gregjor

34 ms·

421.
by gregjor 2y ago
So, same as today? We call it teaching to the test.
422.
by gregjor 2y ago
Glad to have a useful exchange on HN. The difference between C and Python comes down to layers of abstraction and conveniences for the programmer. Those abstractions and conveniences come at a cost measured in performance, another way to sa
423.
by gregjor 2y ago
> I think C is more difficult that it should be I think if you view C as a cross-platform macro assembler it makes more sense. You can read the origin story of the C language. The main author or inventor of C, Dennis Ritchie, intended to
424.
by gregjor 2y ago
Both of those sites work fine for me on an iPad, in both portrait and landscape mode. iOS/iPadOS let you choose to view the desktop site (the browser lies about the user agent), but even in mobile mode those sites work fine. I rarely e
425.
by gregjor 2y ago
I have freelanced for about 15 years, programming and system admin for US companies. The author describes a kind of freelancing I usually call piecework . That means finding and bidding on small jobs constantly, often on race-to-the-bottom
426.
by gregjor 2y ago
I use a tablet full time and have not seen this. What large news sites? Usually web sites hide some elements in a menu widget on narrow displays. The functionality is all there but presented for the display width. Look for the “hamburger” m
427.
by gregjor 2y ago
If you mean to gather data points, no. Never even looked at the job postings on HN. If you mean to fish for a job, try posting in the relevant weekly thread.
428.
by gregjor 2y ago
Other commenters gave excellent and actionable answers to your question. I want to quibble about your reaction to C. > I do not enjoy working with C at all. Its esoteric and difficult to understand, and just overall feels like I'm u
429.
by gregjor 2y ago
"Acceptable" depends on the team and organization norms and processes, not on the pull request. Reading your post I thought about how often programmers talk about code "readability" and "maintainability," how w
430.
by gregjor 2y ago
Read books by C.J. "Chris" Date and Joe Celko.
431.
by gregjor 2y ago
The value of software never came from code or the means to produce it. The value always comes from solving problems, increasing efficiency, reducing costs. That happens mainly by gathering and clarifying requirements and setting priorities.
432.
by gregjor 2y ago
I get that. But C++ — and almost every popular programming language — did not come from a community or group of people making decisions. C++ originally came from one person. So did Python, Javascript, PHP, Ruby, and most others. There was n
433.
by gregjor 2y ago
Curious what "community" of programming language designers/implementers the author refers to. People who work on languages at universities and attend academic conferences? To my knowledge no popular language came out of that
434.
by gregjor 2y ago
Far more legacy code out there than green fields projects. All of that RoR code represents a lot of opportunity. And companies still write new code with Rails. Rails heavily influenced other frameworks such as Laravel and Django so concepts
435.
by gregjor 2y ago
iPad Pro 13 inch. High-res and bright screen means my old eyes can read code at normal type size. I did have an external monitor for a while but sold it, the single screen works for me.
436.
by gregjor 2y ago
The older I get (early sixties) the more aware I feel of how little time I have left. But I value my time more and try to use it for things I care about. I also feel less worried about “wasting time” because I let go of the desire to optimi
437.
by gregjor 2y ago
The 2005 Federal Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act broadly protects firearm manufacturers from liability. It does not prevent settlements as in the Sandy Hook/Remington case. It does not prevent civil suits or suits in state co
438.
by gregjor 2y ago
Just what we need. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41922346
439.
by gregjor 2y ago
Can sue Character.AI but not the gun manufacturer, or whomever let a 14-year-old boy get hold of a handgun. I wonder if the AI companies can argue in court that AIs don't kill people.
440.
by gregjor 2y ago
Congratulations to WaPo for making a completely unusable web site. At least the Swarkowski ad displays. https://archive.is/8k42x
441.
by gregjor 2y ago
Sometimes you can't win. I worked on a site that had what I call a punitive UI -- buttons and links that would throw up a modal alert telling users they shouldn't have clicked on that. When I started changing the UI so users didn&
442.
by gregjor 2y ago
> But people won't know where to click? > It's not 1995. I agree in principle with the article. But I have spent time reading help desk tickets so I know that average users often don't know where to click unless you pus
443.
by gregjor 2y ago
“Wrong” depends on an ethical or legal framework. Your employer gave you a computer set up for work. Presumably they expect you to use it for work. You can always ask your employer, they will probably have a more definitive answer than you
444.
by gregjor 2y ago
Question belongs on StackOverflow, or more likely in a school study group. Choose a better data structure. Don't write your own sort function. Use the features of the language and standard library. Your code is about 3x longer than nec
445.
by gregjor 2y ago
The problems you describe only involve "tech" as the vehicle for the scam. The scams can and do just as easily happen in person or over the phone. You can talk to the bank and ask if they can prevent or limit purchases of crypto a
446.
by gregjor 2y ago
One of the most common reasons floated for so few women in IT/software jobs amounts to the same thing: women don’t want to work in the “bro culture” or deal with “toxic masculinity.” I don’t have any evidence for that, just my own care
447.
by gregjor 2y ago
Wow, a very long rationalization. No one “is” an engineer. People use that title to communicate something, and the title may or may not accurately describe their skills or the work they do. One thing the article makes clear: the title “engi
448.
by gregjor 2y ago
The guild system lives on in a way in the skilled trades. An electrician or plumber goes through specific career stages. My son apprenticed learning how to make beer. It also lives on in the military. I think programming would benefit from
449.
by gregjor 2y ago
You see that kind of thing a lot with contract programming firms -- they give all of their programmers fancy titles because it makes them look better to potential clients: "We only have senior software engineers available to work on yo
450.
by gregjor 2y ago
Engineers get degrees in engineering, have to pass tests to work in their field, and get required ongoing education to stay current. Not every engineer but in general the title "engineer" connotes a minimum amount of education, cr

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