For me, it was the 'magic'. Ruby seemed to have a lot of 'magic' working behind the scenes - which confused the hell out of me when I tried to figure out how something worked a particular way. Python on the other hand has far less magic and more transparency - magic replaced with a transparent box showcasing the logic... Just made it easier for me to wrap my mind around...
This is a pretty broad guideline - One that, if applied at face value, would dramatically decrease the quality of this board. Although I see a fair share of Reddit bashing from time to time on HN when discussing this degrade of quality in discussion, I have to admit that I like Reddit. This said, there is already a Reddit and I think most of the HN community would agree that HN is not supposed to be 'that type of board'.
I feel pretty safe in saying that one's intellectual curiosity can often times serve to be another person's bird cage lining. Further, is there anyone here claiming that posts pertaining to MJ's death are actually intellectually stimulating? Sure, the posts of the Internet slowing MAY be relevant - but only because of their relation to networking and Internet trends and traffic patterns... not because a pop singer died...
Although I could not agree more, one caveat here - hosting a "server" of nearly any flavor is a violation of most current ISP's TOS. I know we do it and get away with it (and its one of the dumbest rules ever), but they will terminate your service from time to time until you agree to obey - it has happened to me twice over a simple HTML/Javascript web server.
...And it is making the "true Windows replacement" approach - again (so many)... Gimp=Photoshop, OpenOffice=MSOffice, yadda-yadda-yadda... Need a great Linux desktop setup? Find distro with the best package manager and packages for your needs and install the software to suit what you are trying to get done... Need to edit a Word doc? Install Abiword or OpenOffice... Need to edit a JPG? Gimp.
Related note: http://lmgtfy.com/?q=%22perfect+linux+desktop%22
I have had a handful of domains through 1and1 - so far, so good. No problems. Admin interface is friendly. Notices via email for all renewals. Don't know how that compares, but I have been happy. Heck, I tossed their referral link on my VERY low traffic sites and each domain has consistently paid for it's self.
Another vote for 1and1, been with them for over 4-5 years, not a single issue. I love how they hold on to the domain after a year after you cancel it... just in case you want it back without any extra charge.
I've never used them for hosting, just domain names, and would definitely recommend them.
