skysight-inc/HackerNews huggingface dataset:
I don't see why the Finder and file concept have to die just because personal computing's storage model is evolving.

In fact Finder capabilities should only grow as many people choose to de-centralize and sychronize their storage.
Remember the Milk stops failing to serve its Outlook users [BETA]
A 10% market share company is going to change the face of computing... in a way that everyone has been predicting for the last 15, 20 years? I somehow doubt it.
I found the style of writing rather manic and humorous myself.
To be clear, I am not advocating playing sports as a mandatory part of any interview process.

What I am saying is that IF a prospective employee does play a sport, it is a HUGE value add to watch/play with them to be able to see and judge their personality in that context.
Exactly. Though I suspect that dotBen didn't realize that Dreamhost provides VPS too and thus the suggestion was to avoid Dreamhost altogether.
Congratulations, remember full time is just 40 hours (think of all the free time!) and Go Kick Ass! :)
I don't know why you're being downmodded, I agree. I don't think 'books you like' is a good way at all to match people up. But then I hardly ever read any fiction.
Space & Narrative: Designing for Social Interaction
Yay! Lockin!

The future is one big black box that it difficult to manage or migrate.
"if a less experienced person wants my help, the best way to get it is to ask an interesting question in a way that shows you have made experience-appropriate progress solving the problem yourself. "

So, I'm not trying to say a less experienced person should come up with something to try to help the more experienced person; I'm saying that if a less experienced person wants me to help them, they should show that they are likely to get it done with minimal hand holding from me. Helping other people is fun, but I'm only going to do it if it's not that much work for me and it's only satisfying if they pull through and get the thing done.

In a way I may be agreeing with your initial post; it's just that you don't flatter technical people by complementing them; that just makes us feel weird. you flatter technical people by asking their opinion/knowledge, or letting them help you in ways that are easy for them. (the line between flattery and asking for free help is a thin one. A lot of that depends on the more experienced person's assessment of the less experienced person's potential and ability. it also has to do with the level of responsibility expected of the more experienced person; if you expect me to keep track, organize, or follow through on something, that's /work/ and I expect to get paid. If you want to ask my opinion on how to solve an interesting question, that's fun, and it's somewhat flattering that you think my yammerings are useful. a paper could be written on when it is good to ask for free help, and when it is bad to do so. )
So... what about people who don't do sports? Or what about people who are disabled? Not only is this a bad idea, it could be a potential lawsuit.
Firstly, markup is not code, if it's something like javascript or actual code, yeah I don't want them messing with it either. Markup however is quite literally exactly what they should be messing with.

Secondly, they hand you a PSD with a design, that's tedious but easy enough. You can farm it out to someone who just does HTML/CSS and as another comment on this thread notes, that's a very high competition low margin market. I don't have a real problem with that, but the initial designs are never the finished product, there are iterations all the time, and the way I've seen them iterate is "oh we need an edit / delete / create button for this particular widget here, it needs to be aligned over here, no we need to move it six million times to decide, I don't know, use your intuition" like I should have some kind of intuition about design issues.

They're designers, they handle appearance and aesthetics, I have no interest in it whatsoever, I don't want to iterate six million psd's into their html/css counterparts, and I sure as hell don't want to have to handhold the designer at the stage the implementation is already finished and they decide they want to modify pixel margins and such.

The time spent handholding the designer on my current project vs actually doing my job and writing code is 70/30 in favour of handholding the designer. This is flat out ridiculous and I refuse to believe it ought to be par for the course because they couldn't be bothered to learn something as utterly basic as css and html. I didn't even want to learn them myself because I didn't see it as a coding issue but just ended up learning it by osmosis because it's not complex at all.
You mean something like feedbackarmy, but more generalized for other types of surveys?
My sport of choice is Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. The person who "tries his hardest on every second" is thought of as a spaz, and is inexperienced. Such people try to overcome their lack of skill with brute force. On an experienced person, it fails.

Part of any sport is knowing when to push as hard as you can. In BJJ, it means using your strength when you have leverage, and not trying to force something when you don't have leverage. I think that has transfer to other areas.
Patrick - congrats. You represent all that is good about this community!
How many people do you know, whose job title does not start with computer and/or IT and/or sysadmin, actually use the terminal?

Think of this as a "meta-filesystem". Instead of asking the OS for files and folders, an app just asks the OS for "photos" or "music". Most people, and by most people I am referring to the lowest common dominator like your grandmother, don't care where a file is and actually constantly loses where files are.

As with all things Mac, since Apple obviously dogfoods their systems and servers with their computers, the filesystem will not go away. But it will be hidden from the bottom 99% technical layperson who simply doesn't care. Files and Finder, like Terminal.app, will be there for those of us who do care.

You need to differentiate between what's good for the people/commoner and what's good for the developer/pro-user, since they are in extremely difference market segments given technical proficiency.
"They are exposing things that are obvious cases of corruption."

1) Are you sure that's all they're exposing?
2) Are you sure none of their employees are passing things that don't meet those criteria on to other intel agencies, even if they don't put them on the official server?
3) Are you sure that, when they expose corruption, they're appropriately sanitizing incidental details that might otherwise get our spies killed etc.?

It's tremendously dangerous for a group that does not have a strong intelligence-analysis background to expose classified material. From what I've seen, they simply don't have the process in place to appropriately handle the material they're working with.
Interesting.

Another (comparable but slightly different) classification has been proposed by A. Maslow:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow%27s_hierarchy_of_needs

What is quite tricky is that you can achieve the high levels of the pyramid but still have trouble being ok with the first levels.
Sony’s PS3 Update Could Affect Supercomputer Users
Cut them some slack, it's a neighborhood news blog.
You're right, the command line isn't dead, just as the Finder isn't going to die. But like the command line, the Finder will asymptotically approach uselessness for most people. iTunes just manages music better; iPhoto manages photos better.

Ask ten random Mac users how to find a file by name via the command line.
In June or so (according to macrumors: http://www.macrumors.com/2010/01/23/mac-os-x-10-7-appearing-...) 10.7 will be pushed out to developers at WWDC and we'll see for sure. Personally, I can't stand this speculation that, just because Apple designed an iPhone and iPad, that they're going to cripple the Mac. I think if they think people will be better off with a limited device, they'll just try and sell them an iPad instead of a Mac.

Hierarchical file systems aren't terribly usable--how many people do you know who just splay all their files across their desktop--but I can't imagine Apple replacing it with just an app model. (Personally, I like Gmail's archive/label/search system for a filesystem UI, but it's hard to see what wrinkles we'd run into translating it into a general FS.)
That may be true right now. But I bet he'd rather see if he can push his business further and make it not-true in the future.
I think he wrote that he has amassed a big amount of experience, enough to write a book, but that he would rather spend his time writing actual software.
I'd say the biggest issue is that the slogan is 'a dating site but with books', but nothing about the page signals dating or books. There needs to be something somewhere on the page that instantly tells me this is dating + books without requiring me to invest significant thinking.
The end of NoSQL? FathomDB launches scalable relational DB
Didn't MSBNC give you some money to decorate your office? Tell them you are getting hammered by the press and need a trip to IKEA or something.
Why? I'm thinking office space is like hardware. If your memory isn't full and your cpu pegged, you aren't getting your moneys worth.
So many questions.
Patents are government granted monopolies. How do you know that a free market solution wouldn't come about if it wasn't for the government interfering?
good point. it is the hollistic view of how somebody performs that should be observed.
Given the current less-than-ideal patent environment, not licensing their patents is probably the only way Apple can maintain the level of product differentiation that enables them to maintain profit margins that fund the kind of R&D that their primary competitors (PC manufaturers) don't do. The loss of the FingerWorks products is bad for consumers, but there's no denying that the iPhone and the App Store it spawned are a far bigger market than FingerWorks would have ever had. If Apple could license the FingerWorks patents for keyboard use in a way that wouldn't erode their other product lines, they probably would.

It's important to remember that with the iPhone Apple was very much an upstart, with no experience in the cellular industry. They had a very tough time getting into the market because most carriers wouldn't agree to give Apple enough control to ensure that the carriers didn't ruin the user experience. They've now fundamentally changed the dynamics of the cellular industry, and all the device makers have more leverage. If Nokia and the other established phone manufacturers had been free to clone the iPhone as closely as they wanted, then the iPhone would have been mostly marginalized before Apple could even give it 3G capabilities. Apple would not have a particularly successful product on their hands, and the App Store revolution wouldn't have happened.
False. Maybe you're thinking of frequentist statistics?
Yeah I agree, case in point is that I never find myself watching stupid reality TV shows anymore.
Melbourne here.
Congrats! Thanks for your valuable posts. Indeed, remember to take care of yourself now that you can work anytime you want -- tho your last job sounds like it was quite demanding.
Sprint Developer's Guide for HTC EVO 4G Android Smartphone (gdoc)
To be fair, they were a 0% market share company when they changed the face of handheld computing (iPhone).
That was me. Let me know if you've got any questions.
Not sure whether it's the end of NoSQL, but we're certainly working to deliver the promises of NoSQL while retaining the power of SQL.

To borrow from a much better man than I... This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.
Shrinking market due to this trend? Certainly. But who are you going to hire for your wedding / magazine cover / bikini model shoot?

This strikes me as the market realizing that, when they just need a photo, there's plenty out there. For cases where a professional is needed, say for a photo shoot, professionals are still hired. Most of the rest of this seems like an increase in stock photo use (which was previously unfairly snubbed) combined with the economy troubles. It's happening everywhere, photography isn't alone in this.

Pages are at a premium, and there’s more competition to get anything into a magazine now, and the bar is just higher for excellent work.

Is this somehow a bad thing? Lack of competition to improve may very well have caused this whole trend.
Events Overview
Awesome, good luck Patrick - can't wait to see how things work out for you.
The question doesn't even make sense. You're basically asking about a business rules engine, and calling it morals.
The terminal is not the only command line. I would imagine a lot of people use Start->Run, Windows Search, Spotlight, Google Desktop Search, and search engines, and those are all command line interfaces in a sense.
Way to go, Patrick! Not just because you have the same last name as me, but also because I love reading your posts here and your blog. Best of luck!
Good luck Patrick, you're an inspiration to the rest of us bootstrappers trying to serve two masters (our day jobs and our startups). I've learned a ton from you and look forward to learning even more as you jump in full time!
Radiant uses Rack::Cache behind the scenes, so it still needs to be running.

I'm sure there's some reason it doesn't use Rails static caching, but even having used Radiant I'm not sure what it would be...
Doesn’t have to be, though. Can’t you have both?

iTunes does pretty well but doesn’t make it all the way. More a fault of the of metadata than iTunes. You are be able to access your music the old-fashioned (crappy) way – which doesn’t make any sense for music – but there you go. All nicely organized in folders. That’s how it should be. I want specialized apps, I don’t think any generic file browser could be as feature rich as specialized apps without turning into some kind hybrid monster and usability abomination.

So it’s possible. Sure, it’s also hard.
Not having Flash on iPhone and iPad is just as pragmatic.
It seems Apple has evolved the iPad past "application / data - same place". It now looks like a common area with different types of data accessible by apps. This is actually a pretty good solution. People know how to use a search engine and the current hierarchy is not a good solution.
Anyone else annoyed by questions that are designed to be provocative but come out making no sense at all?
Along with the PHBs, we've also got a lot of plain old non-tech-savvy customers who just want to run their [personal blog / small business homepage / church web page / etc], and don't know, nor want to learn, too much about computers. Requiring them to use semi-strong passwords for FTP and email logins is enough of a challenge; requiring them to change those passwords every time they forget them is often a real hassle.
The secrets of the Solar System in 3 sweary minutes
For browser compatibility: browsershots.org

Litmusapp may be nicer and have summaries, but it's hard to beat browsershot's simplicity, breadth, and free-ness. Though I have yet to see any provide decent testing for anything dynamic (videos, perhaps?).
Try attaching a photo from iPhoto to an Email.
Desk Phone Dock
I've often long said it: there's no money in photographs but lots of money in photographers.

More photographers =
more competition (if you're also a photographer)
OR a bigger market (if you sell to photographers)

which would you choose? I'm an enthusiast photographer but have no intention of going down the pro route. Instead, I'm building http://shutterscouts.com -- an idea notebook and weather forecasting service for landscape photographers. Just went live for beta this week!
Here we go again. The AltDB movement is not just about scaling. While one of the goals is to make things scalable, it's not THE goal.

BTW AltDB is my term for the NoSQL movement. It implies much less.
Yeah I cut/pasted from my RSS reader
Seconded; fingers crossed the new projects will mean even more great posts/insights for us to drool over :)
Care to define the goals? Apparently it's not about scaling. It's not about SQL, because there's no reason you can't support a SQL-style query language.

So I do seriously want to know what's left... We're always on the lookout for the next feature to add ;-)
Your point is valid in the context of the current examples, but it doesn't negate his point either. The difference is not only are people aging, but so are social norms. What is modern-day socially liberal will be socially conservative in the future.

This comic springs to my mind: http://www.smbc-comics.com/index.php?db=comics&id=1726#c...
I think you can go one step further and assume the browser is going to be the only app most people use. It's happening on the desktop, and there's no reason the same phenomenon won't happen on devices.

If this seems far fetched, look at it this way: most desktop apps are becoming more like browsers given how they use the network. Spotify is a perfect example (for those who've used it).
I thought it was Adobe's toolchain we were discussing.

Using a third-party compiler, debugger and asset management tools helps a ton, but does not validate the technology. Widespread use does.

Shame there is no remedy for Adobe's documentation.
Even though most of your telecommunication is being done via iPhone, we know that you still have a wired desk phone or IP phone on your desk.

I do? Where? And how did you get into my house?
Do you have a guide for HTML/CSS :)

Thanks, best response so far.
Why don't they want to change their passwords when they forget them? Presumably the old password isn't much use anymore, since it's been forgotten.

But unless there's something I'm missing, I suspect I'm just preaching to the choir right now ;)
Anyone want to post a summary or timeline of highlights?
Should brains store local time or UTC in their hardware clock?

When you try to use humanistic words to describe a computer, it's hard to say anything of substance.
To me, it's about reducing the impedance mismatch between your data model and the implementation of that model in the database schema. Some data work better in a relational model and others work better in a document model. The idea of one ending the other seems preposterous to me.

Congrats on the launch though!
One of the reasons I love the unix world and despise Windows is precisely because things are not in black boxes. I can read and parse log files. Config is in text files that can be grepped. Automated processes are run from scripts that I can open and examine. Very little is done in a walled garden closed binary format. Even Apple's applications are folders inside of which I can find yet more scripts, text files, resources, etc. When something goes wrong I can usually figure out why. When something fails for some god-knows-why reason in Windows, I get an error box, and nothing else.

Please don't try to hide the guts of a system from me. It is the thing I value most about my Mac.
The best camera is the one you have with you.
I am fascinated by the promise of 3D printing/manufacturing, but have yet to find a good use to justify the much higher cost.
One or both of:

- They've forgotten the password, but it's still in the keychain (or equivalent) for their mail or FTP client, which will all stop working when they reset the password.

- The password is shared with other employees, and it might be difficult to notify them all of the new password.
P2P Cyber Protection and Informed User Act
I disagree with you there. Yes, those are command line "interfaces" in terms of what the GUI (or lack thereof) is. But typing in a name into a search box and being presented with a graphical list of results as links or icons is not at all the same thing as a command line interface that lets you actually type commands, parse results, and execute other command line programs. Don't confuse a search box with a command line, because those are very different things.
A computer with good morals might prevent you from cheating on an assignment, spamming a forum, etc.

And there would be social pressure to buy a computer with good morals -- as they would reflect on you.

Think of a computer as a friend.
This was pretty glaring. I sensed this post had a different author from past okcupid reads.
That's a humorous exaggeration, right?

2 x processes + 20GB database = $51/mth

Most people won't require every addon, and there's a free or cheap option in every case. Yes, you can spend "hundreds of dollars a month" but not easily
You're advocating an unmanaged solution to people who want managed services. Dreamhost are shit, but an unmanaged VPS is a huge time investment. Apples and Oranges.
There is a button in iPhoto for that. You click it, it asks you what size you want the photo(s) to be, compresses them for you if needed, opens up Mail, opens a new mail window, and inserts the photos for you. What any other mail client does by requiring you to search through folders, potentially needing to go back and "save as" the photo if it's too big, iPhoto does with 2-3 clicks.
I saw a TV programme about this, maybe 10-15 years ago and it dawned on me then that the scariest part of this was that it would only take the same amount of breeding to make humans as domesticated as this. Reminds me of S.M. Sterling's Draka novels. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Domination
Cool answer - thanks. I guess some of this is about better ORMs, some of this is the schemaless idea, and probably the real answer is a combination of both.

I worry that object databases were the last attempt to solve the impedance mismatch...
I'm sorry, but this seems like a very small benefit for the massive overhead that software and biology patents have incurred upon our world's society.

And it doesn't seem like there is an easy way to predict what patents should and should not apply to.
Agree with others that this seems like a really bad idea. I'll throw another reason into the ring - the "Make terrible Foul calls on him" part. An interview is a two-way process. If my would-be co-workers are calling Mickey Mouse, ticky-tack fouls, _I'm_ going to think that _they_ are (to use a word from the article) dicks and less than fun to work with.
Finder was rewritten because Apple is aggressively moving to 64-bit code which means Cocoa, not Carbon. Despite such extensive changes, the Finder (as seen by the user) arguably changed less than it had in any previous upgrade.

Similarly, iPhone and iPad deal with files one way or the other, but the point isn't how it works underneath -- you could have a team rewrite iPhone OS to use Newton-style "soups" and have essentially no change to the user's experience. Files are a convenient abstraction for programmers (and, remember, an abstraction is all they are -- in the end, disks are just a linear stream of bits that the kernel/file system layer "artificially" organize into "files"), and there doesn't seem to be any need to hide a file system from programmers. But users are, in most cases, better off dealing with app-specific document managers.
Emm, interesting result here on my machine (1st gen MacBook Unibody, 2.4GHz Core 2 duo, 4GB DDR3, running OS X 10.6.3):

- Safari 4 using system default Flash plugin: ~28 fps
- Chrome dev using system default Flash plugin: ~35 fps
- Firefox 3.6 using system default Flash plugin: ~46 fps
- Chrome dev using 10.1beta internal flash plugin: ~100 fps

Seems the performance improvement is pretty huge (in this test case).
How many people do you know, whose job title does not start with computer and/or IT and/or sysadmin, actually use the terminal?

Loads. They are called working scientists. Sometimes there is a perception that the world is divided into geeks and "appliance" users. There is actually a non-trivial amount of grey area in between.
It helps that we now boast three YC companies: SocialBrowse, FanChatter and Zencoder.
IMatix: AMQP ‘fundamentally flawed’