Pendraken Miniatures Forum

Non-Wargaming Discussion => Fun Stuff => Topic started by: Last Hussar on 23 October 2023, 12:18:14 PM

Title: One for OLD computer programmers
Post by: Last Hussar on 23 October 2023, 12:18:14 PM
Why did computer programmers used to celebrate Christmas on Halloween?

Because Oct 31 = Dec 25.
Title: Re: One for OLD computer programmers
Post by: Lord Kermit of Birkenhead on 23 October 2023, 12:22:50 PM
Methinks you'd better explaint that one !!  :d  :d
Title: Re: One for OLD computer programmers
Post by: fsn on 23 October 2023, 12:27:04 PM
 ;D  ;D  ;D  ;D  ;D  ;D

First program written in 1980
Title: Re: One for OLD computer programmers
Post by: jimduncanuk on 23 October 2023, 12:38:47 PM
I got it straight away and I never wrote anything much in code.
Title: Re: One for OLD computer programmers
Post by: Orcs on 23 October 2023, 12:49:02 PM
Nobby!! Chew his coat
Title: Re: One for OLD computer programmers
Post by: mmcv on 23 October 2023, 02:12:11 PM
;D  very good
Title: Re: One for OLD computer programmers
Post by: fsn on 23 October 2023, 02:38:22 PM
Quote from: Orcs on 23 October 2023, 12:49:02 PMNobby!! Chew his coat
Why? That was hilarious. I'll not hex him for that.

 ;D  ;D  ;D  ;D  ;D
Title: Re: One for OLD computer programmers
Post by: Leon on 23 October 2023, 04:22:20 PM
You've all lost me there...!  But then my coding goes as far as making something BOLD!
Title: Re: One for OLD computer programmers
Post by: fulcrum on 23 October 2023, 04:29:03 PM

Further evidence that there are 10 types of people, those who understand binary and those who don't :D
Title: Re: One for OLD computer programmers
Post by: Last Hussar on 23 October 2023, 05:41:34 PM
For those not computer nerd...  ;)

Oct (short for Octal) is Base 8; 1,2,3...6,7, 10
That is the columns represent powers of 8 (so 100 Oct is 64, 15 Oct is our 13).

Unsurprisingly Dec is Decimal, our Base 10.

Oct 31 is 3x8 plus 1x1 = 25.
Title: Re: One for OLD computer programmers
Post by: fsn on 23 October 2023, 07:06:46 PM
And Hex (as well beloved by Traveller fans) is base 16.  10 is represented by A and, 11 by B, 12 by C etc, so 31 is 1F

Must dust off my old Traveller set. Actually, I've got Striker as well. 
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/6c/GDW_Striker_miniatures_ruleset_cover_1981.jpg)
Hmmm. Let me have a look at those SF offerings from Pendraken.



Why does my Circle of Life always take me to Pendraken's catalogue?
Title: Re: One for OLD computer programmers
Post by: Last Hussar on 23 October 2023, 09:07:59 PM
In late 80s I was in a fantastic Traveller campaign. It was the sort where the GM would just go with whatever lunacy broke out, at one point Rob was challenged to a duel, and as the challenged he got to pick weapon.

So he picked syringes full of laxatives.
Title: Re: One for OLD computer programmers
Post by: steve_holmes_11 on 23 October 2023, 11:08:34 PM

QuoteMethinks you'd better explaint that one !!  :d  :d
It's a number-based jape.
Title: Re: One for OLD computer programmers
Post by: Ithoriel on 24 October 2023, 04:23:00 AM
Quote from: fulcrum on 23 October 2023, 04:29:03 PMFurther evidence that there are 10 types of people, those who understand binary and those who don't :D

Nonsense, there are 100 types of people. Those who understand binary and those who can work from incomplete data! :)
Title: Re: One for OLD computer programmers
Post by: paulr on 24 October 2023, 07:53:42 AM
 ;D  ;D  ;D  ;D

Several oldies but goodies ;)

I was coding before Nobby X_X
Title: Re: One for OLD computer programmers
Post by: DecemDave on 24 October 2023, 08:24:22 AM
 ;D
Oh those were the days. 

I can remember very clearly at work showing someone how to convert from binary to octal and back again.  (its easy)

But I cannot remember why!!!   :'(  :'(

Title: Re: One for OLD computer programmers
Post by: Lord Kermit of Birkenhead on 24 October 2023, 08:27:44 AM
Perhapes 1 had 0 to it ?
Title: Re: One for OLD computer programmers
Post by: Ithoriel on 24 October 2023, 11:25:49 PM
Fortran, Cobol, assembly code, Vi, BASIC .... things to cut your teeth on. Last coding I did was Ruby on Rails and Unix. Glad to not have to do it again.

My only formal IT qualification is a couple of SVQs in using the Internet and Email!
Title: Re: One for OLD computer programmers
Post by: MooseDontBounce on 01 November 2023, 06:09:04 PM
Lol.  That was funny.
Of course I've been a programmer for almost 40 years now.
Title: Re: One for OLD computer programmers
Post by: Lord Kermit of Birkenhead on 02 November 2023, 12:48:48 PM
OK saw this un on a survey site - What do you call 8 Hobbits - a Hobbyte
Title: Re: One for OLD computer programmers
Post by: Ithoriel on 02 November 2023, 01:50:40 PM
When I was a student, the wall of a toilet cubicle in the tower block that housed the English Department had the following inscribed upon it:

WARNING: Tolkien is hobbit forming!