I might try this next, will check out and try to build it tomorrow
Shame that there’s no way to run ./configure on native windows though, I’ll have to use MSYS2
Imho maintainers should just keep a set of pre-made header-files for a Windows compiler, a huge portion the work configure does is because we historically had:
- Bad compilers (that lacked stdlib features)
- Lacked package managers (so we need to detect versions instead of just specifying used libraries for the program)
- The mess of various nix/linux distros having differing paths (/bin or /local/bin or /usr/local/bin or whatever?) and nix binaries lacked a standardized way to just locate "themselves"
In contrast, Windows programs mostly just make an API call to detect where they live and then just load files from relative paths, this also allows for side-by-side installations of varying versions instead of multiple builds (Yes, some programs sadly needed installers but that's just bad engineering, whilst many programs have portable variants).
Considering Mac programs also are self contained I guess those also have some sane API's for program self-location.
Yes, I do realize that much of the centralization of programs harkens back to Unix multi-user paradigms with centralized management but personal computers has been the norm for some almost 40 years at this point (Even if we've moved to web mainframes instead).
It's not about the boat or the cloud. Yes, they are self-imposed restrictions, but not the actual point the author is trying to make. The message I got from the text was that all these modern systems we use hurt the preservability of software. The text was about the author's journey in finding a solution for preserving their software for generations to come. A solution that if everything is lost, the runtime can be recreated easily so that the actual software can be run again.
This is something that I have been thinking about myself a lot and it was interesting to see that the thought-process has been similar with LISP, Oberon, Smalltalk, Forth etc.
It's like a carpenter creating his own tools before building a dining room table.
Being interrupted is a killer and that's why I absolutely hate open-plan offices, cubicle hells, or what ever those farms are called. But self-induced "interrupts" are a completely different story for me...
I used to fear my tendency to procrastinate. I looked at people that were able to just sit down and start typing. I tried to do the same, but it was torture to stare at a blank screen. Whatever method I tried to be productive, I always slipped to procrastination. Finally I realized that what I was doing, was simply letting my subconscious to do the work. When I understood that, everything got a lot easier. No more guilt.
So, when PG writes:
> Someone who has decided to write a novel, for example, will suddenly find that the house needs cleaning. People who fail to write novels don't do it by sitting in front of a blank page for days without writing anything. They do it by feeding the cat, going out to buy something they need for their apartment, meeting a friend for coffee, checking email. "I don't have time to work," they say. And they don't; they've made sure of that.
Personally, I am very much opposite of that. I do both writing and coding and with both activities I first do some research or other base work and the I let myself procrastinate guilt-free. I will clean up the house, empty the dishwasher, walk the dog. Go to the grocery store or solve some simple puzzles. Usually these are stuff that don't really require deep thinking or take up too much time. Then, when I get this "feeling" (inspiration?) - even in the middle of my procrastination - I will sit down and type out the work. Then, rinse and repeat. And somehow I always seem to hit the deadline. Although, I have to admit, I have never tried to write a full novel.
Thankfully this was posted again, because I haven't seen this document before. And I'm saddened if Dan Ingalls doesn't attract more attention.
Dan Ingalls seems to be this unsung hero that does not get mentioned often enough in my opinion. Admittedly, when I first learned about him from FLOSS Weekly podcast[0], I've been a bit of a fanboy. Since then I have read and listened his interviews and lectures that I have been able to find. He seems to be a very modest man with a lot of interesting anecdotes.
The whole era when Smalltalk was invented is fascinating. I'm currently reading through the book "The Dream Machine" just to learn more about the Xerox PARC, Alan Kay, Dan Ingalls and his involvement in Smalltalk and related innovations.
