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I don't even know what feelings strike me most about this post. I think this post draws a really sad image about the poster. I have started my computer programm

by Slikey 6y ago

I don't even know what feelings strike me most about this post. I think this post draws a really sad image about the poster. I have started my computer programming career in Minecraft, about 10 years ago and I don't know if I would have had the same motivation to do it without it's capabilities, community and problemspace. Sometimes, if you have nothing positive to say, rather say nothing.

notamy 6y ago
Oh hey, I recognise that name (: You made EffectLib, right?
- Slikey 6y ago
  Yeah, it got me hired by Hypixel. I am still sad I never had time to rewrite it and apply the things I learned in the past :(
scrollaway 6y ago
People don't understand that "fun" is an essential evolutionary tool, and playing is a form of learning. On top of that there's a nontrivial chance the person you replied to is a couch potato whose quarantine's greatest achievement was binging tiger king. I'm sure they have a lot to lecture others on how a massive educational project is wasting away the talents and gpus of society. PS: programming career started in diablo 2 and wow. Hear hear, fellow gamer-dev :)
- dkersten 6y ago
  Well, there's a difference between doing something for fun that takes some resources, versus doing something for fun that takes a huge amount of resources. I don't know how many computers or how much energy was used by this effort, so won't pass judgment on whether it was worthwhile or a waste, just that I can understand the sentiment. Also, great grandparent, at least by my reading, didn't comment negatively on Minecraft itself, so nobody is questioning the value of Minecraft, just the effort of finding the seed for the world where this image was taken.
  - scrollaway 6y ago
    > just the effort of finding the seed for the world where this image was taken "Pointless" projects flood HN; my favourite from today obviously being the Typescript in-type SQL database. You posted your fair share of them in fact, I especially love this one from your history, COBOL on COGS: http://www.coboloncogs.org/INDEX.HTM http://www.coboloncogs.org/INDEX.HTM They're pointless in a very cold, medical sense but they're obviously works that foster interest. That make people think. That spark new ideas, and who knows what will come out of that. Science and math regularly explores "pointless paths" just for the hell of it. From those pointless paths often rise critical, high-impact inventions. The same applies to software engineering. Sometimes, there is a direct line to "usefulness" (such as via creating software that may end up being directly used, or via inspiring other tools used for high-impact applications). But sometimes it's more nuanced, such as by inspiring thousands of people to pick up programming and learn new skills. One of those people might be your next John Carmack. Maybe ten. If this sort of stuff wasn't useful, we wouldn't have a concept of having fun at all. We wouldn't need it; hell we wouldn't even need to forbid it because nobody would want to have it. We'd have industrial-scale baby-breeders plopping out toddlers in factories, with robot arms stuffing them in a suit and forcing them to learn every waking hour until they're good enough to grease the gears of that very factory.
    - dkersten 6y ago
      Its not about whether its pointless, but rather whether the resources spent on it (energy expenditure of the distributed BOINC nodes used) is worthwhile. Few people argue that "pointless" projects, done for fun, aren't worthwhile. The question, if I read the original comment correctly, is that this is wasteful of resources/energy, when it could be better spent elsewhere (covid research was mentioned) or saved (to not contribute to climate change?). I don't know how much was actually used though, I didn't see it mentioned, so maybe its not enough to worry about. I'm perfectly cool with wasting a little energy for fun, we do it all the time after all. > If this sort of stuff wasn't useful, we wouldn't have a concept of having fun at all. I dunno, burning stuff can be fun, does that mean that its always good (for the environment or just the stuff being burnt)? I'm not actually against this project at all, but I do wonder what resources were spent on it.
- Slikey 6y ago
  Warcraft 3 Map Editor got me curious and Minecraft really kicked it off! I always love to hear people coming from these areas :3
  - skocznymroczny 6y ago
    Warcraft 3 map editor was such an influential tool. Warcraft 3 map editor spawned multiple new game genres. DotA map spawned MOBAs, numerous tower defense games such as Element TD spawned the Tower Defense genre and recently the autochess genre has appeared, taking many inspirations from maps such as Legion TD. There still are some popular map genres in Warcraft 3 that haven't been converted to standalone games, so there's still a lot of potential. Most notably I can think of are tag games.
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
tripzilch 6y ago
Or you know, somebody is ACTUALLY worried about the FACT that we've fucked up the planet, as a species, and that within 10-15 years we're going to experience it, and it's going to suck WAY worse than this "little" pandemic we got going right now. Just saying how your post looks in perspective, bragging that you're not sure if you could've been arsed to learn programming if it weren't for a video game ... And you just ignore it as if it wasn't said. It really saddens me, the defeatism of the younger generation. I'm just here defending that person because you called them "sad", called them out in front of everybody. Fuck you. Being worried about what is going on with the fucking world isn't sad. It's literally the most important thing we have. Minecraft literally pales in comparison. You can tell them it's off topic, but you can't just fucking call them SAD for being worried about it. Show some fucking compassion.

by Slikey 6y ago

notamy 6y ago

Oh hey, I recognise that name (: You made EffectLib, right?

Slikey 6y ago
Yeah, it got me hired by Hypixel. I am still sad I never had time to rewrite it and apply the things I learned in the past :(

scrollaway 6y ago

People don't understand that "fun" is an essential evolutionary tool, and playing is a form of learning. On top of that there's a nontrivial chance the person you replied to is a couch potato whose quarantine's greatest achievement was binging tiger king. I'm sure they have a lot to lecture others on how a massive educational project is wasting away the talents and gpus of society. PS: programming career started in diablo 2 and wow. Hear hear, fellow gamer-dev :)

dkersten 6y ago
Well, there's a difference between doing something for fun that takes some resources, versus doing something for fun that takes a huge amount of resources. I don't know how many computers or how much energy was used by this effort, so won't pass judgment on whether it was worthwhile or a waste, just that I can understand the sentiment. Also, great grandparent, at least by my reading, didn't comment negatively on Minecraft itself, so nobody is questioning the value of Minecraft, just the effort of finding the seed for the world where this image was taken.
- scrollaway 6y ago
  > just the effort of finding the seed for the world where this image was taken "Pointless" projects flood HN; my favourite from today obviously being the Typescript in-type SQL database. You posted your fair share of them in fact, I especially love this one from your history, COBOL on COGS: http://www.coboloncogs.org/INDEX.HTM http://www.coboloncogs.org/INDEX.HTM They're pointless in a very cold, medical sense but they're obviously works that foster interest. That make people think. That spark new ideas, and who knows what will come out of that. Science and math regularly explores "pointless paths" just for the hell of it. From those pointless paths often rise critical, high-impact inventions. The same applies to software engineering. Sometimes, there is a direct line to "usefulness" (such as via creating software that may end up being directly used, or via inspiring other tools used for high-impact applications). But sometimes it's more nuanced, such as by inspiring thousands of people to pick up programming and learn new skills. One of those people might be your next John Carmack. Maybe ten. If this sort of stuff wasn't useful, we wouldn't have a concept of having fun at all. We wouldn't need it; hell we wouldn't even need to forbid it because nobody would want to have it. We'd have industrial-scale baby-breeders plopping out toddlers in factories, with robot arms stuffing them in a suit and forcing them to learn every waking hour until they're good enough to grease the gears of that very factory.
  - dkersten 6y ago
    Its not about whether its pointless, but rather whether the resources spent on it (energy expenditure of the distributed BOINC nodes used) is worthwhile. Few people argue that "pointless" projects, done for fun, aren't worthwhile. The question, if I read the original comment correctly, is that this is wasteful of resources/energy, when it could be better spent elsewhere (covid research was mentioned) or saved (to not contribute to climate change?). I don't know how much was actually used though, I didn't see it mentioned, so maybe its not enough to worry about. I'm perfectly cool with wasting a little energy for fun, we do it all the time after all. > If this sort of stuff wasn't useful, we wouldn't have a concept of having fun at all. I dunno, burning stuff can be fun, does that mean that its always good (for the environment or just the stuff being burnt)? I'm not actually against this project at all, but I do wonder what resources were spent on it.
Slikey 6y ago
Warcraft 3 Map Editor got me curious and Minecraft really kicked it off! I always love to hear people coming from these areas :3
- skocznymroczny 6y ago
  Warcraft 3 map editor was such an influential tool. Warcraft 3 map editor spawned multiple new game genres. DotA map spawned MOBAs, numerous tower defense games such as Element TD spawned the Tower Defense genre and recently the autochess genre has appeared, taking many inspirations from maps such as Legion TD. There still are some popular map genres in Warcraft 3 that haven't been converted to standalone games, so there's still a lot of potential. Most notably I can think of are tag games.

deleted 6y ago

[deleted]

tripzilch 6y ago

Or you know, somebody is ACTUALLY worried about the FACT that we've fucked up the planet, as a species, and that within 10-15 years we're going to experience it, and it's going to suck WAY worse than this "little" pandemic we got going right now. Just saying how your post looks in perspective, bragging that you're not sure if you could've been arsed to learn programming if it weren't for a video game ... And you just ignore it as if it wasn't said. It really saddens me, the defeatism of the younger generation. I'm just here defending that person because you called them "sad", called them out in front of everybody. Fuck you. Being worried about what is going on with the fucking world isn't sad. It's literally the most important thing we have. Minecraft literally pales in comparison. You can tell them it's off topic, but you can't just fucking call them SAD for being worried about it. Show some fucking compassion.