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rbanffy
194,608karma·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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In Brazil, there is a e-legislative solution based in Zope called SAPL (Sistema de Apoio ao Processo Legislativo or Legislative Process Support System). It's quite functional and it's installed in a l…
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Will there be a 3.0 for VMS?
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But who in his right mind would recommend people to use Windows versions prior to 2000?
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"Producing complete and useful documentation is a huge amount of work" One would imagine such documentation already exists in one form or the other. I suppose their developers get trained somehow othe…
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It's because they decided to focus on their more profitable software business, where they are marginally competent, while their core competency, the one they are unanimously praised for, is hardware g…
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First, there is this weird thing of programs in the */bin folders versus application structures in .app directories. The next problem is the Terminal - Even xterm is more comfortable to work with, spe…
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That's more or less what I do. Many of my toys are Apple, but I buy my more important stuff elsewhere. As much as I would love to be able to use a Mac for my work, OSX is just not Unix-ish enough for …
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"They're acting in their own, and their customers best interests" I can´t see how the NDA helps their customers. While this Apple-hate thing has been blown out of proportion, the NDA thing is more tha…
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Well... Any non-Windows user uses a computer that's almost 100% Chrome-proof. I won't try to run it on my Linux notebook, but I am still typing in Chrome on my Windows one. And IE sucks so badly I can…
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There has been some discussion on the importance of a good chair. I find the keyboard a very important component, perhaps as much as good office furniture. I use to half joke that my disdain for Micro…
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That´s interesting. I wonder if a new USB keyboard with the Knight or Space Cadet lay-outs would sell on ThinkGeek. I would be the first one to buy.
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Not only that, but the lack of "checks and balances" in the whole deal is shocking.
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"Instead comparing PHP to Lisp for that purpose, I'd be more interested in a comparison between PHP and Python or PHP and Ruby." I agree. More to the point, it would be more interesting to compare PHP…
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As opposed to the sophisticated self-proclaimed programmers who give PHP the reputation of being such an elegant tool. Really remarkable programmers usually don't start out as sissies - they use, unde…
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When he says "not much in terms of community to help answer questions or maintain your code", he meant "I can´t google my way out of a tough programming problem" Lisp is not for sissies.
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You are starting wrong. Real programmers won´t use Windows even at gunpoint. Windows is good mostly for gaming. For Photoshop, there is OSX, which is a full fledged Unix. For people who use Real Opera…
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For just a couple bucks a month you buy a virtual server you can install your IMAP server and do VPN or SSL (or both, just in case).
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You shouldn´t use your Yahoo account for work. Period. OTOH, if she uses Yahoo for her personal stuff only, then it´s just a common privacy violation and should be prosecuted as such.
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Don´t think about ladies in black dresses. Think about a black Land-Rover. Not pretty, but very rugged and functional. It will take abuse no Macbook could ever tolerate. The only reason to buy a Mac i…
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It seems pretty obvious DHH uses Macs to impress girls on Starbucks. That is why he finds the Thinkpad comparison so offensive. Repeat with me: It´s just a computer. It´s just a tool. It´s not a fashi…
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Yeah. I am pretty sure Apple´s iPhone business would collapse the moment they decide to sell unlocked phones to anyone who wants them, anywhere in the world. It would also not resist if Apple decided …
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"as someone who has been a Mac user since before it was fashionable" 1983? ;-)
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I learned to program on a TI-55... Upgraded then to a 59. Lots of fun. Good times.
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The message is clear: "Windows, for IQs 100 and below".
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"A company whose well-being depends on the public charisma of its leaders is buying a ticket for a big crash." Not always. If it is done correctly, the company can live off their legacy for very long.…
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I was making the point that even a lowly hare-brained 8-bit processor can run a Unix-like OS.
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Oh... Come on. It´s April´s release. I am all in for some light-hearted names. And, while we are at it, why would anyone take seriously a computer company named after a fruit that was incorporated on …
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The first one I saw (not used - the first one I used was a 680x0 box) was a Z-80 based Cromemco monster running Cromix on less than 512K. Unix can be really small, if we sacrifice some stuff.
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IIRC, my first unix machine was a 16 MHz 68020 with about a megabyte of RAM and about 200 MB of fixed disk storage. It served around 40 terminals.