curiousfiddler

Okay here's a (hypothetical) use case: I want to create a software product, say a database, because I see myself solving a real problem by way of creating my product. My whole idea is driven by a real problem statement and my passion. How does this fit in here? Don't you think all those blocks are a little misleading for a product like this? Or like these: http://projects.apache.org/indexes/quick.html ?

To be very honest, my first thought is that in all "HONESTY" you CANNOT do all this - its impossible to do all these things (claimed on the website), without experiencing those in person and it will vary from person to person based on the context, circumstances, idea etc. I think it will be a disservice to any confused soul (I am guessing those are the kind of people who would hit your site) by claiming to do things that are not practically possible, without actually experiencing those.

And about culture: if you question what culture is and what culture gives you, you will figure, that it has a lot to do with habits. And in universities, you definitely get a chance to pick up some awesome habits which will last a lifetime. In good universities, the process is easier & the habits have a wider range (not just discipline etc which are forced by the administration), because your peer group is a lot more determined to attempt leading a meaningful life.

Zed, unfortunately or fortunately there are good and bad universities (in terms of CS). If you are in a good university, a lot of professors will teach you lessons which will last a lifetime. You must go check the video lectures on youtube by UC Berkley, MIT and Stanford. They will teach you the most important lesson, time and again, till it becomes a habit for you - its all about the fundamentals. They will teach you that computer science is as much programming as it is applied mathematics (& lot more). I went to a bad school. Teachers were not confident in their subjects, they could not inspire me and I must confess I wasn't smart enough to inspire myself. 4 years later, now I have taken a break from my work, and I am revisiting my fundamentals with the help of the open course ware available on the net and boy, I sure have missed a lot!

I think you've got to see this video really:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOtEQB-9tvk&feature=relat...

I think gmail is a fabulous product (imagine emails before gmail) and like every other agile product, it has its problems. The fact that we don't have to spend "any" money for storing gigs of our data on a secure and safe platform is probably enough for me to use it.

I don't get the point. Openness really doesn't mean you keep your bank locker open in a street and ask people to pick any amount of money they want. Openness should be viewed in the right perspective & context.

Ha ha ha! Awesome ;)