The Vent and Rant Thread

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

Never copy/paste code, period.

OK... when refactoring a function, I'll just retype the entire function from now on

In the old days, it was possible to see a patch posted in an appropriate code newsgroup on Usenet, save the patch to your local machine, and apply and compile it directly from your newsreader. I can't recall hearing of anyone that ever did, for very good reason.

My computing days don't go that far back. I've been on usenet between 1998 and 2004. (Back then I was one of the more prominent Baldur's Gate/Neverwinter Nights players... though not as prominent of some of the legendary figures such as Wesley Weimer.) I wasn't into open source software back then.

That code cries out for refactoring and revision, and the fact it is interwoven like that is not a good sign. I'd be tempted to pass on it and look for something better focused.

It comes directly from the manufacturer of the device I'm trying to communicate with. There isn't anything else. I'm trying to lift the protocol from the code, but it's scattered throughout a single, 1079 lines long Windows form. Some of the required settings are actually acquired directly from the controls. Think like so:

buffer[5] = (byte)(button4.Text.Split(" ")[1])

(Split the text on button 4 into two parts, take the second part, and then convert it to a byte. It's not really obvious at first glance what value goes into buffer[5], to say the least, especially because button4.Text can change depending on the state of the program )

edit: Together with the help of a colleague I've managed to unravel the stuff. I've been writing my own (new) test program, transferring and rewriting the parts of the network code I need, isolating it into a single object. Sending works now; the device reacts as expected if I send commands (by setting the correct bits).

[Blossom]

Why on earth would my neighbor have big rats in a cage outside their door? Had to text the landlady on that one.

Snake maybe is the only thing we can think of? What else eats rats the size of a three month kitten?

Sent from my Nexus 7

[Toxaris]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

It comes directly from the manufacturer of the device I'm trying to communicate with. There isn't anything else. I'm trying to lift the protocol from the code, but it's scattered throughout a single, 1079 lines long Windows form. Some of the required settings are actually acquired directly from the controls. Think like so:

buffer[5] = (byte)(button4.Text.Split(" ")[1])

(Split the text on button 4 into two parts, take the second part, and then convert it to a byte. It's not really obvious at first glance what value goes into buffer[5], to say the least, especially because button4.Text can change depending on the state of the program )

Ouch, that is bad programming... Using generic variable names and not giving controls logical names is not good nor smart. It was excusable when I started programming in the 80s, because there was hardly any memory to play with and every byte counted. Not anymore though, not even for a 'fast track'.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by Blossom

Why on earth would my neighbor have big rats in a cage outside their door? Had to text the landlady on that one.

Snake maybe is the only thing we can think of? What else eats rats the size of a three month kitten?

Sent from my Nexus 7

Would you rather them be outside without a cage?
Sounds more like pets than food unless the snake is over 12 feet long.
Though maybe they are breeding the rats for snake food.

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by Hitch

Comdex was fun.

Zoos can be fun. Exhausting, but fun.

At one trade show in NYC I attended, a vendor (and I don't recall which), decided "Amazing Grace" played on bagpipes was a good promotional gimmick, and would periodically set it off, played way too loud, to announce their next dog and pony show. At another, I spent an enjoyable half hour or so chatting with a magician another vendor had hired to do prestidigitation. He described the gig as Industrial Theater, and had an agent who had secured it for him. He did a good show and I was happy he had the work, but was a little bemused about where he was hired to perform.

I was working (I wish I could remember it all better). At the time, I was putting Basic 4 minis into hotels, in L.A. Comdex just seemed like it would go on forever. New amazing things and OSes and whatever all every year, y'know? But lo...new and amazing things, and all that, are fewer and further apart on the ground than we thought that they would be.

A former girlfriend's father worked for Basic 4, and described the fun of staying one jump ahead of customers to be able to sell systems.

I assume the hotels were using them for reservations?

(Another hobby here is helping to plan and run literary SF conventions, and I'm usually the guy who deals with the venue on behalf of the con. Reservations are one of the things I have to keep an eye on, with lots of communication with attendees about "Don't try to make this special request through central reservations for the chain. They won't have a clue. Drop me a note and I'll see the property accommodates you." Just did one for an observant Jewish couple who wanted a low floor so they wouldn't be climbing lots of stairs on Shabbos. Easily done, once I know it needs to be. At last year's event, a Jewish couple complained about trying to get that through central reservations and failing. "Don't even try. That will fail. Contact me...")

Although...even so, the things and gadgets and capabilities that we have today would have been considered George Jetson fluff and nonsense back then. Hell, the big "advanced" (ha!) removable drives that the Basic 4 had then were like, half the damn size of my body. Well, okay--half the size of my torso, and I'm not a wee petite thing. Now I store more than that on thumbdrives. :-) A LOT more.

At the bank I once worked for in the 80's, the Small Systems Manager responsible for the multi-user boxes that weren't mainframes (DEC PDP-11s, in his case) pointed at a row of removable media drives, and said "I've got a gig of storage!" There were three drives, each the size of a small refrigerator, and cost tens of thousands of dollars apiece.

I got a 32GB microSD card for the new tablet I'm configuring, and it cost a whopping $8.

For that matter, I still have my ancient PC clone running MSDOS 5 on a shelf. It has a 10 mhz NEC V20 CPU, 640 KB of RAM, a megabyte of expansion RAM on a card, a Hercules graphics card driving a mono monitor, and two 20[b]MB[/i] Seagate ST-225 hard drives. My Palm TX PDA has 128MB NVRAM, 4GB of storage in an SD card, and a 312mhx Intel PXA CPU.

Everything gets smaller, faster, more powerful, and cheaper. Alas, users don't get smarter...
______
Dennis

[badgoodDeb]

My co-worker's wife used to keep rats as pets, and spend hours driving across country for "rat rescue" missions. They had more than a dozen, at one point. So yeah, it may be for pets.

Hitch: Basic 4 ! My Dad started a business installing and writing software for those. The company is still going strong, tho not with *those* computers, of course! Dad's been gone for 19 years, but one brother still works there.

And what was the name for the DEC conventions?? I saw Clifford Stoll talk at one of them.

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by Blossom

Why on earth would my neighbor have big rats in a cage outside their door? Had to text the landlady on that one.

As long as they are properly confined in a cage, why do you care?

Snake maybe is the only thing we can think of? What else eats rats the size of a three month kitten?

Some folks keep rats as pets, not food for other things. I knew someone who did. I enjoyed playing with it. Lots of things besides snakes will happily eat rats. Keeping them in a cage is a way to prevent that.
______
Dennis

[wodin]

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

...
At one trade show in NYC I attended, a vendor (and I don't recall which), decided "Amazing Grace" played on bagpipes was a good promotional gimmick, and would periodically set it off, played way too loud, to announce their next dog and pony show...

That inevitably would lead me to think of Spock's funeral, with Scotty dressed out in full tartan.

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by wodin

That inevitably would lead me to think of Spock's funeral, with Scotty dressed out in full tartan.

It just made me go "Note to self: The next time I attend one of these things, remember to bring the sonic plugs as ear protection."
______
Dennis

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

As long as they are properly confined in a cage, why do you care?


Some folks keep rats as pets, not food for other things. I knew someone who did. I enjoyed playing with it. Lots of things besides snakes will happily eat rats. Keeping them in a cage is a way to prevent that.
______
Dennis

Because it's not allowed. This is a cat only community. Landlady is freaking out. No other pets allowed. It's in the lease. And there is a $350 pet deposit they didn't pay that I did.

I should mention no one is home. It's been seriously raining poor things are probably soaked.

Sent from my XT1528

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

As long as they are properly confined in a cage, why do you care?


Some folks keep rats as pets, not food for other things. I knew someone who did. I enjoyed playing with it. Lots of things besides snakes will happily eat rats. Keeping them in a cage is a way to prevent that.
______
Dennis

Yes. Maybe they are indeed pets, outside for some fresh air and sunshine. I wish I had an easy-ish method like that for the furballs, who simply CANNOT go outside. Too many predators. Cats have an extremely short expected lifespan in our neck of the woods if they live outside. As in, days. Between coyotes (primary predators), Great Horned Owls that are truly shockingly large (I'm pretty sure that they would not mess with our male, but the female...), and, of course, rattlesnakes. Yes, really, and 2 years ago, we had one living beneath our front porch, so...not imaginary.

I've considered making the patio into a catio, but, a) it's large (72' x 12) and thankfully covered, and b) it wouldn't keep the snakes out at all, nor scorpions or other things. {sigh}

I've played with rats. Quite smart, really. And fun.


Hitch

[Blossom]

There is no sunshine it's been pouring rain since 2AM which is why I called it in. We got flash floods out.

Sent from my XT1528

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

Would you rather them be outside without a cage?
Sounds more like pets than food unless the snake is over 12 feet long.
Though maybe they are breeding the rats for snake food.

If so they are breaking their lease. All pets must be approved and it's a cat only community. Although I'm sure if they paid the $350 pet deposit the landlady might approve a hamster not sure about a rat though. I know how she feels about mice.

Hubby got home from work this morning and noticed it and called me out onto the walkway. It was raining pretty hard so I texted the landlady. We don't have porches here just a narrow rickety walkway with a short banister that any kid could fall over. So this was very odd.

Sent from my XT1528

[Cinisajoy]

Is it possible someone dropped off the rats?
You said no one is home and I am assuming you didn't see the people bringing the rats outside. And that you have never seen the rats before.

Odd behavior for owners if they are pets or even snake food since snakes prefer live food.

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

Is it possible someone dropped off the rats?
You said no one is home and I am assuming you didn't see the people bringing the rats outside. And that you have never seen the rats before.

Odd behavior for owners if they are pets or even snake food since snakes prefer live food.

I've noticed no one visit but my they left for work at 5AM. Hubby got home at 9AM. It's not that I keep track but they walk so heavy on the old walkway and own a very loud truck. I do notice any visitors though. Any foot sounds or shadows that aren't familiar because although I feel safe there is a very large bad neighborhood just down the road.

Sent from my XT1528