Re: Is Microsoft Windows secretly downloading childporn to your computer ?!
On 02/12/15 08:57, Juha Nieminen wrote: In comp.lang.c++ Steve Hayes <hayes...@telkomsa.net> wrote: You download things FROM a computer, you upload them TO a computer. It's a matter of perspective. If a hacker breaks into your computer and starts a download from somewhere else into your computer, isn't the hacker "downloading" things to your computer? My understanding of the term has always been that you upload from a smaller device to a larger, and download from a larger device to a smaller. Thus, from your laptop you might *up*load data to a Web server or a mainframe, but you would *down*load data to your phone or tablet. If the devices are of comparable size and power, you aren't upping or downing anything - you're just transferring data from one computer to another. I suppose we could say "crossloading"? -- Richard Heathfield Email: rjh at cpax dot org dot uk "Usenet is a strange place" - dmr 29 July 1999 Sig line 4 vacant - apply within -- https://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
Re: Fascinating interview by Richard Stallman on Russia TV
Emmy Noether wrote: On Jul 18, 1:09 am, Nick 3-nos...@temporary-address.org.uk wrote: Emmy Noether emmynoeth...@gmail.com writes: On Jul 7, 1:57 pm, bolega gnuist...@gmail.com wrote: In this video, Stall man makes 4 promises to public but stalls on 2nd of them. I have no idea of the rights or wrongs of this case. But I've found through experience that when someone uses a witty misspelling of someone's name, they are almost always the one in the wrong. Huh, you forgot that the whole of GNU = Gnu Not Unix You have double standard and you know very well whats right and whats wrong. If you must be an idiot, that's entirely up to you, but I would take it as a personal favour if you could be an idiot *somewhere else*. If you don't like GNU software, fine - don't use it. End of problem. snip -- Richard Heathfield http://www.cpax.org.uk Email: -http://www. +rjh@ Usenet is a strange place - dmr 29 July 1999 Sig line vacant - apply within -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
Re: More stuff added to ch 2 of my programming intro
In hgcf1d$5g...@news.eternal-september.org, Alf P. Steinbach wrote: * Mensanator: On Dec 16, 5:45 pm, Alf P. Steinbach al...@start.no wrote: snip Learn to read. At the top of every second page it tells you that this is an introduction based on Windows. Still, no excuse for giving out mis-information. It's just as easy to get these things right. Why are you not concrete? I'd be glad to hear of any concrete mis-information or inaccuracy; that's much of the point of asking for public feedback (did you even think about that?). Unfortunately one then also get responses from trolls, small kids, idiots, etc.. In my experience, mensanator doesn't usually behave trollishly. Perhaps he's just rubbing you up the wrong way accidentally. It might be worth it for both you guys to chill a little, and cut each other some slack. -- Richard Heathfield http://www.cpax.org.uk Email: -http://www. +rjh@ Usenet is a strange place - dmr 29 July 1999 Sig line vacant - apply within -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
Re: Does turtle graphics have the wrong associations?
In hdj4aj$7k...@news.eternal-september.org, Alf P. Steinbach wrote: But in reality the intellectual challenge of something in the traditional basic category can be greater than for something conventionally regarded as advanced. And consequently is much harder to teach. I have nothing but admiration for primary school children and their teachers, because children can *actually learn to read*. Once you can read, future learning objectives become much easier to achieve. Same with programming - once you've grokked the core ideas, the rest is more or less window dressing in comparison. The gap between nought and one is much greater than the gap between one and a thousand. snip It's like the difference between driving a car and designing one. You don't need an engineering degree to drive a car. :-) Right. Nowadays, you need a degree in electronics instead. -- Richard Heathfield http://www.cpax.org.uk Email: -http://www. +rjh@ Usenet is a strange place - dmr 29 July 1999 Sig line vacant - apply within -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
Re: Feedback wanted on programming introduction (Python in Windows)
In mpg.2554d283970cde989...@news.eternal-september.org, Dann Corbit wrote: In article xfwdnvpdb-3mkhtxnz2dnuvz8nvi4...@bt.com, r...@see.sig.invalid says... In mpg.255246264331509a989...@news.eternal-september.org, Dann Corbit wrote: snip You can read PDF with the ghostscript stuff or the free Adobe stuff. Agreed. But why should you have to? As opposed to...? Something you can grep. snip -- Richard Heathfield http://www.cpax.org.uk Email: -http://www. +rjh@ Usenet is a strange place - dmr 29 July 1999 Sig line vacant - apply within -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
Re: Feedback wanted on programming introduction (Python in Windows)
In hcfj10$1o...@news.eternal-september.org, Alf P. Steinbach wrote: snip I'm very very happy that most comments about perceived defects in the text and in my responses here, have only disagreements over terminology. I had expected a slew of errors being pointed out, since I'm new to Python. g Still, I'm fairly sure that there actually *is* such a slew of errors, because there is in any text of more than ten pages or so; any good book has a volumious errata list... That's voluminous, and I claim my $2.56. :-) But of course you're right. No book is perfect, so every book /should/ have an errata list - at least until such time as an author can correct errors in already-sold books. That not every book does have such a list is therefore of some concern. -- Richard Heathfield http://www.cpax.org.uk Email: -http://www. +rjh@ Usenet is a strange place - dmr 29 July 1999 Sig line vacant - apply within -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
Re: Feedback wanted on programming introduction (Python in Windows)
In 7ktsj6f3bciq...@mid.individual.net, osmium wrote: Richard Heathfield wrote: A man who cannot express what he needs to express /without/ resorting to .pdf format is computer-illiterate. What format do you suggest? Firstly, I want to make clear that I'm not objecting to the OP's use of .pdf format - and even if I were (which I'm not), why should he care? He should be choosing a format to suit his readers, not me! My comment was more general. If .pdf is the right choice, fine, use .pdf - but be aware that there will be some subset of potential readers who are unable to use that format. I wrote a little freebie program that is quite popular round here (Physical World here, not Usenet here), which uses a PDF reader (you get to choose which one - Adobe, Foxit, whatever) for output. I don't like that situation, but I had bitten the bullet and decided to live with it. Two evenings ago, I was asked for Yet Another Copy (perhaps I should charge for it), so I cheerfully installed it on the user's desktop machine (Windows ME, would you believe), and then set about configuring the reader, when... ouch! No PDF reader on the machine. Not even an ancient Adobe version. Oh dear. Program suddenly rendered completely useless for that person. An Internet connection was available, but in the very limited time available I did not have time to download and install a reader. I'll do what I can to fix that over the next week or so, but it drove home the lesson that I need to rewrite the program to use bitmaps instead. So - what format do I suggest? That's easy - the simplest possible format that will do the job. If unmarked text will do it, use text. If that doesn't cut it, use HTML or some other markup language. If that won't do, okay, use PDF or Word or WordPro or WordPerfect or whatever your users have. Personally, for stuff I want to display over the Web, I have always found HTML/CSS, together with common graphics formats, to be perfectly adequate. I have some ideas on what I would have used, but you seem to love these veiled references that there is a better way, The best way is the simplest technology that will do the job properly. If that truly is PDF, okay, use PDF. But it is hard for me to envisage circumstances where Web content is best presented in that way. if the OP had just been smarter. Er, no, I didn't have that in mind at all. Did it ever occur to you that this is not very helpful and might even be annoying? Judging by the tone of your replies to me, I'm perfectly sure that you frequently (but not always) find my articles annoying. I also frequently (but not always) find your articles annoying. Did that ever occur to you? (I ask only for information - I'm really truly not trying to get on your case here, although I recognise that it might sound like it, hence this disclaimer.) -- Richard Heathfield http://www.cpax.org.uk Email: -http://www. +rjh@ Usenet is a strange place - dmr 29 July 1999 Sig line vacant - apply within -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
Re: Feedback wanted on programming introduction (Python in Windows)
In 7ku6jhf3a23e...@mid.individual.net, osmium wrote: Richard Heathfield wrote: if the OP had just been smarter. Er, no, I didn't have that in mind at all. In some cultures, implying that someone is illiterate suggests not smart. I don't see that at all. Babies are illiterate. Nobody knows whether they're smart. In any case, I /said/ computer-illiterate. Albert Einstein was computer-illiterate. There is a formal disconnect there but possibly you can see how someone might infer that. I can see how an unsmart person might infer that. At least I found out what your choice was, HTML, same as mine. Naturally. It's the smart person's choice. :-) -- Richard Heathfield http://www.cpax.org.uk Email: -http://www. +rjh@ Usenet is a strange place - dmr 29 July 1999 Sig line vacant - apply within -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
Re: Feedback wanted on programming introduction (Python in Windows)
In yiudnvuxceucgxfxnz2dnuvz7thi4...@bt.com, Richard Heathfield wrote: In 7ku6jhf3a23e...@mid.individual.net, osmium wrote: snip In some cultures, implying that someone is illiterate suggests not smart. I don't see that at all. Babies are illiterate. Nobody knows whether they're smart. Clarification: nobody knows for sure how smart any given baby is, but certainly some babies are going to be very smart indeed. Illiteracy is clearly not a measure of unsmartness. When I use the word illiterate, I am describing, not insulting. Likewise, when I use the word literate, I am describing, not praising. -- Richard Heathfield http://www.cpax.org.uk Email: -http://www. +rjh@ Usenet is a strange place - dmr 29 July 1999 Sig line vacant - apply within -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
Re: Feedback wanted on programming introduction (Python in Windows)
In hc8pn3$dd...@news.eternal-september.org, Alf P. Steinbach wrote: snip I may finally have found the perfect language for a practically oriented introductory book on programming, namely Python. snip I don't know whether this will ever become an actual book. I hope so! snip So I would would be very happy for feedback. Sorry, but this browser does not support web word processing. Please see our system requirements page for a list of supported browsers. A Web site should be able to provide at least basic content provision in *any* standard-conforming browser. I've seen Steven's parallel comment along similar lines, and Jon Clements's reply - which appears to solve the problem, albeit in a semi-proprietary way. So I'm not asking for a solutio, just adding my vote for let's try to keep the Web as open to everyone as we can. snip -- Richard Heathfield http://www.cpax.org.uk Email: -http://www. +rjh@ Usenet is a strange place - dmr 29 July 1999 Sig line vacant - apply within -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
Re: Feedback wanted on programming introduction (Python in Windows)
In mpg.255244b37d76cfb5989...@news.eternal-september.org, Dann Corbit wrote: In article hc8pn3$dd...@news.eternal-september.org, al...@start.no says... snip here's the public view of ch 1 (complete) and ch 2 (about one third completed, I've not yet settled on a title so it's just chapter asd): http://preview.tinyurl.com/progintro Cheers, Why is chapter 2 called ASD? Presumably its subtitle is Introducing UPPER CASE. -- Richard Heathfield http://www.cpax.org.uk Email: -http://www. +rjh@ Usenet is a strange place - dmr 29 July 1999 Sig line vacant - apply within -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
Re: Feedback wanted on programming introduction (Python in Windows)
In mpg.255246264331509a989...@news.eternal-september.org, Dann Corbit wrote: snip You can read PDF with the ghostscript stuff or the free Adobe stuff. Agreed. But why should you have to? A man who cannot read .pdf or .ps in today's computer science world is a crippled man (IMO-YMMV). A man who doesn't particularly enjoy relying on proprietary non-text formats, however, is not crippled, just cautious. A man who cannot express what he needs to express /without/ resorting to .pdf format is computer-illiterate. snip -- Richard Heathfield http://www.cpax.org.uk Email: -http://www. +rjh@ Usenet is a strange place - dmr 29 July 1999 Sig line vacant - apply within -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
Re: Game design : Making computer play
v4vijayakumar said: In computer based, two player, board games, how to make computer play? Write some code that works out what the computer player should do. If you want a better answer, ask a better question. Are there any formal ways to _teach_ computer, to choose best possible move? That's a better question. The obvious ways are DFS, BFS, and databases. For example, take backgammon, and computer goes first. You roll the PRNGs and get 6, 1. You (the computer) have never played this game before, so you don't have a database of good moves. Your legal moves are: 24,18 and 24,23 24,18 and 8,7 24,18 and 6,5 13,7 and 24,23 13,7 and 8,7 13,7 and 6,5 Of these, which is the best? DFS (Depth-First Search) and BFS (Breadth-First Search) can help you answer that question. What you do is define an evaluation function for the position, based on things like how many blots, how many on the bar, whether you have a prime, and so on. Then you *play the game* in simulation, as deeply as you can (which won't be very deep, actually), evaluating all the time. Once you've found the position that does you most good (or least harm) no matter what die-rolls the opponent may get and no matter how skilfully he or she plays, you know what to get your computer player to do next. If you're clever, you'll keep the solution tree around, destroying only the bits of it that won't ever be used again - to save processing time on your next turn. If you're really clever, you'll write a lot of this information down in a file, a sort of opening book, so that you don't have to calculate everything from scratch every time. For example, in the above situation, there is no need to calculate, because it's a no-brainer: 13,7 and 8,7 is far and away the best move. I know this is kind of off-topic here. Please redirect me, if there are more appropriate newsgroup. comp.programming is probably where you want to be, at least to start off with. -- Richard Heathfield http://www.cpax.org.uk Email: -http://www. +rjh@ Google users: http://www.cpax.org.uk/prg/writings/googly.php Usenet is a strange place - dmr 29 July 1999 -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
Re: Game design : Making computer play
[comp.programming added, and followups set to that group] v4vijayakumar said: On Apr 14, 12:35 pm, Richard Heathfield [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: v4vijayakumar said: In computer based, two player, board games, how to make computer play? Write some code that works out what the computer player should do. If you want a better answer, ask a better question. I am just implementing a game played in my village (Tamilnadu / India), called aadupuli (goats and tigers). There are only 23 positions and 18 characters (15 goats and 3 tigers). Some of you might be aware of this. I can post initial version of the game (implemented using html/ javascript) in couple of hours here. Welcome any help in making computer to play one of these player. comp.programming would be a better group. I've found a picture of the board, but I can't find the rules anywhere, without which the task is impossible. Can you tell us what they are? If you reply, I suggest you do so in comp.programming. -- Richard Heathfield http://www.cpax.org.uk Email: -http://www. +rjh@ Google users: http://www.cpax.org.uk/prg/writings/googly.php Usenet is a strange place - dmr 29 July 1999 -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
Re: Game design : Making computer play
[EMAIL PROTECTED] said: On 14 Apr, 09:13, v4vijayakumar [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: In computer based, two player, board games, how to make computer play? Are there any formal ways to _teach_ computer, to choose best possible move? I know this is kind of off-topic here. Please redirect me, if there are more appropriate newsgroup. can you post a link to the game so I can see the rules and how the board looks. Here's the board (which bears only a slight resemblance to one I'd seen on the Web): +---+ | HORN $ | +---+---+---+---+---+---+ |L W| | $ | $ | |R W| +E-I+--CHEST+---+---+I-I+ |F N| | | | |G N| +T-G+---+---+---+---+H-G+ | | | | | |T | +---+---+---+---+---+---+ | LEGS| | | +---+---+---+---+ There are three tigers and fifteen goats. The tigers' goal is to eat all the goats and remain mobile. It seems that the initial tiger positions are: one on the horn, and one each on CHEST-2 and CHEST-3 (see $ marks, above). The goats' goal is to block the tigers from moving. The goats are placed one by one. Tigers appear only to be able to move orthogonally (up/down/left/right) - although they can use the horn to whizz across the chest (e.g. CHEST-1 to HORN, HORN to CHEST-4, in two moves). The rest of the rules are beyond me, I'm afraid. It's not clear how tigers eat goats or how goats block tigers. -- Richard Heathfield http://www.cpax.org.uk Email: -http://www. +rjh@ Google users: http://www.cpax.org.uk/prg/writings/googly.php Usenet is a strange place - dmr 29 July 1999 -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
Re: Portable general timestamp format, not 2038-limited
Peter J. Holzer said: snip It is possible that the observatory at Greenwich still keeps and announces GMT, but it has no practical importance anymore. Certainly what everybody (except specialists in the field) means when they talk about GMT is UTC. I am not a specialist in the field. When I talk about GMT, I mean GMT, not UTC. Therefore, I am a counter-example to your claim. -- Richard Heathfield http://www.cpax.org.uk Email: -www. +rjh@ Google users: http://www.cpax.org.uk/prg/writings/googly.php Usenet is a strange place - dmr 29 July 1999 -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
Re: Portable general timestamp format, not 2038-limited
Paul Rubin said: [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: As for the primacy of UTC vs. TAI, this is the classical chicken and egg problem. The bureaucratic reality is opposed to the physical reality. Well, if you're trying to pick just one timestamp standard, I'd say you're better off using a worldwide one rather than a national one, no matter how the bureaucracies work. In that case, the obvious choice is Greenwich Mean Time. :-) Seriously, GMT is recognised all over the world (far more so, in fact, than UTC, which tends to be recognised only by some well-educated people, and there are precious few of those), so why not use it? I always leave my PC's clock set to GMT, partly out of this desire to support a single timestamp standard, and (it must be said) partly out of general cussedness. -- Richard Heathfield http://www.cpax.org.uk Email: -www. +rjh@ Google users: http://www.cpax.org.uk/prg/writings/googly.php Usenet is a strange place - dmr 29 July 1999 -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
Re: Portable general timestamp format, not 2038-limited
Peter J. Holzer said: On 2007-07-03 08:57, Richard Heathfield [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Paul Rubin said: [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: As for the primacy of UTC vs. TAI, this is the classical chicken and egg problem. The bureaucratic reality is opposed to the physical reality. Well, if you're trying to pick just one timestamp standard, I'd say you're better off using a worldwide one rather than a national one, no matter how the bureaucracies work. In that case, the obvious choice is Greenwich Mean Time. :-) Hardly. That hasn't been in use for over 35 years (according to Wikipedia). Nonsense. I use it every day, and have been doing so for - well, rather more than 35 years. Seriously, GMT is recognised all over the world (far more so, in fact, than UTC, which tends to be recognised only by some well-educated people, and there are precious few of those), so why not use it? While the layman may recognize the term GMT, he almost certainly means UTC when he's talking about GMT. Most people of my acquaintance who use the term GMT mean precisely that - Greenwich Mean Time. snip I always leave my PC's clock set to GMT, Your PC is directly linked to an observatory? Nope. My PC *defines* GMT. If the observatory wants to know what the exact time is, they only have to ask. -- Richard Heathfield http://www.cpax.org.uk Email: -www. +rjh@ Google users: http://www.cpax.org.uk/prg/writings/googly.php Usenet is a strange place - dmr 29 July 1999 -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
