Your case, while very valid, doesn't address the original author's concerns related to implementing the tests. In that case I feel as if it's equivalent to using GOTO in my tests. But worse, my labels are regex.
We use cucumber extensively, our cucumber suite is not really that large, and with each new feature it becomes harder to maintain. There has to be some middle ground out there.
I don't find implementing the tests very difficult at all - but I am comfortable with regular expressions, and ruby.
It's no more burden to write step definitions than it is to write RSpec directly. I use SOLID OOP to write my tests, most of the logic lives in regular old methods, and my steps look like:
Then 'the current subscription payment date should be tomorrow' do
verify_next_payment_date(Date.today + 1)
end
Since I start with the Gherkin file, I type less than 10 keystrokes to make the step.
If attention to detail is a problem, switching to Android is not a solution. Also, this is the very first release in a massive redesign, things get missed. I'll be concerned if Apple doesn't do anything to improve from this point.
I think the writer presumes that BitCoin can't be audited. Which, I think, is a very false presumption. It isn't currently, and it should be. The best outcome for BitCoin is that it becomes second legal tender (with all the auditing and rules that go with it). This will increase competition with other currencies (and their systems) which is a good thing, IMO.
So, this attracts the ire of the state department. Yet, something like this (http://aresarmor.com/store/Item/TACMHL15) is actually approved by the ATF as not being a firearm. You just need some basic machining skills (thanks MIT OpenCourseWare) and access to basic tools (thanks local hackerspace) to have a fully operational AR-15 which does not need to be registered.
Why should the law make sense? It's a bunch of arbitrary rules put in place via largely reactionary pressure.
If you don't refactor code occasionally you end up with weird corner cases that don't make any sense. The laws of our nation haven't been refactored in any substantial way, ever. It's patches all the way down to the Constitution.
Exactly. And that's the point and design. With a convoluted system in place, seemingly peaceful activities can land you in prison, or bankrupt you with legal fees. I only see the entropy accelerating.
I'm nothing close to a lawyer, but I bet the people you linked to would indeed get in trouble if they started shipping their parts overseas.
The law (ITAR[1] and the Arms Control Export Act[2]) wasn't designed to keep home-milled ArmaLite parts out of the hands of US citizens. The goal was to prevent someone like Lockheed from doing something like selling stealth fighters to an adversary without checking in with someone first. It's basically written as banning the export of military technology to foreign countries without the proper paperwork.
Apparently, to the folks at the State Department, stuff like PGP[3] and plans for a 3D-printable gun count as "military technology" and putting it on the internet counts as "export". That's pretty different from the ATF deciding that a lower receiver without holes in it doesn't need a firearms dealer for a transfer.
I'm interested on the PGP stuff with Zimmerman. If I encrypt a file using PGP and send it to a friend in Europe, would this act be in violation of ITAR or AECA?
If it is a violation, then how has HTTPS not been challenged?
There's no problem sending encrypted data internationally. The "munition" is the code/program that does the encryption.
Export controls on crypto were relaxed in the late 90s (I'd have to look up the exact dates), and before then there were "export" versions of Netscape Navigator that only supported 40 bit keys.
"You just need some basic machining skills (thanks MIT OpenCourseWare)"
I wish I could learn this kind of stuff from OCW. There's some text descriptions of how lathes and milling machine work in one of their courses (http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/mechanical-engineering/2-670-mech...), but not enough to make me comfortable with either tool.
I've been looking for a place around my city (Toronto) where I could take a weekend or evening classes about machining skills, but haven't had much luck. So, I think you're underestimating the difficultly of getting basic machining skills in our post-industrial society. Though I agree with your main point.
I feel bad that I read this while waiting for tests to run. My tolerance for staring at the screen goes down exponentially as the run time of a task increases. And, I think, even staring at the screen allows my mind to wander and lose some of my momentum.
While I agree that it's a problem, reducing waiting is the best solution for me.
An important proof of concept though. Securing such a system would be a lot of work, and they've started the work for you.
The difficulty I see is getting this to be accepted. My approach would be to focus on local governments, homeowner associations, or other such decision making bodies. Prove the technology there then start pushing for use at a larger level, e.g. county level.
