I bought a laptop yesterday, it came pre-installed with Windows 11. I hate win 11 so I switched it down to Windows 10, but then started considering using Linux for total control over the laptop, but here's the thing: I keep seeing memes about how complicated or fucky wucky Linux is to install and run. I love the idea of open...
Try Linux Mint. You set it up on a USB drive, and you can try using it before you install it. So load it up, and try doing a few things you'd normally do (check email, etc.). This way, you can get your feet wet without committing fully. If you find you like it, you can do an installation (and it doesn't require any fancy terminal stuff).
The sad part is that he couldn't put two and two together. Health problem interrupting your job? It's not like poor people ever have to deal with health problems, they're just lazy, right? /s
For example, I'm using Debian, and I think we could learn a thing or two from Mint about how to make it "friendlier" for new users. I often see Mint recommended to new users, but rarely Debian, which has a goal to be "the universal operating system"....
While there are lots of programming courses out there, not many of them will explicitly teach you about good programming principles. Here are a couple things off the top of my head:
High cohesion, low coupling. That is, when you divide up code into functions and classes, try to minimize the number of things going between those functions (if your functions regularly have 6+ arguments, that's a red flag and should be reviewed). And when something needs to be broken up into pieces, try to find the spots where there are minimal points of contact.
Try to divide code between functions and files in a way that doesn't feel too busy. If there are a bunch of related functions that are cluttering up one file, or that are referenced from multiple places, consider making a module for those. If you're not sure what "too busy" means...
Read a style guide. There are lots of things that will help you clean up and organize your code. The guide won't necessarily tell you why to do each thing, but it's a great tool when you don't have another point of reference.
If you have a chance to take a "Software Engineering 101" class, this is where you'd learn most of the basic principles for writing better code.
If you're already really comfortable with C, you could consider Java instead of Kotlin. The syntax is more similar, but Java doesn't have as many features built into the language (and I imagine it'll eventually be phased out anyways). You could try a sample project in each and see which one you prefer.
Hello everyone, I was wondering if anyone knew of a FOSS editing app to use on PDFs, just to add text and and mark things out, I tried GNU image editor but it just works on images exclusively. Any ideas are appreciated, thanks.
Scribus works, but it's not terribly user friendly. I've looked around for a while for something that is easy to work with, but haven't found anything better. For some forms, I end up needing to fire up my Windows VM and run Adobe.
In one advanced culture, which has largely achieved pacifism through technological and cultural advancements, legal cases are heard by judges who have studied law and ethics extensively. Their maximum sentencing, though, is limited to temporary incarceration. For more severe sentences, such as permanent incarceration or death,...
I had to test/fix something at work and I set up a Windows VM because it was a bug specific to Windows users. Once I was done, I thought, “Maybe I should keep this VM for something.” but I couldn’t think of anything that wasn’t a game (which probably wouldn’t work well in a VM anyway) or some super specific enterprise...
After trying 6 or 7 different alternatives for some very important government forms, I gave up and set up a VM. I do use other PDF readers whenever I can, but if someone is using features specific to Adobe Reader (outside the PDF standard), it's effectively a closed spec and there aren't alternatives for those documents.
I'm someone with relatively small hands, plus I want my phone to be on the smaller side since I prefer to use my tablet/computer/tv to watch content. But this trend where many manufacturers tend to keep futures away from smaller phones to drive people to bigger phones is driving me crazy and really makes it hard for me to buy a...
You can get away without a database (and assuming you don't need anything too complicated, I recommend not using one). I've had a good experience with GetSimple - it's a content management system (like WordPress) but uses regular files instead of a database. Great for basic content, and still easy to set up and manage.
Self-hosting is a bit complicated if you're not already comfortable running a Linux server. Not sure about privacy (though I'm not sure how privacy intersects a public-facing website), but there are lots of hosting providers out there. I use DreamHost and have had a great experience there.
If you want the ease and functionality of WordPress, but you plan to have a relatively simple site, there are other CMS options that are lighter weight and easier to work with. I've used GetSimple for years with some of my sites, it's much more performant and easier to maintain. And the non-technical folks that manage content actually found it easier to use than WordPress.
I've found GetSimple to have similar advantages. It's not as much a "static" site generator, but it uses flat XML storage for content instead of a database, so I can back it up in a git repo and deploy by just copying files.
I dunno when it happened but I swear SBCs were the new best thing in the universe for a while and everyone was building cool little servers with their RockPis and OrangePis....
Not sure what kind of tinker board you're working with, but the power of Pis has increased exponentially through its generations. There are tasks that would run slowly on a dedicated Pi2 that ran easily in parallel with a half dozen other things on a Pi4.
The older ones can still be useful, just for less intensive tasks.
We had a wellness seminar at one point, mandatory. There was an excercise where we stood in a circle and threw a ball around. During cold and flu season. Some of us expressed concern, and were ignored. Entire group got sick and took a bunch of sick days. How's that for wellness?
It is often echoed that mathematicians make excellent software engineers, and that their logic-adjacent work will translate efficiently into coding and designing....
In my (anecdotal) experience, software is best approached as an engineering pursuit. Almost anyone can write code, but building code that is maintainable, scalable, and reliable has a lot in common with building other things that we want to see similar features in.
There are plenty of math people who are good at this, but there are lots of other fields of study that are just as adjacent (philosophy and communication both come to mind).
Another player who was at the table during the incident sent me this meme after the problem player in question (they had a history) left the group chat....
There was a day and age when that was largely the point of college–to teach you how to teach yourself. There was a difference in expectation from the high-school level, where following directions wasn’t enough. You had to be able to do things you couldn’t do in order to make it.
Not that it’s the fault of current students–education has simply experienced inflation and everyone is trying to keep up. But it stands that those teaching-yourself skills will set apart a good developer from an okay developer.
Others have mentioned that the expectations can become toxic, though, especially from the non-technical crowd, and I agree. It becomes more of a question of efficiency than possibility. That is, if you’ve spent your entire career working on web stacks, and someone makes you program a PLC, it’s gonna take a very long time for you to do it even satisfactorily.
There’s definitely value to being able to self-teach and figure things out, but it needs to be paired with other soft skills, like “speaking manager” and setting appropriate boundaries.
When I’ve been presented with expectations outside my field, I’ve replied with something along the lines of, “Programming is a bit like sports–they all share some common features, but the skill sets are very different. What you’re asking me to do is like asking a hockey player to participate in a professional badminton tournament. I can try, but it won’t be pretty.”
Imagine this situation if a human replaced the AI.
Imagine a human who wants to write a book. They’ve read hundreds of other books already, and lots of other things besides books. Then they write a book. The final work probably contains an amalgamation of all the other things they’ve read–similar characters, themes, plot points, etc.–but it’s a unique combination, so it’s distinct from those other works. No copyright violation.
Now imagine that same human has only ever read one book. Over and over. They know only the one book. The human wants to write a new book. But they only have experience with the one they’ve read again and again. So the book they write is almost exactly the same as the one book they read. That’s a copyright violation.
Training an AI model is not a crime, any more than reading a book is a crime. You’re not making “copies” or profiting directly from that single work.
I’m between distros and looking for a new daily driver for my laptop. What are people daily driving these days? Are there any new cool things to try?...
I feel the same way, though on LineageOS, I wasn’t able to get the double-click-power-for-camera to ever work properly. Do you happen to have/use that feature?
I want to make my own website, like a blog where I talk about tech and tutorials and such. Something like kerkour.com and lukesmith.xyz. Any ideas for simple but modern design?
Edit2: Writing this from Pop_Os! I had experience with Mint for my Self hosting rig and wanted to see other pastures. Decided to rearrange my three drives, two of them are still Windows, another I emptied and dedicated to Pop OS. That way I still have easy fallback to Windows if I need to do something fast and then I’ll know...
Welcome! I made the leap not long ago as well. I’m using Linux Mint, and I’ve had a great experience with it (including gaming).
My recommendation: when you get to installing games, use something like Lutris or PlayOnLinux. These are frontends (like Steam) that will help manage any special configurations you might need. They can even connect to online sources and apply settings that have worked for other people. I’ve been using Lutris and it’s been pretty good (I’ve been playing a lot of BG3 lately, runs like a dream).
Well I’m hopping around… again. I thought I had a good stable setup going but then something happens upstream that goes against what I want/believe in (looking at you RedHat) and I’m back on the hunt again....
For what it’s worth, Mint has a Debian-based version that I’ve heard great things about. It would probably have lots of the legwork done for you (getting flatpak, etc).
RFK ( slrpnk.net )
Robot dogs armed with AI-aimed rifles undergo US Marines Special Ops evaluation ( arstechnica.com )
I don't know anything about Linux and the idea of installing it frightens me. Where do I start?
I bought a laptop yesterday, it came pre-installed with Windows 11. I hate win 11 so I switched it down to Windows 10, but then started considering using Linux for total control over the laptop, but here's the thing: I keep seeing memes about how complicated or fucky wucky Linux is to install and run. I love the idea of open...
Kristi Noem Suggests Biden’s Dog Should Have Been Killed, Too ( www.nytimes.com )
It's a good investment ( discuss.tchncs.de )
Charisma off the charts. Probably low con though. ( ttrpg.network )
Millionaire who made himself homeless and broke on purpose to prove he could make $1MILLION in 12 months for YouTube clicks QUITS his bizarre social experiment over health concerns ( www.dailymail.co.uk )
fucking beautiful. almost a year into the 'verse and its starting to become more functional than that R place... better than i imagined. ( cdn.catsweat.com )
What could your distro learn from another distro?
For example, I'm using Debian, and I think we could learn a thing or two from Mint about how to make it "friendlier" for new users. I often see Mint recommended to new users, but rarely Debian, which has a goal to be "the universal operating system"....
Access unrestricted remote desktop from very restricted office network
I want to access an unrestricted desktop at home (preferably a docker novnc desktop container), from the very restricted office laptop/network....
Any tips to help a scientist become a better programmer?
Hey there!...
Recommended language/framework for a first time android project?
cross-posted from: https://programming.dev/post/11357795...
PDF editor on Linux?
Hello everyone, I was wondering if anyone knew of a FOSS editing app to use on PDFs, just to add text and and mark things out, I tried GNU image editor but it just works on images exclusively. Any ideas are appreciated, thanks.
An Idea to Steal Regarding Courts and Sentencing
In one advanced culture, which has largely achieved pacifism through technological and cultural advancements, legal cases are heard by judges who have studied law and ethics extensively. Their maximum sentencing, though, is limited to temporary incarceration. For more severe sentences, such as permanent incarceration or death,...
Are there any Windows-exclusive programs you use?
I had to test/fix something at work and I set up a Windows VM because it was a bug specific to Windows users. Once I was done, I thought, “Maybe I should keep this VM for something.” but I couldn’t think of anything that wasn’t a game (which probably wouldn’t work well in a VM anyway) or some super specific enterprise...
I'm tired with all this Big-Phone-Elitism
I'm someone with relatively small hands, plus I want my phone to be on the smaller side since I prefer to use my tablet/computer/tv to watch content. But this trend where many manufacturers tend to keep futures away from smaller phones to drive people to bigger phones is driving me crazy and really makes it hard for me to buy a...
I want to be able to make my own Web 1.0 websites easily
And I'd like to be able to do it privately too, that'd be cool....
The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Simple Websites ( fd93.me )
What is OOP, really? Why so many different definitions?
There are so many definitions of OOP out there, varying between different books, documentation and articles....
Private and/or cheap places to register a domain
You have 5 seconds to answer 😃...
Missouri rule change would allow senators to challenge each other to a duel ( www.newsweek.com )
So SBCs are shit now? Anything I can do with my collection of Pis and old routers?
I dunno when it happened but I swear SBCs were the new best thing in the universe for a while and everyone was building cool little servers with their RockPis and OrangePis....
Workplace well-being initiatives don't boost employee mental health ( www.newscientist.com )
High CHA convince the nails to hover ( lemmy.world )
PUT IT BACK NOW ( lemmy.world )
Mathematicians and software
It is often echoed that mathematicians make excellent software engineers, and that their logic-adjacent work will translate efficiently into coding and designing....
The C++ scope resolution operator is beautiful
Both zig and go use the dot operator, but I find the ‘::’ operator much more readable....
I Just Need a Programmer ( blobstreaming.org )
Had this conversation with someone who chose to no longer be at my table after meeting a blind NPC ( files.catbox.moe )
Another player who was at the table during the incident sent me this meme after the problem player in question (they had a history) left the group chat....
A ‘Software Developer’ Knows Enough to Deliver Working Software Alone and in Teams ( medium.com )
Suggestions for a GameCube controller for PC Linux
Dear Linux gaming community,...
The legal framework for AI is being built in real time, and a ruling in the Sarah Silverman case should give publishers pause ( www.niemanlab.org )
What are people daily driving these days?
I’m between distros and looking for a new daily driver for my laptop. What are people daily driving these days? Are there any new cool things to try?...
LineageOS is currently installed on 1.5 million Android devices ( 9to5google.com )
What is your favourite font for code ? ( lemm.ee )
Mine is mononoki...
Simple but modern website
I want to make my own website, like a blog where I talk about tech and tutorials and such. Something like kerkour.com and lukesmith.xyz. Any ideas for simple but modern design?
Which software do you mostly use for programming, and why? ( suppo.fi )
Finally had enough of Windows. I'm packing up. I'm nervous!
Edit2: Writing this from Pop_Os! I had experience with Mint for my Self hosting rig and wanted to see other pastures. Decided to rearrange my three drives, two of them are still Windows, another I emptied and dedicated to Pop OS. That way I still have easy fallback to Windows if I need to do something fast and then I’ll know...
Oh, no, the thatched-roof cottages... ( i.imgur.com )
Is anyone using Debian Sid for gaming?
Well I’m hopping around… again. I thought I had a good stable setup going but then something happens upstream that goes against what I want/believe in (looking at you RedHat) and I’m back on the hunt again....
Windows 11 vs Linux supported HW ( lemmy.ml )