I stopped reading when the chatbox obscured the screen also. I'm confused on what the author is trying to achieve.
apparently the spreadsheet the world needs is really a chat app.
Readit Newsloqwe commented on The world needs a better spreadsheet blog.voyager.vc/the-world... · Posted by u/mmonihan
loqwe commented on The world needs a better spreadsheet blog.voyager.vc/the-world... · Posted by u/mmonihan
Being part of design meetings, it's amazing how many endless customizations and workflow adjustments people like project managers and consultants like to request for a new piece of software. But when it comes down to it, most users don't want a complex, hard to understand interface that has so many features it's supposed to improve everyone's productivity. Most people want to use their spreadsheet, their Outlook calendar and their IE browser. Not because it's best at the task, but because that's what they know and are used to.
> most users don't wan ... so many features
mmm. which features do you want?
and you over there, which features to do you want.
and you, in the corner?
It adds up, doesn't it!
loqwe commented on The world needs a better spreadsheet blog.voyager.vc/the-world... · Posted by u/mmonihan
Perhaps, In the end, the best piece of software is the one you never had to build in the first place. -- The Article
Is it possible that software is not like anything else, that it is meant to be discarded: that the whole point is to always see it as a soap bubble? -- SICP
I think the real uncanny valley here lies in maintaining software, not designing it. Business needs change over time and software must adapt.
I think the best option is to build your own software. Understand it top to bottom and make it do exactly what you need to do. Sadly this is not possible for most people.
The next best option, however, is not to spend $3,000 on something written over a weekend that won't be supported down the road. The best option is to go with the Salesforce solution.
My first programming gig (in high school) was automating a process that involved manipulating index cards and doing some basic math. I also trained them on how to operate, maintain and extend the system. The end result worked fine for a few years, until it was eventually replaced with some elaborate proprietary system that cost about as much every 3 months as the whole system I delivered. But that system came with ongoing support that obviated the need for any in-house expertise. So they felt the additional expense was worthwhile. And I was happy not to have to take the support calls.
Edit: And ultimately both systems were more accurate and saved time over the manual process.
> Is it possible that software is not like anything else, that it is meant to be discarded: that the whole point is to always see it as a soap bubble? -- SICP
That was written what, 40 years ago? Fast forward today now computer hardware is meant to be discarded! protocols change, batteries and disks are sealed inside cases, driver software is abandoned to cloud-disabled... a piece of hardware 3 years old is ancient, unsupported, trash.
loqwe commented on What Could Have Entered the Public Domain on January 1, 2017 web.law.duke.edu/cspd/pub... · Posted by u/shawndumas
As much as I hate the situation and as much as I agree with you, your contradiction answers why:
" But it's crazy that 100 year old scientific works can still be under copyright and illegal to distribute. These objectively have value to society, and the argument for the existence of the public domain is much stronger.
And why on Earth should copyright last last so long to begin with? How many works are worth anything after 10 or 15 years?"
The nature of capitalism means that because there's value to those scientific works, someone will try to extract wealth from them. That's why this happens across the board.
This is incorrect. Old works are not copyright-locked because the owner can charge for access. Old works are copyright-locked because they compete with new marketable products. If we could watch classic films/music/etc for free, we'd spend less on new films/music/etc
loqwe commented on Why isn't there a Google for the law? openlawlib.org/blog/why-i... · Posted by u/vqc
Google Patent shut down? Whaaat
loqwe commented on Uber ordered to stop self-driving vehicle service in San Francisco techcrunch.com/2016/12/14... · Posted by u/coloneltcb
Updated Uber statement:
"This incident was due to human error. This is why we believe so much in making the roads safer by building self-driving Ubers. This vehicle was not part of the pilot and was not carrying customers. The driver involved has been suspended while we continue to investigate."
https://techcrunch.com/2016/12/14/uber-looking-into-incident...
Does it matter who was driving? An Uber company car, involved in testing, ran a red light. That is a demerit to the operation overall.
loqwe commented on Who Lives with Their Parents? priceonomics.com/who-stil... · Posted by u/ryan_j_naughton
I live with my mother (oh so f*cking cliche-- for a nerd), but as that's due to mental illness (though I think someone did and is doing this to me), I don't think I'm what's being talked about.
If it made strong sense to live with my mother, rather than on my own, then I'd have done so. How it's perceived by others is irrelevant to me. That said, I can't think when I'm not living by myself and I have difficulties getting along with my mother, so this would've never been an option for me. It's bad enough that I'd be better off alone in a high crime, run down, low cost area than with others in an upper class neighborhood.
If many are still living with their parents, then it implies the recession of 2009 is still inflicting damage, but what's annoying me is the notion that what was previously smart, frugal, and sensible gets baked in as the norm (creating more misery for everyone, but without any advantages). That is, living with parents after graduation is done to just survive, rather than to save more and pay off student loans faster. What BS!
> was previously smart, frugal, and sensible gets baked in as the norm
I love that smart, frugal, sensible behavior becomes the norm. What could be bad about that?
> Uber has a reputation and history of being a "shady" company.
I'm not going to try to defend our reputation. But it's worth saying that things are locked down _pretty damn tight_ around sensitive data. I've worked in enterprise file storage in the past, and the internal security at Uber is far better (relatively speaking), and continues to mature.
It's not reassuring to hear that lowly engineers can't access the data, but the axe-grinding execs can.
loqwe commented on Google Profits Surge on Strong Ad Demand wsj.com/articles/google-p... · Posted by u/kartD
One can (and should!) argue that their great growth prospects are baked into their stock prices already.
Then why do the prices keep going up?