have mature alternatives (e.g. The Simpsons). Maybe video games are similar, but with more mature than childish options?
Clearly there is only one other option ;-)
I got winamp 3, hated it and downgraded to 2, then my brother convinced me to try winamp 5. I installed it, I still use my winamp 2 skin, still use my winamp 2 plugins, didn't see much use for the media library, and thus the sole benefit of winamp 5 was this: the fonts seem slightly sharper. A mighty upgrade indeed.
Amusing take on business development ;)
I would say the office is indeed subtle. Compare it to something like Friends. In Friends it's all jokes with signposted punchlines, and obvious quirks in the characters. The Office has a lot more humour in the general conversation, more observational than gag-based, which I would say was the more subtle of the two. Also the Office often works on facial expressions and reactions for humour, the sort of thing often lost in comedies filmed in front of live audiences.
Sorry, I misread you. I thought you meant just cancel out taxes, where I see now you suggest giving the money back to everyone rather than providing the services. I don't agree (I believe healthcare should be given to anyone, not those who can afford the insurance) but I understand your motives.
I have always thought that all that this debate surrounding skipping ads will just cause a change in the business model for TV ads. If people are going to skip the ads, I figure there are a few options - display them while the actual program is running (not popular, and can be disabled by image processing hardware), shift towards product placements (which has been happening the past few years), or start charging proper subscription to channels. The last option makes the most business sense, but that would force TV companies to make TV that people actively want to watch, a pretty tricky business. I wouldn't want to be a broadcaster at the moment.
I remember reading (can't find mention on the site though) that Al Lowe, creator of the Leisure Suit Larry series, released the copyright on various old games (the ones owned by him rather than the publishers) for abandonware, since otherwise they would have died out... Confirmation would be good though.
What you suggest is extreme right-wing economics. The government would no almost nothing, and people would use their own money. What would occur is companies providing services (including education, healthcare, etc) instead of the government. Sure you get competition in the services but if you have no job, you pretty much die (no food, no healthcare, etc). If you want it that way, fair enough, but I really hope you won't find too many people agreeing with you.
I would say that the office is near the opposite of pretention, poking fun at all the pretentious characters contained within. It's very subtle humour, not to everyone's tastes I guess.
Also, not on a hysterical note, your sympathy for Brent grows more and more towards the end of the series (last 2 included), including the amazing scene where he is fired and then stands up to reveal his costume :)
Surely whether your side is better depends on the conflict your country decides to enter (not decided by the military themselves, I admit). For example if you were a US citizen you might have backed them in WWII and the first gulf war say, but not the second one or vietnam.
But hey, I'd be perfectly happy for the US to pack up all around the world, and leave the rest of the world to itself. You can imagine how many days it would take for China to obliterate Taiwan, for Israel to flatten the rest of the mid-east (yes, they have a very advanced military), etc. etc. etc. You can imagine what the Soviet Union would have done absent our influence.
Considering the amount of aid the US gives Israel, I'd say that the US leaving them alone would be a serious dent in their military capability. Also I am not aware that the US is actively defending Taiwan from attack. China don't invade because they don't want to anger the international community, which consists of more than just the US as it happens.
On one hand, it would be so gratifying to sit and watch Europe have to eat its words
I am presuming (correct me if I'm wrong) that you are referring to Europe's anti-interventionist stance on the recent Iraq conflict. Considering how likely it appears to have been that Iraq could attack anyone, I fail to see how Europe would have been eating its words (the suffering in Iraq aside).
Now call me a fool, but I always called the things we played conkers with... conkers. ;-)
Interesting... The author slates NAT for being an easy security option, causing firewalling problems and not letting each device have its own IP. Then he seems to fail to mention that letting each device have its own IP opens up a whole host of possible attacks. Who would honestly let an out of the box Windows machine be open to the rest of the internet with no NAT?
I, personally, don't blame them. Bungie are a lot more famous now than before joining with Microsoft, and Halo became pretty much the killer app for the X-Box. It's like having a go at a football player for signing for a team in a higher division who will pay more - loyal followers will be angry but that player wouldn't have wanted to miss the opportunity.
You're not stupidly rich, and you have nothing so fancy!
IIRC, Apogee sell all their old games online on their website www.3drealms.com -quick check- Yep, if you go here: http://store.yahoo.com/3drealms/dowit.html you can find classics such as Duke Nukem (1&2), Commander Keen (various episodes), and lesser known games such as the "cute" Cosmo, Crystal Caves, etc. Those were the days!
And there was us thinking Asia couldn't teach us anything about how to do IT, but then they turn out to have companies that actually agree on common standards at the outset!