Samwise rides again

I was two weeks away from starting work on a new system compiler, but it turns out someone else imported one at the weekend. I am now completely gutted, but there is no sense being a damn fool about it.

Best thing I could do now is contribute.

UPDATE : I’m half inclined to carry on with my compiler anyway, partly this is because I have spent the past few months creating project plans and sketching bits out, and partly because I think I have some good ideas not supported by any compiler currently. However the problem is that without community support it is going to take a lot longer than I had hoped. My other alternative is to start work on new debugger to replace GDB. PMDB currently exists to avoid the bloat of GDB, however the community is less at odds with GDB then GCC, so the need to move is less pressing.

Either way, I am certainly looking to contribute to PCC when I get back, there is a lot of work to get out of the way before it looks like a viable alternative ( like multi arch support, x86 sucks, ) though with all the major BSDs looking to support this compiler, I am inclined to stand on the side line for a bit and see how things progress.

It must seem unusual to anyone who is not familiar with the issues plaguing GCC why anyone would want to have any other compiler. Believe me, as someone who has participated and hacked in both communities, licensing is a mere cherry-on-top. Wether PCC is the way to go remains to be seen, however it is small and portable enough to make it a good starting point.

Of course we haven’t switched yet, oh no, but this is definatly a case of shutting-up-and-hacking, and that alone should be admired if nothing else.

UPDATE : Actually my other alternative is to restrict hacking to a day time activity.

A little known fact about this blog is that it really serves as a mobile bookmark collection.

Yes, I know about del.icio.us.

No, I don’t use it.

No, I don’t care.

The following is along these lines, an accessible version of whatever that website is for finding rail times and fares in the UK.

http://traintimes.org.uk/

Of course, with it being unofficial, the official one are more likely to complain than take note.

Sorry, I’m in one of those sorts of moods.

UPDATE : Wow, it picked out Scarboro as Scarborough, and it’s fast too, I can …. compare fares …

Nate and the rest of the Shagadelica crew made Wired Magazine’s Best of Burning Man 2007. Big up yo’selves !

Saw Nate last night and he was telling me Paul Oakenfold was onboard at one point hanging out.

Nate told me because no one else round here appears to have heard of Paul Oakenfold :O)

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44102000/jpg/_44102171_afp416butt.jpg

Good on ya !

UPDATE : Every time I see this picture now I cannot help but think “Welcome Space Cadet, welcome to the Moon”, which was a sample from a tune a friend wrote however many years ago. Seemed too apt a caption not to include.

Preorders for 4.2 are up.

FOO: the sacred syllable (FOO MANI PADME HUM); to be spoken only when under inspiration to commune with the Deity. Our first obligation is to keep the Foo Counters turning.

See also RFC 3092.

Apparently I haven’t covered this one before, though I’m almost sure I had.

Top dog psychology from the BBC …

The mother of a five-year-old girl who was mauled to death by a pit bull terrier has told a court how the dog was “jealous of her and hated her”.

it was jealous of her daughter because it was not allowed in the house when she visited.

Ellie Lawrenson died in the attack at her grandmother Jackie Simpson’s home in St Helen’s, on New Year’s Day.

Jackie Simpson denies the charge of manslaughter through gross negligence.

Jackie’s daughter, Lindsey, told the jury the dog, called Reuben, would be outside whenever her daughter visited the home in Knowles House Avenue.

“I used to look through the windows and say, ‘Never let this dog get in the house.’”

“It would look in and I could see it was jealous because it was outside and she was in.

“It was common knowledge for the dog not to come in. Everybody knew what it could do if it got a child.”

“Every time we went through the back door we would make sure the door was locked and the key out because Ellie loved the dog and the key would be out of her reach.

“Mum agreed to that arrangement.”

The youngster, who used to put her arms around the dog and hug him when he was a puppy, suffered 72 injuries when the dog locked its jaws around her throat and shook her in the fatal attack.

The dog, who was later shot by police, was described in court by Ellie’s father, Darren Lawrenson, as “evil”.

“Its eyes were just evil, anyone who came into contact with it would say it looked evil,”