Computer Hope

Other => Other => Topic started by: thomasC1989 on May 07, 2018, 12:39:45 PM

Title: Just wondering when I am bored
Post by: thomasC1989 on May 07, 2018, 12:39:45 PM
What does it take to invent something brilliant like Windows OS? I mean do those smart people usually have to be drop-out of schools cuz they are too smart and they find everything too easy? I am sure that creating something this brilliant has to be extremely low in probability (https://www.studypug.com/statistics-help/probability/conditional-probability). But I am just wondering. Since I am always so passionate in inventing stuff but I am no smart person. Just wondering if anyone have similar feelings or experiences.
Title: Re: Just wondering when I am bored
Post by: Allan on May 07, 2018, 02:05:48 PM
At the top of the list is a creative mind, and the fact that you asked the question you did would lead one to believe that may not be your strength ;)
Title: Re: Just wondering when I am bored
Post by: Geek-9pm on May 07, 2018, 02:15:29 PM
Your frank  answers to these question can aid others to advise you.
What are the things you can do well and also enjoy?
What are the things that are hard for you and distasteful?
What important things have you not even looked at?
In any library these are the important things:
    000 – Computer science, information & general works
    100 – Philosophy and psychology
    200 – Religion
    300 – Social sciences
    400 – Language
    500 – Pure Science
    600 – Technology
    700 – Arts & recreation
    800 – Literature
    900 – History & geography
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dewey_Decimal_Classification
You can note that Computer science is apart from technology.
Technology is very, very broad.   :)
Also, not that Religion is apart from Philosophy.
Religion is very, very broad.   :)
One can note that Social sciences and Language are separate topics, but one may need to stdy both to be excellent at one.
Title: Re: Just wondering when I am bored
Post by: BC_Programmer on May 07, 2018, 05:20:56 PM
Why is the word "Probability" a link to some weird studying website? possible spam weirdness?

I'm not sure I'd call Windows "Brilliant" in the sense that it is markedly more technically proficient in construction than it's competitors; OS X, Linux, Unix, and Windows are all complicated because of their construction over time and they all include intelligent programming, but perhaps some of the "Brilliance" attributed is largely a result of not understanding it. Like the old saying that any sufficiently advanced technology can be effectively magic, any sufficiently complicated software system can look brilliant.

I think a better angle to consider whether a piece of software is "brilliant" is that it breaks new ground and really pushes limits to provide unexpected features. I don't think Windows necessarily qualifies here.

One thing I think does qualify is 4K Altair BASIC. A Full BASIC Interpreter that included a line editor, custom input/output handling, not to mention a FULL software emulation for floating point math- all fitting within 4K of RAM.
This web page is several times larger, just in text, than that entire program. Not to mention that when going to demo the product, it was suddenly realized that they did not have a Boot loader- and they wrote it on the plane on their way there- no IDE or development tools or even hardware access at all. THAT is brilliant.

Another example might be something like the Quickdraw routines used in earlier Macintosh systems.
Title: Re: Just wondering when I am bored
Post by: OliverO on June 26, 2018, 04:20:12 AM
At the top of the list is a creative mind, and the fact that you asked the question you did would lead one to believe that may not be your strength ;)

Well said