No Topic Thread

[bum]

Anyone know anything about PowerShell?

I am completely lost.

 

[leiothrix]

Yeh.

It's another product by Microsoft that looks good on paper, but has a completely screwed up implementation.

It's pretty powerful and you can do quite a lot with just a couple of lines.

It doesn't really make any sense though. I'm not a heavy user of it (systems admin) and i've found two bugs in it so it must be pretty badly done.

On the other hand it is still better than VB script.

 

[bum]

you can do quite a lot

Me? I beg to differ.

 

[pk.sax]

Taking out of your arse again?

Btw, as far as programming goes, would you call SQL a language?

 

[leiothrix]

Absolutely.

Now for the tough question you call HTML a language? ^_^

Of course now were talking semantics -- is HTML a programming language? Of course not.

Is it a markup language? Yes (and it's even part of the name).


Edit: Next time I'll try reading whole sentences, I missed the part "as far as programming goes" :wub:

Edit 2: As far as SQL goes, you have to be a bit more specific as to which vendor andstandard. So the answer for that one can go somewhere from a maybe to a yes.

 

[pk.sax]

Absolutely.

Now for the tough question you call HTML a language? ^_^

Of course now were talking semantics -- is HTML a programming language? Of course not.

Is it a markup language? Yes (and it's even part of the name).


Edit: Next time I'll try reading whole sentences, I missed the part "as far as programming goes" :wub:

Edit 2: As far as SQL goes, you have to be a bit more specific as to which vendor andstandard. So the answer for that one can go somewhere from a maybe to a yes.

SQL to query out of an XDBC database to drive reports.

That specific enough? lol

 

[bum]

So the answer for that one can go somewhere from a maybe to a yes.

Yeah, this.

SQL to query out of an XDBC database to drive reports.

I'd put this down as a no. SQL really only gets to programmery-programming (IMO) when you're using it for DML and DDL operations.

I'm learning Java at the moment and it is kinda fun.

 

[pk.sax]

you did lose me there...

OK, googled it.. I only touch the fringes of that, once in a while I'd set up a view to drive a server side query that responds better to an end user's simple query (which I write and package into a MS access report or an executable). Sometimes I wish I could really go dml on that friggin data though!

 

[bum]

Data Manipulation and Data Definition. There's a couple others I forgot - something about transaction control and data control? Dunno, haven't had to use those yet (and hopefully never will - really dislike DBM stuff so far).

 

[leiothrix]

I'd still have to go with a maybe.

A SELECT statement can get really complicated with nested queries and wierdo joins, and they can have various conditionals in them too.

Some people also do really complicated (i.e. dumb) things with DBs, so even just reading data out can do something unexpected (e.g. you're reading data from a stored procedure instead of a table, and the SP actually changes things instead of just returning a row set).

 

[leiothrix]

Data Manipulation and Data Definition. There's a couple others I forgot - something about transaction control and data control? Dunno, haven't had to use those yet (and hopefully never will - really dislike DBM stuff so far).

Transactions are brilliant. If you have 10 different updates that only make sense if they're done together and one fails you can rollback the whole lot.

Makes maintaining consistency a whole bunch easier.

I quite like the things SQL, mostly because you feel good when you manage to get a complex query right. Sometimes you have to think backwards, and the thing that still gets me from time to time is remembering that NULL is not equal to anything, even NULL.

The two others are Data Control Language and Transaction Control Language. The former is for security (i.e. GRANT/REVOKE), the second is funnily enough transactions (BEGIN/ROLLBACK/COMMIT)

 

[bum]

I'd still have to go with a maybe.

A SELECT statement can get really complicated with nested queries and wierdo joins, and they can have various conditionals in them too.

Some people also do really complicated (i.e. dumb) things with DBs, so even just reading data out can do something unexpected (e.g. you're reading data from a stored procedure instead of a table, and the SP actually changes things instead of just returning a row set).

I've had to do quite complicated nested queries for uni with sub-clauses in select and and where then joining those to similar queries. At the end of the day, you're still only pulling data from a sink. Shit is still pretty damned hard but my view is that "programming" probably doesn't start until you're using that data to do something.

I accept that this probably isn't a definition that exists in any textbook.

 

[bum]

and the thing that still gets me from time to time is remembering that NULL is not equal to anything, even NULL.

The way LIKE sometimes behaves as you expect and doesn't at other times shits me to tears.

 

[pk.sax]

haha.. managed to hack together a nested report within a report in msaccess that runs a little query in itself and populates with a dummy column with one value to match to another that has that same column with a bunch of values so that it attaches the data from one table to the other only once. Now, that was a weird join, the subreport table looked fucked up until you do actually run the report that filters based on criteria.
Anyway.... the joys of writing stuff for dumb databases written in the last century! (for even dumber clients)
I have to admit though, its quite easy to learn. I'm an engineering analyst so its pretty invaluable to try and make sense of bucketloads of sometimes poor data. I actually view software solution providers that don't provide backdoor access with a bit of suspicion!

 

[pk.sax]

The way LIKE sometimes behaves as you expect and doesn't at other times shits me to tears.

I like to trial out queriest with LIKE and substitute them out with substr as I go, combining with TRIMS, converts etc.

What really shits me is when the database designer has been a real prick and I'm forced to construct a date with concats.

 

[freezkat]

I like to trial out queriest with LIKE and substitute them out with substr as I go, combining with TRIMS, converts etc.

What really shits me is when the database designer has been a real prick and I'm forced to construct a date with concats.

Anybody collect old lanterns ? I just finished fixing this one. It's a Oct 1937 Coleman 242b

 

[freezkat]

Anybody collect old lanterns ? I just finished fixing this one. It's a Oct 1937 Coleman 242b

 

[pk.sax]

Dude, definition of random!

In other news, if I ever quit my job, I'm gonna go backpacking. And move to Nelson, NZ.

 

[browndog]

Anybody collect old lanterns ? I just finished fixing this one. It's a Oct 1937 Coleman 242b

They look awesome, it sort of reminds me of Batz blow torch collection.

 

[freezkat]

Dude, definition of random!

In other news, if I ever quit my job, I'm gonna go backpacking. And move to Nelson, NZ.

This is the no topic thread? I would think an improper segue is more on topic than sticking with a conversation.


We have the Boundary Water Canoe Area here in Minnesota. It's beautiful and plenty wild. Moose are the most dangerous animals (A Mse once bit my sister). Followed by bear and wolves. Ticks can carry disease. Sand flies (midges or no-see-ums) are evil. I don't trust volcanoes.