the Lions and other African animals being released on the new preserve in the Outback? Or, will they be used to protect it? Won't they get sucked up into this thing? I really don't want to see shredded lion and elephant meat spewing out of this thing like a fountain.
Sounds a lot like the write-only drive I developed in the 80's while a physics student in college. It used the Pauli Exclusion and Heisenberg Uncertainty principles to store tremendous amount of information. Problem was, I couldn't get the informaton back out.
A guy called after reading our April edition of our user's group newsletter and asked if I had patented the idea and wondered if we could send him a prototype. Shortly thereafter, he received a bakelite case with a SCSI cable coming from it. He hooked it to his Mac. Took the guy three phone calls before he understood it was all a joke.
What support people? Did you have a paid corporate support plan with them or did you just use the NG? The NG is run by a group known a "TeamB". They are not paid support staff but volunteers. While they try to do their best, sometimes their answers leave much to be desired. Same thing goes with general NG questions. I've always found that questions that go answered are almost always a result of nobody knowing the answer rather than not giving a damn.
A statement like "We've fixed that in v.4 sounds like an NG response or from a dumbshit help desk person. If it came from the paid support staff, you'd expect them to offer you an upgrade or tell you how to acquire v.4". Did you ask to speak to their supervisor? In any event, if it came from their staff, a letter to Dale Fuller or David Intersimone may be in order. Believe it or not, they do answer their own e-mail.
And yes...v3 did suck. But I suggest you grab an evaluation copy of J5. I think you'll be pleasantly suprised.
Disclaimer -- no...I do not work for Borland and I am NOT on TeamB.
Funny. I haven't heard that. My copy ran just fine on my Windows machine. But, since I am not a Java developer, I surely didn't push it to its limits.
What platform did you install it on? What kind of HW did you have in that machine? Did you address this on the JBuilder support group? Any responses to your inquiry?
You truly are clueless, aren't you? This isn't about the average slashdotter. The need for a high productivity development environment for Linux is essential to move Linux into the mainstream and for its widespread acceptance in the business world supported by the IT community.
While the argument that there are powerful, free tools for Linux holds. The generally accepted Open Source model for development tools simply will not cut it in a real IT shop. Tools used by IT shops need to be stable, robust, and supported. I like knowing that I can pick up the phone and get somebody when there is a problem that I don't have the immediate time or resources to solve. That's what I pay for.
Users (business and home) want their favorite applications (or a strong competitor) available for an OS before they will accept it. These two areas are the niches where Delphi 6 and Kylix fill. D6 and Kylix do deliver what they promise. I can attest to that.
Pascal as a language is generally dead. The modernized Object Pascal is an OOP language that meets many of the requirements of C++ programs. Object Pascal is far from dead. On the Windows platform, it is very viable. Because of the type safety inherent in the language, it's pretty hard to screw up development of simple apps. Yes, for pointers you need to do a few odd things. That's why we have class refernces. These are basically smart pointers. But, the object model is quite robust and capable.
The underlying language is not dependent upon the visual elements you seem so quick to condemn. However, when a Delphi 6 or Kylix developer can sit down, write, test and deploy a SOAP service in under 10 minutes (yes..it was canned..but demonstrated at Borcon 2001)....well that's pretty amazing. Even more amazing is that with little effort, you have CGI, DSO, or ISAPI modules to fit almost any web server.
These services have all the native support of Delphi's (and Kylix's) database and internet connectivity, a highly interactive development environment and a fully capable and visual debugger.
Okay..I sound like a sales person. But, I'll tell you. After working with C, C++, VB, Powerbuilder and a slew of other languages, Delphi kicks butt on the Windows platform. The advent of Kylix and CLX on Linux will enable those same high powered productity and business apps developed using Delphi to be run on Linux. That's what it's all about...it's not a language war...it's about viability.
First, I am not a Java developer. But, I am aware that one of the biggest problems facing the JBuilder team was the diversity of Java VMs (i.e. some worked and some don't). JBuilder allows you to target multiple Java VMs with ease and that was a bane to releasing a "stable" product. They worked with the various Java VM teams (Blackdown is one that comes to mind) to make it compatible. JB3 was a blacksheep product. JB4 fixed many issues and JB5 is now the current product.
After having coded in C, C++, the forsaken VB and a slew of other languages, I discovered Delphi in 1994. I haven't looked back since.
Why? Because it has enabled me and my teams to develop applications in a fraction of the time that C++ would have required and substantially more stable and reliable than VB has ever been. My Delphi apps came in on or ahead of schedule and don't crash. IMO, Delphi is a secret weapon when you need to get high quality, database applications out to the market place when under a tight schedule.
Yes, Delphi has had its bogus releases (Delphi 4 in particular). D3 was very stable and D5 fixed D4. D6 now offers cross platform development capability (if you use the CLX library) via Kylix. The language, Object Pascal, is not the same as Pascal just as C++ is not C. I suggest you take a few hours and learn the differences between Object Pascal and Pascal. The only real downside to Object Pascal is it is more verbose than the equivalent C/C++ code. But, then again, it's also a lot easier to understand and maintain (a side benefit of its Pascal roots).
Kylix has bugs (just as any major new tool does). Blame that on both errors in the Kylix tool itself as well as buggy Linux distros (RH in particular). To me, the only bug that really affects me in Kylix is the fact that TThread is broke. Did they fix it in K2? Let's hope so.
My point being, is that you had a bad experience with a single Borland tool. Never mind the fact that many other development shops gave it high praise...you had a bad experience.
Before you blast Borland for putting out "inferior products at insane prices", I suggest you learn more about their products, read some serious critical reviews and then try the products yourself. You may come to realize just how far off base your statements really are.
As for the high prices...well, I can't dispute that. They did it to keep pace with Microsoft. Why? Because how can a product be good when it costs so little? Surely that other product that costs twice as much must be twice as good. Right? By that reasoning, I guess that means that Open Source and Free software must really suck. We know that's not true. FWIW, Borland now appears to be reviewing their pricing structure.
Our solution has been to place our development environments withing VMWare sessions. We can move them around, alter them to our hearts content, and not screw up the host OS.
The only software we place on the host are licensed productivity type apps and VMWare. Now, granted, we license all our software appropriately, but not having to worry about reconfiguration of a machine sure is nice.
The "Undoable" partitions are nice when you are mucking around with the registry (or other OS level stuff) as if you screw up, you don't commit the changes. Works great.
We zip up the sessions and archive then backup them up. Restoring an environment takes about 1/2 hour...the time needed to transfer and unzip the VMWare session from server to workstation.
We can change available resources and OS's in a snap.
IMHO, VMWare is one of the best tools out there.
So yeah, one can develop in a locked down environment.
No. I'd carry a can of that Wasp and Hornet Killer Raid and a fly swatter (just in case they get to close...I'm allergic to bee stings). In my pocket, I'd carry an epipen.
But, bees aren't really the problem (unless their Africanized)...it's those damned yellow jackets that like to attack without warning. Sorta like terrorists if you ask me.
from Linux oriented sites blocking IE users? I've encountered this several times when trying to access them from workstations at work. End result? I don't revisit those sites as I don't want someone telling me what browser to use. Period.
If we kick and scream about Microsoft doing it, then we need to make sure that we aren't playing the same game.
The sonar conditions vary considerably through time. There are inversion layers and tunnels that are formed due to the differences in the index of refraction for the audio signals.
In optical holography, you are recording the interference patterns resulting from a reference beam and reflected light. When you shine a laser of the right wavelength through or off the hologram, the interference patterns are "replayed" thus reproducing the image.
Little if any information can be gleamed from a single intererence pattern.
In the case of sonar, you are recording audio interference patterns. However, unlike in an optical holographic environment, the conditions change drastically under water depending upon weather condition and seasonal (or even geophysical (i.e earthquakes and volcanos) variations.
In a controlled scenario as described in the article, it works because the replay occurs in a very short time period and the interference patterns may not change much. Without an initial reference signal, it may be very hard to get a good mapping of the sonar environment.
As for the security, I wonder if you recorded the signal eminating from a single transducer at short range if you could actually receive the message at a spot other than intended.
Grab a phone book. Look inside... There is a copyright. I'm looking at one right now that reads (c)2001, Yellow Book USA, Inc.
These numbers have been published all over the world. This means they ARE copyrighted regardless of whether a formal application has been filed or not.
I'd like to see them defend all those phone numbers in a court of law as lawsuit after lawsuit is brought against them challenging their supposed "copyright". Not even Mr. Gates has enough resources for a legal battle like this.
Not necessary to run around any fields. Every well equipped and resource techie will have the option to purchase a personal refueling system.
They are going to package the thing with a retractable three foot hose equipped with a nozzle, regulator and check valve and a year's supply of discount coupons to Taco Bell.
You can guess what you are expected to do with it.
If, in fact, these servers tested are those installed by default and not actively being managed or used to serve a useful purpose, then why are they not blocked by a firewall? Are people really that clueless in this day?
Only the naive would place a server directly on the internet and not be conscious of what services they are providing and what their vulnerabilities are. Hell, services are out there to tell you what your vulnerabilities are (and how to secure them) if you don't know how to do it yourself.
Placing unprotected Windows boxes on the internet is, as time has proven again and again, a very bad thing. Same thing can be said about any unprotected machine (including Linux)...but Windows seems to be the preferred target at this time.
Without due diligence and proactive network management, most systems will fall prey at some point.
I was always wondering if each node in the network were a small neural network that responded to input received from the net, would the packets passed between them be considered "thought"?
And, if it is, what would such a network be thinking about?
Yes, we saved the Kuwaiti primarily because of their oil. We have a treaty with them...and it is in our national interest to do so. The rest of the world thought it important as well. Our world revolves around oil and it is our obligation to protect those that provide it to us. At the time of Desert Storm, Iraq's military was 3rd strongest in the world. While he built up his military machine, his people lived in huts, had unpaved roads, and limited medical access. He, on the other hand, lived in palacial, well..palaces...something like fourteen of them if I recall correctly.
The Kurds...As a naval officer, I can speak first hand, my ship was one of the first on the scene to provide relief to them during Operation Provide Comfort after immediately following Desert Storm. The rest of the world eventually turned their backs on them, not us. International sentiment turned against them and it is now not in their best interests to provide help to them.
We and the Brits are the only ones trying to keep them alive through the enforcement of the northern and southern no-fly zones. If Saddam is not contained, he will kill the kurds as well as the marsh arabs in the South.
As for the sanctions...well, the Iraqi people are partly to blame. The rest belongs to Clintonian era politics, budget cuts and decreased military spending. But, if they are so bad off, then why don't THEY remove the gov't that has put them in their current situation? Think about it. Bottom line is they WANT to believe in their leader and WANT to believe he is infallable. It's easy to believe everybody else is the bad guy when, if you speak out against Saddam, they kill you and/or your family. Yes, their economic condition has not improved. And, Saddam is rebuilding the military and his palaces. Whose to blame here?
The only reason we didn't knock him off or remove him from power ourselves is that:
1) It's illegal for us to assassinate him.
2) International sentiment dictated that we not finish the job.
3) Our former Whitehouse administration was unwilling to finish the job that international politics prevented Bush from finishing. They then cut military spending, reduced the size of our military, and deployed what forces we did have in a manner that prevented the military from doing their job effectively.
For someone who is supposed to be so bright (I read your resume), you are showing your lack of knowledge regarding real world historical events. What kind of crap did the profs feed you in college? As a recent grad, you are idealistic. That's not necesarily a bad thing, but won't get you very far in the real world. I suggest you read history books written by historians and not fiction authors.
You are young and have never had to fight for the freedoms you enjoy. You have never had to put you life on the line so that others, such as yourself, can think openly and disagree with the gov't. Guess what? You may be called to do just that in the very near future. I wish you luck.
I'm probably too old now to be recalled into service.
Like many of you, I watched todays unfolding events with horror, disbelief, anger and sadness. And, there will be those who are jumping up and down in jubilation that the Great Satan has been hit.
But, let's look at this for what it is, pure cowardise designed to strike terror in the hearts of people who have done no harm to anyone. The dead and wounded are people who were going to work, visiting relatives, or going home. They are people, much like those who have experienced terror at the hands of fanatics simply for living in a land whose government the fanatics deplore. There is no rational for the killing of innocent people. Anyone who thinks otherwise are clearly not of sound mind or thinking in a manner that western civilization can not comprehend.
The United States takes a lot of blame for some of the stances it takes on many issues. The same United States provided food, shelter, medicine and other humanitarian assistance to many nations that are incapable of doing so themselves during a disaster or national emergency. The United States provides assistance to nations who fall prey to aggression from outside nations such as the invasion of Kuwait by Iraq or the killing of the Kurds by Iraq. They do so because of treaties, agreements, national interest or purely on moral grounds.
Where would these people be if the United States and other nations stood idly by and did absolutely nothing? What would happen if the United States simple turned a blind eye to the plights of millions because of a few ignorant or fanatical people?
I do not know who is responsible for this attrocity. And, I strongly feel that once the identity of the those response are discovered, that no expense be spared until they are either brought to justice of meet their maker. But, I also implore that we don't take to the streets and exact revenge on anyone simple because of their heritage. We need to rise above the feelings of anger and hate.
Let's find out who is truly responsible for this attack and then make it clear, by our very strong actions, that terrorism will not be tolerated. Let those governments and individuals that support terrorism know that we have had enough and we will exercise our might to erratic them at all costs.
But, for now, let's pray for those who perished and their families. Tomorrow, we fight back against those that did this to us. Then, it will be time to grieve and remember so that this does not happen again.
You're negotiating from a position of weakness. About the only thing you can do at this point in time is to start looking for another job. Only when you have another job offer, do you hold a stick more powerful than your mgr's. You can politely make some suggestions about how to do things differently, but be prepared to be blown off. If he's a good mgr, he'll listen and make changes. If he's not, well, that's about all you could do. At no time should you risk a direct head-on confrontation, without having something to back you up with (like a job offer).
This implies that you (an employee) are indespensible and that the manager is a dumb-ass. While the employee's heart is in the right place, it doesn't mean that they indespensible. All to often, I've seen thoughtful employees with skills barely above that of a trained lab-monkey try this play. Guess, what? They find themselves out of one job and trying to keep the next after the next major layoff.
This also does not imply that managers are omnicient, either. There truly are Dilbert-style managers out there. But, most have a greater grasp of the company's objectives or upper managements perspectives and corporate climate than the grunt employee. Many know that tinkering with profit in a unprofitable way is a sure path to unemployment and are cautious about taking the route. And, most won't fire you in direct response to making a suggestion or providing them with facts (see above paragraph regarding layoffs).
Best course of action is to learn your boss's motivations and appeal to them. Do some research and show them hard facts. Give them links to information they can use. And then, let them run with the ball if they so choose. In the meantime, if you can make improvements in the quality of your product without upsetting the balance, then do so.
And, by all means, if you truly have a Dilbert-style manager, read a few copies of PC Magazine (or similar) so you can see, first hand, what technical dribble they are assimilating. Just be careful not to believe all that you read.
Remember, "Know thy enemy" and "to thy own self be true" and learn to manage your manager are the keys to success.
First spyware and then web bugs. What needs to happen is that the public has to say "Enough is Enough" and not use products or services that violate their privacy or utilize these types of tools.
Unfortunately, the average person takes what is available to them simply because of the convienience of doing so. Apathy sucks, doesn't it.
Anybody up to writing an HTTP proxy or filter that strips out this info as it is being returned to the offending site? I guess it should then redirect the user to a site informing them of what has or was about to happened. Maybe the internet community should develop an RBL-like list for websites that pull this stunt? Anyone up for an RFC?
Here's a thought...remember Dr. Hawking's fear that machines may someday subjugate us? Image a concious website that maniputes us into doing whatever it wants us to do or believe. Damn...my computer is calling me again....
If your software is targeted for Linux users, then ask yourself what are the marketing stats of IE on the Linux platform? Or, are you targeting specifically Windows or Macintosh users (in which case IE is the predominent browser).
If you are targeting the world in general and want to make money or want the widest possible dissemination of your code, then I'd reluctandly say "Yes", give IE preferential consideration over the more obscure browsers. Or, stay conformant to the HTML/XML specs and support everybody that's conformant but be willing to accept the price of losing specific capabilities.
If you have code that works with Netscape and not IE or vice versa, then why not contract (or develop yourself) for a plugin or activeX control that will provide that capability? Or, bundle an existing control with your code?
But, that is getting away from the "backwards compatibility" issue. The previous poster mentioned the rules of thumb, of which I wholeheartedly agree. If your code has to change so much that you break backwards compatibility or produce difficult to maintain code, then release it as a new product or new major version number. And, support the last to versions of your product. Makes good sense to me.
Here's a nice cryptic example. What's a fast way to find the include file for a function? Browsing through help files, searching for the command and cutting and pasting the include in? Or this::r! man ntohl | grep "\#include"
Ya, I thought so too. =)
Borland Delphi. Click on function. F1.
Brings up help which tells you where the function is located and its syntax.
Ya, I thought so too.:-)
I'm an advid user and proponent of GUI IDEs and am highly proficient in its use. Like any decent tool, there are short cuts and commands that speed you along the way. But, I don't have to switch tools to compile, run the program in the debugger, and then reload my editor...the tools handle this seemlessly.
In the same vein, I have friend who absolutely can't stand GUI tools. He's extremely proficient using the CLI. I find the CLI tools difficult, but not impossible to master...I just want to get the job done.
Kylix allows me to do this. I code in Delphi 6, copy the code over, and recompile and run under Kylix or vice versa. The IDE command set and operations are the same. This means productivity to me. Others, may care more for the CLI. But, when you go cross platforms and have to deal with library includes and such, often having a tool manage that complexity is a Godsend as it leaves you to concentrate on the task at hand and not symantics.
There are some really nice alternatives out there if you have the budget. Do a google search on the following keywords computer furniture home office and you'll get plenty of alternatives.
Sligh furniture carries a line of home office furniture that looks like conventional furniture (hutches, desks, cabinets, etc). It's modular, of very high furniture quality, and really functional. Best of all, it looks like it belongs in a home and not an office or spacecraft or sterile.
But, it is pricey. We're in the process of finishing our basement which now includes a home office with 16 network jacks, 25 dedicated ground outlets and, I think, 8 phone jacks. We've got a built-in storage cabinet that will house my networking gear and UPS to help keep the office uncluttered. Additionally, we're looking at a printer cabinet that will house my laser printer, and a dedicated print server and probably our fax machine.
The kids play area also has a builtin dedicated computer desk (networked, of course) and place for an ink-jet printer and phone. Having one's own home with an unfinished area is a bonus as I have the luxury to do it right and not have to retrofit.
Yeah..I had to take a loan out for this...but when people say there are no decent computer furniture, that applies to people who are:
1) either not willing to really look
or
2) don't have a budget for the more expensive stuff or
3) need a temporary arrangement (like a student moving into a dorm). In this case, rule #2 (or #1) usually applies.
I do however, applaud all the people who have responded with solutions that are truly functional for them and on a relatively low budget. It shows ingenuity and that necessity truly is the mother of invention.
And, I have to admit that sometimes I wish my wife would let me splurge and get some really off the wall stuff. Personally, I prefer the high tech look. But, for a home that I may have to resell someday, that isn't the most practical solution.
In 1980, I had written a cube solver for the TRS-80. It took several minutes to enter the data for each face and then 20 seconds to run with a resulting solution around 40 moves.
My HS nerdy friends and I would have contents on who could solve the puzzle the fastest. By hand, I could solve the puzzle, if I remember correctly, in under a minute.
Drove my parents nuts in the car with its incidious grinding noise. But, silicon spray was a bad idea....the solvent that held the silicon disolved the cube's plastic workings. We opted to open it up, squirt in a glob of Vaseline, put it back together, work with it a while, and then wipe of the excess. My cube, now twenty years old still spins smoothly (but doesn't get used much anymore).
By general consensus, Stephen Hawking is perhaps one of the greatest thinkers of the 20th century. His theories, as wild as some may appear, have shifted our views of universe. And, as more data is collected, many of his theories are being proven as fact. As McCoy once said to Spock, "He trusts your best guess more than a most people's facts" (well something like that). I'd say that applies to Hawking as well.
He has now turned his thoughts towards AI and its impact on humanity. And, he feels there is a potential threat that AI may surpass human intelligience. Given the fact that he is privy to some pretty interesting research, I wonder just how far AI has progressed that is not common knowledge.
Einstein feared the ramifications of nuclear energy on society. And, for nearly 45 years, we have lived in the shadow of nuclear missiles, MAD policies, and potential terroristic use of the technology.
Hawking fears the ramifications of our falling victim to our own technological progress and implores the need to expand humanity through genetic manipulation and biomechanical augmentation. Pretty scary if you ask me. It sorta conjurs up visions of "The Terminator", "Demon Seed" and the Borg.
Let's just pray his concerns are not realized during our own lifetimes or those of our children.
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the Lions and other African animals being released on the new preserve in the Outback? Or, will they be used to protect it? Won't they get sucked up into this thing? I really don't want to see shredded lion and elephant meat spewing out of this thing like a fountain.
Sounds a lot like the write-only drive I developed in the 80's while a physics student in college. It used the Pauli Exclusion and Heisenberg Uncertainty principles to store tremendous amount of information. Problem was, I couldn't get the informaton back out.
A guy called after reading our April edition of our user's group newsletter and asked if I had patented the idea and wondered if we could send him a prototype. Shortly thereafter, he received a bakelite case with a SCSI cable coming from it. He hooked it to his Mac. Took the guy three phone calls before he understood it was all a joke.
Can I claim prior art here?
What support people? Did you have a paid corporate support plan with them or did you just use the NG? The NG is run by a group known a "TeamB". They are not paid support staff but volunteers. While they try to do their best, sometimes their answers leave much to be desired. Same thing goes with general NG questions. I've always found that questions that go answered are almost always a result of nobody knowing the answer rather than not giving a damn.
A statement like "We've fixed that in v.4 sounds like an NG response or from a dumbshit help desk person. If it came from the paid support staff, you'd expect them to offer you an upgrade or tell you how to acquire v.4". Did you ask to speak to their supervisor? In any event, if it came from their staff, a letter to Dale Fuller or David Intersimone may be in order. Believe it or not, they do answer their own e-mail.
And yes...v3 did suck. But I suggest you grab an evaluation copy of J5. I think you'll be pleasantly suprised.
Disclaimer -- no...I do not work for Borland and I am NOT on TeamB.
Funny. I haven't heard that. My copy ran just fine on my Windows machine. But, since I am not a Java developer, I surely didn't push it to its limits.
What platform did you install it on? What kind of HW did you have in that machine? Did you address this on the JBuilder support group? Any responses to your inquiry?
You truly are clueless, aren't you? This isn't about the average slashdotter. The need for a high productivity development environment for Linux is essential to move Linux into the mainstream and for its widespread acceptance in the business world supported by the IT community.
While the argument that there are powerful, free tools for Linux holds. The generally accepted Open Source model for development tools simply will not cut it in a real IT shop. Tools used by IT shops need to be stable, robust, and supported. I like knowing that I can pick up the phone and get somebody when there is a problem that I don't have the immediate time or resources to solve. That's what I pay for.
Users (business and home) want their favorite applications (or a strong competitor) available for an OS before they will accept it. These two areas are the niches where Delphi 6 and Kylix fill. D6 and Kylix do deliver what they promise. I can attest to that.
Pascal as a language is generally dead. The modernized Object Pascal is an OOP language that meets many of the requirements of C++ programs. Object Pascal is far from dead. On the Windows platform, it is very viable. Because of the type safety inherent in the language, it's pretty hard to screw up development of simple apps. Yes, for pointers you need to do a few odd things. That's why we have class refernces. These are basically smart pointers. But, the object model is quite robust and capable.
The underlying language is not dependent upon the visual elements you seem so quick to condemn. However, when a Delphi 6 or Kylix developer can sit down, write, test and deploy a SOAP service in under 10 minutes (yes..it was canned..but demonstrated at Borcon 2001)....well that's pretty amazing. Even more amazing is that with little effort, you have CGI, DSO, or ISAPI modules to fit almost any web server.
These services have all the native support of Delphi's (and Kylix's) database and internet connectivity, a highly interactive development environment and a fully capable and visual debugger.
Okay..I sound like a sales person. But, I'll tell you. After working with C, C++, VB, Powerbuilder and a slew of other languages, Delphi kicks butt on the Windows platform. The advent of Kylix and CLX on Linux will enable those same high powered productity and business apps developed using Delphi to be run on Linux. That's what it's all about...it's not a language war...it's about viability.
Alas, you are equating apples to oranges.
First, I am not a Java developer. But, I am aware that one of the biggest problems facing the JBuilder team was the diversity of Java VMs (i.e. some worked and some don't). JBuilder allows you to target multiple Java VMs with ease and that was a bane to releasing a "stable" product. They worked with the various Java VM teams (Blackdown is one that comes to mind) to make it compatible. JB3 was a blacksheep product. JB4 fixed many issues and JB5 is now the current product.
After having coded in C, C++, the forsaken VB and a slew of other languages, I discovered Delphi in 1994. I haven't looked back since.
Why? Because it has enabled me and my teams to develop applications in a fraction of the time that C++ would have required and substantially more stable and reliable than VB has ever been. My Delphi apps came in on or ahead of schedule and don't crash. IMO, Delphi is a secret weapon when you need to get high quality, database applications out to the market place when under a tight schedule.
Yes, Delphi has had its bogus releases (Delphi 4 in particular). D3 was very stable and D5 fixed D4. D6 now offers cross platform development capability (if you use the CLX library) via Kylix. The language, Object Pascal, is not the same as Pascal just as C++ is not C. I suggest you take a few hours and learn the differences between Object Pascal and Pascal. The only real downside to Object Pascal is it is more verbose than the equivalent C/C++ code. But, then again, it's also a lot easier to understand and maintain (a side benefit of its Pascal roots).
Kylix has bugs (just as any major new tool does). Blame that on both errors in the Kylix tool itself as well as buggy Linux distros (RH in particular). To me, the only bug that really affects me in Kylix is the fact that TThread is broke. Did they fix it in K2? Let's hope so.
My point being, is that you had a bad experience with a single Borland tool. Never mind the fact that many other development shops gave it high praise...you had a bad experience.
Before you blast Borland for putting out "inferior products at insane prices", I suggest you learn more about their products, read some serious critical reviews and then try the products yourself. You may come to realize just how far off base your statements really are.
As for the high prices...well, I can't dispute that. They did it to keep pace with Microsoft. Why? Because how can a product be good when it costs so little? Surely that other product that costs twice as much must be twice as good. Right? By that reasoning, I guess that means that Open Source and Free software must really suck. We know that's not true. FWIW, Borland now appears to be reviewing their pricing structure.
Our solution has been to place our development environments withing VMWare sessions. We can move them around, alter them to our hearts content, and not screw up the host OS.
The only software we place on the host are licensed productivity type apps and VMWare. Now, granted, we license all our software appropriately, but not having to worry about reconfiguration of a machine sure is nice.
The "Undoable" partitions are nice when you are mucking around with the registry (or other OS level stuff) as if you screw up, you don't commit the changes. Works great.
We zip up the sessions and archive then backup them up. Restoring an environment takes about 1/2 hour...the time needed to transfer and unzip the VMWare session from server to workstation.
We can change available resources and OS's in a snap.
IMHO, VMWare is one of the best tools out there.
So yeah, one can develop in a locked down environment.
No. I'd carry a can of that Wasp and Hornet Killer Raid and a fly swatter (just in case they get to close...I'm allergic to bee stings). In my pocket, I'd carry an epipen.
But, bees aren't really the problem (unless their Africanized)...it's those damned yellow jackets that like to attack without warning. Sorta like terrorists if you ask me.
from Linux oriented sites blocking IE users? I've encountered this several times when trying to access them from workstations at work. End result? I don't revisit those sites as I don't want someone telling me what browser to use. Period.
If we kick and scream about Microsoft doing it, then we need to make sure that we aren't playing the same game.
RD
The sonar conditions vary considerably through time. There are inversion layers and tunnels that are formed due to the differences in the index of refraction for the audio signals.
In optical holography, you are recording the interference patterns resulting from a reference beam and reflected light. When you shine a laser of the right wavelength through or off the hologram, the interference patterns are "replayed" thus reproducing the image.
Little if any information can be gleamed from a single intererence pattern.
In the case of sonar, you are recording audio interference patterns. However, unlike in an optical holographic environment, the conditions change drastically under water depending upon weather condition and seasonal (or even geophysical (i.e earthquakes and volcanos) variations.
In a controlled scenario as described in the article, it works because the replay occurs in a very short time period and the interference patterns may not change much. Without an initial reference signal, it may be very hard to get a good mapping of the sonar environment.
As for the security, I wonder if you recorded the signal eminating from a single transducer at short range if you could actually receive the message at a spot other than intended.
RD
Grab a phone book. Look inside... There is a copyright. I'm looking at one right now that reads (c)2001, Yellow Book USA, Inc.
These numbers have been published all over the world. This means they ARE copyrighted regardless of whether a formal application has been filed or not.
I'd like to see them defend all those phone numbers in a court of law as lawsuit after lawsuit is brought against them challenging their supposed "copyright". Not even Mr. Gates has enough resources for a legal battle like this.
Not necessary to run around any fields. Every well equipped and resource techie will have the option to purchase a personal refueling system.
They are going to package the thing with a retractable three foot hose equipped with a nozzle, regulator and check valve and a year's supply of discount coupons to Taco Bell.
You can guess what you are expected to do with it.
If, in fact, these servers tested are those installed by default and not actively being managed or used to serve a useful purpose, then why are they not blocked by a firewall? Are people really that clueless in this day?
Only the naive would place a server directly on the internet and not be conscious of what services they are providing and what their vulnerabilities are. Hell, services are out there to tell you what your vulnerabilities are (and how to secure them) if you don't know how to do it yourself.
Placing unprotected Windows boxes on the internet is, as time has proven again and again, a very bad thing. Same thing can be said about any unprotected machine (including Linux)...but Windows seems to be the preferred target at this time.
Without due diligence and proactive network management, most systems will fall prey at some point.
RD
I was always wondering if each node in the network were a small neural network that responded to input received from the net, would the packets passed between them be considered "thought"?
And, if it is, what would such a network be thinking about?
Anyway...food for thought.
Log2(N) != ln(N).
From a mathmatical perspective
ln() specifies the natural log.
Log2(N) == ln(N)/ln(2)
From a complexity standpoint,
O(log2(N) ~= O(ln(N)/ln(2) ~= O(ln(N))
In this regard, they are equivalent (sorta like taking limits). But Log2(N) != ln(N) no matter what math you use (unless it's political fuzzy math).
Okay...let's set the record straight.
Yes, we saved the Kuwaiti primarily because of their oil. We have a treaty with them...and it is in our national interest to do so. The rest of the world thought it important as well. Our world revolves around oil and it is our obligation to protect those that provide it to us. At the time of Desert Storm, Iraq's military was 3rd strongest in the world. While he built up his military machine, his people lived in huts, had unpaved roads, and limited medical access. He, on the other hand, lived in palacial, well..palaces...something like fourteen of them if I recall correctly.
The Kurds...As a naval officer, I can speak first hand, my ship was one of the first on the scene to provide relief to them during Operation Provide Comfort after immediately following Desert Storm. The rest of the world eventually turned their backs on them, not us. International sentiment turned against them and it is now not in their best interests to provide help to them.
We and the Brits are the only ones trying to keep them alive through the enforcement of the northern and southern no-fly zones. If Saddam is not contained, he will kill the kurds as well as the marsh arabs in the South.
As for the sanctions...well, the Iraqi people are partly to blame. The rest belongs to Clintonian era politics, budget cuts and decreased military spending. But, if they are so bad off, then why don't THEY remove the gov't that has put them in their current situation? Think about it. Bottom line is they WANT to believe in their leader and WANT to believe he is infallable. It's easy to believe everybody else is the bad guy when, if you speak out against Saddam, they kill you and/or your family. Yes, their economic condition has not improved. And, Saddam is rebuilding the military and his palaces. Whose to blame here?
The only reason we didn't knock him off or remove him from power ourselves is that:
1) It's illegal for us to assassinate him.
2) International sentiment dictated that we not finish the job.
3) Our former Whitehouse administration was unwilling to finish the job that international politics prevented Bush from finishing. They then cut military spending, reduced the size of our military, and deployed what forces we did have in a manner that prevented the military from doing their job effectively.
For someone who is supposed to be so bright (I read your resume), you are showing your lack of knowledge regarding real world historical events. What kind of crap did the profs feed you in college? As a recent grad, you are idealistic. That's not necesarily a bad thing, but won't get you very far in the real world. I suggest you read history books written by historians and not fiction authors.
You are young and have never had to fight for the freedoms you enjoy. You have never had to put you life on the line so that others, such as yourself, can think openly and disagree with the gov't. Guess what? You may be called to do just that in the very near future. I wish you luck.
I'm probably too old now to be recalled into service.
Like many of you, I watched todays unfolding events with horror, disbelief, anger and sadness. And, there will be those who are jumping up and down in jubilation that the Great Satan has been hit.
But, let's look at this for what it is, pure cowardise designed to strike terror in the hearts of people who have done no harm to anyone. The dead and wounded are people who were going to work, visiting relatives, or going home. They are people, much like those who have experienced terror at the hands of fanatics simply for living in a land whose government the fanatics deplore. There is no rational for the killing of innocent people. Anyone who thinks otherwise are clearly not of sound mind or thinking in a manner that western civilization can not comprehend.
The United States takes a lot of blame for some of the stances it takes on many issues. The same United States provided food, shelter, medicine and other humanitarian assistance to many nations that are incapable of doing so themselves during a disaster or national emergency. The United States provides assistance to nations who fall prey to aggression from outside nations such as the invasion of Kuwait by Iraq or the killing of the Kurds by Iraq. They do so because of treaties, agreements, national interest or purely on moral grounds.
Where would these people be if the United States and other nations stood idly by and did absolutely nothing? What would happen if the United States simple turned a blind eye to the plights of millions because of a few ignorant or fanatical people?
I do not know who is responsible for this attrocity. And, I strongly feel that once the identity of the those response are discovered, that no expense be spared until they are either brought to justice of meet their maker. But, I also implore that we don't take to the streets and exact revenge on anyone simple because of their heritage. We need to rise above the feelings of anger and hate.
Let's find out who is truly responsible for this attack and then make it clear, by our very strong actions, that terrorism will not be tolerated. Let those governments and individuals that support terrorism know that we have had enough and we will exercise our might to erratic them at all costs.
But, for now, let's pray for those who perished and their families. Tomorrow, we fight back against those that did this to us. Then, it will be time to grieve and remember so that this does not happen again.
This implies that you (an employee) are indespensible and that the manager is a dumb-ass. While the employee's heart is in the right place, it doesn't mean that they indespensible. All to often, I've seen thoughtful employees with skills barely above that of a trained lab-monkey try this play. Guess, what? They find themselves out of one job and trying to keep the next after the next major layoff.
This also does not imply that managers are omnicient, either. There truly are Dilbert-style managers out there. But, most have a greater grasp of the company's objectives or upper managements perspectives and corporate climate than the grunt employee. Many know that tinkering with profit in a unprofitable way is a sure path to unemployment and are cautious about taking the route. And, most won't fire you in direct response to making a suggestion or providing them with facts (see above paragraph regarding layoffs).
Best course of action is to learn your boss's motivations and appeal to them. Do some research and show them hard facts. Give them links to information they can use. And then, let them run with the ball if they so choose. In the meantime, if you can make improvements in the quality of your product without upsetting the balance, then do so.
And, by all means, if you truly have a Dilbert-style manager, read a few copies of PC Magazine (or similar) so you can see, first hand, what technical dribble they are assimilating. Just be careful not to believe all that you read.
Remember, "Know thy enemy" and "to thy own self be true" and learn to manage your manager are the keys to success.
First spyware and then web bugs. What needs to happen is that the public has to say "Enough is Enough" and not use products or services that violate their privacy or utilize these types of tools.
Unfortunately, the average person takes what is available to them simply because of the convienience of doing so. Apathy sucks, doesn't it.
Anybody up to writing an HTTP proxy or filter that strips out this info as it is being returned to the offending site? I guess it should then redirect the user to a site informing them of what has or was about to happened. Maybe the internet community should develop an RBL-like list for websites that pull this stunt? Anyone up for an RFC?
Here's a thought...remember Dr. Hawking's fear that machines may someday subjugate us? Image a concious website that maniputes us into doing whatever it wants us to do or believe. Damn...my computer is calling me again....
If your software is targeted for Linux users, then ask yourself what are the marketing stats of IE on the Linux platform? Or, are you targeting specifically Windows or Macintosh users (in which case IE is the predominent browser).
If you are targeting the world in general and want to make money or want the widest possible dissemination of your code, then I'd reluctandly say "Yes", give IE preferential consideration over the more obscure browsers. Or, stay conformant to the HTML/XML specs and support everybody that's conformant but be willing to accept the price of losing specific capabilities.
If you have code that works with Netscape and not IE or vice versa, then why not contract (or develop yourself) for a plugin or activeX control that will provide that capability? Or, bundle an existing control with your code?
But, that is getting away from the "backwards compatibility" issue. The previous poster mentioned the rules of thumb, of which I wholeheartedly agree. If your code has to change so much that you break backwards compatibility or produce difficult to maintain code, then release it as a new product or new major version number. And, support the last to versions of your product. Makes good sense to me.
Borland Delphi. Click on function. F1. Brings up help which tells you where the function is located and its syntax. Ya, I thought so too. :-)
I'm an advid user and proponent of GUI IDEs and am highly proficient in its use. Like any decent tool, there are short cuts and commands that speed you along the way. But, I don't have to switch tools to compile, run the program in the debugger, and then reload my editor...the tools handle this seemlessly.
In the same vein, I have friend who absolutely can't stand GUI tools. He's extremely proficient using the CLI. I find the CLI tools difficult, but not impossible to master...I just want to get the job done.
Kylix allows me to do this. I code in Delphi 6, copy the code over, and recompile and run under Kylix or vice versa. The IDE command set and operations are the same. This means productivity to me. Others, may care more for the CLI. But, when you go cross platforms and have to deal with library includes and such, often having a tool manage that complexity is a Godsend as it leaves you to concentrate on the task at hand and not symantics.
Cheers, RD
Sligh furniture carries a line of home office furniture that looks like conventional furniture (hutches, desks, cabinets, etc). It's modular, of very high furniture quality, and really functional. Best of all, it looks like it belongs in a home and not an office or spacecraft or sterile.
But, it is pricey. We're in the process of finishing our basement which now includes a home office with 16 network jacks, 25 dedicated ground outlets and, I think, 8 phone jacks. We've got a built-in storage cabinet that will house my networking gear and UPS to help keep the office uncluttered. Additionally, we're looking at a printer cabinet that will house my laser printer, and a dedicated print server and probably our fax machine.
The kids play area also has a builtin dedicated computer desk (networked, of course) and place for an ink-jet printer and phone. Having one's own home with an unfinished area is a bonus as I have the luxury to do it right and not have to retrofit.
Yeah..I had to take a loan out for this...but when people say there are no decent computer furniture, that applies to people who are:
1) either not willing to really look or
2) don't have a budget for the more expensive stuff or
3) need a temporary arrangement (like a student moving into a dorm). In this case, rule #2 (or #1) usually applies.
I do however, applaud all the people who have responded with solutions that are truly functional for them and on a relatively low budget. It shows ingenuity and that necessity truly is the mother of invention.
And, I have to admit that sometimes I wish my wife would let me splurge and get some really off the wall stuff. Personally, I prefer the high tech look. But, for a home that I may have to resell someday, that isn't the most practical solution.
Cheers,
RD
In 1980, I had written a cube solver for the TRS-80. It took several minutes to enter the data for each face and then 20 seconds to run with a resulting solution around 40 moves.
My HS nerdy friends and I would have contents on who could solve the puzzle the fastest. By hand, I could solve the puzzle, if I remember correctly, in under a minute.
Drove my parents nuts in the car with its incidious grinding noise. But, silicon spray was a bad idea....the solvent that held the silicon disolved the cube's plastic workings. We opted to open it up, squirt in a glob of Vaseline, put it back together, work with it a while, and then wipe of the excess. My cube, now twenty years old still spins smoothly (but doesn't get used much anymore).
By general consensus, Stephen Hawking is perhaps one of the greatest thinkers of the 20th century. His theories, as wild as some may appear, have shifted our views of universe. And, as more data is collected, many of his theories are being proven as fact. As McCoy once said to Spock, "He trusts your best guess more than a most people's facts" (well something like that). I'd say that applies to Hawking as well.
He has now turned his thoughts towards AI and its impact on humanity. And, he feels there is a potential threat that AI may surpass human intelligience. Given the fact that he is privy to some pretty interesting research, I wonder just how far AI has progressed that is not common knowledge.
Einstein feared the ramifications of nuclear energy on society. And, for nearly 45 years, we have lived in the shadow of nuclear missiles, MAD policies, and potential terroristic use of the technology.
Hawking fears the ramifications of our falling victim to our own technological progress and implores the need to expand humanity through genetic manipulation and biomechanical augmentation. Pretty scary if you ask me. It sorta conjurs up visions of "The Terminator", "Demon Seed" and the Borg.
Let's just pray his concerns are not realized during our own lifetimes or those of our children.
Hell no! That's why we use an embedded VPN solution. It provides end-to-end security for our data rather than relying on a piece-meal system.