You can't teach Lisp in a single lecture either! I think we have fundamentally different understandings of what is meant by "teach" here.:-) FP is a course in itself...
The biggest problem with Objective-C is that it isn't standardized. It is great if you're writing OS X apps only, but if you need cross-platform support, things get uglier. Yes, I realize gcc has Objective-C support, but you need libraries and Apple's changes to the compiler aren't necessarily merged into gcc as they should be.
Not as simple as LISP? I'd argue it is much simpler. You can teaching Objective-C in a day (assuming C knowledge!), but even teaching proper use of Lisp macros could be a week for a solid introduction. It is true that Lisp is simpler on some level, but the implications of its simple mechanisms are very complex.
While it is true that a high-level language has equivalent functionality to function pointers (my main languages are Io (www.iolanguage.com) and Scheme), most language aren't nearly as fast as C. Pointers to functions in C can give you both high performance and full flexibility, provided that you're careful. Personally, I don't find function pointers and the like very difficult to conceptualize -- I've actually found that have some OOP background helps out a bit.
If you're saying Linus could've written all of the GNU programs himself, you're way off mark. The truth is, they needed each other, and both communities put in a ton of work, hence GNU/Linux. No, it isn't short, and it isn't catchy, but it is hardly a power grab or anything similar.
"The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts." - Bertrand Russell
This definition has some holes in it, but "liberal" in the US means left-leaning (more centralized government, welfare state, etc), whereas liberal in Canada and Europe and most other places means the same thing as "conservative" means in the US (or used to mean anyway), including smaller government, lower taxes, less government control, pro-business, etc. It is even confusing in the US, with the "Libertarian" party conforming to strict conservative ideas -- conservative in the classical-US sense, not the current big government, pro-war definition. I should also note that the "left" in the US is much more like the "center" or even "right" in many other countries.
Free software has a much better chance of working than Communism (yes, I know, it has never been truly implemented, etc). Unlike a government for a country, not everyone has to be in on it. If you live in a "communist" nation, you fall under communist rule. However, free software and non-free software can mix. People can use one, or the other, or both. Provided that there is a critical mass of people in the free software community, and there is, we should be just fine.
RMS: The basic idea of the Free Software Movement is that the user of software deserves certain freedoms. There are four essential freedoms, which we label freedoms 0 through 3.
I wonder how many Znet readers are confused out of their minds as to why he'd start with zero.
What MUD? Seems it is impossible to find anything that isn't a complete time-sink (Armageddon) or costs a lot of money (Achaea). I want RP, but I refuse to "level" or "bash" ever again, and I want something more coded and "gamey" than a MUCK/MUSH where I have to RP death and so on. I suppose I should just go back to waiting for Fallout 3... disappointment looms...
Slashdot Mirror
I thought this was Slashdot, not GHZWATTMBCIRCLEJERK.
You can't teach Lisp in a single lecture either! I think we have fundamentally different understandings of what is meant by "teach" here. :-) FP is a course in itself...
The biggest problem with Objective-C is that it isn't standardized. It is great if you're writing OS X apps only, but if you need cross-platform support, things get uglier. Yes, I realize gcc has Objective-C support, but you need libraries and Apple's changes to the compiler aren't necessarily merged into gcc as they should be.
Not as simple as LISP? I'd argue it is much simpler. You can teaching Objective-C in a day (assuming C knowledge!), but even teaching proper use of Lisp macros could be a week for a solid introduction. It is true that Lisp is simpler on some level, but the implications of its simple mechanisms are very complex.
While it is true that a high-level language has equivalent functionality to function pointers (my main languages are Io (www.iolanguage.com) and Scheme), most language aren't nearly as fast as C. Pointers to functions in C can give you both high performance and full flexibility, provided that you're careful. Personally, I don't find function pointers and the like very difficult to conceptualize -- I've actually found that have some OOP background helps out a bit.
Damnit, I was just switching to Mail.app, and I thought that read "Asian hippy chick". I nearly broke my command and tab buttons...
Rawrr... Asiian hippy chicks... mmm...
God, what a fucking mess.
On the Mac:
1. Open system preferences
2. Click International (I know...)
3. Click input menu
4. Click dvorak
Dvorak is now in your keyboard menu at the top of your screen, and you can switch between layouts with a an assignable key command.
Hey, don't ask me man, ask RMS, I own a Powerbook!
He didn't say to avoid ALL closed hardware -- Just nVidia specifically, because it is such a crucial component which can be very difficult to support.
If you could post a link, I'd appreciate it. For the life of me I can't find it.
If you're saying Linus could've written all of the GNU programs himself, you're way off mark. The truth is, they needed each other, and both communities put in a ton of work, hence GNU/Linux. No, it isn't short, and it isn't catchy, but it is hardly a power grab or anything similar.
"The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts." - Bertrand Russell
This definition has some holes in it, but "liberal" in the US means left-leaning (more centralized government, welfare state, etc), whereas liberal in Canada and Europe and most other places means the same thing as "conservative" means in the US (or used to mean anyway), including smaller government, lower taxes, less government control, pro-business, etc. It is even confusing in the US, with the "Libertarian" party conforming to strict conservative ideas -- conservative in the classical-US sense, not the current big government, pro-war definition. I should also note that the "left" in the US is much more like the "center" or even "right" in many other countries.
Free software has a much better chance of working than Communism (yes, I know, it has never been truly implemented, etc). Unlike a government for a country, not everyone has to be in on it. If you live in a "communist" nation, you fall under communist rule. However, free software and non-free software can mix. People can use one, or the other, or both. Provided that there is a critical mass of people in the free software community, and there is, we should be just fine.
If you honestly think words and choice of language do not dictate thoughts, I'd suggest you read some Chomsky.
What the heck are you talking about? You can't assign zero to nothingness.
The subject says it all really...
RMS: The basic idea of the Free Software Movement is that the user of software deserves certain freedoms. There are four essential freedoms, which we label freedoms 0 through 3.
I wonder how many Znet readers are confused out of their minds as to why he'd start with zero.
http://operawatch.blogspot.com/2005/07/opera-to-st op-spoofing-user-agent-as.html
Opera ceased this behavior awhile ago.
Take 100000 pennies.
Throw one at everyone that pissed you off this year!!
ARHGH!
What MUD? Seems it is impossible to find anything that isn't a complete time-sink (Armageddon) or costs a lot of money (Achaea). I want RP, but I refuse to "level" or "bash" ever again, and I want something more coded and "gamey" than a MUCK/MUSH where I have to RP death and so on. I suppose I should just go back to waiting for Fallout 3... disappointment looms...
should we all go around and change every gui so it can be used with a one button mouse and three keys on the keyboard?
/life-long mac user
Certainly not! Why the hell would you need three keys if you have a mouse AND one button!
Not a patch like that sir. Not a patch like that.
The fact that bothers people is not that they did or didn't release a service pack, but that it needed one so badly to begin with.