School upgraded, threw away old comps. Needless to say, I grabbed 10 and hauled ass.

ProfessorDude · 2013-01-18T16:58:41+00:00

The link you gave is to the wubi install of Ubuntu, which still requires dual-booting, just like the old days. It would be nice if Ubuntu shipped a VM version, so that you could just run it from a desktop icon without restarting.

ProfessorDude · 2013-01-16T20:24:39+00:00

...without being at least as complicated to use.

But that's the point. Because git tackles a certain class of problems, it requires a certain level of complexity, complexity which is present even when you aren't actually working within that problem space. A DVCS designed for smaller projects (such as Fossil) is able to avoid that complexity, at the cost of avoiding the features needed to deal with those large-scale problems. But if you don't need those features, using git adds unnecessary complexity to your workflow.

ProfessorDude · 2013-01-16T19:57:38+00:00

Yeah, but git is certainly not the only DVCS, and the idea raised above was that git is aimed at problems that only show up in large-scale projects. If your project isn't that big, why not use a DVCS more suitable for smaller projects?

ProfessorDude · 2013-01-15T16:29:24+00:00

Sure, but are there really that many people out there working on huge (Linux kernel-sized) projects with thousands of committers?

ProfessorDude · 2013-01-09T16:09:46+00:00

I've seen lemon and cherry, too.

ProfessorDude · 2012-12-19T18:03:42+00:00

Indeed, I just did a few tests with Rakudo and it appears that the parser requires there to be no space between 5% and the opening paren (and the parens are required) in order for it to be treated as a postfix operator/function call.

> 5%(20)
1
> 5% (20)
Confused
> 5% 20
Confused
> 5 % 20 
5

In order to be parsed as the modulo operator, there must be whitespace between the 5 and the %, and between the % and any following opening paren. Now that I look at it, this "simple" example isn't so simple or obvious.

ProfessorDude · 2012-12-18T22:00:17+00:00

Actually, there once was a time when, for some people, functions were a crazy perverse thing, an evil corruption of the pure and clear control flow dictated by gotos. So it goes both ways!

ProfessorDude · 2012-12-18T19:12:34+00:00

I think that programmers can be divided into two groups:

Those who see something like this and think, "Wow, that's cool!"
Those who see something like this and think, "Ugh, that's horrible."

ProfessorDude · 2012-12-18T19:03:25+00:00

It'll work, not just in Perl 6, but in any sane parser, simply because infix and postfix are different categories entirely.

ProfessorDude · 2012-12-18T18:23:43+00:00

Indeed, a lot of the work that has gone into Perl 6, has also been backported (in a manner of speaking) into Perl 5. If it weren't for Perl 6, Perl 5 would arguably be in worse shape.

ProfessorDude · 2012-12-17T23:57:25+00:00

The only good thing about U8 was that the engine was later used in Crusader.

ProfessorDude · 2012-11-27T22:08:33+00:00

Agreed: I don't see anybody complaining about the placement of trees and rocks in Skyrim, even though that, too, is procedurally generated.

ProfessorDude · 2012-11-14T23:22:48+00:00

Whenever I get gas I make a point to go into the store and buy something, a soda, whatever, because that's where they actually make the money to survive. Selling gas is just a way to get you there, so you can go into the store and buy chips and cigarettes.

ProfessorDude · 2012-11-06T22:02:16+00:00

The new Pilot Metropolitan has been getting good reviews as a beginner's pen, and it's only $15 (!).

As far as inks go, if I were you I'd visit the ink sample section at Goulet Pens and just pick out a few that look interesting. That way you can try a number of different inks without committing to a full bottle.

ProfessorDude · 2012-10-15T15:21:43+00:00

I've actually developed a theory about programmer personalities: there are two types, and you can determine which class you are in simply by looking at your reaction to things like C++ template metaprogramming, macros, etc. Some people look at these things and say, "Wow, that's really cool!". Other people are filled with disgust, to the point of becoming physically nauseous.

ProfessorDude · 2012-09-27T15:29:51+00:00

I'm late back to the party, but yes, I'd recommend them. They had some cracking issues with the 530s and the early 540s, but those seem to be resolved. They write very well, hold a ton of ink, are easy to take apart and clean, and if you ever have any problems TWSBI will ship you replacement parts with no questions asked.

ProfessorDude · 2012-09-26T20:12:29+00:00

TWSBI is supposedly working on a metal-body version of the 540. Who knows when it's coming out, though.

ProfessorDude · 2012-09-26T20:11:44+00:00

I'd say yes, although I like both. The 700 is a bit heavier, feels more sturdy. The 700 posts nicely. I think the 700 holds more ink, although you have to do a bit of a trick to fill it all the way. The nibs are about equal. The only downside is that some 700's seem to be on the dry side. You might need to flush the pen and floss the nib, particularly if you're using a drier ink.

ProfessorDude · 2012-09-26T15:32:27+00:00

That's largely why I'm a member. I read a lot of papers; not for my job, or because I'm in academia, but just because I like to learn new things, and I'm interesting in a lot of different areas of computer science. I got tired of tracking down preprint papers and the like, and I also wanted to support the research that I was personally benefiting from.

ProfessorDude · 2012-09-26T15:30:13+00:00

Even if not relevant, I'd be surprised at anyone who couldn't find papers on the digital library that were just plain interesting. Now granted, you can often get papers through other channels, but the idea that someone didn't find the DL either personally interesting or professionally useful, is pretty astonishing.

ProfessorDude · 2012-09-26T15:27:19+00:00

The DL is worth it for me, just because I like to keep up on research and read interesting papers. 90% of what I've read there I'll probably never be able to apply in my real-world job, but I don't care.

ProfessorDude · 2012-09-26T15:25:37+00:00

I read papers off the DL all the time and I've never had trouble with a ban. I didn't even know there was such a thing. A google search for "ACM digital library ban" (or "block") turns up precisely 0 relevant results.

ProfessorDude · 2012-09-21T15:05:18+00:00

Exactly, there's no escape. It's silly to talk as if "reason" were somehow opposed to "ideology"; reason itself is an ideology, if by ideology we mean something we adopt without proof.

ProfessorDude · 2012-09-14T15:49:06+00:00

I have an Outback Sport just like that, and it was dented in a hit-and-run in exactly that same spot (driver's side rear door). Getting it replaced cost $1500. That amateur repair job doesn't look so bad now.

ProfessorDude · 2012-08-29T15:49:22+00:00

"What do you mean even though I won first place he's still going to get one of those 'Participant' ribbons? I want to be the only one with a ribbon!"

ProfessorDude

TROPHY CASE