It troubles me that you were without your phone for a few days. Really... well... NOT. What kind of tripe is this on Slashdot? This is perhaps one of the most whinging pathetic things I've heard in a while. It reminds me of a two-year-old crying over spilt milk.
Java as a language isn't fun - I haven't used it for many, many years now - but the advent of JVM-targeted languages makes the Java ecosystem fantastic.
Starting with the JVM - a very good machine that runs on pretty much anything, without having to re-compile your program. Perfect, no, but is anything? And the performance (given that it's a virtual machine) is top-notch.
Then there are the JVM-targeted languages: Scala, Groovy, JPython, BeanShell, etc, etc... Pick your poison.
Then there is a crap-ton of very useful libraries out there, and they can be used with any of the above targeted JVM-targeted languages.
So, we can whine about Java (the language) but really, I use it (the JVM, the other languages, and the libraries) to get stuff done. Cool, no. Productive, yes.
It's been said many times - Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach.
I know where that saying comes from as I have had numerous terrible teachers. However I have had many amazing teachers both in normal public schools and in the corporate world. These people could "do". I also used to teach a popular corporate class and my students always appreciated my insights into the product I taught because I actually worked with it in real life. I quit because of the travel and relatively low pay, but I can very much "do".
I suppose what I'm getting at is, I don't like that saying - it implies that teachers can't do what they teach. I think that's probably the bad apples that create that sentiment. Along the same lines as "99% of the lawyers give the rest a bad name." I'm sure there are a few more percent that are good.
After owning a Prius(*), I specifically went looking for an old vehicle and found an old, 1988 Jeep Wrangler that I'm in the process of fixing up. You see, you can't fix up or work on a Prius, or most cars these days and I very much missed doing that. The Jeep is carbureted with no computers whatsoever and I'm loving it because I have control over what I want to do with it. This summer, I'm going to make a project out of replacing the dash and user controls with Arduino and Beaglebone controllers and displays. It's going to be so much fun I can hardly stand it. I'll probably put an after-market throttle body fuel injector on at some point to help with the fuel delivery at least.
(*)Note that I didn't buy the Prius for the mileage - rather than I'm a computer geek and I thought it was cool. This Prius did not have the stuff they have now tracking your every move.
I didn't read this specific article, but the Judge made the comment along the lines of: Flashing your lights is a genuine part of driving safely, therefore it shouldn't be restricted or ticketed. Otherwise people might be inclined to not flash their lights when they should.
The way cars are going these days, I'm only going to buy old cars from now on. In fact, I just bought a 1988 Jeep Wrangler and I love it. I searched for a long time to find something: A) Cheap, B) Not computerized, C) Easy to work on, D) Good condition for its age. Is it sexy? Nope. And I'm ok with that. I waited about 7 months to find it. It popped up on Craigslist one day and I bought it that same day.
I'll grant you that it's not very fuel efficient, but I don't drive that much anyway. And I feel good about being able to yank things apart and customize it where I see fit. Parts will be available for it for as long as I live. I even put a high-beam switch on the floor just because I can. I don't feel bad about scratching it or modifying it. Can you say the same for your current car?
I need to replace the dash. I'm going to replace it a DIY BeagleBone data capture and display system. It'll probably cost about $500 total for all the pieces. That puts my Jeep at $4500 total cost.
I've been programming in Java since it first came out, and I never had any particular problems with it, other than the fact that it's rather verbose. I've been thinking there must be a way to accomplish the same thing without so much boilerplate code. Then I discovered Scala (which runs on the JVM and can easily integrate with existing Java libraries).
Mind you there are some things about Scala that are kinda weird, like so much optional syntax and type inferencing makes it sometimes hard to read. But I've been finding it a joy for new code I write, almost Java-like but much less verbose, plus you get the functional programming capabilities that Java lacks. Some of the library code that's out there is hard to understand because of the nature of the syntax, but after you study it a bit, it's not too bad.
Seems the brand name of the trike is apt: ICE. I've been in the market for a trike lately and they have been a top contender. Just have to get the cash to buy one.
After reading this article (yes, I actually read the article and the deposition) I think automobile software should be reviewed by anybody that wants to review it. Let's face it, the software may be somewhat sophisticated, but it shouldn't be rocket science. Certain algorithms could even be patented for all I care, but the code quality must be reviewed.
For those of you that haven't read the deposition from the link above, the upshot is that the expert witness saw horrible software practices being performed in a vacuum - as it were - he couldn't even take a pen and notepad in the room where he could view the software. He had to exit the room, make notes, then come back in after a security screening. This is the worst kind of software, and people are driving with it every day.
Until software that has my life in its hands is peer/public reviewed, I'm going to buy only older cars for as long as I can. I sold my Prius after reading the above article.
I've had the pleasure of using a duplicate clicky keyboard for many years. Loved it, but frankly I type so much that the sound was just driving me crazy. I've tried many keyboards - from the MS Natural and everything down to the pathetic Dell keyboards (which I can't believe how bad they are). My new favorite keyboard: The Apple Keyboard. At first, it took a little getting used to, but it didn't take long. And of course it's for a Mac, which I use. But it's quiet, easy, and fast to type on. It doesn't feel flimsy, even though it's quite small/thin. I don't think I'll ever go back to the big clicky keyboard again.
While a nice idea, I would foresee the API being an absolute horrible twisted XML wasteland that nobody can understand. Sort of like the Open MSOffice XML document format.
It seems a bit premature to dismiss him out-of-hand just because he hasn't led a software company. Yes, I know it's different, but his successes are better than anybody else on the list. Now, saying that, I don't know his leadership style. But if he's a good leader, he'll surround himself with people that know what they are doing and that have mutual trust between Mulally and those he surrounds himself with. That's (one of) the recipes for success.
I had a similar situation. I inherited a company program that was written in a language called Magic. It was some sort of table-driven record-based language that, to code, literally went up one side of the screen and down the other. It was as bad as it sounds.
I rewrote the software in Delphi (this was back in the 90's) and it was orders of magnitude faster.
I don't see how anybody could build a semi-complicated system from scratch in a few months. A system this big would take at least a year to get right, and that's if everything was spec'd appropriately, and the coders were good, and the project was managed well. Since the project actually got under way only several months ago, I knew it would be - at the very least - quirky. If it ran at all.
Airlines have been handling luggage for a very long time, you would think they would have this figured out by now.
Anecdote: I flew Delta quite a bit some years ago and lived about 2 hours/90 miles away from the airport. They would routinely misplace my luggage (never lost it, thankfully) and they had to have somebody drive my bag to my house when they found it. This happened a dozen times. It must have cost them about the price of my ticket for each delivery.
I can only assume that it was because of the luggage missing connecting flights, but most of the time I had at least an hour layover. It just seems like they could make this work
We're already past the level where I can benefit from higher resolution on phones. I'm over 40 and already have reading glasses, but I'd need to get special phone-only glasses to see any more detail or smaller type.
Indeed, I use 1.5 glasses for reading, and 2.0 glasses for my phone.
Really, it depends. Is the stuff in Oracle using the database as a simple RDBMS? Then likely Postgres would be a good alternative. But there are many great features in Oracle that command the high price. The PL/SQL engine and all that comes with it is extremely powerful. Advanced Queueing is outstanding. The analytic functions are second-to-none. The tools that come with Oracle are great.
That said, I think most projects that need a database could do just fine with Postgres. I'm in the process of converting our corporate system from Oracle to PG now. I've worked with both systems extensively. For really large projects that need special features and absolutely bulletproof DR infrastructure, Oracle is the only way to go.
I choke when I say that, because I simply hate Oracle, the corporation. The database is stellar though...
It's a little disingenuous to say that. Everybody writes bugs. I consider myself to be an expert coder, I've been doing it for well over 20 years with hundreds of successful projects. I've lead some of the best teams. And yet, no matter what, *everything* has bugs. Some big, some small. Granted, Oracle is rather slow in fixing general bugs. But I've found that with support, if you have a show-stopper bug in your database, they will write a hot-fix for you. I still don't like Larry Ellison though.
When I was in high school, I had access to a PDP-11, and when I went to college I worked on a VAX 11/780. The VAX was an amazing machine. It *never* crashed no matter what us college kids would throw at it. Of course, let us never forget that computers of today owe a nod to the VAX architecture.
Slashdot Mirror
It troubles me that you were without your phone for a few days. Really... well... NOT. What kind of tripe is this on Slashdot? This is perhaps one of the most whinging pathetic things I've heard in a while. It reminds me of a two-year-old crying over spilt milk.
Java as a language isn't fun - I haven't used it for many, many years now - but the advent of JVM-targeted languages makes the Java ecosystem fantastic.
Starting with the JVM - a very good machine that runs on pretty much anything, without having to re-compile your program. Perfect, no, but is anything? And the performance (given that it's a virtual machine) is top-notch.
Then there are the JVM-targeted languages: Scala, Groovy, JPython, BeanShell, etc, etc... Pick your poison.
Then there is a crap-ton of very useful libraries out there, and they can be used with any of the above targeted JVM-targeted languages.
So, we can whine about Java (the language) but really, I use it (the JVM, the other languages, and the libraries) to get stuff done. Cool, no. Productive, yes.
It's been said many times - Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach.
I know where that saying comes from as I have had numerous terrible teachers. However I have had many amazing teachers both in normal public schools and in the corporate world. These people could "do". I also used to teach a popular corporate class and my students always appreciated my insights into the product I taught because I actually worked with it in real life. I quit because of the travel and relatively low pay, but I can very much "do".
I suppose what I'm getting at is, I don't like that saying - it implies that teachers can't do what they teach. I think that's probably the bad apples that create that sentiment. Along the same lines as "99% of the lawyers give the rest a bad name." I'm sure there are a few more percent that are good.
After owning a Prius(*), I specifically went looking for an old vehicle and found an old, 1988 Jeep Wrangler that I'm in the process of fixing up. You see, you can't fix up or work on a Prius, or most cars these days and I very much missed doing that. The Jeep is carbureted with no computers whatsoever and I'm loving it because I have control over what I want to do with it. This summer, I'm going to make a project out of replacing the dash and user controls with Arduino and Beaglebone controllers and displays. It's going to be so much fun I can hardly stand it. I'll probably put an after-market throttle body fuel injector on at some point to help with the fuel delivery at least.
(*)Note that I didn't buy the Prius for the mileage - rather than I'm a computer geek and I thought it was cool. This Prius did not have the stuff they have now tracking your every move.
I didn't read this specific article, but the Judge made the comment along the lines of: Flashing your lights is a genuine part of driving safely, therefore it shouldn't be restricted or ticketed. Otherwise people might be inclined to not flash their lights when they should.
This judge actually sounds intelligent.
The way cars are going these days, I'm only going to buy old cars from now on. In fact, I just bought a 1988 Jeep Wrangler and I love it. I searched for a long time to find something: A) Cheap, B) Not computerized, C) Easy to work on, D) Good condition for its age. Is it sexy? Nope. And I'm ok with that. I waited about 7 months to find it. It popped up on Craigslist one day and I bought it that same day.
I'll grant you that it's not very fuel efficient, but I don't drive that much anyway. And I feel good about being able to yank things apart and customize it where I see fit. Parts will be available for it for as long as I live. I even put a high-beam switch on the floor just because I can. I don't feel bad about scratching it or modifying it. Can you say the same for your current car?
I need to replace the dash. I'm going to replace it a DIY BeagleBone data capture and display system. It'll probably cost about $500 total for all the pieces. That puts my Jeep at $4500 total cost.
Is the dispensing software is written in Java? Half kidding, and wondering at the same time.
I've been programming in Java since it first came out, and I never had any particular problems with it, other than the fact that it's rather verbose. I've been thinking there must be a way to accomplish the same thing without so much boilerplate code. Then I discovered Scala (which runs on the JVM and can easily integrate with existing Java libraries).
Mind you there are some things about Scala that are kinda weird, like so much optional syntax and type inferencing makes it sometimes hard to read. But I've been finding it a joy for new code I write, almost Java-like but much less verbose, plus you get the functional programming capabilities that Java lacks. Some of the library code that's out there is hard to understand because of the nature of the syntax, but after you study it a bit, it's not too bad.
Washington State does by-mail voting. No voting booths. Wouldn't that be essentially the same? I haven't heard of people complaining about it.
Seems the brand name of the trike is apt: ICE. I've been in the market for a trike lately and they have been a top contender. Just have to get the cash to buy one.
Let me just say that, by far, most of us Americans *do* care about the surveillance going on in our country. And we're horrified by it.
By the way, the deposition isn't where it used to be. Here is one that still exists (PDF warning).
After reading this article (yes, I actually read the article and the deposition) I think automobile software should be reviewed by anybody that wants to review it. Let's face it, the software may be somewhat sophisticated, but it shouldn't be rocket science. Certain algorithms could even be patented for all I care, but the code quality must be reviewed. For those of you that haven't read the deposition from the link above, the upshot is that the expert witness saw horrible software practices being performed in a vacuum - as it were - he couldn't even take a pen and notepad in the room where he could view the software. He had to exit the room, make notes, then come back in after a security screening. This is the worst kind of software, and people are driving with it every day. Until software that has my life in its hands is peer/public reviewed, I'm going to buy only older cars for as long as I can. I sold my Prius after reading the above article.
I've had the pleasure of using a duplicate clicky keyboard for many years. Loved it, but frankly I type so much that the sound was just driving me crazy. I've tried many keyboards - from the MS Natural and everything down to the pathetic Dell keyboards (which I can't believe how bad they are). My new favorite keyboard: The Apple Keyboard. At first, it took a little getting used to, but it didn't take long. And of course it's for a Mac, which I use. But it's quiet, easy, and fast to type on. It doesn't feel flimsy, even though it's quite small/thin. I don't think I'll ever go back to the big clicky keyboard again.
While a nice idea, I would foresee the API being an absolute horrible twisted XML wasteland that nobody can understand. Sort of like the Open MSOffice XML document format.
It seems a bit premature to dismiss him out-of-hand just because he hasn't led a software company. Yes, I know it's different, but his successes are better than anybody else on the list. Now, saying that, I don't know his leadership style. But if he's a good leader, he'll surround himself with people that know what they are doing and that have mutual trust between Mulally and those he surrounds himself with. That's (one of) the recipes for success.
I had a similar situation. I inherited a company program that was written in a language called Magic. It was some sort of table-driven record-based language that, to code, literally went up one side of the screen and down the other. It was as bad as it sounds.
I rewrote the software in Delphi (this was back in the 90's) and it was orders of magnitude faster.
I don't see how anybody could build a semi-complicated system from scratch in a few months. A system this big would take at least a year to get right, and that's if everything was spec'd appropriately, and the coders were good, and the project was managed well. Since the project actually got under way only several months ago, I knew it would be - at the very least - quirky. If it ran at all.
Everything's bigger in Texas. Even our lies. After all, we got Bush, Jr. living here.
Really, this thread isn't about politics, and it didn't need to devolve there. There are plenty of other places to whine about politics.
http://xkcd.com/1014/
Airlines have been handling luggage for a very long time, you would think they would have this figured out by now.
Anecdote: I flew Delta quite a bit some years ago and lived about 2 hours/90 miles away from the airport. They would routinely misplace my luggage (never lost it, thankfully) and they had to have somebody drive my bag to my house when they found it. This happened a dozen times. It must have cost them about the price of my ticket for each delivery.
I can only assume that it was because of the luggage missing connecting flights, but most of the time I had at least an hour layover. It just seems like they could make this work
We're already past the level where I can benefit from higher resolution on phones. I'm over 40 and already have reading glasses, but I'd need to get special phone-only glasses to see any more detail or smaller type.
Indeed, I use 1.5 glasses for reading, and 2.0 glasses for my phone.
Really, it depends. Is the stuff in Oracle using the database as a simple RDBMS? Then likely Postgres would be a good alternative. But there are many great features in Oracle that command the high price. The PL/SQL engine and all that comes with it is extremely powerful. Advanced Queueing is outstanding. The analytic functions are second-to-none. The tools that come with Oracle are great.
That said, I think most projects that need a database could do just fine with Postgres. I'm in the process of converting our corporate system from Oracle to PG now. I've worked with both systems extensively. For really large projects that need special features and absolutely bulletproof DR infrastructure, Oracle is the only way to go.
I choke when I say that, because I simply hate Oracle, the corporation. The database is stellar though...
It's a little disingenuous to say that. Everybody writes bugs. I consider myself to be an expert coder, I've been doing it for well over 20 years with hundreds of successful projects. I've lead some of the best teams. And yet, no matter what, *everything* has bugs. Some big, some small. Granted, Oracle is rather slow in fixing general bugs. But I've found that with support, if you have a show-stopper bug in your database, they will write a hot-fix for you. I still don't like Larry Ellison though.
When I was in high school, I had access to a PDP-11, and when I went to college I worked on a VAX 11/780. The VAX was an amazing machine. It *never* crashed no matter what us college kids would throw at it. Of course, let us never forget that computers of today owe a nod to the VAX architecture.