skysight-inc/HackerNews huggingface dataset:
ST:Picard and ST:Discovery are unfortunately both regressions where it comes to ST wordbuilding and style. Frankly, Lower Decks - currently airing animated "Rick&Morty meets ST:TNG" - does it better. Holograms there look and behave like they should.
> I'm fine with Apple's walled garden.

Are you fine with paying Apple 30% of the cost of any application that you buy? It's not the developers that are paying this cost -- this is what you are paying to Apple for each app. That $25 app is costing you $7.50 that goes straight to Apple. All that money adds up fast.

Even if you are good with that, I think you imagine that a lot of users -- even those who might be happy with other aspects of the Apple ecosystem -- might not be happy with a 30% tax on all purchases made on their thousand dollar device. Apple even mandates that you're not allowed to know inside of an app about cheaper ways to pay.
I don't think the issue is the raw numbers, it's a question of market forces. Processing payments has costs and risks; if Apple solves that problem so well that a developer thinks their fee is worthwhile, that's all well and good regardless of what the fee is.

But by prohibiting apps from even telling the user about alternate payments, Apple is effectively trying to dictate how everyone on their platform can and can't do business. That seems problematic regardless of whether what numbers they dictate.
I actually don't disagree with this, I just said it is not some "coincidence". Apple was first, Google decided to follow. Good for consumers? Probably not.
I guess. It's more like: figure out how to measure how much spice is flowing. The resulting knowledge will be a new tool: powerful and morally indifferent, as all tools. You choose how to use it.
Google had a lot of pre ipo refugees. It's sort of the reason we opened the Zurich and Seattle offices.
Google is going to bring differential privacy framework to Chrome before deprecating third party cookies. Which means, it's going to incorporate DP into their ads product. Maybe this makes you feel better.
The thing I never understood about the US is why asking for someone's "race" (or whatever the current PC term for it is) on a form, government or otherwise, is not flat out illegal on account of being a) entirely meaningless b) downright insulting c) guaranteed to produce the kind of outcome we're discussing here.
I was very depressed over the last few months because I thought there is no one left who will stand against these big companies. Reading hackernews comments was very depressing since everyone was defending Apple.
That changed today, after reading this thread. Looks like there is some hope left.
Thanks for voicing your opinion, it makes me feel better for the future.
Fuck that. The stars are more beautiful than any shit they put up there.
Bash: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/7577052/bash-empty-array...
It’s harder to draw a government corporate distinction while replying to a comment specifically mentioning China and the US?

Are the big Chinese tech companies independent of their government? And are the US companies exploring bidding for tiktok etc doing so because the US government is coercing them?
Kind of scummy for Apple not to hold themselves to their standards, but then again I expect no less from them. The exemptions in the Play Store rules say they can, so there's not much anyone can do to stop this.

However, Apple may very well shoot themselves in the foot here. They just showed that they do not believe their own marketing speak about it being fair to pay an additional fee to keep app stores running and other such arguments.
I don't think running game on iPhone is problem, but Nintendo Switch (or say gaming console) might have better cooling design compared to smartphone.
websites are so 2002
I'm obliged, I suppose, to list off a few big wins. From the 50s and 60s, we have classic theorems which use abstract nonsense to generalize big statements about entire classes of objects, like Freyd's adjoint functor theorem [0], Yoneda's lemma [1], and Lawvere's fixed-point theorem [2]. Yoneda's lemma is the slogan that "an object is equivalent to the arrows coming/leaving it", but formal. Lawvere's theorem is a deep and permanent generalization of Gödel, Tarski, Turing, et al. on incompleteness and undecideability.

Starting in the 60s and continuing to the present, there's been a theme of exploring category theory as a prime foundation for maths. There's been complete foundations like the Elementary Theory of the Category of Categories (ETCC) [3], and also much smaller but pointed presentations that focus on just simplifying set theory. I like [4] in particular.

On a deeper level, in terms of structure and philosophy, the entire existence of homotopy type theory (HoTT) relies on categorical presentations and memes. HoTT is, more than any other type theory, an investigation into what equivalence means, and it dovetails wonderfully with 2-category theory and the understanding that algebraic laws can be transformed into transformations.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formal_criteria_for_adjoint_fu...

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoneda_lemma

[2] http://tac.mta.ca/tac/reprints/articles/15/tr15.pdf

[3] https://ncatlab.org/nlab/show/ETCC

[4] https://arxiv.org/abs/1212.6543
Endless consumption is a delusion, regardless of how much "better" the economy appears.

Idleness doesn't necessitate consumption, and it's interesting that that conclusion was jumped to.
But you can just download from the website directly.
Android allows you to sideload apps.
It makes no sense from a risk diversification POV to spend your life savings (pre-)seeding your startup.
I got the particle counter used on eBay for about $100. I know it's totally unnecessary to have that industrial version, but it was cheaper (used) than I could buy their consumer-level AirVisual Pro(https://www.iqair.com/us/air-quality-monitors/airvisual-pro).
You think they are monopolizing eveything when they can't even win in tech ecosystems? Their latest outputs are "also-ran" copies like Kindle Fire, Prime Video, etc. They have some more success with private label which magically gets called a monopoly when combined with computers.

They are big and growing but just a bunch of talking heads and campaigns squawking "monopoly" doesn't make it so. Walmart is still bigger as a retail sector so calling #2 a monopoly is jumping the gun.
> but why does there even need to be centralized stores at all?

Well, discoverability is a big problem. Yes, in theory we could do discoverability a different way, but in practice we haven't built that kind of infrastructure (yet).

There are other problems regarding payment processors and transactions/refunds, tracking where users came from for tax purposes... there's just a lot of infrastructure.

Now, that's not to say we couldn't ever get rid of centralized stores. It would just be a lot of work to build a lot of open infrastructure, get some better payment processors that are easier to sign up for, build the kind of systems and lists you're talking about around discoverability.

I don't think it's impossible to imagine a world with fewer centralized stores and more self-hosted games, and I don't think it's unreasonable to say that world might be nice to live in. I just think that world is far away and that getting there would be a lot of work.

Currently, I can set up an Itch account from scratch and be selling a real game to real people for real money in, like, an hour? Maybe 2? And it'll handle stuff like archiving all of my old versions, and I won't need to set up accounts for my users, and there's a nice integrated blogging platform, and people can comment, and currency conversion is just not an issue. Plus as a user, I don't need to provide my name/address to each developer either, only Itch needs to know where/who I am. So that neatly bypasses the privacy problem of payment systems like Paypal.

Again, none of that is impossible for us to provide in a decentralized way. But the decentralized tools aren't comparable right now; if you want to sell directly it's going to be a lot more work.

Maybe that will change in the future.
Some ideas that apple could consider and I would like to see:

* 30% fee if app featured by apple or install initiated from app store search

* 20% provision if user landed in app store from direct app store app link

* provide accredited 3rd payment processors (e.g. paypal, stripe). Provide them API and guidelines that they have to comply with. In app store search apps that will go through apple payment processor will have label e.g. 'fulfillment by apple' similar to what amazon uses. Such app would have fee: 15% to apple + x% whatever paypal/stripe will charge. If app installed from direct link and using 3rd party processor then 10% to apple + x% to payment processor

* remove ads inside app store - I consider them unfair or indie devs

* iOS Safari WebView that is not crippled and catches up to latest web standards
(Web Notifiations, Fullscreen API on iOS, Shared Web Workers just to name a few)

[edit] formatting
I absolutely agree. Forcing developers to abide by their store & platform rules if they want to sell to iOS users, coupled with the fact that of course everyone does want to sell to iOS users, is definitely a big part of why I find iOS so nice.

I also think smaller-time developers are underestimating the degree to which Apple's iOS market is attractive precisely because of the equilibrium brought about by that situation, and the overall value it brings to the user, and their consequent willingness to spend money there, as they cheer Epic on. Maybe I'm wrong and none of the market-creating rules Apple's enforced have anything to do with it, but I suspect too many tweaks may not kill that golden goose, but might well reduce its rate of egg-laying.

As I've repeated many times here, now, though, I'd love to see more platforms compete with iOS. Not with the app store. With iOS and its overall ecosystem.
Wow. Almost every Linux distribution would never enable such a thing. As for Apple's Macs, it's all a black box in and of itself.
please send me your btc Liang!
I should tell you that Android SDK takes $0.
It’s really sad that something as universal and beautiful as the night sky is now something to be pissed on. Pretty much a perfect example to demonstrate that “tech people” are amoral assholes. I hope the satellites all burn up.
Apple would have to be insane to do that. Within a month they would have the same problem with the rest of the top 10 paid apps.
Paying for the the rest of the App Store infrastructure.
Maybe the industry could popularize a 'normalized-grade' in applications where it simply asks for the student's grade divided by the average GPA at their school? Is that a bad idea?
There is the Apple Developer Enterprise Program[0] but it suggests it's only for employees.

>Use the program only to create proprietary, in-house apps for internal use, and to distribute these apps privately and securely to employees within the organization.

Not sure if there is another programme that would work for universities

[0]https://developer.apple.com/programs/enterprise/
Because the elephant thing is unique and the racism thing is common?
Simply because Epic has the money to fight for what I believe. The lawsuit isn't just about Epic, its about the bigger ramifications.
“Proud boys” deserve every derogatory we can give them. They should all hang.
Boy am I glad I use Android instead. Never used an Apple product before and if things are like this I don't see why I should.
You're falling in their marketing trap. They are passing it now because it helps their case, but had they a lower percentage to begin with, they'd keep the price as it was. You think Epic is a benevolent corporation? No, they're a money-making machine selling pixel clothes and dances for their hit game. (I'm a gamer and I find Epic revolting.)
Imagine a generator on a bicycle, you pedal to make a light bulb light up. There is of course inherent friction in the system, but a large fraction is actually pushing magnet fields around to produce electricity. That part actually has no friction, while it's not 100% efficient in the form of stray magnetic fields and some heating, normal metal on metal friction is a very small fraction.

Normal brakes use 100% friction, which of course causes substantial heat, and increases wear and tear on the pads, the rotor, and brake fluid. These type issues are why it's often recommended to use a lower gear down hills so you can offload the brakes with engine friction.

So not only does regenerative braking produce less dust, but it produces less heat, and the brakes/rotors/fluid are on average cooler and in a state where any needed braking causes less wear.
Nobody is saying other languages are perfect. These are particularly egregious mistakes though.
I run and bike so I often notice how many people are looking down at their phone at stop lights and while driving.

Just sit at an intersection and count sometime. It's terrifying.
What a disgrace. I hope consumers realize how bad this is.
Imagine if something like that happened in the Desktop space.
>But if the 3rd-party stores end up with a reputation of being insecure, then consumers will refuse to use them. And everything will be fine.

This logic will not work for fortnite users, because you do not expect a knowledge about insecure stores more prevalent among them more than that there is fortnite. You logic works for highly logical and disciplined people, but not for those who want that unique thing that everyone has. Epic simply doesn't care as much as apple/google about a platform sanity, because it is not their net loss in the end. It's the reason very similar to why we ban drugs off the streets. Drugs are fun, but they have heavy strings attached, and much less than everyone realizes that in full detail, while sellers lose nothing.

>You will always have the choice to opt into downloading apps only from a secure, strictly managed, curated storefront.

You seem to have missed the "app-makers" part. If apple to allow more profiting stores, the culture of selling there will grow exponentially and there will be no apps left in appstore beyond few generic and very safe-statused. All custom calculators, galleries and unique apps will be able to demand your AB, geo, etc, because it is even more profit. And they will be listed at the top because more money means more promotion. It is a systematic problem, not just one of a choice.
This. Add on to the fact that none of your customers has any incentive to sue you or screw you (i.e. it almost never happens) and that you can get insurance for all kinds of eventualities. And you still have a limited-liability corporation.
For me I find the fact I can grow my startup at my own pace without pressure is a good thing.

I still have my day job as a software engineer, so I won't be running out of money any time soon. My employer reduced my hours by 20% and I'm working from home because of covid, giving me more time to focus on side projects. My product (https://expose.sh) is basically complete and unlikely to change in a massive way.

For now I'm just starting to get good at social media ads. After work I set up some campaigns, then review the results the next day and tweak them.
You might want to check out GoG Galaxy. It has integrations to Steam/Epic/Origin/Uplay/etc and provides a single user interface to manage your purchases across these platforms.

Also, consoles have exclusives too. I choose PC over console anyday.

I really like the idea of a purchase being decoupled from the distribution. GOG(completely) and HumbleBundle (limited extent) seems to be the only option at the moment.
Yes, some initially hated things became loved. From this it does not follow that one can expect that to be the norm.
Time to start building tools to jam the spectrum. Make these things useless.
> You can distribute an app for free if you are part of their developer program

I think you mean: "you can submit an app to them and they will decide whether or not to distribute it".
I wish EPIC win for this case to get the free of AppStore, not free of AppStore's payment provider.

Free of computer is very important but free of payment provider is not so much.
At the very least Google lets you do whatever you want and install apps from elsewhere - a third party store or even a random apk from a shady website if you're brave.
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https://buddysupplement.com/well-being-labs-cbd-gummies/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6IEsPTvCZ0&feature=youtu.be

http://well-being-cbd-gummies-price.over-blog.com/well-being-cbd-gummies

https://www.completefoods.co/diy/recipes/well-being-cbd-gummies-reviews-must-read-before-buy-is-a-scam-or-safe
Being forced to stick to one store is shitty for the user.
The part where they go to court is the core of the plan. They've timed it to coincide with the antitrust case. Apple will have to be very careful how they defend this case to avoid their statements coming up in the antitrust case that could cost them much much more than giving Epic a lower appstore fee.
By the time your children are dead, it will still be 100x easier to do anything on earth than it is to do that thing in space. This seems astoundingly obvious.
I would assume someone has tried somewhere at Epic but I think the issue is not only targeting WebGL (as opposed to VK/OpenGL/D3D) but the sheer size of the assets a game like Fortnite has.

Epic has the money to fund development to make it happen on the technical side, but currently you'd need to download so much stuff that you'd be doing the same thing as their game launcher anyway.
Google Play Store and the Apple App Store can’t be compared in this way, because they provide completely different services. The Apple App Store review process is far more thorough, and expensive to operate. Apple also invest more into ensuring the privacy and security objectives they have for the App Store are met by way of OS development. It’s not surprising that Google prices some services differently, and Apple is 100% playing by the rules.

Regarding your comments about security and UX, I know which one of those companies I trust more on both of those fronts. What phone number do I call for a billing issue with Google?
> As long as Linux lacks native support for Autodesk, Adobe CC, Office 365, FL Studio, Pro Tools, etc. and dozens of other niche programs by ISVs it will never approach the mainstream with any sort of widespread appeal.

Meh, I think it's not an all or nothing situation. My client uses exclusively Windows on the desktop but basically the most "advanced" applications they use are Excel and Outlook. Practically all their line of business software is web-based. Most run on Windows for some reason, but as far as the user is concerned, it's just a web app.

I bet that the situation is similar for most companies, and the other tools you mentioned aren't all that widespread. Of course, for the companies that use them to make money they're important. But I would say that's "specialized use" territory. I bet most of the people working for my client (> 3000 employees) have no idea what Pro Tools are, and they are more or less in the media sector.

I personally use the Adobe CC photography suite as a hobby. And although for the moment only lightroom is concerned, I get the feeling that adobe is looking to move the products to the cloud. Microsoft has already done this with Office 365.

For my (admittedly limited) use case, installed Office is dead. It's a pain to install, takes forever to update, and most importantly, works way, way worse than the online version. Outlook online doesn't lag and the messages scroll while I move the slider instead of waiting for me to let it go. Just like it used to before they switch to the new interface around 2013 or 2016 with all the white space. The online version even works on Firefox on Linux. Teams works on Linux too. Remoting to windows servers is way more practical on Linux (Remmina) than windows. So I would say that for my client, the reason they still use windows is basically inertia. I'm using Linux full time and never had an issue interfacing with the other people working there.
> Did any of what I just said make any sense?

No.

We don't need bizzaro metaphors when the situation is easy to discuss on its own terms.
Give me your address and I'll come and plant a light sculpture in your backyard for free. You don't get to choose anyways. At first, you'll think it's an eyesore but give it a few years and you'll learn to look at it with pride and aesthetic appreciation.
Every battle is won or lost before it is even fought.
People have lot of opinions about apple but looking at ground reality of the situation, Within Apple, there must be a small team which is taking all the decisions for this product and they realized that they need to do CC integration for improving profits.

Should we hold the whole company for this? Yes, of course. Real question should be how can a company which is as big as Apple can make sure their standards are propagated across all teams.

I'm not trying to defend apple here but it is a real problem I see in lot of big companies.
Parent's comment may soon be flagged by N such payed individuals and it will automagically disappear from this discussion...
Waiting for the late 1970's/early 1980's tax photos.

Some more info about the NYC tax photos:
https://www.archives.nyc/blog/tag/Tax+Photos
The fact you believe the $150k is where the value in an accelerator like YC lies says a lot.

If I was running another startup and I could join YC for $0 in return for 7% I'd still seriously consider it.
Those exams are essentially tedious calculus problems. It’s the high school math equivalent of the National spelling bee.
This requirement for there to be a monopoly is a very U.S.-centric view. In the EU they tend to look more towards market distortion, and companies that distort a market tend to get fined. The EU also has some beef to settle with apple for getting away with dodging billions of euros in taxes through ireland.

So, because of the specifics of how antitrust legislation works in the U.S. Epic may very well fail in court, because they may fail to prove a monopoly. But I do expect the EU to take action. It is all but unavoidable at this point.
Deep integration with Assistant is one of the main selling points of Pixel devices. New assistant features come to Pixel first, sometimes only work with Pixel, and the device has been built to have as much integration with Google's services as possible.

There's plenty of bloatware on phones these days, especially with the rate Google kills apps, but I can't honestly consider the Assistant integration with a Pixel phone to be one.