I often think that working for a Defense Contractor makes me a "babykiller." I think about quitting my job and finding something else to do. Something Good. And then I think about all the Netscape Servers and training and money and software.Do we all have these thoughts, and how many of us act on them? I'd be interested to know if others have this same dilemma, or do they just enjoy the nice machines?
As for me, I'm not quite ready to give up. Mainly for the standard reasons: job stability, impending costs of starting a family, "got the mortgage, after all.." But I must say that Phil's previous 15 pages of ranting, raving, and educating have given me more than a little food for thought.
-- Robert Craig, November 26, 1997
I quote you twice to add two brief comments:"What does that leave us with? n companies on the Web technically able to share data but having n separate data models. Each time two companies want to share data, their programmers have to cooperate on a conversion system. Before everyone can talk to anyone, we'll have to build n*(n-1) unidirectional converters (for each of n companies we need a link to n-1 other companies, thus the n*(n-1)). With just 200 companies, this turns out to be 39,800 converters."
This is the much ballyhooed EDI (Electronic Data Interchange), which, last I heard, had 42 different acceptable formats for encoding a date. What a crock.
"If we could get those 200 companies to agree on a canonical format for data exchange then we'd only need to build 400 unidirectional converters. That is a much more manageable number than 39,800 particular when it is obvious that each company should bear the burden of writing two converters (one into and one out of its proprietary format)."
This is similar to the emerging XML standard. About three years ago I participated in developing a very similar standard called DxM (Data exchange Methodology), for the Real Estate industry. It flopped. We could not convince most people why it was "better" than EDI. "EDI is an established standard", they would say. Apparently the numerical considerations were lost on them.
DxM had only one date format, by the way.
-- Scott Rowe, June 15, 1998
"How come when you hit "Play" on the CD player, the receiver doesn't turn itself on and switch its input to CD?"Sony's XBR-100 TV (1996) will do that. I am not sure whether it works with CD players (which its remote control WILL operate) but when you press press "play" for "VCR 1" the TV switches to its "VCR 1" input. I do not know whether the TV will turn on (if needed), but it probably would--it has a sensor-operated on/off control which is cool. Of course this TV cost 3200 dollars, and had 3D filtering, and just about every other TV feature one could want.
-- David Bessey, November 23, 1999
I've worked in the computer industry for 4 years. I have stopped because I believe my net social contribution has been negative. (Incidentally, I have no moral problems with streaming pornography. I think it is far more ethical than doing most programming jobs.)
-- Lion Kimbro, April 24, 2002