Microsoft Windows by Ciro Santilli 40 Updated 2025-07-16
A monopolistic operating system that only exists in the 2010's because of the IBM-linked historical lock-in and constant useless changes of the Microsoft Word document format to prevent cross operability.
It offers no technical advantages over free Linux distros in the late 2010's, and it is barely impossible to buy a non-Mac computer without paying for it, which should be illegal. European Union, time to use your regulatory powers.
The following anecdote illustrates Windows' pervasiveness. Ciro Santilli was once tutoring a high school student in Brazil, and decided to try and get her into programming. When the "Windows is not free" subject came up, the high school student was shocked: "I paid 100 dollars for this?". She never even knew it was there. To her, it was "just a computer".
Laws should really be passed forcing OEMs to allow you to not buy Microsoft Windows when buying a computer, European Union, why have you failed me in 2016??? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bundling_of_Microsoft_Windows
blog.zorinaq.com/i-contribute-to-the-windows-kernel-we-are-slower-than-other-oper/ I Contribute to the Windows Kernel. We Are Slower Than Other Operating Systems. Here Is Why. by Marc Bevand (2013) has some interesting remarks:
There's also little incentive to create changes in the first place. On linux-kernel, if you improve the performance of directory traversal by a consistent 5%, you're praised and thanked. Here, if you do that and you're not on the object manager team, then even if you do get your code past the Ob owners and into the tree, your own management doesn't care. Yes, making a massive improvement will get you noticed by senior people and could be a boon for your career, but the improvement has to be very large to attract that kind of attention.
Video 1.
Bomb disposal robot by The IT Crowd
. Source.
Video 2.
Gabe Newell Blue Screen
. Source. During Game Developers Choice Awards acceptance presentation. TODO year.
Water Margin quote by Ciro Santilli 40 Updated 2025-07-16
Something along:
If two men are destined to meet, they will come together from thousands of miles apart. If they aren't, they will pass by in front of one another and never know about one another's existence.
TODO find Chinese.
A self-avoiding walk (SAW) is a mathematical and combinatorial object used primarily in statistical mechanics and theoretical physics, as well as in computer science and graph theory. It is defined as a path that does not visit the same point more than once.
Commonality analysis is a statistical technique used primarily in the context of multiple regression analysis. Its main purpose is to understand the contribution of individual predictors (independent variables) to the explained variance in a dependent variable. Unlike traditional regression analysis, which mainly focuses on overall model fit and the significance of individual predictors, commonality analysis helps to parse out the unique and shared contributions of predictors in explaining the variance in the outcome variable.
DeFries–Fulker regression is a statistical method used primarily in the field of behavioral genetics to analyze the relationship between a trait (such as IQ, height, or other measurable characteristics) and genetic factors. Specifically, it is often employed to assess the additive genetic and environmental contributions to the variation in traits observed in populations. The technique is named after researchers Robert DeFries and David Fulker, who developed it to analyze data from twin studies.
The term "fractional model" can refer to various concepts depending on the context. Here are a few interpretations: 1. **Fractional Calculus**: In mathematics, fractional models often refer to systems described by fractional calculus, which extends traditional calculus concepts to allow for derivatives and integrals of non-integer (fractional) orders. This can be useful in modeling complex systems where memory and hereditary properties play a significant role, such as in certain physical, biological, and economic systems.
In statistics, "interaction" refers to a situation in which the effect of one independent variable on a dependent variable differs depending on the level of another independent variable. In other words, the impact of one factor is not consistent across all levels of another factor; instead, the relationship is influenced or modified by the presence of the second factor. Interactions are commonly examined in the context of factorial experiments or regression models.
The Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) is a non-profit organization founded in 2001 by former U.S. Senator Sam Nunn and philanthropist Ted Turner. Its mission is to prevent catastrophic attacks and accidents involving nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons.
Odile Macchi may refer to a specific individual or concept, but as of my last update in October 2023, there isn't well-known or widely recognized information about a person or entity by that name in public discourse, literature, or notable fields. It's possible that Odile Macchi is a less prominent figure, a private individual, or a namesake in a specialized context.
The orbit of Mars refers to the path that the planet Mars takes around the Sun. Mars has an elliptical orbit, meaning it is not a perfect circle, but rather an elongated shape. Here are some key characteristics of Mars' orbit: 1. **Average Distance from the Sun**: Mars is, on average, about 227.9 million kilometers (141.6 million miles) from the Sun. This distance is referred to as its semi-major axis.
Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) is a non-invasive imaging technique that provides high-resolution cross-sectional images of biological tissues, particularly in the field of ophthalmology. It utilizes light waves to capture micrometer-resolution, three-dimensional images from within tissue. Here are some key points about OCT: 1. **Principle**: OCT works by measuring the echo time delay and intensity of backscattered light from tissues.
Orientability is a concept in topology and differential geometry that refers to the property of a manifold regarding the consistent choice of direction or "orientation" across its entirety. A manifold is said to be orientable if it is possible to assign a consistent choice of orientation to all its tangent spaces. To illustrate this, consider the following examples: 1. **Orientable Manifold**: The surface of a sphere is an example of an orientable manifold.
Cryptography is the practice and study of techniques for securing communication and data from adversaries. It encompasses various principles and methods used to ensure confidentiality, integrity, authentication, and non-repudiation of information. Below is a structured outline of cryptography: ### 1. Introduction to Cryptography - Definition and Importance - History and Evolution - Key Concepts in Cryptography ### 2.
The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) is the official statistical agency of the Palestinian territories, which include the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Established in 1993, the organization is tasked with collecting, analyzing, and disseminating statistical data to inform government policy and decision-making, as well as to support research and academic studies. The PCBS conducts various surveys and censuses, including population censuses, demographic surveys, economic surveys, and social statistics.
The term "real radical" can refer to a few different concepts depending on the context, but in general mathematics and algebra, a "radical" typically refers to an operation that involves roots, such as square roots, cube roots, etc. When we say "real radical," we are usually indicating that we are dealing specifically with real numbers rather than complex numbers. For example: - A real radical of the form \(\sqrt{x}\) is defined for non-negative real numbers \(x\).
As of my last update, "ShapeManager" isn't a widely recognized term or concept within a specific domain. It could refer to different things based on context, such as: 1. **Software Development**: In the context of software, it might refer to a component or module that manages shapes in a graphical application or a game, handling tasks like rendering, transformation, and interaction of geometric shapes.
Repetition code is a simple form of error correction used in coding theory to transmit data robustly over noisy communication channels. The fundamental idea of repetition code is to enhance the reliability of a single bit of information by transmitting it multiple times. ### Basic Concept: In a repetition code, a single bit of data (0 or 1) is repeated several times.

Pinned article: Introduction to the OurBigBook Project

Welcome to the OurBigBook Project! Our goal is to create the perfect publishing platform for STEM subjects, and get university-level students to write the best free STEM tutorials ever.
Everyone is welcome to create an account and play with the site: ourbigbook.com/go/register. We belive that students themselves can write amazing tutorials, but teachers are welcome too. You can write about anything you want, it doesn't have to be STEM or even educational. Silly test content is very welcome and you won't be penalized in any way. Just keep it legal!
We have two killer features:
  1. topics: topics group articles by different users with the same title, e.g. here is the topic for the "Fundamental Theorem of Calculus" ourbigbook.com/go/topic/fundamental-theorem-of-calculus
    Articles of different users are sorted by upvote within each article page. This feature is a bit like:
    • a Wikipedia where each user can have their own version of each article
    • a Q&A website like Stack Overflow, where multiple people can give their views on a given topic, and the best ones are sorted by upvote. Except you don't need to wait for someone to ask first, and any topic goes, no matter how narrow or broad
    This feature makes it possible for readers to find better explanations of any topic created by other writers. And it allows writers to create an explanation in a place that readers might actually find it.
    Figure 1.
    Screenshot of the "Derivative" topic page
    . View it live at: ourbigbook.com/go/topic/derivative
  2. local editing: you can store all your personal knowledge base content locally in a plaintext markup format that can be edited locally and published either:
    This way you can be sure that even if OurBigBook.com were to go down one day (which we have no plans to do as it is quite cheap to host!), your content will still be perfectly readable as a static site.
    Figure 2.
    You can publish local OurBigBook lightweight markup files to either https://OurBigBook.com or as a static website
    .
    Figure 3.
    Visual Studio Code extension installation
    .
    Figure 4.
    Visual Studio Code extension tree navigation
    .
    Figure 5.
    Web editor
    . You can also edit articles on the Web editor without installing anything locally.
    Video 3.
    Edit locally and publish demo
    . Source. This shows editing OurBigBook Markup and publishing it using the Visual Studio Code extension.
    Video 4.
    OurBigBook Visual Studio Code extension editing and navigation demo
    . Source.
  3. https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ourbigbook/ourbigbook-media/master/feature/x/hilbert-space-arrow.png
  4. Infinitely deep tables of contents:
    Figure 6.
    Dynamic article tree with infinitely deep table of contents
    .
    Descendant pages can also show up as toplevel e.g.: ourbigbook.com/cirosantilli/chordate-subclade
All our software is open source and hosted at: github.com/ourbigbook/ourbigbook
Further documentation can be found at: docs.ourbigbook.com
Feel free to reach our to us for any help or suggestions: docs.ourbigbook.com/#contact