8/31    I'm writing a JNI application through the invocation interface.
        (C calling Java through the JNI.)  When I'm done with it, I would
        like the JVM to be destroyed, and before destruction, I want a
        static method (unload) to be called on each class once for each
        class.  Does anyone know how to do this?
        \_ Been a while, but look up :
           JNI DetachCurrent-Thread() and DestroyJavaVM()
           in the JNI docs. At least that's what the java executable
           wrapper does when it exits. As for calling static destroy
           methods in the classes, I believe you might have to do that
           manually.

8/30    I was going to write a simple script that modify the manifest file
        in a .jar file, then, repackage the jar.  It would be relativly easy
        thing to do in perl/shell script, but in order to make it more
        reusable, i need to write it in java or some non-system-dependent
        language.  Does java has unix-command-like library I can call so
        i don't have to write sort, uniq, cat in java?
        \_ jni
           \_ most people who use this will be running on Windoze.
        \_ Do you need something that java.util.jar doesn't provide?
           Take a look at: http://tinyurl.com/6yvwu
           Perhaps the Manifest and JarFile classes already do what
           you need. Both have been present since 1.2 so you should
           have fairly good portability of your code.
           \_ I'll look at it.  This is for midlet stuff, populating
              Manifest file with information in .JAD file.  thx

8/16    Does anyone know how to turn off Java automatic garbage collection on
        java version "1.4.2_01"
        Java(TM) 2 Runtime Environment, Standard Edition (build 1.4.2_01-b06)
        Java HotSpot(TM) Client VM (build 1.4.2_01-b06, mixed mode)
        ?  -noasyncgc is no longer supported.

7/28    Are you going to do anything about the Paypal Class Action Suit?
        \_ URL?
           \_ http://www.paypal.com/settlement

7/12    http://www.craigslist.org/about/best/lax/35274458.html
        \_ that's a reprint of an old usenet post from the mid 90s,
        or maybe even earlier, alt.tasteless i think.

7/10    anyone figure out the google challenge?
        \_ what's that?
           \_ {first 10-digit prime found in consecutive digits e}.com
        \_ I got 7427466391 for phase 2. Did anyone else get this?
           Err, sorry, nevermind. I figured it out though.
        \_ http://tinyurl.com/2mxgn
        \_ it's kinda lame, actually.
        \_ Yes.  They call that a challenge?

6/25    What percent of security holes would be solved by banning strcpy()
        in favor of strncpy()?
        \_ probably not much, since they're all coming to be php bugs these
           days.
        \_ Or using Java instead of C (no buffer overrun)?
                \_ It is not always possible to use java. I have customers
                   who tell me that they will not allow a jvm to run on
                   their systems for security reasons (the sun jvm cannot
                   be audited by their internal code reviewers). For such
                   people the only choice is C (don't tell me to write a
                   network application in lisp, just don't). I have other
                   customers who need software that will run within a 16 mb
                   memory footprint. Unless you use Java MicroEdition it is
                   not possible to get java to standup and do something
                   useful on such systems. Even with ME, it is tough since
                   lots of libs aren't available in ME.
           \_ Any other cool things Java invented that we should know about?
                -- ilyas
              \_ I'm not sure that the PP said or implied anything that this
                 response is relevant to.  Perhaps if you externalized your
                 wit a little more, your point would be less obscure.
                 \_ Sorry I wasn't trying to be witty.  It's a bit of a sore
                    point with me when people advocate the worst possible
                    language with good_feature_001.  For instance "We chose
                    perl because perl has GC." -- ilyas
                    \_ heh, my favourite feature in any programming language
                       is how much I'd be paid to program in it.  Currently
                       msvc++ 6.0 is my mostest fav. language. - pst
                    \_ Ahh, okay.  Thanks for clarifying.
                    \_ You should probably inform all those fortune 500
                       companies out there that they're using the worst
                       possible language then.
                       \_ Ah yes, the Fortune 500, the yardstick of
                          technological sanity, and general common sense.
                            -- ilyas
                          \_ OK, academia, global 2000, most web shops,
                             most enterprise software companies...
                             \_ We've had similar arguments on the motd many
                                times before, and I tire of them.  They boil
                                down to "popular!=good".  Anyone familiar with
                                MS Windows knows this.  Let's change the
                                subject, shall we? -- ilyas
                                \_ But "popular != bad". Get off of your
                                   Ocaml horse and join the rest of us
                                   grunts.
                                   \_ I like things other than ocaml.  I even
                                      think ruby's kind of neat (if only someone
                                      would get off their lazy ass and write
                                      a good compiler for it).  Anyways, it's
                                      true that popular != bad, but if you think
                                      Java == good, I weep for your immortal
                                      soul.  -- ilyas
                                      \_ I weep for your soul if you think the
                                         mess that is functional programming
                                         is good.
                                         \_ Want a hanky?  I am well aware this
                                            is a troll, but I ll try to speak
                                            in good faith.  I don't know where
                                            you got the idea that I like
                                            'functional programming.'  I like
                                            things like lisp, and it is true
                                            that lisp is more 'functional' than
                                            Java, but lisp is also more
                                            'object oriented' than Java, since
                                            CLOS is much more powerful than
                                            Java's object system, and lisp is
                                            also more 'procedural' than Java,
                                            if for no other reason than
                                            because it doesn't have the moronic
                                            statement/expression duality.
                                            Languages that I tend to like tend
                                            to be multi-paradigm languages.
                                            The radical idea being that
                                            different jobs require different
                                            approaches. -- ilyas
           \_ wow. get a slow ass application just to avoid using strncpy
              \_ have you checked out the latest in Java with regards to
                 performance?  It's not 1997 anymore...
                \_ yes, 30 times slower than C++, 15 times slower than .Net
                   \_ we're talking about a real implementation, not your
                      half-baked hobbyist implementation.
                      \_ then again we didn't use super servers for the java
                         application
        \_ It's not really an answerable question, but if you're in a
           position to encourage/mandate its use, it's a good idea-- note
           also the strl* family from openbsd.  Having BSD code is nice because
           you can wedge it into systems that don't provide it themselves.
        \_ strncpy sucks too; it's not guaranteed to null-terminate the
           destination string.  Use strncat instead.
        \_ I would recommend using snprintf instead of the str* functions.
           snprintf will tell you if the buffer size has been exceeded,
           while the others won't. Also snprintf guarantees that the string
           will be null terminated.
           \_ snprintf wasn't added to the C standard library until C99, but
              most people still have C89 implementations.  Also, although many
              libraries provided their own snprintf function, the exact
              behavior varies slightly from implementation to implementation.

6/17    http://www.csua.berkeley.edu/~nivra/Day_life.html
        Good stuff, read it before he deletes it!

6/8     Does anyone know where I can read about Java Virtual Machine
        Thread internals, especially in connection with the JNI?  I'm
        haveing a wierd bug where GC seems to be happening before
        finalization (which includes some native calls) can complete.
        -jrleek
        \_ JVM spec:  http://csua.org/u/7nf             -brain
        \_ "performance book" native section:
                http://csua.org/u/7ng                   -brain

6/8     To the person who was asking about java finalizers... is it possible
        your finalize method has thrown an exception? also, i think
        finalizers are not guaranteed to run on objects that are in the
        heap when the program exits unless you call
        System.runFinalizersOnExit() somewhere in your program.
        \_ It's possible, I guess, although I don't think so.  (I'm pretty
           sure I have exception checks on all the places I interact with
           the JVM).
        \_ Ok, the finalizer doesn't have an exception, but here's what
           the situation is:  The finializer is called, which calls a
           native finalizer, which, after some C stuff, calls BACK into
           our java "destructor" function.  (In this case, it doesn't do
           anything but print a message, it's a test.) Apparently that
           call back doesn't work.  Could it be that this kind of behavior
           is not allowed?

6/4     How does one get the reference count of a Java object in Java?
        (Or in the JNI)

6/2     How do I pass in a PrintWriter object and get back StringBuffer?
        I'd like to pass in an argument of type PrintWriter and have the
        output save to my StringBuffer (instead of System.out/err). Thanks.
        \_ Dude, figure this shit out yourself.  This is either homework or
           work, and the question isn't complicated either way.
           \_ I was just about to provide code samples, but I think you're
              right.  Teach 'em to fish and all that...
        \_ Scan through the javadoc for the java.io package
        \_ Damn... what would they be asking if classes were still in C or,
           god forbid, vax assembly?  I thought java was supposed to make it
           so easy even people like this can write it?
           \_ If you ask me, Java got rid of pointers and the associated
              memory bashing, and the library is a lot bigger (hard to
              remember the function names).  Of course, you also have C++,
              which combines the worst of both worlds. ;-)

5/22    Alright, who actually uses Java's Integer and Boolean instead of
        the primitive types and why would you do such a thing?
        \_ Why?  Because primitive types aren't objects, so if a function
           expects objects as arguments, what else are you going to do?
        \_ Serialization, can't stick them in library containers, what the
           above poster said.
                \_ ah ha! thanks Java stud!
        \_ Boolean b = null;

5/20    In Java, how does a class instantiate an inner class that belongs
        to another class?
        \_ You don't.
        \_ I remember "new OuterClass.InnerClass()" working.

5/17    Java ArrayList vs. Vector: method names slightly different, so what?
        HashMap vs. Hashtable: method names slightly different, so what?
        \_ So don't use a Hashtable, use a Hashmap. I mean, what are you going
           to say next, static vs. final, so what? Gimme a break. -williamc
        \_ the idea for ArrayList vs Vector is Vector implementation is
           unspecified... and HashMap is part of the Collections framework,
           whereas Hastable is not.  Also, one can store "null" and one cannot.
        \_ they ask you what the differences are during an interview,
           so what? (Yes, it's happened).
        \_ Java vs. JavaScript: names slightly different, so what?
        \_ RTFJavadoc
        \_ One is synchronized, the other not.
        \_ LOL, yep, RTFJavadoc.  But I agree without reviewing the doc, you
           wouldn't remember which is not synchronized, most of the time
           when you do web development, you don't really need a synchronized
           data structure.
        \_ As a rule of thumb, the stuff in java.util (Vector, Hashtable, &c.)
           is synchronized (which is usually not needed) and imposes a large
           performance penalty. Stick with the collections stuff if you care
           about performance. If you need max. compatibility stick with the old
           Vector, Hashtable stuff.

5/12    I'm having a wierd problem with the JNI.  I have a class with some
        native functions, and in that class I use the statandard
        static{System.LoadLibrary("x")} call.  I have to similar
        programs, in one I have Java call the native claases.  This works
        fine.  In the second, everything is the same except C starts up
        the JNI, which then instantiates this class, which calls
        loadLibrary.  This one crashes, badly, on the loadLibrary call.
        What the crap is up with that?
        \_ What do you mean by "C starts up the JNI"? The JNI is an API.
           Do you mean that you are starting up a JVM in a C program?
           -williamc
           \_ Sorry, yes, starting up the JVM in a C program.
              \_ How are you starting the VM? Are you forking a new process
                 to start the VM? Are you calling it using something like
                 sys?

5/12    I started interviewing again. Is it just me, or are a lot of Java
        programmers obsessed with the minutiae of the language?
        \_ You Java programmers still exist? I thought you guys died with
           the whole dot-com fad.
        \_ just Java programmers?
        \_ what specifically are you referring to? are they asking you about
           APIs or stupid questions like "Name 7 things not found in Java that
           are present in C++"?
           \_ some API questions- for example, when to use HashMap vs.
              Hashtable (which I actually knew the answer to...). I've had
              that question twice in two weeks. -op
              \_ They all pull them from the same online quiz.
                 \_ no.  They're also all out interviewing and steal questions
                    from each other.  I've been heavily interviewing for the
                    last few months.  After the first 3-4 interviews, the rest
                    were all clones.  Several admitted that their lists were
                    direct ripoffs of what they had been asked before.  I do
                    the same thing when interviewing others.  It makes sense.
              \_ I got the Vector vs. ArrayList one twice.
        \_ Maybe people aren't smart enough to think of questions that are
           better than crap you can lookup.
           \_ It isn't about crap you can look up.  It is about "if you don't
              know this well enough to talk about it briefly then you haven't
              done this that often".  Yes, anyone can look up anything but if
              you've been around longer you're likely to be looking up less.
              Don't be bitter about it.  Seriously, just apply for everything
              in sight just to learn what the latest round of questions are
              so when you get to the interview you really want you'll fly
              through it and look like an uber genius even though you're just
              some mid-grade coder monkey.

5/6     Looking for UNIX System Programmer, Python and Java proficiency
        is highly desirable.  Also looking for an Oracle expert who
        also knows Java and Python:    -jeffwong
        /csua/pub/jobs/SavageBeast/sysprog.txt
        /csua/pub/jobs/SavageBeast/OracleDBA.txt
        Located in sunny downtown Oakland near BART.

4/20    How does on change the indention level for Java Mode in emacs?
        I understand the C variable is c-basic-offset, but what's the
        Java variable?  (Hint: It's not java-basic-offset) Help?
        \_ Dude this has been posted like, the 10th time this year.
           http://csua.com/?entry=12982
           Use the force, just f****** search!!!
           \_ Wow, you're a freaking genius.  That tells me exactly
              how to NOT do what I want.  THANKS!
                \_ dumbass, the fine print says: "do 'info ccmode' and look at t\
he section on hooks."
        \_ the following works for me, maybe you can try it:
(setq java-mode-hook
      (setq
       c-indent-level 4
       default-tab-width 4
       c-basic-offset 4
       indent-tabs-mode nil
       )
      )

4/16    Do Berkeley teach design patterns these days?  Are design
        patterns useful?
        \_ You should check the class web page for 169 (software engineering)
           and maybe some grad classes with the same title.  Hey look,
           one of their main textbooks is "Extreme Programming Explored".
        \_ yes, very useful if you want to be an architect
        \_ Berkeley teaches English too.  Much more useful than design
           patterns.
           \_ A sentence fragment.  Another.  Good device.  Will be used
              more later.
              \_ English learning goodly how to on motd grammar speling and
                 goodness are muchly so!  Discuss.
                 \_ You missed it.
           \_ Has Berkeley introduced a class yet on how to chill the fuck
              out and just get to the point if someone asks you a question
              instead of changing the subject if you dont know the answer?
              \_ Such a class was proposed, but the Rhetoric professors engaged
                 in ad-hominem attacks on the person who proposed it.
        \_ You should check the web pages for 169 and maybe some grad
           classes with the same title.

4/13    If I'm aggregating an array of C++ objects in my class like this:
        class Foo {
          ...
          Bar myBars[10];
        }
        Will Bar constructor be called for each myBars instance?
        \_ why don't you just try it and see? but yes, the default
           constructor will be called.

4/13    Write a gore story for writing class, get expelled, teacher fired.
        http://csua.org/u/6wf   (chronicle and why censor this??)
        \_ There's a free speech rally going on in front of the school
           right now (well about 20mins ago, anyways) on new montgomery.
        \_ Al Gore invented censorship.
           \_ wow! that just never stops being funny.  in fact, I think that
              every time it's pointed out that he never said that,
              and that people who were at the event where he supposedly said
           \_ a kid i knew in jr. high typed in the lyrics to "last caress"
              by the Misfits in his typing class.  straight to the school
              counselor.  of course back in those days, they just figured
              out he was ok and let him go.
           \_ When my little brother was in the third grade, all of his
              stories ended with the end of the world.  The violent, grisly
              end of the world.  That's our boy.
        \_ Al Gore invented censorship.
              that tried unsuccsessfully to kill this media monster it just
              gets funnier!  Keep up the good work.  Don't forget about the
              Kerry/intern story your man drudge just made up out of thin
              air that seems to have dissapeard.
        \_ Heh, this reminds me of the mildly violent stories my brother
           used to write for class.  He got sent to the school counsler.
           He said it was the only time in his life he'd been litererally
           bored to tears.
           \_ a kid i knew in jr. high typed in the lyrics to "last caress"
              by the Misfits in his typing class.  straight to the school
              counselor.  of course back in those days, they just figured
              out he was ok and let him go.
           \_ When my little brother was in the third grade, all of his
              stories ended with the end of the world.  The violent, grisly
              end of the world.  That's our boy.

4/13    Does anyone know how to case a java object in the JNI?  I have
        a situation where I have to create an object of type (CLASS) but
        return type (INTERFACE).  I need to be able to do a java cast in
        the JNI.  thanks -jrleek
        \_ Is there a reason you can't wrap the JNI method in a regular
           Java method in your public API and have the regular Java method
           do the cast?
        \_ I recommend using JACE rather than using JNI directly.

4/9     Any comments on Bodik's cs164 class from last fall?  I was looking
        over the assignments and they look interesting-
        http://www.cs.berkeley.edu/~bodik/cs164-fall-2003/assignments/pa4.pdf
        \_ i took it last fall. the projects were really interesting and he is
           a good lecturer. i'd recommend taking the class from him. if you'd
           like more info, email me - erikk

4/8     Which class should I take if I want to learn SVM, C4.5, Bayes, and
        these other goodies? Is it DB? Logic? Etc?
        \_ Machine learning.  Stuart's class was quite good. -- ilyas

4/6     I'm looking for people to join a free (GPL), multi-tiered (J2EE)
        educational software project, whose target will be teaching
        introductory Latin.  Email darin if interested.

3/25    Headhunter just called me about a contract in SF.
        J2EE/JMX/etc development. Wants 3-5 years exp.
        gail@rgatech.com if you are interested.

        I guess the economy is picking up. Third cold call this year.
        \_ have you guys seen a recovery in contract rate?
        \_ 3rd this year?  i get 3 a day about crappy jobs like that.
        \_ BTW, that's not a headhunter.  That's just some cheesey body shop
           who searched for "J2EE" at dice and sent an email or called the
           first 250 that showed on her search results.  She'll make about
           $10,000 for about 3 days of work to search, call, place body.

3/22    Femi-Nazis ban urinal: http://csua.org/u/6jz (story.news.yahoo.com)

3/19    Can anyone provide a reference to the origin of the term "mixin"
        (in programming contexts)? Thanks.
        \_ http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?MixIn
           http://noframes.linuxjournal.com/lj-issues/issue84/4540.html

3/17    How can I change the indentation level in xemacs when writing C
        and Java?  I looked online, and through the help files but
        couldn't find anything.  (It's currently set at 4, I want 2)
                -jrleek
        \_ I thought the motd censor liked technical posts.  Why hasn't
           he answered this one?
           \_ The motd censor doesn't actually contribute anything.
              \_ Just to make it fair: all technical topics purged.  So
                 take *that* you motd censor bastard!  Now you've got nothing
                 to read and can go choke on your own delete key.

3/15    ***YAWN*** can someone please post an interesting/mind boggling
        c/java trivia? Like if "I have class A {int x; } class B extends {...}
        what is the expected behaviour?" Something short but interesting
        for discussion.
        \_ Implement the factorial function without iteration or named
           functions (using lambdas is ok).  Dave, you aren't allowed to
           answer this one.  Any language is allowed.  For bonus points,
           do it in a language which infers types for you.  -- ilyas
        \_ http://www.gotw.ca/gotw/005.htm
        \_ if you're bored, go read the comp.lang.c FAQ
           http://www.eskimo.com/~scs/C-faq/top.html or the Java IAQ
           http://www.norvig.com/java-iaq.html

3/8     anyone else having problems with the java ssh applet?
        (http://www.csua.berkeley.edu/ssh - the window dies after I enter in
        my password, I'm not certain if it was a change in my setup or
        in the system...  Thanks!
        \_ java ssh applet is pretty dependent on your jvm.  Try updating.
        \_ Yeah it dies for me, too.
        \_ Related question:  With all versions of mindterm, I am able
           to run it both on a client as a jar file, or load it off
           a web page and run it from a browser.  For some reason, for
           all versions, I can't get them to use an http proxy when running
           from a browser...anyone else see this?  -John
           \_ i don't think the browser will allow you to open a network
              connection to anywhere besides the host where the applet
              came from, unless the applet is signed (in which case it
              would popup messages asking whether you want to allow full
              network access, etc.).
        \_ java ssh applet is pretty dependent on your jvm.  Try updating.
        \_ Can't get it to work on XP or 2000, but it's fine on '98.
           Same JRE version.  Mozilla's java console gives this:
           java.lang.VerifyError: (class: b7, method: lx signature: ()Z) Incompa\
tible object argument for invokespecial
           java.lang.VerifyError: (class: b7, method: lx signature:
                ()Z) Incompatible object argument for invokespecial
               at b5.ld(JAX)
               at bq.run(JAX)
               at java.lang.Thread.run(Unknown Source)
           --scotsman
           \_ do you happen to know how old the mindterm ssh install is?
              \_ /csua/www/htdocs/ssh  Looks like it's from 2000. --scotsman

2/21    http://biz.yahoo.com/bizwk/040220/b3872001mz001_1.html
        Software War - Deepa Paranjpe vs Stephen Haberman
        One thing I find funny is how some think the US can keep the
        design jobs and "people skills" jobs like project management while
        outsourcing just the boring programming work.  I think India will
        quickly move up the ladder and be able to do everything.
        \_ pffft, why bother with India? Just take the whole thing to
           China. Much better trained engineers and they already do all
           the hardware manufacturing. Add in Taiwanese investment in
           knowledge and capital into the mix and we'll bury you dot head
           Indians.
           \_ you forgot about the language barrier.
              \_ There's no real language barrier since on the US side we don't
                 talk to the grunt workers, only the 1 project manager.
                 \_ developers that don't talk to each other? you'd better have
                    a fuckin good project manager.
                        \_ The developers talk in mandarin or tamil or
                           whatever. There won't be any developers in
                           the US, they will all be in India or China.

2/10    How come the following prints 1 and 2? If I do a=b, shouldn't
        they contain equivalent member variables?
class A{
        int m;
        public void Main(){
                B b;
                A a;
                b = new B();
                a = b;
                b.mb();
                a.m = 2;
                System.out.println(b.m);
                System.out.println(a.m);
        }
}

class B extends A{
        int m;
        public void mb(){
                m = 1;
        }
}

2/10    How come the following print 1,2 instead of 2,2? CONFUSED.
        class A{
        int m;
        public void Main(){
                B b;
                A a;
                b = new B();
                a = b;
                b.mb();
                a.m = 2;
                System.out.println(b.m);
                System.out.println(a.m);
        }
        }
        class B extends A{
        int m;
        public void mb(){
                m = 1;
        }
        }

2/10    What is the equivalent of "protected static int COUNTER=0" in C++?
        Either protected or private would be ok. Thanks!
        class foo {
           protected:
             static int COUNTER;
        };
        in foo.cpp
           int foo::COUNTER = 0;

2/6     Am considering going back to school to get a BS in CompEng (I already
        have a BA in wholly different field). Pros and cons of doing it at
        Cal? Hayward? SFSU? Will I have to take Gen. Ed. all over again? Odds
        of getting financial aid/grants?
        \_ gen ed again? dont be ridiculous
        \_ wtf is computer engineering?  do you have to write interesting
                  \- i know in india most of the space "computer science"
                     majors go into is called "computer engineering" ...
                     which i suppose is more accurate than "computer science"
                     [certainly what they do is braoder than programming]
                     but i agree it sounds weird. --psb
                     \_ Damn, psb has the most consistently bad formatting
                        in motd history.
           code?  do you see transistors?  is it engineering without the
           harder stuff?  do cs if you want to code, ee if you want to
           do hardware.  don't do some watered down bs program that still
           won't get you a real job.
           \_ Some idiot that just read /. article on how "Computer
              Engineer" grads have higher/st starting salary.
           \_ You tell me, tough guy:
              http://csua.org/u/5vi (Slashdot)
              \_ great.  so wtf is a computer engineering degree?  some
                 personal history...  worked at a joint where the manager
                 had a real hard-on for cmu grads.  flew like 5 of them
                 computer engineer major types out here to interview.
                 they can't do transmission lines (sort of important
                 when you're trying to build big buses and backplanes),
                 can't code worth a damn.  didn't hire a single one of
                 them.
                 \_ Damned if I know.  But say I want to do EECS. Should
                    I go back to Cal? I want to stay local (Bay Area).
        \_ I think Cal undergrad program doesn't accept anyone who already
           has a bachelor degree.
           \_ this couldn't be further from the truth.
              \_ it is very, very rare for Cal to grant a second bachelor's
                 degree.  -tom
        \_ Depends on what you want to do with your degree.  A few variations:
           Want to teach or do research?  Get a high quality brand name degree.
           Want to teach HS or low end CC?  Get an easy degree and all A+s.
           Want to work in industry?  Some places only care about your GPA.
           Get the easy degree for those.  Other places are more picky and
           won't even talk to you or if they do you won't ever get promoted
           without a quality degree.  For my field and what I want to do my
           B-ish grades at Cal hurt me badly.  I would have done better with
           all As from CS Hayward.  But then I wouldn't know all you lovely
           people!  It was worth it!  Oh God!  I'm shedding tears now!
        \_ gen ed is a bit different in the college of engineering compared
           to gen ed in the college of letters&science. in EECS, there are other
           lower division requirements like CS61 series (especially if you
           are thinking of computer engineering.) there is also the engineering
           physics requirement (lower division) along with the 2 years of math
           (calculus, linear algebra, diff equations, multivariable calculus)
           and the one semester of a lower division science course (bio or
           chem).  there is a chance that you can waive some of the
           requirements with high school AP courses (but not physics or
           probably not CS courses.)   (But, only one english course is
           required!)
           in terms of future employment, Cal is a much better choice (some
           companies don't look at you if you went to Hayward or SFSU.. meaning
           you won't get an interview.)  although, i think that Cal Engr does
           not take anyone beyond a sophomore.  maybe, cs in l&s might be
           possible.
           SJSU or UCD might be a better choice (in terms of reputation among
           companies..although it might a bit farther) and of course....
           should i say it.... there is stanfurd..
           i figure with computer engr, you can do digital design or write
           hardware/software interface/drivers software..   i can't predict the
           future, but digital design seemingly can be done overseas (as long
           as the EDA keeps improving.)   i'm starting to think that chemE
           might have a better future..
           \_ Waitressing can't be outsourced.
        \_ Turns out EECS only takes 3-4 "Second Degree" students per year and
           currently requires a 3.97 GPA. Go beah!
           \_ 3-4 out of how many applicants?  And if as a returning student
              you can't manage a 4.0 in your forst year or two you are
              pretty fucking lame.  Can you imagine how easy it would be
              to take all your freshmen classes now?  You wouldn't even have
              to try.
              \_ That requirement is for your GPA from your *first* degree.
                 That is, only the best students get the opportunity. -tom
              \_ And you're not re-taking freshman classes, either.  It seems
                 unlikely you'll be one of those 3.97+ people returning so
                 don't worry your pretty little head about it.
           \_ aren't there special programs/exceptions for women?  (that is,
              if you are a woman going into EECS)
              \_ like women don't get enough freebies already.
              \_ the admissions committee might give a bit more leeway here
                 esp. if the candidate is borderline..
        \_ Don't there exist (Masters Degree?) CS or EE programs already
           specially targeted at people who have a BA degree in some other field
           who want to get fast into EECS?
           \_ if the ba degree is something related (eg, i can see physics
              majors going into ee specializing in applied physics or
              semiconductor physics/materials or chem majors going into
              semiconductor process), then ee programs exist for those from
              a different field.  something related would be a mba in mis..i
              suppose..  not having the prereqs for grad courses makes it
              pretty difficult.. (it's a bit different from not having the
              prereqs in undergrad.. and even this is not easy.. depending on
              the program & university..)
              \_ what about getting courses prereq at a community college
                 then take a Masters?  Or maybe some Masters will allow you
                 to take some prereqs.
                 \_ This is an excellent idea.  Thank you.
                 \_ most masters will allow their students to take undergrad
                    prereqs..
                    community college might be a good intro.. but courses like
                    a graduate level parallel architecture class (a typical
                    comp engr course) will more likely need a upper division
                    class like cs150 and/or eecs141..
        \_ hahahaha...  mcb huh?
           \_ i majored in both eecs&mcb..and mcb classes were just as
              difficult as eecs classes..
              \_ MCB is commonly known as a "hell major" at cal.  Along with
                 CS, and Architecture.
                 \_ Architecture!?!? That's a joke, right?
                    \_ um, no. architecture guys apparently have crazy big
                       projects (or maybe just tedious and time-consuming).
                       \_ please don't frighten the EECS droids by suggesting
                          that other students at Cal work hard.  -tom
                    \_ architecture people, on average, work a hell of a lot
                       harder than EECS people while in school *and* after
                       school and definitely get way less money after school
                       99% of the time.
              \_ what about taking prerequisites at a community college
                 then take a Masters?  or some masters program may allow
                 you to take prerequisites first.

1/26    Some cool jobs at DemandTec in Redwood City / San Carlos.
        http://www.demandtec.com/contact/engineering.html
        Applied math, CS theory, distributed systems, UI, etc...
        We also do lots of Operations Research and Stat.  Send me your
        resume if you are interested.  -- joshk
        \_ (We also have some unposted openings for general CS types)

1/11    I want to make my linux box send faxes.  What's the cheapest
        class 1 or class 2 faxmodem that i can get my hands on quickly?
        (i live in oakland)
        \_ buy a 28.8 off ebay or craigslist.
           \_ http://www.craigslist.org/pen/for/22199590.html
              http://www.craigslist.org/sby/sys/22162455.html
              http://www.craigslist.org/sby/sys/22288173.html
              http://www.craigslist.org/sby/sys/22010796.html
        \_ You can often find a modem for free-after-rebate at CompUSA,
           Office Depot and the like.
           \_ Those are always Winmodems. Is there a Linux driver for them yet?
        \_ can you get one of those old-fashioned external modems from
           CompUSA? Or one of those lexmark/HP all-in-one fax/printer/scanners?
        \_ Ask a friend.  Someone always has some old crappy modem sitting in
           a closet his SO would be happy to see gone.  One less piece of junk.
        \_ Try "The Used Computer Store" in Berkeley.  Their prices suck, but
           it'll probably be better than new, and they have decent selection of
           old stuff.
           \_ UCS: evil.

1/7     I haven't been doing very much career-maintenance (don't know J2EE,
        .NET, web services, etc.). What are the preferred ways (by employers)
        to pick up experience in current stuff?
        \_ by employers, buy your own books. by employee, get them to pay for
        classes, books etc.

12/18   s.a.d.
        http://money.cnn.com/2003/12/17/pf/q_nomorework/nomorework2.gif
        \_ Get over it.  This happens to every job, sooner or later.  Even
           doctors, plumbers, lawyers, etc. will eventually be replaced
           by Tajikistanis or robots.  New jobs are created, and overall
           we all have more leisure--the average worker in a western country
           works somewhere around 8 hours, 5 days a week--compare that to
           100 years ago.  Where's the problem?  -John
           \_ Big difference is that India and China are fucked up then.
              Now they are reemerging.
                \_ Their standards and cost of living (and wages) will rise,
                   it's called the free market.  At the same time, their
                   demand for goods and services will go up.  Currently, they
                   don't have nearly as much of a market for the sort of
                   stuff they're supplying "us" for cheaper as we do, hence
                   "we" send the work over there.  That will change, it
                   always has.  I seem to recall reading some article to
                   the extent that a lot of Indian companies were worried
                   about IT work moving to China for cost reasons, which is
                   pretty revealing.  -John
                   \_ Some of us have rent to pay while your little global
                      free market economy rebalances itself at the expense
                      of the middle class.
        \_ No surprises here.  If you haven't already started looking into
           other careers, now is a good time.  Of course, I'm sure you all
           think that you're one of those blessed with so much talent that
           you'll never be hit by the continuing dismantling of the
           domestic software industry.
           \_ another career?  nah, not only that, but another country too.
              give up software and high tech, and what do you have left,
              and how safe would those be?
        \_ The source is Forrester Research, the same people who predicted
           in 2000 that by 2002 the market penetration of personal video
           recorders would be in the same ballpark as that of washing
           machines. Keeping your options open is always good, but I don't
           think the verdict is quite in yet.
           \_ looks like a new career should be statistical research &
              prediction, then.
        \_ Five counter trends are: (1) less H1Bs, (2) fewer students in
                                        \_ fewer
           CS these days, (3) Indian and Chinese software engineers moving
           back to their respective countries, (4) rapidly falling dollar
           narrows the gap a little, (5) rapidly rising cost of living
           in say China.
           \_ and these are reasons why it will take 12 years for it to
              fall 33%.  Without these mitigating factors, it would fall
              faster.  And oh, btw, the biggest counter trend is probably
              the growth of the software industry as a whole as the
              presence of computers and technology permeate more and more
              of every day life.
        \_ This will start happening to System and Network Admins, too:
           http://csua.org/u/5bg
           \_ I highly doubt that this will happen. From my experience it's
              practically impossible to outsource sysadmin. You still need
              to be physically there when the server goes down. I've seen
              many attempts at just remote sysadmining and that never works.
              I also find that at least half of sysadmin is help-desk, so
              unless you want users to start calling India everytime they
              can't get something to work then I don't see the trend. However,
              I do see the trend in possible consolidation. I think there are
              many small/medium sized firms who don't need a full-time sysadmin,
              and what they need is a firm which will contract out sysadmin
              work. Overall, I think that there will be much less local
              programming work, but there will be more computer support work.
              As for programming, it doesn't come as a surprise to me. It's
              relatively easy to learn programming (especially enterprise
              stuff in which you typically just populate datastructures from
              forms), and with the predominance of 4GL languages now in the
              field this is even more so. Another high-tech area that will
              be greatly hit will be layout designers for chips (place and route
              software will kill off custom layout) and probably circuit
              designers will just all be off-shore instead of being H1Bs.
              \_ Locally outsources sysadmins?  Having a helpdesk across
                 town is no better than having it in India.  That's not going
                 to work.
                 \_ It certainly will work. Someone across town can come in
                 twice a week for system maintenance and be there for
                 emergencies. Try that with a Punjabee.

12/2    One of my students (anonymously) sent me a note saying:
        "Next class, can you please say "Baheb Gazmitak" to the class??"
        I'm pretty sure I'm being screwed with. But I don't know what this
        means (nor what language it's in). Ideas? Turkish friends throught it
        was Farsi, but a Farsi friend said it's not Farsi ...
        \_ if you say it, he probably won't be so anonymous.
           \_ Likely. I'd like to avoid the presumed embarrassment to find out
              though.
        \_ "But Here Goes My Talk"?
           \_ Serious? What language is that?
              \_ I just said it quickly in my head and that's what it sounded
                 like.  It also sounds a little like "Butthead goes..."
                 \_ that reminds me of this forward i got once where these guys
                    went around a london airport getting airport personnel to
                    say their pseudo-foreign-sounding, actually-dirty-phrase
                    made-up names.
                    \_ or that time during finals week when someone got the
                       (female)library announcer to say "will mike hunt please
                       come the third floor circulation desk."
                    \_ Man...sometimes people are really weird.
                       \_ well, don't get me wrong, it was pretty funny.
        \_ hebrew?

11/19   My lab got a bunch of computers and it's idling most of the time.
        I guess I could download that ET signal program, but what other
        things can I use it for?
        \_ http://www.mersenne.org/prime.htm
        \_ cure cancer!
           http://www.stanford.edu/group/pandegroup/folding
        \_ I recommend omega@home!  Join the worldwide effort to solve all
           open mathematical problems!  -- ilyas
                \_ can't find it on google
                   \_ Sorry it's a bit of a geek joke.  The program doesn't
                      exist yet, but the "all" is actually real.  The idea
                      is that you want to find bounds on a certain
                      number called Chaitin's omega.  If you know something
                      about that number you can solve lots of problems.
                      In fact, if you know that number precisely you can
                      solve any problem which can be precisely stated.
                      You get lower bounds by simulating programs until they
                      stop, and you get upper bounds by searching for programs
                      that print certain strings.
                        -- ilyas
                   \_ didn't you learn in high school to take "all" with a
                      grain of salt? i guess not, since you never learned
                      to format either.
                      \_ who learns to format the motd in high school....
                         \_ I had that in class.
        \_ Duh.  Game servers.
           \_ Well, that consumes bandwidth too.
              \_ So?  If the lab is idle most of the time, it's idle.
        \_ http://www.fightaidsathome.org
        \_ I seem to remember there was a guy in your situation and his
           university fired him and had him charged with unauthorized use
           of their equipment and he got like 1 year of probation and a big
           fine.  Sorry, don't remember the exact details.
           \_ IIRC it was the UofGeorgia.  I didn't know Georgia even had a
              university.  I thought they stopped at 5th grade.
        \_ Turn them off while not in use.  Saves power.

10/29   I'm running a java program that does 1000's of simulations.  top
        shows that the process only takes up about 1-2% CPU, peaking ~10%,
        and only 2% memory.  However, the machine runs slow.  Why would
        this be?  Also, any suggestions on how to speed up the code to
        make it greedy, thereby speeding up the sim's?
        \_ The process could be IO-bound, taking up all the bus bandwidth.
           This stalls the CPU and can happen with a small memory footprint,
           which fits the observed behavior.
           \_ More specifically, is your process writing to / reading from
              the hard disk? (e.g., outputting huge stat files)
              \_ It would work with memory too, even if no disk activity is
                 involved.
              \_ Yes. it is.  Specifically, There's a perl program that
                 iterates a java program.  Each iteration takes ~3 min.
                 The perl writes to a file the results of the iteration.
                 The java issues System.out.println, as well.
                 \_ How huge are the files for each 3-minute iteration?
                    \_ 5 lines or so.   Fairly compact.
                       \_ I'm guessing you're working memory really hard.  top
                          isn't the only tool available.  What os are you
                          running this on?  Top is a sledgehammer.  You need
                          a screwdriver or maybe a scalpel.
                          \_ Linux RH 7.2
                             \_ Go to freshmeat and grab any of the memory or
                                other system profilers.
                                \_ thanks
                          \_ I had some similar problems - try running a
                             java profiler on your program, it can be very
                             helpful in determining bottlenecks.  The one I
                             ended up using was "jprofiler", you can get a
                             10-day evaulation code... (google for jprofiler,
                             it's by ej-technologies)
                 \_ you mean the perl program launches a JVM every 3 mins?
                    start by factoring your code properly to run maybe 100
                    or 1000 iterations in a single JVM launch.  your RH 7.2
                    makes me think old hardware too.  on today's PC, we
                    still see absurd (10-20s) latency for launching a recent
                    java runtime to the point of our code sending some bytes.
                    that would be as much as 10% of the total runtime.
                    \_ I wanted to do that.  However, it's a constraint of the
                       sim that the JVM gets launched for each sim.
                 \_ i think these claims that memory access doesn't count
                    against CPU time is bullshit. CPU time is charged to
                    a process for as long as it is marked as running. access
                    to memory, as long as no page faults happen, will keep your
                    process marked as running. -ali.
                        \_ your reading comp is weak ali. How the hell did
                           you even get into Berkeley.
                    \_ i dont think anyone claimed that.

10/27   Is there any search engine that lets you search for symbols?
        I am trying to figure out what the significance of # starting a
        line in a CSS file is and no search engine i know will do anything
        but ignore a '#'
        \_ look at the instructions.  Maybe you can use quotes.
                "#"
        \_ why not just check the CSS spec on http://w3.org?  Or ask?  #foo in a
           cascading style sheet refers to the element with the unique ID "foo"
        \_ sorry I'm late punkass.  when you start something with "." it refers
           to a class you defined, like something you use with "class='foo'".
           When you start with # it's an "id"- a uniquely named block.  Just
           use it once, using "id='foo'".  I use this to float layers.
           look at the examples at   http://csszengarden.com    -brain
           \_ Also, if you use neither, it refers to a predefined HTML tag.
                HTML                    CSS
                <div class="h2">        .h2 { }
                <div id="h2">           #h2 { }
                <h2>                    h2 { }

10/9    Anyone use Emacs for Java dvlpmt?  What packages & modes do you use?
        \_ No.  Eclipse.  Eclipse.  Eclipse.  There is no other IDE.
        \_ Sure.  Java mode.  Cygwin.  I had to tweak the elisp for java mode
           to make it work according to taste, but then, I'm kind of
           particular.
        \_ IntelliJ is pretty nice as well.
        \_ Wait for it......
           \_ ED IS... ED IS THE... ED IS THE...
              \_ ED! ED! ED!
                 \_ A horse is a horse of course of course
                    But Mister ED is a talking horse
                    \_ Of course!  ED! is the Standard Talking Horse!
                       \_ ED and the Horse,
                          Having an intercourse.
                          "Ya doin' him anal?"
                          "Of course, of course." said the Talking Horse.

10/8    my google foo is weak, any css wizes around here?  I want to make
        a box.italic class that makes a little slanted box around whatever
        like so...

                 ___________
                /  yermom  /
                -----------

        (but with solid lines).  Can i do this?  how?, o.k. thanks(ia) -phuqm
        \_ OK, since there are no constructive responses yet, I'll give it a
           crack-  look at the code for the index page for slashdot-
           specifically the headers for each article.  It's a image of a
           corner on a colored background.  You can do something similar
           by defining a style and prepending a slanted mask to your SPAN
           and appending another at the end... If you want a border on this
           slanted monstrosity you are going to have to define a background
           also which will be covered by the slanted ends, and cannot use
           transparency.  This is because the background will show through,
           so you have to cover it on the ends.  For a similar reason you
           cannot use the CSS "border" attribute.  For more ideas check out
                http://csszengarden.com                         -brain
        \_ I'm fairly competent with CSS, and this is probably beyond anything
           CSS 2 can reasonably do.  http://www.csszengarden.com for some
           cool alternatives.
        \_ you can do this relatively easy using any server side language.
           \_ uh, if you can't get a browser to render a slanted box with
              solid lines, wtf can the server do about it?
                \_ I think he's talking about auto-generating an image with
                   "yermom" in it.  Don't do that though.
                   \_ why would you need to auto-generate an image with
                      yermom?  there are plenty of those images on the web
                      already.
                       \_ I would do it because it is not always going to say
                           yermom, sometimes it is going to say "whatever"
                           (as the original example given).  I could create
                           a script which auto-generates an image with $words
                           in it, but then i get into size issues,
                           transparency issues and all kinds of crap.  It is
                           far from "easy" and far from optimal. -phuqm
        \_ One of many CSS-related bugs in M$ IE.

10/6    http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/7/33217.html
        http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/7/32038.html
        is this a good prediction, or a self fulfilling prophecy.  Are computer
        jobs going to go the same way as weaving/sewing/clothing jobs?
        \_ No.  I read an interesting take on it recently (Economist?) which
           said that manufacturing jobs were going due to efficiency as much
           as corporate migration, and that with high efficiency, time-to-
           market and responsiveness to local needs outweighed the minor
           resulting cost gains from moving manufacturing offshore.  I see
           the same happening with IT, regardless of what people tell me about
           Indian call center workers with perfect Texan accents.  I've seen
           too many offshore moves by development and support teams (don't even
           start on business IT consulting) to have any faith that it'll make
           a really serious impact in the long run.  On the other hand, there's
           historically been a trend for 'simpler' work (witness mining,
           steel, shipbuilding, electronics) to move from 'core' to 'periphery'
           countries, without really affecting prosperity in the developed
           world.  -John
        \_ Why would they not? There was an article that mentioned silicon
           valley will recover by 2010, but the trend to offshore jobs will
           continue. There will always be cutting-edge jobs here, but the
           easier jobs will go overseas. One thing they haven't taken into
           account is the transfer of intellectual property to these countries,
           and the new competition that will result.
        \_ Dontcha just love globalization?
        \_ Not until software is truly a commodity and bug free.  You'll see a
           swing back from foreign countries for core work that must be done
           right because quite frankly they aren't skilled enough to do that
           overseas.
           \_ Not to mention the communcation issues (language, culture  and
              time difference) which make requirements/specifications difficult
              to iron out.
              \_ Yep.  I've seen a three year, $50 million project from India
                 produce nothing but bills.  And oh yeah, some folks got fired.
                 That was the only good to come from it.
                 \_ I ve seen a dilbert about this recently.

10/2    Java's cover:
        http://www.paulgraham.com/javacover.html
        \_ The sun internal memo is good reading as well. Lots of projects
           at sun (and elsewhere) that need to provide robust functionality
           in a small memory foot print have rejected java in favor of c
           or perl because of the reasons outlined in that memo. Java might
           have been a good idea but its implementation is terrible.
           \_ 99% of applications out there don't need a small memory footprint
              \_ The embedded market is huge. That's who they're talking about.
              \_ You would be surprised how many applications that run on
                 general purpose hardware/os need to have a small memory
                 footprint per instance (and/or thread). When you have to
                 handle hundreds of simultaneous requests, something that
                 takes 10 mb of memory to just stand up and another 50 or
                 so to run (per instance) puts a huge burden on them system.
                 I'm not even considering the io/cpu load that a java pgm
                 places on the system. You can also forget about writing
                 cli utilites with java, since the startup time for the vm
                 is long.
                 \_ 1. 60 megs is nothing these days.  Really.  My laptop has
                    a gig of memory.  Any server should have more.  And java
                    doesn't take that much memory on my system.  And if you
                    make the vm constantly resident (for such things as
                    servlets) the startup time isn't an issue.  Look I'm not
                    saying Java is the One True programing language, I'm
                    saying nothing is.  Different tools for different jobs.
                    Java is pretty good at what it does.  And for the embeded
                    market it has worked pretty well too.  I for one think
                    the whole language world is pretty stagnent right now
                    and someone needs to create a c++ killer that, gives
                    you total control over memory, enables you to be as fast
                    as C if you need it, and isn't the ugly piece of shit c++
                    is.  Hell maybe someone should stop trying to copy C
                    syntax and typing and come up with something new that
                    works.  But until then I'll make do with what is out there
                    and for some jobs Java works well, for some perl, and
                    for other C++.
                    \_ Out of curiosity, how many languages do you know?
                         -- ilyas
                     \_ I've done major projects with c/c++, perl, and
                        java.  I have played around with lots of others:
                        python, smalltalk, ruby, eifle, ocaml, objective c,
                        and others I've forgotten about.  I'd love to do
                        a serious project in any of those, but I've never
                        had a reason to.  And as I've said, I'd really like
                        to see a good C replacement type language for doing
                        stuff C/C++ should be used for (which sadly is a lot
                        less than it IS used for.)
                        \_ I am an ocaml fan.  I think you can use ocaml for
                           most stuff people use c++ for these days, except
                           maybe some kinds of system work.  I like lisp too.
                           People think of lisp as slow, but it's not.  -- ilyas

9/18    I have an embedded C++ application that passes around a lot of
        68-byte structs-- the struct is a wrapper around a binary message,
        and just about every function call includes one of them (usually
        passed by copy).  Today I changed the struct into a class which
        contains an empty Constructor/Destructor, and Configure() method
        which initializes every field.  Basically nothing else was changed:
        the 68-byte struct became a 72-byte object.  No inheritance, no
        virtual functions, everything is allocated on the stack.  My test
        suite is taking 300% longer to run, even with -O3.  Any ideas
        about what might be causing this?  I'm going to look into gprof,
        but if there are any hints and tips I'd like to hear them.  Thanks.
        \_ WAG: From your description, I gather you changed the definition
           from: struct Foo { ... }; to: class Foo { ... };
           Try changing "class" back to "struct" and see if that changes
           anything.
           \_ It does-- it cuts the running time by 2/3.  I've got 2
              parallel (except for the class stuff) directories and I'm
              running the tests side by side.
              \_ Well, are you passing these structs by value?  Are you
                 constructing and deconstructing tons and tons of classes
                 now?  Calling all those empty constructors and deconstructors
                 can get quite expensive.  Also do you have RTTI turned on?
                 That could explain the extra bytes,
                 \_ I don't have RTTI on explicitly (how would I check?),
                    and I'm not using any template stuff.  The compiler is
                    gcc 3.2.  Is there a way to optimize the (de|con)structor
                    calls to nothing?  I had figured that -O2 would take
                    care of that for me.  Also, I think that extra 4 bytes
                    is just a pointer to the dispatch table, which is
                    completely expected. --op
                    \_ If you have no virtual functions you don't have a
                       dispatch table, and you shouldn't have a pointer.
                       Trust me when your basic math objects are classes
                       and you have umpty millions of them, doubling the
                       size for a dispatch pointer would be really annoying.
                       \_ Aaah!  You're totally right.  Out of habit I had
                          put "virtual ~Foo() { };".  I removed the virtual
                          and the code is now about 5-10% *faster* than the
                          struct version.  Thank you thank you thank you.
              \_ Two more suggestions: Did you define Configure() in the
                 header file? If so, move it to the implementation file
                 and see if that makes a difference. Also, try compiling
                 with -Os, which optimizes for size (at least on my
                 gcc).          - struct guy
                 \_ Configure is defined in the .cc file; I'll give -Os
                    a shot now.
                    \_ Try swapping the the definition of the ctor/dtor
                       and Configure from .cc to .h or vice-versa.
        \_ Why did you change working code in the first place?  That's where
           your real problem is.
           \_ Obviously so he could put C/C++ on his resume!

9/4     For files that end in .avi, is it a fairly simple matter to tell
        what codec is necessary to play it, e.g. DivX or XviD? I'm talking
        about programmatical methods here, like reading headers or something.
        \_ http://www.geocities.com/ajmas/software/rifffileinfo
        \_ why programmatic?  are you going to write your own tool?  there
           are plenty of good tools out there already
           (e.g. http://www.headbands.com/gspot), and I don't think you
           want to maintain your own independent fourcc->codec database.
        \_ prompt% man magic

8/22    http://www.wired.com/news/conflict/0,2100,60144-2,00.html
        Total crap.
        \_ 1. Post the first page, not the second.
           2. That sucks.
           3. This wouldn't have happened if he were handsome.
           \_ yes. yes. no.
        \_ Look at the mug on this kid!  I don't know if he should be let go
           out of sympathy or locked away so no one else ever has to see him
           again!  http://www.savebrian.org/media.html

8/20    What's the difference between First Class Mail and Priority Mail
        in the USPS delivery system? Does one use a different plane/route
        than the other?
        \_ First Class: by ground  $0.36 cross country in 3-5 days ground
           Priority Mail : $3. 2-3 days xcountry by air.
           "What's your priority?"
        \_ First Class, Jojo is extra careful with the hammer.

8/11    Is there any solution to hinder people's effort to decompile
        the java .classs files back to the source?  What is the keyword
        for these things any way?  "salting" the .class file?
        \_ In general, decompilation is hitting against the Halting Problem,
           since you need to analyze code.
           \_ true, but even the simple process of renaming each method &
              variable to "a", "aa", "aaa", ... etc will make the code at
              least as unreadable as your 61b project partner's.
        \_ the keyword is obfuscator; look up a product called "Dash O"
           (-O, optimize) to start with.
           \_ thanks   -kngharv

7/22    Looking for junior java developers.   Limited job experience is a plus.
        /csua/pub/jobs/Snapfish.junior.java
        Thank you for not editing a *job posting* and not fucking with other
        people who are trying to get jobs, pay their rent, and buy food.  It
        might be *you* someday that needs a job and not a butchered posting.
        Restored.

7/22    Looking for junior java developers.  Limited salary & IQ are pluses.
        /csua/pub/jobs/Snapfish.junior.java
        \_ limited IQ is a plus???

7/22    Looking for junior java developers.   Limited job experience is a plus.
        /csua/pub/jobs/Snapfish.junior.java
        \_ This is a very interesting requirement. Why prefer junior over
           experienced java developers?  Is it the salary factor?  Or
           veteran coders have bad habits? Or are veteran coders very slow?
           Or Junior coders tend to work longer hours, and has no complaints?
           most places are looking for over 10 years experience which I think
           it's kinda dumb.  So exactly why are your company so different that
           seems to see the benefits of junior coders?
           \_ I'm sure it's all about $$$. It always is.
           \_ Money, of course, is always a factor.  As far as the rest,
              anyone is going to be expected to work the hours required to get
              their project(s) done.  I'm not on the dev team but I didn't
              hear anything about bad habits or experienced people being slow,
              etc.  I think they already have piles of veteran coder resumes.
              We don't have a problem taking junior people and training them
              up on the job unlike most companies today.  I guess that's the
              difference.  The dev team guys are all really decent.  No one
              is job hunting that I know of.  For anything more either write
              me and I'll find out or send a resume and you can ask in your
              interview.  I posted what I was told plus whatever else I know.
              \_ Oh I see. I was only curious as your company seems to be the
              only exception. From my working experience, if it were I to make
              the decision, I would give UCB undergrads interviews. My working
              experiences with UCB graduates are very good. And the people that
              supposedly have over 10 years of coding experiences all seem
              pretty lame (bad code, dumb algorith, slow and inacurrate...)--
              I'm talking about only the ppl that I have worked with.
                \_ Pretty much it comes down to having had good experiences
                   in the past hiring new college grads from quality schools.
                   Why pay more for 10+ years when you're happy with a NCG?
        \_ you know, computer science has matured in the past 30 years that
           really complex tasks can be partioned into many simple tasks.
           Look at EJB, J2EE, DB, etc. Everything is just an integration
           of many components that can be broken down further and further
           into more specialized and simple parts, and now we can just hire
           a lot of simple-minded code monkeys to do a product instead of
           a few expensive PhDs. My friend, CS is becoming more and more
           like the automobile industry where you only need a few designers
           (software architects) and a lot of dumb assembly line workers
           (code monkeys).
           \_ damn, that is depressing
           \_ Uhm, ok, maybe so.  Please send junior java resumes.  It's not
              my group so I can't confirm or deny that with regards to my
              company.  Please send junior java resumes.
           \_ In my experience intelligent programmers are hard to find
              and always in demand.  Sure most "progammers" slap together
              a bunch of components or use some visual tool instead of
              taking the time and effort required to do things intellegently.
              These kinds of programmers end up causing the endless
              bugs in windows, slow, bloated software, and missed deadlines.
              Good programmers will always be in demand because software
              development is a complex balance between speed, space,
              flexibility, and cost.
                \_ demand for excellence will always be there, but there
                   will be a much much greater demand for mediocrity.
                   Engineers get paid because business men say so, and
                   business men don't know jack about excellence. They
                   only understand time-to-market and marketting.

7/9     Are the native method implementations of any java environments
        freely available for viewing?
        \_ maybe SWT's gtk bindings?
           \_ i'm thinking more of the core java api. -op
        \_ I recall when I downloaded and installed the JDK, it had
           an option to include the source code. Which I did.
           \_ i don't think that includes the native methods, but thanks anyway.
           \_ i don't think that includes the native methods, but thanks
              anyway.
        \_ if no one erases this a 3rd time, why don't you try:
           http://wwws.sun.com/software/java2/index.html
           \_ just what i was looking for. thanks!

7/6     If you're a student in L&S, what are the chanses of being able
        to register for your last semester (say to complete a minor in CS) if
        you have already completed over 130 units (say, 136)?
        \_ What's wrong, Afraid of facing the awful job market? or
           getting thrown out of the country for not being able to otain
           a non-student visa?
           \_ If you're Afraid, does that mean you have The Fear?
              \_ Yes.  I Think So.
        \_ Here's the secret to survival at Cal: there are no rules.  You can
           break any and all rules no matter how deeply carved in stone with a
           good story and a signature from someone.  For a situation like
           yours, it used to be possible to simply ignore the credit limits
           and keep signing up for classes forever.  I'm not sure how the
           current computer system works.  It might automagically graduate
           you and not allow the next semester signup.  If the computer lets
           you do it, then you're golden.  If not, go to L&S and beg, plead,
           and sob how you love CS and never got a change to finish and didn't
           realise you couldn't just finish it up, etc, etc.  Unless you get
           some complete asshat they'll give you an extra 1 or 2 semesters
           without a big fuss.
           \_ I second that.  It's really true of any big institution, though.
              I think one of the best things you learn, or should learn, at
              cal is how to deal with this and have it work to your advantage.
        \_ You asked in the best place for this sort of advice. Got tons
           of slackers on soda. But yeah, agree with the above stuff but
           also read the L&S rules and regulations and work them to your
           favor. You can always deduct the AP and transfer units from your
           max. Besides, you can easily beg for ONE last semester if for good
           reason like your CS minor thing -- but they'll double-check
           you on it to make sure it really is true and will work.
           Also, if you ever had to repeat a class, make sure they didnt
           double-charge your 130unit limit because the class changed
           class-numbers, even though it was the same/overlapping class.
           I always tried begging only as a last resort, as in life, work
           the hard rules before working the soft.
           There are others tricks, but i gotta go for now.
           \_ [stupid out-of-order followup deleted]
              \_ fuck you
           \_ Thanks. I was a transfer student, and LOTS of classes I took
              before going to cal simply don't count. That's why I am having
              problems with the unit limits. I had earned 70 units before
              transferring to Cal, yet more than half of that probably doesn't
              count for anything at Cal. Of course, I should have known better
              what classes to take at the previous college in advance but
              transferring to Cal did not occur to me until something like the
              end of sophomore year. Would that make a good case to stay one
              semester longer? -OP
              \_ Pretty much anything that sounds reasonable will do.  That
                 sounds reasonable to me.  "Oh woe, I just didn't know!" is
                 usually enough for a simple request like an extra semester.
                 You should still find out how the computer thing works first
                 before going in and getting it in your record that someone
                 did you a favor.  You might need that favor for something
                 else later.  No reason to burn it if you don't have to.  And
                 to the person 2 up from here: slackers on soda?  Au contraire
                 mon frere!  They are merely engaging in advanced studies!

6/5     Hi I'm an engineer and I have a whiny voice and I want to improve
        myself (for the sake of meeting women and to sound better on job
        interviews). Where can I go? Acting class? Voice lessons? ok thx
        \_ try saying "mm hmm". that's your natural voice. then say
        "mm hmm 1, mm hmm 2, mm hmm 3". for more informatoin, go to
        http://www.voice-doctor.com
           \_ Hey, that's good.
        \_ i know psb.  psb is an idol of mine.  and son, you are no psb
           -psb #24 fan
        \_ grow some balls, son
           \_ *imagining two balls growing on a petri dish*
        \_ Try Toastmasters: http://www.toastmasters.org
        \_ watch lotsa dirty harry movies.. he always gets laid.
                \_ Yes, watch all the early Eastwood westerns and action
                   movies - just on general principles.
                   \_ Especially "Paint Your Wagon" where he sings...
        \_ It's hopeless.  Improve the gene pool.  Conserve precious
           resources.  Kill yourself.
        \_ Some of the advice on this thread might be of help to you:
           http://forums.macnn.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=162840

5/21    Brian Harvey on NYTimes
        http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/22/technology/circuits/22comp.html
        "Computing's Lost Allure"
        \_ Great, the leftish liars talk to the leftist propagandists.
        \_ what's the deal with those random pictures?
           \_ Walk into an undergrad CS class:  I see Asian people.
        \_ Good.  The market is oversaturated anyway.
           \- hello wouldnt some large fraction of the enrollment difference
              be explained by on-sequence/off-sequence semesters? ok tnx--psb
              \_ don't ask questions. statistics never lie
        \_ I see yellow people!
           \_ orientals don't work with cable modem.
        \_ good.  CS departments don't need all those wanna-be code monkeys.

5/13    Stupid C++ question but I can't get it to compile:
        struct MyStruct {};
        class Super {
        public:
          virtual void foo (MyStruct str, int* bar) = 0 {}
          virtual void foo (MyStruct str, unsigned int* bar) {
                        return foo(str, reinterpret_cast<int*>(bar)); }
        }

        class Sub : public Super {
        public:
          void foo (MyStruct str, int* bar) {}
        }

        Sub implements foo for a regular int, but should use Super's foo
        for unsigned int.  But whenever I compile I get errors about
        "invalid conversion from `unsigned int*' to `int*'" from code that
        uses an instance of Sub.  Help?
        \_ is foo virtual?
           \_ sorry, yes-- the first foo is virtual, the second is not (though
              I've tried making the 2nd virtual as well.)
        \_ I've put an explanation in ~mconst/pub/overriding-overloading;
           let me know if that answers your question.  --mconst
           \_ I had to go look it up to make sure, but your answer omits the
              using delcaration.  One solution is to add one line:
              class Sub : public Super
              {
                using Super::foo; //imports *all* overloads
                foo (MyStruct struct, int* bar);
              }
              The standard dictates that if you have the same signature from a
              using declaration and a member declaration, the member declaration
              wins. -emarkp
              \_ You're right, that is nicer; I've fixed my explanation.
                 (Unfortunately, though, it doesn't work with gcc 2.95 or
                 with Visual Studio .NET.)  --mconst
                 \_ It worked with VS .NET 2003 (7.1).  I'm not surprised if it
                    didn't work with 2002 (7.0).  The conformance is nearly
                    complete (missing exception specifications and export IIRC).
                    -emarkp
        \_ You must be explicit with each overload.  C++ rules are that if you
           hide one function, you hide *all* overloads.  Hence foo(Mystruct,
           unsigned int*) is not visible in class Sub.  See
           http://csua.org/u/ec6 -- look for "Q55" -emarkp
        \_ thanks for the helpful answers; I tried the using clause but
           didn't get instant results; this is targetted to a platform
           with a rather old version of gcc so I'm just going to suck it
           up and copy-paste into the subclasses.  Thanks again. -op

5/12    I'm making a website for a friend and he'd like to process some
        simple credit card transactions (he's a lawyer and its for one-
        time legal consultations). Anyone know a good way to do this?
        Yahoo and Earthlink both seem to offer services, but I already have
        a full dynamic web app, and thus would prefer to not have to use
        some dumbed-down GUI interface for setting the thing up. thanks.
        \_ Talk to the CC folks you'll be dealing with.  They each have a
           variety of different methods and pricing for cc+net charges.
           There's software on your end to talk to their end on an encrypted
           connection and an API to go with it which the software will deal
           with.  The software's task is generic, do some research and buy
           whatever fits your budget.
           \_ I don't get it... are you saying the banks providing merchant
              accounts will typically provide me w/ an API for processing
              CC transactions?
              \_ no, im saying there *is* a standard api that the people who
                 build the cc software use to talk to the banks.  it's unlikely
                 anyone will give random hacker dude their api.
                 \_ ok, I guess I'm not being clear... what I'm asking for
                    are some recomendations for cc software places
                    \_ I've been looking at a variety of systems and have
                       some notes here :  http://csua.org/u/ebd
                       I think I'll be going with ECHO since they have a Java
                       version and my app is mostly JSP/servlets     -brain
                       \_ great! thanks alot.
        \_ rule of thumb-- don't work for a lawyer.
        \_ I use VeriSign.  They offer you APIs to talk to all major
           credit card issuers.  You only pay them a small fee when
           someone charges his/her card.

3/27    I have a large home directory, want to back it up to CDs. Is there a
        front-end to mkisofs that will split up the stuff neatly into multiple
        700MB ISOs?
        \_ there was some http://www.freshmeat.net project to
           to that, no i don't remember the name of it, sorry.

3/18    Powers of 10:
        http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/primer/java/scienceopticsu/powersof10
        \_ I like the Charles & Ray Eames original much better:
           http://www.powersof10.com
           \_ Great; now kids are going to think protons and quarks
              "look" like little blobs of colored dots.  -pld

3/12    My company wants me to take some short (2 days) management
        training.  I am in the South Bay.  Any pointers on what's a good
        class to take?
        \_ I strongly recommend a presentations skills class and/or a
           public speaking skills class.  Those are the most important in
           advancing a management career.
        \_ Does your boss know s/he's being replaced?
           \_ Probably not.  I am pretty sure the request skipped
              him--it came directly from the general manager.
        \_ anger management? - danh
           \_ Speaking of which:
              link:www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/5372692.htm
           \_ hmm...more like people management.

3/11    What are some light and small devices that could cut through
        padlocks?
        \_ depends strongly on the padlock.  there is a whole class of
           master lock that can be defeated with a towel.  those padlocks
           on campus are really a bitch to defeat by any means, though.
           \_ with a towel?!?! pray tell?  Link?
              \_ no, i don't have a link. not everything happens on the
                 web.  I just rememeber when i did martial arts at the RSF
                 people making announcements in class about it.
                 they were talking about those cheap shitty rsf combo locks.
                 people were able to bust them open with an RSF towel and
                 steal the contents of the locker very fast.
              \_ It's in the Anarchist's cookbook, which you can find on the
                 web.  You basically stick the towel in between the hasp and
                 the body of a cheap spin dial lock (though they claim that
                 Master locks can't be broken this way) and yank down very
                 fast and hard until it opens.  I highly doubt this will work
                 on the new RSF locks because they force you to turn the dial
                 back a bit *while* pressing down on the hasp.
        \_ How long do have to cut it off?

3/7     Is there a simple way to use/pass function pointers in Java?
        I know I can emulate this by using interfaces or defining
        a base class with a function foo, and subclasses which
        override foo and passing instances of those classes, but that
        is ugly.  I'd like something simple like the LISP, C/C++, Python,
        or Tcl method of passing a function.  Thanks.
        \_ This isn't syntatically pretty either, but anonymous inner
           classes might be what you are looking for.
        \_ You might be able to do something like this reflection.
           For a simple example take a look at /tmp/InvokeExample.java.
        \_ Wrap it up in an anonymous inner class. Anonymous inner classes
           are (modulo some tweaks) semantically equivelent to typed lambdas
           \_ lambdas!

2/28    Is there any relation between a Huffman code tree and a red-black tree?
        More specifically, is it always possible to color a Huffman code
        tree so that it's a valid red-black tree?
        \_ ask yer mom.
        \_ yes. they both did yermom.
        \_ Is this a trick question?
           \_ This and everything else ever mentioned in class, the reader,
              all 6 books, or by your TA while he took your ass is a valid
              question for the midterm.  Know everything.
        \_ Huffman trees are for (lossless) data compression and red-black
           trees are a data structure which supports insertion, deletion,
           and other operations in O(log n) time.  The only connection is
           that they are both trees.  The Huffman tree for compressing a
           geometric discrete random variable can not be colored as a
           red-black tree.  If you work it out, you'll see why. -emin

2/18    Is there any relation between a Huffman code tree and a red-black tree?
        \_ They're both algorithms?
        \_ They are both trees.
        \_ Second cousins I think
           \_ Kissing cousins, I hear
        \_ Depends; what shade of red?
        \_ and thus we see no one here remembers a damned thing from class.
           i dont either.  just pointing it out.  heh.
           \_ those of us who do remember some damned things from class
              would like to point out that we don't see anything here other
              than an utterly meaningless question and a few people
              entertaining themselves in response.
              \_ well that would be an answer, wouldn't it?  "Your question is
                 utterly meaningless." is a valid response.  I'm glad you
                 remember stuff from class.  I'm glad I don't.  :-)
        \_ If you work in the real world (industry) you don't need to know
           any of this shit. In fact you don't have to know anything at all
           besides knowing how to kiss ass to your boss.
        \_ Is this a trick question?

2/5     In C, the typical way to generate random numbers in the range [0, N)
        is (int) ((double) rand() / ((double) RAND_MAX + 1) * N).  What
        guarantee is there that RAND_MAX + 1 does not overflow?
        \_ RAND_MAX is 32767.
           \_ RAND_MAX is guaranteed to be at LEAST 32767.
        \_ aren't your parentheses misplaced wrt N?
           \_ no.  You generate a floating value in the range [0, 1), multiply
              by N, and cast to int.
              \_ right. as written, it's generating [0,1) and dividing by N,
                 n'est-ce pas?
        \_ Note that you're casting RAND_MAX to a double.  Standard IEEE754 has
           54 bits of significand in a double.  That's typically more than
           anything a 32-bit machine has to offer.  However there is no
           guarantee against overflow.
           By the way, rand() is a crappy generator.  The method above leads to
           non-uniform probability distribution (some values will be twice as
           likely than the rest), etc.
                \_ so can you change the seed each time, based on prev #
                   and other factors to make it distribute more evenly?
                   \_ it doesn't matter what the seed is.  most implementations
                      of rand() just suck.
                      \_ understood.  care to suggest a better way of
                         generating random numbers?
                         \_ digitize johnson noise and take the least
                            signifigant bit?  i'll bet you could make
                            a box to do this for about a dollar in electronics.
                            I think there are chips that do this, or use
                            shot noise which is also white.
                            -naive physicist
                                \_ Actually, the best way would be to
                                   to take some radioactive material
                          \_ well even just C's "random" function is better than
                            "rand". look at "man 3 rand". i would try the /dev
                            random device but then that's not very portable
                                   and measure either the amount of
                                   decay or the interval between two
                                   decay events and use that as a
                                   basis for your random numbers.
                          \_ read from /dev/(u)random
                          \_ http://www.boost.org/libs/random/index.html
                          \_ well even just C's "random" function is better
                             than "rand". look at "man 3 rand". i would try
                             the /dev random device but then that's not very
                             portable
                                \_ It works on MacOS X, Solaris (8+),
                                   L1NUX, *BSD, how much more portability
                                   do you want?
        \_ (int) (drand48() * N);

1/31    Soda hosted web site on slashdot:
        http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/01/31/1436205&mode=flat&tid=12
        \- the dumbass got an A- in 7A.

1/16    Is java *really* that much slower than C?

1/15    Why was java removed from soda?
        \_ Cuz of no good punks like you.
        \_ Has it been banned or can it be installed again?
        \_ Java bad, C good.
           \_ you recite well.  Repeat after me.  USA is at war with Iraq
              usa has always been at war with iraq...
              \_ you're on the wrong thread.
           \_ When you finally finish your degree you might wonder why
              C isn't the language of choice for polymorphic data structures
              and most grad schools like say, Cal.  Fuckin' dropouts.
              \_ Because C is hard, Java is easy, grad schools just say "slow?
                 buy better hardware with your grant money!".  Been out of the
                 ivory tower at anytime in your life?  I notice you don't say
                 anything about the real world.  --alum
        \_ Ocaml was not removed from soda.  Ever wonder why?
           \_ becuase no one uses it.

1/13    I've been looking at intel's web site and can't find any sort of
        white paper on design principles that make the CPU keep up with
        moore's law.  I heard that things like the main components of
        performance is memory and manufacturing process.  The fancy stuff
        like pipelining hyperthreading etc, doesn't really do much.  The
        amount of onboard cache memory is still the determining factor in
        performance.  And that is tied to the manufacturing process.  It has
        been a while since I took CS152.  Is this still true?  Most of the
        advances in microprocessor design is in integrating bigger and bigger
        cache into the chip?
        \_ Making transistors smaller also helps. Smaller devices run faster
           than larger ones since both the resistance and the capacitance
           depend on the device size.
           \_ given practical limits on size and cost of a die, more cache
              implies process improvement.  the pa guys used to do offchip
              sram in a mcm, but i think they've given up on that also (because
              at the end of the day the interconnect between cpu and sram is
              slow).  (of course i've not looked at general purpose cpu's
              for many years so i may be wrong).  intel's claim of everything
              being essentially only  memory and cache bandwidth limited
              may be true for the class of cpu's they mostly build (general
              purpose) and the class of problems they solve (large grained),
              but certainly is not true for all architectures and all
              applications.  also i guess depends on the definition of a cpu.
              e.g. just as the bandwidth of a truck full of mag tapes is
              stunning, so is the computational power of a die full of small
              (friend of mine makes a 27k gate one) processors.
              so in general they are wrong, though they are probably
              correct specifically for the problem they are trying to solve.
              \_ well, my wrong is probably too strong, because it's always
                 memory and cache bandwidth, but it's certainly not the only
                 thing.
        \_ Moore's law specifies #transistors/chip.  The fabrication process
           allows features to shrink roughly in line with ML.  Lately, issues
           like scaling (wires scale differently than transistors) and routing
           (connecting the transistors to each other) are tougher than shrinking
           transistors.
           \_ nothing lately about it.  i took cs250 15 years ago, and it
              was obvious to me then that routing was the problem.  power
              is a much more interesting and recent problem.
              \_ When I worked developing CAD tools @ Intel 1997-2000, those
                 were the emerging problems.  Hence, lately. -emarkp
                 \_ back in the day when i banged sea-of-gates chips late
                    80's and early 90's, it was as simple as throwing the
                    netlist over the wall to the backend guys.  93-ish
                    we started having to worry about floorplanning, and
                    95 i started doing cot and p&r was a problem.  which is
                    not to say that p&r was not a problem earlier, as anyone
                    who pushed polygons by hand will tell you (which is what
                    i referred to when i mentioned c250 above), rather
                    that around that time density and technology made the
                    problem much less tractable.  you also have to understand
                    that intel does not have the most normal design flow, and
                    your experience at intel probably does not reflect
                    industry experience in general.

12/23   Java on Windows. Resurrection.

12/18   Math help!  I'm a software engineer who forgot how to do problems
        like this: I have a bag with 60% black marbles and 40% white.
        Drawing with replacement, how many marbles do I have to draw to
        have a 90% chance of drawing 5 black marbles (among any number
        of white)?  I'd appreciate a formula or explanation because I might
        need to change those numbers.  THANKS!
        \_ Stat 2, kids.
        \_ Couldn't you figure this out using your own logical reasoning?
           \_ No, that is why I am asking.
        \_ Likely wrong:
        * Drawing 5 black marbles on the first try is .6**5 = .07776
        You want to make the chances of 5 black marbles .9, ie,
        * .007776 * numDraws = .9
        ==> numDraws = .9 / .07776 = 11.57
        ==> rounding up, you need 12 draws.
        \_ When you can't find the right forumale, the easy backup plan
           is to write a program that will do X trials for you and find it
           empiracally.
        \_ Real answer:
           The answer is the smallest N, such that the definite integral
           of the binomial distrubution function with parameters n = N,
                \_ too bad you can't take a definite integral
                   of a binomial distribution -- it's discrete.
                   \_ What the hell are you talking about?  Of course you can.
                      Just take the sum.  You are an idiot.  Go away and kill
                      yourself now.
                   \_ So do a discrete summation instead
        \_ Too bad there are only five marbles in the bag (3 black and 2
           white) making a solution impossible. Unless you know the number
           of marbles in the bag, you can't give a reasonable answer. As it
           approaches a very high number (not infinity per se), the above
           solution becomes more valid.
           p = 0.6, taken from 5 to N >= .9.  Feel free to play around with
           many java applets of the binomial distribution to find out what
           N is.
           \_ you can also use the chernov bound to bound this integral from
              above. if you're interested in these specfific parameters,
              you should implement what the above says.
              \_ It's a poly time algorithm to find N, no need to bound.
        \_ The question is asking drawing exactly 5 out of N, so should the
           answer be just: 90% = C(N,5)*0.6^5*0.4^(N-5)?

11/30   Is there any sort of software that can take an XML schema (DTD,
        XSD, RelaxNG, whatever) and create from that a UI (web form, java
        swing app, etc) suitable for creating a conformant XML document?
        \_ Yes.

11/17   How come printf("%f\n", 1/10); returns 0.000000?
        \_ because it is? go read up on integer division.
           \_ gosh how dare you ask someone to rtfm.  how rude of you not to
              spoon feed someone on the motd.  I'll bet you're not a pine
              user either.
              \_ Gosh, how dare you correct someone on the motd without the
                 cadence and arrogance of a fully-trained Google Nazi.
                 1/10 rounds down to 0 since it is integer division.  Try
                 printf("%f\n", ((float)1)/((float)10) ) ;
                 for the results you expect.
                 \_printf("%f\n" (float) 1/10); You don't need that many
                 casts or parens. This isn't LISP. Sounds like you are
                 a C newbie.
                 \_ %f isn't even the specifier for float, smart guy.
                    there isn't one for float.
                 \_ use cout <<
                 \_ We all knew that.
                 \_ Just use Java
                    \_ Ride bullet train.  Use ocaml.

11/6    I need to write a a file in UTF-8 in java 1.3, and UTF-8 may not
        be the default encoding.  How do I do this?

10/27   In Defense of The Boom:
        http://csua.org/u/46e
        \_ What's the csua-motd username password ay nytimes?
           \_ csuamotd:csuamotd
              \_ what other web accounts does csua have?
                 \_ csua:csua at some places.  LAtimes is username:password
                 \_ csuacsua : csuacsua for Sun's JDK et al. downloads
                 \_ how about if we make a file somewhere on soda that lists
                    all of these and if people create a new one they could
                    submit it in there?

8/29    http://ugrad.csua.berkeley.edu/~chialea/pirate.html
        For I am a pirate king...
        \_ This is not even good enough to be motd fodder. Who poasted this?
            \_ "Poasted"?  You're not good enough to be motd fodder...
                \_ Yes because typo flames are always better than content
                   flames.
                   \_ It's the motd.  Yermom responses are better than
                      everything else.  Except maybe running prices on 3D
                      video cards.
                        \_ or prices on yer mom
                           \_ probably, but the original link is still a waste
                              of bits.  maybe if it were funny in some way.
             \_ FYI, i typed posted on purpose... to see if it would generate
                a response. 5 layers deep... not bad!
                \_ liar.  next!

8/28    which class @Cal teaches BCH, linear, Hamming, Reed Solomon, cyclic,
        and others? Thanks.
        \_ ee12x?
        \_ ee229 is the only one that comes to mind, although i'm pretty sure
           it isn't guaranteed to cover coding stuff in-depth. there's a
           special topics ee290 taught occasionally on coding theory. but
           only occasionally.
                \_ CMU and MIT have these classes frequently, why not Cal?
                   \_ Pretty simple -- coding theory is more in fashion on
                      the east coast. We just never picked up faculty with
                      pointed interests in coding theory and not much else.
                      There are areas which are more in fashion on this
                      coast, and you'll see the inverse effect. E.g. I hear
                      MIT has no established CS group working on quantum stuff.
                   \_ Why do you think?
                   \_ real schools vs cal?  hahahahahhahaaa
                      \_ Ingrate. You had a chance to get a world-class
                         education at Cal. If you missed it, that's your fault.
                         The fact that your buddies from high school also
                         got into Cal ugrad and had the same chance (and
                         probably also missed it) doesn't detract from Cal's
                         standing.
                         \_ Uh oh here come the Cal Fascista Bears!  I got a
                            world class education but I'm not stupid enough to
                            believe that someone somewhere else didn't get an
                            even better one.  I'm glad you love your school and
                            have 'school loyalty' and all that crap but out in
                            the real world MIT >> Cal and for good reasons.

8/20    How do you declare static array in C++ class?
        \_ you mean something like this?
           http://www.icce.rug.nl/documents/cplusplus/cplusplus10.html

8/17    In C++ (and Java), virtual functions are "turned off" in the
        constructors and destructors, right?  Since the child class
        isn't available.
        \_ you can definitely have virtual destructors (in C++).
           It is strongly recommended.
           \_ I meant calling a VF from a ctor or dtor.  --OP
              \_ even if it were legal, that is really bad style.  A parent
                 class having knowledge of children classes? Bad bad bad.
                 \_ Um, the point of a VF is that you don't have to know the
                    exact behavior.  Fortunately, this isn't allowed anyway.
        \_ They're not "turned off"--that is, the compiler doesn't prevent you
           from calling them, but you shouldn't expect them to work.  When
           you're constructing, you start at the base constructor and work your
           way down the inheritance chain.  So if you try to call a virtual
           function in that process, the full type hasn't been constructed and
           you can't expect anything predictable.  Similarly in the destructor.
           This is a reason many people on the C++ community are asking for
           "post-construction" and "pre-destruction" functions.
           \_ This is incorrect.  It is perfectly predictable; in a constructor
              you are guaranteed to have the virtual functions defined in that
              class or any base class.  --pld

lazy emacs user was here

8/15    Haven't looked at Java for a while.  Does the Sun package come with a
        usable debugger?
        \_ Absolutely not.  Sun should be embarrassed about how crappy
           their debugger is.
        \_ Java doesn't need a debugger =)
        \_ rm(1)

8/15    YOU WILL BE ASSIMILATED
        http://csua.org/u/165

8/8     Anyone know of a tutorial/example of how to render angled text
        in Java? Doesn't matter which version of Java. I need arbitrary
        angles for a map.

7/22  /sbin/iptables -t nat -A POSTROUTING -s 10.1.1.0/24 -o eth0 -j MASQUERADE
      In the above line what is the point of the /24 ?
      Is it saying "this class C."  If so how does "24" relate to that?
      What would /8 be?
      \_ Yes it is -- it means the first 24 bits of the address are the
         network address, and so the last 8 bits specify a host on that
         network.  If it were /8, that would be a class A: the first 8
         bits are the network number, and the last 24 bits are for all
         the hosts on that network.
        \_ It's standard CIDR addressing. Nowadays, you can get IP chunks that
           are /22's and so forth, so "Class C" doesn't always make sense.
           CIDR is also referred to as classless routing.
           \_ Classless Inter-Domain Routing even!
        \_ I thought the second number is the number of bits in the subnet
           mask. /24 is the same as 255.255.255.0. In practicality, the
           example is the same. --dim
           \_ Exactly: an IP address specifies both a particular network and
              a particular host on that network, and the netmask tells you how
              many bits of the address are for the network part.
              --original responder
        \_ The submask binds the parity bit, that denotes Class A
           or Class B, for upstream data logging.

7/14    Is there any viable way to make a career out of perl stuff?
        it seems that everywhere is J2EE, etc.
        \_ http://jobs.perl.org
           \_ how to get the foot into the door
                        -- old and inexperienced
              \_ Get a code portfolio together.  Get some perl gods to look
                 it over.  Send out en masse
        \_ Certainly. I work for a large e-commerce site, and our entire
           fufillment system is written in perl. (Sorry, no openings.)
           \_ I had no idea that people still boast about working at
              an e-commerce or b2bi company anymore.
              \_ What exactly is a "fufillment" system, anyway?
                \_ yer mom?
              \_ 1) he wasn't boasting, 2) he has a job, 3) he didn't say
                 anything about who or what his company is/does.  Get over it.
                 \_ 1) he WAS boasting. "I work for a large e-commerce site"
                    is bragging. Boasting is okay but at least have something
                    to boast about. 2) Unless he's a janitor, I don't
                    consider any position in an e-commerce company to be
                    a real job. 3) He works at an e-commerce company. You
                    can infer that it doesn't do anything. See
                    http://www.trilogy.com for details.
                    \_ You need to get a grip. He was just providing a picture
                       of how a decent number of jobs exist for the project.
                       \_ Uh, no. I was originally being facetious but someone
                          had a bug up their ass that they had to respond
                          with 3 points. So I did what any good old motder
                          does and respond with 3 sardonic points myself.
                          And no decent jobs exist for the project. The guy
                          even said that there weren't any openings.
                          \_ No you were originally being an asshole and still
                             are.  1 point.
                          \_ Are you the one who believes in getting
                             mythical "motd points"?
                          \_ Perhaps you ought to practice saying, "I'm
                             wrong."
                             \_ I'm C00L D00D cuz I do top-notch Perl
                                coding for a leading e-commerce site
                                which specializes in B2B integration
                                and extremely extensible e-solutions.
                                What do we make? Nothing. We specialize
                                in "mindshare". You guys need to get
                                a life. Or better yet, a REAL job for
                                once.
                                \_ Still an asshole.  Is that another point or
                                   do you not get double points for the same
                                   thing?  Just curious.
                                   \_ Aaaawwww. I'm soooo sorry I hurt your
                                      poor little feelings. Is there anything
                                      I can do to ease your pain?
                                      \_ Uh?  You're confused.  I don't see how
                                         anyone with the tiniest shred of brain
                                         material could think my feeling were
                                         involved in any way.  Fucking weirdo.
                                \_ thanks for answer my question... may
                                   i email you for further questions?
                                   please drop a note
                                                         --kngharv
                                   \_ Okay, kngharv. I'll give you some useful
                                     advice if you're actually willing to
                                     listen to it rather than just resorting
                                     to childish insults. If you want to
                                     learn Perl, that's fine. Just don't make
                                     an entire career out of it. And don't
                                     make the same mistake that many EE/CS
                                     grads here have made by joining these
                                     dot-coms/B2Bi/e-commerce companies
                                     thinking that there's some pot of gold
                                     at the end because most of them are just
                                     failing companies that don't really do
                                     anything substantive. And I can assure
                                     you that, if you choose to take this route,
                                     your skills will most certainly not
                                      \_ You're still presupposing that
                                         the poster was "boasting."  Sorry,
                                         but "I work for a large
                                         e-commerce site" doesn't quite
                                         qualify as "boasting."  Thanks for
                                         playing.
                                     be recognized. I know from working in
                                     industry that many employers look down
                                     on these types of NCG's as just purely
                                     incompetent gold-diggers. But it's your
                                     life so you decide what's right for you.
                                     \_ Wow!  Someone is *really* bitter about
                                        missing about on the easy money so many
                                        others here got in the last few years.
                                        May I suggest valium+therapy combo?
                                \_ No, I think the OP was just trying to
                                   be helpful by answering the original
                                   question.  You, on the other hand, seem
                                   to be freaking out.  Calm down, man.
                                   \_ No. My original response was that
                                      I found it surprising that people
                                      still boast about working at an
                                      e-commerce site. That was neither
                                      being an asshole or freaking out.
                                      I was just pointing out that this
                                      whole e-commerce thing is just part
                                      of a dead gold-rush and people
                                      should get back to reality. Of course,
                                      there's always somebody who gets so
                                      offended by this that he freaks and
                                      and feels the need to post a 3-point
                                      response.
                                      \_ Stop being a bitch.  Get a life.
                                                - yap
                                      \_ No one freaked but you.  You're just
                                         bitter you stayed with your $50k job
                                         the last 5 years while others were
                                         raking in more than twice that at fake
                                         companies and some of them even cashed
                                         in big time.  Now that things are
                                         settled out, those same folks are
                                         still making $90k or more while you're
                                         waiting for your next 1% COLA.  I'm
                                         really truly honestly sorry you chose
                                         poorly but ranting about it on the
                                         motd and bashing some shnook who
                                         merely mentioned on the side what his
                                         company does with perl is not a very
                                         endearing quality.  It was a once in a
                                         lifetime free money fest and you
                                         missed out.  It isn't the ecommerce
                                         guy's fault.
        \_ I graduated in 2001 and was wondering is there any way to make a
           career out of Java if you don't want to do web devel. Goddamn, I
           wish we actually were able to hone C/C++ skills at Cal. I guess
           this seems trollish, but if you graduated in the last 2 years or
           are still in school, you'll realize that this is not a troll at all.
           \_ agreed
           \_ agreed #2
           \_ I'm curious about this java craze.  I'm not in the job market
              so I don't know much about what skills are in demand.  For those
              of you that are looking, do you see more jobs that need Java/
              web stuff or those that need C/C++?  -alumni
              \_ "alumni" is plural, "alumnus" is singular.
              \_ In my experience, most Java work is monkey/grunt coder work.
                 Phil Greenspun has an amusing saying that Java is a good
                 language for roping together hundreds of mediocre programmers.
                 Regardless of what you think of Greenspun, I think it's a
                 pretty accurate description of Java.  Much of Java's
                 popularity is attributable to the fact that Sun's marketing
                 team went to town on the middle-managers of the world.  At
                 the end of the day, Java is an okay programming language
                 with a very wide library of utility classes.
                 \_Java is a AWESOME programming language, its the JVMs
                   that are mediocre, thus 90% of "Java's" problems are in
                   the implementation.
                   \_ Is there an underlying reason why the JVMs are
                      mediocre given that quite some time has elapsed
                      for people to get their act together?
                   \_ Okay troll.  I'll bite.  Why is Java AWESOME?  And if
                      Java is so AWESOME, why do all the non-Java engineers at
                      Sun love to bash on it so much?  Java does many things
                      right, but it also has many serious design flaws.  For
                      example, the stack machine implementation of the JVM
                      REQUIRED by the Java spec is idiotic (it kills
                      performance).  Another example is the fact that basic
                      types are not first order classes.  This is simply
                      idiotic.
           \_ Cal teaches CS.  Cal does not teach C/C++.  If you have a
              problem with this, go to a vocational school.  If you can't
              learn C/C++ on your own after learning language basics (and
              especially after learning Java), then, well, you deserve what
              you get.
              \_ This is a nice theory but try getting a C job when your school
                 didn't teach any C classes.  Live in the real world for once
                 instead of repeating the ancient CS dept. spew.
                 \_ I found it easy to get a job coding C. My major was mse
                    and I only took one CS class at cal (cs298 - fuzzy logic).
                    Most companies care about how well you can code, not
                    whether or not you took C programming classes.
                 \_ uh, I got a C job.  You should have been able to pick up
                    C while being an undergrad at Cal.  If you don't have a
                    job, what's keeping you from honing your C skills now?
                    Sheesh.  Do some legwork.
                    \_ So who the hell hired the two of you (above) to write
                       C if you hadn't done anything in C before?  Is the
                       stock public?  I want to know what to short.  Thanks.
        \_ Yes. Just find a company where they are into web-based development.
           All but three or four of the "engineers" in the linux/web startup I
           worked for were perl/php coders who didn't know c/c++, java or
           any other real language. Our company was bought by Sun for lots
           of money (~ $1 billion) and most of these '1337 P3RL H4X0R5 made
           enough on their ISO options to buy homes in Sunnyvale, San Jose
           and Cupertino. Some made enough to buy new M3s plus homes.
           \_ Well, you can keep your expensive homes and fancy cars, I'd
              rather use Java
              \_ ...and on an unrelated note, i'd rather live somewhere where
                  you don't have to be a millionaire to buy a decent (if
                  you call living in the south bay decent) home.
           \_ Uh, son, those days are dead.  They didn't get rich by coding
              toy web languages like php.  They got rich by being lucky.  The
              entire dotcom lottery was just that, a lottery.  Some people got
              really rich but most only did moderately well and the bottom
              quarter got totally fucked.
              \_  did they get fucked as bad as the bottom quarter in 1849?
                  this is not the first time greedy idiots invaded the Bay
                  Area.
                  \_ When my company started folding, we had to eat the
                     lesser skilled workers in order to survive.
                     \_ Why'd you wait that long?
                        \_ Needed to fatten em up a bit.

6/17    Send your mail (postal) now.  First class rate goes to 37 cents
        June 30?
        \_ obBuyPennyStamps
           \_ or just swap return and sending addresses.
              \_ Doesn't really work if you're paying bills via mail which
                 is what most people sending mail are doing.
        \_ Yes.  http://www.usps.com/ratecase
        \_ what was the cheapest rate for a first class stamp that you
           remember?
           \_ 13 cents.
              \_ did you actually mail a 13 cent letter?
                 \_ Probably not.  I was a child but I remember it.  It had
                    a bald eagle with r/w/b USA style theme.

5/17    http://www.cnn.com/2002/SHOWBIZ/Movies/05/17/ca.s02.starwars.jarjar.ap/index.html
        Less Jar-Jar makes fans happy.

5/18    Ep 2 spoilers will be deleted. --phillip
        \_ They all die at the end.
           \_ EXCEPT Jar-Jar.
              \_ And the young skywalker from Ep. 1.  Not his career, though.
           \_ I can't believe they killed off Yoda!
              \_ That's nothing. I can't believe Obi-Wan knocked up Padme.
                 \_ Wouldn't you?
                    \_ No. I'd go for Leia
                       \_ Threeway!
                       \_ But then you'd have to wait until Anakin knocks up
                          Padme.  Jedis are have needs too!
                          \_ Nothing wrong with "baking the bread"

5/16    What's the status of java 2 on freebsd?  it was supposed to come
        with 4.5, but it's still a no-show.
        \_ /usr/ports/java/jdk13?
           \_ Is this the download-from-sun-and-patch version, or a
              complete port?
              \_ The former.  dbushong follows these things closer than
                 I.  He may have some input on why the true port development
                 has languished.  --scotsman

5/14    The (12,8) FEC hamming code has the following 4 correcting bits:
        (format is D8,D7,D6,D5,P4,D4,D3,D2,P3,D1,P2,P1)
        P1 = sum(D1,D2,D4,D5,D7) mod 2
        P2 = sum(D1,D2,D6,D7) mod 2
        P3 = sum(D2,D3,D4,D8) mod 2
        P4 = sum(D5,D6,D7,D8) mod 2.
        How does one derive that? I have (15,11) and (7,4) perfect code
        examples but I don't get how the parity bits are calculated. Thx.
        \_ what class is this?

5/13    Anyone boycotting Episode II?  How many people are seeing it:
        - the first day, afternoon
        - the first day, evening or night   ...
        - the first weekend
        - after the first weekend
        - not seeing SW:EPII                .
        \_ you forgot watching the pirate copy ..
        \_ what's with the boycotting? Lucas offended you or somethin?
           \_ meesa not offended, okeyday?
              \_ watched ep2 last night, jar jar says 4 lines.  Thank God.
                 jar jar is stupid and actually gets tricked into motining
                 to give darth sidius dictatorial powers over the republic.
                 \_ Where did you see it?
                    \_ At home. SVCDs rock.
        \_ How many people have already seen it? ...
        \_ Skipping it because I don't like commercials before my
           films .
        \_ it's got alot of action.

5/3     Finally we know who was the first borg, it was Prof. Steve
        Mann of the University of Toronto:
        http://chronicle.com/free/v48/i34/34a03101.htm
        \_ He's saying he had a wearable video display 20 years ago?
           \_ He's saying he was a freak 20 years ago just like now.

5/2     What's an appropriate Emacs mode for Java properties files?
        Thanks.

4/8     If I have a serializable Java objects that points to other
        non-serializable objects, can I save all the states in that
        serializable object?
        \_ http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.3/docs/api/java/io/Serializable.html
           Non-serializable fields must be declared "transient."  Otherwise
           you'll get a nifty exception.  If you declare these fields
           transient, everything else will be included in the state of
           your serialized object.              -brain
        \_ If you have transient fields in your class you should probably
           be overwriting readObject() and writeObject().

4/5     i2's fucked: http://news.com.com/2100-1017-877222.html
        \_ The CEO & President of the last dotcom I was at were both from i2.
           If they're typical i2 employees, then no shit i2 is fucked.

3/11    Java Q:  How to do function pointers in Java?  Specifically, are these
        Perl codes portable to Java?

          $hash =
            { 'var1' => { 'class'    => 'Foo',
                          'fnct_ptr' => 'fooMethod',
                          'args'     => ['a', 1, 'b'] },
              'var2' => { 'class'    => 'Bar',
                          'fnct_ptr' => 'barMethod',
                          'args'     => {'arg1' => 'hello', 'arg2' => 'John'} }
            };
          sub process {
            $type = shift;
            my $class    = $hash->{$type}{'class'};
            my $fnct_ptr = $hash->{$type}{'fnct_ptr'};
            my $args     = $hash->{$type}{'args'};
            return $class->$fnct_ptr($args);
          }

        I know I can do something like
          Class myClass = Class.forname($classname);
        for the class and either pass in a vector or hash for the args.
        However, I have not been able to figure how to do the function pointer
        concept.
        Any suggestions and/or pointers would be greatly appreciated.
        \_ Java explicitly forbids direct function pointers b/c of its security
           policies.  You can kind of do it with interfaces (define interface
           FooInterface with methods foo_1 ... foo_n; then implement the
           interface in FooClass; foo = new FooClass(); and pass foo (the
           object) to whatever needs to run foo (the method).
           \_ Assuming security policies are set to allow it, you can
              do function pointer-like things using the java reflection
              API.

3/11    Java Q:  Are these Perl codes possible in Java?

2/20    Does Java provide frame by frame control over graphical presentation?
        e.g. if Monitor refresh rate is 100 Hz, each frame would be .01 sec,
        and the programmer could specify the exact presentation for each
        frame(e.g. pixel, luminance, color, etc.) I presume it should,
        and if so, what packages provide this control?  Thanks. -nivra
        \_ i know 0 about java. but when you do double buffering with almost
           any graphics package, the back buffer doesn't get presented
           until the vertical retrace. so that's usually how you deal with
           this issue. you render as fast as you can, then call swapbuffers()
           or whatever your package calls it. and the frame gets presented
           at the appropriate time. all you need to figure out maybe is
           then how often the swapping can occur. then you have everything
           you want. and i'm sure java has an opengl wrapper. -ali
           \_ You are giving too much credit to java designers.  -- misha.
        \_ It is possible to create a full screen window in java. It is
           possible to dump whatever you want into a buffer and blit it to
           a window. It is also possible to set up timers to be notified
           when to do things.  As long as what you're  not taking too long
           in your blit loops, you can do what you're suggesting. Take a look
           at the new JDK1.4 jcanyon demo. I think that is what you're
           asking about.  http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.4/demos/jcanyon
        \_ Java3D. Not quite there, but might be along the lines of what you
           want.
        \_ And if you think you can get 100fps in any way, means, or form from
           Java...
        \_ Don't confuse the monitor scan frequency with the rate at which
           the jvm is calling "swapbuffers()" with your rendered image.
           Also, with async gc, don't assume that each time segment will
           give you the same amount of calculation (be prepared for
           "choppy" control).  100 fps is doubtful if you are doing a lot of
           work... but in general the framework is there even in the AWT
           kit (java2d might be much better here).

2/19    Did you guys know there's a sex class in Berkeley?  To bad it's now
        suspended.
        http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2002/02/19/MN81245.DTL

1/31    Can someone explain (with minimal buzzword usage) what a java
        application server (like websphere) is and why companies use them?
        \_ This might be wrong, but it will probably give you a general idea:
           They make java beans and servlets easier.  Java beans are of 2
           colors:
           Entity beans, which have attributes that map to database rows (w/
           associated getters/setters + other custom methods); and session
           beans, which save state between page loads (easier to deal with
           than cookies).
           Servlets are tiny java classes/methods embedded in html files.
           \_ Servlets can be automatically generated from JSP files which
              have java embedded in HTML, but that's not all a servlet is.
        \_ An application server is just an environment for code
           to run under. In addition, app servers provide some
           capabilities like monitoring, reliability/failover,
           security, etc.
           Some types of applications require an application server because
           they need an execution environment for the code (e.g., web-based
           applications or EJB applications).
           Companies use app servers either because they type of application
           they are writing requires one or because they need (or think they
           need) the additional services an app server provides.
        \_ The notion is that a lot of server-based applications have a very
           similar core: multithreading, database connectiviy, directory
           connectivity, load-balancing, management, failover, transaction
           management(especially distributed transaction mgmt),etc...The idea
           is that if you accept certain limitations on your design, you can
           get these features without having to implement them yourself.
        \_ Duh, he said minimal buzzwords.  Application Server is nothing
           but a sophicasted midlleware that lies between your client and
           backend server.
           \_ buzzwords: middleware, client, and backend server.
              \_ He didn't say no buzzwords.  Learn how to read.
                 Even with 3, that is a lot fewer than 20.  And that is
                 if you consider client and backend server buzzwords.
        \_ what's a good way to learn to work with application servers if
           I've never used them before (but I'm good with java)? thanks for
           the answers, btw. -OP
        \_ Read the introduction to the book "Enterprise JavaBeans, 3rd Ed."
           on http://amazon.com or in a bookstore.
        \_ CGI PERL SCRIPTS INSTANTIATE NEW PROCESSECES EVERY TIME THEY
           ARE RUN, JAVA APP SERVERS DONT END OF STORY
           \_ bitch calm down!
              \_ you meant... "stupid bitch calm down!" appservers are
                 much more than CGI replacements and don't necessarily
                 have anything whatsoever to do with HTTP (ejb, jms,
                 soap/.net, etc).  since most business is just some
                 process and software is good at modeling processes,
                 most modern businesses are heavily automated with
                 software (sap, peoplesoft, seibel, etc.).  app
                 servers provide a platform to build business apps
                 on top.  if you want the warehouse to tell the
                 e-commerce site that you are out of a product, you
                 probably want reliable, guaranteed message delivery
                 so you use an appserver with messaging middleware
                 (jms is the java standard interface for messaging).
                 \_ Anyone who has been in an organization that has
                    implemented SAP or PeoplesSoft knows that they're
                    actually very poor at modeling processes.  They're
                    good at getting organizations to change their processes
                    to fit the business software.  -tom
                 \_ i never said java app servers are replacements for CGI
                   nor did i say they only have to do things with HTTP. Jerk.
                   \_ yes you did CGI-end-of-story retard.  learn to
                      communicate.
                        \_ plus, if you have mod_perl installed, CGI perl
                           scripts don't instantiate new processes.  -tom

1/31    Can someone explain with minimum buzzwords what a java application
        server (like websphere) is and why companies use them?

1/30    Need two units? DeCal class being offered Thursday nights
        from 7-8:30PM. Class is offered in S300T@Haas. Class is
        focused on getting graduates and undegraduates internships/
        jobs. Email for course control number. -williamc
        \_ Could you maybe elaborate on how this class will help one
           get an internship/job? eg, What will this do for me that
           BearTraks/CareerCenter won't?                - rory
        \_ Why dont you just post the CCN? Also, is it for techies only?
        \_ There aren't any internships or worthwhile jobs out there for NCGs
           right now.  Do yourself a favor and stay in school for another year.

1/30    Need two units? DeCal class being offered to help undegrads
        and grads get internships/jobs. Thursdays from 7-8:30 PM at
        S300T @ Haas School of Business. Class is being sponsored
        by Arturo Perez-Reyes. email me for course control number.
        -williamc
        \_ Internships and jobs for NCGs?  Currently, there aren't any.
           Stay in school another year.

1/15    How come we don't need to make http://www.csua.berkeley.edu/skey a
        secure page?
        \_ offer to buy the CSUA an SSL certificate so that we don't
           have to deal with stupid idiots who don't know how to deal
           with self-signed keys.

1/11    Jar Jar will return!
        \_ Good. Maybe they'll finally kill him off in ep2.
           \_ he'll be more mature, and a senator in ep2.
        \_ maybe they will name the third movie: The Return of the Jar-Jar

12/16   The IT/Tech crisis is very highly defined and very specific to
        CS. Go to any CS school and find out how many kids have done any
        SAP programming. See how many have experience configuring the HR
        Module of R3 plus knowledge of the HR industry to be able to
        interpret what the hell they are configuring..... you just can't
        find anyone-- but this is the skill that is in dire need.
          This field does not have the flexibility to relax constraints.
        Most other fields have life cycles of decades and thus employers
        can afford to invest in training; however, the nature of (fucked
        up management running fucked up companies screwing american
        culture) the business forces employees to continually swap out of
        jobs in effect becoming contract workers. This emerging culture
        ultimately puts even more restricutions on skill sets required by
        corporations.
          Right now we live in a world that is infested with bad management
        and CULTURE. The prevailing attitudes and GREED are bad for the
        economy unless they themselves are constrained. This is much akin
        to the idea of liquidity constraints in economic systems. With
        laize fare liquidity individual agents consume a high level that
        what would be socially optimal. Thus a very valuable tool in the
        economic toolkit is that of liquidity constraints ( ie low credit
        for young - higher interest rates for those with little credit
        etc. ). A corrosponding SOCIAL tool is also available.
        Traditionally this tool has been found within RELIGION which
        contains inate constraints of consumption and perceptions of the
        environment. In a new age economy where religion no longer plays
        a role new instruments of social constraint need to enter into
        discourse. Some suggestions are longer term employment contracts
        (ala Japan),
          Other interesting factors to note is what is called adaptation
        level or AL. In AL theory agents make a fundamental mistake in
        judging preferences and level of satisfaction. Agents compare to
        what is called a common set. This common set is the group of
        individuals with similar skill sets. In its raw form the common
        set is the caste of class society. An error made by agents is the
        inaccuratrely percieve well being based upon their common set
        instead of the global set. This error leads to some extreme
        implications, Namely that (using a early 1970's example which is
        obviously a little racial) northern blacks are more likely to
        riot even though there belief about there future fincial
        prospects is higher than southern blacks. The corrlation to the
        CS field is that people in the industry have made fundamental
        errors in judging themselves against their common set instead of
        the global set. This required change in perceptions can only come
        from carefully construction government policies and corporate
        incentive and HR policies. Additionally this required change is
        of a socail nature and thus the time before any results could
        posibliy be seen are years away.]

12/10   If I use Sun's implementation of JMS (download from http://java.sun.com)
        does that mean I gotta use the db that comes with it (cloudscape)
        for persistent system message storage? is there a lighter weight
        solution I can download from?
        \_ CloudScape _is_ a light version.
        \_ I recommend you take a look at SwiftMQ if you are looking for
           a low cost JMS solution. It is a commercial, yet free,
           implementation of JMS.  It's rock solid(v2.1.3) and the
           mailing list is quite good. It doesn't implement the optional
           parts of the 1.0.2 spec however. -payam
        \_ What is JMS actually used for and who uses it? Also, is OpenJMS
           any good?
                \_ stored TCP/IP stuff is useful
                   \_ what does this mean?

12/9    How many sodans have actually spent a 3 year stint in Japan?

        There's a fella from Berkeley apparently who did...

        I bumped into one annoying pasty-looking dude in my photo class who
        has been semi-bossy the entire class and macking
        on this homely Japanese woman with his gaijin Japanese.
        Just in bad taste I felt.
        On this last day of class when he came up to me and said, "Hey,
        do you know that [your filter panel on the photo enlarger] is
        open?"   I was about ready to tell him to fuck off 'cause
        I couldn't stand him anymore but I kept it in check.  Earlier
        he was going, "Don't double dip the tongs for the development pans!!!"
        incessantly.  SHUT THE FUCK UP!  SHUT UP!!!!!

        Just a reminer that going on extended trips doesn't necessarily make
        you more refined, you can still be an irritating dumbass.
               -- swings

12/6    In Java, == means the same object whereas .equals() means whatever
        you want it to be (e.g. same lexical value) right?
        \_ Yes.

11/27   Anyone knows why Java display the line numbers when an uncaught
        exception occurs but "Compiled code" other times?  Is there a
        way to tell Java to always display line numbers for uncaught
        exception's stack trace?
        \_ Turn off JIT.  For JDK, use <DEAD>-Djava.com<DEAD>piler=NONE ; see docs
           for ther VMs.  -- misha.
        \_ Turn off JIT compiler.  For JDK, use <DEAD>-Djava.com<DEAD>piler=none ;
           see docs for other VMs.  -- misha.
           \_ Ah, thanks.  So why would Java still display the line
              numbers sometimes when I didn't use this option?
              \_ HotSpot uses a complex heuristic to decide when to compile
                 a method.  Depending on when and how you got to the point
                 where the exception is thrown, you did or did not get
                 the line number info (which is available only for
                 non-compiled methods).  -- misha.
                 \_ That's not an excuse (directed at Sun, not you).
                    The Self VM, from which HotSpot was derived, would
                    do dynamic de-optimization when it reached an
                    error or breakpoint, so that you could still debug
                    the code.

11/21   How do I pass a pointer to a member function in C++ or Java
        (inner class and shit)?
        \_ Java: You don't.  C++: You don't without pretty serious pain.
           \_ Wrong.  Pass a java.lang.reflect.Method object.  In C++,
              just take the address.  --pld
        \_ Java: use a java.lang.reflect.Method object.  C++: take
           address.  What do you mean by "inner class and shit"? -pld
           \_ At my last job (where I respected most people for the most
              part and thought they were pretty smart) everyone would
              boo and hiss whenever anyone mentioned using reflection,
              claiming that it was so slow and inefficient. How bad
              is it to use? What are the performance issues?
              \_ The more helpful answer is you shouldn't use a pmf or
                 Reflection unless you know what you're doing.  Maybe you
                 should rethink your design.  --pld
                                                             ? _/
                 Reflection unless you need to, and know what you're doing.
                 Perhaps you should rethink your design and use a more natural
                 solution (eg, interaces and adapters)  --pld
              \_ reflection is very slow, not a good idea. avoid at all cost.

11/13   Is Java installed on soda?
        \_ /usr/local/jdk1.1.8/bin/java -fullversion
           java_X full version "jdk1.1.8-FreeBSD:1999/11/9"
                \_ is that the latest version?
        \_ Any plans to install 1.3 or 1.4 ?
        \_ Yes. Just as soon as it's available for FreeBSD.

 11/6  I want to write a graphical plug-in. Is it easier to do this in
       Java or Flash?
       \_Depends on what type of graphical plugin. If it is just pure
       graphics then it's easier in Flash. If it's like a game it's
       somewhat of a toss-up, it depends on how complex the game is.
       If it's some sort of vector based graphic, then most likely
       Java.
           \_ Isn't Flash vector-based?
            \_It is, clarification, meaning if it's an interactive
            Vector based program, i.e. like a rubik's cube you can
            actually play around with. If you want non-interactive
            stuff it's easier to do it in Flash.
        \_ How about an animated GIF?
           \_ good god, no.  animated GIFs are large and bulky and inappropriate
              for anything but small graphics
              \_ And Shockwave or Java graphics aren't large and bulky?
                 \_ flash is reasonably lightweight, especially in comparison
                    to animated GIFs.

11/2    I've recently become interested in computer architechture,
        especially how you send data back and forth from memory,
        to the CPU, to disk, etc.  Can people recommend good books,
        or web sites on this subject?  Thanks.
        \_ Hennessey and Patterson (not the other way around)
           \_ What is "Patterson and Hennessey" then?
              \_ P&H is the undergraduate "dummy's" guide to computer
                 architecture used in 61c and 152. H&P is used by
                 graduate students, 252, and recommended for 152. It's
                 not as well written as P&H but much more insightful.
                 Computer Architecture News and Microprocessor reports
                 are other good references. Reading people's masters
                 thesis and PhD dissertation is another good way to
                 learn about more esoteric topics. I recommend reading
                 Krste Asanovic's "Vector Microprocessor" and Kozyrakis'
                 IRAM paper (both from Berkeley). -jeff
                 \_ do you know of a consistent way to get a thesis besides
                    asking their advisor for a copy?  i heard that there was
                    some central university publisher that bought rights
                    to all american theses and would sell them to you.
                 \_ Try "Dissertation Abstracts International" - recent
                  PhD theses you can get in pdf for free. Older ones you can
                  get for $40 per hard copy. Go to the department
                  office for MA theses. The institution will always
                  keep a hard copy in the library. -fab
                    \_ I would just go to their web page and d/l the PDF.
              \_ amazon, http://bookpool.com

10/30   What's the skinny on JMS vs. RMI vs. CORBA?
        \_ JMS is a messaging API it's not an orb. Used for different
           softs of problems usually.
        \_ RMI is a Java-centric easier method of doing basically the
           same thing as Java IDL (CORBA).  Both RMI and Java IDL are
           synchronous remote procedure call technology.  EJB uses RMI
           over the CORBA transport layer, IIOP.  JMS is for asynchronous
           messaging, and usually used to make a weakly-coupled link
           between multiple enterprise systems, especially legacy systems
           and EAI.                             -brain
        \_ http://searchmiddleware.techtarget.com/ateQuestionNResponse/0,289625,sid26_cid397240_tax287612,00.html
        \_ JMS is all about our last, best hope for messaging services.
           It failed.

10/29   I have one elective next semester (my last at cal) and I'd like to
        take a class that will help with investment/money management in the
        future.  I have no background in business or economics though, so it
        can't be too advanced.  Any recommendations?
        \_ take an introductory accounting class
        \_ E120
        \_ Try E120. Its an easy A and teaches you the basics. The prof.
           who taught my class also covered stuff like options (iso vs.
           non-qual) and 401K.
        \_ Take Econ 1.  Accounting doesn't do jack for knowing what to invest
           in and is highly boring.  You're better off getting a good under-
           standing of how the economic world works rather than learn how to
           balance a corporate checkbook.
        \_ if you want to balance your checkbook, find a Cantonese wife.
           They are like accountants.
           \_ ditto for Indian wife. Every penny accounted for (even the
              one's she is not supposed to know you spent).

10/15   As of 2001, J2SE == JDK1.3? What is going on? And what is the
        difference between J2EE and a bunch of EJB/Bean crap wrapped together?

10/12   Need pointer to USB/Java programming. Thanks.
        \_ JSR 80

10/12   ant vs. gnu Java make?

9/21    Please recommend a book on java that is succinct and clear, for
        a non-professional with experience in C and pascal.  Ok, tnx.
        \_ "Effective JavaTM Programming Language Guide" by Joshua Bloch
           \_ Oh by the way I have never learned java before, just C, Pascal
              and some others.  Will this book tell me what java is?
              and some others.  And I do coding just to help solve some math/
              phys. problems.  Is this book really for me?  -- original poster
              \_ Supposedly it's a good intro book.
        \_ I learned C++ using Deitel&Deitel "How to Program", then bought the
           Java version because I was familiar with the format. I recently
           looked at the latest edition and it seems to have gotten worse (a
           book.
           lot more bloat than before). It's definitely a Java for Newbies
           book, but I liked the C++ book enough to get the Java one. I learned
           both those languages from D&D. Learned them well enough. Grade: B.
           \_ Please state why this is a relevant response.
              \_ The C++ book was good enough that it warranted buying the
                 Java one.
        \_ On To Java by Winston is a decent transition book if
           you're familiar with C. Grade: B+
        \_ Assume type Grade. Does (B+)++ == A- ? B+++==A- or do you need
           the parens?

9/19    What is the Code Blue worm.  Is it related to Nimda?  And how is it
        different from Code Red?  I know nick wrote something about Code
        Black, as well.
        \_ I used to make fun of nweaver, now I am a believer.
           Where can I get his web site that explains it all? -nweaver #1 fan
        \_ It's always Micro$oft OSes that fail on virus attack.  Can we file a
           class action law suit accusing M$ of lying when it sold WinNT/2k
           Workstation/Server and said they were very stable and secure?
           \_ They didn't say it was secure.  They said things like "more
              secure" and "most secure ever" (meaning Windows OS's, since
              other OS's don't exist in Redmond-speak).
        \_ It's always Micro$oft OS that fail under attack.  Can we file a
           class action law suit sueing M$ that it lied when it said WinNT/2k
           Workstation/Server are very stable and secure?

9/17    Is everything an instanceof Class?
        \_ No. All Java objects are instance of java.lang.Object. Only
        \_ No. All Java objects are instanceof java.lang.Object. Only
           class objects, such as java.util.Vector.class are instanceof
           java.lang.Class.
        \_ tricks with java!  look at the dwallach paper on things like
           namespace collision with objects and inheriting the class loader
           in byte code.

9/10    I got a class action lawsuit paper from Accuvue. How long would it
        take to get my cash after I file it?

9/10    When and when isn't == equivalent to equals() in regard to Objects?
        \_ == is reference equality (true iff it is the same instance of the
           String s1 = "foo"; String s2 = "foo";
           object).  You can overload equals() to do anything you want,
           in principle; by convention, it is used to test whether the objects
           are semantically different.  Default implementation of equals()
           (in class Object) simply does reference comparison with ==.
           One common class that overloads equals() is String; it is not
           very intuitive when two Strings are == or !=.  See 3.10.5 of
       http://java.sun.com/docs/books/jls/second_edition/html/lexical.doc.html
           Compare Strings with equals() unless *both* Strings are intern()ed.
           Compare Objects with equals() if the method could be overloaded,
           doesn't matter otherwise.  If this all is too complicated,
           that's because Java is broken.  -- misha
           \_ yeah, perl is much better    -- troll
              \_ Fix your garbage collection. -- troll2
        \_
           String s1 = new String("foo"); String s2 = new String ("foo");
           String s1 = "foo"; String s2 = "foo";
           (s1.equals(s2))      //TRUE, because of String's 'equals' impl
           \_ Correct.
           (s1 == s2)           //FALSE, because they don't point at the
                                        same objects
           (thanks for the correction)
           \_ This is correct when s1 and s2 are assigned at
              runtime. If s1 and s2 are assigned to literals as above,
              the strings will be interned. So (s1 == s2) as you have
              it is true. But (s1 == "food".substring(0, 3)) is false
              because the substring call happens at runtime.

8/18    I stole the jar for the MindTerm Java SSH client off Soda a
        long time ago and it has always worked fine.  Now, out of the
        blue i'm getting the mesg.:
        "Found prieinstalled 'known_hosts' file.

        Error connecting to http://me.net, reason:
        -> -l

        I have NOT changed the server key and there is no file on the
        client called "known_hosts"  Someone please tell me where the
        java ssh client keeps it's known host_file or speculate on
        what might be wrong.
        \_ You are the weakest link... goodbye.
        \_ Just a crazy guess here: did you add a file named "known_hosts"
           to your system lately?
            \_ there is NO file on the client called "known_hosts". There are
               no new known_hosts files on the server.
               Both clients that fail are running win2k recently updated to
               SP2.  A new install of netscape on the same machine works AND
               the same iexplorer that fails to <DEAD>my.net<DEAD> WORKS on SODA! It is
               the same damn code!  Unless the java ssh client has a "known_
               hosts" file that it is called something else on the client, and
               which has a corrupted entry for <DEAD>my.net<DEAD>, and which is different
               for iexplorer and netscape, i can't think of where to look.
               \_ Its a windows box, have you tried looking in the registry
                  yet?
        \_ Get a real operating system.

8/17    Java and Linux are set to rule the world:
        http://www.zdnet.com/eweek/stories/general/0,11011,2804967,00.html

8/13    Sun takes the Java fight public:
        http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200-6839693.html?tag=tp_pr

8/13    Does anyone have the announcement of a class about fractals etc. posted
        to http://ucb.org.csua?  Is there an archive of the group? (google doesn't
        have it)  Thanks.
        \_ why was this post purged?
           \_ I searched a little harder and found the answer on my own.
              I'm still curious about the archive though -- does it exist?
        \_ The course URL was:
           http://www.ce.berkeley.edu/~hermanowicz/e101/e101_index.htm
           Email me privately if you want me to reforward the entire message
           (don't want to dump it all in the motd).
                  -alexf, The Original Forwarder
           \_ OF, kinda like OG.
              \_ you should keep explaining other peoples' jokes. it
                will make you cool.

8/9     ATTENTION SODA MALES!  There are three women schedule to attend the
        enterprise java class below.  Please do show up and check them out.
        Just don't scare them away though.  Thank You.  -brain
        \_ This is just asking for trouble.
        \_ this is so not me.  But incidentally this class is a serious
           chick magnet.  You know girls love J2EE.  Or maybe they just love
           being more employable.  At any rate sign up and learn some new
           skill with us!  http://www.csua.berkeley.edu/~brain/j2ee  -brain
        \_ why do you need so many people in your class?  Is it something
           you can put on your resume?  What's the catch?

8/9
President Bush (news - web sites) has made up his mind about whether
to allow federal funding for embryonic stem cell research and will
announce the decision in a national address on Thursday night, the
White House said.
        \_ i senese a prominition.
           \_ Is this Bushonics, Engrish, or plain stupidity?
              \_ "promination". It's a very cromulent word.

8/8     ENTERPRISE JAVA
        http://www.csua.berkeley.edu/~brain/j2ee
        a bunch of people have responded already- so far the plan is to
        meet on the 19th (a Sunday) in the afternoon somewhere in Berkeley.
        Again if you're interested please email me and be sure to include
        when you tend to be available.
        \_ Can you explain the essense of EJB in one sentence?
                \_ pluggable server components for database row, web session,
                   and other server resource access abstracted as Java
                   objects.  EJB is the "glue" of J2EE that binds the server
                   app together.  But EJB is not the only thing we will be
                   talking about; there is also JSP, JMS, Connectors, client
                   containers, resource adapters, JavaMail, and the JAX pack
                   for XML.    -brain
                   \_ So I guess that would be no.
                        \_ hey man I gave you a single phrase for EJB.  And
                           besides the question seemed to be asking about all
                           of J2EE anyway.     -brain
                           \_ Actually, I wasn't the person who asked you to
                              explain EJB in one sentence.
                              - "guess that would be no guy"
                              \_ okay I admit I just love to talk  -brain

8/8     ENTERPRISE JAVA
        a bunch of people have responded already- so far the plan is to
        meet on the 19th (a Sunday) in the afternoon somewhere in Berkeley.
        Again if you're interested please email me and be sure to include
        when you tend to be available.  I will be posting a URL with our
        topics shortly.                 -brain
        \_ Can you explain the essense of EJB in one sentence?

8/7     ENTERPRISE JAVA FOR FREE
        \_ please keep the motd updated with the dates, times, and intended
           plan for these classes... unless someone has a better idea of where
           to post said updates.

8/7     FELLOW UNEMPLOYED SODAN chickS
        I WILL TEACH YOU ENTERPRISE JAVA FOR FREE
        We will meet on the weekend once a week and talk about the various
        component technologies (EJB, JSP, XML, JMS, JDBC, Connectors) of
        J2EE.  Contact me for more info.  If you delete this you are only
        hurting your ignorant self and your own MOTD-reading community -brain
        \_ ENTERPRISE JAVA FOR FREE
        \_ please keep the motd updated with the dates, times, and intended
           plan for these classes... unless someone has a better idea of where
           to post said updates.

8/7     Where did that "when i was young, blah blah, and we liked it.
        we loved it" originally come from? Especially the liked it -- loved it
        thing, was it from some movie or something?
        \_ Don't you mean "when I was a kid we used to walk 10 miles to school
           in 5 feet of snow uphills both ways"?
           \_ How do you walk uphills both ways?
              \_ You like it! You love it.
           \_ i thank you to death and beyond.
              \_ the curvature of space is variable with time
                 combined with the fact that plate techtonics
                 was a lot more active when I was a kid forced
                 me to walk uphill both was to school which
                 was 10 miles away and the path was always
                 covered in 8 ft of snow and weather conditions
                 were blizzard like or worse. Oh yeah, and school
                 lasted from 6 AM to 12 PM with 12 hrs of homework
                 every night!
                 \_ I always hated those 30 hour days.
                    \_ Actually it's only 6 hours from 6AM to 12PM.
               \_ I lived in the middle of a really long hill. My first class
                  was at the top of the hill so I had to walk up to get there.
                  My last class was at the bottom of the hill, so afterwards
                  I had to walk up from there to get home.
              \_ Kids these days...sigh...
        \_ Dana Carvy's grumpy old man on SNL
           \_ ok tnx
           \_That specific line might be from Dana Carvey, but the idea
             goes back (at least) to Monty Python, Live at the Hollywood
             Bowl, "The Four Yorkshiremen" - lewis
                \_ I think the first person to use it was Bill Cosby.  -tom
        \_ from old people having egos

8/7     FELLOW UNEMPLOYED SODANS
        I WILL TEACH YOU ENTERPRISE JAVA SKILLS FOR FREE
        There is no catch.  If you have basic programming skills you can
        quickly learn to use Java on an "enterprise" system.  Email me
        and we can meet up to once a week, organizing a study group if
        possible.                       - brain
        \_ What are we going to learn tomorrow night? -pinky
        \_ Do you have a syllabus?
           Is this how to use servlets or how to use EJBs or what?
           \_ yes.  Servlets, EJB, Connectors, JSP, the new XML libs, JMS
                application clients, global transactions, setting up commercial
              application servers, etc.  I have taught classes in Java before
              but this is a more informal thing to get our group more employed.
              If you don't know any of these acronyms feel free to ask me
              This is a legitimate effort to get people more job mobility.
                                                                   -brain
        \_ What jackass would delete this and why? If that isn't squishable,
           what is?
           \_ People overwrite the motd without looking.  Don't :w! the motd
              unless absolutely necessary, and we'll all get along much
              better. --scotsman
        \_ Are sodans programmers?  Anyway, if you are a CS major, all these
           Java stuff is too easy!
                \_ yeah i hate things that are easy, reduces my job security
        \_ I just want to know one thing:
           Will there be amply supply of H07 42N CH1X attending??

8/4     Guy who wanted to know about the java job:
        \_ Ok, can you ask someone who works there (dans, do you work there?)
           the same question. -op (original posta)
           \_ none of the original team work there.  They all left because
              they wanted to go back to school; (among other things).  the job
              is a 40 hr a week job, and requires "face time" (as the mgmt call
              it).  So, this kind of job is not good for students; but good for
              people seeking fulltime employment for a little while. - paolo

6/19    Today i found out that flash supports socket programming.  Which
        means that you can write shit like a telnet client or seomthing
        along those lines in flash.  So, flash can replace java.
                                     \_ Uhhh, no.
        So, is
        macromedia positioning themselves to be the next "platform
        independant mobile code language"?

7/18    Why is that most "so-called software architect" I have ever
        worked with are idiots?  Most of them are all talks and don't know
        anything about coding.  It almost seems like they have only read
        the first chapter of every book and now are directing people how
        they think the software should be architected.  Case study:
        most people I know have no clue about EJB but many of them are
        serving as architect roles on EJB projects. Sigh.
        \_ a middle manager by any other name...
        \_ It's a leftover from the 90's high-tech boom when you may know a
           tad about computers and all of the sudden you're a somethin-somethin
           engineer, or somethin-somethin manager. They won't last too long. I
           work with a few of them here. - jthoms

6/27    I'm looking for a programming field that very few people go into
        because it's very hard.  And of course, fewer people -> higher pay.
        Too many coding monkeys doing Java/C++ applications so that's a no.
        I've done network protocol development, embedded software development
        inside network devices and microcode for parallel packet processing
        ASICs.  I've heard programming for DSPs in parallel DSP arrays is hard
        as well.  Is that true?  What other stuff requires real intelligence
        instead of just coding monkey skills?  I'm asking for programming
        positions, not phd level math bullshit work.  That doesn't pay that
                           \_ ah, so you want to use your brain but you don't
                              want to use your brain...
        well.  Thanks.
        \_ you're a wanker, go away
                           \_ ah, so you want to use your brain but you don't
                              want to use your brain...
        well.  Thanks.
        \_ Quantum programming is hard.
           \_ quantum computation is a really exciting feild.  I know, because
              I am getting payed 18,000 dollars a year before taxes to work on
              a quantum computer project. This is just the field for you.
              if the amazing pay doesn't hook you in, check out the fringe
              benefits like spending your saturday nights in a cave-like
              enclosure using an e-beam writer. nont that i'm complaining,
              enclosure using an e-beam writer. not that i'm complaining,
              it's great for some of us, but it is a good way to be poor.
        \_ Solaris device drivers. Actually, it's easier than linux drivers,
           but very very few people are doing it.
           \_ The pay is not that great for Solaris device drivers. Most of
              the work is contract based for custom peripheral cards.
        \_ Become an Oracle DBE. That should be quite sufficient to
           distinguish yourself.
        \_ if you were really smart, ppl would be offering the hard jobs
           to you, lamer.
           \_ If I interview at MSFT, will I get a job programming parallel
              DSP arrays?  You need to determine a field first and then look
              for it.  My main drive is money and few people involved.  E.g.,
              there are only a handful of people in the world that can
              implement BGP4 compatible and scalable with Cisco's BGP4.  They
              get paid very very well.
              \_ Try the fields of medicine or dentistry if you're
                 concerned so much about a big pay day for minimal
                 work/intelligence. A pediatrician can clear over $250,000
                 without overtime working for an HMO. A specialist in
                 private practice... --dim
        \_ you could claim to do your job well, and you'd get paid higher.
           for example, you could say i do web backend developent and deliver
           something that runs on $3000 worth of hardware instead
           of $300000. coding chained DSPs is hard but I have a feeling
           people don't do that kind of shit outside of academia. if you
           like that stuff, you should loook into coding for multimedia
           chips like from Ccbue and Equator and TI. Also, you could get
           a clue and become a compiler writer.
        \_ I followed my interest and did CS.  Now I thought I should
           have gone into medicine.  They pay is better and the babes
           are hotter.
           \_ if you just want $$$ (like I do) then getting a MD now is
              definitely not worth the investment in time.  The money
              you can save working 10 years as a peon programmer is way
              more than the time+money it takes to get a MD.  After 10
              years of slavery I plan to retire.  What will you be doing
              in 10 years?  Just getting out of med school and paying off
              your student loans?  Gimme a break.
              \_ Ten years at $120,000/year is $1.2 million. Cost of
                 medical school is $200,000 (say). Even if you don't make
                 a dime the entire time you are in medical school and
                 residency, you'll be ahead after 18 years from now at most.
                 That's not a bad proposition if you're under 35. Your
                 idea of retirement must suck. --dim
                 \_ I guess you've never heard of compound interest or
                    captial appreciation. 120K/yr with a savings rate
                    of 50% or higher and a modest growth rate of 10%
                    per yr will amount to several million over the
                    course of 10 yrs. Investing this in say short-term
                    bonds gives you a solid income of 100K to 200K per
                    yr. Considering you don't need to spend most of that,
                    your net worth will continue to rise, while you sit
                    around doing what you want. The guy who went the
                    Med School route will get out around age 30 and
                    will spend the next 5 yrs earning ~ 30K while
                    he does a residency, and then he will spend another
                    2 to 5 yrs paying off his debt and will only
                    really start to earn money around age 40. By then
                    your smart coder will be semi-retired living on
                    easy street. If you add in options, the peon coder
                    has a much better life than the MD, as you can
                    use your options to buy a home, thus avoiding a
                    30 yr mortgage that the poor sappy MD has to get
                    in order to affort a home. (We will forget for
                    now that the average MD doesn't make that much
                    more than the average code thanks to the HMOs)

6/22    What's the word out there on WebSphere vs. WebLogic?  Which is better?
                \_ Given that Websphere is still somewhere in EJB 1.0 land
                   the choice is quite obvious
        \_ Haven't used WebLogic, but WebSphere FUCKING SUCKS.  Install will
           give you headaches for months.  Tuning is a bitch, and is required
           for any widespread use.  It's still using Java 1 and EJB 1.0 and
           Servlet 2.1.  Unless you move to version 3.5, which I don't know
           of anyone using in production, then you're stuck with respect to
           third party software.  Oh, and their tech support is absolute shit.
           I've lodged 7 trouble tickets, and every single time I've come up
           with the solution days before them.  Did I mention WebSphere
           FUCKING SUCKS?
           \_ WebSphere JVM has a bug that causes bit shift operations on 64
              bit values to not work correctly.  e-mail me for details.
              bit values to not work correctly.  E-mail me for details.
                -- ilyas
           \_ websphere 3.5 is used by many large companies, like Schwab.
           \_ Hi, Ben!
        \_ WebLogic RULES!

4/28    I haven't really use C++ in the last 3 years.  Can someone remind me
        how to initialize a dynamic array of template class pointers?

            class Bar;
            template<class T> class Foo;

            //
            // Is this the right way to initialize this:
            //       ---
            //    -> | | -> Bar
            //       ---
            //       | | -> Bar
            //       ---
            //       | | -> Bar
            //       ---
            //        .
            //        .
            //        .
            //
            Foo<Bar> **barArrayOfFooPtr;

            int size = 5;

            //
            // Forgot how to initialize the following line correctly.
            //
            // barArrayOfFooPtr = new Foo<string>* [size];
            //                    \_ Since you just want an array of pointers,
            //                       try Foo<string>*
            barArrayOfFooPtr = ???

            for (int i = 0; i < size; i++)
            {
              barArrayOfFooPtr[i] = new Foo<string>;
            }                                 \_ Try "new Foo<Bar>"
                                                 \_ Typo.  I do have Foo<Bar>.

        does not seem to be the correct way of doing it.
        \_ the right way to do what you're trying to do is:
           vector<Foo<Bar>*> arrayOfFoos(number_of_elements);
           most other ways are flawed in many ways. -ali
           \_ Correct answer moved to the top.
        \_ Compiler Error message please.
           \_ The problem is I forgot how to initialize a dynamic array of
               class pointers.  I remember that a static array of class
        \_ the right way to do what you're trying to do is:
           vector<Foo<Bar>*> arrayOfFoos(number_of_elements);
           most other ways are flawed in many ways. -ali
               template pointers can be initialzed as
                 Foo<Bar> *barArrayOfFooPtr = new Foo<Bar>[10];
               but I forgot how to initialize a dynamic one.
        \_ Try Foo<string> **barArrayOfFooPtr; .

4/13    What's up with forward declarations and member function pointers in C++?
        I've got a bunch of classes that need to include each other, but when I
        try using a pointer to a member function (fooclass::bar) I get some
        bullshit about "incomplete type fooclass has no member named bar". Even
        though it does. So I can't get this bitch to compile. Am I just screwed?
        Happy Friday the 13th btw.
        \_ platform? compiler? a smaller sample that doesn't work?  From
           here is sounds like you're screwed.  I've done that web of
           class dependencies before with no problems.  -meyers
        \_ Yes, post your code in /tmp or something for others to view.
           \_ hmm. well i'm juggling other things right now so I'll try
              doing that later. this is g++ on linux by the way.
              i believe it would work if i change from calling class A's
              constructor in class B's constructor to setting it up manually,
              but that's not very elegant, and this is stuff other ppl will use.
                \_ Hand coding kludged solutions are known as "job security".
                   \_ yeah, especially if you're stupid and your coding-fu is
                      weak.
                   \_ leave him alone, he's probably only taken cs61b.
                      \_ Right, sorry.  I forgot about the "no-beating-
                         up-on-retarded-kids" rule on the motd.  mea culpa.
                         \_ When you're laid off and during the exit interview
                            your manager thanks you for writing such clear and
                            easy to modify code, you'll think back on this.
                            \_ Talking from experience, huh?  Poor guy.  Have
                               you ever considered a job in a less technical
                               field?
                                \_ You'll see.  It's easy to be 23 and think
                                   you're hot shit and the world is your
                                   oyster.
                            \_ not likely. People that do this sort of feeble
                               "job-security" crap get fired where I work.
                               Grow up and get a real job, kid.
                                \_ And the name of your New Age Enlightened
                                   company is...?

3/15    http://www.cs.unc.edu/~azuma/grad.day
        funny stuff

3/14    Anyone have a preference for Java obfuscators? I'm looking at
        DashO, RetroGuard, 1stBarrier, Smokescreen, and CodeShield... they
        all look ok...
        \_ DashO doesn't handle reflection well.  Our company has had people
           stay up all night getting DashO builds to work.  Caveat emptor.

3/11    (define foo "there is a compiler that will take in java and ouput x86
        machine")
           \_ (what-is-it-called foo)
        \_ (url? foo)
           \_ (url-p foo), HEATHEN!
              \_ "define" is a Scheme special form, not Lisp.
                 \_ defun.  Lisp.  Kids these days.
                    \_ my other car is a cdr.
        |\_gcc does this. -ali
        |  \_ you mean gjc right? The code that is generated is quite poor
        |     and dumps core often.
        |     If you really want this M$ had a tool to do it in VJ++ and
                 \_ Yeah, gcj, I have having a dislexic moment.
        |     it worked pretty well. For non-M$ OSes SOL.
        \_____\_ i believe he means gcj: http://gcc.gnu.org/java/index.html
                 but gcj seems to be broken (can't even build helloworld.java)
                 - paolo
                 \_ Yeah, gcj, I was having a dislexic moment.
                dyslexic, you dysfunctionate _/
                 \_ Yeah, gcj, I was having a dyslexic moment.
                    I don't know about the current version, but at least two
                    versions last years *seemed* to be able to compile basic
                    stuff and run it. (At least that's what the guy in the cube
                    next to me said, I never tried it. Jikes + class file
                    obfusication worked well enough for me)
                        \_ obfuscation, you obsequious abstruse obstretrician
        \_ Doesn't TowerJ claim to do this?
           \_ We tried it about a year ago at work and it didn't work all
              that well. In most cases, the speed up was less than 1.5x,
              and the fastest the code ever ran was 2.2x. This was on x86
              Linux though. It might be better on M$ Lose*. But still, its
              not worth the money and time to retrofit everything to use
              towerj. You can get better speedups by avoiding exceptions and
              using java obfusication along with doing core pieces in native
              code. - not the original poster
              \_ This is not surprising, since well-coded java has regularly
                 run at very close to "regular" compiled C/C++.
                 The trick is in writing regular java in the first place.
                 But I want it for saving memory, in an ideal world.
        \_ IBM has a compiler that does this. I believe it comes with VAJava.
           I can find out references if you want.
           \_ sure

FIRST!
\_ Your strategerie confounds me.
        \_ my what now?