Even though he knows his charges are completely bogus, he feels he has to bring them anyway because something he considers "competition" has appeared in his rear-view mirror.
It's more like the side-view mirror. If they are in your rear view mirror, they are still behind you. In the side-view mirror, they're probably starting to overtake you.
Interesting post and I think we're on an more even keel. However, as I am sure you are aware, the threat isn't from script kiddies and the casual hacker. The threat is from organized crime, terrorists (yes, the T word) and even rouge goverments (can you say, 'cyber-warfare'?). And, THEY have the resources to purchase and utilize the information.
If the information is released on a CD once a month and Real and organized crime buy it at the same time - how long do you think it will be before an exploit is released? A fix? Fixing a problem takes time. A demonstratable vulnerability and exploit is what they sell. The balance is definitely NOT in the favor of the vendor - source code or not.
And, while you are correct on the methods employed by software shops to get code out there quickly and turn a buck are, to say the least, disturbing - the fact remains is that their customers will become instantly vulnerable the momemt the information its the street.
They found an issue and let people know about it. This is a public service in itself. Listen, I agree with you that finding bugs and letting the public know there is a problem is, theoretically, a good thing. However, to not afford the company whose product and business is directly affected the opportunity to fix the problem before you tell the whole world is simply wrong.
Even if Real is not willing to pay for detailed information, at least now they know there is a serious vulnerability in their product and they know the general nature of the problem. Theoretically, true. But, how long do you think it will take them to actually find the problem and fix it correctly? Gleg spent how much time, energy and money finding this problem? It's obviously not something easy to find. I don't have a problem with them selling this information - but, it should be made available to the company affected first. Then, if the problem is not rectified in a reasonable time period, then buyer beware. In that case, with any luck, a third-party will make a patch (freeware or commercial) to solve the problem if the vendor doesn't. Of course, then there's the DMCA to contend with... another story.
As for end-users knowing there's a problem...many people have no clue - they use their PC for email, write love letters and surf the web. Most have no idea how to secure a PC. Then again, people shouldn't have to - in an ideal world - anyway. But, there are cretins who will pay for this exploit and, in doing so, have the intent harm the affected company's customers. All that begets is compromised PCs, stolen identities and lifes screwed up when personal information hits the internet. How, is that a public service?
And if anyone buys this information from Gleg and illegally uses it to compromise your PC, you have only yourself (and Real) to blame: you knew there was a problem but you continued using the product. Yes and no. I also have unethical companies selling to the highest bidder access to my personal information to blame. I also have people who condone this practice to blame. It's people who condone it that allow this parasitic behavior to exist and thrive.
To say, "If your are in the business of selling defective products, you might as well learn to pay for mistakes" makes me think you are an opportunist or a bit of a sadist. My analogy may seem a bit over the top, but how would you feel if you or your company was the one Gleg decided to target? Do I like Real's products? No, I don't allow their stuff to run on my PC. But, that's me.
All software is subject to bugs - even the simple "Hello, World" can be riddled because of an issue with the compiler/interpreter or even at the hardware level. Same goes for just about anything else out there - cars, tv's, cell phones, paint, kids toys painted with lead-based paint - the list goes on. That's a simple fact of life. Hell, even good old H20 can be a problem for some people. How about Linux? How about GCC? How about the libraries we use when developing software - open or closed source? All seem to have known problems/issues/bugs, don't they?
When a company realizes there is a problem, most DO pay for their mistakes - they issue recalls, put out patches, endure law suits and/or go out of business. The aim with any business is to mitigate the risks. And, if you are operating in a capitalist society, you balance the risks against making profit. Nothing is perfect. Standard practice in our industry is to offer the information to the vendor of a product and give them a period of time to fix it. We gave them a chance to rectify the situation. If they don't, the information is made public. Then, we watch them squirm and have to deal with upset customers. I doubt that Real intended to intentionally release software the could potentially affect millions of users. Do you really believe that's the case?
As you noted, we don't know if Gleg allowed Real to purchase the information or at what price. But, as a consumer, if my identify was stolen or my system trashed because Gleg sold the information to somebody who used it against me? Well, I'd be pretty pissed off. And, while Real may have made an imperfect product, my anger wouldn't be exactly directed at them.
"Anyone can purchase this product. Just because you cannot obtain this product for free does not make it blackmail."
The researcher REFUSES to provide the information to REAL - it doesn't say whether REAL offered them money or not. Regardless, they are willing to provide the information to others (who certainly don't have REAL or their customers best interest in mind) while denying REAL the information necessary to close the hole and protect their customers in a timely fashion. This damages REALs ability to do business - if it isn't a crime, is should be. Is it blackmail? I'd sure as heck say it's pretty darned close. Ethically, it's just wrong.
It's a lot like someone coming up to you and saying, "I've seen you house...cute kids...btw, how to you like the new laser sight on my sniper rifle?". You can imply a threat from a statement like that - well, that's how Real is perceiving Gleg's actions as well - a veiled threat - and rightfully so.
The ability to perform a line by line veto (vs actually line by line editing) is something the President has been asking for over his administration. While a LBL would solve some problems, I believe it's the riders that get attached to a bill that are the real issue. If the President should line veto anything, the entire bill (riders and all) should be rejected/vetoed. The LBL should simply be an indication to Congress that this is something the President would probaboy sign and send it back to the House or Senate for rework/revote - no one person should have the ability to make law entirely by themself.
It's the fear of giving the President a real LBL veto that scares the heck out of a lot of people - and with good reason.
If the President does veto a bill because of a rider, perhaps it would be nice for the media to actually acknowledge WHY he chose not to boost funding for our troops or fund CHIP and place the blame back on the real culprits - those that attached riders to a bill simply because they figured the bill was likely to pass and ride on its coat tails. Similarly, if CHIP or a troop funding bill comes with no riders, make it law to have the President explain why he vetoed it.
Those were JUST dreams???? I always thought the paralysis was a result of that bright, green beam the aliens hit me with just prior to each abduction. Silly me.
The recipient of a message are clients of the system. You ALWAYS know who you are. If you report that you get a lot or little spam, it is that information that is aggregated at the gateway - spammers can get around this.
So, if you combine Bayesian filtering to initially classify a message and then look to see who the message is being sent to in a similar statistical basis, it make sense to be able to more properly identify whether the message is spam or not. If you throw in SenderID or DomainKeys, that will further refine the classification.
It might be slashvertisement, but it also speaks a painful truth that many developers seem to forget.
The company I worked for, in the efforts to get something out the door, deployed a product to a customer site that had a similar flaw (but, not a.Net app). Every hour or so, it would simply lock up. The solution that was proposed was a script to restart the application at a specific interval rather than track down the actual bug itself and fix it. And, like the Princeton team, they underestimated the time interval when the system was put into a real production environment and more users came online.
In my own work, I wrote NT services that HAD to run 24x7 and were not allowed to crash - especially due to memory leaks. The components we purchased and used, contrary to their marketing ploy, often had memory and resource leaks - we won't even begin to talk about the runtime library that shipped with the compiler.
I used a variety of freely available memory managers and commercial QA tools to track down most of the "leaks" and fixed them. If I didn't have source to the component in question, I replaced them or rewrote them from scratch taking time to make sure it didn't leak. Guess what? It worked and those applications/services run 24x7 (well, until they restart server for some other reason).
Moral of the story - if something is critical - take the time to profile your code and use QA tools to find other potential problems BEFORE you deploy.
What would have been truly funny is that as the ninjas where "attacking", he drew a toy light saber and took the classic Jedi stance to defend himself.
Yes, it may seem surprising that there is some much "general" algorithms in their product but yet they call it proprietary or a trade secret. However, I believe it really comes down to HOW they put all those general algorithms together that makes it proprietary - not the fact that the individual pieces are in the public domain, per se.
Similarly, in the military you'll find plenty of confidential documents that,when you read them would cause you to smack you head and say..."Duh, everybody knows that." or "I read that last week in xxxx". In those documents, however, the person or team preparing the document had done their research, cited all the relevant sources, and performed an analysis on that information that, despite coming from public and/or open sources, when put together comprised sensitive information of either strategic or tactical importance.
Sorta like handing drugs to a junkie or giving candy to a baby, I'd say.
Had he been using APIs that were created illegally and released into the public domain, that would be one thing. But, he was using APIs published by MS on their websites!!!! They provided the tools, they provided the knowledge to circumvent their own protections, and then fault him for using them????
Sounds like a conspiracy to me (which you didn't).
Are their lawyers being trained by the same ones working the SCO or RIAA cases?
Listen - I am a big fan of Delphi and I've been onboard with it even before 1.0 was releasesd. I'll fight for its use over just about anything else out there. However, do a DICE or MONSTER search on DELPHI and tell me what do you see? On DICE.COM alone, nationwide, there are 183 jobs posted in the past 30 days. Compare that with JAVA (16K+) or C# (8K). But, there are 183 jobs - so, somebody's using it.
Of course, it could simply be that we Delphi developers like our jobs sooooooooo much that we don't leave our employer and thus, they have no need to hire more developers to replace us because our productivity is so high. (yeah..that's the ticket). Or, it could simply mean that Delphi is not a hot commodity in the US. I also looked at the salary and consulting rates ($45/hr) - which translates to roughly $90K (before taxes). We don't come cheap, do we? What does a comparable entry level VB, C# or C++ developer command?
World-wide, I agree, there is a large user base for Delphi and Borland products. I prefer Borland products myself. I've used Delphi, JBuilder, C#Builder and C++Builder. Lest we forget, Java Beans came about because of Borland's involvement. I believe the original Delphi, C#Builder and C++Builder now fall under the title of "Delphi". I feel Borland IDEs are superior - but, then again, look at what happened to BETAMAX? I liked BETAMAX - it was clearly superior over VHS. Yet, which format won out? Whose IDEs are more popular for the Win32/64 environment, Borland or Microsoft? Why?
Are we dead? Is Delphi dead? Hardly. But, Borland / CodeGear has do something to improve their image. They need to get their heads out of their proverbial butts and come up with a real marketing plan. They need to find a way to win back the core developers they alienated over these past several years. They need to find a way to get the attention of developers like the average reader on/. and convince them to look at their products again if not for the first time. They have a lot of bias to overcome - just review all the negative comments about Borland that have been posted here over the years. Only if they can do that, Delphi, as a mainstream product, can be resurrected.
First, you have to define what you mean by Delphi. I code using Delphi 5 & 7 (i.e. Delphi's flavor IDE and Object Pascal) every day. With the number of controls available and the knowledge of being able to create my own visual and non-visual controls, this tool allows the company I work for to remain well ahead of our competitors by at least a year ( they copy our features ).
However, Delphi is no longer just the language - it is now a family of IDEs for many different programming languages that have adopted the same advanced IDE and concepts of the original Delphi product.
Is Delphi dead? Well, try to find competent Delphi developers and you'd be suprised. It's probably easier to find older Delphi developers who know the environment very well than to find younger developers versed in it. If you need a Delphi developer, be prepared to pay them well as they are a rare commidity indeed. And, like any developer for any tool/language, their quality and skills vary.
Has Borland/CodeGear blown it? Perhaps. The definitely pissed me off when they raised the price of their tools well out reach of the small developer. They did that when Phillip Kahn built that palace in Scottsdale. Then, they moved to this application lifestyle BS and, essentially, abandoned their core customers. WTF were they thinking? Then, they blew it with Kylix - they didn't fully develop it and keep the costs down to make it easy to adopt. Then, they dropped it like a hot potato. I haven't upgraded my products since then - I certainly wouldn't be able to afford them (the Enterprise and Architect versions) on my own.
Is $249 or $299 too much to pay for Delphi for PHP? Maybe. They will have to show the community that it's worth spending the big bugs over some other IDEs (free and commercial). Will I play with Delphi for PHP? Probably - if they make a trial version that isn't limited (like the Turbo Explorer products are) and actually be able to create my own components and such. And, it sure as hell better be able to talk to Firebird, MySQL and Oracle and not just Interbase - Yes, I like Firebird.
So, is Delphi dead? Let's say that I am retraining myself for C++, C# and probably Java development in the event that I need to change jobs. But, I will continue to use Delphi as it enables me to put food on the table and pay the bills. And, I like it.
I know a guy who had sex with an underage girl for over 4 years (she was 13 when it started). He took pictures and showed her pictures including those of kids having sex. What sentence did he get? Let's say 59 months in a *COUNTY* lockup (vs STATE or FEDERAL). He's due for parole in two months after server less than 2 1/2 years in jail.
When he was arrested, his computer was loaded with lots of kiddie porn (which he admitted downloading). They had those pictures and the ones he took. He was theoretically facing 40+ years in jail. Somehow, all the kiddie porn charges disappeared - including the intent to distribute. He plead guilty to lesser charges. But, money talks (he had plenty of that) and he walks after less than 2 1/2 years in jail. Special.
And, this woman is facing 40 years because spyware downloaded the crap and her lawyer is inept. I hope she has filed an appeal or someone comes to her aid. Let's put and keep the real criminals behind bars, shall we?
While I can't condone the sexual appetite of the people who responded to his "ad" - I can feel sympathy to their plight. What this guy did is simply morally, ethically and potentially, criminally (and civally) wrong. What if he posted his ad soliciting homosexuals and then outted them with the purpose of destroying their life because he doesn't like homosexuals? Would this then be a hate crime? Does what he did actually classify as a hate crime? Would be nice.
Somebody else posted in here that the "married" guys were probably heading for divorce anyway. There is no proof of that - it is not a foregone conclusion. However, exposing those men in this manner simply may make it impossible for them to reconcile with their spouse if that might have been their wish. To me, that is a truly dispicable act for which there should be harsh penalties. If the guys were commiting a crime - such as pedophilia - they guy might be hailed as a hero - we have an obligation to report criminal acts. But, what these guys did is not criminal - just detestable.
A friend of mine whose husband was caught having an illicit affair with a young teen since the victim was 14 knows the pain and humiliation that a public outting such as this can cause to all parties involved - including her two young children. The guy involved is currently serving 5 years with 15 years probation (including no contact with children under the age of 18 without an adult being present - that includes non-immediate family members). The stigma he'll endure from his actions will follow him for the rest of his life (well, aside from the fact that he's been labelled a Sexually Violent Predator because of the age of girl when it transpired). I personally don't have sympathy for him - he chose the path - but my friend has found the compassion to try to forgive him and allow him to get treatment. She may still yet leave him - but it's been 2 1/2 years and she's still with him. She's waiting to see if he can change. So, clearly, just because the guy is a schmuck, doesn't mean his marriage is doomed to failure.
The point is, that just because the guys did something for which this prick didn't agree with, he had no right to essentially phish and then out them and violating their privacy by publishing "private" email. I suspect he will be looking over his shoulder - possible for the rest of his life (however long that might be) - wondering when one of the people he victimized (or somebody else disgusted with him) catches up with him. Call it Karma.
If the system described in the article used a slight vacuum in the flash-boiling process, he may get more steam to drive his engines.
The use of a low-boiling solution for cooling is nothing new - especially in the real of solar powered cooling systems.
In the late 70's (I'll say 1978-79), there was an article in Popular Science that described a system that used liquid lithium under a slight vacuum that was used as a refrigerant. Pipes passed through the refrigerant were used to draw heat from the building. As the refrigerant flashed-boiled, it removed the heat from the pipes - thus chilling the water passing inside. The refrigerant was then condensed by passing it through pipes that ran through cool sea-water.
Similarly, the Navy uses flash-boiling to desalinate sea-water during the production of fresh water. The vacuum was provided by the ship's steam engines. The problem with the system comes about when you have a slight spill of DFM (Diesel-Fuel-Marine) in the water near the intakes. The DFM flashes around the same temperature as the water. You get rid of the salt and minerals just fine - but the tast of DFM in your drinking water really sucks.
How does that line spoken by Padme in Star Wars go? I think goes something like "So this is how democracy ends - with thunderous applause."
In the 30's and 40's, there was a charismatic (however, very misguided) leader who achieved power in much the same way. Today, that power is achieved and retained through a perpetuation of FUD, granted impunity to do as they please and hidden from scrutiny in the interest of National Security.
In the 80's, I stood behind a president that stood for building this country's military back into greatness (I am former military). Now, I can't wait wait to see the whole lot of them voted out of office - assuming that we have elections in 2008 that aren't rigged to ensure certain people stay in power. That goes for a lot of democrats who don't have the balls to stand for what's right and in the best interest of THIS country. Assuming that our voices are truly heard via open and free elections, we might actually start to see us getting this country back on track and restoring our national dignity after the next round. That, of course, assumes that people aren't put off by the whole process and actually vote their conscience.
Slashdot Mirror
It's more like the side-view mirror. If they are in your rear view mirror, they are still behind you. In the side-view mirror, they're probably starting to overtake you.
Who would have the last laugh if they returned to eat the barbecued humans?
Interesting post and I think we're on an more even keel. However, as I am sure you are aware, the threat isn't from script kiddies and the casual hacker. The threat is from organized crime, terrorists (yes, the T word) and even rouge goverments (can you say, 'cyber-warfare'?). And, THEY have the resources to purchase and utilize the information.
If the information is released on a CD once a month and Real and organized crime buy it at the same time - how long do you think it will be before an exploit is released? A fix? Fixing a problem takes time. A demonstratable vulnerability and exploit is what they sell. The balance is definitely NOT in the favor of the vendor - source code or not.
And, while you are correct on the methods employed by software shops to get code out there quickly and turn a buck are, to say the least, disturbing - the fact remains is that their customers will become instantly vulnerable the momemt the information its the street.
That is where I find fault.
RD
As for end-users knowing there's a problem...many people have no clue - they use their PC for email, write love letters and surf the web. Most have no idea how to secure a PC. Then again, people shouldn't have to - in an ideal world - anyway. But, there are cretins who will pay for this exploit and, in doing so, have the intent harm the affected company's customers. All that begets is compromised PCs, stolen identities and lifes screwed up when personal information hits the internet. How, is that a public service? And if anyone buys this information from Gleg and illegally uses it to compromise your PC, you have only yourself (and Real) to blame: you knew there was a problem but you continued using the product. Yes and no. I also have unethical companies selling to the highest bidder access to my personal information to blame. I also have people who condone this practice to blame. It's people who condone it that allow this parasitic behavior to exist and thrive.
To say, "If your are in the business of selling defective products, you might as well learn to pay for mistakes" makes me think you are an opportunist or a bit of a sadist. My analogy may seem a bit over the top, but how would you feel if you or your company was the one Gleg decided to target? Do I like Real's products? No, I don't allow their stuff to run on my PC. But, that's me.
All software is subject to bugs - even the simple "Hello, World" can be riddled because of an issue with the compiler/interpreter or even at the hardware level. Same goes for just about anything else out there - cars, tv's, cell phones, paint, kids toys painted with lead-based paint - the list goes on. That's a simple fact of life. Hell, even good old H20 can be a problem for some people. How about Linux? How about GCC? How about the libraries we use when developing software - open or closed source? All seem to have known problems/issues/bugs, don't they?
When a company realizes there is a problem, most DO pay for their mistakes - they issue recalls, put out patches, endure law suits and/or go out of business. The aim with any business is to mitigate the risks. And, if you are operating in a capitalist society, you balance the risks against making profit. Nothing is perfect. Standard practice in our industry is to offer the information to the vendor of a product and give them a period of time to fix it. We gave them a chance to rectify the situation. If they don't, the information is made public. Then, we watch them squirm and have to deal with upset customers. I doubt that Real intended to intentionally release software the could potentially affect millions of users. Do you really believe that's the case?
As you noted, we don't know if Gleg allowed Real to purchase the information or at what price. But, as a consumer, if my identify was stolen or my system trashed because Gleg sold the information to somebody who used it against me? Well, I'd be pretty pissed off. And, while Real may have made an imperfect product, my anger wouldn't be exactly directed at them.
"Anyone can purchase this product. Just because you cannot obtain this product for free does not make it blackmail."
The researcher REFUSES to provide the information to REAL - it doesn't say whether REAL offered them money or not. Regardless, they are willing to provide the information to others (who certainly don't have REAL or their customers best interest in mind) while denying REAL the information necessary to close the hole and protect their customers in a timely fashion. This damages REALs ability to do business - if it isn't a crime, is should be. Is it blackmail? I'd sure as heck say it's pretty darned close. Ethically, it's just wrong.
It's a lot like someone coming up to you and saying, "I've seen you house...cute kids...btw, how to you like the new laser sight on my sniper rifle?". You can imply a threat from a statement like that - well, that's how Real is perceiving Gleg's actions as well - a veiled threat - and rightfully so.
RD
The ability to perform a line by line veto (vs actually line by line editing) is something the President has been asking for over his administration. While a LBL would solve some problems, I believe it's the riders that get attached to a bill that are the real issue. If the President should line veto anything, the entire bill (riders and all) should be rejected/vetoed. The LBL should simply be an indication to Congress that this is something the President would probaboy sign and send it back to the House or Senate for rework/revote - no one person should have the ability to make law entirely by themself.
It's the fear of giving the President a real LBL veto that scares the heck out of a lot of people - and with good reason.
If the President does veto a bill because of a rider, perhaps it would be nice for the media to actually acknowledge WHY he chose not to boost funding for our troops or fund CHIP and place the blame back on the real culprits - those that attached riders to a bill simply because they figured the bill was likely to pass and ride on its coat tails. Similarly, if CHIP or a troop funding bill comes with no riders, make it law to have the President explain why he vetoed it.
Those were JUST dreams???? I always thought the paralysis was a result of that bright, green beam the aliens hit me with just prior to each abduction. Silly me.
"spammers can get around this"
Correction. Should have read "spammers CAN NOT get around this." Sorry for the typo.
The recipient of a message are clients of the system. You ALWAYS know who you are. If you report that you get a lot or little spam, it is that information that is aggregated at the gateway - spammers can get around this.
So, if you combine Bayesian filtering to initially classify a message and then look to see who the message is being sent to in a similar statistical basis, it make sense to be able to more properly identify whether the message is spam or not. If you throw in SenderID or DomainKeys, that will further refine the classification.
Cool.
It might be slashvertisement, but it also speaks a painful truth that many developers seem to forget.
.Net app). Every hour or so, it would simply lock up. The solution that was proposed was a script to restart the application at a specific interval rather than track down the actual bug itself and fix it. And, like the Princeton team, they underestimated the time interval when the system was put into a real production environment and more users came online.
The company I worked for, in the efforts to get something out the door, deployed a product to a customer site that had a similar flaw (but, not a
In my own work, I wrote NT services that HAD to run 24x7 and were not allowed to crash - especially due to memory leaks. The components we purchased and used, contrary to their marketing ploy, often had memory and resource leaks - we won't even begin to talk about the runtime library that shipped with the compiler.
I used a variety of freely available memory managers and commercial QA tools to track down most of the "leaks" and fixed them. If I didn't have source to the component in question, I replaced them or rewrote them from scratch taking time to make sure it didn't leak. Guess what? It worked and those applications/services run 24x7 (well, until they restart server for some other reason).
Moral of the story - if something is critical - take the time to profile your code and use QA tools to find other potential problems BEFORE you deploy.
RD
What would have been truly funny is that as the ninjas where "attacking", he drew a toy light saber and took the classic Jedi stance to defend himself.
RD
Yes, it may seem surprising that there is some much "general" algorithms in their product but yet they call it proprietary or a trade secret. However, I believe it really comes down to HOW they put all those general algorithms together that makes it proprietary - not the fact that the individual pieces are in the public domain, per se.
Similarly, in the military you'll find plenty of confidential documents that,when you read them would cause you to smack you head and say..."Duh, everybody knows that." or "I read that last week in xxxx". In those documents, however, the person or team preparing the document had done their research, cited all the relevant sources, and performed an analysis on that information that, despite coming from public and/or open sources, when put together comprised sensitive information of either strategic or tactical importance.
RD
Sorta like handing drugs to a junkie or giving candy to a baby, I'd say.
Had he been using APIs that were created illegally and released into the public domain, that would be one thing. But, he was using APIs published by MS on their websites!!!! They provided the tools, they provided the knowledge to circumvent their own protections, and then fault him for using them????
Sounds like a conspiracy to me (which you didn't).
Are their lawyers being trained by the same ones working the SCO or RIAA cases?
RD
Listen - I am a big fan of Delphi and I've been onboard with it even before 1.0 was releasesd. I'll fight for its use over just about anything else out there. However, do a DICE or MONSTER search on DELPHI and tell me what do you see? On DICE.COM alone, nationwide, there are 183 jobs posted in the past 30 days. Compare that with JAVA (16K+) or C# (8K). But, there are 183 jobs - so, somebody's using it.
/. and convince them to look at their products again if not for the first time. They have a lot of bias to overcome - just review all the negative comments about Borland that have been posted here over the years. Only if they can do that, Delphi, as a mainstream product, can be resurrected.
Of course, it could simply be that we Delphi developers like our jobs sooooooooo much that we don't leave our employer and thus, they have no need to hire more developers to replace us because our productivity is so high. (yeah..that's the ticket). Or, it could simply mean that Delphi is not a hot commodity in the US. I also looked at the salary and consulting rates ($45/hr) - which translates to roughly $90K (before taxes). We don't come cheap, do we? What does a comparable entry level VB, C# or C++ developer command?
World-wide, I agree, there is a large user base for Delphi and Borland products. I prefer Borland products myself. I've used Delphi, JBuilder, C#Builder and C++Builder. Lest we forget, Java Beans came about because of Borland's involvement. I believe the original Delphi, C#Builder and C++Builder now fall under the title of "Delphi". I feel Borland IDEs are superior - but, then again, look at what happened to BETAMAX? I liked BETAMAX - it was clearly superior over VHS. Yet, which format won out? Whose IDEs are more popular for the Win32/64 environment, Borland or Microsoft? Why?
Are we dead? Is Delphi dead? Hardly. But, Borland / CodeGear has do something to improve their image. They need to get their heads out of their proverbial butts and come up with a real marketing plan. They need to find a way to win back the core developers they alienated over these past several years. They need to find a way to get the attention of developers like the average reader on
RD
Is Delphi Dead?
First, you have to define what you mean by Delphi. I code using Delphi 5 & 7 (i.e. Delphi's flavor IDE and Object Pascal) every day. With the number of controls available and the knowledge of being able to create my own visual and non-visual controls, this tool allows the company I work for to remain well ahead of our competitors by at least a year ( they copy our features ).
However, Delphi is no longer just the language - it is now a family of IDEs for many different programming languages that have adopted the same advanced IDE and concepts of the original Delphi product.
Is Delphi dead? Well, try to find competent Delphi developers and you'd be suprised. It's probably easier to find older Delphi developers who know the environment very well than to find younger developers versed in it. If you need a Delphi developer, be prepared to pay them well as they are a rare commidity indeed. And, like any developer for any tool/language, their quality and skills vary.
Has Borland/CodeGear blown it? Perhaps. The definitely pissed me off when they raised the price of their tools well out reach of the small developer. They did that when Phillip Kahn built that palace in Scottsdale. Then, they moved to this application lifestyle BS and, essentially, abandoned their core customers. WTF were they thinking? Then, they blew it with Kylix - they didn't fully develop it and keep the costs down to make it easy to adopt. Then, they dropped it like a hot potato. I haven't upgraded my products since then - I certainly wouldn't be able to afford them (the Enterprise and Architect versions) on my own.
Is $249 or $299 too much to pay for Delphi for PHP? Maybe. They will have to show the community that it's worth spending the big bugs over some other IDEs (free and commercial). Will I play with Delphi for PHP? Probably - if they make a trial version that isn't limited (like the Turbo Explorer products are) and actually be able to create my own components and such. And, it sure as hell better be able to talk to Firebird, MySQL and Oracle and not just Interbase - Yes, I like Firebird.
So, is Delphi dead? Let's say that I am retraining myself for C++, C# and probably Java development in the event that I need to change jobs. But, I will continue to use Delphi as it enables me to put food on the table and pay the bills. And, I like it.
RD
According the way the US justice system is supposed to work - you don't have to prove anything - the prosecution has to prove you committed the crime.
I know a guy who had sex with an underage girl for over 4 years (she was 13 when it started). He took pictures and showed her pictures including those of kids having sex. What sentence did he get? Let's say 59 months in a *COUNTY* lockup (vs STATE or FEDERAL). He's due for parole in two months after server less than 2 1/2 years in jail.
When he was arrested, his computer was loaded with lots of kiddie porn (which he admitted downloading). They had those pictures and the ones he took. He was theoretically facing 40+ years in jail. Somehow, all the kiddie porn charges disappeared - including the intent to distribute. He plead guilty to lesser charges. But, money talks (he had plenty of that) and he walks after less than 2 1/2 years in jail. Special.
And, this woman is facing 40 years because spyware downloaded the crap and her lawyer is inept. I hope she has filed an appeal or someone comes to her aid. Let's put and keep the real criminals behind bars, shall we?
I wonder if we need a warrant or if we feel the new laws enable us to bypass this requirement?
I can only imagine one pissed off alien civialization talking us to task for this and laying waste to our planet.
RD
While I can't condone the sexual appetite of the people who responded to his "ad" - I can feel sympathy to their plight. What this guy did is simply morally, ethically and potentially, criminally (and civally) wrong. What if he posted his ad soliciting homosexuals and then outted them with the purpose of destroying their life because he doesn't like homosexuals? Would this then be a hate crime? Does what he did actually classify as a hate crime? Would be nice.
Somebody else posted in here that the "married" guys were probably heading for divorce anyway. There is no proof of that - it is not a foregone conclusion. However, exposing those men in this manner simply may make it impossible for them to reconcile with their spouse if that might have been their wish. To me, that is a truly dispicable act for which there should be harsh penalties. If the guys were commiting a crime - such as pedophilia - they guy might be hailed as a hero - we have an obligation to report criminal acts. But, what these guys did is not criminal - just detestable.
A friend of mine whose husband was caught having an illicit affair with a young teen since the victim was 14 knows the pain and humiliation that a public outting such as this can cause to all parties involved - including her two young children. The guy involved is currently serving 5 years with 15 years probation (including no contact with children under the age of 18 without an adult being present - that includes non-immediate family members). The stigma he'll endure from his actions will follow him for the rest of his life (well, aside from the fact that he's been labelled a Sexually Violent Predator because of the age of girl when it transpired). I personally don't have sympathy for him - he chose the path - but my friend has found the compassion to try to forgive him and allow him to get treatment. She may still yet leave him - but it's been 2 1/2 years and she's still with him. She's waiting to see if he can change. So, clearly, just because the guy is a schmuck, doesn't mean his marriage is doomed to failure.
The point is, that just because the guys did something for which this prick didn't agree with, he had no right to essentially phish and then out them and violating their privacy by publishing "private" email. I suspect he will be looking over his shoulder - possible for the rest of his life (however long that might be) - wondering when one of the people he victimized (or somebody else disgusted with him) catches up with him. Call it Karma.
http://www.bobx.com/
Check out the Quicktime video at the top.
RD
If the system described in the article used a slight vacuum in the flash-boiling process, he may get more steam to drive his engines.
The use of a low-boiling solution for cooling is nothing new - especially in the real of solar powered cooling systems.
In the late 70's (I'll say 1978-79), there was an article in Popular Science that described a system that used liquid lithium under a slight vacuum that was used as a refrigerant. Pipes passed through the refrigerant were used to draw heat from the building. As the refrigerant flashed-boiled, it removed the heat from the pipes - thus chilling the water passing inside. The refrigerant was then condensed by passing it through pipes that ran through cool sea-water.
Similarly, the Navy uses flash-boiling to desalinate sea-water during the production of fresh water. The vacuum was provided by the ship's steam engines. The problem with the system comes about when you have a slight spill of DFM (Diesel-Fuel-Marine) in the water near the intakes. The DFM flashes around the same temperature as the water. You get rid of the salt and minerals just fine - but the tast of DFM in your drinking water really sucks.
"Are you talking about Roosevelt, or Hitler?"
Wow. That's a REALLY good question!
RD
Thank you.
RD
How does that line spoken by Padme in Star Wars go? I think goes something like "So this is how democracy ends - with thunderous applause."
In the 30's and 40's, there was a charismatic (however, very misguided) leader who achieved power in much the same way. Today, that power is achieved and retained through a perpetuation of FUD, granted impunity to do as they please and hidden from scrutiny in the interest of National Security.
In the 80's, I stood behind a president that stood for building this country's military back into greatness (I am former military). Now, I can't wait wait to see the whole lot of them voted out of office - assuming that we have elections in 2008 that aren't rigged to ensure certain people stay in power. That goes for a lot of democrats who don't have the balls to stand for what's right and in the best interest of THIS country. Assuming that our voices are truly heard via open and free elections, we might actually start to see us getting this country back on track and restoring our national dignity after the next round. That, of course, assumes that people aren't put off by the whole process and actually vote their conscience.
RD