Linked by Thom Holwerda on Fri 25th May 2012 14:55 UTC
James Hague: "But all the little bits of complexity, all those cases where indecision caused one option that probably wasn't even needed in the first place to be replaced by two options, all those bad choices that were never remedied for fear of someone somewhere having to change a line of code... They slowly accreted until it all got out of control, and we got comfortable with systems that were impossible to understand." Counterpoint by John Cook: "Some of the growth in complexity is understandable. It's a lot easier to maintain an orthogonal design when your software isn't being used. Software that gets used becomes less orthogonal and develops diagonal shortcuts." If there's ever been a system in dire need of a complete redesign, it's UNIX and its derivatives. A mess doesn't even begin to describe it (for those already frantically reaching for the comment button, note that this applies to other systems as well).
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Member since:2005-06-29
Do Apple users care that a Macbook is BSD at its core? No, it just works.
I once explained this insidious habit of calling stacking layer upon layer "fixing things" (instead of actually fixing the root issues) to a non-geek friend as such:
Saying that Mac OS X addresses the complexity from UNIX is like saying large sunglasses and extensive clothing fixes the issue of a woman getting physically abused by her husband.
Edited 2012-05-25 17:31 UTC
Member since:2007-02-18
" Do Apple users care that a Macbook is BSD at its core? No, it just works.
I once explained this insidious habit of calling stacking layer upon layer "fixing things" (instead of actually fixing the root issues) "
The reason why this layer stacking happens (developers like to call it "abstraction") is in the futile hope that if they can get everything to work on a standardized layer, they can then get on with the task of fixing everything underneath the layer without breaking people's setups.
That ends up not happening because 1) developers, whether open source or commercial, are fired up about the designing of a new layer, but that excitement dies soon after it's half finished 2) end user software can't keep up with the changes, whether it's the people making them, or the people using them not wanting to change 3) developers create competing standards which means no one wants to commit to a design that won't survive.
Layering is a necessary evil because no one wants to break everything, especially the developers.
Member since:2005-07-06
I wish "it just worked". For one thing, the switch from Mac OS to Mac OS X meant that all of a sudden, spaces in filenames became a real problem. Try it, create a folder with spaces in its filename, check out some sizable Unix OSS project and try to run the configure/make/etc command chain. Quite often you will get error messages. Since Xcode is just wrapping gcc/llvm, it suffers from similar problems.
Member since:2006-05-06
I wish "it just worked". For one thing, the switch from Mac OS to Mac OS X meant that all of a sudden, spaces in filenames became a real problem. Try it, create a folder with spaces in its filename, check out some sizable Unix OSS project and try to run the configure/make/etc command chain. Quite often you will get error messages. Since Xcode is just wrapping gcc/llvm, it suffers from similar problems.
Well.... the skill level required does go up when you are playing with the UNIX side of OSX. A mac user really does not have to touch that part of the mac for normal usage.
Features
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/24/13 17:26 UTC
So, the Xbox One disaster continues. Microsoft's policy for dealing with the used games market has reportedly leaked - and it's a clear and direct attack to destroy the used games market. Prices for used games will be set at the retail value of a new game, and retailers have to hook into Microsoft's computer systems and comply with Microsoft's terms and conditions.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/21/13 21:38 UTC
At an event earlier today, Microsoft unveiled the next Xbox - the third model, but confusingly named Xbox One. The big focus was TV, integrated Kinect, and all the other stuff we all expected to be forced down our throats. I think it took them 25 minutes to actually come to what should be the core of the story: gaming. Nothing groundbreaking in the gaming department, except for how Microsoft intends to handle the used games market and borrowing games from friends: pay up, buddy!
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/20/13 11:29 UTC
The day has finally come! Jolla has finally announced the launch device for its Sailfish operating system - and by god this is a looker. It's decidedly different from other phones out there, but it has good specifications and carries a relatively reasonably price tag - EUR 399, and it's up for pre-order today, shipping in the fourth quarter of this year.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/18/13 21:33 UTC
Why does Google get so much credit in the technology industry? Why, despite the company's many obvious failings, do many geeks and enthusiasts still hold a somewhat positive view on the all-knowing technology giant? A specific talk at Google I/O this week provides the answer.
Linked by David Adams on 05/16/13 4:23 UTC
OSNews is a sponsor of this year's O'Reilly OSCON in Portland, Oregon, USA. A lucky OSNews reader will win a free three-day pass, including two tutorials days. To win the pass, post a comment on this story saying something about Open Source Software or OSCON. We'll pick a winner at random next week. If you don't have an OSNews account, you may email us your entry. Part of the conference is the 9th annual Open Source Awards, and today the 16th is the deadline for nominations. If you'd like to nominate an outstanding open source contributor, do it here. Read on for more information about OSCON. Update: The 20% discount code for OSNews readers is "OSN."
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/11/13 21:41 UTC
"Windows is indeed slower than other operating systems in many scenarios, and the gap is worsening." That's one way to start an insider explanation of why Windows' performance isn't up to snuff. Written by someone who actually contributes code to the Windows NT kernel, the comment on Hacker News, later deleted but reposted with permission on Marc Bevand's blog, paints a very dreary picture of the state of Windows development. The root issue? Think of how Linux is developed, and you'll know the answer.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/08/13 14:22 UTC
This is one of those news items that's fun to write, fun to read, fun to comment on, and where no one will be able to say anything unkind. It's all just one big ball of awesome fluffiness. TuneTracker, the BeOS radio automation software, has just released something very special: TuneTracker System 5, the first version designed entirely and specifically for Haiku. In fact, it actually includes Haiku in the software package. Better yet, TuneTracker also unveiled several system-in-a-box products - which have Haiku and TuneTracker pre-installed.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/02/13 15:28 UTC
Exactly twenty years ago, a document was published that played a huge role in establishing the web as we know it today. Twenty years later, and this simple and straightforward document is proof of an irrefutable fact: while closed technologies can change markets, open technologies can change the world.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 04/29/13 21:06 UTC
Oh multitasking. That staple of computing that got thrown out the window with many modern smartphones. We got some rudimentary thing in its place - but even as multitasking on phone and tablets improves, its user-visible side remains cumbersome. Windows 8 has a neat implementation, and now it's time Android follows in it footsteps.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 04/24/13 22:24 UTC
They're here! Whether that excites you or not remains to be seen, but the Galaxy S4, which will most likely become the best selling Android smartphone of the year by a huge margin, has been reviewed by all the major sites, and there's lots of interesting conclusions in there - although I think most of you will get the gist.More Features »
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Member since:
2009-05-25
I guess I do not fully understand the issue. You malign UNIX for being too complex, so what? Do Apple users care that a Macbook is BSD at its core? No, it just works.
That's what UNIX is to me. It just works. I have no concerns about the differences with /bin and /usr/bin as those decisions were made long before I delved into the digital world.
If a large group of users decide that UNIX is too fragmented then that group should create an alternative to UNIX and just leave the old guy alone.
Because it just works.