You have a CS degree, so you should know how to do experiments in CS. You should know that scientists everyday break down difficult problems and study them systematically. You didn't go to school to learn how to program (At least I hope not. You should have gone to college if you wanted to be a code monkey). Analyze, plan, execute. As numerous posters have suggested, get experience by practicing these skills on OSS projects.
I'd certainly hope so. But in his/her vague response, a failed opportunity to bring an intelligent and interesting discourse to our corner of the web was lost.
What the hell is that supposed to mean? First of all, let's address this statement:
I can't do anything useful with it except when I use their crap.
Perhaps you wrote this incorrectly, but, by definition, nothing is useful unless you use it. Would you care to elaborate why you think their service is useless crap? Oh yes, this nugget of gold:
... I hate Skype just because their protocol is closed.
(emphasis mine)
What you're saying, implicitly, is that you have no real qualms against Skype aside from their lack of openess with respect to their protocol. That's absurd! I could understand if you disliked this about their service, but to actually hate their service because of this one fact is borderline stupid.
Actually, I think you hit the nail on the head there with "...but my point is that VS is the standard, and can't be used to learn (at least not easily)". See, I know you're wrong about this, but the important point is that this is your perception. MS, Apple, Sun, Linux (et al), don't have anything set up for the curious person interested in programming to pave the way, or at least shed light on it. Not only is the barrier too high, but you don't know where to start appropriately climbing!
Hmm... I wonder why such a thing doesn't exist? You think it'd be intuitively obvious from a marketing perspective as a means of attracting potential developers. They don't even have to teach you the skills so much as provide you a path in a clear and obvious manner.
A cavaet to that: I just remembered Sun does provide a path: The New to Java Center. Perhaps more vendors do offer this sort of thing but fail to make them obvious.
That's because you're trying to run before you can walk. Instead of trying to do full-blown Win32 apps as an entry, why not start with simple commandline apps. Try Ruby, Python, Javascript or even C.
Furthermore, the barrier becomes much more manageable if you start with a book written to make it more engaging, and clear. For example, Learn to Program, by Chris Pine, makes learning Ruby easy, manageable, and fun.
I tend to agree with you. I found some of it interesting, but in the end I keep going back to my copy of the "pick axe" book. As one of my friends put it, the poignant guide tends to be a little *too* poignant.
Much like gates in computers, enzymes can have certain thresholds where they activate. However, unlike computers, enzymes can be made to react sooner under different conditions, e.g. heat, cofactors, coenzymes.
Suppose a drug is implemented and given an enzymatic computer to trigger when it should be released. How do we know this will work across all of human physiology given the aforementioned factors that can alter the threshold of execution?
I'm skeptical that about this idea, but curious about how it could be implemented. I don't foresee it used in the near future.
I'm just a budding programmer, so my bookshelf is fairly skimpy (5-6 books -- mostly accumulated from class). However it seems to me that you're best to buy books that won't be dated as quickly, such as those that are more conceptual (e.g. design patterns, cookbooks, and Art of Programming type books). For everything else, O'Reilly Safari digital book collections are the way to go. I've found it has taken a little time to get used to not reading books on dead trees, but the convenience pays off.
I actually just finished writing a very amateurish del.icio.us clone for a project in my class on J2EE. I was planning on GPLing it once the class was done. It seems my timing might not be too bad for such a thing.
(Disclaimer: I've never met the parent)
You're the guy from Tree Wave? I love that album! I bought it a little over a year ago upon reading a few reviews about it. Definitely check out the parent's album. It's magnificent!
Can we expect a followup soon?
You're not just paying for the news, you're paying for journalism: investigation, analysis, and leg work. These are the things that make news worth while. Mind you, this happens with reducing frequency, but it's a nice idea.
Slashdot Mirror
I really enjoyed that summary. It really appreciated that it had a link to his papers. Thanks for hooking us up!
You have a CS degree, so you should know how to do experiments in CS. You should know that scientists everyday break down difficult problems and study them systematically. You didn't go to school to learn how to program (At least I hope not. You should have gone to college if you wanted to be a code monkey). Analyze, plan, execute. As numerous posters have suggested, get experience by practicing these skills on OSS projects.
Now where have I heard that one before...
I'd certainly hope so. But in his/her vague response, a failed opportunity to bring an intelligent and interesting discourse to our corner of the web was lost.
What the hell is that supposed to mean? First of all, let's address this statement:
Perhaps you wrote this incorrectly, but, by definition, nothing is useful unless you use it. Would you care to elaborate why you think their service is useless crap? Oh yes, this nugget of gold:
What you're saying, implicitly, is that you have no real qualms against Skype aside from their lack of openess with respect to their protocol. That's absurd! I could understand if you disliked this about their service, but to actually hate their service because of this one fact is borderline stupid.
"the pringles effect" -- brilliant usage of the phrase! A tip of the hat to you.
Nested blockquotes =)
Actually, I think you hit the nail on the head there with "...but my point is that VS is the standard, and can't be used to learn (at least not easily)". See, I know you're wrong about this, but the important point is that this is your perception. MS, Apple, Sun, Linux (et al), don't have anything set up for the curious person interested in programming to pave the way, or at least shed light on it. Not only is the barrier too high, but you don't know where to start appropriately climbing!
Hmm... I wonder why such a thing doesn't exist? You think it'd be intuitively obvious from a marketing perspective as a means of attracting potential developers. They don't even have to teach you the skills so much as provide you a path in a clear and obvious manner.
A cavaet to that: I just remembered Sun does provide a path: The New to Java Center. Perhaps more vendors do offer this sort of thing but fail to make them obvious.
That's because you're trying to run before you can walk. Instead of trying to do full-blown Win32 apps as an entry, why not start with simple commandline apps. Try Ruby, Python, Javascript or even C.
Furthermore, the barrier becomes much more manageable if you start with a book written to make it more engaging, and clear. For example, Learn to Program, by Chris Pine, makes learning Ruby easy, manageable, and fun.
That was one of the best replies I've read on /. ever. Pointed, accurate, and funny. Bravo sir!
I didn't quite understand from the article why this procedure was prevented in the US, aside from cost. Could anyone shed some light on the matter?
I tend to agree with you. I found some of it interesting, but in the end I keep going back to my copy of the "pick axe" book. As one of my friends put it, the poignant guide tends to be a little *too* poignant.
This is a good place to start: http://poignantguide.net/ruby/ and then perhaps this: http://www.pragmaticprogrammer.com/titles/ruby/ (Either one is good -- I used the latter)
Or, if you're on the lazy side of things, you can try it right within your browser here: http://tryruby.hobix.com/
I hope this helps.
My Indian friends have told me on numerous occasions that a major factor is also their black markets as well.
Much like gates in computers, enzymes can have certain thresholds where they activate. However, unlike computers, enzymes can be made to react sooner under different conditions, e.g. heat, cofactors, coenzymes.
Suppose a drug is implemented and given an enzymatic computer to trigger when it should be released. How do we know this will work across all of human physiology given the aforementioned factors that can alter the threshold of execution?
I'm skeptical that about this idea, but curious about how it could be implemented. I don't foresee it used in the near future.
Those of us who believe already know it is He.
That is one of the coolest things I've ever seen in my life! Thanks for the link
I'm just a budding programmer, so my bookshelf is fairly skimpy (5-6 books -- mostly accumulated from class). However it seems to me that you're best to buy books that won't be dated as quickly, such as those that are more conceptual (e.g. design patterns, cookbooks, and Art of Programming type books). For everything else, O'Reilly Safari digital book collections are the way to go. I've found it has taken a little time to get used to not reading books on dead trees, but the convenience pays off.
I actually just finished writing a very amateurish del.icio.us clone for a project in my class on J2EE. I was planning on GPLing it once the class was done. It seems my timing might not be too bad for such a thing.
(Disclaimer: I've never met the parent) You're the guy from Tree Wave? I love that album! I bought it a little over a year ago upon reading a few reviews about it. Definitely check out the parent's album. It's magnificent! Can we expect a followup soon?
At the risk of sounding like a troll, why is it evil?
You're not just paying for the news, you're paying for journalism: investigation, analysis, and leg work. These are the things that make news worth while. Mind you, this happens with reducing frequency, but it's a nice idea.
I just tried the code on Camino (1.0a1) and it appears totally unaffected.
I'm not sure what's funnier... an appropriate, and funny remark about our Lord, the Great Spaghetti Monster, or that you were modded as interesting?