to people, like me, who use a laptop. I'm not going to lug an IBM Model-M, although those are damn fine keyboards, or any other keyboard along with it. I'm carrying enough weight as it is.

The classic parent question "If all your friends jumped off a cliff, would you do it too?" is so classic precisely because the honest answer to that question is often "Yes!".

If the followup question is "Why?", then the answer to that is "Because otherwise the guy behind me will push me off!"

just to fuck with these people. The RIAA would probably pay me to stop.

"When your name is a punch line, you live in hell" -- Barry Manilow, from his article in Rolling Stone.

That'a reminds me of something else I like about Python.. its language is documented.

All languages are documented.

So why reinvent the wheel... again... and again...?

First, the wheel, made out of stone, was invented. Then, it was made out of wood. Then, they added a metal ring around the outside to improve wear. Then, they added a rubber strip around the outside to improve traction. Then, it was made out of metal with an air-filled rubber tire. Then, grooved tread was added to the tire to improve traction. Then, steel belts were added in the manufacture of the tire to improve its life and durability.

In other words, just because something was made does not mean it cannot be made better.

If Microsoft bundles other things they should also bundle gigabytes of C++?

No C compiler requires gigabytes of disk space. C++ isn't used to build Perl.

This doesn't follow in any logical way, would make no business sense and would inconvenience most users.

Explain how this would inconvenience anyone.

Can you even name something comparable that Microsoft bundles with Windows?

The .NET Runtime. It comes with compiler executables for C#, VB.NET and JScript.NET, and it is installed by default since Windows XP SP2.

Most stuff they ship with Windows is very minimal, just enough to get you started; I don't believe any of the components not strictly related to the OS itself came even within an order of magnitude of the size and complexity of a Visual Studio installation.

An IDE, like Visual Studio.NET, is not required to build Perl. You only need a C compiler, linker and make utility.

I'm guessing you're originally from the area of the river running between the countries of Crimea and Fughen; the Crimea-Fughen river.

For the same reason we named our planet "Dirt"

which, ironically, has 2/3 of its surface covered by water. I guess "Mud" would have been a better choice.

In other words, women were treated as second-class citizens back then. Do tell. If you think you're angry now, wait until you find out how non-whites were treated, and still are. You'll have so much steam blowing out your fucking ears, you'll be contributing to global warming.

Now after the nameless morons get through playing their moderation games I'll probably be seriously pissed--but that's the primary reaction I ever have to /. these days. I'm convinced that /. is just another interesting idea run into the ground.

Yet, you still come here and even contribute. You probably support government censorship of TV, radio and video game content. "Please, someone, pass some legislation so I don't have to think for myself and change channels or buy a different video game!"

Seriously, feel free to go to some other website. Some of us want lack of quality here on /.. That's what gives it character.

Well, to be fair, if you trying to win people to your cause and convince them to "Do The Right Thing", you should probably not bore them to death with a mountain of information. Even in the Victorian Era, conciseness was a good thing. That's why every research paper starts with an abstract. If you must blame some piece of Microsoft Office on Ms. Nightingale, blame the charting and graphing parts of Excel, and include Lotus 1-2-3 while you're at it, and MatLab, Minitab, SAS, SPSS,... She, like most people with lots of numbers wanting to create charts or graphs, would have used that rather than PowerPoint. If it makes you feel better, I was thinking the same thing. :)

Well, she let go of a toolbag, and it floated away from her. That's not the same as dropping something. It didn't hit the ground. It might in a few days, but not immediately which is what happens when you or I drop something here on Earth.

How, exactly, do you *drop* something in space?

The tip of the ColdHeat irons are huge, you aren't going to be able to solder any IC package with that.

The packaged tip is a bit large for electronics work, but there are narrower tips available for the gun that are more appropriate. My point was if you're afraid of setting either yourself or your house on fire, it's harder to do with a ColdHeat than with a regular soldering iron.

My six year old is pissed I won't let him have his own soldering iron yet.

If and/or when you're ready to buy one, I would suggest the ColdHeat. They're apparently unavailable from their online store, but I bought one at Fry's a couple of weeks ago. YMMV.