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Comment VistA is a nightmare (Score 5, Interesting) 186

i was interested in VistA and what all the fuss was about, so i decided to check it out. turns out the backend is nightmare code that would would swear was machine generated. after some investigation i found out it's MUMPS (Massachusetts General Hospital Utility Multi-Programming System) code. a lot of useful stuff started way back in the 1970s... but MUMPS is a 1960s nightmare come to life.

think i'm exagerating? here's a module from VistA's code which was apparently updated in 1989.

DENTA1 ;ISC2/SAW,HAG-DENTAL TREATMENT DATA SERVICE REPORTS ; 1/10/89 11:08 AM ; ;;1.2;DENTAL;**24**;JAN 26, 1989
  D:'$D(DT) DT^DICRW S %O="OPT",U="^",S=";",O=$T(@(%O)),DENTV=$$VERSION^XPDUTL("DENT") I $D(^DOPT($P(O,S,5),"VERSION")),(DENTV=^DOPT($P(O,S,5),"VERSION")) G IN
  K ^DOPT($P(O,S,5))
  F I=1:1 Q:$T(@(%O)+I)="" S ^DOPT($P(O,S,5),I,0)=$P($T(@(%O)+I),S,3),^DOPT($P(O,S,5),"B",$P($P($T(@(%O)+I),S,3),"^",1),I)=""
  S K=I-1,^DOPT($P(O,S,5),0)=$P(O,S,4)_U_1_U_K_U_K K I,K,X S ^DOPT($P(O,S,5),"VERSION")=DENTV
IN I $P(O,S,6)'="" D @($P(O,S,6))
PR S O=$T(@(%O)),S=";" S IOP=$I D ^%ZIS W:IOST'["PK-" @IOF K IOP
  I $P(O,S,7)'="" D @($P(O,S,7))
  E W !!,$P(O,S,3),":",!,$$VERSION^XPDUTL("DENT")," ",$P($T(+1),S,1),!!,$P(O,S,4),"S:",!
  F J=1:1 Q:'$D(^DOPT($P(O,S,5),J,0)) S K=$S(J0 S Z2=Z1
  G:Z3=0 W I Z3>1 S DIC="^DENT(225,",DIC(0)="AEMNQ",DIC("A")="Select STATION.DIVISION: " S:$D(DENTSTA) DIC("B")=$S(DENTSTA[" ":+DENTSTA,1:DENTSTA) D ^DIC Q:Y

Comment ORLY? (Score 1) 34

then perhaps you should update wikipedia. Then again, that means you have to cite some sources that aren't your ass.

The Zephyr 7 holds the official endurance record for an unmanned aerial vehicle for its flight from 9 July to 23 July 2010, lasting 336 hours and 22 minutes (2 weeks / 14 days).[3][4] Record claims have been verified by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) for both duration[4] and altitude, at 21,562 meters. It more than doubled the previous endurance record for unmanned flight.[5][6][7]

Comment Re:Hmmmmmmm (Score 0) 31

Ya know, I'll bet that if we didn't have so many science haters and pork barrelers in Congress playing games with the budget, that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration could do similar research.

do you really think NASA should be wasting any brainpower on this corporate horseshit? if companies want to make supersonic jets quiet, let them do/pay for the research. frankly, i would prefer NASA stay on the task of helping humanity, not corporations.

Comment just add a camera? bullshit. (Score 2) 16

technical issues with 3d aside, to get any meaningful information about it fitting, you first have to have actually have meaningful information about the product! this means that you would need a full 3d model of each article of clothing for each size from every seller. furthermore, you need information about the material it's made of and most importantly, how it reacts to being washed which means information about how the clothing was constructed. with all that information, you might as well be the one making the clothing.

stores aren't going by the wayside just yet.

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