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7726

Living Room / Re: should I ragequit?

« Last post by 40hz on May 02, 2011, 06:38 PM »

DonationCoder is all about freedom of speech...we can see this by the lack of action in regards to another forum member here in a recent fight where several members have left the forum due to the fight.  If people want to get pissy about it...then leave...does anybody honestly care anymore?

-Stephen66515 (May 02, 2011, 06:20 PM)

Well...I care.

At least enough to hope that you (like housetier) aren't irrevocably committed when you say things like:

Until some members on this forum realise that this is a PUBLIC FORUM (See above for definition) then I will no longer be partaking in conversations here.

I'd like to think we can passionately disagree without feeling the need to turn on each other in order to demonstrate the depth of our feelings and convictions about something.

Sometimes, the simple act of "agreeing to disagree" is the highest form of respect we can extend to each other.

Just my tuppence anyway.

7727

Living Room / Re: The Best Linux Book Available

« Last post by 40hz on May 02, 2011, 06:20 PM »

Does this differ significantly from Sobell's other distro-specific admin books?  Specifically, I had (probably still have somewhere) one of the "Practical Guide to Ubuntu Linux" editions.

-mwb1100 (April 29, 2011, 02:03 PM)

Speak of the Devil: this  book (Sobell's Ubuntu edition) is today's (2 May 2011) "$10 ebook deal of the day" on InformIt:

    http://www.informit.com/deals/

Informit's ebooks are generally (but I don't think always) DRM-free.

-mwb1100 (May 02, 2011, 11:28 AM)

Two more book deal weblinks: O'Reilly (look on top right of page) and Que in case you don't already have them.

 

7728

General Software Discussion / Re: Pirated Software and Viruses? Ahem... No. I don't want to help you...

« Last post by 40hz on May 02, 2011, 03:25 PM »

I guess what I'm saying is that I'm utterly confused and frustrated about the balance between legality, ethics, and freedom at this point...just in life and America in general.  I get a little freaked out and depressed about it occasionally, like this weekend.

-superboyac (May 02, 2011, 12:52 PM)

I think you hit it on the head.

We're all confused and frustrated. And most of us are trying our best to do what's right by our own individual ethical standards. And trying to balance fairness and reasonableness against selfishness and greed.

Not an easy task, no matter where you stand on the topic. 

7729

Developer's Corner / Re: New Twist on Basic

« Last post by 40hz on May 02, 2011, 10:11 AM »

@wraith - Don't get me wrong. I wasn't offended. My remark was meant to be tongue-in-cheek. Which is why I added the smiley at the bottom. 

And I fully agree with you about VisualBasic. It stopped being what most people would consider BASIC a very long time ago. 

7730

General Software Discussion / Re: Pirated Software and Viruses? Ahem... No. I don't want to help you...

« Last post by 40hz on May 02, 2011, 10:02 AM »

^Worry not. I remember it.

Or as we used to rephrase it: If you can't be with the one you truly love, please feel free to have casual and meaningless sex with the total stranger sitting next to you. 

7731

Developer's Corner / Re: New Twist on Basic

« Last post by 40hz on May 02, 2011, 09:49 AM »

After just glancing at the OP sample code, I'm pretty sure I could do the same sample dialog in pure C with  less code ... *Shrug* ... So I'm lost on an advantage there.

-Stoic Joker (May 01, 2011, 10:28 AM)

Basic's keywords and syntax are generally considered a lot easier for new and novice programmers to follow?

Also, pure C makes it a lot easier for you to screw things up royally because there's nothing it won't let you do. Even badly.

 

-40hz (May 02, 2011, 07:47 AM)

Yeah... QFT.  Basic isn't made to be efficient, but to be carebear land, to borrow a term from MMOs.

-wraith808 (May 02, 2011, 09:09 AM)

I think it's more BASIC was designed to be an application rather than a systems programming language. As such, there's very little need for many of the powerful capabilities and "bare metal" access C provides when you're doing apps. In many respects they do noting but add an additional layer of unnecessary risk and complexity.

Besides, where do they get off dissing BASIC as being CareBear country when 90% of what's being written for Windows uses .NET or some other collection of pre-canned routines or libraries? Half the time these "professional" programmers use C for nothing more than glue to hold a bunch of prewritten code together.
Which is why they're professionals!

It's mostly the clueless, the dilettante, the amateur, or (more rarely) someone who wants to learn how to build libraries and components who still writes from scratch even though they can avoid it.  
 

7732

Living Room / Re: should I ragequit?

« Last post by 40hz on May 02, 2011, 09:23 AM »

...off.

Indeed, I shall counter this hysteria with a hysteric move of my own. Ragequit it is.

-housetier (May 02, 2011, 09:02 AM)

You need to do whatever you feel you must. But you're also lumping DC, and all its members, into one groupmind - which is both unfortunate and also somewhat illogical. In case you didn't notice, not all of us are ecstatic about what went down. There have been posts that expressed skepticism and voiced concerns. So it's not one big blood orgy out there.

But either way, it's entirely up to you.

I know the feeling...

Best wishes with whatever decision you ultimately make.

If you decide to stay, it's always good to see you.

If you decide to leave, it was nice meeting you. Safe journeys.

Onward!  

7733

Living Room / Re: Congratz to the US Military Forces!

« Last post by 40hz on May 02, 2011, 08:05 AM »

Moving over to Libya for a moment:

From a purely realpolitik perspective, I think there's a risk of a very dangerous precedent being set here.

Up until now, It's been considered a very bad idea to make the leader of a country a "kill target" unless a war has been declared. Runs a little too close to establishing assassination of foreign leaders as part a nation's diplomatic policy.

Right now, it may seem like whacking a country's ruler is a practical and expedient measure. But that's only because it's mainly the bigger powers that feel they can employ such measures with impunity.

Unfortunately, these things seem to have a way of filtering down to the lowest political stratas.

Just my 2¢


And that's about all I have to say - so this will be my only comment on this thread.

7734

Developer's Corner / Re: New Twist on Basic

« Last post by 40hz on May 02, 2011, 07:47 AM »

After just glancing at the OP sample code, I'm pretty sure I could do the same sample dialog in pure C with  less code ... *Shrug* ... So I'm lost on an advantage there.

-Stoic Joker (May 01, 2011, 10:28 AM)

Basic's keywords and syntax are generally considered a lot easier for new and novice programmers to follow?

Also, pure C makes it a lot easier for you to screw things up royally because there's nothing it won't let you do. Even badly.

 

7735

General Software Discussion / Re: Pirated Software and Viruses? Ahem... No. I don't want to help you...

« Last post by 40hz on May 02, 2011, 07:39 AM »

but asking a programmer for help with pirated software? priceless

-f0dder (May 02, 2011, 03:59 AM)

You would be surprised to see how many developers use pirate software.

-fenixproductions (May 02, 2011, 07:01 AM)

I know one.  But he's more palatable than most- he only pirates software for which there is no demo, and if he likes it/plays it past a couple of hours, he buys a legitimate copy.

-wraith808 (May 02, 2011, 07:18 AM)

Is that like the old joke about the wife of the traveling salesman who was so proud of her virtue? She only slept around when her husband was out of town.

7736

General Software Discussion / Re: Pirated Software and Viruses? Ahem... No. I don't want to help you...

« Last post by 40hz on May 02, 2011, 07:03 AM »

I get asked every so often (usually by a client who should know me better) to help with installing a piece of cracked software they acquired. I usually don't have to say much.

If I'm there, the look on my face says it all.

If I'm not there, the conspicuous way I simply ignore their request serves equally well.

Occasionally, one of the thicker skulls will ask a second time. At which point I give them my canned response: "Think a moment about what you're asking. We can't be having this conversation."

I've never had anyone press the issue after that.  

-------

On a related note, I have a coder friend who was enraged to discover a product of his hit some websites in a cracked version. He was absolutely livid when he found out. He did the whole legal thing and soon put a stop to it. When he told me about it, I congratulated him on finding out and stopping it. But he wanted to know why I was smiling so much while he was waxing indignant about "effing pirates."

So I reminded him about an extensive collection of bootlegged music and movies residing on a certain home media server we knew about. And when I only got a blank stare in return, I asked him: Isn't that also a form of pirated software?

He smiled sheepishly and said he felt "that was different," although he also acknowledged it was probably "a bogus argument."

What comes around, goes around...

( We're still friends. )

7737

Living Room / Re: Can you read this?

« Last post by 40hz on April 30, 2011, 02:58 PM »

Probably works better for languages that don't use 'endings' or noun gender, and where the meaning is largely determined by a word's placement in a given sentence.

Although it works for some 'foreign' languages too. For example:

«Yyé izdûr zōmánimör Örziz Azziz xánzeriz Örziz?» 

7738

Living Room / Re: USA Deadly Tornadoes

« Last post by 40hz on April 29, 2011, 06:16 PM »

Obama[/url] is the default, but you can also choose from Bender, House, Angelina Jolie, Bruce Lee, and Ashton Kutcher.

-app103 (April 29, 2011, 06:11 PM)

What? No Chuck Norris??? 

7739

Living Room / Re: Science Fiction and Fantasy Reading List

« Last post by 40hz on April 29, 2011, 05:16 PM »

A Voyage to Arcturus - David Lindsay

-joiwind (April 29, 2011, 04:13 PM)

Excellent recommendation! One of the best lesser known sci-fi fantasy novels out there. Thought it was better than C.S.Lewis' Silent Planet Trilogy even though it shared some similar concepts and themes. 

7740

Developer's Corner / Re: New Twist on Basic

« Last post by 40hz on April 29, 2011, 03:53 PM »

@ath- In the absence of a time limited full-feature trial version I'd be inclined to pass too. I never buy programming tools based on a demo or the spec sheet. I'm definitely the "try before you buy" type when it comes to this type of software.

7741

Living Room / Re: The great toilet paper debate

« Last post by 40hz on April 29, 2011, 03:37 PM »

Toilet paper debate?

I'm for it!

7742

Living Room / Re: USA Deadly Tornadoes

« Last post by 40hz on April 29, 2011, 03:13 PM »

Do I need a jacket?

-Stoic Joker (April 28, 2011, 11:37 AM)

Look here.

-40hz (April 29, 2011, 04:15 AM)

Not quite as straight-to-the-point as goingtorain.com. I had to type in my zip code, then select from a bunch of nearby locations. It was actually slightly confusing.

-Deozaan (April 29, 2011, 04:52 AM)

Interesting. Mine just pops up NYC - which is close enough since it's weather is either directly overhead where I live, or arriving shortly afterwards. We're approximately 48 miles (77 km) east from Manhattan Island.



From any one of our town beaches, go out onto Long Island Sound (see above) and head west turning past the breakwater of that lovely house. on the right. Continue west and look for the Whitestone and Throgs Neck lighthouse beacons. When you see them, continue west and pass under the RFK Bridge onto the East River. Congrats! You've arrived at The Big Apple about five blocks away from Central Park.

(You can also drive or take the metrorail. But the 'scenery' isn't that great if you do.  )

7743

Living Room / Re: Science Fiction and Fantasy Reading List

« Last post by 40hz on April 29, 2011, 02:45 PM »

Apparently Neil Gaiman received an e-mail in regards to this whole issue, and his response is priceless!

-wraith808 (April 29, 2011, 09:31 AM)

@wraith - Thanks for that Gaiman link! Found myself nodding in agreement and uttering the occasional Sandman-like "Indeed?" or "Quite so!" as I read Neil's wise words.

 

7744

Living Room / Re: The Best Linux Book Available

« Last post by 40hz on April 29, 2011, 02:40 PM »

Basically, if I have the Ubuntu book, is there any reason I should even take a look at this book?

-mwb1100 (April 29, 2011, 02:03 PM)

I think it's different enough that it's worth having. IMO it's less about admin and much more about tools. Using the ones that are built into the shell and combining them into new ones.

But if you're already comfortable webbing out, it's true you can get everything that's in this book via your browser. I personally find the content more convenient and its presentation far easier to read in book form rather than browsing the web. And it's not just a copy-paste rehash of Man Pages. There's enough original content in there that it's an 'honest' Linux tome.

Most big bookstores (Barnes & Noble, etc.) have a copy or two on the shelves. Best bet would be to give it a leisurely browse before dropping $30 and another 4 pounds on your bookshelf.

I did. An I did.

7745

Developer's Corner / Re: New Twist on Basic

« Last post by 40hz on April 29, 2011, 02:19 PM »

I think it would be far more beneficial to discuss and debate the technical merits rather than the price of something like this. f0dder sort of alluded to that when he asked what was the unique thing (or things) about Minibasic that justified it's existence.

Pricing should not be an issue if the product fills a niche. It's only when price is divorced from function that it becomes it's own separate issue. Because f there's no real functional differences, all you can discuss is the price.

And close functional similarity shouldn't be seen as an issue either. Most software falls into general categories, with dozens, or hundreds, of "me too" products competing for space on our hard drives. That's why something as basic as a programmer's text editor is available in so many price and feature ranges. Each has its own special "something" that some group of users can't live without. And those things are often what sparks such debate and emotion when text editors get compared. Most forum veterans know that few discussions get uglier sooner than those about which editor is "the best."

Which is really odd when you think about it. Because except for those little "somethings" each editor brings to the party, they're all basically the same tool.

IMO if Minibasic fills a need or function, it's worth whatever the author can get for it. And if it doesn't, it's not worth having at all. Even if it were being offered for free.

So maybe if instead of arguing price (or bandying about things like script kiddies or 'it's no different than') somebody could throw up an elegant example of something Minibasic does extremely well? Ideally something another product like AutoIt or Autohotkey couldn't do as easily - or maybe at all?

I'm pretty good at making an informed decision when I have some examples to look at.

I'm not too good at deciding when people are slamming each other. When that happens, I tend to either stick with what I already have - or start looking elsewhere.

Just my 2¢

7746

Living Room / Re: The Best Linux Book Available

« Last post by 40hz on April 29, 2011, 07:24 AM »

Agree 100% - Great book! 

7747

Living Room / Re: USA Deadly Tornadoes

« Last post by 40hz on April 29, 2011, 04:15 AM »

I'm just happy one of my neighbors learned late yesterday afternoon that his sister, who lives right outside of Tuscaloosa, is ok. And still has her house.

Do I need a jacket?

-Stoic Joker (April 28, 2011, 11:37 AM)

Look here.

(skwire already provided the link for if it's going to rain.   )

7748

Living Room / Re: Anarchists! Unite! Or whatever... :)

« Last post by 40hz on April 28, 2011, 09:02 PM »

I sometimes wonder how we all manage to not sink into a suicidal state of despair.

-Renegade (April 28, 2011, 07:54 PM)

Can't speak for everyone, but in my case all I need to do is look around me.

There are millions constantly trying very hard to make the world a better place and not give in to the cheap cynicism and despair our press and politicians try to get us to buy into.

Good thing too.

Because if things (and all people) were as bad as those who don't who give a damn about anything would have us believe, the human race would have become extinct long before now.

So I try not to let it get to me too much. And when it does, I just take a break from it long enough to recharge my patience and lower my blood pressure. After that it's back to my usual attitude, which is: Bring it on! Bring it on! Bring it on!

Like Terry Prachette's nany character Suzan said to the little children she was babysitting: When something scary comes around, don't get frightened. Get angry!"

 

7749

Living Room / Re: My beloved illustrated children's story about badgers (What was the name??)

« Last post by 40hz on April 28, 2011, 06:21 PM »

Glad you found it. I know how frustrating it can be trying to remember a book title.

Re: reliving childhood memories

I wouldn't mind doing some of that myself. But the memories I'm most interested in came a bit later in my childhood. For instance, there was this one time when we were up in New Hampshire after second semester exams were over, and we were at this party where I met this girl (who was a dead ringer for Elizabeth Hurley right down to the smile and British accent!) and...um...yes...sorry...let's forget about that for the moment shall we?
 

-40hz (April 28, 2011, 06:35 AM)

I think if we were at the same party, we'd be fighting for the same girl.  Don't forget!  Relish!

-superboyac (April 28, 2011, 12:46 PM)

Absolutely. Relish indeed.

My GF also politely suggests pickles, honey, whipped cream, and any other "garnish" or fixin' you can think of while you're at it.  

-40hz (April 28, 2011, 12:51 PM)

Ha!  Freaking words...

-superboyac (April 28, 2011, 12:59 PM)

And images!

EHurley. England Prevails!

 

P.S. Wouldn't have had to compete over that one. She arrived and left with her husband. The fact she was unavailable, however, did nothing to diminish her charm. Or my enjoyment of it.

(Sometimes all you get to do is look. Which is still not a bad thing when you think about it.   )

7750

Living Room / Re: My beloved illustrated children's story about badgers (What was the name??)

« Last post by 40hz on April 28, 2011, 12:51 PM »

Glad you found it. I know how frustrating it can be trying to remember a book title.

Re: reliving childhood memories

I wouldn't mind doing some of that myself. But the memories I'm most interested in came a bit later in my childhood. For instance, there was this one time when we were up in New Hampshire after second semester exams were over, and we were at this party where I met this girl (who was a dead ringer for Elizabeth Hurley right down to the smile and British accent!) and...um...yes...sorry...let's forget about that for the moment shall we?
 

-40hz (April 28, 2011, 06:35 AM)

I think if we were at the same party, we'd be fighting for the same girl.  Don't forget!  Relish!

-superboyac (April 28, 2011, 12:46 PM)

Absolutely. Relish indeed.

My GF also politely suggests pickles, honey, whipped cream, and any other "garnish" or fixin' you can think of while you're at it.