Matt’s Blog of Truth

Too many things can be attributed to either coincidence or shure luck. Like the Primus song, “Is it luck?”. Who knows really? How many times have you experienced something that is mind blowingly unreal?

When this feeling hits you and it is in relation to a simple event, sure maybe it is just a coincidence. However, take an event of a complex nature, such as, global warming. Human beings are spewing CO2 into the atmosphere. It is proven that the Earth goes through natural cycles of cooling and warming. So, which one is causing Earth’s ice caps to melt? (Personally, I think it is BOTH. We are polluting the air and the Earth is also in a warming cycle. Unfortunately, both are taking place, at once, with game changing consequences. )

Another situation is in politics and banking. We all know politicians get paid to make legislation (laws) in favor of bankers. But, when things get better and better for the rich (banks and Wall Street) but worse for the rest of us, can be called out as a red flag! We can start to feel like we are going crazy. There are powers that be, trying to horde as much money as possible. The only way to make more money is to rule over the masses. This is wrong and unfair. But, it is happening.

The beauty of the Internet is that we all can research this. You-tube is a wonderful place to get Alternative News. I will not list any, but please do know this. CNN, FOX and all mainstream media is owned by the Bankers. This is a fact and there are plenty of documentaries, on the Internet, to prove it. It’s known as an everyday things called Corporations. What this means is that the news you get is filtered and biased. Mostly biased in favor of the corporations, bankers and people that own it all. Sure the mass media will cover other things, but all major news corps have fit for print and not fit for print. If an event is true, should it be fit for print regardless of whom the news is reporting?

So, the point I am trying to make here, is this.

Are conspiracy theorists good? I say YES.

If a conspiracy crops up, you can bet there is a reason why. For every action there will be (or should be) an equal and opposite reaction. This is why conspiracy theorists are good for us. Some events are just too important to NOT REQUIRE an opposing theory. No matter how outlandish. Without black there would not be white… Without good, there can not be something to judge that against, for which we call Evil.

So, before you toss out the wacko theorists from your mind, just consider their claims. Then, after heavy scrutiny and skepticism of their claims, form your own ideas. Everything happens for a reason. Even coincidence.

Microsoft released Windows Seven (7) on Oct 22, 2009.

Here are the things you need to know about it.

First, it does improve Vista. But, if it did not, how retarded would that be? An idiot could tell you what was wrong with Vista. Vista was a RAM and CPU pig. It was sluggish when it came to starting applications and even slower when copying files to and from. Not, to mention Vista had a terribly bad navigation problem, when trying to location options to configure your system.

Windows 7 does reduce the ‘fat’. It requires less memory and made minor improvements to the ’snappyness’ of the Operating System.

However, these comparisons are against Vista, the PIG. Any improvements, can be regarded as an improvement, no matter how small, because Vista was really that bad. (Sure after a year or two and SP2 Vista was stable and usable). But, if you compare Windows 7 to XP, Windows 7 is still a PIG. It still consumes triple the RAM, Disk and CPU power, not to mention Graphics memory.

So, comparing Windows 7 to Vista is not fair. The reason comparisons should be with Vista, Yes, but still compared with XP. XP is still used by 70+% of Windows users and corporations.

If you are planning on ‘upgrading’ XP to Windows 7… well you can’t! You have to do a full reinstall. Which means you have to back up ALL your pictures, music and files than reinstall them on Windows 7. Vista users can upgrade, but if your a Vista user already, you are probably a die hard MS fan willing to put up with anything Microsoft decides to be ‘quality’ releases for you to install and use.

But, for those still sticking to XP for so many reasons, there is STILL little incentive to go out and install Windows 7.

Concidering the economy is in the gutter, and millions do not have jobs. What makes Windows 7 so great? Especially, when you will need to buy a new computer to run it? Your still going to be running the same Firefox, Chrome or IE browser you where before. If you play games, most games will have to run in virtual mode, which comes with Windows 7.

A word about visualization to run XP in Windows 7. When you get Windows 7, you will be able to download a copy of XP, that you can run in a window while running Windows 7. Why do you have to run XP when you have the latest Microsoft WIndows 7 Operating System? Because, XP games and or major software will not run on Windows 7! And the XP mode will be as slow as a snail. Why? Well it is easy to imagine that if your computer has to run both Windows 7 AND XP and the XP software you are trying to run, will slow even dual/quad core CPU’s with 2+ gigs of RAM to a crawl.

Which concludes with what type of graphics card you will need. I hope you plan to pay for a new graphics card in the hundreds, because that is what Microsoft wants you to spend just to run their bare minimum software! Because, I promise you will need the extra horse power.

I find it amusing, as a programmer of computer code, are these arguments I read about how language A sucks when language B is far better. Assume I mean language A to be something like Java and B to mean something like C++ or strait ansi C.

I hear all the time about why C++ sucks, when compared to C. Or how Java sucks so bad because it is slow and doesn’y really teach you about a how to program.

I concider myself to be an athiest programmer. Meaning, I don’t worship one language over another. This is not entirely true. I think PHP is far better than Perl. Maybe, I’m just not left brained enough to want to put up with all of Perl’s, let’s try to be as tricky as we can with ONE line of code, instead of making it even close to human readable.

The comment I made above, is probably the most reasonable argument to make, if you want to start a rant about why languages suck compared to others. In that, PHP and Perl are trying to operate on mostly level ground. Both are interpreted languages and both abstract coding ideas away, to make life easier for the programmer. Such as, not having to worry about data typing and memory allocation.

To compare Perl to PHP, is not nessasarily a technical argument, more so than a timing one. If I started to learn Perl before PHP, because PHP did not exist, than I would have been raised on Perl. Instead, I was blessed, to not have to deal with Perl and use a cleaner language, PHP, which operates more or less on the same level.

But, when the argument comparing C to Java comes up. Or even C to C++, I see their point of views. But, I also see how they unintentionally corner themselves into a ‘Language Religion’, so to speak. Meaning, since I ONLY like to program in ASM or as close to the hardware as possible, hence rooting for C or ASM, and completely dogging more abstracted languages like C++ or Java.

There is no question that C is exactly what you need, if you want to program device drivers or make programs that are as efficient as humanly possible, in terms of memory and CPU cycles, while still being as portable as possible. ASM *Assembly is NOT portable therefore belongs in a category of it’s own.

But, what about when you want to program in C++? Just about every hardcore C programmer will tell you that C++ is a big fat pig. It’s usages of Classes and Templates as well as trying to make pointers ‘easier to use and understand’, completely fails.

The argument than becomes a heated debate, when you compare C to C++. Everything you can do in C++ you can do in C, and visa versa! C++ just abstracts things away, to the point, that when you compile and look at C++ code, and compare it to C code, the resulting Assembly code is much less bloated with duplicate instructions, or instructions that can be optimize, had the programmer use strait C instead. This is absolutely true when one wants to reverse engineer compiled code, or try to debug it. C ASM compiled from C is going to be cleaner than ASM compiled from C++.

However, if you want to program a video game, in some cases C++ is more manageable than C, because using the templates and Classes, built into C++ keeps you from having to reinvent those parts. You can make C do everything C++ can using structs with function points and generic function parameters using VOID *. However, why? When you can use these powerful abstractions in C++ and avoiding potential bugs as a result of having to manage every minute detail?

Granted, your resulting C++ will be a bit more bloated in terms of extra ASM instructions, but with Dual CPU Cores and Gigabytes of RAM to make up for this overhead, why bother?

At the same time, you can say C now has many good libraries now, that you CAN program a game in C using graphics libraries like GTK. However, for your own data structures, for instance, if you need to manage the data items that make up a space ship in a 2d/3d shooter game, you will be left with structs in C, while C++ having the advantage of Class creation with easy to add methods, constructors and destructors.

Maybe you want to invent the Class concept all over again using C or maybe you don’t, therefore have the option to take advantage of all that CPu, GPU and RAM and just accept the extra overhead that comes with C++.

While at the same time, strait C is absolutely perfect for such things are Kernel development and device drivers, because in those cases you do NOT want any extra overhead, to make your program run as fast and portable as possible.

Do not lock yourself into a corner, by discounting one language for another. Especially when it comes to the debate of C verse C++. Both have their advantages and disadvantages.

The same can be said of Java in comparison to Python.

Where I personally draw the distinction between languages are languages that try to compete at the same abstraction level. Again, an ease no brainer for me is that PHP rocks compared to Perl. Both are at the same abstraction point, yet one lacks needless complexity, for complexities sake. In other words, how much of a nerd to I really want to be? And, what language was I raised on, at the time. Again for me, PHP was available, so Perl was out the door.

However, even at that point in the argument, it is unfair to discount one for the other, if only for the desire to be free to choice your level of nerdness. Want to be needlessly nerdy AND have the option to choose between PHP and/or Perl (simply because both exist and are highly developed), you have the choice.

Now why do I care to even bring up the argument of why people bring up computer language comparison debates? Because, if you see the language for what it is good at and not good at, will open the doors for being able to pick the right language for the job and amount of time and will and perhaps money that is involved.

Suprised?

You shouldn’t be! Many have seen this coming for years. Why? Google is a massive multi-billion dollar Publicly Traded Company. Googles has Billions of dollars just sitting around in bank accounts.

Google is evolving fast. Faster than Microsoft has or is…

The reason Google can evolve faster, is by leveraging Open Source. Google did not have to invent their platform from scratch. Not by a long shot. Google leverages Linux and Open source. Google as we all know is huge. What is interesting about Google as a software technology company, is that it makes none of it’s profits from direct software sales. In fact, everything Google developes, for the most part gives away for free.

Gmail
Google Docs
Google Search
Google Maps
Google Earth and on and on…

What is interesting, and going to be, what Google has called, “A Game Changer”, is that it has decided to enter into the Operating System Market. Look out Apple and Microsoft!

What Google is trying to do, is to make your Web Browser (as well as others like Firefox, Safari and Opera) a super powerdul Browser. A Browser capable of running 3D Video games, MultiMedia software programs and other highly intensive and complex Applications that was not previously possible in a traditional Web Browser.

Introducing, Native Client… “This is a game Changer.”

More to come… Google OS coming soon.

Oh, and it will be FREE of Charge to use and leverage yourself.

that we seem to build things up… only to tear them down.

Ya, the e-e-ee-economy (if you say that out loud you may be reminded of a song) is tanking.

But, look what GOOD it has actually done!

OK, so now you may have to trade in your clunker, using the Cash of Clunkers federal rebate program to get $4500 off your next HYBRID car purchase. Or, maybe by the end of this year the Democrates, which are the majority in House and Senate with Obama at the charge with HEALTHCARE REFORM. (Let’s all thank Obama’s Mama for having him in the first place…thanks Ma!)

Also, the change from Oil and Coal to Wind Farms and ’sustainable energies’ are finally lowering mankind’s (sorry, but it is a man’s world, and why it’s being destroyed) CARBON FOOTPRINT (better to say, taking your oiling boot and making a global skyward smudge on our atmosphere).

So, it takes a Global Economic Crisis… ok… that’s it just the way it goes, I guess.

Now, for all us Computer Scientists, nerds, Open Source is infiltrating more and more corporate businesses, that many small businesses knew about for a decade or more. Why? because Linux and Open Source saves people money, bottom line. And, without lowering the quality of the software. In fact, lowering it is a discredit as a lot of Open Source is better than Proprietary software, in the form of less security holes and bugs, coupled with high stability.

Let’s see, what else has or will change for the better now that we fskd the economy up?

You know, just about EVERYWHERE things are, things are changing. They HAVE to change… one big one that they (the politicians) are grapling with right now is the MASSIVE deficit to the 2008 Federal Tax Returns filed.

So, the government has a 58% drop in corporate tax and 22% drop in individual tax income for the year of 2008. That is the lowest the Federal Government will get in Income Tax from the people since The Great Depression of 1932. This is a MAJOR problem.

Why? If the U.S. Federal Government has a 50%+ drop in money to fund Government programs, than how will they deal with running the United States. They say the Health Care reform being proposed (which we NEED some kind of reform) will cost 1 TRILLION tax dollars. Throw on top of that the 1 Trillion already spent with the ‘TARP’ thingy and bailing out the U.S. automotive industry.

Things could not look worse … But, here is where when ‘the shit hits the fans’ makes things change for the better… (excuse my french)

Obama said he would NOT raise middle income taxes. Yet, traditionally, this is exactly where the U.S. gets most of it’s taxes.

So, what to do?

Did you know that most major corporations pay only 3-6% on there taxable income? Oh corps like Microsoft, Mc Donalds, WAL-MART, ok EVERYONE of them…

How do they get away with a 3-6% tax break, when most of us have to cough up 25-30%???

Move your Corporate HeadQuarters to Ireland! It’s that simple. Ireland is a poor country, so to get money they inacted a law which allowed forgien Corporate Business to move HQ to their country. And with enough lawyer money and exploitation of the ‘ear marked’ Law Books, they are able to avoid the massive U.S. tax laws, yet still SELL and OPERATE in the good ol’ United States!

How is that for a kick in the nutts. (Again, excuse the french).

But, can you blame the major Corps for doing this seemingly criminal, yet legal tax evation? The answer is NO.

The U.S. taxes are so high, on top of corps needing to provide Health Care and all the other costs to pay employees, simply makes it unfavorable to have your corp HQ (cough, cough, I mean Tax evation offices) in Ireland.

In other words, the U.S. Federal Government is encouraging, or literally forcing all major U.S. Corps to such measure, because of all the costs of running such a business in America. Now, the U.S. Government is wondering why they have no tax Income.

So, this leads me to answer the big question of where does ‘Uncle Sam’ get the tax revenue it needs? First, make it illegal to have tax evation offices in Ireland ( and some other countries ) and second lower Corp income tax, fix Health Care so Corps can afford to pat taxes in the first place, get rid of the 60 Billion dollar bank rolls of major Corps accounts, like Microsoft and all other Major corps, fix the golden parachute problem, change greed to not greed… and on and on…

Ya, it is a MESS… All I can say is… let’s go broke together! Only then will people start to lift a fist and start asking the bigger questions to start clearing the shit that fit the fan.

Some pray and meditate in the Alps. Become a Nun or a Monk.

Be CAPITALISTIC forever… assholes.

Obama has become an icon. Kenya, has declared Wednesday, the day after Obama defeated McCain in a ‘land slide’ victory, a National Holiday!

Obama is one smart cookie. He has made more people cry then any other president. I for one cried when he came on stage after defeating McCain on election night, 2008. This is a man for humanity and is for the people, at large.

Guess what software he used to power his campaign?

Obama used Open Source, across the board.

McCain used Closed Source.

This is not to say Obama won the election because of F/OSS and Linux running his campaign Web Sites — although it would be awesome to be able to make that claim — but the fact is he did.

Now, Open Source is being mentioned on CNN! The news reporter, one of their Tech News Guys, started to actually reference The Cathedral and the Bazaar. That is huge. Although, most people would not know what all this talk of Cathedral and Bazaar business was, but the fact it is self aware, at least by some of those that work in huge TV News stations, like CNN, that are seeing F/OSS spread like wild fire into even elections.

Check this article out, which includes the YouTube Video of the CNN clip.

Simply amazing, for all us F/OSS geeks.

Now I know ‘what’ Google is. Google is an amazing technology company that turned Search into Billions a year in revenue. Google also is gushing with innovations. So many so I will link you to ALL OF THEM, (wikipedia), just browse it for a second, than come back and let’s talk about why Google is releasing all of this, making little revenue or fan fare with most of them. Example: Chrome was hugely hyped, now with it’s list of bugs, only less than 1% now use it. Many more examples are to follow.

Whether you quickly browsed through the Google ‘List of Products’ or not, I will just say there is well over 50+ products in there.

Everything from the latest Android Cell Phone to the Google Maps, Analytics, Gmail, RSS Reader and on and on. But, this then leaves us, what is Google really doing? Is it just trying to give back without much notice on trying to make revenues?

Often times, the projects from Google are developed in isolation, within the company. A great example of this is Android the Smart Phone and Chrome the Browser. Both would go great together, yet there are no rushed plans to get them better integrated. Their project leadership and dev teams might as well be on different planets.

An interesting article, about a guy who says, Android will be all dried up, soon. Now, us Open Source advocates do not want to hear that. I in most cases will dismiss such a remark as hog wash anyways. But, if you read the article, he makes his point very very clear.

Google is about Search. With 80+% and sucking more percentages in a day, Google is clearly Search Masters. It’s easy money folks, and will never go away. No matter if a Recession hits the economy, it is widely known that Advertising is one of the least effected markets. No matter what, sellers have to sell their products.

But, the potential for Google to make such products as Android and Chrome Browser so emensly successful is there. Just that, there is complete discontinuity in most of Googles products. Most of them first generate massive hype, then fizzle away into the background to join the long list of ‘back drop’ products.

I think Google’s main concern is Search. Also, to become too huge too fast, which it is already, is exactly what happened to Microsoft. Sure, MS is huge and makes billions, but it is also driven by greed, and it suited in court on a weekly basis, for anti-trust issues. I think Google, even could easily through Billions into any long list of amazing innovations and products they have produced, have largely decided to not become an 800 pound gorilla in too many areas, except Search Engines and Ads, they are willing to back off, and just let the open source world do what they want with it.

In a way, this makes sense. And, I praise Google’s top leadership of product overall mangement of recognizing the need to ‘Do no Evil’. But, is this really what Google, overall, is thinking? Maybe there is no Google Board of Directors even given the insight and power to push their products further into main stream markets. Maybe, Google set it up that way for the reason of not becoming evil.

Who knows? I would love to find out.

An interesting blogger and programmer, Jeff Atwood, which publishes one of the most popular Tech related Blogs on the internet, Coding Horror, brought up an interesting point.

By the way, I think Jeff Atwood, and the success of his blog, is a direct result of a guy that knows how to reach his readers, using interesting choice of words, but with an added touch of his personality, that makes you feel like you can trust the guy, even before actually meeting him.

Another famous programmer, blogger, business owner and book author, Joel Spolsky, actually holds the title of, Most Read Programmer Blog. Second, would be, that of Coding Horror.

Finally, the two collaborated and created, Stack Over Flow, which is an interesting, “Questions and Answers” site, making use of Ajax, giving the site a real time feel to it. The site really is unique, and I recommend any programmer, coming from any platform, to check their Web Sites out.

Anyways, the point Jeff brought up, which I often ponder myself, was what are programmers expected to do, when they get old? Just continue to pound away at code, until dieing flat out, face first on to his/her keyboard? There doesn’t seem to be a retirement plan for programmers.

Programmers tend to work on a contractual basis, mostly at start ups as they are born and die out, or the Programmer just losing interest in their job, to then move on to another. You can’t expect to build a ‘nest egg’, if one is moving from job to job.

Take for instance, Ken Thompson, one of the fathers of Unix. (The other father, is of a man, by the name of Dennis Ritchie.) Ken, currently works at Google, as a distinguished employee. And when the name, Ken Thompson, was mentioned in a Stack Over Flow podcast, by someone from Google, that also happens to be a well known tech blogger, no one paused to mention Ken Thompson, at all. I think mostly, because Jeff nor Joel are Linux programmers, they are both, Microsoft .NET programmers.

But, still. It goes to show, that even if you invent the mother of all Operating Systems, you are destined to, just be another employee at a job. Sure, Google offers retirement packages, for those that stick around long enough. But, in the field of Technology, the turn around rate is high. It is hard for companies to keep their talent, and make them stay in one spot, for more than a couple of years.

Maybe I am just over thinking this. Go figure, as all programmers do, but there is something to be said about the human life span and what we can or can not expect our (the programmers) retirement will be like.

Are we destined to “pound away at the key board” until the day we have a heart attack, and do a face plant into our key boards?