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| bio | website | langnostic.blogspot.com |
|---|---|---|
| location | Toronto, Canada | |
| age | 28 | |
| visits | member for | 2 years, 8 months |
| seen | Apr 26 at 14:20 | |
| stats | profile views | 189 |
Common Lisp/Scheme/Elisp/JavaScript/PHP hacker with a degree in Graphic Design, an eye for layout and a hungry, hungry mind.
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Jan 20 |
answered | Stack instructions machines |
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Nov 27 |
comment |
Why should we use low level languages if a high level one like python can do almost everything? You shouldn't randomly rewrite code that you plan to make no further changes to (that's a waste of effort no matter what you're rewriting to) but I'm not sure how wide the gulf is between "understanding a million lines of C for the purposes of adding features/making significant changes" and "understanding a million lines of C for the purposes of rewriting it in something else". Having that much code that your team doesn't understand already sounds like quite the liability to me. |
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Nov 25 |
comment |
Why should we use low level languages if a high level one like python can do almost everything? @marcof - As an illustrative example, I refer you to the first ~35 seconds of this video. Joking aside, I don't know if you could compress 1 000 000 lines of idiomatic C down to 5k lines of idiomatic python, but my point was that the choice is not as simple as if plan.scan /rewrit(e|ing)/ false end; there is a benefit conferred by rewriting in a more expressive, less verbose language with the obvious performance cost. If you can afford it, it might be a good idea. |
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Oct 11 |
comment |
Why should we use low level languages if a high level one like python can do almost everything? @Dark Templar - Because the components of a purely functional program have no dependency on external state and have no assumptions about what order they will run in. This makes it easier (though not easy) to reason about how to efficiently break such a program up across different processes. Have a Haskell-related link in which Simon Peyton Jones explains his approach in-depth. |
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Oct 5 |
awarded | Nice Answer |
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Sep 19 |
awarded | Yearling |
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Sep 2 |
comment |
Difference between free and open software? @Jonathan - Had you adhered to the terms of the GPL, you could have enacted those innovations. What it would have entailed is merely not restricting your users. I think what you meant to say is "We wanted to innovate on top of GPL code and then refuse (or limit) access to it to anyone outside our company/group/what-have-you". Preventing that kind of free-riding is the precise purpose of the GPL. No, it does not infect source code; you are perfectly free to do without it. If you want the benefit of building on it, you must not reduce access to works derived from it. That's all. |
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Sep 1 |
comment |
Difference between free and open software? @Jonathan Cline - To paraphrase one of Stallmans' responses "As a factual matter, the GPL does not spread like a virus. It can't infect software by running on the same computer. It spreads more like a spider plant; if you cut off a branch and plant it somewhere, then it grows there too". AFAIK, the LGPL is even less "viral" than the GPL, as you can use code released under it in proprietary software. Out of curiosity, why do you say that these licenses are "not free"? |
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Sep 1 |
comment |
Difference between free and open software? @Ingo - I think he meant free (as in speech) software because he referenced the GNU GPL gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html . In this context, Free Software most certainly provides access to the sources. |
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Jun 30 |
revised |
How do you track bugs in your personal projects? deleted 15 characters in body |
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Jun 20 |
revised |
Can PHP be used for desktop application development? grammar (the second paragraph is ambigous; I'm not sure whether you're asking for detailed direction to offline learning resources or for someone to write up a detailed tutorial here) |
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May 27 |
awarded | Great Answer |
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May 4 |
awarded | Nice Answer |
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Mar 9 |
revised |
Programmers that need a lot of “Outside Help” - Is this bad? added 72 characters in body |
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Mar 9 |
comment |
Programmers that need a lot of “Outside Help” - Is this bad? @Mark Trapp - to be fair, replacing "Does anyone else think it's kind of tacky or" with "Is it" seems to yield a legitimate question. This seems like one in need of rewording. |
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Mar 9 |
answered | Programmers that need a lot of “Outside Help” - Is this bad? |
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Mar 8 |
answered | Resources for functional programming beginner |
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Mar 8 |
comment |
Resources for functional programming beginner You mention SICP, but you might also want to point out the Little Schemer Trilogy, which is excellent for beginners to functional programming. |
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Mar 8 |
comment |
Resources for functional programming beginner IMO, this is most useful for Schemers who want to get into Haskell (or perhaps Haskellers who want into Scheme). I doubt someone who knew neither language would benefit much. It is a great exercise to go through though. |
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Mar 5 |
awarded | Pundit |
