As a long-time C++ developer I wish people don't use any commenting tricks such as this, and I wish people don't use /* * / to comment their code, even if you develop in C. Instead, use // in modern C/C++.
The reason is that we often need to comment OUT code during development. In C++, the 4 choices are: (1) #ifdef, (2) bool dothis = false; if (dothis) { ... }, (3) /* * /, (4) // ...
Among them, I would say the best and least-confusing way to comment out a block of code is /* * /. #ifdef's are very confusing especially if you have multiple of them; // needs to be applied to every line so only works in small scale; if (dothis) doesn't work across multiple functions, and at a glance it is harder to discern whether this is a "comment-out", or a legit condition.
However, by using /* * / in your comments, you eliminate the possibility of commenting out blocks of code that contains /* * / comments. The problem, of course, is due to how the opening and closing symbols are matched.
"I'd appreciate if you'd have this discussion on Coderwall. That way I could 'defend' the post where it's due.
However though, please read https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5626456 and summary is:
It is a trick, not a silver bullet. It prevents code from being compiled to the binary, in a portable - yet hacky - way."
Ha, I thought I put in the asterix-esses. You know what I mean, but I bet cpp actually ignores e everything after #if 0 and #endif, don't do that please ;)
Steve Jobs killed Silverlight (and Flash). Not by providing a strictly superior technology, but by declaring that the category (rich web client) is unimportant. I'm unhappy that Silverlight is dead but not because of Microsoft.
I have been running Windows 8 (RTM version) on my laptop for two weeks (as I am a MSDN subscriber, thanks to BizSpark). The Metro interface is cute but after a while, I am completely back to the Desktop environment. To my surprise, it is exactly like Windows 7, minus the start menu. I even wonder whether this is because I upgraded from Windows 7?
So I would say, if you are worried that it'll destroy your Windows experience as you know it, don't. It's still there. Really still there, with some minor improvements (e.g. task menu). If I didn't get this for free, I would have felt cheated (as in, this is just an UI skin over my existing Windows 7). What I miss the most is the start menu, and I guess I'll download some start-menu app to replace that.
I don't use my laptop as a tablet so I can't comment on the Metro interface, other than that it's fluid (like the Windows Phone). I don't see there is any chance I'd buy the Surface RT though... The App Store is very limiting at this point. But then, I am not their RT audience.
> The Metro interface is cute but after a while, I am completely back to the Desktop environment. To my surprise, it is exactly like Windows 7, minus the start menu. I even wonder whether this is because I upgraded from Windows 7?
It's not because you upgraded from Windows 7; a vanilla Windows 8 installation has the same desktop too.
In particular if you use the Windows 7 Start menu with the keyboard - typing in a name to search for it - that works much the same in the Windows 8 start screen. Some useful keyboard shortcuts:
* Windows+W to go directly to the Settings
* Windows+F to go directly to Files in the new start screen
* Windows+X to get a quick popup menu of power user tools
* Windows+I to open a panel of quick settings
If you want something more like the Windows 7 Start menu, try Start8:
I've been trying it out a bit and am not sure whether I prefer it or the Metro start screen. I very much like the lack of animation in Start8 - that was the main thing I missed from Windows 7.
One other subtle thing I miss from Windows 7 is that shortcuts to apps like Notepad will start multiple instances of the app. For some unfathomable reason, the Windows 8 start screen always goes to the first instance of the app if you try to start Notepad or the like multiple times. That would be OK but I can't find any way to override it and easily start multiple instances. Start8 brings back the old behavior here.
> One other subtle thing I miss from Windows 7 is that shortcuts to apps like Notepad will start multiple instances of the app. For some unfathomable reason, the Windows 8 start screen always goes to the first instance of the app if you try to start Notepad or the like multiple times. That would be OK but I can't find any way to override it and easily start multiple instances. Start8 brings back the old behavior here.
You can do that by right clicking the icon on the bottom taskbar and click the app to start. It did drive me crazy until I figured this out.
Middle click the icon in the taskbar to open a new instance of the app. It does mean you need to pin the app to the taskbar or open it first from the start menu, but that's what you're doing anyway. Just saves you navigating the start menu for subsequent launches.
The easiest way to launch a new instance of the application is to hold down the Shift key while launching. Don't remember how I stumbled upon this, but it works for both the taskbar and the start screen launchers.
You use this in Windows 7? Mind if I ask why? I find the Win7 start menu super useful, just for the fact that I can pin very common apps on the first menu, and see recent items, and have the search. Very very rarely do I go into the "Programs".
If my hand is on the keyboard, it's easier to use the terminal.
(Classic shell still has the search feature. But often I launch apps before remembering their name - I'm a big user of apropos to recall commands. I remember locations. May be a difference in cognitive style.)
You gotta fix your website (I'm using Chrome, and the background image took forever to load, and for the longest time I was puzzled by the small window to the right with some text). Not leaving a very good impression... Plus $29?
It seems to be a bit cheaper than CustomInk with no quantity requirement but once you go above 15-20 shirts, you can get volume discount through CustomInk. Is the $29 for double-sided printing?
Depixelizing Pixel Art may work even better for some types of images: http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/people/kopf/pixelart/
"The algorithm extracts a smooth, resolution-independent vector representation from the image, which enables magnifying the results by an arbitrary amount without image degradation."
I tried HQX and the results are impressive! I have abandonned the Python tool because the installation is tedious but this one is very straightforward.
I don't think this is entirely correct. If you write in Native (C/C++) then true, it won't run on WP7. But if you write in C#/Xaml you could have targeted your app to WP7 and I believe it will run on both WP7 and WP8 -- of course this will preclude you from using whatever now hardware capabilities in WP8 only.
I think the Native C/C++ is the right move though. The "easy to port to IOS/Android" point is important, and I think going forward that would/should be the model for web development, unless Webapp is sufficient for your purpose, or that you're willing to develop your app in 3 languages (ObjC, Java, C/C#).
That said, I'm sad that my (otherwise very nice) Lumia 800 is getting the WP6.5 treatment.
The reason is that we often need to comment OUT code during development. In C++, the 4 choices are: (1) #ifdef, (2) bool dothis = false; if (dothis) { ... }, (3) /* * /, (4) // ...
Among them, I would say the best and least-confusing way to comment out a block of code is /* * /. #ifdef's are very confusing especially if you have multiple of them; // needs to be applied to every line so only works in small scale; if (dothis) doesn't work across multiple functions, and at a glance it is harder to discern whether this is a "comment-out", or a legit condition.
However, by using /* * / in your comments, you eliminate the possibility of commenting out blocks of code that contains /* * / comments. The problem, of course, is due to how the opening and closing symbols are matched.