TimJYoung

22 ms·

61.
by TimJYoung 8y ago
Great post. My wife and I have conversations about this all of the time, especially the FB vs. good 'ole web forums discussion. I think the issue with centralized communication tools is that we haven't figured out the "shame
62.
by TimJYoung 8y ago
I think one of the big mistakes that we make is to assume that our current/future was destined to be what it is, and that an alternative, any alternative, did not take place because it was "less efficient", "not as g
63.
by TimJYoung 8y ago
You forgot the third: those that alternate between the two...
64.
by TimJYoung 8y ago
I did a presentation at our local software meetup on this topic a month ago, and wow, I could have really used this. It's way clearer and more organized than my muddled slides.. :-) Very nice work !
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by TimJYoung 8y ago
Most compilers that produce native, static binaries for a platform also use static type systems that can be used to determine exactly where and how any given piece of code is used, including libraries. Also, if one can't get their i
66.
by TimJYoung 8y ago
Windows has C-style, shared libraries just like Linux - DLLs. The entire Win32 API that is the backbone of Windows is implemented in system DLLs. Every compiler that produces native binaries for Windows links with these DLLs (C, C++, Go, F
67.
by TimJYoung 8y ago
Thanks for the thoughtful comments, they are very much appreciated. The thing that a lot of Linux developers don't seem to get about Windows is that its binary distribution model is an opportunity/productivity multiplier, and it a
68.
by TimJYoung 8y ago
"Also, even supposing downloading from your website is the only alternative you give me, to do that securely, you'll have to use HTTPS, you'll have to sign your binaries with a public key I trust, you'll have to provide
69.
by TimJYoung 8y ago
"If by real you mean the kind of proprietary {ad,spy,toolbar}-ware encrusted "real" desktop software that Windows has become notorious for then I think we may be better off without it." You're ignoring a huge amount
70.
by TimJYoung 8y ago
I only know about Python from what I've read and tinkered with, but IMO, Python = FoxPro (look it up): it is fairly easy to learn, immensely useful and you can do lots of cool things with it, but it a) relies very heavily on C or exter
71.
by TimJYoung 8y ago
Yes, but these are two sides of the same coin: being able to inject code dynamically in a way that cannot be statically checked at compilation time results in code that will cause runtime errors if there are issues (even basic issues). A
72.
by TimJYoung 8y ago
The page file in Windows can grow and the max size, I believe, is 3 times the amount of physical memory in the machine. So, if you're trying to commit more than [Physical Memory x 4] bytes, then yes, it will fail. But, more than lik
73.
by TimJYoung 8y ago
I'm not sure what you mean by "system" here, but if the OS does it then the architecture is probably not cooperative, but rather preemptive. On the other hand, if the runtime (such as the Go runtime) causes a context switc
74.
by TimJYoung 8y ago
Very good summary. I would only add that it pays to mention that thread/fiber stacks typically only reserve 1-2MB of VM, and only a small amount is committed initially (1 to 2 pages). With 32-bit address spaces, this is a minor dis
75.
by TimJYoung 8y ago
If the "string" b"file" does not mean the ASCII string "file", but rather is supposed to be interpreted as a byte array (equivalent to just bytes in memory with no context of the individual array members being
76.
by TimJYoung 8y ago
<< The string "foo" has no file, not in the past, present, or reasonably-predictable future. Ditto for the literal bytes. >> Is Python not parsing/compiling the source file ? Does the "foo" string con
77.
by TimJYoung 8y ago
That's not my point, and I think that you know that.
78.
by TimJYoung 8y ago
So true. I clicked on the link thinking that it had something to do with Amazon deliveries at campgrounds/RV parks for people on vacation, only to find out that my default level of cynicism is woefully inadequate.
79.
by TimJYoung 8y ago
As I said, Delphi/FreePascal have been handling this for years without issue, so "not possible" sounds like you're giving up a little too early. The encoding of a string is not the same thing as its type, and shouldn&#x
80.
by TimJYoung 8y ago
This is very true. I created something like this for our database engine, ElevateDB, in 2011 or so. It divides up the bitmap space for a signed, 32-bit integer (our engines are embedded and have a limit of High(Int) on the number of rows)
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by TimJYoung 8y ago
Sure, but you can have defined rules about what happens when you compare values with disparate encodings, similarly to how you have to have rules about how column expressions are compared in SQL with regard to their collations. The way such
82.
by TimJYoung 8y ago
I think what you're describing is already present as of SQL 2003 in the form of multisets: http://farrago.sourceforge.net/design/CollectionTypes.html However, good luck finding a database engine that necessarily s
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by TimJYoung 8y ago
Getting Unicode right, especially with various file systems and cross-platform implementations is hard, for sure. But, I think this quote: "And, whatever you do, don’t accidentally write if filetype == "file" — that will sil
84.
by TimJYoung 8y ago
The schema aspects of this idea are hard for me to grasp. How would the database engine efficiently resolve any references to the embedded relation ? I'm also having trouble understanding how your INSERT statement would even work - is
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by TimJYoung 8y ago
Yeah, I can't remember the exact numbers being thrown around at the time, but it was in the many trillions of dollars of derivatives that had been created. If you replace the word "derivatives" with "bets", you get
86.
by TimJYoung 8y ago
Is it not possible that this is unique to the Bay area and SV and not representative at all of the tech industry, in general ? Whenever there's a "gold rush" mentality around anything, you're going to get more than your
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by TimJYoung 8y ago
Two words: moral hazard: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moral_hazard It's the perfectly normal result of adding so many "safety nets" to life that young adults correctly ascertain that they can literally
88.
by TimJYoung 8y ago
Libraries solve that need, so if there's a way to help fund that type of initiative, especially if it already exists, we should all promote it aggressively.
89.
by TimJYoung 8y ago
It's still that way with Object Pascal (Lazarus/FreePascal and Delphi). You can do all of the things mentioned in the blog post without the compiler screwing you by trying to interpret what you're doing with the pointer arit
90.
by TimJYoung 8y ago
This is such a great insight, and is one that I came across later in life. Once you realize how little friends/acquaintances care about the minute details of your life, it is very, very freeing.

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