rayvega

If MS was able to accomplish all of that, then imagine what Google could create if they decided to drop Java altogether ('Go' language might be the preview.) That would be a huge win for the software industry while a big (long term) loss for Oracle as Java further wans in popularity.

(Hmm....if Oracle can sue Google over the non-Java VM they created for Android couldn't they sue MS for their "JVM-like" CLR? This is another reason why their patent lawsuit is so ridiculous.)

No matter how you slice it, Google has the advantage in the long run while patent trolls like Oracle have the most to lose in the long term.

Perhaps this and the rest of the article provides some insight into pg's question about Apple's culture: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1596767

C# 3.0 greatly simplified things with the introduction of the lambda function syntax hence why a lot more people have suddenly "discovered" closures in .NET.

When first learning C# 2.0 I had a lot of difficulty understanding how to use delegates with closures mainly because I couldn't get past the syntax. Learning and using Python shortly after helped me tremendously in understanding how closures worked and when to use them because (not surprisingly) the Python syntax is so much cleaner and intuitive. I was able to then transfer and apply this knowledge to C# by cutting through the noise and using closures effortlessly (as needed). When lambdas arrived in 3.0, it was a no brainer.

This experience showed me how being exposed to and learning other programming languages that follow different paradigms can have a positive impact on how you write code in your primary language.

In most cases, people at their jobs probably just substituted one "time waster" with another (whether it be job related or not.)

The people running around screaming how google pacman cost valuable time are probably the same ones who also idlely sit in far more costly pointless meetings all day long.

...In Graham's prose, like his code, every word counts...

Fascinating to read Peter Norvig describe ten years ago what most people tend to say about pg's essays and general writing style.

Perhaps another confirmation of what the SO folks have been saying about their popularity.

    var foo = new List<int>{ 1, 2, 3};
    var bar = foo.ConvertAll(x => x * 2);

    var foo = new List<int>{ 1, 2, 3};
    var bar = from x in foo select x * 2

http://meta.stackoverflow.com/questions/40602/joel-to-quit-t...

He might have meant no longer doing other people's podcasts.

Yup. HN is that for me.

Amazon did exactly that with cloud storage and EC2. The difference is that unlike the energy industry which is regulated they did not need to get the gov't's permission.

Similarly, its just a matter of time before Apple starts selling on the open market the processor chip they developed exclusively for the IPad.

http://blog.stackoverflow.com/2009/06/podcast-57/

...Stack Overflow has become a very popular destination for iPhone development. This is completely accidental, but it is a valid reflection of the vibrant and growing iPhone development community. If you’re an iPhone developer, check out the Mobile Orchard website and podcast, which even has a best of Stack Overflow for iPhone developers!...

His current post is misleading because it sounds like he is currently in Seattle where the tech job market is fairly good relative to other places.

However, he was in Seattle but then moved to Charleston, SC where his story begins. http://shadowcoding.blogspot.com/2009/07/moving.html

Given that bit of info it explains a lot about his struggles to find work.