= --- === --------------------------------------------------------------------- ======= -L- -I- -B- -E- -R- -E- -T- -T- -O- JUNE 1997 ========= ======= The iMatix Newsletter Volume II Issue 6 --- === --------------------------------------------------------------------- = Copyright (c) 1997 iMatix - distribute freely Back issues at http://www.imatix.com Comments to: editors@imatix.com Finite State Machines - Programming - News and Views - Feedback - Reports == COMMENT ---...-.-...-.--...-.--...-.-...-.....---..-....--.--..-.-.---.-- So, the world watched with a horrified fascination as the best (and maybe last great) human chess player in the world was defeated by the best (and certainly not the last) electronic chess player, Deep Blue. IBM's shares jumped, and humanity's shares fell sharply. The last bastion of human supremacy, intelligence, has fallen to the advance of technology. Soon the machines will rule the world and -- if the way we treat other species is any guideline -- we are going to be in for a rough time. Well, this was what I heard on the radio, and read in the paper, but there are fallacies in the analyses, to coin a phrase. Deep (or do we call it 'Blue') is not intelligent, even if Kasparov thinks he saw the stirrings of AI in Blue's processes. This box of chips is a chess player like a digital tape recorder is a opera singer. It's just a tool whereby a large group of very, good Master chess players (the programmers and their colleagues) can combine their skills against a single very, very, very good Grand Master. True artificial intelligence, like fusion power, world peace, and reliable software, is as far off as it was in the 60's when the great AI race began. The only thing we've really learnt is how difficult and strange the road will be. I'm not going to try to define intelligence (though one thing is clear, chess playing it ain't) or predict the course of AI research (though I'm sure it's more likely to evolve in the information sewers than in the shining laboratories); there are much more concrete consequences of Deep Blue's victory. We're moving from the steam engine to the internal combustion engine: computing power is starting to become a tool that can do tasks that previously required a chess Grand Master. A car moves faster than I can run, but there is no doubt about who is in charge. When the first cars were produced, people raced against them. When an automobile first beat a world-class runner, it was a time of crisis and anguish, but also the start of a new era of cheap and reliable mechanical power. In the same way, this moment marks the start of a new age when people will use the power of computers as a natural extension to their own mental capabilities. Right now, Mr Blue's inevitable victory will add some spice to the millenium angst. In a decade we'll be using lots of little offspring Blues to plan economies, beat business rivals, organise weddings, and perhaps even write better software. And I don't think that we need thinking computers to turn the human race into a subjugated species. We do a pretty good job of this ourselves. Pieter Hintjens Antwerpen 1 June 1997 Ps. what has this to do with state machines? Nothing. Everything. == NEWS ---..-....-.-.----.-...-...-.---.---.-...-.-.---.-.--..-...-.-.---.- New Software Releases Hit The iMatix Site! Under working conditions that would appal the civilised world, our slaving crew has produced yet another flotilla of updates to the iMatix software collection. Download SFL 1.5, SMT 2.23, Htmlpp 2.2, or even Xitami 1.2d!! If this is meaningless to you, join the club. We're confused too. One proposal is just to call everything "The New Version". Typical exchange between puzzled user and the iMatix hotline... User: "Hey, my version of Taximi does not handle multiple identities! What am I doing wrong?!" Hotline: "D'ya have The New Version?" [Scenario A... User: "Yes". Hotline: "Aha!".] [Scenario B... User: "No". Hotline: "Aha! Then you need The New Version!"]. SFL Ready For The New Millenium Our core library, SFL, now handles dates past midnight on 31 Dec 1999, when a fair chunk of the world's software will start to take its horrible revenge on a generation of cost-cutting middle managers. At least your faithful iMatix software (including The New Version of Taximi) will continue to reject multiple identies as usual. However, we have to warn our SFL users that some problems may occur in 2038, when all the bits get used-up. Unless we start saving and recycling bits RIGHT NOW, we will be in trouble! Shock Horror Probe! SFL Gets Perl'd Last month, a new hybrid program crawled out of the iMatix AI research labs and escaped into the wild before it could be shot and gassed. Yes, a fluke mating between a three-tailed SFL and the rare Amazonian Perl produced viable offspring in the form of a Perl sfldate package. We don't yet know if it's fertile, but it's been seen hanging around The New Version of htmlpp in the iMatix jungle. Htmlpp is reportedly now able to format dates in a blistering variety of ways. Approach with care, and use force if necessary. == LETTERS -..-.----.-.-...-.-.----.-.-.-...-.-----....-.--.-..-..-..--.-.-. >Date sent: Sun, 01 Jun 1997 10:24:59 -0600 >To: info@imatix.com >From: twf >Subject: THANKS! ....... htmlpp is asking for this file ??? >Hello, >First thanks for all the really GREAT software that makes development a >lot easier. I do a lot of java programming and the Libero development >tool is a great help. I even test apps using the Xitami web server on >my local machine. At any rate, I am now trying to use your html >preprocessor and when I run htmlpp.bat on htmlpp template.txt to check >my install I receive the following message taken from my monitor's >command line output: >C:\perl>htmlpp .\template.txt >DOS/4GW Professional Protected Mode Run-time Version 1.97 >Copyright (c) Rational Systems, Inc. 1990-1994 >Can't locate sflcvdp.pl in @INC at c:/perl/htmlpp line 26. >C:\perl> >It seems to want the file sflcvdp.pl. Where can I get this file or is >it something I need to write? It was not included in the htmlpp.zip >file. Thanks! >Terry Funk Ahem, download The New Version of htmlpp again, and the missing files shall be magically made available. We have taken the guilty parties outside, shot-stabbed-garrotted-and-drowned them, and given them a severe lecture about quality control and testing. Won't happen again soon. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- >Date sent: Mon, 28 Apr 1997 14:52:21 -0300 >From: Bernard Dominic Tremblay >To: ph@imatix.com >Subject: htmlpp >I just ran htmlpp on template.txt ... >hahahahahaha! >Grok eGrok fGrok! >grokkingly yours >ben As any serious Grok user knows, "Grok should never be used in combination with Grool", and this is perhaps what Ben is referring to. We can't be responsible for the consequences. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- >Date sent: Tue, 8 Apr 1997 17:16:11 +0200 (MET DST) >From: Torben Dam Jensen >To: ph@imatix.com; >Subject: All OK (almost) >Idea : I think it would be great to have more freedom with dates. As of >now, I have to edit the script to change date formats. I compile HTML >files to both US and European format, and would like to see something >like $(DATE : "mmm dd yyyy, hh:mm") - or whatever. Much like Ms-Access >"format". Sorry to be bugging you with all those ideas, but hey - >that's the only way ahead for you - and HtmlPP. Use them, or discard >them. >Thanks for the support. >Torben D. Jensen. This was a great idea, and we implemented it in The New Version of htmlpp. Something like this: &date("mmm dd yyyy"). ----------------------------------------------------------------------- >Date sent: Sat, 24 May 1997 14:07:28 -0500 >From: David Haertzen >Organization: First Place Software, Inc. >To: info@imatix.com >Subject: We have added a link to your site >Hello: >We have added links to your site from our site (The COBOL Center). >The url is http://www.infogoal.com/cbd/cbdhome.htm. >Keep up the good work on your site. >Regards, >David Haertzen Thanks. :-) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- >Date sent: Wed, 28 May 97 22:51:00 -0100 >From: christoph.rasim@argon.jaconnect.com (Christoph Rasim) >Subject: OS/2 version not downloadable >To: Support@imatix.com >Send reply to: christoph.rasim@argon.jaconnect.com >Dear sir or madam, >I was very glad to see that you put out a new version of Xitami, but >unfortunably the OS/2 version is currently not downloadable (NOT >FOUND) :-( Could you please fix it? >Ciao, >Christoph :-( We always do extra-intensive tests on the OS/2 version, to make sure that our precious OS/2 users get the highest possible quality. This causes a small delay in some cases. [Lies, all lies. They just forgot the file! - Ed.] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- >Date sent: Wed, 28 May 1997 23:23:11 +0100 >From: "Hakan Hjelmstrom" >Organization: iTiTi - IT i Tibro HB >To: ph@imatix.com >Subject: Wow! (Re: Xitami Newletter - June 1997) >> This is the irregular Xitami newsletter. To unsubscribe, send a mail >> to xitami@imatix.com with 'unsubscribe' in the subject or body. >Well, I didn't subscribe, but thanks for adding me to the list :-) >> * Windows installation slightly smaller (335K instead of 380k for >> normal 32-bit kit). >My God! A program that actually shrinks when features are added ! 8-O >You sure aren't aiming for a career at Microsoft ;-) >Thank you ! >Hakan Hjelmstrom >Hawk@Algonet.se >(still trying to convince my friend to install Perl as well) We're fairly liberal about adding people to our mailing lists. If you even appear to show interest in The New Version of Taximi, for example, you get whacked onto the Taximi mailing list. Then, you get long boring mails about the details of each new release. This is to discourage people from using Technical Support too much. == IMATIX WEBSITE STATISTICS --...-.-.--..-.-..-.-.-.-.-...-.----..-..---.. Program started at Sun-01-Jun-1997 01:09 local time. Analysed requests from Thu-01-May-1997 00:01 to Sat-31-May-1997 23:58 (31.0 days). Figures in parentheses refer to the last 7 days. Total completed requests: 49,868 (13,463) Total failed requests: 343 (191) Average requests per day: 1,620 (1,952) Number of distinct files requested: 658 (655) Number of distinct hosts served: 3,478 (1,078) Number of new hosts served in last 7 days: 933 Total data transferred (in bytes): 1,214,450,472 (473,755,724) Total data transferred (in Megabytes): 1158.190 Average data transferred per day (in bytes): 39,177,576 (67,679,389) Daily Summary day: #reqs --- ----- Sun: 4894: +++++++++++++++++++++++++ Mon: 6490: +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Tue: 7419: ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Wed: 6422: +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Thu: 10076: +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Fri: 8413: +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Sat: 6154: +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Hourly Summary hr: #reqs -- ----- 0: 1655: +++++++++++++++++++++ 1: 1433: ++++++++++++++++++ 2: 1917: ++++++++++++++++++++++++ 3: 1707: ++++++++++++++++++++++ 4: 2204: ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 5: 2236: ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 6: 3314: ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 7: 2534: ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 8: 2512: ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 9: 1996: +++++++++++++++++++++++++ 10: 2123: +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 11: 2868: ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 12: 2906: +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 13: 2819: ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 14: 2218: ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 15: 1945: +++++++++++++++++++++++++ 16: 1738: ++++++++++++++++++++++ 17: 1942: +++++++++++++++++++++++++ 18: 1957: +++++++++++++++++++++++++ 19: 1723: ++++++++++++++++++++++ 20: 1383: ++++++++++++++++++ 21: 1372: ++++++++++++++++++ 22: 1446: +++++++++++++++++++ 23: 1920: ++++++++++++++++++++++++ Domain Report Printing all domains with any traffic, sorted by amount of traffic. #reqs: %bytes: domain ----- ------ ------ 11157: 18.61%: .com (Commercial (mainly USA)) 2082: 17.19%: .dk (Denmark) 9828: 15.89%: .net (Network) 8236: 14.80%: [unresolved numerical addresses] 1445: 3.35%: .it (Italy) 2024: 3.12%: .edu (USA Educational) 1590: 2.68%: .uk (United Kingdom) 1308: 2.52%: .de (Germany) 1045: 2.04%: .au (Australia) 1449: 1.99%: .ca (Canada) 1001: 1.80%: .se (Sweden) 892: 1.64%: .nl (Netherlands) 596: 0.99%: .fr (France) 362: 0.86%: .br (Brazil) 364: 0.77%: .ch (Switzerland) 317: 0.74%: .no (Norway) 451: 0.70%: .jp (Japan) 313: 0.68%: .es (Spain) 388: 0.68%: .mil (USA Military) 389: 0.63%: .nz (New Zealand) 288: 0.51%: .at (Austria) 202: 0.51%: .kr (South Korea) 225: 0.47%: .il (Israel) 477: 0.45%: .fi (Finland) 156: 0.44%: .za (South Africa) 171: 0.42%: .ee (Estonia) 117: 0.40%: .tw (Taiwan) 157: 0.39%: .ru (Russian Federation) 130: 0.34%: .cz (Czech Republic) 348: 0.34%: .org (Non-Profit Making Organisations) 456: 0.33%: .be (Belgium) 231: 0.33%: .pt (Portugal) 96: 0.33%: .th (Thailand) 172: 0.33%: .gov (USA Government) 205: 0.33%: .us (United States) 110: 0.27%: .lu (Luxembourg) 157: 0.25%: .sg (Singapore) 90: 0.23%: .hr (Croatia) 48: 0.18%: .pl (Poland) 84: 0.14%: .hk (Hong Kong) 73: 0.13%: .su (Former USSR) 56: 0.11%: .id (Indonesia) 13: 0.10%: .ph (Philippines) 45: 0.09%: .mx (Mexico) 30: 0.09%: .my (Malaysia) 104: 0.09%: .gr (Greece) 20: 0.08%: .cn (China) 62: 0.08%: .hu (Hungary) 37: 0.08%: .ie (Ireland) 16: 0.07%: .in (India) 31: 0.07%: .ar (Argentina) 35: 0.05%: .co (Colombia) 56: 0.05%: .cl (Chile) 19: 0.04%: .eg (Egypt) 7: 0.04%: .sk (Slovak Republic) 2: 0.03%: .lv (Latvia) 16: 0.03%: .bg (Bulgaria) 17: 0.02%: .ro (Romania) 1: 0.02%: .uy (Uruguay) 30: 0.01%: .si (Slovenia) 9: : .zw (Zimbabwe) 9: : .ae (United Arab Emirates) 7: : .tr (Turkey) 6: : .cr (Costa Rica) 5: : .fj (Fiji) 4: : .li (Liechtenstein) 1: : [unknown] Request Report Printing all files with at least 10 requests, sorted by number of requests. (Filtered to show only installation archive files -- Ed.) #reqs: %bytes: filename ----- ------ -------- 657: 14.20%: /pub/xitami/xiw3212b.exe 273: 5.45%: /pub/xitami/xiw3212c.exe 237: 4.47%: /pub/xitami/xic3212b.exe 199: 3.55%: /pub/libero/bin/lrmswin.zip 179: 3.52%: /pub/libero/bin/lrmswins.zip 154: 2.95%: /pub/libero/doc/lrhtml.zip 136: 0.15%: /pub/tools/srcdoc.zip 131: 0.73%: /pub/libero/doc/lrfull.zip 131: 2.43%: /pub/libero/example/complete.zip 128: 3.38%: /pub/xitami/xis3212b.exe 128: 2.77%: /pub/xitami/xiw1612b.exe 110: 0.44%: /pub/tools/htmlpp.zip 109: 1.86%: /pub/sfl/src/sflsrc15.zip 100: 2.67%: /pub/libero/bin/lrmswinx.zip 100: 2.62%: /pub/xitami/xiuni12c.tgz 85: 2.06%: /pub/xitami/xiuni12c.zip 84: 1.80%: /pub/sfl/doc/sfldoc15.zip 81: 0.82%: /pub/libero/src/lrsrc222.tgz 76: 0.09%: /pub/tools/otto.zip 76: 0.06%: /pub/tools/framer.zip 74: 1.27%: /pub/xitami/xic3212c.exe 74: 1.54%: /pub/xitami/xis3212c.exe 64: 0.83%: /pub/libero/src/lrsrc222.zip 63: 2.06%: /pub/xitami/xiuni12b.tgz 60: 0.96%: /pub/libero/src/lrwinsrc.zip 60: 0.71%: /pub/smt/src/smtsrc22.zip 54: 0.92%: /pub/xitami/xiw1612c.exe 54: 0.43%: /pub/libero/bin/lrdos32.zip 52: 0.69%: /pub/sfl/src/sflsrc15.tgz 52: 0.73%: /pub/xitami/xiw3212b.zip 49: 0.74%: /pub/smt/doc/smtdoc22.zip 48: 0.38%: /pub/libero/bin/lrmsdos.zip 45: 1.25%: /pub/xitami/xiuni12b.zip 40: 0.05%: /pub/libero/example/tcpip.zip 36: 0.02%: /pub/libero/example/stripper.zip 35: 0.15%: /pub/libero/example/htmlpp.zip 32: 0.11%: /pub/libero/example/acms.zip 32: 0.73%: /pub/xitami/xiw3212d.exe 32: 0.05%: /pub/libero/example/erbot.zip 29: 0.29%: /pub/smt/src/smtsrc22.tgz 28: 0.34%: /pub/xitami/xiw1612b.zip 25: 0.18%: /pub/libero/example/expr.zip 24: 0.06%: /pub/libero/example/picture.zip 23: 0.02%: /pub/libero/example/install.zip 23: 0.21%: /pub/sfl/doc/sfldoc15.tgz 22: 0.28%: /pub/xitami/xiw3212c.zip 21: 0.20%: /pub/sfl/doc/sflbig15.zip 21: 0.02%: /pub/libero/example/config.zip 20: 0.10%: /pub/smt/doc/smtbig22.zip 19: 0.28%: /pub/xitami/xios212b.zip 19: 0.32%: /pub/xitami/xis3212b.zip 17: 0.27%: /pub/xitami/xic3212d.exe 17: 0.09%: /pub/tools/lrdoc.zip 16: 0.12%: /pub/libero/bin/lros2.zip 15: 0.14%: /pub/smt/doc/smtdoc22.tgz 15: 0.16%: /pub/xitami/xic3212b.zip 15: 0.15%: /pub/libero/src/lrsrc221.tgz 13: 0.04%: /pub/libero/bin/unzip.exe 12: 0.19%: /pub/xitami/xiw1612d.exe 12: 0.10%: /pub/sfl/doc/sflbig15.tgz 11: 0.14%: /pub/libero/src/lrsrc221.zip 10: 0.05%: /pub/smt/doc/smtbig22.tgz Which makes a total of 2134 downloads for Xitami, and 780 for Libero. Now, the US$64 question... What the heck is Denmark up to? == BUG BOX -...--.---.--.-....-..--.-.---..-..---.-.-..--.----..-..---.-..- Yes, introducing that tiny section of Liberetto where we admit that even we are human. Perhaps that is a True Sign of Intelligence, screwing up? * Xitami won't let you access a plain drive - say 'M:' as a webpages directory. * Xitami 1.2c was released with a security hole larger than the Channel Tunnel deficit, and was downloaded 273 times (according to the above chart) before we could plug the damn with version 1.2d. * Taximi still does not handle multiple identities. We've tried asking it what is wrong, but it just keeps saying: "Cannot boot from ROM Basic". This is perhaps a sign of youth trauma. We are going to attempt a total reboot... Xj$Dave you really don't want to do that$%S %^I'm sorry Dave&^%%S!!! == T-SHIRT SLOGANS OF THE MONTH .---..-..---.-.-..---.-.-...-.-....---..-.. "Optimisation Hinders Evolution" "A computer can crash, but it takes True Intelligence to really screw things up!" "Love thy neighbour - tune thy piano" "Hackers do it with fewer instructions" Thanks, perhaps, to Alex McGregor for these. Send in your favourite pousse-cafe's now! == TERMINATE THE PROGRAM -...---...-..----....-.---..---...-...---.-...---. Packing your bags for the millenium meltdown? No email in the bunker? Take plenty of books and drinking water and send an unsubscribe to liberetto@imatix.com. We won't tell anyone. Promise.