MurphyA/hacker-news huggingface dataset:
by samuelstros | 2026-01-22 08:40:49+00:00
> But then the first thing it talks about is diffing files. Which honestly shouldn’t even be a feature of VCS. That’s just a separate layer.

There is nuance between git line by line diffing and what lix does.

For text diffing it holds true that diffing is a separate layer. Text files are small in size which allows on the fly diffing (that's what git does) by comparing two docs.

On the fly diffing doesn't work for structured file formats like xlsx, fig, dwg etc. It's too expensive. Both in terms of materializing two files at specific commits, and then diffing these two files.

What lix does under the hood is tracking individual changes, _which allows rendering a diff without on the fly diffing_. So lix is kind of responsible for the diffs but only in the sense that it provides a SQL API to query changes between two states. How the diff is rendered is up to the application.
by gucci-on-fleek | 2026-01-22 08:41:05+00:00
I think that part of it is that relatively few people use bare-metal servers these days, and nested virtualisation isn't universally supported. I also found this technical critique [0] compelling, but I have no idea if any of it is accurate or not.

[0]: https://www.tritondatacenter.com/blog/unikernels-are-unfit-f...
by OldOneEye | 2026-01-22 08:42:38+00:00
Completely agree with you. I skip most of the new tools that come out, because the ones I use already work well for me, and the probability of the new tool disappearing fast is high.

Learning a new tool is a mental effort that makes sense for the seller to propose, but doesn't for me. My mental energy is better spent on my loved ones. It has to be truly revolutionary for me to invest time into it, like the LLM stuff. But otherwise I've been happy with Bash, Vim, JetBrains products and Terraform for a very long while. I don't see any need to change that.
by rgblambda | 2026-01-22 08:43:03+00:00
>Here in the EU, farmers are giving away subsidized potatoes in Berlin currently.

I looked into this story because it doesn't sound correct. It seems the potatoes were indeed sold but due to an unusually high yield this year, the trader decided not to pick them up so the farmer gave them away rather than try to find another buyer. And it was just one farm in Saxony. So this is not an EU or even a Germany wide issue.
by a3w | 2026-01-22 08:43:17+00:00
Sound like the Rationalist agenda: have two axioms, and derive everything from that.

1. (Only sacred value) You must not kill other that are of a different opinion. (Basically the golden rule: you don't want to be killed for your knowledge, others would call that a belief, and so don't kill others for it.) Show them the facts, teach them the errors in their thinking and they clearly will come to your side, if you are so right.

2. Don't have sacred values: nothing has value just for being a best practice. Question everthing. (It turns out, if you question things, you often find that it came into existance for a good reason. But that it might now be a suboptimal solution.)

Premise number one is not even called a sacred value, since they/we think of it as a logical (axiomatic?) prerequisite to having a discussion culture without fearing reprisal. Heck, even claiming baby-eating can be good (for some alien societies), to share a lesswrong short story that absolutely feels absurdist.
by platinumrad | 2026-01-22 08:43:53+00:00
Code that is #ifdef'd out doesn't even make it into the AST so traces of it aren't going to be found in the IR either.

I think I'm missing something really basic. The idea of three different subsets/dialects is interesting, but I would expect all three to be usable at the same time, like how unsafe blocks can be used in the performance-critical sections of a larger Rust program.
by PeterStuer | 2026-01-22 08:43:59+00:00
SO was great for a while, then went down the toilet, not because 'eveything had been answered', but because it became a playground of power hungry mods vs resume grinding freshmen patronizing and shutting down 90% of 'normal' users.

Even current AI is a 100x better experience than SO ever was.

We can all see how post knowledge scarecity and automated contextual niche adaptation reduces exploitation potential for knowledge production (often itself mere regurgitation), but the 'cures' proposed in the article feel very much worse than the disease.
by cge | 2026-01-22 08:44:02+00:00
In my experience, most purely online auctions, other than eBay, do work that way. Numerous auction houses, for example, including essentially all the major ones, have their auctions online now: when they are hybrid, that involves online live bidding where an online bid will cause the auctioneer in the room to keep the lot open for more bids; when they are "timed" or "online only", times are extended in some way on bids near the deadline. It does, in fact, work much better. There is still an advantage to bidding very late: there is no disadvantage, and it lowers bids in cases of irrational or imperfect opposing bidders. But it limits that process to something that can be done by hand.

eBay really seems to be the only auctioneer using the snipable process it uses.
by cowl | 2026-01-22 08:44:05+00:00
No, What i'm thinking is Having the option to choose Salary Stability or Salary Risk.
In that scenario if the employee is fired after just 2 years (worse case) because the project does not work, he is still financially better (compared to what he was getting at the "stable salary") even if it takes him 2 full years to find another job (something very unlikely if there is a dynamic employment market).

in the current scenario of contract works, the employee is getting all the negative effects of changing a job without any upside.

of course I am not talking about complete US style firing, but something in the middle. The option to fire with adequate notice let's say 3 months and adequate compensation, let's say 3 months of compensation after finishing your time.
This way, the employee has 6 months of job Hunting, (I think that is a sweet spot to make it reasonable for both the company and the employee)
by jychang | 2026-01-22 08:45:04+00:00
Yeah, go take a philosophy class. But seriously, you'd probably find it be super interesting.

Pretty much every serious philosopher agrees that “Do not torture babies for sport” is not a foundation of any ethical system, but merely a consequence. To say otherwise is like someone walking up to a mathematician and saying "you need to add 'triangles have angles that sum up to 180 degrees' to the 5 Euclidian axioms of geometry". The mathematician would roll their eyes and tell you it's already obvious and can be proven from the 5 laws.

The problem with philosophy is that humans agree on like... 2 foundation level bottom tier laws of ethics, and then the rest of the laws of ethics aren't actually universal and axiomatic and so people argue over them all the time. It's like knowing "any 3 points define a plane" but then there's only 1 point that's clearly defined, with a couple of contenders for what the 3rd point could be, so people argue all day over what their favorite plane is.

That's philosophy of ethics in a nutshell. Basically 1 or 2 axioms everyone agrees on, a dozen axioms that nobody can agree on, and pretty much all of them can be used to prove a statement "don't torture babies for sport" so it's not exactly easy to distinguish them, and each one has pros and cons.

Anyways, Anthropic is using a version of Virtue Ethics for the claude constitution, which is a pretty good idea actually. If you REALLY want everything written down as rules, then you're probably thinking of Deontological Ethics, which also works as an ethical system, and has its own pros and cons.

https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ethics-virtue/

And before you ask, yes, the version of Anthropic's virtue ethics that they are using excludes torturing babies as a permissible action.
by almet | 2026-01-22 08:46:02+00:00
(Hi, dangerzone maintainer here)

There is indeed a dangerzone-cli tool¹, and it should be made more visible. We plan on updating/consolidating our docs in the foreseeable future, to make things clearer.

Also, plans are here to make it possible to use dangerzone as a library, which should help use cases like the one you mention.

¹ https://github.com/freedomofpress/dangerzone/blob/main/dange...
by maomaomiumiu | 2026-01-22 08:46:15+00:00
I used Zapier a lot, including for Stripe integrations (though I don’t remember if it was for doing payments). It required many zaps, came with a lot of limitations too.

In the end, I wrote a custom API, which saved a lot of money. I’m also not sure it’s easy to properly implement a Stripe connection (using the Stripe library) inside a custom code action in automation tools.
by fabdav | 2026-01-22 08:47:36+00:00
Agreed. "Reduced muscle development in farmers using a tractor mounted plow: Over four months, mechanical plow users consistently underperformed at lifting weights with respect to the control group who had been using spades. These results raise concerns about the long-term implications of tractor mounted plow reliance and underscore the need for deeper inquiry into tractor mounted plow role in farming."
by theshrike79 | 2026-01-22 08:49:10+00:00
Basically skills are /commands that can have attached scripts, that's about it.

If your "skill" doesn't come with scripts/executables, it's just a fancy slash command.

I've had success with code quality analysis skills that use PEP723 Python scripts with tree-sitter to actually analyse the code structure as an AST. The script output and switches are specifically optimised for LLM use, no extra fluff - just condensed content with the exact data needed.
by vanillameow | 2026-01-22 08:49:43+00:00
Sometimes when I use a plugin like this I get reminded just how much of a productivity nerf it is to code without an autocomplete AI. Honestly in my opinion if you write a lot of boilerplate code this is almost more useful than something like Claude Code, because it turbocharges your own train of thought rather than making you review someone else's, which may not align with your vision.

This is a really good plugin. I'm a diehard JetBrains user, I tried switching to VSCode and its various forks many times because of AI but muscle memory from years of use is hard to override. And for a lot of languages JetBrains is just much better, especially out of the box. But they dropped the ball so hard on AI it's unbelievable. Claude Code pulled it back a bit because at least now the cutting edge tools aren't just VSCode plugins, but I was still missing a solid autocomplete tool. Glad this is here to fill that niche. Very likely will be switching my GitHub copilot subscription to this.

I also really appreciate publishing open weights and allowing a privacy mode for anonymous trial users, even if it's opt-in. Usually these things seem to be reserved for paying tiers these days...
by inkyoto | 2026-01-22 08:50:51+00:00
AT&T did not ship with the kernel source code, but they often shipped with the compiled object files of the kernel and a command line utility that allowed to change the kernel configuration parameters, after which the kernel would get re-linked into a new one.

Not open source by any definition, but it was a viable way to obtain a new kernel image. The practice has become obsolete after the adoption of loadable kernel modules across nearly all UNIX flavours, with the exception being OpenBSD (if my memory serves me well).
Show HN: Environment variable scanner for JavaScript/TS projects
by chrilleweb | 2026-01-22 08:51:10+00:00
Hi HN

This is the documentation site for dotenv-diff

It’s a CLI tool that scans you’re codebase for environment variable usage in you’re codebase and detects issues about them.

Example: in Next.js using a non NEXT_PUBLIC environment variable in a client file just returns undefined - no context why.

I’ve personally wasted hours debugging issues like that.
by tomashm | 2026-01-22 08:51:16+00:00
Personally, I’m selling my U.S. stocks and bond holdings in my pension portfolio. Partly because I see them as a risk, and partly for moral reasons: I don’t want to support what I see as the current U.S. oligarchy. I'm also sad to say I've also bought 4 Teslas until I realized how bad things are, but I'll send no more money in that direction from now on.

Our company cloud infrastructure at Azure has already been replaced by VPSs at Hetzner in Europe.
by navigate8310 | 2026-01-22 08:51:57+00:00
Trickling dose of brainrot propaganda and general level of incompetence of the people has made everyone numb. Youths for all care finding love and reels, boomers are content with whatever situation they are in as they consider it an ideal. Almost everyone is not made aware of anything that brings about 2 sides of any story. Empowering and thought provoking debates are frowned upon. The government will try to self-destructive itself, in order to disapprove critics. It is this mentality and situation the present government and bureaucracy amplifies and exploits to the maximum extent. I'm not critical of the present machinery but any successive legislature and judiciary will do the same.
by IshKebab | 2026-01-22 08:52:46+00:00
Yeah but it's one of those useless permission requests along the lines of "Do you want this program to work or not?"

They're pawning off responsibility without giving people a real choice.

It's like the old permission dialog for Android that was pretty much "do you want to use this app?". Obviously most people just say yes.

There's a reason Google changed that.

To be fair I'm sure Microsoft would switch to a saner permission model if they could but it's kind of too late.
by schnitzelstoat | 2026-01-22 08:52:54+00:00
AI regulation has become a dream for grifters. Even this piece is just content marketing trying to sell their AIVO Reliance Assessments using the AIVO Standard™.

Here in Spain, we even have a new government agency for the regulation of AI - Spanish Agency for the Supervision of Artificial Intelligence, AESIA. Despite the fact we don't really have any AI industry to speak of. It provides cushy jobs for the government's political supporters though.
by jychang | 2026-01-22 08:53:55+00:00
That was always doomed for failure in the philosophy space.

Mostly because there's not enough axioms. It'd be like trying to establish Geometry with only 2 axioms instead of the typical 4/5 laws of geometry. You can't do it. Too many valid statements.

That's precisely why the babyeaters can be posited as a valid moral standard- because they have different Humeian preferences.
Users don't care about your app's complexity
by Fh_ | 2026-01-22 08:54:05+00:00
I have a working theory: If users think your app is complex, it does not mean they hate it, they just have higher expectations/reward for putting up with it.

I have worked on making software easy for users, and often I got them to see the app has no value much faster because by stripping complexity, I lost the tiny functionalities that made it useful for them.
by iammjm | 2026-01-22 08:54:06+00:00
I think it has much to do with the GPS. Having a GPS allows you to turn off your brain: you just go on autopilot. Without a GPS you actually have to create and update a mental model of where you are and where you are going to: maybe preplan your route, count the doors, list a sequence of left-right turns, observe for characteristic landmarks and commit them to memory. Sure, it is a skill, but it is sure to not be developed if there's no need for it. I suspect it's similar with AI-assisted coding or essay writing.
by leokennis | 2026-01-22 08:55:37+00:00
Not directly related, but look at this Mac OS 9 screenshot from the article:

https://eclecticlight.co/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/macos914...

Look at the contrast. Look at the buttons. Look at the scrollbars. Look at the readability. Look at the clear button labels.

If only our computers still looked like that...
by theshrike79 | 2026-01-22 08:55:49+00:00
Why would you copy files anywhere?

My daily process is like this:

Claude plans (Opus 4.5)

Claude implements (Opus at work, Sonnet at home - I only have the $20 plan personally :P )

After implementation the relevant files are staged

Then I start a codex tab, tell it to review the changes in the staged files

I read through the review, if it seems valid or has critical issues ->

Clear context on Claude, give it the review and ask it to evaluate if it's valid.

Contemplate on the diff of both responses (Codex is sometimes a bit pedantic or doesn't get the wider context of things) and tell Claude what to fix

If I'm at home and Claude's quota is full, I use ampcode's free tier to implement the fix.
by GaggiX | 2026-01-22 08:56:20+00:00
A friend of mine (from Iran) managed to send me a few messages on January 18th via Telegram (Telegram is very popular in Iran) when the situation was though to be resolving and then nothing, blackout again.

And even when the blackout was not present, my friend had to used some complex V2Ray server (in Iran) to another server (in Germany) to connect and it was shared by other people, so if he cannot connect probably 99% of other people in his area cannot also connect outside.
by adornKey | 2026-01-22 08:56:22+00:00
I wouldn't trust users for tagging. Let the AI tag things and let the users select what flavour of AI they want to use. The biggest problem are the people.

Especially people interested in tagging are really bad. Sane people have a life and don't have time for things like that. Web forums with a reputation system have proven that power users with a lot of reputation usually are the worst. After Usenet died it was like the trolls went to web forums, and as power users they were granted admin rights.
by tpm | 2026-01-22 08:57:33+00:00
> hiding of things like the entrance are the hallmark of post-war architectural trends.. PTSD... American veterans

Post-war architectural trends don't have a lot to do with the war experiences but are, since you are talking about modern architecture, a direct continuation of pre-war modern architecture.

Where is the door? This is Vila Tugendhat, finished 1930.
https://www.tugendhat.eu/en/fotogalerie-vily-tugendhat-2012-...

> But moving to the widows, even from that photo you can see how while the interior gives the occupants a nice view, the exterior hides them - sort of like a bunker.

No at all? https://gaptrail.org/amenities/fallingwater/

The features that remind you of a bunker are more in the direction of brutalism (blocky, fortress like appearance but without the intent and function).

> We know as a matter of scientific study that asymmetry in architectural design introduces stress

No it does not, that's just complete nonsense. Have a walk around a really old (250+ years) historic neighborhood (preferably without a lot of tourists), it will be full of asymmetry, and then measure your stress levels. They should be through the roof, right?
by AnthonyMouse | 2026-01-22 08:57:38+00:00
> That doesn't really work in situations where the industrial base doesn't exist for local manufacturing, and where building that would be likely to take much longer than the tariff will be in place (to say nothing of the costs).

a) There isn't actually a time limit on how long you can impose the tariffs. Nothing is preventing the next administration from continuing them if that's what's necessary to make it happen.

b) What about all the things where domestic production can be spun up more quickly?

> Existing companies can't simply start producing those on a moment's notice - building the necessary facilities would take years, and would likely require a $1B+ investment.

Apple by itself has a hundred times more cash than that sloshing around, to say nothing of the rest of the industry.

> It's extremely hard to justify that when it's likely that the tariff situation would change before production even started, let alone before the costs were recovered.

A lot of this is just sensible hedging. If building a domestic factory would require a price of $120 to have a sensible risk-adjusted return and China is selling for $100, you don't do it. But that's the sale price, not the unit cost. The unit cost might only be $50, you just need $120 to cover the initial investment and a competitive return.

If tariffs increase the sale price to $150, now it's profitable to build the domestic factory. Then if the tariffs continue you make a lot of money. If they go way, well, now you're selling something it costs you $50 to produce for $100 instead of $150 and it takes you longer to earn back your investment capital. That's not as profitable, but it's not like you're out of business. Which makes it a sensible bet to do it -- if the tariffs continue then you make out like a bandit and if they don't, your returns are only slightly below market instead of being well above, which isn't actually that much downside risk.
by sdoering | 2026-01-22 08:57:43+00:00
This reminds me of the recurring pattern with every new medium: Socrates worried writing would destroy memory, Gutenberg's critics feared for contemplation, novels were "brain softening," TV was the "idiot box."
That said, I'm not sure "they've always been wrong before" proves they're wrong now.

Where I'm skeptical of this study:

- 54 participants, only 18 in the critical 4th session

- 4 months is barely enough time to adapt to a fundamentally new tool

- "Reduced brain connectivity" is framed as bad - but couldn't efficient resource allocation also be a feature, not a bug?

- Essay writing is one specific task; extrapolating to "cognition in general" seems like a stretch

Where the study might have a point:

Previous tools outsourced partial processes - calculators do arithmetic, Google stores facts. LLMs can potentially take over the entire cognitive process from thinking to formulating. That's qualitatively different.

So am I ideologically inclined to dismiss this? Maybe. But I also think the honest answer is: we don't know yet. The historical pattern suggests cognitive abilities shift rather than disappear. Whether this shift is net positive or negative - ask me again in 20 years.

[Edit]: Formatting
by Jean-Papoulos | 2026-01-22 08:57:48+00:00
From a comment :
>The first move in the coming WWIII, where the emperors try to expand their empires militaril,y will be to wipe out any orbit with Starlink satellites.

I find this highly unlikely, given Starlink is soon to reached 10k satellites and will continue to grow. Why expand 10 000 ballistic missiles to bring down one of many communications networks ?
by beloch | 2026-01-22 08:58:05+00:00
"Today, opening social media often means seeing startup and mid-sized tech CEOs and executives eagerly praising, defending, or desperately seeking the attention of Elon Musk. It has become very difficult to work in tech without encountering leadership that is openly racist, sexist, or aligned with white supremacist ideas."

-------------

What might have happened at Tesla if they had limited Musk's compensation to a few million dollars? Musk wouldn't have had enough money to buy twitter or buy his way into political power. He likely wouldn't have a cult of followers/imitators trying to cash in on the cult of the CEO and he'd likely still be showing up to work at Tesla a few days a week. With actual work to do, Musk might not have spiralled down into Ketamine fuelled fascism. Also, Tesla would have several tens of billions of dollars to spend on the people who actually design and build things. That probably wouldn't hurt.