skysight-inc/HackerNews huggingface dataset:
The trouble is a lack of peers. For many years our codebase was completely maintained by no more than three people, and often just one or two. Two of those people are gone now (I'm the third) and we've been trying to increase the number of developers who know the codebase well. The tech leads are the in-house developers who have a range of experience on this codebase, from two years to a couple of months. The bulk of the developers are at an offshore subcontractor who has a very high turnover rate, our last project started with a team that mostly had no experience with the codebase, other than their tech lead.

So yeah, two developers can review each others code, but if neither of them have much experience with the codebase they can't maintain quality very well. (We get a lot of cut-and-paste and magic-incantation coding from the inexperienced developers.) Slowly but surely we're improving things, and while I'm still the only developer with broad knowledge of the entire codebase, the others have become experienced with different parts of it, so I'm not the bottleneck I used to be.

One nice thing about my company: while we've got a big-corporate bias for process-at-any-cost, we're pretty flexible about trying out different variations on the process with each project in order to improve our approach. It's slow going, much slower than it would be in a startup, but it's not the brain-dead process quagmire a lot of companies have either.
> 3¢ for every 1,000 tweets.

I wonder what Twitter's IT cost is (servers, electricity, etc.) for Google to crawl these 1k tweets.

Close to zero, yes, but not exactly zero.

Does selling indexing rights have a 85% profit margin, or a 99% profit margin?
so, the complaint is that people who don't understand jquery use it incorrectly/inefficiently?
I absolutely agree.

Don't do what you think you should do but what you can't not do.

There's that thing for each of us.
This comment is way better than my post.
You didn't read the article (which incidentally isn't worth reading).

Basically the final point after lots of text is that you want all the precision because sometimes you want to use a number that can be represented exactly in binary float.

Doesn't really address the point that it still makes no difference to the final value.
They discovered that the scientist had converted his living room into a monitoring station for extra-terrestrial life: Six powerful computers were running a program that analyzed radio signals from outer space.

Not to make light of a tragic story, but I hope no police or news media ever have anything to say about my life.
After the dot-com bust I spent a few years traveling and ruminating. But I also tried volunteering. I talked to the San Francisco Public Library, the Red Cross and a short list of other organizations. I offered a large block of time (up to 6 mos) and any kind of product or technical help up to engineering management.

I got very nice responses from folks in these orgs who'd clearly dealt with prior attempted tech volunteers. Each explained how they weren't built to accept this kind of help. At the bottom of chart, there was an endless need and clean ability for rotating staff. But in the middle? Not so much. Too many egos, difficult knowledge transfer, etc.

I wish you better luck. There's clearly a support problem to crack.
required reading: The Little Manual of API Design http://chaos.troll.no/~shausman/api-design/api-design.pdf [pdf]
Man, that's intimidating. I found 2 new tricks on the top screen and I still don't want to scroll through the rest.
Do you think the article considers programmers as IT workers? I think so. It's in the quote:

The folks at Apple Computer, I'm guessing right now, are feeling very purposeful at work

Sure Apple has an IT department, but I'll bet that quote isn't talking about Apple's internal systems that its IT department maintains. I've recently learned the hard way, that IT does not really mean programming as those who frequent HN think of it.

Programmers in IT, spend much of their time writing the necessary glue code that gets 2 or more other systems talking. Usually, at least one of those systems is a poorly-documented piece of vendorware. If your IT programming job includes the web, then add to that making things work in IE6. It's hell on earth.
If only there were a way to purchase electronics using a 'machine' from the comfort of your home and then utilize some sort of electronic banking mechanism to pay for it and then a shipping company to transport it to your door. That would solve this issue.
The dreaded Y2.01K Bug
The "especially considering that it's in Boulder" statement really rubbed me wrong. The rate at which the Techstars founders are succeeding isn't surprising, if you look at the caliber of mentorship that's available in the area.

I'm originally from the SV, and am currently fairly active in the Boulder startup and tech community. I've been very impressed with the accessibility of prominent investors and successful founders in Boulder. There's the same type of geek magic here that the SV has. There's the same communal desire to help other startups succeed and grow, but with a tight-knit small-town feel.

If you haven't tried Boulder's tech community on for size, you really should. Hit http://boulder.me for more.
Just the way I like it :)
I'm inclined to believe it was just SETI@home. After all the other eccentricities they'd described, that seemed rather anticlimactic.
WebOS 1.4 coming in February with built-in Flash...
It's not just for tax purposes - Delaware also has the most established corporate law, so companies can expect fewer legal surprises.
nice, it's a starting point for research anyway, thx
Well, I'll be damned. If you hit me with one more of these, I will be forced to revise my opinion, which I absolutely hate to do.
I'm curious to see what developers think about how this changes the competitive landscape. Is the device still not in enough people's hands to make it worth it?
Precisely! But there's absolutely no reason why it can't be, aside from the inelegant, weak, and opaque abstractions we're using.

Interestingly enough, you are talking about these abstractions in a completely abstract way. I wonder: what are these inelegant, weak and opaque abstraction you speak of? Can you give me an example? Show them to me in some fashion? Tell me how they come about and what we can do to replace them with better ones?

As far as I can see, your analysis contains no concrete characteristics whatsoever. It doesn't provide anything I can test or reason about. Compare: there is absolutely no reason why there couldn't be world peace, if it weren't for the inelegant, weak and opaque morality people have.
The external dimensions are 8.5" by 11" (same as US Letter paper) and 0.3" thick. According to the nice charts at the MobileRead wiki, this is larger than the Kindle DX but also slightly thinner and lighter (each is about 1 pound):

http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/E-book_Reader_Matrix
This isn't so clear cut for me. In many endeavors, it is far easier to copy than to invent. Patents and the entire field of IP law exists to give innovators and creators more incentives to take on risky or costly projects that ultimately provide value.

Do people have a problem with:

1.) The concept of owning IP (and collecting the rewards)

2.) That there is human subjectivity in the process

3.) That the legal system for resolving disputes is broken and hackable via expensive lawyers?

For me I think I'm only angry at (3) and some of (2), and maybe there is a way to fix the system while keeping most of the current spirit of the law intact.
Analyzing radio signals from outerspace? What else could it be but S@H? (I wonder if he had an F@H setup in his basement :))
Even when a patent claim tries to tie a mathematical algorithm to a machine, the legal tests get all convoluted.

For example, in Ex Parte Gutta (BPAI 2009) (decided August, made precedential December, 2009), the current USPTO test for patentability in such a case is set out:

"(1) Is the claim limited to a tangible practical application, in which the mathematical algorithm is applied, that results in a real-world use (e.g., 'not a mere field-of-use label having no significance')?

(2) Is the claim limited so as to not encompass substantially all practical applications of the mathematical algorithm either 'in all fields' of use of the algorithm or even in 'only one field?'"

If the answer to either question is "no," the claim fails.

In that case, the claim indicated that a processor (working with memory) is configured to identify a "mean item" whose symbolic value minimizes the variance of a set. (See http://www.patentlyo.com/patent/2009/12/patentable-subject-m... for a visual depiction)

The BPAI found that the claim failed the first prong by not limiting itself to any "tangible practical application in which the mathematical algorithm is applied that result in a real-world use." Likewise, the claim failed the second prong because it "encompasses substantially all practical applications" of the algorithm. "That is we are unable to identify any other practical application [of the algorithm] outside of the broadly defined claim."

Any time someone tries to grab a monopoly on an algorithm, there is a real danger to innovation. Sometimes (as here) common sense prevails but often it does not.
Oh, so they just wanted his money. Nothing sensational there.

(Tragic and shameful nonetheless)
Jens Redmer on Google PowerMeter
> If present trends continue, the only recourse available to the majority of America's brilliant software developers will be to give up software or to emigrate.

There is one other alternative which is available to anyone not selling their software... ignore patents. I'm not sure if it's a legal option, but it certainly seems to be the common case. I know I don't bother to stop and figure out if an idea is patented before I implement it for my own uses.
It is when you left it in your trunk out of sight. My car doesn't get randomly broken into, when was yours?
Pew Research asks questions about the Internet in 2020
Suggestion to the author: learn about fuzzy logic and than start to think.
Ask HN: Have you used Appcelerator Titanium for mobile or desktop dev?
I stumbled upon the cross-platform development tools by Appcelerator (http://www.appcelerator.com/) and I'm currently playing with it to see if I can use to build a cross-platform semi offline/online application for bands and artists.

I was wondering if anybody else has been using it and I would like to know what your experience is in using it.
Why did we take reddit down for 71 minutes?
Software, and for that matter, movies and books are already covered quite effectively by copyright. If we already have IP protection that provides incentives to take on risky and costly projects, why do we need yet another protection? Especially one which has been demonstrated to be bad for companies and consumers.
"Prosecution is also more common thanks to surveillance cameras and other new tools."

A sadly ironic statement, considering the victim's struggles with paranoia.
>Google and Microsoft are paying roughly 3¢ for every 1,000 tweets. That's a pittance in the world of online advertising.

Completely irrelevant comparison. They aren't selling advertising.
It would be a grievous mistake to assume that the current limitations of the distribution network will remain in place forever.
Dear Media,

The A Beautiful Mind guy is real, and he has a name. It's John Nash. You should start using it more often as, movie or no movie, he's a remarkable guy in his own right.
I agree - plenty of sites, why visit one that annoys you - but I will say that with advertising it is becoming less and less the case that the site actually chooses or even knows what ads are showing on their site.
This is the best list of vim tips online I believe, and the author is always updating it.
Last update: 22-DEC-09

One of my favorites that has saved me a ton of time more than once:

" rename a string with an incrementing number

:let i=10 | 'a,'bg/Abc/s/yy/\=i/ |let i=i+1 # convert yy to 10,11,12 etc
> Patents and the entire field of IP law exists to give innovators and creators more incentives to take on risky or costly projects that ultimately provide value.

This may be true, but has anyone ever verified that IP law actually brings about more innovation? It certainly provides a legal framework to build a business around a new idea, but it's unclear to me whether it actually causes people to come up with more new ideas.
>My car doesn't get randomly broken into

Um...
Don't you think saying this is akin to saying a rape is the victim's fault because she wore a short skirt?
It's possible that the changes from software patents haven't trickled down far enough yet. Currently it's just the big players, but once a patent troll finds a way to extract money from local software shops the landscape will change dramatically. Ignoring software patents works as long as everyone does it; it just takes one organization to bring it all down.
Faster programs. GUI's were possible with early 60's hardware [1]. UX performance hasn't scaled linearly with hardware speed, and I imagine that back abstractions are to blame.

1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOZqRJzE8xg
I'm a little confused here. First, let me echo my sibling comment by saying that, yes, $ is a function, but no, the name "$var" will not execute the $ function. To me it's a method of notation, as the sibling also said.

But you seem to understand that point, so I'm confused why you said what you said.

You're saying using $ as notation might confuse people new to jQuery and presumably javascript, who might not realize that $ is a function. You're saying that they would or might therefore conflate $var with $('selector'), leading to inefficient code?

So, I should abandon a concise convention because a tiny subset of the programmer population might misinterpret a detail of my code, causing them to implement superficially similar code in an inefficient way? Is this a problem you run into a lot?
I know...i emailed them and by the time my email got to them, the reply I got was "freeday ended 2 minutes ago".

How convenient.
What a generous offer! Thanks for sharing your experience. One of the key things Catchafire is hoping to do is guide non-profits to determine discrete, short-term projects. Clear goals help them get organized and have been proven to facilitate quality volunteer experiences. Obviously, though, it's not an easy thing to accomplish.
Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbour!
Well its not over now!!!!
It would be interesting to see how they implement a market for this.
I've had a similar experience - it was pretty discouraging the first time but I soon realized I should still go for it and trust I could come up with a better solution.
Unique LOST Character Figures
Not a surprise. I still feel this is where their revenue will come from.
But what advantage is there to be gained?

Faster software, for one. User experience hasn't increased with the same speed as hardware has because we have a lot of inefficient abstractions. I'll quote Bjarne Stroustrup [1], if I may:

Complaining about software is a popular pastime, but much software has become better over the last decade, exactly as it improved in previous decades. Unfortunately, the improvements have come at tremendous cost in terms of human effort and computer resources. Basically, we have learned how to build reasonably reliable systems out of unreliable parts by adding endless layers of runtime checks and massive testing. The structure of the code itself has sometimes changed, but not always for the better. Often, the many layers of software and the intricate dependencies common in designs prevent an individual—however competent—from fully understanding a system. This bodes ill for the future: we do not understand and cannot even measure critical aspects of our systems.

1. http://cacm.acm.org/magazines/2010/1/55760-what-should-we-te...
I'm really starting to wish there was a way to merge submissions.
Unless, of course, the following things make you come alive: torturing small animals, clear-cutting forests, running Ponzi schemes, igniting bombs near daycares, exploiting poor people in the developing world, taking advantage of the mentally disabled, or any of the other thousands of activities that surely some people enjoy, but we don't think contribute to the greater good.
Mediaroom is surprisingly awesome. My in-laws have it via UVerse, as do much of their family. A bunch of them were telling me over Christmas how easy they found it to do things like share a photo slideshow across every room in the house, etc.
Agreed. SETI@home is exactly the sort of thing an engineer would run in the background on a cluster of computers. And a cluster of computers is exactly the sort of thing a guy would have if he were making millions through "investment algorithms".

I suppose he wouldn't have been much better off if he ran Folding@home instead. The article would probably have said something like "Six powerful computers were found analyzing the inner workings of mad cow disease."
Great news for internet startups. The more unfocused they are more companies they have to buy to catch up. Also, more time for startups to outmaneuver Google.
It's not realistically possible, though: many software components have millions of lines of code - code bases that would take years to really understand.
http://valhenson.livejournal.com/3580.html
7 million iphones sold

That's last quarter alone, not counting iPods, not considering the potential of a new device, which presumably will also lack Flash. Also not counting any of the other mobile devices that support web browsing which also lack Flash, of which there are many.

It's not approaching total PC sales, but that's not the point. Flash-less devices don't need to outsell PCs in order to have an impact on them. It's a big number. It's a growing number. It's a number that represents the declining relevance of Flash, among other things. The point really isn't the devices themselves, but with the fact that people are using the web more and more without Flash, and Adobe has no foothold.

how many pcs/macs are sold which come with full Flash support

Which a growing number of users promptly disable. Consider that the most popular web browser plugins and extensions are for blocking ads, which incidentally means they block most of the Flash content on the web. To me, that suggests that if you can give users decent alternatives to the other core uses of Flash--the things they actually like, like video--they won't miss it. This was easier for Apple to do with the iPhone, but I'd say they did it successfully. It seems like only a matter of time on the desktop, which is why I say it's dwindling and not that "X will kill it".

The poor iPhone users with no Flash support deal with it because they bought an Apple product and know 'the deal'.

This is just a repeat of the incredibly naive and hackneyed idea that Apple is floating on die hard true believers, and not the same sea of average customers as everybody else. In point of fact, most of Apple's revenue in the past decade has come from people who use Windows and have no particular attachment to the brand. Not enough of one, anyway, to persuade them that something that really is important to them isn't.

No, more likely is that supposedly vital things like Flash support, MMS, and copy-and-paste (don't forget copy-and-paste!) are not actually important features to very many people at all. They may be desirable and appreciated, but in practice they don't make much difference as to whether people buy them or not.
Hackers for Charity! http://www.hackersforcharity.org/

I also have a friend who runs a non-profit called Caring Compy: http://caringcompy.blogspot.com/

There's a ton of things you can do to better yourself, and the world.
The site being designed in black and white just because the Que display is B/W seems strange. Are they trying to indelibly impress the fact that this thing is B/W?
So what serious issues did you have in mind? Or are you shopping for $MEANINGFUL_LIFE?

Sorry if this feels a bit pointed, but a meaningful life is not something that others can give you, or even recommend to you. I could tell you that third world literacy is the number one cause you should support, but that's what I believe.

Figure out the causes that matter to you, research those, then maybe you'll find some angle of attack.

Incidentally, a guy who did this wrote a book "Leaving Microsoft to Change the World". He was a marketing guy, but he does run his charity with a lot of the style of a tech company. Maybe that book will give you ideas.

http://www.leavingmicrosoftbook.com/
Many companies function in this way and problems do not typically arise in a day-to-day sense in most cases.

However, in any due diligence situation (e.g., funding or acquisition), patent problems are likely to be unearthed and can then be very serious unless a ready workaround is at hand.
Django-dbgettext -- extract translatable strings from Django models
Build a startup that creates revenue for both yourself and your clients. Employ people, get your clients more capital to employ people themselves because of what you can do for them, and help reinvigorate America's economy.

In a capitalist country, the best way to contribute to the greater good is through productivity and excellence.
I think the iTunes LP API (not sure what it's actually called) will play a very big part in this thing.
I'm currently hiring a small team of developers at Philanthrokidz, a new startup in Waterloo, Ontario. If you've got programming chops and want to use them to make the world a better place, drop me a line. My email's in my profile (behind a CAPCHA).

http://philanthrokidz.com
Until you do....

And then you turn to someone with expertise on the subject or obtain the expertise. You cannot possibly be an expert on everything computerrelated.
C is not an example, because you can still access assembly if you want (using conditional compilation, integrated assembly), just like every OS does.

Word doesn't give you low level access, and that is why it is so despised by technical people. On the other hand, see how latex is so useful exactly because it gives you the option to manipulate the lower level structure of your document.

In my point of view there is nothing wrong with specialization, as long as you have the option to go low level if you want/need.
From my experience it takes about 3-5 times longer to get a job now vs. 2004.
I understand that lots of nooks have shipped. If you order one today, you won't get it for about a month when I write this (accd to http://www.barnesandnoble.com/nook/index.asp?cds2Pid=32280), but nooks are shipping now if you ordered one previously.
Continue!!! If your idea/product/service has a market, then it is likely that competition will ensue anyways. Leaders in every field can reap huge profits from an early entrance. the case of now defunct FreeMarkets (aqcuired by its biggest competitor) in the procurement filed is one. Basically, FreeMarkets invented the concept of electronic reverse auction to buy goods and services using an internet based platform, back in 1999! Now, companies all across the globe such as Ivalua [http://www.ivalua.com] have developed this same technology and are selling on pennies to the dollar of what FreeMarkets use to charge 10 years ago. My point is to persevere and try to ride the normal product cycle.
Palm Developer Program now open
You could pull a Dexter and only clear-cut the bad forests.
The problem being that sometimes even semi-transparent terminal windows can be obscured if the background interferes with the text colors and/or terminal background. This might not be a problem if you put an outline around the characters though (i.e. like most subtitle renderers on media players do -- white text with a black outline so that you can still read the subtitle even when the actual video background is white/really bright).