Comments on: Linux.conf.au (part 1) http://www.kallisti.net.nz/blog/2006/01/linuxconfau-part-1/ I am not an IP address! I am a free 'blog! Tue, 06 Jan 2009 10:48:14 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 hourly 1 By: robin http://www.kallisti.net.nz/blog/2006/01/linuxconfau-part-1/comment-page-1/#comment-22 robin Tue, 31 Jan 2006 21:49:14 +0000 http://www.kallisti.net.nz/blog/?p=17#comment-22 Oh, the backwards compatibility isn't that bad. You can still use Perl 5. It's just you don't get the benefits of Perl 6. They can share libraries and so on still. As for the if ($c == ($b/$a)) thing. Yes. Yes you can. See my other post about conjunctions. Oh, the backwards compatibility isn’t that bad. You can still use Perl 5. It’s just you don’t get the benefits of Perl 6. They can share libraries and so on still.

As for the if ($c == ($b/$a)) thing. Yes. Yes you can. See my other post about conjunctions.

]]> By: robin http://www.kallisti.net.nz/blog/2006/01/linuxconfau-part-1/comment-page-1/#comment-21 robin Tue, 31 Jan 2006 21:44:56 +0000 http://www.kallisti.net.nz/blog/?p=17#comment-21 Addendum to the Perl stuff, part duex: The conjunctions work in parallel. If you do: $z = any(1,2,3,4,5,6,7); $a = mysub($z); mysub() will be called once for each entry in $z, until the result is true for one of the executions. However, if you have parallel processors, it will do it using them. Addendum to the Perl stuff, part duex: The conjunctions work in parallel. If you do:
$z = any(1,2,3,4,5,6,7);
$a = mysub($z);
mysub() will be called once for each entry in $z, until the result is true for one of the executions. However, if you have parallel processors, it will do it using them.

]]> By: tikitu http://www.kallisti.net.nz/blog/2006/01/linuxconfau-part-1/comment-page-1/#comment-20 tikitu Tue, 31 Jan 2006 21:44:19 +0000 http://www.kallisti.net.nz/blog/?p=17#comment-20 Regarding backward-incompatibility: mixed feelings. It's *great* for the language, could be *shit* for the users and user base (which means longer-term shit for the language, since it gets dropped). But in terms of design, by *far* the best way to go. Regarding backward-incompatibility: mixed feelings. It’s *great* for the language, could be *shit* for the users and user base (which means longer-term shit for the language, since it gets dropped). But in terms of design, by *far* the best way to go.

]]> By: robin http://www.kallisti.net.nz/blog/2006/01/linuxconfau-part-1/comment-page-1/#comment-17 robin Tue, 31 Jan 2006 21:36:12 +0000 http://www.kallisti.net.nz/blog/?p=17#comment-17 Oh, addendum to the Perl stuff: they're not keeping backwards compatibility. They are stripping out everything except the principles of the language, and rebuilding it in a more organised fashion. Removing some of the organicness of it. Oh, addendum to the Perl stuff: they’re not keeping backwards compatibility. They are stripping out everything except the principles of the language, and rebuilding it in a more organised fashion. Removing some of the organicness of it.

]]> By: tikitu http://www.kallisti.net.nz/blog/2006/01/linuxconfau-part-1/comment-page-1/#comment-16 tikitu Tue, 31 Jan 2006 21:36:01 +0000 http://www.kallisti.net.nz/blog/?p=17#comment-16 The quantum superpositions look great. There's a bunch of syntactically similar constructions that modern languages are starting to handle that seem absolutely essential, once you've used them a bit. (eg: python iirc, if (0 < $i <= 10), assuming python has $-initial vars which it probably doesn't...) I'd be a bit scared about possible misuses though -- what if you start with $a = 2|3|5; $b = 2|4|6; then go on to if ($c == ($b/$a))? And presumably there will be a way to generate the alternatives programmatically, which raises *horrible* possibilities. I'm rubbing my hands already... Kernal support for arbitrary meta-data sounds cool too. Of course it all comes down to how (and how efficiently) it's accessible, but still interested. The quantum superpositions look great. There’s a bunch of syntactically similar constructions that modern languages are starting to handle that seem absolutely essential, once you’ve used them a bit. (eg: python iirc, if (0 < $i <= 10), assuming python has $-initial vars which it probably doesn’t…)

I’d be a bit scared about possible misuses though — what if you start with $a = 2|3|5; $b = 2|4|6; then go on to if ($c == ($b/$a))? And presumably there will be a way to generate the alternatives programmatically, which raises *horrible* possibilities. I’m rubbing my hands already…

Kernal support for arbitrary meta-data sounds cool too. Of course it all comes down to how (and how efficiently) it’s accessible, but still interested.

]]> By: robin http://www.kallisti.net.nz/blog/2006/01/linuxconfau-part-1/comment-page-1/#comment-15 robin Tue, 31 Jan 2006 21:23:07 +0000 http://www.kallisti.net.nz/blog/?p=17#comment-15 Hmm, fair points. I wrote them in a bit of a rush, and wasn't spending time calling up details. For example: <ul><li>Perl 6: <ul><li>Quantum superpositions in the langauge. Known as conjunctions, these let you say (in the simple form): <tt>if ($a == 1|3|5)</tt> and it does what you expect from saying it allowed. A more advanced form:<br /> <tt>$z = any(1,3,5);<br />if ($a == $z) { # true if $a is 1, 3 or 5</tt><br /> Or how about (and I haven't seen this, but I assume it works):<br /> <tt>$z = all(5,7,11);<br />if ($a % $z == 0) { # true iff $z is a multiple of 5, 7 and 11</tt><br /></li> <li>Oh and the sigils are changing to easier to use behaviour:<br /> <tt>@a=(1,2,3);<br />say @a[1]; # prints '2'</tt><br /></li></ul> There's plenty more, too. I'm just not going to go into it here :)</li> <li>Debian: <ul><li>Nothing too exciting, just a talk on what is contained in .deb files, and another one on selinux in Debian.</li></ul></li> <li>Kernel: <ul><li>inotify: watch for filesystem changes in a sensible, sane way.</li> <li>epoll: monitor many many file descriptors (incl network sockets) with virtually no slowdown, and certainly not the linear slowdown of the other methods</li> <li>extended attributes: add arbitrary data to files (e.g. tags:)</li></ul> There was more kernel stuff too, it's all on the <a href="http://wiki.lca2006.linux.org.au/Linux2.6syscallAPI" rel="nofollow">wiki page</a>. </li></ul> Hmm, fair points. I wrote them in a bit of a rush, and wasn’t spending time calling up details. For example:

  • Perl 6:

    • Quantum superpositions in the langauge. Known as conjunctions, these let you say (in the simple form): if ($a == 1|3|5) and it does what you expect from saying it allowed. A more advanced form:
      $z = any(1,3,5);
      if ($a == $z) { # true if $a is 1, 3 or 5
      Or how about (and I haven’t seen this, but I assume it works):
      $z = all(5,7,11);
      if ($a % $z == 0) { # true iff $z is a multiple of 5, 7 and 11
    • Oh and the sigils are changing to easier to use behaviour:
      @a=(1,2,3);
      say @a[1]; # prints ‘2′

    There’s plenty more, too. I’m just not going to go into it here :)

  • Debian:
    • Nothing too exciting, just a talk on what is contained in .deb files, and another one on selinux in Debian.
  • Kernel:
    • inotify: watch for filesystem changes in a sensible, sane way.
    • epoll: monitor many many file descriptors (incl network sockets) with virtually no slowdown, and certainly not the linear slowdown of the other methods
    • extended attributes: add arbitrary data to files (e.g. tags:)

    There was more kernel stuff too, it’s all on the wiki page.

]]> By: tikitu http://www.kallisti.net.nz/blog/2006/01/linuxconfau-part-1/comment-page-1/#comment-14 tikitu Tue, 31 Jan 2006 19:59:23 +0000 http://www.kallisti.net.nz/blog/?p=17#comment-14 > There’s a lot of good stuff coming into that. what? > There was a few things that were worth seeing however. what? > It covered a few of things that I’d heard about, but didn’t really know the > details of. Now I think I’m going to have to play with some of them a bit. what? *shrug* So I'm feeling contrary this evening. It's probably envy. > There’s a lot of good stuff coming into that.

what?

> There was a few things that were worth seeing however.

what?

> It covered a few of things that I’d heard about, but didn’t really know the
> details of. Now I think I’m going to have to play with some of them a bit.

what?

*shrug* So I’m feeling contrary this evening. It’s probably envy.

]]>