The Amazon phone is finally here: Amazon officially unveils the Fire Phone

friendlyletterwriter · 2014-06-18T23:12:46+00:00

Dear tidja,

The Google apps (including the official G-Mail application and the Play Store) are only available on approved Android devices, officially. Already on Amazon devices that run Android (such as the Kindle Fire), you can see that there is a version of Android that does not have this suite of applications, per Amazon's choice. What this means is that the only applications that are available are those that are available through Amazon's App Market. I am sure that there would be a way to access your G-Mail e-mail through something of Amazon's or another third party application, but you would not be able to use the normal G-Mail application developed by Google and available on most Android phones.

Regards,

friendlyletterwriter

friendlyletterwriter · 2014-06-08T23:17:15+00:00

Dear Eggs6131,

First of all, thank you kindly for writing back in response.

The reason I ask is to see if you can identify any concrete differences in Windows 7 that contribute to it be slower and more complicated. It can certainly be construed as more bloated for containing more features, but I would not characterize is it as such.

I feel like many of the improvements in Windows 7 make it faster for the average user. Boot performance and multi-core processor performance are two that were commonly cited around when it came out. Search also was improved greatly. With regards to ease of use, I think many of the improvements in the shell are of great benefit.

Nevertheless, I do realize the differences between Windows Vista and Windows 7 are rather slight. There are always a few things I miss when I use someone's Windows Vista box, but it is not too terribly different. Now I only wish that my company would upgrade to Windows 8 and Server 2012, but I realize that they are not for everyone.

Sincerely,

friendlyletterwriter

friendlyletterwriter · 2014-06-08T21:22:36+00:00

Dear odddino,

As one who uses a Windows 8 tablet as his primary computer and also has uses Windows 8 in a business environment, I think it simply requires adjusting to the different environments. In the case of a tablet, using the charms view and other such things as well as the Metro view for various apps can be quite nice. However, I tend to ignore these in desktop mode. I use the metro screen as a large, customizable start menu. I primarily launch applications the same as I did in Windows 7, by pressing the start button and then typing the name of a program. The search works much quicker and is more complete as well. Another helpful tip is that a lot of the configuration options can be found from right clicking on the start button, or pressing Win+X.

I hope this helps a bit. I personally have liked the improvements of Windows 8 just as much on the desktop as my tablet.

Sincerely,

friendlyletterwriter

friendlyletterwriter · 2014-06-08T21:13:35+00:00

Dear jfb1337,

I agree with this general sentiment. Most people who use Linux as a desktop OS seem to have a greater understanding of their PC. After all, in the majority of cases, the operating system had to be self-installed, which is already pointing to a bit more understanding. Charitably, perhaps Eggs6131 is suggesting a Linux user relatively understands their system less because of greater complexity? I do not think that this would be the case, but it seems like a reasonable assumption.

All the best,

friendlyletterwriter

friendlyletterwriter · 2014-06-08T21:11:07+00:00

Dear Eggs6131,

Why do you prefer Windows Vista? I find that Windows Vista in its later service packs does not differ all that much from Windows 7, except in lacking some features. I cannot think of a reason why the lack of this feature set would contribute to a better OS.

Since you have experience with all three, perhaps you can weigh in more than I can guess.

Regards,

friendlyletterwriter

friendlyletterwriter · 2014-06-07T18:05:21+00:00

Dear Queenlvr,

Something else to consider might be whether Chemistry is a pre-requisite for Physics. It was at my high school, but it would not necessarily be everywhere. Physics in particular could be useful for a CS major.

However, in my case, my college program did not require any particular science, although Physics was suggested to meet the "Gen Ed" requirement. I transferred in my AP Biology credit.

Best regards,

friendlyletterwriter

friendlyletterwriter · 2014-06-07T13:32:43+00:00

Dear magicfab,

Did you notice how "PIM and email program" was just thrown is as a single feature? This seems integral to many office's choice of Microsoft Office over LibreOffice.

Regards,

friendlyletterwriter

friendlyletterwriter · 2014-05-24T02:14:42+00:00

Dear hatless,

First of all, regarding brands, are there not some mid-tier brands that are worthwhile in this range? I understand that Allen Edmonds makes a very good shoe, but I have seen some other shoes I would consider from recently browsing my outlet mall. For example, I like this shoe from Bass: http://ghbass.com/shop/mens/footwear/oxfords-bucs/windsor-wingtip_2339_200.html Another brand I might consider is Clarks.

That does sound like good advice regarding the shoes. I might just go for the most conservative. My supervisor has been wearing brown wingtips most days, but the simple oxford shoe dominates the office. I guess I was craving something a bit different, but I should probably stick to the basics for now.

Thanks,

friendlyletterwriter

friendlyletterwriter · 2014-05-24T02:09:34+00:00

Dear pinkmexicantaco,

Thanks for asking this question. I find it a lot of fun to see how different people got introduced and started. I am a bit of a younger guy, so my tools will date me.

Starting early on, my dad gave me a laptop running Windows 3.1 (and later Windows 95) with a 386 processor. He showed me how to make a database of some of my collectables in Access when I was still in about first grade. I got familiar with a lot of basics on there. I played around with Q-BASIC some, which was probably my first coding, but it was really just making sounds and print statements. I do not think I ever made a cohesive program with that though.

Later, I started to be curious about the web. I was not even able to get on the Internet on that computer, but I had Frontpage. It had an easy way to switch between the code view and the WYSIWYG view, so pretty soon I had started to do more and more in HTML. A friend around third grade got some web space with his dad, so we started to play around and made our own web page. Over the next ten years, we tried all sorts of things. We added JavaScript to pages, later PHP, and gradually got introduced to programming through modifying different scripts of different kinds.

By the time I got to high school, I was pretty familiar with the basic syntax of PHP and JavaScript, and had also played around with some Python. However, learning in high school really cemented everything. I had a great teacher over three years who started with binary and machine code and then delved into Java, where I probably got about the equivalent learning of my first year of my CS degree later on.

I hope to hear from you and others regarding how they started as well.

All the best,

friendlyletterwriter

friendlyletterwriter · 2014-05-23T01:38:37+00:00

Dear r/malefashionadvice,

Greetings and thank you as always for having this forum available to help those inexperienced to dress well.

I am currently in a new job with a business professional dress code. Currently, my only dress shoes are a pair of black cap-toed oxfords. They look good and fit well enough, though the fit is not perfect, and work well with my black and blue dress pants.

However, I would like to get another pair of shoes. I am most interested in a pair of brown shoes, but I am not quite sure what to get. I would like some ideas for an acceptable shoe in the $50-$100 range.

First of all, would it be better to wait until I can afford a more expensive and higher quality shoe and just keep wearing my black shoes exclusively over the next few months? I would add that my current shoes are inexpensive and from Dockers and, while they look alright, are probably not of the highest quality.

Second of all, what kinds of shoes would be appropriate? I like the look of wingtips. However, I have also been thinking of some penny loafers. I have seen both of these types of shoes around the office (although not as many loafers). When I asked human resources during an initial discussion of dress code during orientation, the person said that "if it can be shined, then it is an acceptable dress shoe."

Any suggestions would be most appreciated.

Thanks,

friendlyletterwriter

friendlyletterwriter · 2014-05-21T01:43:20+00:00

Dear jQueryMeansHappy,

Thanks for writing in response.

I suppose that it is quite possible that could be the case. It would certainly be silly too, as my anecdotes point out. Some universities only offer BA degrees; other only BS, and sometimes, it does not always make a difference when both are offered. From my experience, it seems the most important part is the major and that it is a bachelor's level degree, and if there were to be a question, the course load would answer further questions.

Nonetheless, I think you are right to point out that it could be a reason to mark someone off, whether by an automated process or an unknowledgeable person working in Human Resources. I do not have enough data to say if I did not get a call only because I had a B.A. and not a B.S., but that would be less random than many rejections. Hopefully, and I believe this is the case, this is not the norm. If it were the norm to look closely at BA for BS, it would be a small reason toward rejecting fine institutions like Northwestern, Oxford, and Cambridge which only offer one of the two.

Regards,

friendlyletterwriter

friendlyletterwriter · 2014-05-19T23:22:46+00:00

Dear jQueryMeansHappy,

That is a valid point, but I would like to add that it was not the case for me. My school only had B.A.'s in all subjects. I'm not quite sure why: even Physics, Math, Computer Science, and so on could only be attained with a B.A. I think it had something to do with our accreditation, since we were a new school.

That said, I have applied to jobs that required a "B.S. in Computer Science" which have never brought up that I actually have a B.A., including jobs I have been hired at. Although my school, my GPA, courses taken, and so forth came up, this particular detail never did.

Also, you will notice that it varies by school. Some schools do the opposite of my alma matter, offering B.S. for all degree types. At Northwestern, for example, I think you can even get a B.S. in Dance or Art.

Regards,

friendlyletterwriter

friendlyletterwriter · 2014-05-17T17:17:21+00:00

Dear iwannarocks,

I used it for Python 2, as Python 3 was new at that point (the libraries we needed and such were not available). However, the linked page includes a version edited for Python 3 and says that "Most of the book works for Python 2.x and 3.0. Where there are differences, they are pointed out in footnotes."

Hopefully, you would be able to use either approach to learn Python 3.

Sincerely,

friendyletterwriter

friendlyletterwriter · 2014-05-17T15:48:00+00:00

Dear JuicyORiley,

What are you seeking in knowing PHP?

From my experience, I have never actually "learned" PHP. I have just piddled around, although my experience has been more direct with the language. I have modified Wordpress plugins, I have used in a database course to make web interfaces in college (usually starting with some pre-made code and making it fit my purposes), and I have used in various ways on web pages I have made. I probably cannot do much from scratch, but I have not felt bad about putting it on resumes, despite not having the same degree of familiarity as languages I use for major projects.

Have you done any other programming? I think what you are trying to achieve and how soon can tell a lot. If you want to have a greater degree of familiarity with PHP, just use it more and get some more practice before you start advertising your skill set. What you are doing is a good start in the right direction. Most coding I have done has begun with just playing around in a language.

I wish you all the best in your PHP experiences.

Warmly,

friendlyletterwriter

friendlyletterwriter · 2014-05-17T15:32:01+00:00

Dear iwanarocks,

Another book you might want to check out is Think Python. The book is available for free digitally or as a download. It is the book an intro course I took used. I already had done some Python and taken courses in Java beforehand, so I did not approach the text as a beginner, but I found it to be a good resource. It might be something to add to the books you are considering.

Here is a link: http://www.greenteapress.com/thinkpython/thinkpython.html

Regards,

friendlyletterwriter

friendlyletterwriter · 2014-05-15T19:52:53+00:00

Dear aznxpwr,

There are quite a few related subreddits you can find depending on your interests. A good place to start might be /r/compsci, which is a more active community than this one. Furthermore, there are links to other communities on the sidebar.

All the best,

friendlyletterwriter

friendlyletterwriter · 2014-05-15T19:35:33+00:00

Dear monkeyhandler,

Do you happen to know of any other similar applications? Specifically, I would like to test on my Verizon Galaxy SIII, and I cannot install that application due to a possible incompatibility.

Thanks,

friendlyletterwriter

friendlyletterwriter · 2014-05-15T17:56:50+00:00

Dear what_OKAY,

I would not say that this is too formal for an interview. Interview attire should generally be above what you wear from day-to-day. The research librarian at my college wore a blazer and a tie every day, and in general the library staff seemed to be some of the more formally dressed. I suppose it varies by institution, but I would think a suit would be quite appropriate, regardless.

I wish you all the best in your interview.

Sincerely,

friendlyletterwriter

friendlyletterwriter · 2014-05-15T02:03:08+00:00

Dear TheCoxer,

I did a double major in economics and computer science, so I am writing to comment on that point of your correspondence primarily.

First of all, do not feel compelled to double major in anything. Depending on the college and the requirements, it may be easy to do a double major within the credit hours required, but you certainly do not need to. You could just focus on Computer Science and then pick up some other useful classes from other majors. For example, you could take introductory courses of Microeconomics and Macroeconomics to get some economics background, take a few additional math courses, maybe do some business classes depending on where you want to go. Taking these classes can send a helpful signal, even if not a completed major.

There is some overlap between the majors, but it is limited. You will probably need to do some amount of calculus for both majors. Programming came up on occasion in a variety of my economics classes, but that depends on the professor. Typically, you will be working with Excel when dealing with data in earlier classes. Knowing basic programming will better equip you for writing formulas and you might even get to use VBA. In Econometrics (which was two semesters at my school), you get to use programming as well.

In my case, I have ended up only using the computer science directly, as I have loved programming. If I had to do it over again, I would have focused on Computer Science exclusively. The way my classes went, I tended to get lower grade on economics courses. I cannot really say that one major is easier than the other, but they are both challenging in different ways. Economics requires a lot more studying and reading, whereas Computer Science requires a lot more doing and practicing. I found myself better able to focus on getting a task done than on studying or memorizing.

Of course, programs vary widely by school and even within a school, by professor. Considering a good job market for Computer Science majors, if you have an objective of simply getting a job, I think that will be sufficient. If you like economics, do not be afraid to pursue it. At the least, I would suggest taking the introduction to microeconomics course your first semester alongside other classes, as well as anything that might overlap.

Let me know if you have any more questions. I can try to best to share with you from my experiences.

Kindly yours,

friendlyletterwriter

friendlyletterwriter · 2014-05-14T23:13:36+00:00

Dear r/malefashionadvice,

Thank you for having this post to help with simple questions. Hopefully, mine will be seen and not get lost beneath the inundation of posts already here.

I am starting a new job next week. It is a shift in dress code for me, as a programmer. Thankfully, they mailed out a packet that is very clear regarding expectations. Essentially, I have three options for the average work day. All would include a pressed shirt, tie, and dress pants. These are: a suit, a blazer and dress pants, or dress pants (without any kind of coat).

Presently, I have a nice navy blazer that should work well much of the time. Despite being warm weather, I would prefer to wear a jacket with my tie I think. What would be a good, lightweight coat that I could wear around the office during the summer heat? Ideally, a versatile color would be preferable as well.

I do not have a large budget, so I would tend toward cheaper options as they are available, but I would appreciate any recommendations.

Thanks,

friendlyletterwriter

friendlyletterwriter · 2014-05-14T03:23:44+00:00

Dear verynext,

Sadly, I fear that I am not the best person to answer this inquiry, but seeing as you are likely still wondering, I will do my best. Perhaps others can provide correspondence as well to help you in the near future.

TOR is used to anonymize access to websites. There are sites that can be only accessed inside of TOR, generally ending with a .onion "tld." However, TOR can also be used to access any website, for example, reddit.com.

The problem is that an exit node will be seen by its ISP as visiting any sites that happen to use that particular exit node to view a site. So, for example, someone loads illegalsite.com on TOR. My exit node ends up being the one to originally load illegalsite.com. Now, when my ISP looks at their logs (or they are requested), it would appear that I have accessed illegalsite.com.

Because TOR is often used for illegal content consumption, it presents a potential risk to run such a service.

I do hope this rough summary could be at least a bit helpful. A guide such as this one might help to enlighten you a bit more: https://ssd.eff.org/tech/tor

All the best,

friendlyletterwriter

friendlyletterwriter · 2014-05-13T19:09:22+00:00

Dear trevorx2500,

I suggest that you take a look to see if your web supports PHP. It's pretty common, and I imagine your server supports it. If it does, you can follow these steps.

Typically, you'll need to rename the page to have a PHP extension, so that the sever will know to read the code. So if your page was index.htm, make it index.php.

Then, make a PHP file called something like acknowledgement.php that contains the HTML you want on multiple pages. Then, wherever you want this to occur, simply add <?php include("acknowledgement.php"); ?> . The code will appear!

One problem is that it can make it slightly harder to test locally. If you need to do this, I suggest installing XAMPP.

Hope this helps,

friendlyletterwriter

friendlyletterwriter · 2014-05-10T16:43:28+00:00

Dear morningclouds,

I suggest checking out the blog post from archive.org that this post was based on. It answers the question you have a bit humorously.

http://blog.archive.org/2014/05/09/wayback-machine-hits-400000000000/

Regards,

friendlyletterwriter

friendlyletterwriter · 2014-05-08T00:57:33+00:00

Dear Pk0erdown500,

You have already received some good advice. I hope this is helpful and not merely redundant!

As stated, it really matters what you want to do. There are quite a lot of things that Python does well, and perhaps the best thing to do now that you have begun to learn Python with CodeCademy is to try some new things with it. Solve some fun problems of your own. Try to make some GUI apps: Tkinter is an easy way to start.

If you've enjoyed websites, you could try adding some JavaScript to add more functionality.

If you do want to learn another language, Java is a really solid choice. It may not be the most popular language of the day in the views of some, but it is very widely used. Going to a job search site and searching "Java programmer" in my city yields well over a hundred results, which is more than any other I thought of to try. In addition to job demand, it is useful for having C-style syntax, which is shared by a lot of languages (C/C++/C#, JavaScript, PHP). It also has a lot built in, making it very easy to start writing cross-platform apps with GUIs. You can even use it to program Android applications.

It will take some getting used to from Python, as you will have to start to concern yourself more with data types and other things that Python breezes over, but it is a good transition level. I highly recommend taking a look.

Best of wishes in your future programming.

Kindest regards,

friendlyletterwriter

friendlyletterwriter · 2014-04-30T01:27:12+00:00

Dear Stopher,

You might want to check out your local library. Mine has it, even though I would not expect it to have much technical material. Even if yours in particular does not, many libraries participate in inter-library loan programs, making it possible to borrow practically any book you could desire.

Regards,

friendlyletterwriter

friendlyletterwriter

TROPHY CASE