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From: jmonroy@netcom.com (Jesus Monroy Jr)
Subject: Ramblings about the Convention
Message-ID: <jmonroyC5tv90.791@netcom.com>
Keywords: rambeling convention
Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 241-9760 guest)
Date: Wed, 21 Apr 1993 09:48:35 GMT
Lines: 142
Ramblings about the Convention
-------------------------------
Communication, the basis for our existence and survival
as programmers and humans, is the ability to pass thoughts and
ideas in an abstract symbolic form. Today, we face these idealisms
with the hope, in some context, we may see into each other's mind.
(Hey, wait! What happened to the Right to Privacy?)
But the truth does not evade us, we speak in argots.
(Wow, hold on. The popsicle truck just went by!) Each of us pictures
the "int" in just slightly, a different manner. Semantically, it is
just 16-bits signifying a value with a range of about 32k.
Owww.... I said about?!? About is correct, because some people are
still discoursing whether 32k is 32,000 _or_ 32,768. Silly, huh?!?
So, what is an "int"? Well, should we now talk about signed or
unsigned? Did I mention some people think an "int" should be
32-bits? Does this make it different if it is public or private?
What about near or far? (OOPs, Sorry, that's only for MS-DOZ.)
How do we assign a value to this "int"? Do I use 128?
or 0x80? or 1000 0000 (binary)? or 200 (octal)? and where's
the 0x0beef?
What's all this leading to? Certainly, I must have some
information to present? Yes, Mocha Java is a coffee bean blend
without chocolate. Mocha is a port, and Java is a country.
OK, back to communication. (What was I leading to?)
Oh yeah, existence and survival! We exist now as electronic pulses
written on a magnetic medium for ready random access. We need to
speak to each other with fluidity and rapt vernacular.
What are the possibilities of these scrabs? Are we to gain
from this effort?
To say there are possibilities implies that there is some
existence of a possibility. So, what could possibly lead me to
"C" when assembly is faster and has more exactness?... Wait, I
jumped a few steps.... Let's back up!
To say there is a possibility implies that there is some
existence. Yes, we all have made some foundations. Look at your
disk. See "Hello, World!"? NO!!
It seemed too trivial, you can now do it with your eyes closed.
You can do it in ANSI? In a single line? In C++? And maybe you even
considered trying to enter the obfuscated "C" contest?
BUT--it's not there!!
You've gone beyond! There is no need to look at your left
foot and your right foot when you walk; it's all autonomous now.
Isn't it?
Hardly. By falling down several hundred times you now correctly
associate imbalance with pain and a bloody nose. Or worse yet,
that spanking is now starting to feel good.
Wait, I'm starting to diverge again.
"Hello, World!".
Recanting foundations is our method of debugging. I don't
own a CRAY II, or an HP Spectrum Analyzer. My resort is to make sure
I know what I am doing, to write it down so I know it happened, and
to be able to read it again after that second pint.
Do they make wheat (weat?) beer down under?
And will she let me down under?
Dinner time. A burrito sounds good.MMMMMMMMM.
After finding a parking space I noticed a gorgeous female
striding in my direction. She had long brunette hair, and kicking
her out of bed for crackers was not a even a concept. She ambled by.
The T-shirt she wore was new and bright red, in bold face type it
declared:
"SUCKED END"
I watched her pass my vehicle, and, with a singular motion, she ascended
into her transport, inches from mine. Damn, just thirty seconds later.
Where was I?
Oh yeah, survival! Survival may call to mind some notion
of an ending (like we are hoping for this talk), but hundreds of
thousands of years have passed, with us humans intending to influence
future generations only to be confounded by fire, quake, water,
or a UFO landing.
Is this semi-quasi-technical discussion going to degrade to
schisms of future confrontations? Why didn't the original Star Trek
use Dick Tracy watches instead of future versions of cellular phones?
Is DATA really a sensioned (sp?) being?
I degraded, didn't I?
Must be Friday.
OK, even I'm lost now.
To make it short, we need convention, a means to reference
each other's symbolism in a concise manner. Even shorter,
let's start some header files.
(WOW, multiple head!)
(I could be happy with her for 10 minutes, OK, 20... Scratch that-
she just talked.)
I should write these things away from distractions.
Naaaaah!
I propose we use comp.periphs for our discussions _or_
cross post & label all articles: [QIC-40/80].
While (!convention)
convention = articles (
comp.os.os2.programmer
comp.os.coherent
comp.os.linux.announce
comp.os.mach
comp.os.minix
comp.periphs
comp.unix.bsd
comp.unix.pc-clone.32bit
comp.os.386bsd.development
) ? x-post : comp.periphs;
IS THIS ALL CLEAR?
___________________________________________________________________________
Jesus Monroy Jr jmonroy@netcom.com
/386BSD/device-drivers /fd /qic /clock /documentation
___________________________________________________________________________