rawatson · HackerTrans

I'm posting from a ChromeBook pixel running at 2560 x 1700, and the UI looks great. The taskbar, UI, fonts, etc. are all scaled perfectly.

Have you tried running at 2560 x 1700 on the most up-to-date version of ChromeOS? Some of the issues you had may have been fixed in more recent Chrome releases.

rawatson

13년 전discuss

The author of this article quotes two bits from the speech:

>We have made no mistakes about your admission.

and

>You all deserve to be here!

The first statement is the more important part. Incoming freshmen meet an extremely talented group of people when they arrive on campus. It's easy to be intimidated by what others have accomplished before even getting to college. The point of this speech isn't to comment on the service undertaken by students, but rather to reassure them that they are capable of performing at the level of the peers they're so impressed by.

rawatson

13년 전discuss

Qt 5.1.1 includes QtCreator 2.8.0 instead of QtCreator 2.7.2. Other than that it's just a bugfix release.

rawatson

13년 전discuss

Just ordered mine.

I continue to be impressed by the uses Google has found for Chrome. Building new features into Chrome gives Google the capabilities of a full desktop application without the need to convince users to install new software. Google can just issue an update to Chrome to instantly ship new projects to ~20% of web users.

rawatson

13년 전discuss

Church? I'm not very familiar with the language but I believe it sounds similar to what you're describing. http://projects.csail.mit.edu/church/wiki/Church

rawatson

14년 전discuss

I'm one of the TAs (section leaders) for 106X this quarter. We get a pretty wide diversity of skill levels in the class, so it's tough to ensure that we challenge the experienced students while not scaring off everyone else.

However, the goal of 106X isn't to teach all of the complexities and nuances of algorithms (take CS161), fundamental principles of computing (take 103), or OS/low level understanding (take 107/140/143). Sure, we'd like students to think about these things, but we really want to make sure that students know how to program with

* Proper decomposition

* Sensible commenting/documentation

* Use of appropriate data structures/knowing when to employ recursion

If you want to get more "huh, that's cool", try taking 107 in the winter (Jerry is teaching that course as well).

rawatson

14년 전discuss

Clang, GCC, and Intel are all described as "mostly" supporting C99. This is unfortunate, and it would be nice to see them fully supported, but developer time is limited, and not all of C99's features are in high demand.

Unlike MSVC though, these compilers have included the extremely visible features -- things like inline variable declarations, designated initializers, and variable length arrays. I don't think Microsoft should implement C99 in full, but partial support would help students trying to learn C on Windows.

rawatson

14년 전discuss

I think the author could have chosen better data for this calculation. There are a few unusual factors:

* Why use average income? Why not median family income?

* Why use median $/square foot, and then assume a 2000 square foot house? Why not just rely on median sale price?

I looked up the data for San Francisco, where median family income is $81,136 and median home sale price is $705,000.

Using the same methodology but with these income/price numbers, saving up for the down payment on a home in San Francisco takes ~14.5 years instead of 20.6. I'm not sure how this compares to other cities, but I think it's a bit more reasonable of an estimate of how long it takes to "save up for a house" in San Francisco.

rawatson

15년 전discuss

Haskell uses type classes to support ad hoc polymorphism, or overloading. Consider the statement:

(4.2::Fractional a=> a) + (4::Float)

Float is an instance of the type class Fractional. That is: methods which are defined for all fractional types must be defined for floats.

The compiler infers that (4.2::Fractional a=>a) must have type float, as it is being added to a float. This is compatible with the original type of the expression, as Float is an instance of fractional, so it is valid to read 4.2 as a Float.

This diagram might help: http://www.haskell.org/onlinereport/basic.html#sect6.3

rawatson

15년 전discuss

Haskell uses type inference, but that's not the same as implicit coercion, which Haskell explicitly avoids. That is: if you type 4 + 4.2

Then the compiler will infer that you mean (4::Fractional a=>a) + (4.2::Fractional a => a)

However, you cannot add an integer and a float: (4::Int) + (4.2::Float)

    Couldn't match expected type `Int' with actual type `Float'

    In the second argument of `(+)', namely `(4.2 :: Float)'

    In the expression: (4 :: Int) + (4.2 :: Float)

    In an equation for `it': it = (4 :: Int) + (4.2 :: Float)

This follows from the type of (+) :: Num a => a -> a -> a

rawatson

15년 전discuss

I always thought x.y.z version strings (like Firefox 3.6.3, or similar) contained a bit of extra information about how development occurs which is often ignored.

When z is increased, that is the developers way of saying that "this is the least dramatic update we will make available to end users". Alternatively, an increment of a is a sign that "this is the most dramatic alteration in functionality we will make".

I think that part of the trend toward higher version numbers isn't just about having nice big numbers, but rather a reflection of changes in development methodology. Whether you attribute it to DVCSs or simple changes in developer culture, it seems clear that the "biggest possible" update has significantly shrunk in size lately.

rawatson

15년 전discuss

Amusingly enough, the phrase "don't be a pussy" originally had nothing to do with genitalia. However, time has certainly altered the word's meaning.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pussy#Weakness

rawatson

15년 전discuss

I'd go as far as to say that I've never seen a floating at the bottom, scrolling toolbar which did anything other than annoy me. They also tend to mess up the "find" functionality, as they cover the actual occurrence of what you're looking for.

That said, I'm sure this will be one of the most clicked ads, as it's noticeable while not overly large.

rawatson

15년 전discuss

Just sent one with the method in the post. Let me know if it works.

rawatson

15년 전discuss

The numbers which really surprise me are the +74% in CS107 enrollment and +78% in CS109. CS107 is viewed as the "don't declare CS until you take it" class, and a 74% increase definitely indicates a larger number of CS majors.

That said, I do feel that some of the reason they're seeing these numbers is because these classes are all exceptionally well taught and administered. The introductory classes they offer are designed to cater to those who might be undecided as to their major. Within a few weeks of learning what "Java" is, students are playing around with GUI apps, and do things like write breakout (with sound!). All the while, the course manages to introduce the key concepts of computer programming.

rawatson

15년 전discuss

Amusingly enough, Professor Roberts was one of the two professors in charge of IHUM 58, my fall quarter "Introduction to the Humanities" class at Stanford. He was quite clear in stating that writing and being able to communicate your ideas was pivotally important, even to someone majoring in a technical field. While an English major may not lead to vast riches, everyone (including CS majors) can benefit from the analytical writing skills taught in "fuzzy" classes.

rawatson

15년 전discuss

This isn't a hard problem to solve exactly though; anyone with a calculator that can compute logarithms can find the exact time. A bit of algebra and the formula for periodically compounded interest will tell you that an investment will double in time t = ln(2)/ln(1+r)

The value of this rule comes in the fact that it can be computed mentally. I certainly can't tell you what ln(2)/ln(1.06) is, but I can easily compute 72/6 = 12.

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