Python has a built in LOGO library so I'll add that as another reason Python is a great language to start off with. It's easy to get started with yet powerful enough to write useful programs. I started as a wee lad with Apple's BASIC which is pretty much useless these days but if Python was around back then, I'm sure it would have been on my radar.
SyFy is going the way of MTV. I can't remember the last time I saw actual music being played on MTV. I predict that SyFy will devolve into a channel that offers nothing but reality shows, pro wrestling, and other cheaply produced drek.
The only thing I'm concerned about regarding this deal is how this will change Java. The way I see it, one of two things will happen: One, current Oracle staff will manage the Java platform development and bad things will happen (all sorts of bad things could happen). Two, Oracle will deem Java an unprofitable product and will spin off a free software foundation, the likes of Mozilla or Apache.
I totally agree. Suspend to disk or "hybernate" allows for considerably faster boot times... if your hardware supports it.
Alternatively the Core Boot project seems like an intriguing possibility for fast boots by overwriting the factory BIOS with an optimized OS specific boot loader: http://www.coreboot.org/
Troll? Here are a few good counter arguments to the post: (I'm sure you all can think of more.) 1. High performance server/business hardware will still be in demand. 2. Modern operating systems with all the bells and whistles that we're used to will need expensive hardware to run. 3. The trend is for home users to play video and audio which you just can't do (well) on a $100 computer.
I'm required to carry my laptop home or lock it up; I can't leave it powered over night. I either shutdown or hibernate it at the end of the day.
We all would like to believe in this day and age that OS's and applications do not leak memory or become unstable but the fact is that they do. I find that periodically cold-booting my computer keeps things fast and stable.
I usually have things to do while waiting for it to boot so it is not really a hardship or loss of productive time. I also find that having to shut down at quitting time forces me to take note of what I was doing over the course of the day and stay organized.
Instead of performing daily system maintenance over night, happens durring my lunch hour.
The first thing I do in the morning is boot up my computer. Then I grab a cup of coffee while it is booting up. If it's still booting, I check in with my coworkers to see what's in store for the day - I try to keep the conversations short. Once the bootup is complete I start up email and work on timesheet/paperwork while my brain is warming up for the day. In short, I first thing in the morning, I multitask and prepare for the day ahead.
What about solar and kinetic motion based re-charging in the field? How about non-traditional energy storage options such as ultraCapacitors? How about electronic devices that are more energy efficient? I'll leave it to our other SlashDot'ers to fill everyone else in on all of the emerging technology out there that is not just about light weight batteries.
As to maintaining readablility with long lines, a 60 to 80 character length limit to the actual code does nicely. In C# most lines will start at character position 12 after indentation for namespace, class, and method. So adding 12 characters of leading whitespace and 80 characters of actual code, you're working with a minimum line length of about 95 characters.
I try to keep my lines to 110 chars long and occasionally 135 characters when the extra 25 characters will increase code readability. That gives me a nice little self imposed buffer that allows me to think about writing the code and not line length. As stated by others, 135 characters prints well on standard 8.5 x 11 paper in landscape mode.
As far as length of names goes, I think that a soft 30 character limit is adequate. Additionally, use of whole words instead of abbreviations helps make code readable. A modern IDE with automatic word completion makes easy work of having to consistently type the longer variable names.
In answer to the original article, I think that a universal line length standard no longer applies. Line length should be set based on the terminal/editor and language being used.
Could this have other possible applications in optical routers and optical computers. I've read an article where mirrors were mounted on silicon wafers with nano-scale actuators for use in optical routers. I'm wondering if this technology has potential applications in fiber-optic networks.
Whether Java is open sourced or not is of no matter to me. What would concern me if Java were to be open sourced would be a potential splintering of the JRE remeniscent of the days when Microsoft had their broken implementation of the JVM. Open Sourcing Java could be a good thing, brining Java to platforms it had not previously been on, but only if there is a strong development leadership and there is NO forking of the source.
I can only hope that Verisign will upset enough of the wrong people that there will be a move to dethrone them from the.net and.com domains. We would do better to have a not for profit running the show. Here's hoping that Verisign continues to be the pompous greedy company that we all know them to be!
From what I've heard, Google uses open source technology for their search engine. They surely have an open source clustered database for their search terms. Or have they come up with some sort of custom dbms?
You aren't getting the point. You can have your cake and eat it too as far as complexity and security go. *NIX macines are increadibly complex and very secure. This means that UNIX, Linux, Mac OS X, Free BSD and the like are all virtually immune to computer viruses.
Why? Because some thought went into ensuring that on *NIX a user of a certain permissions level could run any number of programs but the OS protects itself from meddling by those programs that are run. Windows on the other hand has historically let any program that executes under it do whatever it wants. Microsoft has been desperately trying to "plug up" that gaping hole in Windows but what they really need to do is start over and come up with a UNIX like operating system that has true permissions based security. Since Microsoft is too proud to model their OS after UNIX, we stand to experience many more years of these viruses.
If trends continue as they are, I expect there to be a revolt against the privilaged few that can afford the medical treatments to acheive prolonged life while the growing class of poor experience shortened lifespans. There will be a huge class schism. The result will be a mass revolt against the "imortals".
Slashdot Mirror
Python has a built in LOGO library so I'll add that as another reason Python is a great language to start off with. It's easy to get started with yet powerful enough to write useful programs. I started as a wee lad with Apple's BASIC which is pretty much useless these days but if Python was around back then, I'm sure it would have been on my radar.
SyFy is going the way of MTV. I can't remember the last time I saw actual music being played on MTV. I predict that SyFy will devolve into a channel that offers nothing but reality shows, pro wrestling, and other cheaply produced drek.
The only thing I'm concerned about regarding this deal is how this will change Java. The way I see it, one of two things will happen: One, current Oracle staff will manage the Java platform development and bad things will happen (all sorts of bad things could happen). Two, Oracle will deem Java an unprofitable product and will spin off a free software foundation, the likes of Mozilla or Apache.
I totally agree. Suspend to disk or "hybernate" allows for considerably faster boot times... if your hardware supports it.
Alternatively the Core Boot project seems like an intriguing possibility for fast boots by overwriting the factory BIOS with an optimized OS specific boot loader:
http://www.coreboot.org/
I think the time is right for some enterprising developers to come up with the next killer e-commerce app to eclipse eBay.
Here's the technical explanation: http://www.cudos.org.au/cudos/research/Research.php ...and here's another topical piece:
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=594743
Here in New York we call it Italian Ice. It's my favorite tasty summer treat!
I wonder if this would do any good for Stephen Hawking and others afflicted with ALS?
Mark this day. I think we're actually seeing the slashdot crowd agree about something for once:
Will the availability of ultra cheap computers stiffle Moore's Law?
Answer is... NO!
Troll? Here are a few good counter arguments to the post: (I'm sure you all can think of more.)
1. High performance server/business hardware will still be in demand.
2. Modern operating systems with all the bells and whistles that we're used to will need expensive hardware to run.
3. The trend is for home users to play video and audio which you just can't do (well) on a $100 computer.
I'm required to carry my laptop home or lock it up; I can't leave it powered over night. I either shutdown or hibernate it at the end of the day. We all would like to believe in this day and age that OS's and applications do not leak memory or become unstable but the fact is that they do. I find that periodically cold-booting my computer keeps things fast and stable. I usually have things to do while waiting for it to boot so it is not really a hardship or loss of productive time. I also find that having to shut down at quitting time forces me to take note of what I was doing over the course of the day and stay organized. Instead of performing daily system maintenance over night, happens durring my lunch hour.
I carry a laptop... and run an intense amount of software over a given day. So for me shutting down nightly just makes sense.
The first thing I do in the morning is boot up my computer. Then I grab a cup of coffee while it is booting up. If it's still booting, I check in with my coworkers to see what's in store for the day - I try to keep the conversations short. Once the bootup is complete I start up email and work on timesheet/paperwork while my brain is warming up for the day. In short, I first thing in the morning, I multitask and prepare for the day ahead.
What about solar and kinetic motion based re-charging in the field? How about non-traditional energy storage options such as ultraCapacitors? How about electronic devices that are more energy efficient? I'll leave it to our other SlashDot'ers to fill everyone else in on all of the emerging technology out there that is not just about light weight batteries.
Mod parent up! They make a good point.
As to maintaining readablility with long lines, a 60 to 80 character length limit to the actual code does nicely. In C# most lines will start at character position 12 after indentation for namespace, class, and method. So adding 12 characters of leading whitespace and 80 characters of actual code, you're working with a minimum line length of about 95 characters.
I try to keep my lines to 110 chars long and occasionally 135 characters when the extra 25 characters will increase code readability. That gives me a nice little self imposed buffer that allows me to think about writing the code and not line length. As stated by others, 135 characters prints well on standard 8.5 x 11 paper in landscape mode.
As far as length of names goes, I think that a soft 30 character limit is adequate. Additionally, use of whole words instead of abbreviations helps make code readable. A modern IDE with automatic word completion makes easy work of having to consistently type the longer variable names.
In answer to the original article, I think that a universal line length standard no longer applies. Line length should be set based on the terminal/editor and language being used.
Could this have other possible applications in optical routers and optical computers. I've read an article where mirrors were mounted on silicon wafers with nano-scale actuators for use in optical routers. I'm wondering if this technology has potential applications in fiber-optic networks.
Whether Java is open sourced or not is of no matter to me. What would concern me if Java were to be open sourced would be a potential splintering of the JRE remeniscent of the days when Microsoft had their broken implementation of the JVM. Open Sourcing Java could be a good thing, brining Java to platforms it had not previously been on, but only if there is a strong development leadership and there is NO forking of the source.
Cool! The post is a troll! :)
I can only hope that Verisign will upset enough of the wrong people that there will be a move to dethrone them from the .net and .com domains. We would do better to have a not for profit running the show. Here's hoping that Verisign continues to be the pompous greedy company that we all know them to be!
Metafilter posted an article about this in August.
And since the CNN article doesn't seem to mention a link to the company: Fogscreen
Maybe it's the shiny new website but it looks like they've significantly improved the "smoothness" of the fog since I last saw the photos.
From what I've heard, Google uses open source technology for their search engine. They surely have an open source clustered database for their search terms. Or have they come up with some sort of custom dbms?
You aren't getting the point. You can have your cake and eat it too as far as complexity and security go. *NIX macines are increadibly complex and very secure. This means that UNIX, Linux, Mac OS X, Free BSD and the like are all virtually immune to computer viruses.
Why? Because some thought went into ensuring that on *NIX a user of a certain permissions level could run any number of programs but the OS protects itself from meddling by those programs that are run. Windows on the other hand has historically let any program that executes under it do whatever it wants. Microsoft has been desperately trying to "plug up" that gaping hole in Windows but what they really need to do is start over and come up with a UNIX like operating system that has true permissions based security. Since Microsoft is too proud to model their OS after UNIX, we stand to experience many more years of these viruses.
Wouldn't satellite communications be immune? ...not from a jamming signal originating from the local area.
If trends continue as they are, I expect there to be a revolt against the privilaged few that can afford the medical treatments to acheive prolonged life while the growing class of poor experience shortened lifespans. There will be a huge class schism. The result will be a mass revolt against the "imortals".