skysight-inc/HackerNews huggingface dataset:
You're right that in the CURRENT state of affairs, high speeds don't do much for web applications as we know them to exist today. The web is here to stay, but not in the form we currently know it.

I disagree that "more bandwidth...will be more of the same." The reason is when I look at other aspects of computing that have gotten better in the past, and what they've enabled, it seems like that's not true.

a couple decades ago, 1MB RAM was unfathomable. What would you possibly do with all that space? We can write programs in 64kb! Well, looks like we added layers and layers of abstractions to make it easier for programmers at the expense of more work for computers.

The miniaturization of hard drives and the increase in their capacity has changed the game a quite a bit. iPods would not be possible without small hard drives. While it's not the only reason, without it or other similar technology, we wouldn't have had a change in consumer music and culture.

Like your edit says, with huge bandwidth, your computer here is just as good as a computer "there" Imagine if your internet connection is as fat of a pipe as the one going from your hard drive to your motherboard. SCSI, ATA100, whatever. Remote desktop applications will be just as fast as locally running one nowadays.

If that's the case, 3D gaming can be completely remote, and subscription based gaming can become the norm, rather than purchasing boxes and CDs.

If video and TV really do make it on the internet, I imagine it can change the way we watch it. No longer do we see disjointed segments of content, nor will we have 'channels' where we have to wait to watch something. We will be able to pick and choose what we watch, even entire archives of past shows at our whim. On demand won't just be for movies anymore. (Well, that's given that the noose of big media doesn't strangle innovation)

My guess is more bandwidth won't be much more of the same. We'll see more "wasted" bandwidth according to our present defn, but they'll be used in entirely different ways.
Reducing Shoulder-surfing by Using Gaze-based Password Entry
I think innovative and exploratory cracking can properly be called hacking, but this article refers to the crackers in question as "script kiddies," ergo not hackers.
James Alexander, Zopa co-founder, on peer-to-peer lending
I use TextMate when I can, and emacs when I can't. I recognize that emacs is much, much, much more powerful. However, I don't have the time needed to learn how to unlock that power.

TextMate has a much gentler learning curve, and a lot more affordances -- it's easier to figure out how to do something when you have no idea of the keystroke or name of the command.
This submission title is less than ideal.
The weather enthusiasts behind Stormpulse.com are applying the concept of the wisdom of crowds to hurricane forecasting. How? Create an account at Stormpulse.com and the next time there's an active storm, tell them where you think the storm is going to go by filling out a slick little form. They're going to take everyone's forecasts and aggregate them to see if you (and the crowd) can accurately forecast the the movement and strengthening of tropical cyclones.
Yeah. Journalists seem to have done a really good job of tainting the word 'hacker' that even the submission-titles here show the effect.
So the law is just like Shroedinger's cat?
As I wrote in the post though, I just don't feel comfortable going with a totally free system - I don't like the idea frankly. I love free - don't get me wrong - but I don't always prefer free and this is just one of those times. Can they promise me that my employees aren't going to see ads on the officezilla site soon? No. Do I feel as though my data/info is as secure with a free system as I feel with a paid-for system? No. Do I think Zoho Projects will still be around 5 years from now? Yes (in some form). OfficeZilla? No clue.

That's pretty much my way of thinking - and it's okay to disagree with me. Every single company that I said I didn't choose based on the "Deal Killer" could write in and say, "he could have at least given it a try" but the truth is that I have to work lol. I don't have six days to review every possible PM software package under $500 for two years for 5 users. I picked 6-8 good ones, ran them through what I wanted, and that's that. In the end it's just the mindset that something I pay for is more secure, better, and will grow more with my company than something I got for free. Right or wrong, it's just my way of thinking for this particular "quest."

| If you spread your information out between various different systems you will find yourself with a whole lot of logins and urls to remember.

That's a downside to be sure but honestly - on a budget, what software package out there does PM, help desk software, and website management? None. Zero. Okay - what software does PM + help desk on a budget? None. Zero. I suppose I could write my own but then what's the point when I can spend $10 a month and just remember a few urls/logins? As we grow it will be a challenge though to manage/migrate - but that's for another day :)
Bruce Schneier suggests that this article is a little too sensationalist: http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2007/08/cyberwar_in_es...
You've got to give the guy credit for trying. His sources are sound - PAIP is difficult, and PG consistently rings true. I'd take him over a mainstream C# drone salivating over Biztalk.

I do like his update :

"A lisp hacker has rewritten my code to take advantage of more of the language's native featuresX eliminating a great deal of code in the process."
A tutorial on using an FTP client? On "Hacker News"? Something is very wrong here...
I am as tired as speculative journalists as you are, specially around the Gphone and this is why I posted this.

Out of all the link-bait articles about the gphone, I thought this one had a good analysis and that the mock designs of the phone were interesting.
High-performance JavaScript: Why everything you've been taught is wrong
Fred Wilson: The End Of The Install Game (For Facebook apps, usage matters now, not installs)
Which keyboard do you use?
A few days back my Kinesis keyboard broke down so I am looking for a cheaper option?
Tried it. It works, but it looks sooo shitty.
Point, Click ... Eavesdrop: How the FBI Wiretap Net Operates
What do you mean with 'limit', exactly?
We're based in the Netherlands and Neither Google Checkout nor Amazon FPS offer service here. We have found merchant banks willing to play ball but they are quoting ridiculous rates (55eurocents (=65+ USDcents) + 3% and hefty monthlies and a setup fee).

Looking at e.g. authorize.net they seem completely US oriented. Is there any merchant service any of you are aware of that operates in the Netherlands?
How to Know when it's Time to Leave your Own Company
I agree.

There's nothing wrong with the spirit behind the article, but there's really no content there.

This is one case where being able to down-vote a submission would make sense.
Looking for funding for your startup? Non-profit hosts free forum for qualified entrepreneurs.
more generally, is there any framework to do image processing in javascript?
My gosh what is this Digg? there seems to be an increase in the number of trolls recently.
I intend to work on javascript tools to make this happen at DevHouseBoston
http://devboston.pbwiki.com/Dev3Projects
I intend to work on javascript tools to make this happen at DevHouseBoston http://devboston.pbwiki.com/Dev3Projects
i hear you!

+1 for -1
Heh. I did set up SLIME for CL (in XEmacs), after like 8 attempts. I forget how I eventually got it to work, but IIRC I cycled through several CL implementations before cracking it. (SBCL didn't, alas, work with SLIME out of the box.)

This brings up some advice for Arc adoption, in case it hasn't yet been addressed: don't assume people will know (or will be willing to learn) Emacs. And don't count on NetBeans support. :-)
Thoughts on Image Processing in JavaScript?
I intend to work on javascript tools to do image processing at DevHouseBoston.
http://devboston.pbwiki.com/Dev3Projects

The goals are to build an open framework, to learn more JavaScript, and eventually to implement that crazy dynamic image resize method that's been floating around the internet.
http://www.faculty.idc.ac.il.nyud.net:8090/arik/IMRet-All.mo...

I thought I'd ask this group if they knew of any existing tools to use. A cursory google search found little.

This might be easier to do in Flash, but I want to learn more JavaScript and get the sense that it will be more portable this way. Any thoughts on this issue?
Amazon's FPS wasn't meant to be the end-all online payment system. It really seems like it was developed because so many webmasters hated paypal. And while going through amazon is a lot better than having ugly ass paypal... the users still sees a third party, which can seem unprofessional.

In my personal experience, I applied for FPS. They sent me an email asking me some more questions, then said they would get back to me in two days. It's now been two weeks.
The word "Hacker" - Negative to Positive
3-4 years ago when I started programming right out of school, the word Hacker used to have a negative connotation. I always wanted to call myself that but people would say "Hackers are people that just hack things together and cannot build scalable solutions" and programmers are ones that build real solutions. Glad to see that is changing now.

I didn't agree then - I don't now. Do you ?
You're ideas aren't worthless, but they're pretty close.
Better trust networks, healthcare, public safety are all reasons I would consider making the move permanent. In the United States even healthcare is an industry. If you can't trust your doctor, who can you trust?
I wouldn't say I put zero value on ideas. Just that the founders matter a lot more.
25/36=0,69444... Looks more like 0.69 than 0.70.
Never Ask for Referrals
Resources for the entrepreneur 
from an MIT lecturer
The funniest thing in the memo (http://www.paidcontent.org/page/yahoo-reorg-sue-deckers-memo...) is that Sue Decker has a chief of staff (2nd to last para) -- does that make Yahoo a country? :-)
Image processing is not possible with JavaScript.
Atlanta Startup Scene--Capital Connections
I think you got downmodded because you said kids "should be" apprenticed. It sounds coercive, and that rubs people the wrong way.

But... I strongly believe that a reasonably bright and literate high school sophomore could absolutely begin law school. On average, they probably wouldn't do as well as they would after college, because your writing, reading comprehension, and exam taking skills do improve in college.

But I actually think people would be very surprised with how strong a performance smart 15 year olds would show. I'm not talking genuises here, just pretty smart kids.
What do you mean not possible? You can't touch pixels in an image buffer?
thank you, i needed the boost, perfect timing. ;-D
the interpretation of words depend on each generation's intention. Hacker seems more aggressive and progressive for today's frontier; programmer seems old school...
"I only wrote it down because I only had two hours before dinner and think fastest while writing."

Hmm.. I wonder if writing can help one to think through software design faster, too.

I suppose that writing consists of actual programming, though.
I use an IBM Model M Space Saver... love it! although it's probably the last keyboard you'd want :D
The Dark Side of Startups: 5 Corrosive Co-Founder Conflicts
A look at 5 co-founder relationships that cause tons of problems for the founding team.
> Everything is faster. Zero drag is optimal. For a while, new applicants would jokingly be asked about their ''drag coefficient.'' Since the office is a full hour's commute from San Francisco, an apartment in the city was a full unit of drag. A spouse? Drag coefficient of one. Kids? A half point per. Then they recognized that such talk, even in jest, could be taken as discriminatory in a hiring situation.

"Could be taken as"? It is discriminatory. And Epinions failed; the Reddit team built a more valuable property with a tiny fraction of the time and effort.
It definitely helps, as does drawing.
Good clarification, thanks.
I think there is a problem with it (86, 90, 81):

9.	Kiko guys back as reality tv stars (techcrunch.com)
86 points by gaz 164 days ago | 25 comments

10.	y combinator news bookmarklet (writewith.com)
90 points by phil 174 days ago | 12 comments

11.	Seven steps to remarkable customer service (joelonsoftware.com)
81 points by beau 191 days ago | 8 comments
I think lectures are expensive. Time is expensive. In order for lectures to be effective, their value has to exceed their cost. You have two options - shorten them or improve their quality.

Speaking is an art. The value of a good lecture far exceeds text. Imagine what you'd be missing if you just read "I have a dream", not hearing MLK's delivery.
>> We've done this five times now, and we've seen a bunch of startups die. About 10 of them so far.

So, not counting this batch (19), 10 out of 39 [1] startups died so far. So, the survival rate is 72%. Not bad! I know that some more YC companies might die at some point in the future, but the numbers so far seem impressive.

[1] The following article quotes 58 companies funded in all: http://dondodge.typepad.com/the_next_big_thing/2007/08/paul-...
I apologize if the submission title is misleading but the message is still valuable. It's not dissimilar to Paul Graham's speech / essay, "How Not to Die."

His message, "You will doubt yourself. But don't give up."

I wasn't as eloquent or elaborate, but still a similar message. The intention wasn't to linkbait anyone with a misleading headline.
The IBM Model M "clicky" keyboards are the best.
Easy way to boost karma
You can simply boost your karma by registering a new ID and up vote all of your own comments. I did this same thing and went from 10 to 25 (I don't mind if I am sent back to 10). Shouldn't there be some sort of limiting factor like: x = 1/y where x is the increase in karma and y is the number of times a certain user has up voted your comments.
Very good, made me wish I had not given up.
Interesting to hear about this since many of us wonder what ends up happening. Kind of an unappealing subject -- nobody wants to read Founders at Rest, right?

I guess startups are like old soldiers, they just fade away. Anyone want memamp.com? It went to unregistered status a week or two ago.

But this was a good handling of the subject, and good for founders to hear. What I think is great about YC's structure is that it gives startups feedback and deadlines, and I agree that just getting those is enough to keep startups going. Someone should start a startup that just calls people once a week and talks with them about what they got done! It would work even better if the caller was of higher status, but it would work well enough with friends.

But seriously, for startups this would work great. Get together with a group and make a weekly appointment for each person to call another each week and chat about what they're doing, preferably with a little demo. I'm sure one of you is already thinking of how to make this a Facebook app, but I think a personal phone call would work best.

P.S.: "Francisco."
Useful reminders.
So we're all experiencing the same thing?

That's relieving to hear.
I think this is a good idea...

>>I'm sure one of you is already thinking of how to make this a Facebook app, but I think a personal phone call would work best.

Actually, my first thought was meetup group in a certain area.
A great read as always. Unlike the usual PG, more inspiring than analytical.
good debugging... and good hack.. however it's a moot point if one's intention is to only gain points from the Hacker News experience
The Mozilla Platform
That would be better, but also easier to flake on.
"There's never enough time to do it right, but there is always enough time to fix it."
Google on the Cover of the Economist
I will say it plainly: This is the most influential, well written essay I have ever read. It hit a chord very deep with me..
SeedCamp Finalists Chosen (The European Y Combinator-like seed fund)
It's kind of depressing to not have any real startup peer group in Pittsburgh. News.yc is serving as a kind of substitute, for me. I'm really looking forward to when we get to turn our startup's shopping cart on and ask news.yc for feedback.
I don't think 72% is particularly good (I think it should be higher). I'm not sure you realise just how scary the thought of failing in front of so many hard-working people is...
I think it's certainly better then when you hear about a 10% survival rate for startups, as stereotypical as that is. But you're right, it could be better. PG mentions a 90% survival rate is possible.
50% sounds like really good odds to me, given the payout. It depends to some extent on what it means to fail, and how long it takes to succeed. But if your odds of a substantial payout are 50%, and the length of time to get to success or failure is less than 4 years, then these are phenomenal odds.

Of course, it's not just money - you "pay" in other ways. If it takes, say, 4 years to get to the success or failure point, then some people will have worked for over 12 years with grim determination and still never quite nail it. I wonder if this is a memory-less process (ie., how does a previous failure affect your future attempts?). Wisdom and exhaustion in equal parts, I'd suspect, and only one side is going to win.
I try not to feel guilt about it. Rich white folks get what they want through privilege. Going to a top notch college is a great equalizer for everyone else who wasn't lucky enough to be born to the right parents - if you can get there.
If this is seed funding, why are they announcing what all of the companies are doing a priori? So competitors can be aware and get a one-up on them before they release? I would feel uncomfortable with that personally.
NASA Tests New Rocket Engine in Mojave Desert
Seedcamp's 20 Startups Revealed: Europe's answer to YCombo
Thank you Paul.

If we can be recipients of messages like this, I don't think any of us not funded by YC should feel like we're outside the club.
Can't Get Enough Bars?  New Product Boosts Cell Phone Signal
A good friend of mine once described pg as a "modern-day Horatio Alger for hackers".
Why Your BlackBerry Makes Speakers Buzz
Opera Mini 4 beta 2 released
What makes this inspiring is the extent to which it really is analytical; it's based on his accumulated experience with startups. Someone known for careful thinking is stating that for 90% of startups that look good based on an application and a single interview, success is only a matter of determination.
Facebook adding Friend Lists; implications for Top Friends, LinkedIn?
Very helpful and inspiring. Thanks! But:

> We're taking on some consulting projects, but we're going to keep working on the startup.

All good if you're single, but what if you've got a wife and family and just need the cash? (Okay, feel free to say you shouldn't start a startup with a family, but it's too late... :-)
I really like that description. I think the phrase "luck, pluck, and virtue" has been permanently grafted into my brain ever since reading Ragged Dick in HS. That and, "I seen my opportunities and I took 'em."
Why not ask the wife to be the temporary breadwinner while you concentrate on your project?
It seems like the success rate for that situation is minuscule, if you define 'success' as getting rich and not just supporting yourself.
Fear of humilation and fear of failure is also the most significant thing to overcome in terms of applying to Y Combinator at all. I'd far rather be rejected from the start, having failed at the application process, than to get into the program and disappoint everyone.
TellThem: MySpace Kills Another Startup
CNET Buys Tech Content/Ad Network TechTracker
This can still be a totally inspiring essay for that situation.

The real threat posed by taking on consulting is not what it does to your time; seeking funding would eat up lots of time as well. The threat is what it does to your determination. When the startup seems hopeless you can easily drop it and make consulting your focus.

If you're determined enough, you'll come up with a plan to maintain that determination even if consulting goes well and the startup goes terribly.
This just shows how vulnerable a successful application is when someone else holds your keys. I would feel very uncomfortable if my business were entirely at the mercy of someone else.

I'm sure Slide will be fine though even if top friends is killed, they've got excellent trajectory.
Google would have acquired facebook by now if it was really worth it
How To Become a Statesman
The one political talk that every aspiring CEO or politician should read. (All of the first three talks are really outstanding actually, although some of the later ones are more esoteric.)
Absolutely! Sometimes I think that I'm "startup cursed" because I find it so easy to pound the pavement and rustle up a few bucks. Ironically, what is an asset in the real world is a liability in the startup world. I haven't completely turned my back on other income while I code my startup, but I have to look at it very carefully. All other activities must pass an additional acid test: "What will this endeavor contribute to my startup?" If I don't have a good answer, I pass on it and get back to coding.
This is probably among the most operational focussed essay I have read from PG on startups. Its so true - nothing focuses the human mind more than deadlines and public statements to live upto. I go around telling everyone I know, including people at work that I want to start a company and it has a very subconcious effect on me, when people are constantly asking me so whats happening on your startup front.

Also very good point about how peers motivate each other. When I am sitting in my weekly target meetings and see that my peer did 110% of his target and i did only 95%, it immediately triggers me to go and re-examine my methods.
Because Facebook isn't worth 4.5 Billion.
I'm told they've filed a patent on the method they used. Often a component can be changed in the actual implementation to avoid infringement, but that means more work.

Also you can find a paper for the work here:
http://www.faculty.idc.ac.il/arik/
To enjoy those lower fees we must stay under a certain number of transactions a month and (I believe) we have a max. limit on a transaction amount. I apologize for being unable to give you full details, since my partner is finalizing cost issues with them as I'm typing this.
There are several more that seem moribund, but we give them the benefit of the doubt, because there have been cases of startups coming back from the dead.

There were 38 before this batch, 20 new ones this summer, 1 of which immediately merged with a startup from a previous round = 19 in Cambridge.
Done purposely
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823109...
Why not set up regular conference calls so those of us not near a startup hub can participate?
I never call someone a "hacker" because people have such strong opinions about it. If you use it in a community where people aren't as progressive about it then you just look silly.
I would definitely read (and even buy) Founders at Rest; in Founders at Work, you get a bunch of stuff about what successful founders do, but you don't know which stuff is necessary and which stuff is coincidental. You need a bunch of negative data points to make a really correct assessment about necessary and sufficient conditions for startup success.
Power Wi-Fi using the sun, says startup
I thought Facebook was getting horrible ad performance. Also, Google adds normally complement information content. Facebook is more about communication and personal connections.
Don't cry wolf.
Would you mind explaining why you feel that way? Just curious, I'd be interested.
you're right, not your right.
More interestingly, this shows that people snap upvote things without actually reading the article. At least two, anyway.