Hari's Corner

I would like to write a bit about how a lot of people in online communities of geeks in general have this inherently flawed notion that their choice of OS (mainly *nix based) is due to their earnest quest for knowledge and understanding and that people who don't choose their OS based on their ideas of knowledge are simply lazy, unwilling to learn or understand.

There is a small grain of truth in their argument in the most restricted and primitive definition of 'learning', but I hasten to add that there are a lot of misconceptions and myths which equate the geek-factor with knowledge and the ability to edit a few miscellaneous configuration files from a command-line terminal following explicit instructions equate to learning. In my humble view, nothing can be further from the truth.

To me, knowledge is a very broad term and learning is a process that furthers knowledge. Merely gathering some information, even highly technical information, does not guarantee better understanding of a subject. It might make you a specialist in a very narrow sense of that word, but nothing more than that.

Blindly learning to execute commmands or programs actually hinders the grasp of knowledge because it keeps you away from the things that really give you knowledge. An extreme example of this would be forcing somebody to learn how to edit a text file using a "geek" editor like vi, ed or emacs. If you feel a compelling urge to show your geekiness that way, it is a process that distracts from the real point of learning something new. If editing a simple text file is something that warrants so much effort, then it is equal to a huge waste of time and effort because there are editors that allow you to do it in a much simpler way without any loss of productivity. On the other hand, learning a text editor because you are genuinely interested in its usage is something different, but I would still argue that it's equally time-wasting as text editors are one of the most re-invented wheels in computing since the invention of the microchip. I find the over-emphasis on using specific tools to accomplish tasks that can be done in other ways ridiculous and narrow-minded. It distracts from the objectives of real learning by focusing too much on the tools used in the process. It places too much emphasis on doing something rather than understanding why it is done. 'Learning' in this way has made such people better at following and memorizing instructions, not given them any real grasp or understanding of the subject of learning.

Similarly if configuring a basic ethernet network connection involves hunting down several text files and many different configuration settings, your learning of basic networking concepts is hindered by your being tied down in minutiae. If anybody claims to be a geek by merely knowing how to configure a network connection in a particular Operating System, that's what I question as a severely flawed concept of learning. Another conception which I find amusing is that doing things the 'hard way' is a part of the learning process, even if that hard way happens to be extremely tedious and repetitively boring. Repeatedly executing a fixed set of tasks is something even a monkey can be trained to do. Hell, that's what computers were created for in the first place! To type ./configure; make; make install does not make an end user any more intelligent unless he actually understands the code itself or at least has some understanding of the theory of compiling and linking.

Of course, learning the nuts and bolts of a system is essential for those who want to make a career of it or maybe those pursuing academic specialization, but for all practical purposes, is that information really going to be of practical use to a hobbyist geek?

I'm not questioning the bona-fides of people who use any particular OS because of their personal preferences and their need to assert their own personality through their choice of OS. We wouldn't be human if we didn't feel a sense of pride or accomplishment upon mastering or at least gaining a new set of skills. We wouldn't be human if we didn't - at least to some extent - identify our personality with the things we frequently use in our lives.

What I DO object to is the sense of arrogance that some people develop because of this flawed conception of 'learning' and 'knowledge' - words they frequently use without fully understanding, a ridiculous personification of an Operating System into an object of love or hate, and the prejudice that anybody who doesn't think in that manner must be lazy, unwilling to 'learn' or simply stupid and worthy only of scorn or pity.

Well, the (mis)adventure continues...

Recently a friend of mine was involved in quite a serious road accident where his car hit a bike and the rider of the bike sustained serious head injuries.

Now causing or at the least, being involved in a serious road accident in which you are not the affected party can attract either civil or criminal liability or both. It's very important that if you're the driver of a car or a bigger vehicle and has caused serious injury or maybe even death to another road-user (and especially to pedestrians or bike riders) on the highway, that you should not try and rush away from the scene of the accident.

This creates a very dangerous situation for the driver and owner of the car (or the bigger vehicle involved) and might be taken as a prima-facie evidence or admission of guilt. Hit-and-run is a sure way to attract severe criminal penalty - at least in India. And when the case involves accidental death, it may even attract a maximum of a 2 years imprisonment (with or without fine) if negligence on the part of the driver is proved (Section 304A of the Indian Penal Code - causing death by negligence). Even if there is no fault on the part of the driver, leaving the scene of the accident at the earliest possible moment is a big mistake.

To be on the absolute safe side, it's very, very important to follow these simple rules which can minimize liability (if any) and go a long way to ensuring that you're on the safe side of the Law. Accident cases can be very disturbing and being the accused in a criminal proceeding can be very unpleasant and stressful to the person or persons involved.

Stop and arrange to take the injured person to a nearby hospital

This is a legal duty! When an accident occurs, don't panic... It is very easy to think about running away and escaping, especially if there are no witnesses. Even without direct witnesses, the police can trace vehicles involved in highway road accidents by the process of elimination - even if it takes a long time. One such way is to get the records of toll collection and police check posts and finding out the registration numbers of which cars passed through around the time and date of the accident in question.

It's extremely important that the question of responsibility or guilt should come second if the person involved in the accident is seriously injured and is losing blood. It is common humanity to arrange for emergency medical care to the injured party as quickly as possible to save a life. If it is absolutely impossible to personally attend, a close trusted friend who will take all responsibility on your behalf should be left behind to attend to the injured. Calling a nearby ambulance service is highly recommended.

Note the name, address, vehicle number and contact details of the injured person(s) and their friends/relatives

This is another step to ensure that you are not caught unawares if the police are investigating the accident and you are not denied the chance to put forward your side of the case or defence in time. If you wait for the police to catch up with you before you admit involvement in the accident, it can create a bad impression.

Noting the names and addresses of the injured party will at least give you a solid piece of evidence that you HAD cared to stop and attend to the injured if the police do eventually arrive and inquire at your doorstep several weeks after the incident.

Keep your temper under control

Even if you do stop voluntarily, you might be tempted to leave when it appears that there will be trouble over the event. Especially on highways, the local townsfolk or villagers will gather together in hostile attitude near the scene of the accident. Tempers might flare up for a short duration, but avoid getting caught in a heated verbal altercation or a scuffle with the local populace.

Even if there appears that there won't be trouble, never take anything for granted. Particularly, don't trust local persons who tell you to leave the scene of the accident or those who try to act as mediators and take money from you promising to discharge you of liability. Your actions might still be taken as hit-and-run when the police ultimately arrive on the scene. Implicating the absent party is not only possible, but highly probable in such scenarios.

Inform the police of the accident and register a counter-complaint if warranted

If you are not at fault or at least there is a chance that the accident has been caused, in part, by the negligence of the other party, filing a counter-complaint at the local police station near where the accident has taken place as soon as possible will give you a better chance of avoiding criminal liability.

Here I'll say one more thing. It's important not to make a deal with the police without getting a written assurance from the other party that they will drop charges if you offer them some kind of monetary compensation. Never take the assurances of the police for granted!

In the less serious accidents, compromise is often possible and indeed desirable from everybody's point of view. But compromises should be made in the proper manner and the police should not be given a chance to take advantage of your absence to establish and file charges. Trying to bribe policemen can be a double-edged weapon and very dangerous! Be very careful in such a situation.

Inform your lawyers immediately

If there is a good chance of getting charged on a criminal offence, it is important to get in touch with a good lawyer as soon as you can and let them know the whole facts of the case. A lawyer can definitely be a help and a support in dealing with the situation and in the worst case scenario, a lawyer will help you wade through the technicalities of criminal proceedings.

If there are regular hearings of the case, you might be able to get the court's permission from having to appear in every single hearing.

That's about it. Being involved in road accidents is never pleasant and is nearly always stressful and panic-inducing. Following these tips will not be easy or natural, but it will save a lot of trouble in the long run.

Disclaimer: Ultimately, I am not a qualified lawyer (yet). I am a law student and I can only state opinions based on my own understanding of law. Consult a legal specialist in road accident cases to be properly and authoritatively advised. The suggestions in this article are purely general and advisory in nature based on my limited knowledge of Indian Law.

Thanks to Debian's huge package repository I've discovered quite a few decent Real-Time Strategy games in Linux. If you like RTS gaming, here are a few you might like to try:

Bos Wars

A futuristic RTS game with a rate-based economy system (rather than an absolute system where you collect "1000 gold, 500 wood, 50 energy" etc. I actually tried this out, but the AI is highly aggressive even in easy mode and rushes you even before you have time to build a few basic structures.

Boson

Though I've not tried it out, this is actually more than a game. It's an RTS engine that can be extended to create new games and scenarios.

Globulation 2

An unusual RTS game that does away with the usual clickity-click micromanagement usually found in most RTS of the collect-food-wood-gold-build-until-you-die" variety. Seems interesting enough to explore though graphically it seems rather underwhelming. Worth trying out.

Glest

Looks very promising for a fantasy RTS gamer. Screenshots look really tempting and attractive. Another on the must-try list.

Widelands

An Open Source RTS game inspired by Settlers 1 and 2 (which I've never played myself).

In general, RTS games in Linux seem harder to learn and master than a typical Windows RTS game. The AI also doesn't seem to be as advanced, which is quite understandable considering the effort and time needed to code a really sophisticated AI. I guess these games are mostly targetted at multiple human players over a network or the internet.

I'm not as patient as I used to be some years ago when I was really a big fan of RTS. Now I prefer Pacman and Tetris.

Our cop finally gets to DO something, for a change!