November 2003
Nov. 26, 2003
Weihnachtsmann Weitwurf. I can’t seem to beat 350.4
Pyrex
Pyrex is a language for writing Python extension modules. It’s pretty interesting—the syntax looks very similar to Python (the authors claim you can write C extension modules without knowing anything about the Python/C API) but uses additional type hints to compile down to ultra efficient C code, ready to be imported in to your Python applications. The prime numbers example maakes things a lot more clear:
[... 236 words]XML-RPC Progress. I’ll try to blog this properly tomorrow
Why run Windows on an ATM?
So you’re writing the software for an ATM. It needs to display something pretty on the screen, control the hardware that serves out the money and talk securely to your central servers. It also needs to be stable, secure, reliable and allow remote administration. Why on earth would you choose Windows as the operating system?
[... 213 words]Diebold ATMs hit by Nachi Worm. Fascinating anonymous comment on /. about cracking ATMs
OS recommendations for ATMs. Apparently Windows XP is an “open platform”.
MS-Word is NOT a document exchange format (via) Don’t lock in others
How to freeze Python classes (via) Fun with __setattr__
The End of RSS (via) Even with caching, RSS simply doesn’t scale
Super Mario Brothers 3... in 11 minutes. Wow. Reminds me of Quake Done Quick.
Quake done Quick. Quake in 12 minutes 23 seconds
Tears for Istanbul. I wish I could write like this
Easy Automated Snapshot-Style Backups with Rsync. Great Rsync tutorial
Nov. 27, 2003
The rsync algorithm. The glorious technical details
vi Complete Key Binding List (via) Very useful
Font Size: No Happy Medium. Sometimes I just wish for ignorance
IXR 2.0
Harry Fuecks has been hacking on my XML-RPC library, and has released a new version with some significant changes. His article on phpPatterns describes the changes and provides a link to download the updated code. He’s made a bunch of interesting architectural changes which take advantage of a number of useful PEAR classes, including HTTP_Request which provides support for proxies and authentication, two frequently requested features.
[... 127 words]Dotcom Memories (via) It’s all about the M&Ms
Google vs. Evil (via) “Don’t be evil”
Minor spam victory. I’ve deleted the spam comments now but they were pretty amusing
Javascript Compression (via) Nearly halves the size of getElementBySelector.js
Can Google Grow Up? (via) It’s tough at the top, and it’s going to get tougher
Nov. 28, 2003
The rootkit recently found on debian.org. I won’t pretend to understand the C code, but it’s cute that it’s released under the GPL
Why BitTorrent is a game-changer (via) Digital video is the killer app
Windows-to-Linux roadmap (via) Useful looking series from IBM
Page and Brin’s Blog (via) Moderately amusing
Create your own South Park Character (via) Fun fun fun
Nov. 30, 2003
Repartitioning with Knoppix
I’ve been long bemoaning the fact that if you want to repartition your hard drive to install Linux as a dual boot with an existing Windows system the most frequently recommended method is to buy a copy of Partion Magic. You would have thought the open source software world would have provided a free alternative by now.
[... 217 words]Debuggers are a wasteful Timesink (via) It’s more a case of “don’t use them until you really have to”