skysight-inc/HackerNews huggingface dataset:
With this as an (awesome) reality, I can see Adobe Flash CS5 merely being an authoring tool for web animations and interactions. The end technology is largely irrelevant as long as most devices (mobile or otherwise) can access it.

Adobe as an IDE only in the future?
So instead of giving kids gold stars, Deci says, we should teach them to derive intrinsic pleasure from the task itself.

Naturally, but that's a hard thing to do. I enjoyed calculus, I found "The Last of the Mohicans" incredibly boring. I am not sure I could have found any way to make "The last of the Mohicans" remotely interesting.

If you cannot create an intrinsic reward in the minds of the children, providing external rewards seems to make a great deal of sense to me.
If you explicitly tell someone that they're banned then they will just clear their cookies and make a new account. That's for sure.

Are you suggesting silent bans prevent this? That's a bit silly.
yet now they are much more overlapping: ads, mobile, marketplace, online services. It will be interesting to see what happens.
"It's the execution, not the idea that matters"

This oft-cited bromide is a huge pet peeve of mine. The truth is, some ideas are much better than others. If you have a really good idea, often the ship will right itself on its own no matter how badly you execute. Your worst fear in those cases are other competitors beating you to the market, not your inability to draw customers.
Not to nitpick, but they found that paying money for grades didn't work at all, probably because kids didn't actually know how to get better grades.

When they paid money for reading books or good attendance, it worked well because kids knew how to accomplish those things. So you might not have gotten better grades because it wasn't clear how to do that.

If your parents had paid you to do specific tasks, like completely your math homework, it might have worked better.
I am a developer for the platform and am a bit pissed. I have done a bit over a hundred grand in sales and another bit in AdMob revenue from free apps.

I'm pissed less from a pragmatic perspective and more on principles. I'm working on my Ph.D. in CS, working on programming languages. How hypocritical is it for me to work on a language-locked platform when I work on things like a parallel dialect of ML in my real job?
The thing is, schools already use a reward system. What do you think a grade is? An A is like a gold star.

Yes, but you have to care about the reward for it to make a difference. Those targeting competitive colleges and going for competitive scholarships will care very much about the grades, the rest will only care about pass or fail. At least that is the impression I got when I was going to high school.
DreamIt startup MindSnacks is hiring iPhone developers http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1253481
The author of this article gives many examples of other companies (i.e. Microsoft) being evil too. As if two bad things could give you one good. Very poor reasoning.
HTML and Javascript are object code at last.

As far as I can tell, people use Flash because the development tools are fantastic, not because they're married to the SWF output. This seems like the best of both worlds.
Apple's terms were never agreeable to me, so I never started developing for it in the first place. I figured something like this was inevitable, so it changes nothing for me.
but sony has proved that it could go on for almost seventy years even after the death of the founder, while apple had a pretty bad time when the charismatic leader was not there.

I am honestly wondering if apple can survive steve.
24 More of the Best Linux Commercial Games (Part 2 of 3)
Now this is a job posting
This is where the real article is located.
http://www.wikihow.com/Get-Started-in-Parkour-or-Free-Runnin...
Rational.
I think people are forgetting how long it took to get Flash on Linux.

All platforms are beholden to Adobe to get Flash ported. As a business, Adobe can't support every OS and device that appears. Where's Flash for Android? Oh, it's coming...

HTML5/JavaScript is a more open technology and we finally have several good browsers. Most come with source! Today Java is even more open, and no one is complaining. You can download the source for Java, but you can't get the Flash source.

Apple is accelerating the adoption, and hopefully the evolution, of HTML5. In two years, perhaps even one, no one is going to miss Flash on the iPhone and iPad.
Four reasons why multitasking rocks on smartphones
So if there's a hardware component you're going to need capital which means at least that you'll need to talk to a few angel investors..

The fact that someone's done your idea is a good thing. You want to make sure you have product/market fit. You should obviously put your own spin on the idea.

BTW, there's a way of telling someone your general idea without giving away the secret sauce. If you can't do that then you might want to refine your idea some more.
Adults are paid x because they generate some revenue greater than x. That's why. Not to give the employer the warm fuzzies.
Now I know what I'm stashing away in my nuclear bunker.
I like the link posted in the first article comment: http://onesocialweb.org/ (except their code base is not up on github yet - hopefully soon) Written in Java, uses XMPP, and comes with an Android client - at least it sounds good.

The article has some interesting points but ideas without code for a prototype implementation to back them up is not very useful.
Actually, they paid kids to pass a reading comprehension test based on their comprehension of the books. This caused them to develop reading comprehension skills.

The real difference between this and paying for standardized test scores is that the tests are smaller and more frequent.

This suggests that paying for test scores might work better if the tests were smaller and more frequent. I.e., teach multiplication of 2 digit numbers and then pay students for passing a short test on multiplication.
There is a "Top Grossing" app store list, currently at the bottom right of the landing page. #1 is currently MLB 2010 which is $15. #2 is The Sims 3, $6.99. #3 is Red Laser, 99¢.

#6 is an app called "iRa Pro" which integrates with surveillance systems to show you the current feeds, and costs $900.
(You're listing 'robak' twice btw.: Well observed. Most likely, he's been deadposting for so long that I ran into him more than once without noticing.)
Yes, because pg needs to be busier. :)
No idea give-away. Let's start guessing.

Custom hardware, value of app is in service, Adobe AIR

If the value of the app is in the service, then that almost certainly means a crowd-sourced and/or community-driven service.

The custom hardware makes me immediately think remote IR blaster (e.g. iPad app with TV listings mashed with real-time friend chat, real-time ratings (take that, Nielsen!) and maybe even video streams that can change the channels [and records this attention metadata to a shared global db]) or custom hardware to link to restaurant POS terminals (interactive menus with full-motion video, previous diner recommendations) or hardware to link exercise bikes to a virtual exercise community (imagine peddling up virtual Tour de France with avatar bikers) or...

The point here is ideas are cheap - it's the selling of partners and ultimately customers on it that makes it valuable.
I'm not, actually. I'm suggesting that silent bans were likely implemented to deter (not prevent) people from evading bans by making them unaware that they were banned in the first place.
I had some good experiences with DotNetCharting - for the .net framework, obviously. Easy to set up, charts are very classy, but a bit expensive.

http://www.dotnetcharting.com/
> I (...) would never have guessed that language choice was a "bet"

Oh boy... It took years for me to convince several companies Java is not the only language that can turn out "enterprise level" applications...

That risks putting me back in square one.

Thanks, Steve. Well played.
fwiw, it's meant to be an overall assessment, obviously people will change in their approach to situations and choices, and this is only one paradigm.

It's the feeling/sensing comments from me that bring me the most downvotes, even though I'm basically ESTJ. You basically have to write data in a way that compiles as helpful knowledge for NTs.
I will reserve judgement until I see the HTML5 output, as generated code has a track record of being either a) unmaintainable, unmodifiable or b) doesn't work very well.
Like the other guy said, it's easier with two people since they're pretty heavy. We only have about 10 of them, so it's not a constant activity for us.

I have to say though, your attitude towards developers is pretty condescending. As a developer and former homebuilt PC enthusiast I actually enjoy learning about the IT side of things. Likewise, our sysadmin keeps up a good conversation now and then about software development, and scripting languages in particular. The best development shops are those where the devs and admins work as a team and trust each other.
> Picky eaters universally love junk foods. They won’t touch veggies and sometimes refuse to eat the food their moms prepare. Out of desperation, parents give in and purchase the food their picky eaters will eat…junk food.

I've definitely seen this in action hundreds of times. I wonder why this? People who won't eat grilled fresh asparagus in olive oil and garlic salt and pepper, or Beef Bourguignon, or Korean grilled ribs. Even a few who don't even like their food to touch on the same plate, will scarf down a stack of fast food bacon cheeseburgers like the place is going out of business.
A post on a mailing list from someone who emailed "Steve" and got some one-liner reply does not strike me as an official announcement from Apple, no matter how much people enjoy saying "ooh, I mailed Steve and he replied, I'm sure this matter is over and done with now"

There are way too many companies and users affected, for this to be resolved via some one liner reply to some guy on a weekend. A bit obvious, eh?
Adobe does specialize in IDEs. They don't make money selling the Flash player but it was a requirement at the time because no other technology allowed them to create rich content.

It'll be interesting to see if this works with advanced animations and games.
Stop thinking of the iPhone/iPad as if they're just small Macs. They are neither general purpose computers, nor are they RAD platforms. They're consumer devices with restricted capabilities and resources.

No innovation has been hindered, in fact it has been enabled. Smalltalk, SOS and others are tools that make certain kinds of experiment easier.

I remember when RAD tools were only meant for building prototypes, with the assumption that the program would be rewritten in a conventional language afterwards. They only became the delivery environment after consumer machines gained so much RAM and CPU power that the benefits of optimization became negligible.

Well, these are cell phones, batteries with CPUs. We're back in the 80s again. Section 3.3.1 does not prohibit anyone from developing iPhone software with whatever cross-compiler or funky toolkit they like, it only prevents them from deploying the output to consumers through the App Store.
Good point. How easy will it be to edit the output to add the different browser "hacks" to make sure it renders similar across different browsers?
How does crap on a plate like this get funding when there are so many more worthy projects out there?
Had they a bad time?

There were lots of rumors about the health of Jobs swirling around, the press was consumed with them – but that’s not the same as having a bad time. I think it’s still a open question as to whether Apple without Jobs can succeed and I would even go so far as to say I’m carefully optimistic.
Wouldn't SVG be a much more natural target for Flash than <canvas> is? What is the benefit of <canvas> over SVG?

It seems like it would be easier to do effective hardware acceleration for SVG than it would be to do the same for <canvas>.
I see gleams of humanity every so often. Cases like this also show decency and civility even in the face of semi-anonymity.

However, just go ahead and go to walmart for an hour to see what the average person is. We're the outliers and exemplars of thought... And there is plenty of ways to go down.

I just hope easy access to knowledge makes everyone smarter.
MacBook Pro Updates Imminent (Really), Part Numbers Appear
I'm an iPhone developer. While I'm not generally a fan of restrictions, I also don't quite get where the outrage is coming from. My reaction was "So? I never planned to write in anything other than Objective C anyway!"

I have observed that for every low-level platform (in this case, iPhone OS) there tends to be one or two languages/paradigms that are the most natural fit for the platform, due to the way the platform itself is implemented. For native Windows, those are clearly C and C++. (For .NET, it's C#, but I think it's important to note that would not have worked out well for Windows, if the .NET platform itself had not been executed upon so carefully.) I do think that really first-class apps are much more likely to come from people who understand the platform well enough to implement for it on its own terms (not that this in itself is a guarantee of quality).
iTunes runs on machines with RAM measured in the gigabytes, hard-drives in the terabytes, cooling fans and continuously or frequently connected power adaptors.

When you have those kinds of resources to slop around, then sure, you can spend them on abstractions that only serve the programmer's convenience.
i had my blog banned for outing Daniel B's identity in that laptop for techcrunch posts debacle.

it was also a silent ban, so I didn't even realize the site was banned until someone told me that the HN link I gave them didn't exist.
If you develop software for the iPhone/iPad, you are just a supplier for Apple's app store. It is not unheard that companies require a process from their suppliers.
Prosthetic Fingers That Grab Gracefully
Right. In the same conditions, people don't even decompose. That's why we find mummified remains in that part of the world so well preserved.
Fuck right off. You are the person who is pigeon-holing people into categories based on the words they choose to use.
Should one also need sit up straight and wear a pressed shirt to be taken 'seriously' by you? :P
Gladwell's 10,000 hours yarn is bullshit. There is talent, and Bolt's got so much of it that he's been regularly demolishing more experienced, harder working opponents for his entire career.

Good post. However, I think this needs to be clarified; running really fast is something that has a strong genetic component and a weak skill component. The idea that greatness is mostly the result of focused practice is more likely to hold true in fields with a strong skill component (for example learning to play the violin or writing code).
For the Best of the Best, Determination Outweighs Nature and Nurture
exactly, this is what adobe (macromedia) should have done 10 years ago. Instead of trying to lock everyone to the swf format, become the best publishing tools for web content.

better late than never.
>I just hope easy access to knowledge makes everyone smarter.

I wouldn't count on it. At the very least, I think it will make everyone smarter, but those at the bottom, many of whom place little value on expanding their knowledge, will get slightly smarter, those at the top, most of whom love learning and find random Wikipedia articles genuinely interesting, will get a lot smarter, and even though the world is a less stupid place, we'll be even more frustrated because the gap will be bigger.

So it will probably get a little better on an absolute scale, but it will seem to us like it's getting worse.
You can't prevent people from making observations. Even demagogues have the write to speak their minds. What is needed is education to discern a funny observation (in this case) from an authoritative study.
This is great. Now maybe if people can get as upset about Microsoft not better supporting HTML5, in particular the canvas tag.

http://www.webmonkey.com/2010/03/internet-explorer-9-shows-u...

IE9 is a big improvement for Microsoft. However, if they included more support for HTML5, developers could get "all their wood behind one arrow."
I think some form of "caveat emptor" would be more appropriate than simply banning stuff.

One man's bloat is another man's lower barrier to entry for an app that he really wants to write, but has trouble writing in ObjC. Maybe it's supremely useful for a niche group of users because the author is an expert in some domain...
Yes, Everyone Really Does Hate Performance Reviews
I wonder where Apple would be if Jobs had never left?

That moment in the late 90s early 2000s where revenue was down and profitability was going up is very interesting. If I didn't know that time period coincided with Jobs return, I'd say they were just milking the cash cow at that point.
Fine not crazy, but definitely archiac. Saying it's as modern as 2 other 30+ year old languages is funny. Heck, doesn't Apple even have a commercial where PC guy gives Mac guy a C manual or something like that?

It just takes so much more code than modern languages. Obviously that doesn't bother some people but it bugs me. I find this especially frustrating from a company that brags about how user friendly it is. To me obj-c is the DOS of programming languages.
> We're the outliers and exemplars of thought

I don't really think so; one of the reasons I often speak out against articles like that appearing here is that most of us are perfectly capable of getting into nasty arguments on the internet. Perhaps more so than average people who might just walk away rather than getting upset that "someone is wrong on the internet!".
You might think this is stupid, but the guys who compete on Sasuke ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sasuke_(TV_series) ) are amazing athletes, some of them incredibly dedicated. They regularly have Olympians on who don't make it very far.
http://richarddawkins.net/articles/5415

From Richard Dawkins' Website:

Needless to say, I did NOT say "I will arrest Pope Benedict XVI" or anything so personally grandiloquent. You have to remember that The Sunday Times is a Murdoch newspaper, and that all newspapers follow the odd custom of entrusting headlines to a sub-editor, not the author of the article itself.

What I DID say to Marc Horne when he telephoned me out of the blue, and I repeat it here, is that I am whole-heartedly behind the initiative by Geoffrey Robertson and Mark Stephens to mount a legal challenge to the Pope's proposed visit to Britain. Beyond that, I declined to comment to Marc Horme, other than to refer him to my 'Ratzinger is the Perfect Pope' article here: http://richarddawkins.net/articles/5341
Oh boy... It took years for me to convince several companies Java is not the only language that can turn out "enterprise level" applications...

No doubt, but that's a different kind of "bet" (I briefly alluded to it in my original comment). There's naturally the bet that the language might not be around in 2 years, or that the language isn't capable enough to do what you need it to do, or that the language is too niche for XYZ Corporation's programmers and finding other programmers might be hard[1].

But that's a completely different kind of bet from "I wonder if this very popular and capable language will be against the arbitrary and ever-changing rules."

The former is quite practical. The latter shouldn't have to be a concern.

[1] Off-topic, I recently had this debate with a guy I'm going into business with, in which I was trying to convince him Erlang is a viable language. He's more of a business-financial-type and was concerned with the proverbial "what happens if you get hit by a bus." While I understand his concern, eventually he, correctly, resigned the programming stuff to me, where it belongs :)
You could look at it another way and derive an opposite conclusion. A lot of people have a feeling that what they do on Hacker News "matters" in that other people are watching their behavior, and might choose to hire them or co-found with them on the basis of their participation. So a self-interested individual would check their behavior here, instead of indulging.
Inventors Wanted. Cool Tools Provided.
So it will probably get a little better on an absolute scale, but it will seem to us like it's getting worse.

Reminds me of the fact that one study indicated that less than 0.5% of Americans are "poor" by the standards of people in India but America routinely identifies 12% to 14% of the population as living "below the poverty line".

As for humanity, I am pretty personally burnt out of late on the way I've been treated (in some circles, I guess). Yet, more objectively, I still think most folks mean well much of the time. A lot of conflict grows out of difficult circumstances and tragic misunderstandings and isn't originally rooted in malice. Malice typically takes root later, in part because most people seem to routinely believe that if they got hurt, then there was malice. Initially, that is very often not true. It isn't terribly satisfying to realize that but it does make it easier to not be grudging.
As a basic "get everything right and nothing wrong", yep, it's a very good job posting.

Presumably interested applicants will be able to e.g. look at their site and figure out whether they want to work for the company (i.e. it doesn't sell the company, although it does sell the quality of engineering hiring, which is even more rare than quality engineering management!).

It's also good in that it has one firm and semi-measurable requirement (specifically one or more sites the applicant has done his stuff on; "semi-" qualification for their ability to know how much an applicant was really responsible for that).
Precisely this should have been Adobe's response to the lack of Flash plugin on some devices. Instead of all the FUD-ing, blaming, whining, and even insulting that has been going on recently, Adobe should have said in the very beginning - we are working on a better mobile version of the Flash plugin and wherever it is not available, but there is HTML5 support, you can use our authoring tools to do so-and-so.
I wonder why it biases in one direction? I could see this working like one of those 2-in-1 images or the rotating ballerina, where the picture you see, or the direction she's rotating changes depending on how you look at it, but I couldn't make the spirals go a different direction.

Our visual systems are an amazing thing.
Python Functional Programming Antipatterns
I would think that from a business perspective, now is the perfect time for Adobe to make this move. 10 years ago and they would have tons of lost revenues from competing solutions. That is, locking people to a proprietary format worked hugely in their benefit in this case. Now as Flash is finally starting to see its last legs is a good time to change their focus.
Unless I'm missing something, I don't think it's ever been proven that Bolt used Steroids.
Which shows that you don't read Gruber much at all... He is positively scathing in his assessments of Dilger's various wacky theories. Dilger truly is an Apple fanboy - he has never to my knowledge, found a single fault in any Apple product, or business initiative.

Linking him to Gruber is a gross injustice to Gruber, who does actually criticize Apple when he feels that they have made a mistake.
I would say that is a kind of success
Decent message, but unnecessarily antagonistic. Regardless, I'm prompted to take a look at the bug queue and see if I can help a bit.
Interesting to compare with:
- http://www.paulgraham.com/siliconvalley.html
- http://www.paulgraham.com/america.html