Well said! Bravo!

Breaking code into smaller logical pieces is paramount to making it maintainable. When you or someone else goes to maintain it in the future and finds there is a problem with a specific portion, such as with writing data to the database, they should be able to find the database portion and trace back from there.

A good example of this principle of logic separation is with code that interacts with a database. I've worked with some custom PHP code that had a lot of interaction with a database, but all the connections were done directly when needed instead of using a class (or even just a function). The effects of this decision had a ripple effect:

  * parameters to the connections had to be given inline
  * connection strings had to be globally accessible, though were regularly hard-coded
  * SQL had to be written & executed inline
  * checking for rows returned/rows affected/errors had to be done for each call manually
  * code was regularly created via copy/paste
  * variable re-use often caused errors (previous call was successful, last call wasn't, but variable continued to have a successful appearance)

The first thing I would have done, had I been allotted the time, was to integrate an abstraction layer for the database. Separating this logic would have allowed for the ability to write-out SQL statements to a text file for analysis--which is very helpful for determining where a database can be optimized (i.e. better indexes, etc).

This specific level of separation would also allow for moving to a different database with a smaller impact on the code: modify a smaller set of code to connect to a new DBMS, then use it to track any issues resulting from the new database. Not only does it help save time, but it avoids rewriting a ton of code!

When I first started coding, I did everything inline: no functions, classes, or anything. Then I saw code that was mostly functional, and noticed how much easier it was to use a function to avoid duplicating code all over the place. The object orientation came later, and was a very welcome addition, as it helped to split things into specific (or generic) containers for storing and manipulating data.

That said, I feel that moving things into functions is very important, even if that function is only called once. Putting things into functions forces you to define exactly what is happening in a way that allows it to be reused. This also helps with introducting unit-testing or other types of testing to ensure your code is running properly.

If RFID chips are instituted as a way of attempting to control people, identity theft will/can be more widespread. The data from an RFID chip is very easily read. Even if there were a password associated with the RFID, this would be rudamentary to steal, since few people utilize strong passwords. Now imagine it took no more than the right ID+Password to completely hijack another's identity... it would be like handing out kits with a person's DNA, SS #, driver's license, mother's maiden name, full set of fingerprints, and the last 30 unique passwords they used. I vote yes to nationwide stupidity.

Actually, it looks like Oracle won by over 2m results...

It is a gain of two large points (which I assume means percentage points) over in five months. Wow, if they keep making gains like that, it will only take them ~8 years to possibly be equal with Google. Truly frightening... of course, the world will end before that will ever happen.

Okay, let's round up all the people that believe 2012 is in any way related to actual scientific fact, and let them go see The Invention of Lying. If they don't get the coincidence, explain to them it already is 2012 according to the Gregorian calendar...

Yes, they sound different. But the point is that it is two languages that are separated by a non-alphanumeric. C, C#, C++... they're all different programming languages, all pronounced differently ("See", "See Sharp", "See Plus Plus"), but look similar.

Oh, and I need your geek hat.

I can just see it now:

JACK: "So, you used 'Go exclamation point'?"
ALEX: "Actually, now we refer to it as 'Go Bang'."
JACK: "You mean like when you're talking about those shell scripts and you say 'she-bang'?"

The sexual connotations will just never end. Awesome. I think the next big programming language should be called 'F-U' and be pronounced...

Obviously, "Go" and "Go!" are different. Like "C" and "C#". It is the exclamation point that makes all the difference (if you can't see the sarcasm here, you need to remove your geek hat).

JACK: "So, what programming language did you create FruzzleBunnies 5.0 in?"
ALEX: "I wrote it in Go!".
JACK: "Oh, that Google language, eh?"
ALEX: "NO! I wrote it in 'Go exclamation point'."
JACK: "Right. Guess I thought you just had too much caffeine the first time you said it."

I would venture to guess that the retraction wasn't for the reasons that it appeared to be. Mr. Simon Aldous made a statement that essentially compared Microsoft to Apple, but I don't think the issue at hand has anything to do with any "stealing ideas from Mac" or anything like that; the problem is that Simon basically said, "Mac's interface is better than ours and has been for a long time, so now we're gonna start making ours look like theirs, 'cuz ours sucks." Joe-Bob might read it and think, "wow, Microsoft even says Mac is better, why don't I just buy a Mac?"

I absolutely agree. From a global perspective, Microsoft is very wrong for not allowing all systems to receive the most important security updates.

But from Microsoft's business perspective, it is in their best interest to give just anybody updates, as doing so would suck away even more bandwidth. It also devalues the purchasing of valid licenses: "I can get all the updates with my pirated copy? Why the hell should I buy a copy then?"

[WARNING: M$-bashing in 3... 2... 1...] The only reason anybody even thinks about security now is because of how terrible Microsoft's implementation (or lack thereof) has been so far. People seem to believe that viruses are just a part of owning a computer. They think that Microsoft Office is the only word processing system there is, and all the ones I've seen that received a non-Microsoft document (like "*.odf") figured that the file was corrupt if they couldn't open it in Word.

I could sit and rant all day to just about any born-and-raised Microsoft user that there are other OS's out there that are free of viruses (not to mention free of cost), and they just won't care, because they can't even differentiate between the operating system and the software. Running 20 different programs on their computer just to get 80% of the viruses removed is commonplace, even if they have to pay a lot of money for several of them.

"Your Windows XP workstation got formatted because you were infected with a virus? Well, we got this fancy-dancy Windows 7 here for ya, for only $300. Come this way, and I'll show you all the hardware you're going to need to make your computer run..." [20 minutes later] "... or you could just spend $2000 on this brand new system that already has it."

IMHO, Microsoft doesn't give a damn about its users. Pirates are pirates. Even granny down the street that managed to reinstall Windows XP using some (perfectly valid, unused) key she got from her neighbor. MS doesn't care about the economy either, as long as they're getting paid.

Let's think about this not from a moral perspective, but from a business one. In all reality, it is better for Microsoft to ignore those with pirated copies of Windows and thereby allow botnets and viruses to flourish: they're "in bed" (or at least used to be) with anti-virus companies, and now they're making their own; what good is an anti-virus program if there isn't widespread infection? "Illegitimate" systems having high infection rates (and generally lowered performance) gives more validity to the idea that people should pay for a valid copy of Windows.

(I could add a great blurb here about switching to other systems that have only a tiny fraction of the vulnerabilities of Windows, but this isn't a Microsoft-bashing.)

Not only do some people enjoy the game, but some people also modify the game a bit to be more fun. For instance, my family plays using two boards joined at "Go". Twice the monopolies. We add a rule where the utilities are counted as transports ("Railroad Tycoon"), so a person with the entirety of transports on one board gets $800 instead of a measly $200. There's all kinds of other rules we add, like larger/more dice, which works very well on the double-board game.

My IP address is 127.0.0.38.... wait, did you mean my REAL address? Okay, okay, its 127.0.0.1.