skysight-inc/HackerNews huggingface dataset:
The company I work for has two fax servers for the handful of people in the world who still think it's amazing that you can send paper through the telephone. They're Gateway 2000s. Don't know the exact model, but they still have this logo on them:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/00/Gateway_2000_L...
FYI: "Leaving a missed-call" is a very common thing in India (and perhaps other countries too).
Why path lengths in .NET Framework are limited to 260 characters
Hey dododo can we chat more about this? My email is chris@like.fm. I'd like to find out what I can do to make you want to use Like.fm, and maybe bounce some of my planned features off you.
Great answer. Not to the question being asked though.
It doesn't look like you can change your password on your account after setup.
Actually, these point at different URLs. The post you've linked to points to a diff of the policies which is much better:

http://www.google.com/intl/en/privacy_changes_2010.html
Fixed now! :-)
More details in The Wall Street Journal:

The game is being finished by Gearbox Software and will be published by Take-Two Interactive, publisher of the Grand Theft Auto series.

The game is currently expected to ship in 2011, although given its history, Pitchford [CEO of Gearbox Software] is understandably reluctant to be more specific. "We’re in the polishing phase now. This is a game where we can not make a promise we can not fulfill," he says. "We need to get past the shock and awe and then we can go to all the retailers and first parties and work out a launch plan."

http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2010/09/03/controversial-long...

----

Edit: And some more from Kotaku. Here is a video of people actually playing it at PAX:

http://kotaku.com/5629655/your-first-look-at-duke-nukem-fore...

Few screenshots:

http://kotaku.com/5629778/the-duke-nukem-forever-pax-demo-a-...

First impressions:

http://kotaku.com/5629782/duke-nukem-forever-impressions-two...
Software Startups Realizing That Cookie-Cutter Freemium Doesn't Always Work Well
Try http://beta.oyolive.com/accounts/password/change/
I'll place a link to this page on the account page.
looks like Zune + Zpass+ Zune social to me. Now that all the zune stuff and music subscriptions will ship with the phone,etc... Seems like competition will be though and Apple would be behind if they didn't have a subscription/recommendation/social offering.
This is interesting. Modern graphics is beginning to make his character look dated, rather than stylized. (Not because we are 'used to better', but because of a more realistic background) They can't really change how he looks much either, because everyone and their brother knows what he is supposed to look like.

That's really an interesting puzzle. What do you do when graphics outstrips your content?
Twitter's OAuth is a total pain to implement.

If they had just upgraded to OAuth 2.0 like Facebook recently launched, I'd be happy.

Facebook's OAuth can be done in like 10-20 lines of code. Twitter's takes like 100 (in PHP+Curl).

(essentially OAuth 2.0 just relies on https SSL instead of directly encrypting tokens via code before they are sent)
Do you mean as in x = (x) = ((x)) = ...? In this case you're right, although it's still not a function.
and
"""
While iMatix was the original designer of AMQP and has invested hugely
in that protocol, we believe it is fundamentally flawed, and
unfixable.
"""
Is it plausible to turn off all text capture, or use an 'opt-in' approach to fields and hooks, rather than an opt-out?

(edit: On the part of the site administrator, I mean.)
The halting problem, logic, complexity classes, type systems, evaluation models etc are basic concepts. So I'd rather be surprised if anyone who's said to be competent could not explain those.

I haven't asked for it in interviews, but from my experience of about two dozen technical interviews and phone screens, I'd say only 1 or 2 people could tell you even a general definition of "halting problem" and "evaluation models".

So this is interesting - where are you located? Does your experience stem from interviewing in industry, or your coworkers at a Stanford research lab? ;)
Localization is very much a killer feature. Being just like Google[0] but with a China-centric instead of US-centric worldview seems to be working great for Baidu.

[0] In terms of core-product, in the ways that matter to most users
It runs Glassfish and ActiveMQ.
Naturally. Without Duke Nukem Forever, how would we know what vaporware is?
Here's a reaction to it by Gruber:
http://daringfireball.net/2004/04/spray_on_usability
I posted that comment, but I don't really expect any startup to have that old tech (except as a curiosity).

I was thinking more of big enterprise or same bank or a transportation company that has been around for so long that a lot of their tech was made by people who not only isn't there anymore but nobody currently there worked with.

Take the example from wired of a how many companies still use punch cards in 1999 (http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/7.03/punchcards.html) or the related question I posted to stack overflow (http://stackoverflow.com/questions/750606/what-technologies-...) some time ago. There are some very interesting responses to that, though there is also a lot of fluff.
You obviusly need to learn C, since Objective-C is a superset of C. But not necessarily as a prerequisite. Just pick it up as you go. Smalltalk is optional but it is worth learning in itself for its awesome pure object-orientedness.

Also: http://developer.apple.com/mac/library/documentation/Cocoa/C...

Also: Jobs is the devil, hi wants you to be his sharecropper, do not develop for Mac OS X.
My primary desktop is 7-8 years old...? (p4 2g ram, win2003 server) It feels the same speed as my 1 year old Macbook. I mostly use it for programming, Photoshop, and video editing.

Edit: It's been running the whole time except for moves and maintenance.
From what I've gathered, if OAuth is the only authentication mechanism and you can't easily redirect a user to a browser and back then xAuth is your best option. Though I suppose you could so something funky like emailing a user a link and have them return back with the PIN (for the Out-of-Band workflow).

Reading the API mailing list it sounds like Twitter is granting xAuth access on a 1-2 week timeline. Though that may be based on the size of the email queues.
Monkeying with Clojure's deftest
I think this is Tanya's line from Red Alert.
LauncherPro Plus Updated with Twitter Widget
Why use closures in JavaScript
I love Python and it's my first choice for most projects, but to say that there isn't a problem with lib versioning in Python is just plain ignorant.
Startupcraft: a Starcraft tournament for startups in SF
I've found the best strategy (as with most words) is just to use the word the way it's used in standard, educated usage.

In standard usage, a startup does not mean any newly created company. It means a newly created company designed to scale dramatically. Most of the 20 million businesses in the US are not startups, because they aren't designed to scale. They're either service businesses or niche product businesses.
PicLyf - The best way to share picture
I quite liked NT 3.5 as a development platform back then. I came from WfW 3.11 and used Borland C++ 4.5, and nasty programming bugs would hang 3.11, but not NT 3.5.
Check the equalizer setting?
The good news is that this isn't a problem with the SSL protocol so much as it is a problem with how the CA's and browser vendors have decided to configure SSL. Which means you can fix a lot of this by removing certs from your browser configuration.
Hopefully the funding will be diverted into support for smaller class sizes.
If someone could show that there is no way for those forces/laws to have been otherwise, that would mean that every possible universe would be conducive to life, and that would remove the need for infinite universes and for god in explaining how this universe is conducive to life.

It still leaves an existential question, of course, but it changes the metaphysics conversation in the same way that the discovery of other suns and worlds did for the initial argument.

Well, it's more like, "something eternal exists outside of the universe," or "there are infinite universes," but in general, yeah. Of course, that argument doesn't happen in a vacuum. There are relevant arguments about ethics, evil, personhood, etc. that come to bear on the discussion as well.
I thing chaosmachine was right when he said it is partly because of increasingly dynamic web content.

When pages were (mostly) static you could have 100 tabs on a slow machine and it wouldn't matter because they were mostly in the swap file. The more pages try and become active without a mechanism for the browser to "pause" them the bigger the problem lots of tabs becomes.
How  to Speed Up Your Wireless Network
I haven't worked with OAuth 2.0 yet, but I've been meaning to take a look at it with Facebook's update.

However in Ruby/Rails OAuth isn't that bad using http://twitter.rubyforge.org/ . And aside from a couple hiccups, I haven't had any problems with http://code.google.com/p/oauthconsumer/wiki/UsingOAuthConsum... on iPhone/iPad (I'm using the Browser redirect and re-launching the application from a custom application protocol).
The answer to this question is simple: the "egg" key in this chicken in egg problem was distributed with your browser. If a man in the middle can mess with your browser installation, you have bigger problems than SSL.
Telecoms people have old SPARC Sun hardware running in production.

Go to manufacturing and you'll find Windows 3.1.

On the other hand, we can't even seem to keep a Macbook for more than a year or so.
Thanks, I had thought about that, but wasn't sure if it was OK.

I guess if no one responds to this in the next couple of hours I will do that.
I have an old Pentium II 300MHz PC from the late 90s with 128MB of memory. I'm not sure when exactly it was first purchased, since I first got it second hand off of someone else in 2003. I added a new ethernet card in 2003 when I got it, and the CD drive has been replaced since, but other than that it's the original hardware (including 15" CRT monitor). The hard drive died long ago, but it doesn't need one to do its job.

And yes, it is used in production, for one very special task:

I'm the author of Gargoyle Router firmware (www.gargoyle-router.com), an alternate firmware for wireless routers. I've recently started selling some small routers with my software installed, but loading each one individually takes some time -- about 10 minutes each. This 10+ year old system runs a customized version of Knoppix, which can be used to install my software onto a large number of routers simultaneously. It means I can flash as many routers as I want within 10 minutes, instead of having to wait for 10 minutes each. This multiplex install system has some other components as well, but this PC sits at the center of it.

It's far more convenient to have a separate PC (especially one with a monitor) for this, since that way I don't have to keep disconnecting/reconnecting the necessary ethernet cords. Also, it only draws power during the brief time it's turned on (when I'm actually doing an install), so the fact it has an inefficient power supply isn't really a problem. It's cheap and it works, which is what matters.

edit: It was 2003, not 2002 I first bought the system.
I used to love the "Clean" light until I realized what you pointed out: you'd better want to put away all the dishes right then, which is a problem when you just need a spoon to stir the soup, etc.
I suspect that it's not that Google's feelings on privacy have changed, it's just that they've opted for brevity over flowery language. Saying "we care about privacy" as an internet company is basically content-free, because everyone does it.
Sure, as long as you're aware that you're reading marketing material, and are aware of the bias that goes with that. People often are more sheeple than critical thinkers, though.

[I think] The anger is generally on the part of the critical thinkers against those exploiting sheeple. You can think as critically as you like, but that doesn't mean you won't be drowned out by those who don't.
Up to about a year ago I still had a DNS server running that was first built in '98 or so, and plenty of people here work for 'the man' and must have all kinds of interesting legacy tech they still have to use.

Also, the people that use embedded systems might have an oldie kicking around doing something useful.
Dev Ops Engineer for RockMelt..a hot start-up in Mountain View(the heart of Silicon Valley) California.
RockMelt is a one year old start up ,still in stealth mode, with fewer than thirty people and plenty of funding, backed by some of the best names in Silicon Valley. Our team is talented and driven and full of fun. Our market is huge and proven. If we are successful, our product will change the way people use the Internet every day. Every day is a pretty exciting day at RockMelt. We’re an enthusiastic group and are most interested in candidates who are passionate about technology and about building something grand.
We are looking for a Development Ops Engineer who will play a big part in our development efforts. Initially, a big part of this position is to focus on the merger of an open source code to our own RockMelt code.
Responsibilities:
- Handle daily merging between RockMelt development and our upstream source.
- Develop and maintain continuous integration/build system.
- Assist QA with developing automated testing.
- Toolsmithing to assist developers.
Preferred Experience:
- Linux/Unix configuration/administration.
- Shell scripting. Python expertise highly desirable.
- Proficient with at least one DVCS. Git expertise highly desirable.
- Familiarity with MSVS and X-Code.
- Familiarity with C++ and Objective-C.
We offer competitive salaries along with generous equity and an employer paid health plan.
email: marilynn@rockmelt.com
What about calling them a mobile?
Yea- I think the companies most likely to be running crazy old hardware are, strangely enough, the ones on the forefront of development and adoption when this tech was beginning.

They blurr the line a little- the oldest computers aren't always 'computers' per-say, but rather old tools that do a straightforward job, like a hammer or a wrench.
Planned (no capture for password fields and an opt-out for other text fields). An option might be also to just display stars on regular input fields, so you could see that users are typing, but not see what they actually type.
This is one of the advantages of using 'aptitude' to install software rather than 'apt-get'. Removal takes care of unused dependencies.

Beware, mixing 'apt-get' and 'aptitude' used to cause some issues, such as trying to remove software that wasn't installed with 'aptitude' (although it always asks first). I think this has been fixed in recent versions but I'm not sure.
That looks like a great conference! I wish I could go, but I'll be out of the country. It would be great to meet everyone.
When you read this keep in mind that decisions like this are meant to help the vast number of .NET developers in corporate America. This is something Microsoft does very well: they are willing to make compromises to functionality in order to get secure defaults. I can't think of a lot of other companies that do that.
The box cover art [1] had a more realistic version of Duke than the ones in the linked article (which feel more cartoony).

[1] http://dorol.files.wordpress.com/2007/11/jeu_duke_3d_dorol.j...
This page gives a bit more explanation, particularly the filters used on the camera (which would be a necessity to reduce the glare and intensity of the sun enough to resolve something like the ISS + shuttle):

http://www.astrosurf.com/legault/iss_atlantis_transit_2010.h...
The interview with Udell theorizes a bit on why Khan's approach works. Key bits: he approaches subjects conversationally; he doesn't appear in the videos, which reduces distraction; most of his video segments last 10 minutes, which is at about the point where attention gives out; the technology lets people pause the lessons to look words up, something you can't do in a classroom.
The reason that is a command line is because Apple expects users to not change it.
First, function level semantics and brevity are not exactly differentiators when most anyone can wrap the socket API with the class/parametric/duck-typed interface of their choice (what is github if not a pile of DWIM wrappers.) See how Twisted did wonders for network programming at the semantic level.

Also, I have already stated that it was a powerful tool in the hands of a "capable systems architect". Besides, I am a closet iMatix fan ;-)

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1230509

All I wanted to point out is that ZeroMQ should not be treated as another "plugin" that people are encouraged to use willy nilly. I would use it in high-performance applications in financial trading, VOIP, scalable game servers, etc.

But these are not what most people are working on. Blog posts like these just encourage the ADHD bleeding-edge types to take another stab at their own thighs in the unjustified pursuit of "web scale". And the moment SmashingMag gets a hold of Zero, we will see the most gruesome newbie bloodshed since the battle of WordPress.
Yes, the most painful part is having to copy the pin number manually for non web apps, a real pain. I read twitter is working on the oauth 2.0 spec themselves with facebook and google, so we may get some relief soon.
Congrats to Swarmation

I'm curious on as to what other developers think of these contests. Yesterday, I got several emails and saw several tweets suggesting that I vote for a local startup. They pulled in a lot of votes and seemed to be leading at one point.

I'm assuming that several other contestants also benefited from similar voting campaigns.

I didn't look at any of the entries and I generally wouldn't take part in these contests. However, I'm curious to know whether other HNers look at these things as (a) sham contests, or as (b) real contests where the best product wins or as (c) contests that are a legitimate test of marketing skills or (d) just a harmless fun activity
In my company we have three Pentium 2 boxes working as routers and one working as a internal gateway (with full connectivity redundancy), we use OpenBSD, pf and the carp interface.
Another idea would be going to local meetups in a related technology.
"God created it" and "large numbers and evolution" are both ultimate wildcard explanations, when used carelessly. Both can be equivalent to adding infinity to both sides of your equation.

> "we wouldn't likely exist in a location that isn't nigh-ideally suited for us"

Right, but that only answers a weak variant of the argument. The stronger variant is that the universe shouldn't have any locations suited for the evolution of any form of intelligent life. The fact that we're here indicates that there is a location suited for the evolution of intelligent life, which requires an explanation.

There are lots of approaches you can take to provide an explanation. "We wouldn't be asking if we didn't exist" is a weak and unsatisfying approach.
How much of CPAN has been migrated to Moose, as opposed to directly calling "bless" as the docs[1] advocate even now? As I understand it, the story on interop between the two styles is "don't go there".

[1]http://perldoc.perl.org/perlobj.html
OAuth is also a huge pain for those "I just want to write a little Twitter API script in 5 minutes" things. To the extent that I've thought about writing a couple lately, but chose not to because I didn't want to deal with OAuth (and they were scripts I'd want to work in the future).

It seems like there should be some solution that lets me use basic auth for those little scripts. Maybe tell Twitter IP's from which I want to be able to use basic auth? It would be a bit of a pain since most people have dynamic IP's, but it would be better than nothing, and it would at least make it simple to run basic auth scripts on my VPS (which obviously has a static IP).
"I just think that purely mathematical errors are relatively rare"

It's more common than you would think.

Math error equals loss of Mars orbiter
NASA reported Sept. 30 that it had lost the $125 million Mars Climate Orbiter because the force exerted by the orbiter's thrusters remained in the system of units based on pounds and feet rather than being converted to metric.
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1200/is_15_156/ai_571...

A cosmic mistake
Mankind's first cosmic message, beamed to the stars on Monday, contains two mathematical errors, it has been revealed.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/353409.stm

Misuse of statistics
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misuse_of_statistics
Steve Jobs defends the new iTunes 10 logo
Perls 1-4 are even older (Perl 1 was 1987). Perl 5 really is just another version number of Perl, not a new language entirely like Perl 6.

Oftentimes what matters is exposure more than when something was invented. Erlang and Haskell came out in 1986 and 1990, respectively, but they're newer to most people than Perl is. Ruby and Python didn't have the exposure in 1995 and 1991 that Perl had.

(Interesting thought experiment--are there any obscure programming langauges today that will be all the rage in 2020, or has the internet accelerated that process?)
I wondered about that but dismissed the idea because computers and survival technology seem to have both come on leaps and bounds in the last 20 years without significant government or space program involvement. Or no?
Startups, Be Proud - How Policy Is Not Helping Us
While I don't know much about old what old stuff might be run by 'proper' tech people, I do know a DJ in Bristol who still mixes everything on an Atari ST. He's moderately popular, too, but that could be more due to his being 'part of the furniture' than anything else - he's been at it so long that the cover to one of his first releases was painted by Banksy before that would have cost a small fortune!
I've never had a problem with aptitude's autoremoval on Debian, at least. It might be somewhat more conservative than apt-get's autoremove, though I'm not sure exactly how apt-get's version works. Aptitude sort of opts-in packages to autoremoval: when aptitude itself automatically installs a package to satisfy a dependency, it remembers that fact, and only considers those packages for auto-uninstallation. So the only possible way a package will get auto-removed is if it was a package that aptitude auto-installed to begin with, and none of the reasons for the auto-installation hold anymore. Any package that got on the system some other way, such as being part of the base install from an ISO, doesn't get considered, even if nothing depends on it.
Yeah I was wondering about this, surely they didn't have 145 million "users" as in "created accounts", which is typically the definition. I imagine someone who checked the website once is part of their "user" tally.
That was Duke all right.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duke_Nukem_3D#Controversy
I have a very early Via motherboard with flash drive running OpenBSD as a firewall for the business office on the internal network. I probably need to replace it eventually, but it works fine / still can be updated.
As strlen already mentioned perl is big in the e-mail and infrastructure world. I write perl code for our e-mail filter and/or infrastructure frequently. But our webui is developed is developed in rails and qooxdoo. So I guess, it boils down to right tool for the job and trends of the day.
Part of the discussion is about whether the core activity is marketing. That's an interesting question.
Fame of Vinyl, Car and Bumper Stickers
Indeed vinyl, car, and custom bumper stickers have gained a huge value in the worldwide marketplace nowadays. They have such amazing looking designs, prints, contents and concepts that can surely make a big impression on your eyes for long time. Currently they can be bought at the most feasible price rates from any popular online printing company at bulk quantity.