Nope, not alone. I use it as my primary development box and have since 2006. I also have my NAT running FreeBSD. I do have a few Linux boxes around, but those are for testing only (and yes various flavors of Windows for old games - no DRM thank you).
I prefer FreeBSD. There is something very peaceful and calming about the stability of the system. I don't feel compelled to upgrade to the latest release every 6 - 12 months, and userland ports are mostly independent of the base kernel. I still can update my ports tree and grab the latest for *most* things even though I am still running 7.1.
I also like knowing that I own the system, though and through. No fuss, no muss, no rough stuff.
*(For example, WINE is not upgradeable at this point; a kernel change has necessitated upgrading to 8.x)
...but I do not know the difference between a programmer and a software engineer...
Whenever I have held a position working with embedded controls, the title given to me has been Software Engineer. When I work at a higher level (further from the metal), the title has been Programmer/Analyst.
Basically it's just saying that rich people can get to heaven, but they can't take all their stuff with them.
That could be one way of looking at it, but I believe Jesus actually knew the man's heart and true intentions. He was trying to point out to the rich man that he had an idol (money), and for him, he needed to remove this idol, which was his true love (implied). For some people who are rich, money is not an idol, but merely a consequence of their God given abilities. This is why the verse does not mean everyone must give all of their money away to go to heaven.
There are actually quite a few messages wrapped up in these verses, finishing with verses 25 and 26 where Jesus' disciples ask then who can be saved, and Jesus replies “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible”, meaning salvation is a gift only from God, and no man can actually do anything other than accept the gift.
I own a smart and I found an unexpected advantage one day after 2 - 3 inch hail came thundering down when I was staying at a small apartment where I did not have a garage. The plastic body of the smart car took zero damage from the hail, and because I also have a Cabriolet, (the soft top convertible), the roof was spared as well. I did get a two dents, one on each side, on my side rails, but these are replaceable units (you take them off anyway if you want the full top down experience).
These cars are fun to drive. They handle like a go-kart and are really nice when driving in a city (parking is possible where other cars can't even dream of getting into).
My complaints? The gas tank is too small and the transmission takes a bit to get used to. You have to learn how hard to hit the gas at particular speeds to get the best acceleration (really when in 1st and 2nd gear), but over time this becomes second nature. You can always drive it as a manual if you like.
Excellent story. Very similar to mine. I first got hooked on computers because of seeing the early arcade games that first came out in hotel lobbies (Asteroids, Galaga and Pac-Man in particular). When I first saw these I wanted to imitate what I saw, and soon learned that it was possible in the home PC scene. I remember agonizing over which to save my money for: A Trash80, Apple II or a C64. The C64 won hands down based on price and features, and I didn't even know very much about it. I even remember feeling a little proud when my parents saw the Commodore commercial about the young man who was trying to get a job based on how many space aliens he shot down, and how he should have gotten a C64.
This was about 1982, and I am a coder today because of the doors this computer opened in my mind. I too had to mow lawns to earn enough to buy a used C64 for $180 from another kid that was moving. I used it exclusively with a $80 black and white TV but I didn't care that I didn't have color (I didn't know what I was missing actually). I also discovered later the 3rd voice was blown out from my SID chip, but I still loved it. One of my greatest regrets is selling it to “upgrade” to an Amiga 500, which never had the same charm. I just could not own it and understand it the same way I could my C64.
Please...in your random list you include FreeDOS, BeOS and even Amiga? MS won because of market positioning, not because of technical merits. Apple got into the school systems and into people's homes through educational discounts. Microsoft came in from the business side. Commodore (and others) were the first "PCs", and came in from the enthusiast route (I'm talking in the US early 80's here). Being able to use the same software at home and at the office was huge, and other computers were made fun of as "toys" and "game machines" not intended for serious work.
BeOS was superior to MS as well from a technical perspective, but as a developer (and still an owner of) an original dual CPU Be Box, I recall very distinctly the hopes and valleys of Be Inc. as Jean-Louis would report on his attempts to get PC manufacturers to include his OS as an option for sale. According to his reports, they were not able to because...drum roll...MS told them they could not sell Windows if they sold another OS as well.(!)
FreeDOS isn't even a competitor in a serious sense to MS - the intent is really simply an alternative to a dead OS (MS-DOS). How can it even be compared?
We all know the story of Amiga, and it was far ahead of its time, but Commodore management and misguided "strategy" is completely at fault for this failure - not its technical limitations.
So long Cmdr, thanks for the site. I think it makes me very aware of how time is passing away. I started reading/. back in '98, but I was (and still am) only a lurker. I forgot the password to my original ID, and no longer have access to the email account to get it reclaimed, so I had to finally give in a few years later and get this one before the IDs incremented to 7 digits. Anyway, I wish you well, thanks for the source of inspiration and a nice place to hang out during lunch. I'm afraid it won't be the same without your input.
Use two browsers - turn off all images and disable flash. Use this browser most of the time while doing passive reading of the net. Use another browser for times when you need to see images. For example, in FreeBSD I use Konqueror as my text only browser, and as a plus, if I need to see an image, I right click and select "preview image". This will load that single image. If I hit a web site that requires many images and more interaction, I use Firefox with all the bells.
I do the same thing - I've learned years ago to imitate good truck drivers and one thing they do (for obvious reasons) is leave plenty of space between them and the guy in front. Yes people pull in front of you at every opportunity, but you are still moving forward and you'll get where you're going. And, when there is an unexpected stop in traffic, your habit will keep you at a comfortable distance as the cars tailgating each other in front of you unfortunately careen into each other or drive wildly onto the shoulder.
I normally avoid these types of conversations but I'm going to step in this once and offer that you may be misunderstanding the term "irreducibly complex" in this sense.
Irreducibly complex means that an evolved system is interdependent on its coexisting parts. Simply put, a system could not have evolved in small steps if more than one part of the system is codependent on other parts for proper functioning. A circular dependency is created.
Evolution is the key to this point, not the system in its current form. Removing your head is not the point - your system will cease to function, and your head can be "reduced" more or stand alone as a separate part, but it speaks nothing about evolution (for this point).
If you want to study more about this, "Darwin's Black Box" is a well known and interesting read.
I'm with you on this one. I don't think it's the violence as much as how that violence affects you. I have played plenty of violent games in the past, but how I felt after I was finished varied greatly between genres. Blowing up countless alien ships (rest their soul) in a shmup vs. blowing heads off in games like Soldier of Fortune causes very different physiological and psychological responses in me. I no longer play modern games simply because they have turned into something that I no longer consider fun.
I can attest to this. A few months back I was doing cross development for FreeBSD/Linux and maintaining a development version for Windows.
My code worked fine in Windows - mostly, but still a bug remained that I suspected was in the renderer but couldn't prove it.
The code ran fine on FreeBSD without any problems but I couldn't run it for more that a few minutes on Linux without it crashing hard but at random times.
I ran my Windows code through BoundsChecker (which I've used for years and have found to be very effective). Came up fairly clean, I fixed a few things but I could not find the bug.
I wasn't familiar with any Linux debug tools but eventually tried Valgrind. It found the problem after the first run, and BoundsChecker didn't even give me a peep. I found I was stepping just outside a graphics buffer at certain times and writing in memory I didn't own. It was enlightening the bug was in the same code for FreeBSD/Linux/Windows but displayed completely different behavior.
Anyway, I have respect for Valgrind. Now, if it was only available for FreeBSD.
all of the money Bill gives to Planned Parenthood, and not to mention how morally bankrupt MS is as a company.
I just recently converted my primary box over to FreeBSD and will never put MS back on it again. I have tried to move away from Windows for years (off and on), but the experience was too uncomfortable no matter what Linux distro I used, and I felt I depended too much on Windows software to give it up completely (I would always dual boot my system, eventually finding myself using Linux less and less until I upgraded to a new box or needed the space and wiped it). However, when I found out about the generous support the Bill and Melinda Gate's Foundation gives to Planned Parenthood, this was enough motivation to finally say enough is enough.
Funny thing is, I actually like FreeBSD better than anything I've run AND I can continue doing my development just as productively, AND this is the first time I have finally experienced the joy of having complete control of my box since I've owned a C64.
I think the point is after I was really determined to switch, I finally could do it no matter the technical hurdles and am much happier because of it.
As an aside, I actually own 2 G4 Mac's I bought a few years ago that run OS X. While I like OS X, I am no longer willing to support (invest my life into) a private company that may at any time go a moral or political direction I do not agree with. No thanks.
I recall reading not too long ago about a study done regarding stress. They found that the amount of stress a person felt directly correlated with how far down the corporate food chain they found themselves. The study had nothing to do with IT stress specifically, but I personally have found that after working for a few small companies over the years, and now working for a giant, I would agree with that finding.
I'm a programmer, not working in support (directly), and the job is pretty much the usual: design, code, design, code, crunch, recover (very little here, however), code, patch, repeat. I find however the extra layers of management just pile it on as more people "need to know" project status. Or worse, the more people that can pull you away at any time to work on a pet project.
I can't use a mouse either, but more because of pain in my back and shoulders. For years I've used an Easy Cat attached with Velcro just above the numeric keypad. Once attached, you can recline in your chair, bringing your mouse with you.
In this position, you can hover your hand motionless over the pad using your ring finger and pinky for support. The thumb rarely moves because the left button is positioned directly below. Or you can tap the pad for left or right mouse clicks.
http://www.cirque.com/products/desktop_easy.htm
Slashdot Mirror
Nope, not alone. I use it as my primary development box and have since 2006. I also have my NAT running FreeBSD. I do have a few Linux boxes around, but those are for testing only (and yes various flavors of Windows for old games - no DRM thank you).
I prefer FreeBSD. There is something very peaceful and calming about the stability of the system. I don't feel compelled to upgrade to the latest release every 6 - 12 months, and userland ports are mostly independent of the base kernel. I still can update my ports tree and grab the latest for *most* things even though I am still running 7.1.
I also like knowing that I own the system, though and through. No fuss, no muss, no rough stuff.
*(For example, WINE is not upgradeable at this point; a kernel change has necessitated upgrading to 8.x)
...but I do not know the difference between a programmer and a software engineer...
Whenever I have held a position working with embedded controls, the title given to me has been Software Engineer. When I work at a higher level (further from the metal), the title has been Programmer/Analyst.
Replying to undo incorrect moderation
Basically it's just saying that rich people can get to heaven, but they can't take all their stuff with them.
That could be one way of looking at it, but I believe Jesus actually knew the man's heart and true intentions. He was trying to point out to the rich man that he had an idol (money), and for him, he needed to remove this idol, which was his true love (implied). For some people who are rich, money is not an idol, but merely a consequence of their God given abilities. This is why the verse does not mean everyone must give all of their money away to go to heaven.
There are actually quite a few messages wrapped up in these verses, finishing with verses 25 and 26 where Jesus' disciples ask then who can be saved, and Jesus replies “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible”, meaning salvation is a gift only from God, and no man can actually do anything other than accept the gift.
I own a smart and I found an unexpected advantage one day after 2 - 3 inch hail came thundering down when I was staying at a small apartment where I did not have a garage. The plastic body of the smart car took zero damage from the hail, and because I also have a Cabriolet, (the soft top convertible), the roof was spared as well. I did get a two dents, one on each side, on my side rails, but these are replaceable units (you take them off anyway if you want the full top down experience).
These cars are fun to drive. They handle like a go-kart and are really nice when driving in a city (parking is possible where other cars can't even dream of getting into).
My complaints? The gas tank is too small and the transmission takes a bit to get used to. You have to learn how hard to hit the gas at particular speeds to get the best acceleration (really when in 1st and 2nd gear), but over time this becomes second nature. You can always drive it as a manual if you like.
Excellent story. Very similar to mine. I first got hooked on computers because of seeing the early arcade games that first came out in hotel lobbies (Asteroids, Galaga and Pac-Man in particular). When I first saw these I wanted to imitate what I saw, and soon learned that it was possible in the home PC scene. I remember agonizing over which to save my money for: A Trash80, Apple II or a C64. The C64 won hands down based on price and features, and I didn't even know very much about it. I even remember feeling a little proud when my parents saw the Commodore commercial about the young man who was trying to get a job based on how many space aliens he shot down, and how he should have gotten a C64.
This was about 1982, and I am a coder today because of the doors this computer opened in my mind. I too had to mow lawns to earn enough to buy a used C64 for $180 from another kid that was moving. I used it exclusively with a $80 black and white TV but I didn't care that I didn't have color (I didn't know what I was missing actually). I also discovered later the 3rd voice was blown out from my SID chip, but I still loved it. One of my greatest regrets is selling it to “upgrade” to an Amiga 500, which never had the same charm. I just could not own it and understand it the same way I could my C64.
Please...in your random list you include FreeDOS, BeOS and even Amiga? MS won because of market positioning, not because of technical merits. Apple got into the school systems and into people's homes through educational discounts. Microsoft came in from the business side. Commodore (and others) were the first "PCs", and came in from the enthusiast route (I'm talking in the US early 80's here). Being able to use the same software at home and at the office was huge, and other computers were made fun of as "toys" and "game machines" not intended for serious work.
BeOS was superior to MS as well from a technical perspective, but as a developer (and still an owner of) an original dual CPU Be Box, I recall very distinctly the hopes and valleys of Be Inc. as Jean-Louis would report on his attempts to get PC manufacturers to include his OS as an option for sale. According to his reports, they were not able to because...drum roll...MS told them they could not sell Windows if they sold another OS as well.(!)
FreeDOS isn't even a competitor in a serious sense to MS - the intent is really simply an alternative to a dead OS (MS-DOS). How can it even be compared?
We all know the story of Amiga, and it was far ahead of its time, but Commodore management and misguided "strategy" is completely at fault for this failure - not its technical limitations.
Agreed. I use it daily since about 2000. Works fine in FreeBSD and Linux as well (under Wine).
So long Cmdr, thanks for the site. I think it makes me very aware of how time is passing away. I started reading /. back in '98, but I was (and still am) only a lurker. I forgot the password to my original ID, and no longer have access to the email account to get it reclaimed, so I had to finally give in a few years later and get this one before the IDs incremented to 7 digits. Anyway, I wish you well, thanks for the source of inspiration and a nice place to hang out during lunch. I'm afraid it won't be the same without your input.
Use two browsers - turn off all images and disable flash. Use this browser most of the time while doing passive reading of the net. Use another browser for times when you need to see images. For example, in FreeBSD I use Konqueror as my text only browser, and as a plus, if I need to see an image, I right click and select "preview image". This will load that single image. If I hit a web site that requires many images and more interaction, I use Firefox with all the bells.
I do the same thing - I've learned years ago to imitate good truck drivers and one thing they do (for obvious reasons) is leave plenty of space between them and the guy in front. Yes people pull in front of you at every opportunity, but you are still moving forward and you'll get where you're going. And, when there is an unexpected stop in traffic, your habit will keep you at a comfortable distance as the cars tailgating each other in front of you unfortunately careen into each other or drive wildly onto the shoulder.
I normally avoid these types of conversations but I'm going to step in this once and offer that you may be misunderstanding the term "irreducibly complex" in this sense.
Irreducibly complex means that an evolved system is interdependent on its coexisting parts. Simply put, a system could not have evolved in small steps if more than one part of the system is codependent on other parts for proper functioning. A circular dependency is created.
Evolution is the key to this point, not the system in its current form. Removing your head is not the point - your system will cease to function, and your head can be "reduced" more or stand alone as a separate part, but it speaks nothing about evolution (for this point).
If you want to study more about this, "Darwin's Black Box" is a well known and interesting read.
I'm with you on this one. I don't think it's the violence as much as how that violence affects you. I have played plenty of violent games in the past, but how I felt after I was finished varied greatly between genres. Blowing up countless alien ships (rest their soul) in a shmup vs. blowing heads off in games like Soldier of Fortune causes very different physiological and psychological responses in me. I no longer play modern games simply because they have turned into something that I no longer consider fun.
I can attest to this. A few months back I was doing cross development for FreeBSD/Linux and maintaining a development version for Windows.
My code worked fine in Windows - mostly, but still a bug remained that I suspected was in the renderer but couldn't prove it.
The code ran fine on FreeBSD without any problems but I couldn't run it for more that a few minutes on Linux without it crashing hard but at random times.
I ran my Windows code through BoundsChecker (which I've used for years and have found to be very effective). Came up fairly clean, I fixed a few things but I could not find the bug.
I wasn't familiar with any Linux debug tools but eventually tried Valgrind. It found the problem after the first run, and BoundsChecker didn't even give me a peep. I found I was stepping just outside a graphics buffer at certain times and writing in memory I didn't own. It was enlightening the bug was in the same code for FreeBSD/Linux/Windows but displayed completely different behavior.
Anyway, I have respect for Valgrind. Now, if it was only available for FreeBSD.
As the CPU, and the 6502 in the 1581 (disk drive).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MOS_Technology_6510
C64 forever!
all of the money Bill gives to Planned Parenthood, and not to mention how morally bankrupt MS is as a company. I just recently converted my primary box over to FreeBSD and will never put MS back on it again. I have tried to move away from Windows for years (off and on), but the experience was too uncomfortable no matter what Linux distro I used, and I felt I depended too much on Windows software to give it up completely (I would always dual boot my system, eventually finding myself using Linux less and less until I upgraded to a new box or needed the space and wiped it). However, when I found out about the generous support the Bill and Melinda Gate's Foundation gives to Planned Parenthood, this was enough motivation to finally say enough is enough. Funny thing is, I actually like FreeBSD better than anything I've run AND I can continue doing my development just as productively, AND this is the first time I have finally experienced the joy of having complete control of my box since I've owned a C64. I think the point is after I was really determined to switch, I finally could do it no matter the technical hurdles and am much happier because of it.
As an aside, I actually own 2 G4 Mac's I bought a few years ago that run OS X. While I like OS X, I am no longer willing to support (invest my life into) a private company that may at any time go a moral or political direction I do not agree with. No thanks.
I recall reading not too long ago about a study done regarding stress. They found that the amount of stress a person felt directly correlated with how far down the corporate food chain they found themselves. The study had nothing to do with IT stress specifically, but I personally have found that after working for a few small companies over the years, and now working for a giant, I would agree with that finding.
I'm a programmer, not working in support (directly), and the job is pretty much the usual: design, code, design, code, crunch, recover (very little here, however), code, patch, repeat. I find however the extra layers of management just pile it on as more people "need to know" project status. Or worse, the more people that can pull you away at any time to work on a pet project.
I can't use a mouse either, but more because of pain in my back and shoulders. For years I've used an Easy Cat attached with Velcro just above the numeric keypad. Once attached, you can recline in your chair, bringing your mouse with you. In this position, you can hover your hand motionless over the pad using your ring finger and pinky for support. The thumb rarely moves because the left button is positioned directly below. Or you can tap the pad for left or right mouse clicks. http://www.cirque.com/products/desktop_easy.htm