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Our cities do this, why not our software? Windows 3020: we still haven't fixed Griff's bug report yet Edition
+1 for quoting Vernor Vinge anyway
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I've written software that's still running after almost 40 years. The article's central point is that legacy systems continue to evolve because rewrites often fail. Indeed, the essence of software systems is evolution, at least until the system becomes so messy that a rewrite is attempted or a competitor displaces it. But I still think that describing best practices for rewrites is of great value.
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Are major rewrites (almost?) always a sign of companies too cheap to refactor correctly in the first place? If they are too cheap to to refactor, they deserve all of the pain coming their way. (At least their management is.)
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Indeed. And the two big reasons for not refactoring are
- You need to work on new features (not understanding that no refactoring will make this progressively harder).
- You'll break something (not having automated tests).
EDIT: I would add that the distinction between refactoring and rewriting can blur, particularly when a system is asked to add capabilities that were never anticipated during its original design.
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Developers sometimes try to use feature development strategies to find bugs—and that doesn’t always work. How do we know when our debugging process doesn’t work? and what alternative strategies can we adopt so we can find bugs more easily? debug.log ought to be enough for everyone
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Security on the internet is a never-ending cat-and-mouse game. Security specialists constantly come up with new ways of protecting our treasured data, only for cyber criminals to devise new and crafty ways of undermining these defenses. Maybe they can tell me what finger I'm holding up now?
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The aim was to see how microorganisms like sperm or bacteria swim. "Pushing and a pulling in the great Big Harbour and the great big world is so much fun"
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Optogenetics can now control neural circuits at unprecedented depths within living brain tissue without surgery I need this like I need a hole in my head
Although, I would call drilling a "small hole" in my head surgery.
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The Linux Foundation jobs report finds significant drop in demand for SysAdmins from 49% in 2018 to 35% this year. Linux Foundation survey of Linux users finds Linux popular. More breaking news as it comes in.
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Contrasting to it, there is a wave I hear where organizations are merging QA & DevOps role into Developer, calling it an engineering role. Thus, No more QA or DevOps in the organization, product owning team need to learn and do all the stuff.
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In the distant past, there was a proverbial “digital divide” that bifurcated workers into those who knew how to use computers and those who didn’t. "People try to put us d-down. Just because we get around"
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Way back in October 2019, Microsoft announced Windows 10X, a modular version of Windows 10 aimed at dual-screen, foldable, and new form factors. The 'X' stands for 'Already eXtinct'
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A revisit to "Windows XP Embedded"?
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I thought XP Embedded was actually useful (ATMs and stuff). This seems more like Windows S repeated. 
TTFN - Kent
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I thought the same; I was writing in hope. (Then again, Microsoft may freak out about doing something useful and call it off.)
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This hasn't worked for any of the three times (Windows RT, Windows 10 S, Windows Phone) they've tried it so far, so why do they think it's going to work now?
Is there anything different about it this time? Noting much has changed, as far as I can see.
Why can't they just accept that Windows without err... Windows apps is not a compelling platform? It's not like anything massive has changed in the market since their earlier attempts.
Surely if they really want to rule the whole app market thing they'd do better to put a cool skin on Android and release Microsoft Android, and persuade people to code for Microsoft ecosystem tweaks on Android. That way they wouldn't be trying to impose a whole app ecosystem that has mostly been rejected three times so far (they'd only be modifying an existing ecosystem).
If I want to run a cool multi-screen device that can't run real Windows apps then it will be running Android apps please. Otherwise it can have no benefit to me. Windows has a massive app ecosystem but it's all... well, Windows based. It seems exceedingly unlikely to me that a new Windows-but-not-Windows ecosystem is ever likely (as the world now stands) to build up the range of choice of real-Windows or Android.
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Starting next month, users trying to access certain websites will see IE refuse to load the URL and automatically open the site in Edge instead. But what if I enjoy broken web pages?
Just waiting for it to "accidentally" switch Safari or Chrome browsers.
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Shhhhh!
We musn't allow the British to learn how Edge and Internet Explorer works. 
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Not only are languages like Java or Python adopting more and more concepts from functional programming. Newer languages like Haskell are going completely functional. Who?
Sorry, it's Monday. That's all I can respond with at the moment.
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NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) has confirmed, for the first time, water on the sunlit surface of the Moon. This discovery indicates that water may be distributed across the lunar surface, and not limited to cold, shadowed places. Just in case you get thirsty while you're there
For this, they had the big announcement of a coming announcement? /sigh
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Time crystals sound like something out of science fiction, but they may be the next major leap in quantum network research. Don't forget to set your time crystals back (or is it forward?)
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Obligatory video (produced by Fermilab): Are time crystals real? - YouTube
Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.
-- 6079 Smith W.
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The cookie company is taking precautions against the "Election Day Asteroid" scheduled to graze Earth on November 2. "They can’t go stale ’cause they weren’t ever fresh."
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If you want to build a long career as a software developer, you need to pay attention to those programming languages and other skills that will endure for years, if not decades. I got a good laugh out of it, so you can too
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