Its Blank

It is a Chinese-owned app that presents a threat to U.S. national security and could be used to collect American citizens' personal data. Both the Army and the Navy have barred the use of the app on government-owned phones

well now that’s the reason why i never installed it in the first place anyways

It's possible that is the reason, but not 100% sure, but otherwise it works great to generate money, and a lot of crap is there for that reason. Of course, China has been accused of spying through their world-wide operating companies in general, so I wouldn't be surprised if all of this was true.

Their 1989 "Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich" album!

I agree. But, like I said, COULD be used. Apparently there is no proof that they are data mining, however, such apps COULD be used for such purpose. Which begs the question, why design it in such a way if not intended for that purpose at some point?

I should look them up. That picture was just here in the database. If it is from them, they may have made a statement about capitalism that interests me....

Data mining is an issue in general though. It keeps loads of stuff free, but in the same time your behavior is the product that is worth gold to many commercial companies, and yes, also to some nations. China is pretty infamous in this field, though, there is no full proof, but I wouldn't be surprised as I spoke out my distrust for China ages ago, when nobody took me seriously and hey, now they say the same things I said 20 years ago. Figures! If Tik-Tok is really made for China to spy on us or just as a very cheap way to get rich quickly (or both), I don't know. Tik-Tok may be Chinese, but frankly, sites like YouTube, Facebook and many others are these days used for data-mining as well but then for commercial purposes, as advertisers then know better what you like, as it's not interesting to advertise a product to you that you don't like anyway, and data-mining helps to advertise only stuff to you, you may like. I deem it very likely that Tik-Tok is used for datamining, but if it's purely for commercial but also for political gain... I really don't know.

data mining sounds like a major offense to online privacy laws, if you ask me. I know these laws exist because my dad told me about them when he received word from someone I know that their teacher used this app that could see their students' devices' screens.

The code I showed was the C programming language. (I did see a little error in the code, but I can't edit posts). Many other programming languages are loosely based on C, including JavaScript, so that's possibly why it looks a bit like JavaScript.

C was invented by Dennis Ritchie, who was also one of the big guys behind the Unix system. Thanks to C, they could easily release Unix for multiple kinds of CPU systems, which was back in the 1970s really an issue, as there were quite much.

Perhaps you've also heard of C++. That is basically a more advanced version of C made by Bjarne Stroustrup.

C is one of the most used programming languages, and a bit of the "mother" of languages such as C#, Java, JavaScript, php and Squirrel.

Interesting. I have heard of C++ but never used it. and I never knew there was a regular "C" language.

I think that while C might be a very much used language, you have to consider the fact of how popular some other languages like python 3 are. But nevertheless, based on what you told me, it very well likely is one of the most used languages (one of them, python is up there too).

C is a base for multiple other languages, like JavaScript (loosely, anyway). I heard that languages go all the way from the languages we use today all the way to binary, literally 0s and 1s.

I also never heard of Unix, although despite that fact, I still understand the statement that thanks to C they could make and release C for multiple different CPU systems. the thought that this was in the 1970s impresses me considering how it was barely 30 years after WWII, and already we have multiple CPU systems, as well as a language that allows the Unix software to be released on more CPU systems (I have no idea how many but the way you put it it sounds like there were more than I could've thought existed) that I thought even existed at the time.

Unix is the oldest OS usable for personal computers, so computers you can use in a small office and even at home. It is based on Multics, in which Ritchie and Thompson (the guys behind Unix) also did a lot. I'm sure you've heard of Linux. Linux was made by Linus Torvalds because he hated the DOS based systems and wanted a Unix based system in stead, and Linux is not Unix, but if you can use Unix, you can use Linux and vice versa. The Darwin system, which is the underlying OS for MacOS (which mac uses) and iOS (what you find on iPhones and iPads) also uses Darwin, and you guessed it, Darwin is also heavily based on Unix.

What is correct is that computers only understand 0 and 1, in short binary. The difference between Python and C on this department is that C is as system language and therefore directly converted into machine language (the .exe files in Windows), Python is a scripting language, and always need a Python interpreter to run. If you make a .exe file of a Python script, you basically have the script plus the interpreter merged into one file. JavaScript, mostly used for browser scripts, is in the same boat. JavaScript is far beyond logic and slow though, and wasm is a good replacement. I don't recommend to work directly in wasm, though. There are C and C++ compilers out there which can convert to WASM, and other languages, such as Pascal now also have a wasm compiler.

Funny you mention WWII. The first computer was invented in WWII in order to decipher German messages, which were always sent encrypted. That thing was as big as a sports hall, and could do really little. When the microchip was invented, things went fast. Multics, the system that seriously started it all dates back to 1965. The first works on Unix began in 1969. C came in 1972, and Unix, originally written in assembler was then rewritten in C to make it portable. C++ came in 1982.

C:
#include <stdio.h>
int main(void) {
printf("Good luck!\n");
}

C++:
#include <iostream>
int main() {
std::cout << "Good luck!\n";
}

Python 3/Lua:
print("Good Luck!")

Pascal:
Program GoodLuck;
Begin
WriteLn('Good luck!')
end.

JavaScript:
Console.Log("Good luck!")

When it comes to Python vs. C... C is used for programs that really must interact quickly with the underlying hardware, and for big applications, where Python is mainly developed for programs you can set up quickly, but don't have to be fast. Python's primary function is prototyping, although it has grown over time to be used for more.

(And I messed up on JavaScript... it's console.log and not console.log)

Again, very interesting stuff.

It seems like to me that most OS is based off of Unix. Iphones, Ipads, Computers, all of it. It's like the foundation for most of the OS systems that would come to be, but I thought Linux was the foundation. maybe they both are. I don't know. I wasn't around when both of those OS foundations were made, but I also don't know the date Linux was made, so Linux is a more questionable subject of whether I was alive when it started or not.

Reading your paragraph again, I saw that Unix and Linux are like twins, if i understand correctly. I think this because both run on each other, based on what it sounds like you're saying. The whole Darwin thing was new to me, but what I did see is that Computers OS like the mac, for example, were based on Darwin, which was heavily related to Unix. Going back to Linux and Unix, more evidence followed because I interpreted that if you can use one system, you can use the other. That's what you said. I thought that based off of that, the Systems are not the same system but were so similar that you only need to know one system to be able to use the other one, and that's why I think of them as twin systems.

The reason I mention WWII is to put into perspective how far back this was and that we had decent technology, even for then. I did know about deciphering systems back in WWII deciphering German signals. I even watched a WWII docuseries on Netflix about it. It was very interesting, and in one episode the decipher systems were addressed ad it said that only about 20% of the signals were translated. Still, for the 1940s, that was quite a lot considering that those were some of the first computers. I never even thought about the fact that those could be considered computers, partially because I was so interested in the episodes and partially because I didn't pay attention to such little details like that.

What's very interesting is that Unix started working the same year the United States landed on the moon. This means that the Unix system is over 50 years old. That sounds kinda ridiculous considering that this was from my grandparent's generation. With that kind of tech, I see an almost doubtless outlook that within a few years, our tech is going to evolve like crazy. the reason is say this is because in 1969 Unix started working, and less than 20 years later, we already have gaming systems and games, and 50 years later look how far we have come. All of this amazing tech. What's next? who knows?

I don't think the original developers thought they would get this far with setting up base systems still used decades later either. like, if you were a 1990's guy with a game boy to play with, would you expect something like a nintendo switch or PS5 30 years later? probably not. that's probably like my situation. I have all this stuff now, but I can't imagine what will come that I don't expect. maybe 8K 120FPS will be the new standard instead of 1080p. Nobody expected YouTube to remove 720p off the HD list either, or for there to start being a noticeable number of 1440p videos to be uploaded. maybe that will be the new standard in a few years. someday 1080p won't have it's HD symbol anymore, just like 720p.

As for who is still with us, I heard a story of how Apple's CEO dodged death once with what was said to be a tumor that would kill him in a matter of weeks. but that was also a while ago and i remember very little now. After 50 years, it would be expected that people who were adults in the 60's now would be in their 70's and 80's and sometimes no longer around.

so 45 years? that's a while. Gen X generation I believe, if I think correctly. Yes, tech blows me away with how advanced some people can get, and the thought of what we call UHD will be standard at one point shocks me with the fact that that means we will have HDs that are still theoretical in 2020, but not practical because nobody has invented the systems with that kind of capability yet.

Lastly, I wanted to say happy 45th birthday because I am not ImaginationCrew without the supportive comments that make me me. :)

Ah yes, Windows. one of the most well used systems I think of.
Based on what you said, I have confirmed that I was not alive when any of these systems' existence started. The controversy of which system is older, Windows or Linux depends on what side you're on. all the others were recognized as OS systems not long after their foundation. so I think Windows is also because it's still an OS, regardless of the year of official recognition. My argument is that Windows was technically an OS from it's start, no matter the date it was officially recognized.

I don't understand most of the second paragraph because most of it is this sentence that I cannot interpret correctly because of how odd the structuring is to me, and thus makes it hard to depict one event, object, etc. from another. But what I think it means is: There is debate about the first computer. this guy names Blaise Pascal, whom the Pascal language is named after, developed the Pascaline, (which I interpret to be a computer as some people might agree, based on the fact that you said some people agree it was the first computer) a small device that, again, people consider to be a computer. But it's not what we call a Turing-complete, so some people don't deem it one. in other words, because it wasn't a typical computer, some people didn't think it was one. The fact that Alan Turing was a developer of the very device that caused controversy because of his own invention. In other words, It's crazy that he makes one invention then he helps develop a device that, combined with his original, cause controversy.

So my twins idea wasn't the best approach. I can see why after what you said in the third paragraph. Basically half of the third paragraph is that the Linux and Unix file systems are incompatible with each other but the command interfaces are mostly the same? That sentence was clear but the idea is confusing because it's hard to imagine that something that operates on the same commands cannot interpret each other's files. so it's only the command interfaces that are "twins", but not the file systems.
The program for not only Linux and Unix are coded in the same language, C, but also Darwin is too, and the programs compile perfectly without altering one line of code. in other words, the programs are basically the same, code-wise. But windows is not. I mean, I think Windows is a very intriguing system considering how famous it is (out of room)

Of the three big OSes in use to day (Windows, Linux and MacOS), Linux is without question the youngest, although some debate is in order as Windows only became recognized as an OS in 1995, and Linux already existed then, but Windows has its roots in MS-DOS, which has been around since the 1980s.

When it comes to the first computers, there is some debate, since Blaise Pascal (after whom the Pascal programming language is named) developed a small device called the Pascaline, and some people do consider that thing the first computer, however as it's not what we call Turing-complete, many people don't deem it so. The devices used to decipher the codes from Nazi Germany were Turing-complete. As a matter of fact Alan Turing (after whom the term is named) was one of those devices developers.

I'm not sure if calling Unix and Linux "twins" is the right approach (some experts are a bit of whiners in this department, you see), and it seems that the Linux file system is incompatible with true Unix, however when you get to the command line interfaces of both Unix and Linux you'll find out that commands working in Unix mostly work in Linux and vice versa. Programs coded in C specifically for Unix will mostly compile perfectly for Linux and Darwin without altering one line of code. Windows versions quite often need a few adaptions in the code. Not much, but still....

I'm not sure if Dennis Ritchie and Ken Thompson realized how they set the base for systems still in use in 2020 when they began developing Unix (after Bell Labs, both men worked for stepped out of the Multics project). Well perhaps Thompson can still answer that. Ritchie is unfortunately no longer among us, and his death was hardly noticed because it was overshadowed by the death of Apple founder Steve Jobs, who died around the same time. Big difference is also that Jobs knew he was gonna die due to cancer, and Ritchie was (if I recall correctly) found dead.

And yes, when you see how quickly computers have grown... I've seen a lot of these developments go on, since I was born June 19th, 1975, and been coding since I was 8 or 9 or so, but even then, stuff really amazes me....

No laws without loopholes in them. Ever been on a website where you cannot continue unless you accept cookies? If you accept these cookies, you accept the datamining, and then the law permits it, since, after all, you explicitly gave them permission to do this. Only cookies used to store your username and password do not fall under these rules. That was actually the only reason why cookies were invented in the first place, however there ain't any kind of technology or it can be abused, and cookies, invented for a vital purpose, soon became THE datamining method of large companies, since the data gathered is worth gold.

The EU in particular has always had very strict laws to protect people's privacy, however they were not prepared for this, and came with laws trying to ban it out, however as most of the services on the net can only exist thanks to datamining they had to make the loophole that asking permission can void the ban. Of course, it was the purpose that companies would allow you to use their services without cookies as well, but as they didn't obligate companies to do so, this loophole came to be. This loophole is abused in most TOS and Privacy statements, and thus companies can wipe their asses with the law. Yes, it is a major offense, and yet, they still do it, and no you cannot sue them for that. Either you'll have to avoid website demanding to install cookies (which is impossible these days) or you'll have to read the "fine-print" in which the loopholes are exploited very well and interpret it well, before saying you agree.

Everything that can be done to avoid laws that stand in the way to do things like these is done. Datamining is not the only thing in which this happens. Illegal dumping, tax fraud and many other things make use of loopholes like these.

And don't think you can fix all loopholes. They'll always be there. Come up with a new law to fix the loopholes in the current anti-datamining laws, and people will find another... I'm afraid that's the reality we live in.... Do you accept this reality (= tracking cookies)?

Ah! very interesting. you seemvery wise and knowledgable about these laws. I never thought about this before. This reality is practically broken with all the nonsense going on, not just this. It;s the whole 2020 reality that proves that our life can become a mess that will be unprecedented and is unprecedented.

I'm a bit of a philosopher, plus, computers are my life... I've been coding since I was a boy, and since I'll be turning 45 next Friday, perhaps you can imagine, for how long I've been into this stuff. I've seen the time where virus scanners which could scan approx 21 different types of viruses were deemed very very sophisticated... We laugh about that now...
I must say that when the internet came I too didn't expect the dangers it brought, which includes datamining, to be as big as they eventually turned out to be. And I must say that I also underestimated the value of the data mined until a few years ago. However mined data can sometimes be worth even more than a kilogram of cocaine these days, so I suppose it's not so strange people are trying to find all the ways the laws provide to still make it possible in a legal manner despite the bans on privacy infringements are being sought all the time. The current "accepting cookies" treatment nearly all sites bother you with (except for a select few) is such a loophole. And I've a bit of a habit of juridical research, so I guess that was in this case a nice combination.

The point is people/companies may not collect your data against your will. The last three words are the weakness in the datamine bans. Thus making a clear TOS you must agree with and an explicit obligation to accept cookies, forces you to grant permission, and yes, then the dataminers are off-the-hook.

Since the impact is great, and since even political systems are threatened by this phenomenon, they will need to think some more to properly put an end to stuff. And I guess they still have a long way to go. Also the economical interests are very great, and that makes that politicians are not always happy with what experts have to say on this matter.

I'd like to reject this reality and substitute my own (I like Mythbusters, okay), but I'm afraid things are the way they are...

I see. This is very interesting talk. I didn't even know there were 21 different types, let alone how many we know now. Not just I didn't know there were 21 types, it was I didn't know there were types at all. This is very interesting stuff, data mining, and it's political and economical impact. It's a lot for me to understand, and writing this I still don't understand half of it because I don't know economics and politics that well, no matter what interest I put into it (which the interest is small, for politics only). It has been confirmed to me that someone here seems to know law and economics, but also the computer stuff that I'm also interested in (I want to be a software engineer / developer). very cool.

21 was very many when I was young. Today there are so many different kinds of malware that not a single soul should even dare to count it all. Not even guys working for McAfee and other anti-virus companies.

When it comes to economics, they use datamining to show you ads about what they think you are interested in. No point in advertising surfboards to you if you don't like surfing, but there is a point in advertising surfboards to you if you love surfing. That's the idea.

When it comes to politics, perhaps you've heard the accusation that Trump solely won the elections thanks to internet manipulation. Now if that accusation is true or not is not relevant for my point, let's assume it to be true. How did it work? Your behavior on the internet can sometimes show if you are more left or right or conservative and progressive. This can be used to lure you into the groups that may bend your opinion into a "certain direction". How did they know they could convince you to vote for either Clinton or Trump? Thanks to the data they mined. Quite often they don't have your identity, but that doesn't matter. They don't need that. Your behavior is quite often enough. They say the result of the Brexit referendum was manipulated just the same way.

Now these accusations show a bit what datamining can do, regardless of the fact if the accusations I mentioned are true or not, it is all possible. Dictatorships can use the mined data to get a bit of a view on their civilians and find out if they can expect some opposition. And they also fear that in the future wars may be fought by manipulating the civilians of the enemy country. Democracies in particular are vulnerable for this, since the people decide in a democracy, so manipulate them in a certain direction and you can cause disasters.

And you want to be a software engineer/designer? That's not an easy way to go, and coding itself is actually the easiest part. If you are really determined, well:

#include <stdio.h>
int main(void) {
printf("Good luck!\n);
}

Wow! crazy, dude! now i see it! they use it to determine what you want! Doesn't sound so bad anymore to be honest, even though it's a loophole that people exploit the crap out of. also, the code you added was interesting! it looks like JavaScript, but I honestly can't tell that well because the only codes I know are python 3 and HTML5 (partly, I'm still learning). People are also very advanced when it comes to datamining. figuring out when opposition happens is a pretty wild thing, and the fact that datamining can determine that is just nuts when you think about it.

Hey, im in middle school and learned python and java and i was wondering if you know any sites that would work for learning new programing/coding languages?

I'm in the first place a game coder, and you can see my work here: https://gamejolt.com/@Tricky
If it's games you want to focus on, then perhaps C# can be a good language in combination with either MonoGame or Unity. Now I've no experience myself with the latter, but Unity seems quite popular. Unity is also portable to Mac and Linux.
There's a lot out there these days, so that makes choosing harder.

Whoah! You seem quite the professional! Also is C# or MonoGame available on max? Because thats what I would use to code. If both of those work on mac I would probably do C# then maybe once I have learned that maybe head on to Linux.

And how long until The Secrets if Dyrt comes out?

That is hard to answer when Dyrt comes out... Although I'm putting in the final dungeon likely next week, I still have a lot of missing features to implement, bugs to fix and some cosmetic issues to take care of. So it can still be a few months before it's all ready. Since this is a one-man project and a big one, I must ask for patience, but thank you for your interest anyway. I could use the encouragement.... 😉

No problem. I just finished reading the plot. It's a really well developed game. If you need any help with the story, just let me in. In 2nd grade I planed out a entire game. The only problem was I did not know how to code it. And sadly i cant make it now because I cant read the trash hand writing lol.

Also I think i'll learn C# then if I still want to continue programing ill try out Linux. And by the way, thanks for all the help!

A friend of mine made them for me, as I am not a very good art designer myself either. I was allowed to use them as a basis for the characters in my other games.

When I was still on Mac I used PikoPixel, but unfortunately that program is Mac only and there are no satisfying Windows equivalents. I'm even considering to investigate if I can make an alternative myself. In the meantime I use Paint.NET but it has some habits I don't like.

Great! Thats all I need to know. Thanks again for all your help!

ANy time ;)

There are dozens of them, and with Google you'll get very far already. Question is also which language you want to learn.

Im not sure. My dad knows like 40 so he can help me with most of them. Are there any you recomend?

It really depends on what you wanna do with languages. A language that is handy to learn can be C#, as that's used in Unity, Unreal and can these days also be used for webscripting. Lua can be used for scripting in general. If you really want to learn to code on system level then C or C++ can be options. For small console apps you may want to consider Go. There is really a lot out there depending on what you are planning to do.

I don't really know what i'm planning to do with coding. I have made 2 games that are pretty basic but i'm not sure what I want to do with coding now that I have learned what my 6 year old self wanted to learn. What do you use coding for?

Thanks for the offer... The story is however completely done, though, and all that may need is some extra check for typos and grammar errors. It's good to hear you like the plot summary, since I am a fantasy writer (I write my novels in Dutch, though), so you understand how important the story line was for me to get right.

For C# and MonoGame I use Microsoft VisualStudio, and that's also recommended as both the C# language as the MonoGame framework as specifically developed fro that. Visual Studio is free to use for non-commercial projects or projects set up by people who code for a hobby.

And thank you for your assessment "professional". It's embarrassing to say this myself but a professional programming instructor was impressed by my work as a coder. MonoGame is portable to Linux and Mac, but that would require both systems to have "mono" installed. I have not really tried how well this all works, though, since mac has gone a bit anti-hobbyist coder way, and I have not yet a fully working Linux system except for virtual machines, and that is not a recommended environment to test games in. (Linux and I were NEVER good friends).

Ok thanks! I think i'll use VisualStudio to learn C# then maybe if I am still interested in making a game i'll attempt at using Linux. I was also wondering how you found/made the pixel characters. Because in the 2 games I made, I spent about 1 hour figuring out what size to make the characters. And they are not very interesting as one is a smile face and the other is a stick man. I saw that yours are pixelated and was hoping there was a free site that I could use to make characters using pixels.

whoa. hold the wild reigns on that untame horse of yours dude. How on earth do you know that and where is the evidence of it?

And boys, it’s so annoying

I am the only person that hasn’t downloaded tiktok in my class. Yes, the boys too

I know, every single boy in my year apart from my bf and a few of his friends have downloaded it, all girls other than me and my friends have too

That would be soooo annoying

actually, imma take the hate to say this is a lazy and overused idea.

really? dont hurt yourself.

yeah really

Oh. now that I think of it, the whole tik tok thing is over mentioned, like, WAY over mentioned.

ikr

I mean, I see lots of people do tik toks (or used to anyway, thanks life for covid-19). People also made rude comments about each other. It was the hot topic of 5 months ago, and now it's not just controversy, it's practical, social media wide war.