linguae

32 ms·

391.
by linguae 2y ago
As a semi-functioning adult, I am sympathetic to the argument that the term “enshittification,” while accurate, is also too vulgar of a term in some settings. It’s one thing to use it on Hacker News, but I personally wouldn’t use this term
392.
by linguae 2y ago
Exactly. The reason why I'm a fan of the BSDs in general is because of the cohesion of the base system, not to mention the high quality of its documentation and source code. I tend to prefer cleaner, cohesive systems that seem "
393.
by linguae 2y ago
I’ve been using FreeBSD occasionally for about 20 years. I like FreeBSD; it’s a no-nonsense operating system with excellent documentation and high-quality source code. There is a question that affects all of the BSDs: what does it mean to
394.
by linguae 2y ago
Yes, this is exactly what I’m interested in, and building malleable systems is exactly why I’m interested in Lisp- and Smalltalk-style systems where metaprogramming and component-based design are infrastructure for enabling malleable softwa
395.
by linguae 2y ago
This is excellent news, and also quite timely! I am working on a side project where I want to build an exokernel, and recently (earlier this week, in fact) I decided to use Pre-Scheme as a base for implementing this exokernel and other low
396.
by linguae 2y ago
Activation, introduced in Windows XP, is the main reason why I consider Windows 2000 the high water mark of Windows. The Windows NT lineup was truly no nonsense, no fuss. Unfortunately the merger of consumer-focused Windows (which used to
397.
by linguae 2y ago
Even in Silicon Valley, not all large employers pay FAANG rates. In general, older, “enterprisey” companies (think HP, IBM, Cisco, and Intel, to name a few) pay considerably less than FAANG and its peers, which tend to be younger and sell
398.
by linguae 2y ago
Oh, definitely. One of the worst commutes in Northern California is the Altamont Pass, which Interstate 580 traverses. As early as 4:30am there is a long line of cars filled with commuters who live in more affordable Central Valley places
399.
by linguae 2y ago
There are ways people without FAANG-level salaries are able to afford San Francisco: 1. Purchasing when market prices were lower, or inheriting a home. San Francisco has been expensive for decades, but it didn’t always require FAANG-level
400.
by linguae 2y ago
Python is not my favorite programming language, but back in 2006 Python felt like a breath of fresh air for writing short programs. I felt more productive in Python than in C, C++, or Java, which were the other languages I knew at the time
401.
by linguae 2y ago
While I lament the decline of Bell Labs and unfettered research in general (unfettered research labs need protection from market forces that only a monopoly, government, academia, or the very wealthy can provide), I also believe that the br
402.
by linguae 2y ago
You are right; there are still many good people and companies in Silicon Valley. Unfortunately the Philip Morrises of Silicon Valley have outsized influence since they control major social media platforms, Web infrastructure and standards,
403.
by linguae 2y ago
Exactly. Silicon Valley used to be countercultural, an alternative to Corporate America. Yes, there was always a money-making emphasis, and there’s a long history of less-than-ethical practices, but this was countered by many positive a
404.
by linguae 2y ago
Counterpoint: Some other “worse” would have probably taken over. We’ve seen this in the personal computing market, where MS-DOS (later Windows) and the x86 won out against competing operating systems and ISAs not because of technical super
405.
by linguae 2y ago
Keep in mind that this essay was written in the early 1990s. Today there are many programming languages available that offer features that are unavailable in C but have long been available in Lisp. This was not the case in the 1980s durin
406.
by linguae 2y ago
I've never used Genera; I was born in 1989 and thus was too young to experience Lisp machines. However, I've read a lot about them over the years, and I wish we had a modern analogue. I think the closest thing we have to Genera
407.
by linguae 2y ago
I sympathize, but unfortunately Tim Cook's stewardship of the Mac, from the embrace of soldered RAM and even storage throughout the Mac lineup, to the increasing annoyances of macOS either in the name of security (e.g., notarization, t
408.
by linguae 2y ago
In some areas many people are generally priced out of owning single-family houses or townhouses, leaving condos as their only available ownership option. Yes, I’m concerned about high HOA dues and special assessments, which is why I’m hesi
409.
by linguae 2y ago
As a long-time (20 year) fan and occasional user of FreeBSD, this is welcome news. FreeBSD is a solid operating system, and it’s great to see more investment made in hardware support.
410.
by linguae 2y ago
Typically when a person is hired for a tenure-track professorship at a university, that person doesn’t immediately start out with tenure, which is a status that means the professor cannot be fired without cause. Rather, most professors sta
411.
by linguae 2y ago
Even closer to the OP, there was a branch of AI in the 1990s known as genetic programming that literally applied the concept of natural selection to solving certain types of problems: https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262527910&#
412.
by linguae 2y ago
Yup; this is common at research universities, where professors’ tenure evaluations are largely based on research accomplishments and fundraising. I’ve had many friends tell me that they had better experiences with community college profess
413.
by linguae 2y ago
It is great that we have solid FOSS implementations of Common Lisp. I am partial to SBCL, which is derived from CMUCL, and I also like Armed Bear Common Lisp in situations where I want to use the Java virtual machine. I’m also glad that L
414.
by linguae 2y ago
I wish we had a FOSS clone of Symbolics Genera back in the 1990s when workstations were powerful enough to be able to run environments in high-level, garbage-collected languages like Common Lisp and Smalltalk. Unix is nice, but I’m impress
415.
by linguae 2y ago
This brings back memories of life in Kawasaki. I used to live in Kawasaki nearly 15 years ago for eight months, and I still visit regularly, twice a year in fact since the pandemic ended. I was an intern at Fujitsu and lived in a company
416.
by linguae 2y ago
I concur. I’ve been to Japan 11 times in the past 15 years, including an eight-month stay in 2010. Japanese convenience stores are nice, and they’re certainly nicer than their American counterparts, but when it comes to food, whether pre-
417.
by linguae 2y ago
I remember this guide, as well as the Binky guide to pointers that was also on Stanford’s website. I didn’t go to Stanford, but nearly 20 years ago I took a C course at Sacramento City College. This guide, Binky’s guide to pointers, and K
418.
Ask HN: Where to Find Programming Challenges for Object-Oriented Design
4 points by linguae 2y ago|0 comments
419.
by linguae 2y ago
If I remember correctly, I believe French’s vigesimal system is a vestige from the non-Romance language spoken in France before Latin was introduced there. French isn’t the only language with vigesimal elements; English has the word “score
420.
by linguae 2y ago
Back in November I spent half a day at the Shinagawa immigration office to obtain a trusted travelers program pass since doing it at the airport would’ve been inconvenient for me due to my super-early arrival at Haneda and my super-late dep

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