kbob

41 ms·

391.
by kbob 17y ago
The best thing about Linux is its rate of improvement. Linux in January 2010 is much nicer than a year ago and barely recognizable from, say, Linux 2003, the year when Windows XP launched. Windows and Mac OS are much slower to innovate.
392.
by kbob 17y ago
Codility people, if you're reading, here's a bug report. The test window's layout is fubar if you use a small window size. I was using 800x600 and the language selection buttons were hidden behind the source code text box. Something (coul
393.
by kbob 17y ago
I've been a TDH zealot, as you put it, since 1986. It's amazing how hard it is to evaluate coding ability in an interview without it. I readily concede that coding ability isn't the only thing a dev needs, but it is absolutely required for
394.
by kbob 17y ago
Mailman. http://www.gnu.org/software/mailman/
395.
by kbob 17y ago
Just about every time I've seen ESPN HD (in restaurants and bars), it's used the extra resolution to upconvert a standard definition signal and bookend it with two huge "ESPN HD" logos. Is there any reason to think they can do better with E
396.
by kbob 17y ago
I loved A Supposedly Fun Thing, but my wife hated it. Maybe that was my fault for suggesting she read it on the cruise ship. (-:
397.
by kbob 17y ago
It would be great if you had more info about compatible GPS units. Are there specific brands/models that work? Are there keywords to look for (any XYZ protocol-compatible GPS)? I saw mention of the Garmin 605 and 705 in the FAQ, but are t
398.
by kbob 17y ago
Easiest thing would be to set up phpBB or similar forum software, then recruit a few neighbors to moderate. There is no point in applying more technology -- all the value will come from the users (if you can get them).
399.
by kbob 17y ago
"one of the very few architecturally daring private homes in Manhattan". Are Manhattanites really so conformist?
400.
by kbob 17y ago
Oldest mistake in the book: since the adversaries dress differently, speak a different language, and are a different race, assume they must be idiots. The WSJ reporter fell into the same trap: Iraqis and Afghans couldn't have figured out ho
401.
by kbob 17y ago
More non-tech on HN: No, for the same reasons others have said. That's what I'm here for. In fact, since I'm not planning to found a company, I'm more interested in the technical articles than the business stories (though I read both). Mo
402.
by kbob 17y ago
The text on this page is garbled. Here's an ungarbled copy (PDF). http://software-lab.de/radical.pdf
403.
by kbob 17y ago
Gold is dense.
404.
by kbob 17y ago
1000000! took me about an hour to calculate on a supercomputer in 1988. It's roughly 5 million decimal digits.
405.
by kbob 17y ago
Wow, Stephenson's writing style has changed drastically in the last 16 years. "... where demographics, entertainment, consumption habits, and credit history all intersect to define a weird imaginary universe that is every bit as twisted and
406.
by kbob 17y ago
I don't get it. I really don't. The total power budget for one of these satellites is 6 watts. And it's going to replace a ground-based server that consumes 200-1000 watts. How can a 6-watt server be an effective replacement for a 200-wa
407.
by kbob 17y ago
"Welcome to StartupCo. Here, take my old laptop. You can use this until you get your own system. Your budget is $2,000 and that includes any software licenses you'll need this quarter. Go online and order your new system and after that
408.
by kbob 17y ago
I did that last year. It was absolutely awesome fun. I already knew 90% of how it works, but hadn't connected the dots myself before.
409.
by kbob 17y ago
Or they could hire a boy to carry water with a bucket.
410.
by kbob 17y ago
Here's a physics paper that analyzes that question. It's a joke paper, but the conclusion is valid (subject to various simplifying assumptions). Their conclusion is that if a computation takes over 30 months to complete, you're better off
411.
by kbob 17y ago
Furthermore, biological evolution experiments with immense population sizes in parallel. At the low extreme, there are about 10 to the 10th humans in the current generation. At the high extreme, there are (very approximately) 10 to the 20
412.
by kbob 17y ago
Scheme 9 from Empty Space is both a small Scheme implementation and a book describing the source code. I read 60% of the book this summer, and wasn't disappointed. Written in portable C, it implements bignums, garbage collection, (nonhygien
413.
by kbob 17y ago
Don't miss the book link. I read this book in August, and it was the best explanation I've seen yet of how Scheme really works. http://www.t3x.org/nmh/books2.html
414.
by kbob 17y ago
Xterm. It's been there for me since 1988, and I'm certain it'll be there right up until the eschaton in 2038. It's installed on every X11 system and it's always compatible. (It has antialiased fonts, too.)
415.
by kbob 18y ago
Four chicks at once.