Posts by calcifer@hackers.town
(DIR) Post #AUob3ur3sZrISp3M0G by calcifer@hackers.town
2023-04-19T01:03:19Z
1 likes, 1 repeats
It's interesting watching the current crop of developers rediscover why XML was invented instead of just using something as lightweight as JSON. Not that XML was a great solution, but things like schema validation and transforming between schemas (via XSLT) were considered and designed inAnd now as people are doing bigger/more complex things with JSON (and, to a lesser extent, YAML), devs are starting to realize why those things were designed in. And now we have JSON Schema and XSLT 3.0 -- but also a bunch of DIY solutions.
(DIR) Post #AUob5jHrrHqjAOSLKq by calcifer@hackers.town
2023-04-19T04:04:10Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
@vertigo ReST is actually OK for a lot of things. But good luck finding APIs that actually conform to ReSTful architecture instead of just claiming it when literally no one involved has actually bothered to understand the principles much less make a reasonable attempt to implement them.
(DIR) Post #AUrFBGWc5qbYBNT47M by calcifer@hackers.town
2023-04-20T22:31:42Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
I really wish we'd stop the glorification of "easy". It's great when we can find a way to make something easier without significant downsides. But there often are significant downsides to making a particular thing easier. Yet we glorify designs that take away choice, or externalize costs, or even cause outright harm, because they make something "easier" for someI also really wish we'd stop glorifying "hard". Hard is sometimes necessary, but something being hard isn't what gives it value. Worthwhile things are often hard, but they're good because they're worthwhile; not because they're hard
(DIR) Post #AV01I5JqVN9IWGUbtA by calcifer@hackers.town
2023-04-25T04:24:47Z
1 likes, 2 repeats
Reminder that lying requires an intent to deceive. Many times when people say "lying", it's perhaps more accurately "bullshitting", or even just "being wrong".
(DIR) Post #AV279VvlBOFcULRWeO by calcifer@hackers.town
2023-04-26T02:33:47Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
@lmorchard one source of great joy is politely explaining to awful companies why I would like them never to recruit me. I'm always polite because the recruiter is just trying to pay bills, and it's tough work; but I'm also very clear about my reasons because that absolutely does flow up the chain in aggregateI told Meta, for example, that unless they were getting out of the surveillance business, fixing their awful moderation, and abandoning their rage-engagement algorithm, they'd never be a place I'd be willing to work. It felt good.
(DIR) Post #AV8CI3ESuugao8qGTQ by calcifer@hackers.town
2023-04-29T02:19:09Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
@litui @lmorchard corollary: all machines are smoke machines if you operate them wrong enough
(DIR) Post #AVeMIlSSBihn8ZN2W0 by calcifer@hackers.town
2023-05-14T15:08:53Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
A couple of reminders on Mother's Day:The original point of the day was to remind people of sacrifices mothers make. Not everyone has a mother who made sacrifices. It's ok to decide your mother is owed nothing; only you get to sayThe creator of the (originally feminist) holiday was horrified by its commercialization and the shift toward "honor all mothers", since it was meant to be an intimate thing between children and their mother: https://www.history.com/news/why-the-founder-of-mothers-day-turned-against-it
(DIR) Post #AVg7HxChvAUYHU54Fs by calcifer@hackers.town
2023-05-15T11:48:27Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
@sindastra "or"?!
(DIR) Post #AVgBk98BZNejCHfFc8 by calcifer@hackers.town
2023-05-15T12:03:25Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@sindastra chick mcmagnet
(DIR) Post #AVjsBrGYVQQileTOSW by calcifer@hackers.town
2023-05-17T00:40:45Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
@randomgeek languages don't die. I added features to a COBOL program last year. For pay.
(DIR) Post #AW2Fpm3CqVogtVpzKy by calcifer@hackers.town
2023-05-26T00:33:29Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
She’s the female dogWith a high pH!BASIC BITCH!
(DIR) Post #AWcSoCwg2Mr2g2zdxY by calcifer@hackers.town
2023-06-12T15:28:06Z
1 likes, 8 repeats
People seem to really have bought into the capitalist version of open source where software is still a product that requires support and marketing and a roadmap and exists to serve a user community separate and apart from the project. But a whole lot of open source is really just a sharing economy. It’s devs doing something they found useful and deciding to share it rather than hoard it. Those devs don’t owe anyone extra labor just because they chose to share.
(DIR) Post #AWdmGKaPJaKqlof0XA by calcifer@hackers.town
2023-06-12T21:32:54Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@msavoritias it’s a hell of a thing to think it’s a “mess” that there’s high-quality, free software that helps millions of people, just because those volunteers aren’t working on everything you care about. If you’re not willing to invest time and effort and money toward adding the capabilities you want, why do you feel entitled to demand others do so?It’s a lot like getting a free car and being mad at the person who gave it to you because it doesn’t have snow tires
(DIR) Post #AWdmGLYJiqG1lcgqum by calcifer@hackers.town
2023-06-12T21:39:05Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@msavoritias think of it this way: what stops you from contributing the features you care about? If your answer is “time, money, energy, etc that I need for other things”, then congrats—it’s the same reason the devs you’re complaining about haven’t done it. Every volunteer contributor has limited time and energy to work on things and has to choose what they’ll take on, based on what they know and what they can do
(DIR) Post #AWpGnjQNx0xocjDcmW by calcifer@hackers.town
2023-06-18T19:16:28Z
1 likes, 2 repeats
Hey fedi admins? Don’t just defederate/block Facebook/Meta. Put some time right now into figuring out what terms of service to have in place that will deny them the right to harvest data. They may not be able to use ActivityPub if you don’t federate, but nothing stops them from trying other means to harvest your users’ data.
(DIR) Post #AWpGnkZzemFACoioOe by calcifer@hackers.town
2023-06-18T19:20:45Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
To be clear here: absolutely consider technical means too. Just understand that they’ll find a way around them, and a violation of TOS at least opens up the door to legal recourse when they do so. Use every tool available, even if imperfect
(DIR) Post #AX1KxJjr1rJALqcKPo by calcifer@hackers.town
2023-06-24T15:01:33Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
I get and 100% support instance-blocking anything Meta puts up. I don’t understand instance-blocking instances that don’t block Meta?If someone who’s contemplating doing the latter is willing to explain/argue a little (in the “argue to understand” mode), I’d welcome it
(DIR) Post #AXCF086ImHFACRJALg by calcifer@hackers.town
2023-06-29T18:40:56Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
“It’s not masculine to wear skirts” is the same energy as “it’s not feminine to wear pants”Just as pants are often a comfortable and practical option, so are skirts. People get to wear the clothes that they feel comfortable in. Sometimes safety or respect considerations are in play (it’s a dick move to wear a bikini to a funeral, in most cases), but beyond that?Skirt go spinny
(DIR) Post #AXCF09HgNRwPs1dlj6 by calcifer@hackers.town
2023-06-29T18:43:30Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
Besides, even if we want to gender clothing: skirts have been worn by men — by warriors especially — in a huge number of cultures, and many instances persist until todayIt’s pretty ignorant to argue that skirts aren’t masculine when both history and the modern world are replete with very masculine people wearing skirts
(DIR) Post #AXmtWkc6lcZ4Mtw0Ey by calcifer@hackers.town
2023-07-17T13:38:41Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
My children heard the term “drag racing” for the first time this morning. As usual, when they say “what’s that?” I have them first guess what it might mean based on context clues and knowing roots and suchFriends, their idea is so much better than what drag racing actually is! Their idea: Drag performers in full dress, racing go-karts