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Comment Re:users? (Score -1) 311

I don't know; Lua's treatment of both as the same type of data leads to unexpected behavior:

local a = { 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 }
a[3] = nil -- "Remove" an element
-- Now a is { [1] = 1, [2] = 2, [4] = 4, [5] = 5 }

On a similar note, Lua's "everything undefined is nil" behavior can lead to subtle bugs. For example:

local a = { alpha, betaa, delta, gamma }

Assuming those are previously defined, the misspelled "beta" will evaluate to nil and create an array hole, which will screw up the value returned by the length operator. It also means you can't do things like reliably get the count of { f() } if f() returns nil.

Android

Submission + - Google Under Fire For Sharing Google Wallet Information (latimes.com)

bonch writes: Google is being criticzed for sharing user information with third parties through Google Wallet. Unlike Apple's system in which iTunes is the merchant, Google's third-party developers are the merchants and receive user information, to the surprise of developers like Dan Nolan, who wrote a blog post about being sent email addresses, mailing address, and sometimes full names. Critics charge that consumers are mostly unaware of the sharing. In a statement, Google noted that the behavior was outlined in the Google Wallet Privacy Policy.

Comment Re:SLAPP (Score 1) 424

Most states have anti-slapp laws on the books. California one is pretty nice, you can file a motion to dismiss, you don't even have to go through "discovery" and produce documents etc. You can also counter sue for legal fees. Sadly virginia doesn't have this type legislation but I think she can still file a motion to dismiss and hopefully get an understanding a judge.

Comment Porting to Windows RT (Score 1) 308

I was excited about WinRT (not to be confused with Windows RT...yeah, I know) during Windows 8's development and was considering porting a project, but after evaluating Windows 8, the lack of features in the APIs, annoying interface decisions, and confusing hardware fragmentation made it an easy decision not to bother. Microsoft's alleged refusal to promote ARM-only apps, when it needs all the apps it can get, re-affirms that decision. Windows 8 is a non-starter as a development platform.

Comment Re:Stallman bitches, film at eleven (Score 2, Insightful) 597

It's one thing to have some Larry Wall style eccentricities, but Stallman hurts any movement he attaches his name to because of his extremist views. He believes, for example, that programmers should not expect to be paid for their work and that it's more important that non-free software disappear than it is for someone's children to be fed (he also believes nobody should have children). He's also made vile statements about what he calls "voluntary pedophilia", claiming that it should be legalized.

The annoying part is that in nearly every Stallman discussion, people will say things like, "You may not agree with everything he says, but we sure need someone like him who always sticks to their guns!" No, we don't. He's hurting the movement.

GNU was an interesting philosophy when it was started, but it's not as if it was the only open source ideology or that other open source movements wouldn't have taken hold. This isn't to diminish GNU so much as it is to diminish Stallman's glorified role in history among computer geeks and lessen the movement's reliance on a crazy person.

Comment Doesn't help (Score 1, Insightful) 308

I don't take issue with the shutdown since Megaupload was being used as a gigantic, unregulated store for pirated content, and that does take money away from content creators. Instead, I go out of my way to purchase independent content to support artists outside of the mainstream system, and any mainstream content I do want gets purchased digitally, which ultimately contributes to a lessening of relevance for the traditional distributors represented by the MPAA. Home film releases come out out sooner and sooner after their theater runs, and streaming services like Netflix are so popular on living room devices that Microsoft claims video streaming surpasses game-playing in terms of hours of usage on the Xbox 360. Whatever traditional structure the MPAA is protecting has already been supplanted by legal mediums.

In other words, Megaupload isn't necessary--the fate of the traditional movie industry has already been sealed by companies who embraced the internet.

Comment Re:Like who again? (Score -1) 446

How is this countersuing or fighting back? This is an outright offensive move. The only "consensus" otherwise is among Slashdot posters who are STILL trying to portray Google's acquisition of Motorola as purely defensive. For some reason, Google can absolutely do no wrong here, whatsoever, at all, ever. Why? Because they use Linux?

Technology

Submission + - Nuclear Fusion Nears Break-Even Point For Efficiency (tgdaily.com)

bonch writes: Nuclear fusion is close to emitting nearly as much energy as expended. Using a combination of magnetic fields and pre-heated lasers, special tubes called liners successfully fused nuclear fuels under test conditions. Computer simulations predict the possibility of high-gain fusion conditions, in which the fuel's energy output exceeds what was put in by more than a thousand times.
Google

Submission + - Motorola Seeks Ban On Macs, iPads, And iPhones (arstechnica.com)

bonch writes: Google-owned Motorola is asking the International Trade Commission to ban every Apple device that uses iMessage, based on a patent issues in 2006 for "a system for providing continuity between messaging clients". Motorola also claims that banning Macs and iPhones won't have an impact on U.S. consumers. The ITC has yet to make a decision.
IOS

Submission + - iOS 6 review: Refining the world's most refined mobile OS (bgr.com)

zacharye writes: Like OS X Mountain Lion is to Lion, iOS 6 is a refinement of a mobile operating system that Apple had in place in iOS 5, with a few new changes that might raise your brow. Available for iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPad 2, new iPad (third-generation) and iPod touch (fourth-generation), the changes Apple made in iOS 6 are subtle, but add to Apple’s endless pursuit of iOS perfection. It’s an update chock-full of features, as has been the case with every other major iOS update, and best of all: it’s free for all devices. iOS 6 will become available to the public in about an hour so in the meantime, let’s take a look at all of the most important new features Apple’s latest OS has to offer...

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