How is your fancy stove with a microprocessor better than the stove I grew up with where we had to light the oven everytime with a match? Both do the same thing. Sure it takes a little more effort with the old one, but it was 40 years old then and still worked perfectly. If you have a new stove in an old house I assume that you bought junk the first time, so you had to replace it. So maybe your rant about crude appliances should be turned around into a rant about the low quality appliances you have in Europe. (since if your appliances lasted as long as ours do, and microprocessors are still relativly new compared to that age you wouldn't have the new ones either. Or do you just belive in wasting your money replacing an appliance that works?)
Okay, I'll admit that the old oven didn't have the ability to turn the oven on before I get home at night. However most current ovens have that features, and I don't know anyone who has used it. Turns out to be something that sounds better in advertising than in real life. (at least by our life styles)
And best of all, we have this law on the books in most places already. We just need a change such that sending porn to anyone without verifying they are of legal age is illegal. Right now the claim is they send porn to everyone, and make no effort to determin if the recipient is old enough to legally receive it.
Long division is still useful. Cursive serves no use as standard printing is a perfectly valid alternative that requires the same tools. (you can't do either without hammer and stone, pen and paper; or other tool and media) Long division and be done without other tools, and understanding how to do it is a stepping stone to real math.
However today we have calculators and computers. If they are available you are better off using them for most purposes. Just last week I found myself needing to do some division and no calculator was available. (I work construction, calculators rarely last more than a week) This is math I do all the time - I'm becoming quite good at multiplying by 1.42 (guess what that constant is), and other math that I would prefer to do on a calculator.
My point I guess is that once you have a skill, a computer is a useful tool to replace it. The skill of writing my hand is useful, so we teach printing. Now that we have computers we don't need an alternative (that might or might not be faster) so why teach it. The skill of basic arithmatic is useful so we teach it, but once you know it we give you a computer/calculator and trust that if you need to know how to do it well you will learn in the real world. Life is too short to learn everything I would like to learn, without adding in all the skills that others would like to learn that I find useless. So we define a list of simple basics that we (mostly) agree on, and then let others go off and develop their own.
I'm offended by a lot of the Spam I get. Interestes rates I can ignore, I'll buy from someone I trust (like my credit union, or a broker that spends advertising money on media I'd like to see supported instead of free advertising) Porn offends me, even though I'm 29 I don't want it. We as a socity have decied that it is bad (this is the US, other countries are different) and those who like it take efforts to prevent offending us with it. Suddenly however I can't get email without seeing some message that offends not just me, but most adults in my country. (even adults that subscribe to playboy are offended by some of the porn I get)
You don't know the same parents that I do then. Many parents I know consider Bambi (the diseny version) as bad as porn, and they will not allow their kids (or themselves) to see either. Of course I live in an area with a lot of hunters, and Bambi is anti-hunter (or so I'm told, I never saw it).
I've only seen a few minutes of "The Little Mermaid", and I was offended by the images. For adults who want to I don't see a problem, and if you don't mind your kids seeing it, that is your buiseness. I want nothing to do with it. That is just me, one very strange data point. (Most people think I'm strange for not owning a TV, I consider myself better off for it. you are free to disagree, everyone else does)
Because email is for communication. If people who might want to email me can't find my address then email has falied as a communication means. Sure it hasn't happened yet that someone has found my email address on my web page (in 6 years that I've had it posted on a web page), but the doesn't change the fact that they can.
Then contact your congressman, and make them change the law so that like ciggerette sales the burdon of proff is on the Spammer. If someone who is 20 goes into a bar and gets served alcahol the bar will lose their license (to serve alcahol) even if the 20 year old showed a fake id. Bars know this and are very careful to check not just the id, but the validity of it. (They get good at finding fakes)
Maybe there are worse things for a child to see than porn. (I'm not sure I agree, but that is a different matter) I still think it is wrong for a child to see it. Most Parents agree with me, so we make it illegal as a means of protecting our kids from an evil. There are other parents with different values. Parents outside the US (or at least in Europe) are not as bothered by their kids seeing porn, so they have not made an effort to prevent their kids from seeing it.
Will they see it anyway? Yes of course, but that isn't the point, we prevent as much as we can, and ends up being rare for them to get an opportunity. To be a perfect parent it impossibal, we all do the best we can. We can't be there all the time.
P.S. I am not a parent, and don't mean to imply it, though I think I did.
Not exactly a winning streak is when the machine is "paying" The theory is if you win a bunch of times, the machine is paying now, so you should keep paying.
This isn't nessicarly a gamblers falicy. Imangine a simplfied machine where you either lose (put in $1, get $0), or win double what you put in (put in $1, get $2), with 100% payout. If the machine used a sequence of win-lose-win-lose people would soon figgure it out, and watch for some (idiot) to play an leave after a loss, and play once, thus making money. So the sequence is "randomized". Except if you read Knuth (the art of computer programing) you will learn that good random number generators are very hard to do right. One can analise the random generator and discover that there are times that it will pay out more often than others.
The previous results may or may not be factored into a random number generator, if they are it is through some complex steps (seeds) so that getting the same results any particular pull will not nessicarly mean the same results on the next pull. Note that mechanicly machines depend on the previous pull for starting position, but have other factors built in to help prevent a fixed results. (Here I'm not sure what, but if nothing else bearings will give more or less friction depending on some factors)
The sequence win-win-loss-win-win-loss-loss-loss gives 100% payout for out machine, but if you catch it after the first win and play 4 games you will be money ahead. The gamblers are just saying the sequence when they are "paying" is long enough that if you see someone winning often, the streak will last long enough that it is worth you while to grab that machine next. The streak will break eventially, and a machine that is not paying is not paying. (for a while until it is paying again)
Note, I don't know if I buy this argument, I'm just presenting it.
For tradtitional reasons, it is still called the i386, even though by default it won't run on a real 80386. The source code is compatable, with either chip. (Except the SMP stuff, but that is off by default). Note that the option to compile for the 80386 is not compatable with the option to compile for the 80486 and latter chips. Those who wish to use a i386 have to go through some effort to make it work.
I'd call the fact the there are appllcations that do half the job as proff that you are wrong: someone started to create an equivelent desktop (spreadsheet, word processing, presentation manager, group scheduing and appointments, etc, etc, etc) instead of complaining. They just are not done yet, but they are still working.
And don't try to claim we over estimated the work involved, because those who estimated had no clue, while those who do the work rarely bother with estimates knowing that anything more than a few hours out will be missed wildly anyway.
Remember Microsoft had a head start over open source. Linux began in '91, and took years to get where it is. In some cases Solaris, or AIX beats it. (big systems mostly, and some high reliability stuff), but for most people it is at least good enough, and often better, but this is 12 years latter, compare that to how long KDE had been out, and where KDE is. (KDE is more complex than linux in many ways)
Perhaps you should note that the US isn't happy with the rest of the world either. We don't like the idea of someone flying our airplanes into our buildings. We don't like the idea of someone attacking our friends. We don't like those who behind our backs cheer on those who do the above. You can claim a moral high ground all you want, but I won't belive your claim when you ignore all the above abuses.
There is a movement in the US right now to drop out of the UN completely. I see no reason for it. When they don't do anything useful (They refused to deal with Iraq, which was clearly in violation of the spirt of the rules put down after the '91 gulf war), and then try to tell us how to run our country, what good are they again?
I'll answer your question as soon as you answer my question: why are you writting an app that you will throw away?
In most cases the answer will either lead directly to my reason to write the throw away GUI, or I will agree it isn't worth it.
Reasons to write a throw away GUI: a prototype used to demonstrate it to management before the a lot of decisions have been made. A prototype used for human interface testing so that the real GUI is useable. A program that will be used for a couple days by many people and then thrown away. To prove to yourself that you can write a GUI just as easially as a CLI, or you think it is easier. (with the right toolkit GUIs are not hard to make, and input checking may be easier)
In a perfect world it would be a part of your requirements that you can release ASIC register data to customers. If they insist on a NDA, then you find a different supplier. In your world where customers are requesting that data, customer service requires that you provide it.
Of course I understand the world isn't perfect, if there is no second choice for a ASIC, or the second choice sucks in every other way, there is much you can do. Add in general office politics (joe in upper management doesn't like foo, so we won't buy their stuff) and it is hard. Still you should insist that purchesing have a line item "All chip programing (register) data nessicary to interface to this chip can be released to our customers." It is a simple item, and it might be negociated away, but you should get a break from them for getting rid of it if nothing else. (and when salesmen say they are having a harder time getting a deal because of this issue things will change)
No you can't dissassenble every assenbly binary into the source code. I've worked with self modifying code, which actually writes itself on the fly, sometimes in compelx ways. (fortunatly modern operating systems technically don't allow this, but once in a while you still run across it) I've also worked with hand written machine language. You can't get assembly because there never was any, and the author took advantage of variable instruction lenght so that a JMP to $200 or JMP to $201 is valid, but the results are vastly different. Makes for some really small code, but it is difficult to write, and debug, bordering on impossibal.
Ahh, but a troll that looks genuine at first, and appears on topic is worth a reading for the laugh. It needs to be marked funny, and depending on how good it is might need some explination in a followup post to keep those not in the know from thinking the wrong thing.
OTOH, first post is always useless and a waste of time. So are a few other posts. ASCI-art might be easy to filter, but can you filter the porn ascii-art without blocking the guy trying to make a diagram of some sort so we can better understand what is going on?
It is more complex than that. Tax cuts are bad if they grow the deficit, except when the ecconomy is weak, in which case someone spending more than they make (ie the goverment) is a good way to get the ecconomy back on track. However when the ecconomy is strong the goverment needs to reduce spending to compensate.
This is a problem I have with conservatives in the mainstream, they proposed all kinds of new goverment in the late '90s when things were going good, instead of holding the line despite the goverment getting more money. No way to know because the systems are too complex, but I suspect that if goverment spending hadn't grown faster than inflation for years, we could now cut taxes without a deficit.
I don't remember the exact details (and am too lazy too look them up...), but as I understand it they just denighed them an opperating permit.
Personally I don't belive the goverment should have that power, but appearently they do. (Yes I understand the reasons they have it, but I think it is abused too much - but then power corrupts)
Nuclear power plants CANNOT explode, they don't contain the right mix of fuel. (Chernobol was not designed to western specifications, and even then they had to override a lot of safety devices to get where they did.
There is no need to transport all the waste. The waste from a nuclear plant is recycleable, in a process that results in more power than the origional use of the fuel. (This isn't liked because someone who knows what they are doing could make a nuclear bomb from this, but that isn't exactly easy to do)
Finially, radiation risk is a bit overrated. Three Mile island for instance only increased the levels of radiations 300 meters (feet or yards? either is smaller though), which is pretty much inside the fence. Not much a risk there. Mind you if we are stupid about building a plant there is a greater risk, but considering all the plants we have today and how few accidents I'd consider the risk well managed in all western countries.
No, the environmental wackos allowed a plant or two to be built, it passed all inspections, and then convinced the goverment at the last minute to not allow it to start operation. The power companies are no longer willing to invest any money in a new plant when there is a good chance that they will not be able to open it. Return on investment of zero is not looked on as a good thing by anyone who has a stake in the plant.
I live five miles from a nuclear plant, and consider it the best neighbor in the town - they pay taxes and I don't see them. Most people in town know it is there, and when asked where will point to the coal plant 20 miles away, unaware that it is hidden from view 5 miles away.
I know it is nearly identical to CATV cable. Not exactly though, and I've never personally seen the real thing. (Or at least if I have seen it I didn't know what it was)
Re-read my post. I said that I've seen protocols implimented over IP, at the same layer as UDP, TCP, or ICMP, but not using any of them. Then I went on to point out that they could have been implimented over UDP.
I've seen several different protocols that can be used over IP in actual use. Most were only used for specific applications. Generally bulk mainframe data transfers. TCP and UDP supply just about everything you could want though. The other protocols I mentioned could be implimented over UDP just as easially if anyone cared to. (Not TCP though, slow start and a few other network nice things are specificly not wanted - they assume the network bandwidth is fot one application)
RJ-45 wasn't used for ethernet 30 years ago. Back then it was 10base5 (for 500 meters max cable length), or thicknet. A thick cable (that I have never seen) running thorugh the ceiling, and a AUI cable running from your computer to a tranciever in the cable. AUI is that 15 pin connector (like a pc joystick connector, but a slide holds the cable on not screws or luck) on the back of many older computers. Mostly if you see it there is a 10baseT tranciever connected to it today.
Sometime latter "thinnet" came out, or 10base2 (200 meter cable), which was a much thinner cable, and much cheaper. It is still cheaper than twisted pair for small instalations. Though almost everyone is using twisted pair because it is easier and more reliable.
I don't know exactly when 10BaseT with the rj-45 connectors came onto the scene, but it started catching on in the early 90s.
It often catches me off gaurd. I often am looking at the dog (not house broke yet) while I'm typing. (This is not the cause of my poor speeling and grammer, though it contributes) Combine that with my slow computer and my habbit of opening several different windows all at once, and I often am working in one window for a while when suddenly some other one pops up on me.
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How is your fancy stove with a microprocessor better than the stove I grew up with where we had to light the oven everytime with a match? Both do the same thing. Sure it takes a little more effort with the old one, but it was 40 years old then and still worked perfectly. If you have a new stove in an old house I assume that you bought junk the first time, so you had to replace it. So maybe your rant about crude appliances should be turned around into a rant about the low quality appliances you have in Europe. (since if your appliances lasted as long as ours do, and microprocessors are still relativly new compared to that age you wouldn't have the new ones either. Or do you just belive in wasting your money replacing an appliance that works?)
Okay, I'll admit that the old oven didn't have the ability to turn the oven on before I get home at night. However most current ovens have that features, and I don't know anyone who has used it. Turns out to be something that sounds better in advertising than in real life. (at least by our life styles)
And best of all, we have this law on the books in most places already. We just need a change such that sending porn to anyone without verifying they are of legal age is illegal. Right now the claim is they send porn to everyone, and make no effort to determin if the recipient is old enough to legally receive it.
Long division is still useful. Cursive serves no use as standard printing is a perfectly valid alternative that requires the same tools. (you can't do either without hammer and stone, pen and paper; or other tool and media) Long division and be done without other tools, and understanding how to do it is a stepping stone to real math.
However today we have calculators and computers. If they are available you are better off using them for most purposes. Just last week I found myself needing to do some division and no calculator was available. (I work construction, calculators rarely last more than a week) This is math I do all the time - I'm becoming quite good at multiplying by 1.42 (guess what that constant is), and other math that I would prefer to do on a calculator.
My point I guess is that once you have a skill, a computer is a useful tool to replace it. The skill of writing my hand is useful, so we teach printing. Now that we have computers we don't need an alternative (that might or might not be faster) so why teach it. The skill of basic arithmatic is useful so we teach it, but once you know it we give you a computer/calculator and trust that if you need to know how to do it well you will learn in the real world. Life is too short to learn everything I would like to learn, without adding in all the skills that others would like to learn that I find useless. So we define a list of simple basics that we (mostly) agree on, and then let others go off and develop their own.
I'm offended by a lot of the Spam I get. Interestes rates I can ignore, I'll buy from someone I trust (like my credit union, or a broker that spends advertising money on media I'd like to see supported instead of free advertising) Porn offends me, even though I'm 29 I don't want it. We as a socity have decied that it is bad (this is the US, other countries are different) and those who like it take efforts to prevent offending us with it. Suddenly however I can't get email without seeing some message that offends not just me, but most adults in my country. (even adults that subscribe to playboy are offended by some of the porn I get)
You don't know the same parents that I do then. Many parents I know consider Bambi (the diseny version) as bad as porn, and they will not allow their kids (or themselves) to see either. Of course I live in an area with a lot of hunters, and Bambi is anti-hunter (or so I'm told, I never saw it).
I've only seen a few minutes of "The Little Mermaid", and I was offended by the images. For adults who want to I don't see a problem, and if you don't mind your kids seeing it, that is your buiseness. I want nothing to do with it. That is just me, one very strange data point. (Most people think I'm strange for not owning a TV, I consider myself better off for it. you are free to disagree, everyone else does)
Because email is for communication. If people who might want to email me can't find my address then email has falied as a communication means. Sure it hasn't happened yet that someone has found my email address on my web page (in 6 years that I've had it posted on a web page), but the doesn't change the fact that they can.
Then contact your congressman, and make them change the law so that like ciggerette sales the burdon of proff is on the Spammer. If someone who is 20 goes into a bar and gets served alcahol the bar will lose their license (to serve alcahol) even if the 20 year old showed a fake id. Bars know this and are very careful to check not just the id, but the validity of it. (They get good at finding fakes)
Maybe there are worse things for a child to see than porn. (I'm not sure I agree, but that is a different matter) I still think it is wrong for a child to see it. Most Parents agree with me, so we make it illegal as a means of protecting our kids from an evil. There are other parents with different values. Parents outside the US (or at least in Europe) are not as bothered by their kids seeing porn, so they have not made an effort to prevent their kids from seeing it.
Will they see it anyway? Yes of course, but that isn't the point, we prevent as much as we can, and ends up being rare for them to get an opportunity. To be a perfect parent it impossibal, we all do the best we can. We can't be there all the time.
P.S. I am not a parent, and don't mean to imply it, though I think I did.
Not exactly a winning streak is when the machine is "paying" The theory is if you win a bunch of times, the machine is paying now, so you should keep paying.
This isn't nessicarly a gamblers falicy. Imangine a simplfied machine where you either lose (put in $1, get $0), or win double what you put in (put in $1, get $2), with 100% payout. If the machine used a sequence of win-lose-win-lose people would soon figgure it out, and watch for some (idiot) to play an leave after a loss, and play once, thus making money. So the sequence is "randomized". Except if you read Knuth (the art of computer programing) you will learn that good random number generators are very hard to do right. One can analise the random generator and discover that there are times that it will pay out more often than others.
The previous results may or may not be factored into a random number generator, if they are it is through some complex steps (seeds) so that getting the same results any particular pull will not nessicarly mean the same results on the next pull. Note that mechanicly machines depend on the previous pull for starting position, but have other factors built in to help prevent a fixed results. (Here I'm not sure what, but if nothing else bearings will give more or less friction depending on some factors)
The sequence win-win-loss-win-win-loss-loss-loss gives 100% payout for out machine, but if you catch it after the first win and play 4 games you will be money ahead. The gamblers are just saying the sequence when they are "paying" is long enough that if you see someone winning often, the streak will last long enough that it is worth you while to grab that machine next. The streak will break eventially, and a machine that is not paying is not paying. (for a while until it is paying again)
Note, I don't know if I buy this argument, I'm just presenting it.
For tradtitional reasons, it is still called the i386, even though by default it won't run on a real 80386. The source code is compatable, with either chip. (Except the SMP stuff, but that is off by default). Note that the option to compile for the 80386 is not compatable with the option to compile for the 80486 and latter chips. Those who wish to use a i386 have to go through some effort to make it work.
I'd call the fact the there are appllcations that do half the job as proff that you are wrong: someone started to create an equivelent desktop (spreadsheet, word processing, presentation manager, group scheduing and appointments, etc, etc, etc) instead of complaining. They just are not done yet, but they are still working.
And don't try to claim we over estimated the work involved, because those who estimated had no clue, while those who do the work rarely bother with estimates knowing that anything more than a few hours out will be missed wildly anyway.
Remember Microsoft had a head start over open source. Linux began in '91, and took years to get where it is. In some cases Solaris, or AIX beats it. (big systems mostly, and some high reliability stuff), but for most people it is at least good enough, and often better, but this is 12 years latter, compare that to how long KDE had been out, and where KDE is. (KDE is more complex than linux in many ways)
Perhaps you should note that the US isn't happy with the rest of the world either. We don't like the idea of someone flying our airplanes into our buildings. We don't like the idea of someone attacking our friends. We don't like those who behind our backs cheer on those who do the above. You can claim a moral high ground all you want, but I won't belive your claim when you ignore all the above abuses.
There is a movement in the US right now to drop out of the UN completely. I see no reason for it. When they don't do anything useful (They refused to deal with Iraq, which was clearly in violation of the spirt of the rules put down after the '91 gulf war), and then try to tell us how to run our country, what good are they again?
I'll answer your question as soon as you answer my question: why are you writting an app that you will throw away?
In most cases the answer will either lead directly to my reason to write the throw away GUI, or I will agree it isn't worth it.
Reasons to write a throw away GUI: a prototype used to demonstrate it to management before the a lot of decisions have been made. A prototype used for human interface testing so that the real GUI is useable. A program that will be used for a couple days by many people and then thrown away. To prove to yourself that you can write a GUI just as easially as a CLI, or you think it is easier. (with the right toolkit GUIs are not hard to make, and input checking may be easier)
In a perfect world it would be a part of your requirements that you can release ASIC register data to customers. If they insist on a NDA, then you find a different supplier. In your world where customers are requesting that data, customer service requires that you provide it.
Of course I understand the world isn't perfect, if there is no second choice for a ASIC, or the second choice sucks in every other way, there is much you can do. Add in general office politics (joe in upper management doesn't like foo, so we won't buy their stuff) and it is hard. Still you should insist that purchesing have a line item "All chip programing (register) data nessicary to interface to this chip can be released to our customers." It is a simple item, and it might be negociated away, but you should get a break from them for getting rid of it if nothing else. (and when salesmen say they are having a harder time getting a deal because of this issue things will change)
No you can't dissassenble every assenbly binary into the source code. I've worked with self modifying code, which actually writes itself on the fly, sometimes in compelx ways. (fortunatly modern operating systems technically don't allow this, but once in a while you still run across it) I've also worked with hand written machine language. You can't get assembly because there never was any, and the author took advantage of variable instruction lenght so that a JMP to $200 or JMP to $201 is valid, but the results are vastly different. Makes for some really small code, but it is difficult to write, and debug, bordering on impossibal.
Ahh, but a troll that looks genuine at first, and appears on topic is worth a reading for the laugh. It needs to be marked funny, and depending on how good it is might need some explination in a followup post to keep those not in the know from thinking the wrong thing.
OTOH, first post is always useless and a waste of time. So are a few other posts. ASCI-art might be easy to filter, but can you filter the porn ascii-art without blocking the guy trying to make a diagram of some sort so we can better understand what is going on?
It is more complex than that. Tax cuts are bad if they grow the deficit, except when the ecconomy is weak, in which case someone spending more than they make (ie the goverment) is a good way to get the ecconomy back on track. However when the ecconomy is strong the goverment needs to reduce spending to compensate.
This is a problem I have with conservatives in the mainstream, they proposed all kinds of new goverment in the late '90s when things were going good, instead of holding the line despite the goverment getting more money. No way to know because the systems are too complex, but I suspect that if goverment spending hadn't grown faster than inflation for years, we could now cut taxes without a deficit.
I don't remember the exact details (and am too lazy too look them up...), but as I understand it they just denighed them an opperating permit.
Personally I don't belive the goverment should have that power, but appearently they do. (Yes I understand the reasons they have it, but I think it is abused too much - but then power corrupts)
Nuclear power plants CANNOT explode, they don't contain the right mix of fuel. (Chernobol was not designed to western specifications, and even then they had to override a lot of safety devices to get where they did.
There is no need to transport all the waste. The waste from a nuclear plant is recycleable, in a process that results in more power than the origional use of the fuel. (This isn't liked because someone who knows what they are doing could make a nuclear bomb from this, but that isn't exactly easy to do)
Finially, radiation risk is a bit overrated. Three Mile island for instance only increased the levels of radiations 300 meters (feet or yards? either is smaller though), which is pretty much inside the fence. Not much a risk there. Mind you if we are stupid about building a plant there is a greater risk, but considering all the plants we have today and how few accidents I'd consider the risk well managed in all western countries.
No, the environmental wackos allowed a plant or two to be built, it passed all inspections, and then convinced the goverment at the last minute to not allow it to start operation. The power companies are no longer willing to invest any money in a new plant when there is a good chance that they will not be able to open it. Return on investment of zero is not looked on as a good thing by anyone who has a stake in the plant.
I live five miles from a nuclear plant, and consider it the best neighbor in the town - they pay taxes and I don't see them. Most people in town know it is there, and when asked where will point to the coal plant 20 miles away, unaware that it is hidden from view 5 miles away.
I know it is nearly identical to CATV cable. Not exactly though, and I've never personally seen the real thing. (Or at least if I have seen it I didn't know what it was)
Re-read my post. I said that I've seen protocols implimented over IP, at the same layer as UDP, TCP, or ICMP, but not using any of them. Then I went on to point out that they could have been implimented over UDP.
I've seen several different protocols that can be used over IP in actual use. Most were only used for specific applications. Generally bulk mainframe data transfers. TCP and UDP supply just about everything you could want though. The other protocols I mentioned could be implimented over UDP just as easially if anyone cared to. (Not TCP though, slow start and a few other network nice things are specificly not wanted - they assume the network bandwidth is fot one application)
RJ-45 wasn't used for ethernet 30 years ago. Back then it was 10base5 (for 500 meters max cable length), or thicknet. A thick cable (that I have never seen) running thorugh the ceiling, and a AUI cable running from your computer to a tranciever in the cable. AUI is that 15 pin connector (like a pc joystick connector, but a slide holds the cable on not screws or luck) on the back of many older computers. Mostly if you see it there is a 10baseT tranciever connected to it today.
Sometime latter "thinnet" came out, or 10base2 (200 meter cable), which was a much thinner cable, and much cheaper. It is still cheaper than twisted pair for small instalations. Though almost everyone is using twisted pair because it is easier and more reliable.
I don't know exactly when 10BaseT with the rj-45 connectors came onto the scene, but it started catching on in the early 90s.
It often catches me off gaurd. I often am looking at the dog (not house broke yet) while I'm typing. (This is not the cause of my poor speeling and grammer, though it contributes) Combine that with my slow computer and my habbit of opening several different windows all at once, and I often am working in one window for a while when suddenly some other one pops up on me.