Ok. This topic, like so many, cannot be discussed in one-liners.
Peter wrote:
That is not true for server side code. Of course that field is full of muppets but to do it well you need experience in numerous fields, to set up a secure site.
You said there was an issue with finding people who can program in Ruby. That’s a different question from knowing how to set up a web site.,
It is fairly easy to host a site which is not critical, so if it gets trashed, you can restore a backup and hopefully fix the back door which the attacker used.
The fun starts when it is critical.
And anything performing a really important function is best not connected to the internet at all. Not even to get time (via NTP). GPS to NTP is the way to go for that.
No; nobody is changing the format of EuroGA 
Various things have been suggested over the years and rejected; basically none will offer any advantage.
server side is harder. Lot harder.
I think this is going to be a very interesting challenge for AI as an interface
I believe a lot of future interaction will be really challenging from a security stand point. we can get very impressive interaction with data and dynamic interface into system with LLMs and agents approach, BUT not ready for prime time because of security risk (among other)…That is not true for server side code. Of course that field is full of muppets but to do it well you need experience in numerous fields, to set up a secure site.
I’ve been doing embedded product design for nearly 50 years and C has plenty of gotchas but server side is harder. Lot harder.
And it keeps changing, with new security issues etc. And lots of new fashions of course.
I think the reason there are so few good people in the field is that most grow to hate the job by the time they reach about 40.
Peter wrote:
Unfortunately reality is way more complicated, unless one is just writing the sieve for finding primes
No. Reality is very simple. Just as I wrote most people working as software developers have not been properly trained. The reason is that demand is high and you really don’t need much training to be an acceptable coder in a single language.
gallois wrote:
I just don’t understand why we want to change this forum
I don’t think the suggestion is to change this forum. At least, not the point of my own posts.
I think the point is some of us think that this technology has potential to change the way we interact with technology and information going forward. Some don’t and think will be incremental at best. Could go either way, time will tell.
But for those of us who do believe our interaction with technology is likely to change as a result of these models, it’s interesting to think how the tools, website, technology we use could be adapted or augmented, without loosing functionality as well.
Today to implement some of the potential interaction vision, the technology remains too slow and expensive and with some shortcoming. But in all likelihood this will change over time.
I just don’t understand why we want to change this forum, IMO I think it works really well.
+1 for that. I’m not really a dinosaur, I’ve been doing computer stuff for a living for… a very long time (suffice it to say I remember paper tape and punched cards). And the longer I work with them, the more I hate them. And I still like the forum the way it is.
Yeah some old NGO forums do look like hell.
Peter wrote :
How do the websites which detect ChatGPT etc do it? They are very reliable.
One idea would be to run the main models on the post (including extracting most probables words from the model, not just picking one), comparing the most probable next words with the actual next word. I’m pretty sure in a human post you almost always end up with a very improbable next word, or at least a very different probability signature.
I have no experience with this technique though.
I read every new post on this thread. I don’t know why as it’s all well above my understanding. Perhaps I’m hoping to learn/understand something. It’s not working.
I just don’t understand why we want to change this forum, IMO I think it works really well. In the past whether it’s websites or forums I have noticed that the more improvements are made for those who understand the less dinosaurs like me understand how to use the thing. KISS.
This week I took a look the Flyer Forum and IMHO I find it very clumsy by comparison and I haven’t even signed up.
