Ordinator's recent activity
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Comment on NASA's flagship James Webb Space Telescope, will run Javascript for instrumentation control using a defunct & proprietary interpreter with a list of errata last updated in 2003 in ~space
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Comment on You Don’t Need All That Complex/Expensive/Distracting Infrastructure in ~comp
Ordinator Link ParentI think there is going to have to be a split on this at some point where there are software engineers and software "technicians". A code boot camp graduate churning out web GUIs in the flavor of...Programmers (we're not engineers, please stop making real engineers look bad)
I think there is going to have to be a split on this at some point where there are software engineers and software "technicians". A code boot camp graduate churning out web GUIs in the flavor of the month JS framework isn't an engineer. On the other hand, there are a small number of developers writing serious, robust, safety critical software that probably do deserve the title of engineer.
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Comment on Are we on the road to civilization collapse? in ~humanities.history
Ordinator Link ParentWhat does "fix it" really mean though? The standard of living in the first world is simultaneously the best it's ever been and totally unsustainable because we're living beyond our means...Rather than let it collapse, why not try to fix it? Rather than let billions of people suffer and die, why not try to improve their lives?
What does "fix it" really mean though? The standard of living in the first world is simultaneously the best it's ever been and totally unsustainable because we're living beyond our means environmentally. Even in the best case I can see, we're going to have some pretty massive social upheaval as the first world readjusts to a lesser standard of living that's actually sustainable. Global climate change is already here and it's too late to stop it. If not billions, millions are certainly going to suffer and die from the effects of climate change alone in the coming decades. This is rapidly being compounded by the complete inability of governments across the globe to institute real, global environmental policies to minimize the long-term damage.
I don't want it to be true, but I think it's quite possible that we're past the point of "fixing it" in any meaningful sense. Until I'm convinced otherwise, I don't see what I can do except embrace it and try to put myself and my family in the best possible position given the circumstances.
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Comment on A $300 billion business tax break meant to raise wages is instead helping companies replace workers with machines, study says in ~finance
Ordinator Link ParentThe article loads fine for me, so it's definitely not a universal hard paywall.The article loads fine for me, so it's definitely not a universal hard paywall.
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Comment on A $300 billion business tax break meant to raise wages is instead helping companies replace workers with machines, study says in ~finance
Ordinator Link ParentAs someone who definitely falls into this category, I certainly agree that it can be true for some, but is it really true for most or even a significant fraction of all jobs? It seems plausible to...For many, work is a popular means of filling this need.
As someone who definitely falls into this category, I certainly agree that it can be true for some, but is it really true for most or even a significant fraction of all jobs? It seems plausible to me that the very jobs that are most susceptible to automation are the jobs least likely to give a human worker a sense of purpose.
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Comment on What do you think is one thing every programmer should know how to do? in ~comp
Ordinator Link ParentYeah, but I think my answer is the same for that phrasing as well. My point is really that you get much better answers to these sorts of questions when they're more tightly focused. When you zoom...I meant more of “knowing x will help you with programming or make you better in some way.”
Yeah, but I think my answer is the same for that phrasing as well. My point is really that you get much better answers to these sorts of questions when they're more tightly focused. When you zoom all the way out to "every programmer", it's virtually impossible to construct advice that's both true and meaningfully actionable IMO.
As for version control, I actually do use and prefer Git for my own work. The example I had in mind was a gamer developer I know who prefers SVN because it handles binary assets better than Git.
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Comment on What do you think is one thing every programmer should know how to do? in ~comp
Ordinator Link ParentI think that you'll find that this opinion is in fact remarkably popular among competent developers. In fact, I've found that an insistence on lots of comments is a great indicator that the person...I think that you'll find that this opinion is in fact remarkably popular among competent developers. In fact, I've found that an insistence on lots of comments is a great indicator that the person I'm talking to is at the very least inexperienced, and sometimes just not very good at writing software.
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Comment on What do you think is one thing every programmer should know how to do? in ~comp
Ordinator (edited )LinkNothing. Software development is an incredibly broad field. From hobbyists to professionals, from safety critical aerospace systems to rovers on other planets to web front-ends, there just isn't...Nothing. Software development is an incredibly broad field. From hobbyists to professionals, from safety critical aerospace systems to rovers on other planets to web front-ends, there just isn't anything that applies across the entire field of "programmers".
To pick on OP as an example, there are plenty of hobbyist programmers out there that get by just fine without any formal version control. If they're writing software for little Arduino projects for fun, I think that's fine. There are also—gasp—people who prefer other version control systems over git.
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Comment on Whats the most important alias or function in your bashrc file? in ~comp
Ordinator Link ParentI do alias ..=cd .. alias ...=cd ... etc for 5 or so levelsI do
alias ..=cd .. alias ...=cd ...etc for 5 or so levels
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Comment on The Verge is sending out copyright strikes to people who criticized their PC build in ~tech
Ordinator Link ParentGood rant. I am definitely adding "farrago" to my lexicon. Sadly, it's going to get plenty of use at work.Good rant. I am definitely adding "farrago" to my lexicon. Sadly, it's going to get plenty of use at work.
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Comment on Tildes folks, are you learning another language or multilingual? in ~humanities
Ordinator Link"~s folks" took me way too long to parse. I learn a bit more Spanish each time I visit a Spanish-speaking country. I'm good enough at this point that I can order a beer and some food without much..."~s folks" took me way too long to parse.
I learn a bit more Spanish each time I visit a Spanish-speaking country. I'm good enough at this point that I can order a beer and some food without much trouble. I have very little reason to learn more than that. I've had trouble motivating myself to really try.
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Comment on What programming language do you use for work and what's your favorite language? in ~comp
Ordinator LinkI write code in any number of languages at work, and it tends to shift over time. Right now I mostly write/maintain C++ and Java, with a bit of Rust thrown in where I can. Matlab and Python are...I write code in any number of languages at work, and it tends to shift over time. Right now I mostly write/maintain C++ and Java, with a bit of Rust thrown in where I can. Matlab and Python are also workhorses for my group.
Side projects tend to get written in either Rust or C# depending on whether I want a GC or not.
Rust is by far my favorite lately. It just makes it so much harder to mess up without realizing it. Unfortunately I work with researchers for whom C++ is already a huge stretch, so I dread getting them to learn enough to by productive in Rust.
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Comment on What programming language do you think deserves more credit? in ~comp
Ordinator Link ParentMaybe we're working off of different versions of "deserves more credit". I should have added the word "positively" to my original post. The key to me is that whenever Rust is talked about, it's...Maybe we're working off of different versions of "deserves more credit". I should have added the word "positively" to my original post. The key to me is that whenever Rust is talked about, it's already in a neutral or positive light. Whether anyone actually uses it is unrelated to whether people think it's any good (i.e. whether it gets credit) IMO.
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Comment on The ineffectiveness of lonely icons in ~tech
Ordinator Link ParentPotato, potato maybe, but the word "link" itself is etymologically derived from the things that make up a chain, so while it's used metaphorically in many places, it all still goes back to chains....Potato, potato maybe, but the word "link" itself is etymologically derived from the things that make up a chain, so while it's used metaphorically in many places, it all still goes back to chains. If you had to pick a pictogram for the English word "link", some kind of chain is about as fundamental as you can get.
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Comment on GPS uses ten bits to store the week. That means it runs out... oh heck – April 6, 2019 in ~tech
Ordinator Link ParentI don't think it does, broadly speaking. I don't see anything more dire than the quote below in the article. As also noted in the article, this could break devices that expect their GPS source to...I don't think it does, broadly speaking. I don't see anything more dire than the quote below in the article.
GPS devices with a poorly implemented GPS Time-to-UTC conversion algorithm may provide incorrect UTC following a week number rollover," US Homeland Security explained in its write-up (PDF) of the issue this week.
As also noted in the article, this could break devices that expect their GPS source to provide an accurate date/time.
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Comment on The ineffectiveness of lonely icons in ~tech
Ordinator Link ParentI never realized this. Isn't the "link" part of "hyperlink" directly derived from the "link" in the chain sense though? Like, it's not exactly a coincidence that we used the same work in English.This icon depends completely upon the fact that, in English, we use the same word for "link on the internet" and "link of a chain". That isn't true in other languages...
I never realized this. Isn't the "link" part of "hyperlink" directly derived from the "link" in the chain sense though? Like, it's not exactly a coincidence that we used the same work in English.
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Comment on Why are so many websites (and CDNs) IPv4 only? in ~comp
Ordinator Link ParentTrue. For some reason I only associate the term "ISP" with wired providers. It does make a lot more sense for wireless providers to be motivated to switch.True. For some reason I only associate the term "ISP" with wired providers. It does make a lot more sense for wireless providers to be motivated to switch.
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Comment on What programming language do you think deserves more credit? in ~comp
Ordinator Link ParentI think Rust gets all the credit it deserves. I think it's a great language, and I hope that eventually I'll never have to write a line of C++ again, but it's also talked about a lot any time it's...I think Rust gets all the credit it deserves. I think it's a great language, and I hope that eventually I'll never have to write a line of C++ again, but it's also talked about a lot any time it's even remotely topical.
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Comment on Why are so many websites (and CDNs) IPv4 only? in ~comp
Ordinator Link ParentDoes you ISP (or the ISP's you're talking about) handle things differently from mine? Every single ISP I've had in my entire life only hands out one IP per account. The number of devices NAT'ed...Does you ISP (or the ISP's you're talking about) handle things differently from mine? Every single ISP I've had in my entire life only hands out one IP per account. The number of devices NAT'ed behind that IP is mostly irrelevant to the ISP.
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Comment on Wayland misconceptions debunked in ~comp
Ordinator Link ParentYou can cry about it all you want, but it's true. I've used VSCode as my daily text editor for about a year now. The wide range of extensions make it pretty unbeatable, but literally everything...But saying this triggers a lot of people because electron bloated, javascript bad, webdev lame, etc.
You can cry about it all you want, but it's true. I've used VSCode as my daily text editor for about a year now. The wide range of extensions make it pretty unbeatable, but literally everything about it is just okay. It takes 400mb of memory for an empty window. It lags badly when running on my laptop's integrated GPU. JavaScript is bad. I don't even know anyone who would argue that point. I just wish I could find someone who would actually pay me to write good tools, because I don't have the time or energy to do it on my personal time.
That's not really how NASA works. Requirements are set and they are implemented. It's mostly an okay system, but it seems to have failed this time. I really struggle to understand what JavaScript is doing in their tech stack at all. I would have serious reservations about putting JS in a mission critical application today, much less back when JWST was being spec'd out.