MurphyA/hacker-news huggingface dataset:
by geophile | 2025-07-16 03:07:16+00:00
Serious question: Is Ada dead? I actually had to google Ada, and then "Ada language" to find out. It's not dead, and it has a niche.

When I was in grad school in the late 70s, there was a major competition to design a DoD-mandated language, to be used in all DoD projects. Safety and efficiency were major concerns, and the sponsors wanted to avoid the proliferation of languages that existed at the time.

Four (I think) languages were defined by different teams, DoD evaluated them, and a winner was chosen. It was a big thing in the PL community for a while. And then it wasn't. My impression was that it lost to C. Ada provided much better safety (memory overruns were probably impossible or close to it). It would be interesting to read a history of why Ada never took off the way that C did.
by mitthrowaway2 | 2025-07-16 03:08:36+00:00
This explanation seems lacking to me. The same time period had a single-earner home-owning, baby-boom-raising middle class in places like Germany and Japan where entire cities had been completely obliterated by war. They didn't have as many cars or televisions as the Americans but they could pay their mortgage. And blowing up a whole bunch of productive infrastructure and capital worldwide is not the kind of thing you'd expect to contribute to gross material wealth. And gross wealth should be much higher now anyways, since we have so much more technology and better infrastructure.

The only reasonable explanation I can see is a distribution-of-wealth lens. Workers clearly had much more bargaining power during that era, but why? Is it because so many men were killed during the war? Because women who had been working in factories were expected to become stay-at-home mothers? Because of insufficient automation?
by NaOH | 2025-07-16 03:08:52+00:00
>The increasing AI/LLM domination of the site has made it much less appealing to me.

Since you say this, I'm curious why you've also submitted about a dozen AI/LLM or adjacent articles in just the last two weeks. One was even a few hours before posting this Ask HN. That makes me think I'm not understanding something about your thinking.
by ImPostingOnHN | 2025-07-16 03:09:36+00:00
Why would I attack your position? Your position is totally reasonable given a particular set of pretty common preferences ("this" over "that"). Besides, you never asked me to try to change your mind, so why would I assume you wanted me to spend my time & effort doing that work?

What's more, your "position" (opinion) is no more or less defensible than the opposite opinion held by a different person, or any opinion in general, and other people are no more obliged to "attack" yours than you are theirs (is "attacking" really a good conversation anyways?)

I'm just a third party elucidating that this is 2 people disagreeing based on their own personal preferences, which are based on their own personal opinions, and doesn't need to be a referendum on either person.
by qwerpy | 2025-07-16 03:10:21+00:00
I had a similar financial situation. Difference is we already had two kids. My wife gladly gave up her career to be a stay at home mom. She’s still independent, though. The “contract” is that I make the money, she takes care of home stuff and kids, and she gets to do whatever else she wants.

If our situations were reversed and she was the one making crazy tech money, I’d happily be a stay at home dad.
by gus_massa | 2025-07-16 03:10:34+00:00
From a blog that has mostly HN trafic, I get

USA + Canada: 50%

Europe: 20%

India: 5%

Singapur: 5%

Latin America: 10%

Others: 10%

The total from Europe includes many countries, not only UK.

Latin America may be over-represented, hi from Argentina!.

I'm confused about Singapur.
by HEmanZ | 2025-07-16 03:11:04+00:00
Are you being sarcastic? I completely disagree with you here. Even at a young age people can understand that Huck Finn is a novel told from the perspective of a southern boy in the 1800s, not how you’re “supposed to write” when in another class you have to write and essay about Marie Curie. I think I was like 7 when I could tell this difference. And Huck Finn is for 12-14 year olds.

Books like Huck Finn are critical to building the model in your head that every writer has a different perspective, that they will present differently, and even perceive differently. (Is Huck exaggerating to you the reader? This is a critical intuition to get about all writing to make you more literate, not less.) You learn to understand through different writing styles, which is another absolutely critical step in becoming literate.

Just thinking about a world where we take your advice above makes my stomach turn it seems so wrong to what the point of reading these books even is…
by _alternator_ | 2025-07-16 03:11:13+00:00
I think you’re pointing out a real problem, but the solution is backwards. English, like any language, is not a formal rigid system like a programming language. “Undoing” the supposed ‘rules’ of language with good literature shows that the true rules of language are more complex and nuanced than the heuristics we use to teach children, and that these exceptions create richness, variety, and culture. Ultimately it really is “what sounds right” no matter what the rules say.
by 7thaccount | 2025-07-16 03:11:46+00:00
I understand the gist of the comic, but don't think it truly applies.

Each generation has ups and downs compared to those that came before it. In recent times, short tik toks do seem to be detrimental by leading the brain to focus on receiving constant doses of dopamine instead of focusing on something like a book which requires much more focus.

I'm not saying the sky is falling, but it's different from the introduction of newspapers and radio and TV and even gaming. In the 60s I guess you'd watch a program with your family at night (like Andy Griffith). You weren't raised on monetized YouTube ads and then watching Tiktok all day. I don't think they're adapting at all, but not learning the necessary skills to hold a job. This isn't all Gen Z, but a lot have trouble focusing for extended periods of time, not to mention challenges with communication and socializing.
by danenania | 2025-07-16 03:12:16+00:00
I don’t know, but I’d guess they are using them heavily, though in a piecemeal fashion.

As impressive as LLMs can be at one-shotting certain kinds of tasks, working in a sprawling production codebase like the one described with tight performance constraints, subtle interdependencies, cross-cutting architectural concerns, etc. still requires a human driving most of the time. LLMs help a lot for this kind of work, but the human is either carefully assimilating their output or carefully choosing spots where (with detailed prompts) they can generate usable code directly.

Again, just a guess, but this my impression of how experienced engineers (including myself) are using LLMs in big/nontrivial codebases, and I’ve seen no indication that engineering processes at the labs are much different from the wider industry.
by eddythompson80 | 2025-07-16 03:12:36+00:00
But that's fine for an mode of interface, right? The risk is significantly mitigated the same way GUI workflows risks are mitigated.

Every RDS database with a dozen of terabytes that's at the entire value of a business that's running it still comes with a "Delete permanently, skip snapshot" button and, believe it or not, accidentally clicking it is not THAT unheard of.

If AI is thought of as an interface for an application where the "destructive" functions are all explicitly and clearly represented to the user and all the other actions are safe to experiment with is acceptable.

Bad UX (be it GUI, CLI, TUI, AIUI or even physical) can cause catastrophic bugs. Remember the Cisco switch with a reset button above an RJ45 port? https://thenextweb.com/news/this-hilarious-cisco-fail-is-a-n...
by privatelypublic | 2025-07-16 03:14:32+00:00
Rowhammer allows you to corrupt/alter memory physically adjacent to memory you have access to. It doesn't let you read the memory you're attacking.

There's PoC's of corrupting memory _that the kernel uses to decide what that process can access_ but the process can't read that memory. It only knows that the kernel says yes where it used to say no. (Assuming it doesn't crash the whole machine first)
by joseneca | 2025-07-16 03:15:46+00:00
If only there was a clear answer to this. Software engineering, as it has appeared to me, has always seemed to evolve with opinions moreso than tangible improvements. That being said, some practices are almost universally agreed to lead to better code, like defensive programming (proving your assertions relating to program conditions in the actual code), uniform documentation, and, in general, taking your time in implementing structures that will be used throughout the codebase. Formalizing your logic in proofs can be one part of that.
by chimpansteve | 2025-07-16 03:16:02+00:00
Is English your first language? If it isn't, I completely agree with you.

However if it is, then I would make the argument that it's exactly the right way to teach it, particularly to young people. As you point out, it's a very fluid language with a lot of rules that are completely arbitrary. As a native speaker, it's more important getting to grips with the, I dunno what we'd call it on here, pseudocode rather than formulaic structure? Concepts over syntax maybe.

I'm from the UK. My immediate family is from Dundee and Sunderland. I had inlaws from Liverpool and Bristol. When we all got together, especially after a few drinks, at no point would an outsider think we were even speaking the same language, but we all had the same common grounding.

I agree with you that it's probably a bad way to teach formal grammar. It depends on the context though
by SoftTalker | 2025-07-16 03:16:30+00:00
Not sure. To me, there is something about reading that grabs my attention more than video or images. As I'm reading, I can stop and think without having to hit pause. I can reread a sentence or paragraph without rewinding. I proceed at the pace of my understanding, not at the pace of the video.

And certainly, although video creation is pretty easy today, it's still dependent on a lot of technology. I can write with a pencil and a notebook.
by abbefaria27 | 2025-07-16 03:17:47+00:00
I was on the same boat as you. The “Learn Fusion 360 in 30 Days” series on YouTube is awesome. In the first video you make a working Lego brick, and after a couple of hours I could make my own simple parts. Complex objects still seem hard, but simple household 3D prints turned out to be easier than expected. I started with OnShape but switched to Fusion just so I could follow this tutorial. I think (hope) the skills will be pretty transferable to any CAD.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3qGQ2utl2A
Show HN: Salary and Compensation Calculator
by Ava234 | 2025-07-16 03:18:09+00:00
I built a comprehensive compensation calculator to help people make better informed career decisions. The tool calculates total compensation including stock value, vesting schedules, and allows comparison of multiple job offers. Key features:

Total compensation analysis with stock valuation Vesting timeline visualization Package comparison across multiple offers Scenario analysis for different stock growth rates Early departure cost calculation

Why I built this: Job offers today are increasingly complex with base salary, bonuses, equity, and benefits all varying wildly. I found myself (and friends) struggling to compare offers apples-to-apples, especially when stock compensation and vesting schedules differed significantly.

Technical details: Built with .NET Core MVC, SQL Server backend, jQuery and Tailwind CSS. The calculator handles various vesting schedules and stock price projections to give realistic total compensation estimates.

The tool is part of a larger job transparency platform I'm working on, but the compensation calculator works as a standalone utility. I've tried to make it comprehensive enough to handle most modern compensation packages while keeping the interface clean and intuitive. Would love feedback from the community, especially on edge cases I might have missed or additional scenarios that would be useful to model.
by epicureanideal | 2025-07-16 03:18:36+00:00
I think this would be worth a post and a bunch of discussion all by itself. I think there are a bunch of factors influencing this.

If you’re willing to share, did they ever discuss with you the reasons they weren’t interested, and do you think they told you the complete and honest list of all the reasons?

For example, did they have concerns about unplanned accidental pregnancy? Or were there certain expectations related to it that detracted from the experience?
by ryao | 2025-07-16 03:19:50+00:00
> Are you being sarcastic?

I was serious. I cited Huckleberry Finn because it was the most egregious of the books that were forced on us, but it was by no means the only one. Many examples of incorrect grammar were normalized by books and I hated being forced to read them because I could see how it was confusing me.

> Books like Huck Finn are critical to building the model in your head that every writer has a different perspective, that they will present differently, and even perceive differently.

I did not learn this. I am in my 30s and I had no idea that this was the point until reading your comment. In hindsight, what I learned from books like this is that nothing made sense since I would be told one thing is correct and then be forced to read things that normalized the opposite and by the time I finished reading, I had forgotten the correct way. Expecting a child that knows nothing and is literally a blank slate to learn this lesson from a forced reading of this book is expecting too much. It certainly was in my case. It is a disservice to the child and is contrary to the goal of establishing English literacy.
by smogcutter | 2025-07-16 03:20:26+00:00
For my sins, I teach middle school. There’s plenty of different angles on this, but I’d like to highlight a recent one that may not immediately occur to people here without young children: COVID retirements hit the elementary schools particularly hard.

Teaching high school on zoom is one thing, now imagine teaching 3rd. So the veteran elementary teachers retired or quit, and there’s no adequate pipeline to replace them, especially in underserved communities.

Coming through the system now is a cohort of children whose k-5 teachers have been a rotating cast of subs and ineffective new hires, and it shows.
by cyberax | 2025-07-16 03:20:36+00:00
It's a very subtle point! The trick here is that you need to be careful when talking about the reference frames.

To an observer at the infinity, a clock at the core of the Earth will tick slower than a clock on the surface of the Earth because the "core clock" is sitting in a more curved space, and that's it.

The difference between the clock on the surface of the Earth and the clock at the core is that the surface clock can't follow the "straight lines" (geodesics) in that curved space. So it experiences acceleration due to the force of inertia. And the thing preventing that movement is the repulsive force between atoms that make up the bulk of the Earth.

If this repulsive force magically disappears, then the Earth's atoms will immediately start moving at the straight lines, in trajectories that will lead them all into a point at the center of the Earth.

To add: the force of inertia due to moving in curved lines instead of geodesics depends on the "steepness" of the curved space. Which decreases as you reach the center of the Earth. So you get essentially the same result as with the classic Newtonian gravity, but through an entirely different path.
by epicureanideal | 2025-07-16 03:20:48+00:00
> you only ever stand to lose half your resources

Not true. You can lose half your current assets easily, but possibly more.

Then you likely need to pay alimony for many years, which if you add it up might be.. pretty much the other half, depending on the situation, and maybe much more.

And that’s before talking about child support, which can be gamed, because they can argue for higher custody percentage in order to extract higher payments from you. It’s so common it’s basically routine.
by nmarinov | 2025-07-16 03:24:02+00:00
Hmm, I get where you're coming from and I'd agree if it was math or physics or chemistry but I'm not so sure about languages.

I learned English as a second language and while I did have formal lessons, the most bang for buck learning came from stuff like Huckleberry Finn and forums and random songs (especially hip hop) and cartoons. Not because they are "good english" but precisely because they are "bad english" but still capture the spirit of the language. The meaning is there and it's English as used by native speakers. i.e.: It helped me internalize the language. Maybe it was because I had no one around to practice informal English and I needed that and it's different for native speakers. Dunno.

I can't say it didn't confuse me but I know it didn't negatively impact my scores. Despite not doing my homework and not even having the required textbooks or studying properly, it was the subject I had the easiest time and best grades aside from math or programming. And it's not like the bar was low - we had to pass C1 on the CEFR and I've easily passed C2 and have almost 100% on TOEFL and similar.

Also I'm not particularly gifted with languages - I don't know grammar at all and I struggle speaking all the time even in my native language.
by HermanMartinus | 2025-07-16 03:24:06+00:00
I just did this recently! Here’s what worked for me and had me modelling fairly complex parts in a few hours:

- Watch a few tutorial videos on your tool of choice (I was using OnShape) to get an understanding of what is possible - Set up a Grok project with the prompt being something along the lines of “You are mentoring me in using OnShape. Respond briefly and concisely.”

I have the two windows side by side and whenever I don’t know how to do something I ask Grok and it points me in the right direction.
by joseneca | 2025-07-16 03:24:37+00:00
Proofs are arguably still better than tests at evaluating efficiency, at least for smaller components/algorithms in isolation. While there are cases where constant factors that can't be described well in a proof matter, in most cases, the crucial element of an algorithm's efficiency lies in how the complexity scales, which can be proven in the vast majority of cases. On the other hand, relying solely on benchmarking introduces a lot of noise that can be difficult to sort through.
by esperent | 2025-07-16 03:25:58+00:00
I don't think that's fair. The company was founded around 6 months ago and already has a valuation of 12B even though barely anyone outside of AI has heard of them, and I bet almost nobody even here could name their product. It's not that people think she's untalented, but rather, she'd have to be superhuman to justify that by herself.
by snackernews | 2025-07-16 03:26:16+00:00
This is the biggest impact I have noticed in my job.

The inundation of verbose, low SNR text and documents. Maybe someone put thought into all of those words. Maybe they vibed it into existence with a single prompt and it’s filled with irrelevant dot points and vague, generic observations.

There is no way to know which you’re dealing with until you read it, or can make assumptions based on who wrote it.
by privatelypublic | 2025-07-16 03:26:26+00:00
I'm not sure if you intentionally missed my points (because the relation between willow tree bark and aspirin is common knowledge in my experience), or there's just a gap I don't know how to bridge...

But no, at a normal conversational level- most the people around me (American midwest) would wait for the rest of the joke if I said I was going to the apothecary to get something for my headache.
by bilegeek | 2025-07-16 03:26:34+00:00
Their second point is wrong (unless the silicon is buggy), but their first point is true. I researched when buying ECC sticks for my rig; nobody that I've found makes unregistered sticks that go above 5600, while some non-ECC sticks are already at 8200, and 6400 is commonplace.

Frustratingly, it's only unregistered that's stuck in limbo; VCC makes a kit of registered 7200.
by odyssey7 | 2025-07-16 03:26:40+00:00
What if we just made people financially comfortable and secure again? The axis is "feed and breed" vs "fight or flight."

And stop making people move away from their families for a shot at financial security. Having family around is a key expedient to raising kids, just as it has been since the dawn of time. Stop making people leave their families for return-to-office nonsense.

Millennials have been through repeated periods of economic shock, and they can't afford houses. You don't need to invent something new to prevent the next generation from doing the same thing, you just need to make people feel secure so that self-actualization is permitted to happen.

I can't tell you how much I've heard millennials tell me about the grief of the inability to have children despite high-status jobs in hideously expensive cities. People didn't stop wanting children, people stopped being able to have children.

Of course, reality won't stop policymakers from trying to do the dead-end solutions of manipulating people into having children and taking away birth control. Those dead-end options must seem very appealing to policymakers when compared to empowering workers with genuine security.
by pimlottc | 2025-07-16 03:26:44+00:00
It's interesting that we've gotten away from this as more and more things have moved onto computers.

I worked with some legacy systems in the government that still used paper case files and it struck me one day how the "status" of a case was, in a very real way, represented by the file's physical location. Just submitted? The file is in the mail room. Ready for processing? In a clerk's inbox. Ready for review? In a supervisor's inbox.

It's basically a decentralized system, where each stage knows where the file goes next. Much different than our centralized databases today.
by kamaal | 2025-07-16 03:28:17+00:00
I once worked lots of projects in C, microcontrollers, embedded systems etc. It was a start up.

Every time I needed to write something algorithmically demanding, I could do it in a day or two. Im not into Leetcoding, or competitive coding.

Most regular everyday programmers can work these things out in one or two workdays.

Its definitely not like the competitive programmers say, like if you aren't into this full time, at the time you need to write something you won't have access to time, internet and even an IDE and have to write the code in a Google doc(which needs internet connection, when I pointed this out in the interviews they didn't like it).
by ryao | 2025-07-16 03:28:24+00:00
English is my first language. However, I had an undiagnosed learning disability until college.

That said, to name one example, I do not think an understanding of adverbs versus adjectives can develop effectively if one is constantly exposed to people using adjectives as adverbs. It causes a loss of nuance that comes back to bite people, especially when it causes friction with those who know better. I remember in the 8th grade, we saw the play 1776, they were singing adverbs ending in -ly and I had no idea what the nuance was aside from the rhyming. I do not think many of my classmates did either.

The common defense of the status quo seems to be blind to the underlying problems in English education. The status quo is untenable since the issues with English literacy are now measurable.
by CGamesPlay | 2025-07-16 03:29:11+00:00
> slowly / painfully delete every single line one by one before rewriting

I think this one is a visual artifact. I think it always rewrites artifacts from scratch internally, but the UI tries to make it look like it isn’t doing that. The result is that it looks like it’s deleting lines from the inside of the text instead of just writing them.

That said, I’ve also experienced all of your complaints, except the bad edit one (but I see that all the time in Claude Code/Aider).