Interesting Links

A few interesting links we’ve gathered along the way.

PC-Lint’s Bug-of-the-Month

Think you understand C++/C? Peruse Gimpel Software’s bug-of-the-month archives, be the human compiler with your calibrated eyeball and test your mettle. Some are real challenges, incredibly subtle and testing the depth of your understanding of the underlying concepts. PC-lint for C/C++, “the longest continuously advertised software tool in human history, was first introduced in 1985.”

Perspective: USENET’s comp.risks Digest

Computers are wonderful things … until they’re not. The USENET comp.risks archive reported the stories about the risks of computers to society. The horror stories, big and small, of computers fouling things up. It’s really eye-opening. And humbling. And sometimes pretty strange. Moderated by the legendary Peter G. Newmann, of the ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy. Started in 1985.

Pick a random issue from before the year 2000 and be amazed.

What is USENET? It’s the place were we all first started learning to get along (or not) in a vast online community. Many important concepts were discovered and cultivated.

  • RTFM, aka “Read That Fine Manual!”: Do your due dilligence to answer your own question before wasting everyone’s time asking it. It’s the first time for you, but the five hudredth time the community has heard it. Read the FAQs.
  • Netiquette: Guidelines on how to behave in electronic communications. Much is common sense, some you don’t stop to think about. And the in’s and out’s are infinite. There was a long-running Emily Postnews Answers Your Questions on Netiquette, which was kind of a precursor to AITA.
  • Flame, flame-war, sockpuppet, spam, trolling – it was all refined, thought through, and opposed here.

Chicago Developer Communities

A few briefly. Many have come and gone.

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