skysight-inc/HackerNews huggingface dataset:
Common characteristics of failed open-sourced projects
none.

Some of us have moved away from some of these arcane methods of interaction.

They call it progress you know...

:-)
Global Or Die: Is There A Future For Local Startups?
I have had several emails so far today saying someones written on my funwall. They've written some spam message asking me to invite lots of other users which will write spam on their funwall...

Facebook is just turning into a spam idiotic universe :/

Time to delete my account I think...
Off the top of my head:

- Soul of a New Machine

- The Cuckoo's Egg

- Revolution in the Valley

- Fire in the Valley

- Compilers by Sethi, Ullman, Aho

- Masters of Doom

- iWoz

- Steve Jobs & the NeXT Big Thing

- Crypto

- Code

- The Man Who Loved Only Numbers

- The Man Who Knew Infinity

- ANSI Common LISP

Most of the books above are recommended because once reading them you will have an uncontrollable urge to immediately create something brilliant. You will not be able to stop yourself.

-m
I thought AOL didn't really have any extra cash laying around? Where did they get the money?
of research Google's director of research mentioned

You were interviewed directly by Peter Norvig?
I dunno they seem to be buying a lot of stuff recently so they must have some cash.

Don't forget its time warner as well isn't it?
Fashion != being well dressed. You can buy the most fashionable pant and still looks like a clown because it is too large or too short. But you can dress well without any clue in fashion. Just be careful about the size (that's the point when buying new clothes) and colors. Most people would go from a bad look to a decent one just by resizing their clothes to suit them correctly. And never forget : the white shirt is the best ally of men since forever.
nice article --- i was always wondering how to manage 2 different kind of users (mobile and desktop) ... this article give some basic fundamentals to take care.
GumGum launch, or how to avoid a disastrous launch
Would You do it Again for Free?
Wow, well done; good judgment YC.
The "Programming Interviews Exposed" book covers most of what Steve talks about.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/047012167X/
March Madness: Get Your Startup Out of Pre-Revenue!
I didn't think protocols are patentable either; But like you said, you'll be surprised.
Never before on hacker news have more words been said about less.

Launch and get funded. Then no one will care what you're wearing.
I don't know Google's hiring process, but your experience is probably very atypical -- they came to you, and not you them, correct?
Why we're powerless to resist grazing on endless web data
My point is if you have to keep track of all your friends' info, it's a very time consuming and manual process, while on facebook, everything is updated by the owner so you don't have to do any work.

Hence my original point of "if used right", it could be a useful communication and organization tool.
Microsoft's top visionary sees a parallel world
Big storage is watching you
Once you get hired by Google your expectations might not be met... There were stories a while back of Ph.D's hired by Google expecting to work on cool infrastructure/system architecture who find themselves instead working on writing Javascript.
A glimpse inside Google's secret sauce
And all those mails have a link to disable email from FunWall, right?

I agree that FB spam is annoying as hell, but they are trying to make it better.
AOL has some cash flow - about 9 million subscribers paying $10-$25 for Internet access monthly (http://tinyurl.com/ytnz3d)
Don't copy other people too much - many JS devs, including me, are terrible programmers

One of the biggest problems with JavaScript is its community. I'm not talking about N.YC readers who think they are bad programmers. No, I'm talking about the fact that there are reams and reams of plain old bad advice on JavaScript out there that still outrank the good stuff in most search engines.

99% of the time a Google search on a JavaScript problem will score you pages of hits with antiquated, non-standard, buggy or IE-only approaches.
I have that t-shirt...
1) I have a little switch on my laptop that turns WiFi on. When I need to focus, I just turn it off. I only allow myself to turn it on if it's a development-related thing I need to do.

2) I use my down time (subway, boring classes, etc.) to work out what I need to do next. I start with a high-level todo of features then iteratively break them down to smaller pieces, usually going as detailed as function signatures and database table design. Not only does it make it easier to get work done once I get to the computer, but putting the design of a feature in the back of my mind for a few hours will usually bring out the design flaws before I write a single line of code. (My red pocket Moleskine works great.)

3) If I haven't done the feature design ahead of time, when I start a new complex method, I write the method as English comments, one step per line. After that, I write the implementation of each comment in code.
2007 a bumper year for tech exits; reality bites in 2008
Apple - google - you
Great idea and everything and a job well done.
But considering the fact that approx 50% of the web still use IE your website loads funky under IE but works good under firefox.
Here how it looks under IE: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2272/2330400291_26417f384f_o....

I am a freelance website developer and have this obsession with checking new updtarts for browser compatibility. :)
I see what you're saying, and it's absolutely true. As you write it all lies in the "if used right" - the problem is that for most people (me included) facebook, linkedin, etc. tend to be timesinks because you just have to check your friends tagwalls, pictures of their pets, etc.

So it's normally not used right, if the definition of right is not spending any time on the site, and just using it as a reference.
> I spent the next four years waiting for a Green Card

Damn. We have to eliminate that wait.
To become the 'best' Javascript programmer you'd probably need to know everything about Javascript. Also you'll need to know its limits. To know its limits you should probably learn about other things that aren't Javascript but closely related to it eg other programming languages, web browsers, HTML, DOM etc.

Good luck!

Let us know how it works out.
BeOS was C++
The Highly Extensible CSS interface
Google Solution for Ad Serving
AOL is a massive company desperate to stay relevant.

A good look at their internal dysfunction and struggles over "Platform A" was published yesterday in the NY Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/12/technology/12aol.html
Roll your own. A lot of open source projects out there are overkill.
"shortly after the US Senate voted away the right of Habeas Corpus"

I guess you would have blamed Google if it had rained that day too.
You're 12, you want to be the best javascript programmer ever, and you post on hacker news.

You're my hero...
Ask YC: Development-wise, what do you do that's unconventional and why?
I'm interested in how people are running against the herd and why.

A good example of what I mean would be HN's use of tables for layout--it's not trendy.

For myself, I am playing with stylesheet formatting so most things are on one line, which I find faster to get around, and easier to see more at once. Another example is I now rarely abbreviate in variable and function names. I've decided I waste more time remembering my abbreviations than I would spend typing the word.
How to Be Original
Brilliant! I love the idea. Congratulations and good luck.
I have a simple solution: get a girlfriend. I now wear nice shirts that apparently compliment my skin tone (who knew?), I wear layers (apparently very sexy) and I now have $300 shoes. I've never owned $300 shoes in my life.

Once you have a girlfriend, dressing fashionably is rather easy and mainly because I'm no longer allowed to choose except between Brown Shirt #1 and #2.
Video Road Hogs Stir Fear of Internet Traffic Jam
I have all of my domains under GoDaddy and this company's making me nervous. GoDaddy's become a liability.

Anyone suggest a different registrar? One that will not steal your domain or shut your down because someone complains?
i've tried reading up on "engagement advertising", but i continue not to understand it. it seems like a fairly empty buzzword for saying that the ads will be micro-targeted (maybe via social networking information you've revealed, like facebook's attempts?), which, to my knowledge, is a concept that hasn't seen much success yet.
My experience confirms that. I didn't get the job, which could be an argument that I'm bitter or something, but I told the first, second, and third recruiter I talked to that I probably wasn't interested in the position offered.

Anyway beyond the "I'm not interested/come in anyway" the interview process was pretty broken. The first two interviewers somehow were given the resume of someone who had the same name as me but wasn't me (or something, it was never clear how they ended up with the wrong resume).
Professional puzzle solver job interview!

In all seriousness, if you start getting these questions during the interview, you should realize that these people don't know how to hire and you should move away.
They steal domains?
Who says the geeks on HN need fashion help, anyway?
"I do have a phone (elsewhere in my house, so it doesn’t disturb me) and a cell phone (also elsewhere), but I don’t have a PDA, an iPod, a printer (though my wife has ordered one for her needs), a scanner, a fax machine, or anything like that. I don’t print anything and I don’t use fax (an outdated technology)."

Sorry, but most of my clients require me to fax them documents. I need to print contracts and forms, and I like to take photos on my Hasselblad so I need a scanner. I own an iPhone and an iPod, I need them on my desk because I don't like to have my music and information split between my office and home computers. My iPhone is also my only means of contact, I don't have a land line and I travel a lot.

Somehow I found this article not applicable to anyone who has more than a computer and a mouse.
5 rules to get customer support right
Not long ago I would have said using a Lisp dialect for web development, but now I think that might actually be trendy.
For my desktop application I've decided to spawn processes rather than threads even though the trend these days is to use processes.

It separates the engine of the app from the GUI, and the interface between is well defined. I use txt + UNIX Pipes to communicate.

Also, any stability issues and memory leaks don't effect the entire app and I get to avoid all the weird concurrency issues of threads.
Make Your Meetings Quick And Easy To Schedule
A new dead-simple web 2.0 service that helps you find a time for your meeting with absolute accuracy across all time zones and daylight saving changes. The service is specifically designed for those hard-to-schedule meetings with multiple time zones, many invitees and different calendar systems.
I guess something I do is using bleeding edge frameworks and libraries to start projects if I think it'll give me an advantage. I figure that they'll stabilize (or I can help stabilize them) in time for the production release of what ever I'm working on.
With 3 developers do you really need to be working on Trunk and a Branch? Branch for every prod release but resist the urge to work on it unless an absolute disaster strikes, instead do regular (say every 2 weeks at most) from Trunk. Also - as the other commenters say - automate everything, and use a continuous integration tool e.g TeamCity
I have found you really just need one rule: Care about the customers problem. Just care. It is important to be clear that you can't fix every problem. It is also important to fix the problems you can... but I have found that whether you fix the problem or not, you will win customers over if you actually just care about them and their problem.
Busy Twitter a poster child for new communications
I know there is a Ruby channel; they can probably point you to Rails places. Type '/join #ruby' and hit return, and you should be good to go.
MPAA chief: Net neutrality just a 'clever name'
> when you have good stuff

This is a point of contention. This forum is for people who are advancing the art not imitating it. Your contribution so far is at least six years out of date.
Isn't that its purpose?
pretty bad, but they aren't a netsol :)
The job offer (for a position which would have required that I move from Canada to the US) arrived shortly after the US Senate voted away the right of Habeas Corpus.

Well, that you would blame this on google suggests a very strong inability on your part to think coherently. That you think the Senate has "voted away the right of Habeas Corpus" suggests a very, very basic ignorance of legal matters.

Well, enjoy the land of freedom:

http://volokh.com/posts/1197260709.shtml
Anonymous Commenting to be Outlawed
I needed fashion help:

http://ourdoings.com/2008-02-12
This is the minimalist extreme, but it's definitely better than the opposite end of the spectrum--total chaos.

My workspace certainly doesn't look like that, but I try to clean up and organize often.
> no one will care what you're wearing.

This is never true. The impact of dress on perception is well studied and it is large. If you're not dressing well, you are foolishly giving up an easy edge.

A somewhat overlooked subject is coworker dress as a workplace quality issue. A lot of geeks don't notice dress, but most other people are sensitive to the aesthetic presentation of the people they have to spend many hours a day with. Going to work with very well presented people is a job perk, and having to interact with slobs is undesirable. Realize that even if you don't care about dress, other very competent people you may work with will care. Tacky clothing and pasty physiques can be like second hand smoke.
Seven Fantastic--and Free--Apps for Your Windows Mobile Smartphone
Microsoft's OOXML could pose patent threat to GPL-licensed software
> [Reading:] The more ideas you consume, the more you have to cook with.

"Reading, after a certain age, diverts the mind too much from its creative pursuits. Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking."
--Albert Einstein
Heavy Internet traffic ahead. Delays possible.
Prism Update Makes Creating Desktop Apps as Simple as Installing a Firefox Add-on
No books? There's a bunch I reach for all the time; three language books, an OS book, and a computer architecture book.
There is. But it might take a bit of time to notice it.
Check this out... plenty of horror stories: http://nodaddy.com/
AOL Buys Bebo For $850 Million
He didn't blame it on Google, which suggests a very strong inability on your part to read. And the fact that you ignore the squeeze on basic freedoms in the U.S. over the last eight years suggests either woeful ignorance on your part, or typical Republican jingoism.

Not cool.

Unfortunately, Google seems to be going the way of America: descent into mediocrity, if not lower.
> Launch and get funded. Then no one will care what you're wearing.

Robert Winston has a piece in his book "Human Instinct" where he was looking at the effect of "funding" on his attractiveness to women. Day 1, he turns up in old clothes, in a clapped-out motor car and generally unkempt appearance. Scores about 4-5. Next day, he's back in a flash car, expertly groomed right down to the manicure, and he gets average 9 out of 10. The most telling part was one of the female test subjects saying "Well, I really liked you better yesterday, but I gave you a higher score today."

So, yes, money is not important and it's all-important. Dressing well shows you have it, but so do other things. It's up to you to decide if you care. Personally, I don't.
Gibson: Activision's "Guitar Hero" violates patent
Yahoo Embraces The Semantic Web - Expect The Internet To Organize Itself In A Hurry
Hooker/Singer Alexandra Dupre loses a client, wins fans
> Go to school... you are going to learn...

The learning will not come to you, you need to go out and get it. Don't just go to school, attack school, suck the juice out of the fruit, and have fun doing it. Make it fun and hard.
regular releases, I meant to say
OLPC alternative in Brazil
Yeah, apparently, according to wikipedia, Time Warner is thinking about splitting 'AOL internet access and adversting businesses into two, with the possibility of later selling the internet access division.'
So they haven't done it yet.
Nothing - I think the key is to minimise risk, and find the few areas where you can actually add value. My value adding is in usability and design - the actual code is pretty simple. So I see no need to take risks code-wise and stick to tried-and-true (boring?) programming paradigms.
Tangible display makes 3D images touchable
Hmmm... so, AOL paid $850 M for 3.5 million visits a month. That means that they're paying about $250 a user.

At the same valuation per user, that values Facebook at a paltry $ 7 billion.

Another thought... if users are worth $250 a piece, maybe my blog that has 100 readers a month might actually be worth $25,000! Anyone wanna buy it? :)
Ask YC:  Why is Synaesthete interesting?  Is any bizarre combination of concepts interesting?
As per the YouTube acquisition, perhaps there will be a new surge in social networks! The talent pool proceeds to filter itself.
Pencil & paper for a lot of the design & architecture work. I write a lot of little notes to myself in a spiral-bound notebook.

Using immutable data structures. I've jiggered up some Python decorators to handle the copying for me, so all my setters return a new object instead of mutating the old one.

Writing code that's both Flash and JavaScript. A lot of our product is written in the common subset of both languages, with a compatibility library to paper over differences.
I'd reiterate that you it doesn't matter what language you learn first.

You wont really understand any language until you've learned a couple of others and are able to see programming from several perspectives.
A question for discussion:

This article is not really hacker news, and arguably it doesn't belong here. I don't mind and like it when there is the occasional piece on economics or politics. But it is a slippery slope...

What do you think? Should HN be kept "clean" ?
Coordinatr Launches
Sure, there's probably a point of diminishing returns. But at what age and volume of reading is it reached? Probably varies by person and profession. Mark Cuban seems to attribute a lot of his early success to voracious reading habits (trade pubs and technical manuals, though. Probably not what Einstein was referring to).
so they're roughly on par with World of Warcraft, except they have a much weaker brand?
Yeah, that sentence made me choke on my tea. I've been vaguely planning to apply to YC for winter '09 as by then I've hopefully sorted the cofounder issue, but if it's going to take that long to sort out the immigration crap I'd rather spend my energy elsewhere.
Ask YC: Europeans, how do you protect against falling dollar in Adsense?
I'm stressed about this topic since I use google adsense. My clics prices are going up in dollars (because french keywords are bid by Europeans I suppose), but the time between the clic and the conversion keep lowering my income.

Do you have any advice to limit this negative effect ? I think the obvious thing to do is quitting adsense for a 100% European ad system ?
Add a pile of plain white paper to that desk and you're nearing perfection...

It all falls down when you attempt to achieve any kind of desktop peace - It would seem designers / marketers look towards Times Square for inspiration, rather than the gentle Zen gardern these minimalist workspaces aspire to.

Most of the time I just want to scream "SHHHHSSSHHH" (quietly, of course) ...
Use a text editor like JEdit to do my code because I hate eclipse and it's overhead and I like the color coding and the fact that I can install it anywhere.
While looking at a co-worker's UI code the other day, I commented out loud to him and our other cubicle dwellers that "I would have coded it very defensively " and told him "that he took risks programming and that was why he was more likely to start a business than I (the conservative programmer) was (he's got an entrepreneurial long-term outlook).

Some of the things he was coding seemed relatively risky (e.g. relying on binding to work flawlessly with a complex, deep nested model - we've had hard-to-debug issues with ssome Flex UI-field binding in the past)
There are 6 rules here, and with text like "In the end you won’t get nothing out of a confrontation", I find this quite hard to read and take seriously. There may be some gems in here, but it's in need of editing.
I really like VMware's virtualization. Workstation is well worth the price. You can set up several server VM's on one box, and then use that for Dev, and Staging boxes if you like. And, you can set up a separate SVN repo on a different VM as well. If your box starts to bog down, it's as easy as copying and pasting the VM to another machine without losing anything.

And, if you want to deploy an entire VM to Amazon's EC2 service, Enominalism sells a tool to do that:
http://www.enomalism.com/features/amazon-ec2-migration/

Also, it's possible to set up virtual networks between separate VM's, so you can model a 3 tier architecture and test your DB + Middleware setup if you like as well.

It's worth looking in to.
Another vote for "Surely You're Joking Mr.Feynman" by Feynman
I usually approach JavaScript frameworks the same way I approach high-level languages: write the app in whatever way is most convenient, then profile and rewrite the performance-critical sections without the framework. I've never had performance problems with JQuery, because I usually just write my mouseMove handlers so that they operate on the raw DOM without it.

(I wrote something to this effect on Proggit once, and John Resig reply was something like, "Of course. JQuery's not intended for performance-critical code - usually you don't want to be using any framework for that. JQuery's meant to make the other 90% of JavaScript development go faster.)

BTW, I won't go near Prototype (after having used it pretty extensively at a past employer) because it messes with Object.prototype. When libraries do that, you have no way of knowing which libraries are compatible, which means that you'll suddenly get bitten by very odd, hard-to-track-down bugs.