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rbanffy
194,610karma·63,760submissions·March 12, 2008
about
Seasoned software developer, proficient in Python, Java. Less proficient in Ruby and Lisp. A bit rusty in C and C++. Learning Erlang very slowly. Also a computer collector and restorer, lover of 8-bit computers, mainframes and interesting Unix workstations.
email: username at that google mail thing
http://about.me/rbanffy
https://linkedin.com/in/ricardobanffy
[ my public key: https://keybase.io/rbanffy; my proof: https://keybase.io/rbanffy/sigs/HtF1uAf_RNpwIkNP1-YGWP_-3doWV6S5Cc1KywXeLYo ]
recent activity (63,760 total)
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The fact Microsoft can still get away with their abuse of monopoly is sufficient proof there is not nearly enough grumbling about Microsoft.
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Google also has not yet been convicted on monopoly abuse charges. Microsoft has. More than once. And, quite frankly, their continuous defiance and misconduct does not help its image of a serious compa…
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No. Actually, it's quite easy. Just put a GSM/GPRS/EDGE/whatever3G modem inside and let the user pay for the bandwidth. That would also make the device cheaper (you don't have to pay for the lifelong …
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Python runs fine on Windows, both as a native Windows thing and under the more Unix-like (perhaps I should say Linux-like) environment you get with Cygwin. Cygwin is, BTW, definitively recommended for…
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There is no way to guarantee you get, say, 10 Mbps downstream unless you cooperate by downloading that much. If more than 10 people download from my 100 Mbps-connection server at once, they will get l…
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Just remember the only human as we know them in the story is the Confessor. A central point of the series is to discuss the validity of imposing one's moral standards on others with little or no share…
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Just remember the only human as we know them in the story is the Confessor. A central point of the series is to discuss the validity of imposing one's moral standards on others that share little or no…
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Your comment indicates you probably lost interest before part 4. Give it a chance. It's better than you describe.
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I dunno... Those 4-8 GB of RAM would be better used on the motherboard as disk cache.
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So, how much does it cost to work there? Is there a cheaper package that covers just hanging around? ;-)
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Aging is a degenerative disease most lifeforms have that's 100% fatal. It's somewhat like that xkcd strip, http://xkcd.com/203/
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If your iterations break too many tests, then you are writing too specific tests for things that can't really (or shouldn't) be tested. And, BTW, I never found Joel Spolsky a particularly insightful p…
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When you have such a strict control over the press, you can announce pretty much anything. I will believe it when someone else confirms the satellite is alive and well.
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I guess the VMWare audio-card problem is more a VMWare problem than a Ubuntu one. What kind of computer did you have back in 2005? I have never heard of anything like it.
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"Apple should be in even worse shape than Microsoft" Bean-counters usually don't buy, usually. You should compare a recession effects on PCs and Macs with the effects on Hondas and Porsches.
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I think Vista got that covered.
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"Soon, netbook performance will become comparable with laptops" I have been using a netbook as my main desktop and the only complain I had was with it being really tiny (something quickly offset by me…
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Actually, there was a version of Windows 3.51 running on Alpha processors that was 64-bit-enabled (as the Alpha was 64-bit with no 32 bit legacy). 64 bits is nothing new. I read my e-mail on 64-bit co…
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You can't deny mini-computers did LED on mainframes, then networked PCs did the same to minis and x86 Windows desktops LED-ed RISC Unix workstations into oblivion. Free software and web applications l…
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A burned DVD full of bookmarks is, indeed, an insane amount of data. At about, say, 2K per bookmark, that's a couple million bookmarks. If one bookmarks a site every 60 seconds, 24x7 that's about 4 ye…
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Not really. I was a) trying to be funny and b) associating a more intelligent population with a hypothetical improvement on overall life conditions.
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"I used to use Linux, but left because it really wasn't stable. It messed up repeatedly" I have to ask: have you really ever used Linux after, say, 1998? I ask that because in my experience (I moved t…
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"More-over how stupid does Fanny Mae management be to fire someone who can write and deploy logic bomb that meticulous in half a day? Let alone let any of their staff have that level of data center ac…
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It seems the technique could be used to stop the virus from spreading from cell to cell inside the patient, so, pretty much, it appears very close to a cure.
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I think developing idiot-only contraceptives would be a major step in the right direction.
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Since many infected people never display any symptoms, I was too expecting a much larger number of carriers.
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Not only that. Think about those who have MSFT stock. Where will MSFT copy stuff from if APPL ceases to innovate due to the health of its main driving force ;-) ?
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I just want it to be GSM-friendly and to sell for less than US$ 100. For the $100 to $500 range, I can use a full-featured entry-level notebook or a cheaper, lighter netbook. The Kindle has a big prob…
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I agree, bu there is a point beyond which it no longer makes sense to take the pain of getting an H1B compared to the pain to open up an office, say, in Singapore. And even relocate some of your US wo…