Recent submissions

Comment · 7 years ago
I wouldn't call this a flying car, I would call this a quadcopter with wheels.

While the prospect of having less traffic jams is desirable, the odds of being T-boned from above or below by a distracted pilot become greater than zero.

I think we'll need Type 5-and-then-some AI pilots before any of this becomes a reality in day to day commutes.

Comment · 9 years ago
I have the same feeling using products that have "Pro", "Ultra" or something alike in their brand name. It usually means the exact opposite.

Is there a dedicated name for such looming mistrust phenomenon? (apart from common sense? :p)

Comment · 9 years ago
IMHO, it feels like just another hamfisted way to get the adoption of Windows 10 to increase. The whole point of Windows used to be that it would run on nearly every system, with most overhead being reactivating the license, now you'll actually find yourself re-installing an OS that refuses to work on a newer processor.

They're closing the gates to their pseudo-walled garden. Windows 7/8 don't have permanent revenue streams, WIndows 10 does (or will).

For all the song and dance of Windows 10 being superior, Linux seems to not care at all about what processor it runs on.

And Ubuntu does just fine.

Comment · 10 years ago
Comment · 11 years ago
Can you turn it off? I'd imagine a big project (e.g. Linux Kernel) could start to look like a Christmas tree...
Comment · 11 years ago
I wonder if it'd be possible to either blackhole all this nonsense, or to "quasar" their data servers with preset queries like "I like my privacy", "mind your own business" instead of your original query.
Comment · 11 years ago
Comment · 11 years ago
Paraphrasing from one of the comments there:

IMAX's legal counsel failed to see the big picture.

Comment · 11 years ago
I'm missing a spinning skull GIF, a permanent under construction sign and blinking pink text that scrolls incessantly.

GooGleoCities, perhaps?

Comment · 11 years ago
Don't forget that Rift also seemed to support Linux, but then decided to push that to the back of their planning. So even if it's in the list of things to do, that doesn't mean it will happen in the near future, or even at all.
Comment · 11 years ago
Is there a Ubuntu DE that implements Material Design somewhere? I'm quite fond of the style, but am not in a place where I can easily switch to Arch (from Ubuntu).
Comment · 11 years ago
I don't think Microsoft is doing it for the Open-Source spirit, as many seem to believe. They have a long history of attacking/smearing open source and displaying a "I heart Linux" slide is not sufficient to erase all the FUD and their questionable software patent licensing schemes (which are completely anti-open). They called Linux a cancer, even.

I think they're approaching this from a redundancy point of view, if person X already has Windows on his desktop (on which they have the market cornered), provide them with subsidized Windows platforms on other hardware where the monopoly is not yet in place. This then would cause the interest in other platforms to dwindle, as people would flock to what they know. Here also the EET mantra could come into play again, by offering features not available to other platforms.

They need a foothold in other hardware, most likely for the coming of Internet Of Things.

It makes business sense for them to increase their reach, but don't think that equals Microsoft being fond of Open-Source.

Comment · 11 years ago
Managing a spreadsheet does not equal programming by a long shot, and given large enough complexity, you'll run head first into VBA macros and abominable one-liners with so much different branch points that it only makes sense to its author, who could have written a program that seperated the code from the presentation instead of munging up the two.

Sure, it'd get the job done, but the successor would have to rewrite it, as it can hardly be documented, plus, from personal experience, people who are versed in Excel trying to tackle data problems at companies have come up with rather brow-raising solutions. (What's this MySQL you speak of? Does it work with Excel, too?)

Programming is not just hammering away in [language], it's deconstructing a problem into smaller, less complicated problems, to generify and abstract away common properties to allow for repetition in similar contexts. It stimulates efficiency, speeds up rote administration tasks, and allows the programmer to learn something new each time he tackles a new problem.

More so, the writing of code should enlighten a person to write readable functionality, as code is read, compiled code is executed. Using clear and descriptive terms to state the moving parts in his solution, using verbs in function names, not abbreviating unless absolutely necessary, are all tasks that should allow for a person to better state his problem domain and its intended solution.

Comment · 12 years ago
How cool! It's a nice glimpse into an otherwise hidden past, something even the developers probably never thought would see the light of day again after release. I let a giggle escape at void* _gWanky_arse_tit_fuck;

This being HN, maybe one of them can chip in about what the original binary was that was ran against it? Didn't they do a kickstarter to make a new iteration in this franchise? Or would that land them (or you) in hot legal water?

BTW: Is there a name for such software spelunking? Feels a bit like digital archeology.

Comment · 12 years ago
Thanks for that! It was a nice introduction, I have a colleague who usually made my eyes glaze over when he started about FP, but now that I have seen it in an environment that I understand and use in my day to day job, a lot of "a-ha" moments occurred in rapid succession. I also liked the humorous bits. It's all pretty self-explanatory and well put, a little Googling will fill in any gaps an interested pupil might face.

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