skysight-inc/HackerNews huggingface dataset:
Ask HN: Who Has Experiences in Group Financial Reporting?
I am looking for peers. So far I have not been able to make connections with people in similar environments.

I have been working in financial reporting and performance management for the holding company of a large group for several years. The group consists of several hundred legal international entities and has activities in several business areas.

My job (that of my team) is to select the technical systems for planning, consolidation and reporting, to ensure their operation and to continuously adapt them to new requirements.

At this point, our data model is so bloated that new (non-technical) colleagues need several months before they can work with reports (SAP BW "Queries") without regular support.

Is this normal??

The complexity is usually driven by:

- Different aggregation types for key figures

- Step-by-step consolidation of each subgroup

- Time-dependent hierarchies and master data

- Translation of financial statements into foreign currencies

- Different group structures in planning, forecasting and actual comparisons.

Some specific questions I would like to discuss are:

Data model

- (How) do you align business specific KPIs with IFRS KPIs?

- Do you use step consolidation across all subgroups? Or does your reporting only take place on reported data or the entire consolidation group?

- What happens when the group hierarchy is restructured during the year? Do you use time-dependent hierarchies or master data?

- Do you distinguish between planned and actual hierarchies?

- How many currencies do you translate your planning/financial statements into? How?

- ... many more on this topic

Platform

- What stack do you use? I would love to see something beyond the SAP universe that could meet our requirements.

Reporting

- What is your experience with online self-service solutions?

- Anything beyond Microsoft Office products?
Fundamentals of SSR in React
The only thing a type-system brings to the table in this matter is an error at compile time if you used the wrong color.

It won't solve the color problem.
> this is one of the data points you are required to ignore in polite society.

Actually it's not; it's fine to bring it up. It is PC and OK
I keep hearing this but in my country iẗ́s just not true. Yes you needed to go to the right school (most difficult part but not difficult) an maintain a 3.5 (what they advertised) or even a 3.0 GPA (what they ended up accepting) and join a few student clubs (which nobody really cared about).

Maybe the bar is higher in the US.
> Java 8 is the last free Oracle JDK, nothing added after 8 is really interesting enough to take the complexity hit that Java 9/10/11 etc. mean.

The low latency GCs and the general performance improvements seem quite good though.

> C# is an ok alternative but they went for value types

Java is also getting value types (project Valhalla).

> Go has no VM but uses GC, thay miss half of the requirements to make Joint Parallelism!

What do you mean by Joint Parallelism? I didn't find relevant resources. And is it bound to having a VM?
Years ago someone at Google did this with RAID 45 [1].

[1]: http://marc.merlins.org/linux/raid45.html
Basically the same (offsite backups), but the details are in the what and how which is subjective... For my purposes I decided that offsite backups should only comprise user data and that all server configuration be 100% scripted with some interactive parts to speed up any customization including recovering backups. I also have my own backup servers rather than using a service, and implement immutable incremental backups with rotated ZFS snapshots (this is way simpler than it sounds) - I can highly recommend ZFS as an extremely reliable incremental backup solution but you must enable block level deduplication and expect it to gobble up all the server RAM to be effective (but that's why I dedicate a server to it and don't need masses of cheap slow storage)... also the backup server is restorable by script and only relies on having at least one of the mirrored block devices in tact which I make a local copy of occasionally.

I'm not sure how normal this strategy is outside of container land but I like just using scripts, they are simple and transparent - if you take time and care to write them well.
What people forget with self driving cars is that they don't have to always go at the speed limit.

I love taking trains rather than driving, I can put all my attention on netflix or reading a book. Sometimes the train goes at 100mph sometimes it doesn't, sometimes it stops for 5 minutes, sometimes it just continues slowly at 10mph. At first you find it annoying when a train appears to stop for no reason for a few minutes before continuing, but after it happening a few times, you get used to it, stop noticing and stop caring.

Self driving cars can do the same. It's ok for a car to slow down to 5mph when there are hazards, it's ok for a car to go fast when there aren't. The car doesn't need to know that "ball" means "kid" if, every time it sees a ball or a plastic bag or a puddle, it slows down to 5mph and continues at that speed until it's sure there is no more hazard.

Humans are very bad a driving. They treat the speed limit as a target rather than a ceiling. I live on a road with 2 schools, the speed limit is 30mph and yet many people drive much closer to 40mph past children walking to school. I'd be willing to bet big money that it's much more likely that that impatient driver driving at 40mph is going to hit a child than a self driving car that changes its speed according to the current situation.
The trouble is, even people who would challenge things don't want to be forced to do so unnecessarily.

I'm happy to speak up if something isn't right, but if that happens too often, I'll speak up using my feet.

If an ad or interview gives me a vibe that most of my job is going to involve telling people they are wrong, I'll choose a different job.
I could see being obese making you more likely to be symptomatic, and hence more likely to get tested and show up as a case statistic
It wasn’t just Obama. France, Italy, and Turkey perpetuate the conflict.
Usually not worth it. And most facilities are decay into ruins or are completely under utilized. Olympic games of Waste.
Show HN: I made an unusual cold email intelligence tool for SMB
Heh. Fortunately, I don't work there anymore.
Sundrop Farms [1] built a 40Ha seawater greenhouse facility in Australia with investment from KKR. They managed to get multi-year fixed pricing due to the undersupply of quality tomatoes in the region. This is pretty much unheard of in the industry. The facility was sold in 2019 [2]. The original inventor is a fellow British fellow, Charlie Paton [3] - he's a great guy and helped us get to know the greenhouse industry when we were starting out.

A lot more high-tech greenhouses need to be built. They are a great solution for supplying high-quality, locally-grown food, with minimal pesticides and resilience to extreme weather caused by climate change. They have the same benefits as vertical farms but with higher efficiency - especially for crops like tomatoes and berries.

Shameless plug: At Optimal, we are solving the barriers to scale for high-tech greenhouses. Our team has deep expertise in greenhouse horticulture and machine-learning/optimisation/control/software.

Find out more about what we're doing here: youtu.be/LDJ_QdUaap4

Team: https://www.linkedin.com/company/optimal-labs/

Contact me (founder) directly if you want to know anything about this fascinating way of growing: david@optimal.ag

[1]: https://www.sundropfarms.com
[2]: https://www.freshplaza.com/article/9104623/new-owners-for-su...
[3]: https://seawatergreenhouse.com/team
I have a reliability and risk avoidance mindset, but I’ve had to stand back because my mental gas tank for trying to keep things going is near empty.

I’ve really struggled working with others that either are both ignorant and apathetic about the business’s ability to deal with risk or believe that it’s their job to keep putting duct tape over the duct tape that breaks multiple times a day while users struggle.

I like seeing these comments reminding others to a wear seat belt or have backups for their backups, but I don’t know whether I should care more about reliability. I work in an environment that’s a constant figurative fire.

I also like to spend time with my family. I know it’s just a job, and it would be even if I were the only one responsible for it; that doesn’t negate the importance of reliability, but there is a balance.

If you are dedicated to reliability, don’t let this deter you. Some have a full gas tank, which is great.
Chromium-detector, feature detect the Chromium version
So you're saying that you didn't think that, but now that you saw my profile it's true.
London apparently saw a drop in spending at shops, restaurants and tourist destinations over the Olympic summer due to so many people (both tourists and locals) fearing the chaos the Olympics would cause and deciding to stay away
The only sane thing to do if you don’t care about how humans (as opposed to nerds) think.

In the end, the file system doesn’t exist in isolation, it is there to support users, and most of them won’t care how many bytes “é” takes to store.

Unix, by not even defining the way to interpret the bytes of file names (one can’t even assume that names consisting of only bytes that correspond to ASCII letters and digits should be interpreted as ASCII) makes it impossible to show file names to users. That’s insane.
I'm surprised they aren't growing hydroponically in such a water-constrained environment, as the water use is lower. I guess it is due to the difficulty in getting the nutrients to somaliland?
I love the low-tech solution to the problem! Not much more to say, I just think it's a great a solution that will go a long way to both helping the people in this area of Somaliland, and serving as a template for similar projects in other regions of the world.
> The amount of people who don't know what they're doing. So many people seem to have 1-year * x experience. They reach a certain level and they just stop.

Part of the problem is because people only look at years of experience at all, and recruitment often inflates the requirements. I don't need 5 years of work experience in .NET to modify an existing application with very defined and clear boundaries: within a few months, I can easily read what is happening already and mutate the application within the set boundaries. 5 years of work experience is what I'd need to set up an application the size of Stack Overflow from scratch in an acceptable timeframe.

What we have now is a recruitment procedure within the industry which overemphasizes ticking boxes without looking whether they can actually deliver. We have so many quality online sources available, any half-competent person can read, copy what is happening, use it as a foundation and then change it to their specific needs, producing actual applications. You might not cover the edge cases (a specific cryptographic problem here, an suboptimal solution there, etc.), but that really isn't that different from most of the crap software that's getting shoveled out into the open today.
There is a package which lets you interact with ipython kernels instead. You might want to check that out.

https://github.com/nnicandro/emacs-jupyter
> Dismissing weak arguments is easy. Try imagining what a strong argument for the author's point would look like, and then respond to that.

This is great advice for going beyond the tiny world - limited by bias, habit, etc - in which I (and all people) live! It also is a communication formula guaranteeing better relationships and more civil and productive discussions.

While a bit outdated, hyperbolic, and with the familiar trade offs of c2’s wonderful community editing experiment (e.g. incoherency), there is some real gold there. Just the references (e.g. to Ivan Sutherland) are a passport to a much better alternate universe
Large organisations tend not to achieve security compliance with overly sophisticated systems of policy and controls. They tend to do it using bureaucracy, which while usually rather effective at implementing the level of control required, will typically leave a lot to be desired in regards to UX and productivity. Small organisations tend to ignore the topic entirely until they encounter a prospective client or regulatory barrier that demands it. At which point they may initially implement some highly elegant systems. Until they grow large enough that they all devolve into bureaucratic mazes.
A lot of prayers....
You must never have heard of clowns
That's actually a genius idea. I wonder how much money is wasted on such things.
Thinking the same thing. It will filter out good candidates with other options, leaving a worse pool to select from. So in effect probably leading to worse hires.
I cannot emphasise enough how NOT highly skilled I am. That repair could have been done by anyone with a screwdriver and a steady hand. Take a look at the photos in my blog-post and tell me what was complicated.

OK, I don't have the skills to desolder and replace a busted capacitor. But most domestic equipment is pretty plug-and-play.

I am unable to use a multimeter to diagnose an issue. But lots of devices come with error codes and diagnostic manuals are online.
Probably cause erlang scales extremely well as gateway and it doesn't take much hardware to handle 2 million live connections with it
(https://www.phoenixframework.org/blog/the-road-to-2-million-...)
What is the bug? I don't see it.
HetznerCloud Introduced Firewalls
Here it is on Google Maps-

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Berbera,+Somalia/@10.40436...

If you are feeling cynical you can pull it up on Google Earth and flick through time.
This is an almost inextricably linked effect of allowing anyone who thinks (or wishes) they have the skills to compete for a $250K/yr job.

If you put a grand prize out there, lots of people are motivated to go after it, including the ultra-long shots.

On of my favorite interviews was for Acclaim in the mid-90s. Take home (download a zip file with a skeleton app, read the code, write the strategy element that’s stubbed out). I don’t recall how much time they allowed but it was at least 24 hours. Mine was “navigate an airplane from left of screen to right of screen against a fixed set of blocked squares[mountains]”

Probably spent a little over an hour on it, enjoyed doing it, and remember it 25 years later. They can score such a test (at least initially) totally mechanically, weeding out the “couldn’t get anything to work” subset of the population in zero minutes of engineer time per new application. It tests something quite close to what you’d do as a game programmer for them. You can do it at home, at your own pace, in your normal environment. If you pass, then you might have to get an airplane and travel to interview, which is a multi-day disruption to your life.

I’m on the employer side now; I see the value in asymmetric tests at the initial filtering stage for entry-level, because I don’t see any workable alternatives that don’t introduce other, likely worse, forms of credential-checking.

I’m sure we miss some good candidates this way; false negatives are bad but less costly than false positives.
HELO is not really used that much anymore. It's EHLO now. And response to it includes capabilities of the server. So it serves negotiation of those at the beginning of the session, too.

It's better to be prompted for those, instead of just sending them unannounced, in case client just want to switch to TLS first via starttls.
The WHO seems to be under Chinese control. Their investigations should not be expected to embarrass China in any way. They'll produce an innocuous conclusion.
> Do people really say this?

I didn't see any such replies here -- maybe at some other places some people do (Reddit / subreddits?)

(I didn't downvote)

> don't let arguments against those people deter you from talking about reasonable mens rights issues.

Good point
My understanding is that the problem are broadcasters and sponsors.

If Japan pulls the plug, they are likely on the hook to pay back billions to broadcasters and sponsors. So thinking purely in terms of USD, it might actually be cheaper to press forward than to cancel the games.
This sounds like what I want to do for the new infrastructure I'm setting up in one of OVH's US-based data centers. Are you running on virtual machines or bare metal? What kind of scripting or config management are you using?
Snapshots, db backups and data backups.

Rolling backups with a month retention to box using rsync.

It creates a network drive to box by default when I boot my desktop.

I have some scripts for putting production db's in test and when I went them locally.
Yes, and this is the difference between 'coding' and development, and then further on to engineering and ultimately architecture - the further in you go it is not about how to do, but what to do, and it becomes more about a way of thinking (in systems rather than tasks).

So the question isn't really if someone at 40 can learn to code, it is more if someone, at any age, who hasn't thought in terms of systems can grasp it.

I have met some people who can't code who understand systems in a way that would totally blow away most people, SV, London, Peru, wouldn't matter where you were.

I have also met people that can code endlessly, but couldn't architect a novel system arrangement if their family was being held to ransom, it's a way of thinking.

It used to be that a systems analyst was a profession all of it's own, not really at all any more, and it is my observation this is the really root cause of so many software projects failing.

The first step in any formal analysis is Problem Identification, but it is surprising how often people will spend tens, hundreds of millions of dollars and never formally go thru this essential first step, and are then basically better off buying lottery tickets than hoping for a successful project. (and then go on to blame the consultant, or the market, or the fickle users, when really it was them all the time but they just never realised it).

So code, phht, that is not even the entry ticket, more the uniform.
I've interviewed ~50 people by now - being honest and admitting ignorance earns you minor plus points. Weaseling, dodging the questions or answering the question you wish you were asked instead of the question you were asked - those are major red flags. Remember - you're likely going to be interviewed by somebody more senior than you - the likelihood they'll find out is quite high.

Your task as an interviewee is to provide an honest and accurate assessment of your skillset and competence level.
The only sso provider I've really used is keycloak, so I am looking forward to having more lightweight alternative in this domain! though it doesn't seem to be a oidc server yet.

What confused me a little is that it aims to put the authentication into the proxy layer, which sounds awesome... But I haven't been able to figure out from the docs how I'd be able to identify the user in my application now?

/Edit: it's set as a header and can be verified it seems

https://www.authelia.com/docs/deployment/supported-proxies/#...
I'm curious what references or leads I might follow to learn more about these fires and other events you mention.
Of course a fiber/green threads based solution would be easier to use, but Rust is supposed to provide zero cost abstractions for concurrency: Maximum performance and efficiency (and safety) coming first, usability second. THat is perfectly fine.

Whereas others (Go for example) sacrifice some efficiency and performance to ergonomics.
Ask HN: How should I digitally whiteboard?
I have a technical interview coming up where I need to "whiteboard" via a video connection where I'm sharing my desktop screen. I asked the recruiter, and she said they provide/require no special software environment à la leetcode.

How do you recommend going about this? Should I write code in VIM? Download something that allows us to pair program? Use Google Docs? I'm mainly just wondering what is commonplace in this situation.
Well possibly such events should be not be awarded to countries with poor worker protection and H&S rule? do you think your country falls into this group.

Also you know that Ireland deliberately wanted to lose Eurovision at one point.
RomVer – Romantic Versioning
I think your reply shows that you are already very skilled.

Other comments mentioned replacing a diode -- I know what a diode is conceptually, but I have no idea how does it look in the appliance, where would I buy a new one or how to replace it.

Being as clueless as I am, my only option is to call a proffessional. Sometimes it is worth it -- I had a fan on my MacBook replaced for ~700 SEK which is a fraction of the price, but sometimes it's not. Our 1 y/o kitchen oven bought from IKEA started malfunctioning, so we called one of the repair centers they subcontract repairs to. They sent us an invoice by accident even though the oven was covered by a warranty and I couldn't believe my eyes. The cost of the new oven was IIRC ~5000 SEK (~500 USD), but the repair was over 4500 SEK, 3k for the replacement part (!?!) and 1500 for the repairman to come and do their job. I didn't know the cost upfront and I guess they wouldn't have told me an estimate without looking at the oven, at which point I would have to pay the labour cost anyway..

So sadly, given the cost, I would have probably opted for just buying a new item if the faulty one is out of warranty..
Jeff Bezos as well:

>As companies get larger and more complex, there’s a tendency to manage to proxies. This comes in many shapes and sizes, and it’s dangerous, subtle, and very Day 2.

A common example is process as proxy. Good process serves you so you can serve customers. But if you’re not watchful, the process can become the thing. This can happen very easily in large organizations. The process becomes the proxy for the result you want. You stop looking at outcomes and just make sure you’re doing the process right. Gulp. It’s not that rare to hear a junior leader defend a bad outcome with something like, “Well, we followed the process.” A more experienced leader will use it as an opportunity to investigate and improve the process. The process is not the thing.

https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/company-news/2016-letter-to...
They are probably used to closed-minded arrogant Westeners whining aloud about not getting their cornflakes. Unfortunately.

I also don't get people who won't at least try local customs like eating cooked fish on rice with green tea in the morning, but there are plenty of them. These people usually don't do well in really different countries and complain and whine and compare to home all the time instead of curious observing / understanding. Real travelling, which is about learning and immersing and broadening your mental horizon, and not about conquering some beach with your ass is just not for them.
Tacking on "or equivalent" to the end of that requirement would make it seem more intentional, and less stupid to the average reader.

Only time I hear about better than real-time experience being required, it's people making fun of whoever wrote the requirement.
Data transfer system connects silicon chips with a hair’s-width cable
Very useful information. Here are some interesting use cases of Blockchain technology https://www.n-ix.com/exploring-use-cases-blockchain-technolo...
I am discriminated against because I can't just move to America. I need a visa to live there and Americans don't. Discrimination! I am discriminated against because I am not considered for jobs I don't have the skills to perform. It's fine to discriminate under sensible circumstances, such as stopping millions of people coming to your country during a pandemic.