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Dead Programmers Aren't Much Fun

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Re: Dead Programmers Aren't Much Fun

#31

Post by billforsternz »

troymc wrote: post #20

I was thinking about a related issue yesterday: In 100 years, which free web services, where I can post content, will still be around, with high probability? Wikipedia is one, but most of my edits will probably be buried by then. My Wikimedia user profile page will still be up, maybe. Maybe the Internet Archive (archive.org). Maybe the arXiv (arxiv.org), though it may be renamed or subsumed by then. What else? Maybe…

I'm intrigued at your speculation that Wikipedia will likely still be around in 100 years. Clearly the internet phenomenon is important, becoming more important every day, yet still changing so fast that it's still in its infancy relatively speaking. Will it mature into something much more stable ? Is it like the automobile industry in 1920 or so, and Wikipedia, Google and Facebook are something like GM, Ford and Chrysler ? Maybe. On the other hand perhaps the rate of change is so great that its leading to something completely unrecognisable in 100 years, which none of today's players will feature in.

Re: Dead Programmers Aren't Much Fun

#32

Post by nitrogen »

ben1040 wrote: post #16

This got me wondering about how I could provide my passwords to people if something were to happen to me. Not even so much for Github or the like but for my online banking, credit cards, etc so it would be easier to wind down those affairs. I have online billing set up for those so it's not even like you could wait for the statements to come in the mail and settle them that way. I can always just tell my wife my pass…

You could add a secret sharing tool to make sure that your data can be recovered if you have at least n surviving relatives agree to recover it: http://manpages.ubuntu.com/manpages/intrepid/man7/gfshare.7....

Re: Dead Programmers Aren't Much Fun

#33

Post by dennisgorelik »

Society overall and human mind in particular have a great tool that handles that situation: forgetting.

Stuff that is not in use is gradually getting forgotten. So if you do not update your project (because you abandoned it or because you are dead), then the project is getting useless and is gradually forgotten.

Yes, you can put some effort into maintaining your digital project after your death, but it worth the overhead only in a very rare cases. Most of the time it's better to spend the effort on creating new project, than on maintaining someone else's digital project.

Re: Dead Programmers Aren't Much Fun

#34

Post by polymatter »

gk1 wrote: post #19
AznHisoka wrote: post #3

For me, the most important thing is to leave info on any sites/accounts that make me money. Anything after that, social networks, blogs.. I could care less about. I won't be worrying about that after I die.

Apparently my father agrees with you. He is doing fine, but last year he decided to share with me his account info from money-generating websites. (He gets about $300/month from a stock photo site.) I suppose it gave him comfort that if anything were to happen, the fruit of his labor (ie, income from his designs) would continue to benefit the family. Also, hate to nitpick, but the phrase is "I couldn't care less," me…

See (http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/video/2010/may/20/la...) about "I couldn't care less"

Re: Dead Programmers Aren't Much Fun

#35

Post by moe »

billforsternz wrote: post #31
troymc wrote: post #20

I was thinking about a related issue yesterday: In 100 years, which free web services, where I can post content, will still be around, with high probability? Wikipedia is one, but most of my edits will probably be buried by then. My Wikimedia user profile page will still be up, maybe. Maybe the Internet Archive (archive.org). Maybe the arXiv (arxiv.org), though it may be renamed or subsumed by then. What else? Maybe…

I'm intrigued at your speculation that Wikipedia will likely still be around in 100 years. Clearly the internet phenomenon is important, becoming more important every day, yet still changing so fast that it's still in its infancy relatively speaking. Will it mature into something much more stable ? Is it like the automobile industry in 1920 or so, and Wikipedia, Google and Facebook are something like GM, Ford and Chr…

perhaps the rate of change is so great that its leading to something completely unrecognisable in 100 years

That seems to be the most likely scenario.

Proof: Hop into your time-machine and try to explain the internet to someone from 100 years ago.

Remember, the first computer (Z1) was invented only 76 years ago. The first commercial TV-sets became available 92 years ago. Our technology is evolving at a mind-bending pace.

I wouldn't be surprised if Star Trek style voice input was the norm by the time I bite the dust. I wonder if my grand-kids will still use keyboards or consider them a relic...

Re: Dead Programmers Aren't Much Fun

#36

Post by StavrosK »

eli_gottlieb wrote: post #25
vog wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I like the idea, but ... As a web service?! I'd love to see that as a free software daemon, or cronjob, which I can run on one of my website's servers. However, storing very sensitive information at a central place - a place which aims to collect sensitive information from many other people? Well, that's an invitation to abuse! How could I ever trust my most sensitive data to such a system?

Well it should be software you run on your own machines. But that wouldn't suit the Web 2.0 fad.

Why not just write it, rather than complain?

Re: Dead Programmers Aren't Much Fun

#37

Post by niels_olson »

moe wrote: post #35
billforsternz wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm intrigued at your speculation that Wikipedia will likely still be around in 100 years. Clearly the internet phenomenon is important, becoming more important every day, yet still changing so fast that it's still in its infancy relatively speaking. Will it mature into something much more stable ? Is it like the automobile industry in 1920 or so, and Wikipedia, Google and Facebook are something like GM, Ford and Chr…

perhaps the rate of change is so great that its leading to something completely unrecognisable in 100 years That seems to be the most likely scenario. Proof: Hop into your time-machine and try to explain the internet to someone from 100 years ago. Remember, the first computer (Z1) was invented only 76 years ago. The first commercial TV-sets became available 92 years ago. Our technology is evolving at a mind-bending p…

You need to work on your proofs. Counterexample: hop in your time machine, go back to 1550, kidnap someone, take them back to 1450, and have them explain the printing press. Easy peasy.

Second counterexample: Edison made his first big move redesigning stock tickers. I'm pretty sure Edison could grok the Internet.

Re: Dead Programmers Aren't Much Fun

#38

Post by eli_gottlieb »

StavrosK wrote: post #36
eli_gottlieb wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well it should be software you run on your own machines. But that wouldn't suit the Web 2.0 fad.

Why not just write it, rather than complain?

I write lots of stuff that runs on the user's machine. Is there a particular application you'd like?

Re: Dead Programmers Aren't Much Fun

#39

Post by vog »

StavrosK wrote: post #23
vog wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I like the idea, but ... As a web service?! I'd love to see that as a free software daemon, or cronjob, which I can run on one of my website's servers. However, storing very sensitive information at a central place - a place which aims to collect sensitive information from many other people? Well, that's an invitation to abuse! How could I ever trust my most sensitive data to such a system?

Encrypt it?

It would be great of "deadmansswitch.net" would just handle encrypted data without ever having a look at it. However, as it is desinged now, it's not me who encrypts my stuff, but they. There is absolutely no chance I could ever trust such a service.

But assume they would hand encryption over to their users. Then, their service would become pretty pointless, as they would be nothing more than yet another data storage service.

Either way, I don't see any sense in that service, except as a very well-desinged satire on the current everything-as-a-webservice hype.

Re: Dead Programmers Aren't Much Fun

#40

Post by tripzilch »

GuiA wrote: post #26

If you're a programmer it's certainly possible you might have some pre-canned scripts to run -- perhaps telling nephew Susie she should have a great birthday and life once she turns 18. Maybe you have something to detect jokes your Uncle tells and add in a "lol" in a comment. Aside from being weird, is that socially acceptable? Should relatives help you do this? This is the paragraph of the article that I found the m…

Absolutely. That bit was very inspiring and I'm going to ponder a bit on how to use it for maximum fun, weird and most importantly, good.
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