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pgcsmdon If Java Is Dying, It Sure Looks Awfully Healthy

FWIW: I really like Java. C and Lisp would be the other languages I'm especially fond of.

pgcsmdon A Short Rant At Wired - The Second Coming Of Java

Fair point - it's easy for us to rant at journalists without thinking about how difficult their job is.

It had previously been held as a competition between nations and with some level of integrity. This Oracle campaign and the previous Alinghi campaign have been the most self-serving in the America's Cup 150 years of history.

Money has been a part of the cup, sure, but making it so you can't win without dropping half a billion is a new low.

pgcsmdon The Norwegian prison where inmates are treated like people

So, does your desire to hurt people who do bad things mean that you will accept a 70% rate of re-offending, or would you trade your desire for revenge for a 15% rate of re-offending?

That is the question you really need to answer.

Is it better to stop future offending or feel good about inflicting suffering on others who are "bad" right now?

You might also want to throw into the mix the observation that a very large number of people in prison have untreated mental / behavioral issues and that a very large number of people who commit violent or sexual crimes have themselves been victims of such crimes in their formative years.

My argument is that whatever your ethics are, treating people like animals creates more animals. We all pay the cost of that.

pgcsmdon Forced Exposure

Groklaw has been a jewel in the crown of the free internet. We are all unbelievably impoverished by its passing. This is truly awful.

pgcsmdon 7 Cups Of Tea (YC S13) Connects People Who Need Emotional Support With Listeners

Awesome idea! I wish you the very best of success. Turning what can be an alienating technology into a means to reach out to people in need is really heartwarming.

pgcsmdon The void of undefined in JavaScript

No, the OP was correct - other languages have flaws but nowhere near the level of Javascript. You pick on C++ which is a design by committee monstrosity but it is nowhere near as braindead as Javascript. I mean, C++ allows you to include other code! C++ doesn't allow you to redefine the constants of the language. Actually, C++ has constants!

Nope, as much as I like to rail against the sins of C++, it is a paragon of design virtue next to JS. I've been programming for three decades now and JS is the worst language I have ever seen. I use JS a lot in my day job and it has parts I really like (object constants, for example) but really, as a piece of language design it is really the pits.