We have similar services in the UK - but for me the text based services are limited to the amount of data in a text message, and when you have a WAP enabled phone (which they pretty much all are these days) - you can get a lot better content just for the price of the data charges.
I don't have a 3G phone, but they are even better as you can make phone calls with skype. It isn't long now is it before all calls are going over the internet. Which worries me as I work in telephony...
Agreed - Nokia are the top mobile phone manufacturer in the US, followed by Motorola and Samsung.
However, I consider Sony Ericsson's "walkman" branded mobiles the most direct competitor to the iphone...
http://blogs.zdnet.com/ITFacts/index.php?p=12419
Exactly - why hasn't anyone else made this point. I suppose all of the backed up data disasters don't make good headlines... Man leaves banana on disk... but used his backup!
I don't mind when I'm getting something for free, and those ads are unobtrusive.
Some of the ads on TV in the UK are better than the shows! I read the free paper on the train, so can't complain about the adverts can I?
However, it riles me when I rent a DVD and can't fast forward the adverts. If I've paid to watch something, I should not have to watch the adverts!
As far as I remember, Margeret Thatcher allowed the planes which bombed libya to take off from the UK, so we had our own part to play in the menacing of Libya. Operation El Dorado Canyon
Yes, you're right. I should've made the distinction between the types of programmers - maybe I could classify them as "Computer Scientists" and "Systems Analyst" - one is an art, the other a science.
I know that this classification is completely wrong but I'm sure that there is an "art" and a "science" side to programming...
When I was doing a Math(s?!) unit at university my Lecturer made a very good point that any Mathematician can learn to be a programmer but not all programmers could be mathematicians - which I think made a very good point.
He was telling people to stop speaking during his lecture!
Like an Optimus Keyboard?
I can't help but think that it would take too long to find each individual key. I suppose they could just display the numbers that are in your PIN and perhaps put them in the correct order so that it would be easier to find them.
Why dont they ask for just 2 or 3 numbers from your PIN, like the way they do on online banking systems? Works well for me...
I agree that change is bad, but new features to an interface can be good. Take the scroll wheel on a mouse, for example - this is something that I couldn't live without.
The skill is in making changes which a user can intuitively adapt to, and I'm sure that there are lots of improvements which can still be made...
2. I understood the point of the article to be that it's a pity that BASIC or something like it doesn't ship with modern OSes or computers anymore.
This is the point of the article - but the real argument is "which language should come pre-installed" - and the list of possible answers brings me back to thinking that kids who really want to program their computers will be able to make the descision to download and install any of the hundreds of choices available out there already - preferably (in my opinion) not basic!
So as lots of people have already said - kids today have it easier than we ever did, even though I had a Sinclair Spectrum with basic installed and an instruction manual included with the computer - I didn't have the choice not to be "mentally mutilated beyond hope of regeneration" when I learnt how to program as I didn't have the internet to tell me any different!
Exactly - and it's 100 times easier to do lots of other things as well - make music, videos, web pages...
There will always be kids programming in their bedrooms - and good luck to them, they keep me on my toes because I know they're going to be fighting me for my job in a few years to come!
Of course the ipod wasn't the first mp3 player, but it wasn't the programming which made it a success. It's a great combination of design, functionality and brand.
Perhaps the analogy of pop idol is a good one. Being a success in IT isn't just about the idea, and how well it is implemented - just as in the music industry. Unfortunately, the best bands don't always make it - but some pretty crap bands do sometimes make it!
Apple have an amazing team of programmers and designers - but my point is that they can't ever have enough new ideas, which is why we see companies like SketchUp being bought up by Google etc. Imagine an idea for an application with as great an impact as the spreadsheet, for example - this is a very valuable idea to apple and they are in a good position to make it a success.
I'm no expert on Nuclear power, or waste but I wonder how we can expect future generations to safeguard our nuclear waste for 3000 years, which is a very long time.
However, I suspect that the future generations would prefer us to lump our nuclear waste on them rather than global warming...
Outlook email client - my work uses exchange (I could change to pop3 access)
My customer's quality system uses Microsoft Word document templates - with built in Macros for jobs like quotations etc
I write my own macros for Excel and Office - maybe you can do this in OpenOffice - but I haven't tried.
I love Unix - I use Solaris all the time (rather than Linux) - but I really do like Office - the outlining etc are all great features (although it is a little bloated).
My home PC has a copy of OpenOffice - just because it's free - and I've noticed it to be slow (it's running on a slow PC) - but usable for simple spreadsheets and documents.
The pen is mightier than MSWord...
I remember coming home late when I was about 15-16 and my mother said "I've had the police out looking for you" to scare me (she pretty much knew I was safe - was just pissed that I was late).
I said "well - I'd better phone the police then and let them know I'm all right..."
I thought it was funny at the time but reading it back it looks like a digg comment:-)
I remember a guy at university who used to use the caps lock instead of shift - it was painfull watching him type - caps lock - press key - caps lock off - carry on typing... ffs he was on a comp science course! (He had two arms and hands)...
Slashdot Mirror
Link to the original image:
t acttable_myspace.gif
h acking-john-mccain
http://www.mikeindustries.com/scratch/myspace/con
and the screen grab: http://mike.newsvine.com/_news/2007/03/26/633799-
Yes, Software Engineering is an art rather than a science - but there is a considerable amount of overlap at times...
We have similar services in the UK - but for me the text based services are limited to the amount of data in a text message, and when you have a WAP enabled phone (which they pretty much all are these days) - you can get a lot better content just for the price of the data charges.
I don't have a 3G phone, but they are even better as you can make phone calls with skype. It isn't long now is it before all calls are going over the internet. Which worries me as I work in telephony...
Agreed - Nokia are the top mobile phone manufacturer in the US, followed by Motorola and Samsung.
However, I consider Sony Ericsson's "walkman" branded mobiles the most direct competitor to the iphone...
http://blogs.zdnet.com/ITFacts/index.php?p=12419
I think the real money is in being a cover's band - rather than playing your original work... Is that what you did?
no - sure it's for a headset...
Exactly - why hasn't anyone else made this point. I suppose all of the backed up data disasters don't make good headlines... Man leaves banana on disk... but used his backup!
I don't mind when I'm getting something for free, and those ads are unobtrusive. Some of the ads on TV in the UK are better than the shows! I read the free paper on the train, so can't complain about the adverts can I? However, it riles me when I rent a DVD and can't fast forward the adverts. If I've paid to watch something, I should not have to watch the adverts!
As far as I remember, Margeret Thatcher allowed the planes which bombed libya to take off from the UK, so we had our own part to play in the menacing of Libya. Operation El Dorado Canyon
Yeah - and they didn't even pay with cash (they paid with shares)
Yes, you're right. I should've made the distinction between the types of programmers - maybe I could classify them as "Computer Scientists" and "Systems Analyst" - one is an art, the other a science.
I know that this classification is completely wrong but I'm sure that there is an "art" and a "science" side to programming...
When I was doing a Math(s?!) unit at university my Lecturer made a very good point that any Mathematician can learn to be a programmer but not all programmers could be mathematicians - which I think made a very good point.
He was telling people to stop speaking during his lecture!
Like an Optimus Keyboard?
I can't help but think that it would take too long to find each individual key. I suppose they could just display the numbers that are in your PIN and perhaps put them in the correct order so that it would be easier to find them.
Why dont they ask for just 2 or 3 numbers from your PIN, like the way they do on online banking systems? Works well for me...
I agree that change is bad, but new features to an interface can be good. Take the scroll wheel on a mouse, for example - this is something that I couldn't live without.
The skill is in making changes which a user can intuitively adapt to, and I'm sure that there are lots of improvements which can still be made...
This is the point of the article - but the real argument is "which language should come pre-installed" - and the list of possible answers brings me back to thinking that kids who really want to program their computers will be able to make the descision to download and install any of the hundreds of choices available out there already - preferably (in my opinion) not basic!
So as lots of people have already said - kids today have it easier than we ever did, even though I had a Sinclair Spectrum with basic installed and an instruction manual included with the computer - I didn't have the choice not to be "mentally mutilated beyond hope of regeneration" when I learnt how to program as I didn't have the internet to tell me any different!
Exactly - and it's 100 times easier to do lots of other things as well - make music, videos, web pages... There will always be kids programming in their bedrooms - and good luck to them, they keep me on my toes because I know they're going to be fighting me for my job in a few years to come!
Of course the ipod wasn't the first mp3 player, but it wasn't the programming which made it a success. It's a great combination of design, functionality and brand. Perhaps the analogy of pop idol is a good one. Being a success in IT isn't just about the idea, and how well it is implemented - just as in the music industry. Unfortunately, the best bands don't always make it - but some pretty crap bands do sometimes make it! Apple have an amazing team of programmers and designers - but my point is that they can't ever have enough new ideas, which is why we see companies like SketchUp being bought up by Google etc. Imagine an idea for an application with as great an impact as the spreadsheet, for example - this is a very valuable idea to apple and they are in a good position to make it a success.
I disagree - programmers are two a penny, but a good idea is incredibly valuable.
Why do you think patents are so valuable? Will the winner of the competition get the patent?
I'm no expert on Nuclear power, or waste but I wonder how we can expect future generations to safeguard our nuclear waste for 3000 years, which is a very long time.
2 59,00.html
However, I suspect that the future generations would prefer us to lump our nuclear waste on them rather than global warming...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/nuclear/article/0,,1834
I love Unix - I use Solaris all the time (rather than Linux) - but I really do like Office - the outlining etc are all great features (although it is a little bloated).
My home PC has a copy of OpenOffice - just because it's free - and I've noticed it to be slow (it's running on a slow PC) - but usable for simple spreadsheets and documents.
The pen is mightier than MSWord...
I remember coming home late when I was about 15-16 and my mother said "I've had the police out looking for you" to scare me (she pretty much knew I was safe - was just pissed that I was late). I said "well - I'd better phone the police then and let them know I'm all right..." I thought it was funny at the time but reading it back it looks like a digg comment :-)
I remember a guy at university who used to use the caps lock instead of shift - it was painfull watching him type - caps lock - press key - caps lock off - carry on typing... ffs he was on a comp science course! (He had two arms and hands)...