skysight-inc/HackerNews huggingface dataset:
Apple really wasn't ahead of its time. Back during the 80s and 90s the extent to which a Mac or a Windows PC was "superior" was highly debatable. There were solid points on either side and it was never an apples-to-apples comparison.

But things changed. First, everything got cheaper. The average PC in 1995 is vastly more expensive than a tablet, smartphone, or laptop today. Second, Apple got a whole lot better. They upped their game by leaps and bounds. If you gave someone in 1990 who is using a Mac an iPhone they may not have any clue that the two devices bear any sort of relationship, and in many ways they don't share very much underlying technology. Apple spent the 2000s pivoting, again and again. Pivoting to services and digital goods (music and apps). Pivoting to mobile devices (iPod, iPhone, and iPad). Pivoting at the very foundations of their core software (MacOS -> OS/X and iOS). Making not one but two very significant CPU architecture pivots (PPC -> x86 & ARM). And on top of all that they honed their design and execution to an amazing degree.

That's the new Apple. They've taken over the market not by starting "ahead of their time" in the 80s or 90s and then waiting for the market to catch up. They've done so well precisely because they've kept running and kept innovating. It's all about the OODA loop.

MS has struggled with structural and cultural problems which has limited its agility and giving it some blind spots in key areas, though they are starting to get better.
Chefs Jackets supplier in the UK
Chefs jackets supplier to the trade and public. All chefs clothing and uniforms.
That's okay. I don't think I'm really representative anyway, as I'm not a professional/schooled programmer. Thanks for the link, I did try googling it myself but I didn't think to use the word "currency" so I just got a bunch of irrelevant results.
a car and horse analogy, applies to PHP vs what language specifically?

Because PHP is pretty performant, especially if you have op code caching or maybe even HipHop from Facebook that makes it even more faster.
Humans also have surprisingly high levels of trust. People expect businesses, which by definition exist solely to make money, to be reasonable about things, and then are shocked when they aren't. And people will often try to reason something is an "honest mistake" and not deliberate.
First rule of financial apps: if you're going to deal with money you should own your servers. The cloud is not an option.

Second rule: Hire a security expert and a thief. The former to keep you safe and the latter to break in before the real ones so the expert can fix the holes.

Btw, I like the service.
Chrome on iOS is sluggish, but at least it syncs
I know its not actually freeware, that's why I used scare quotes. The thing is though, that under the purchasing rules we used when I was working for the DOD all software acquired free of charge was categorized as "freeware" and we couldn't use it in deliverables. Hence the use of Red Hat, we couldn't actually make use of their support because it was going on classified machines but the mere fact that they took our money meant that we could get past certification.
I must say, this 'challenge' is a creative idea.

However, not to be a wet blanket, but it's rather simple to construct a winning algorithm, particularly if you can both choose the same starting number and always go first (and choose the same starting number multiple times). If I had a few extra minutes at work right now, I'd take a stab at it.

...That is, unless that's the entire point?
Neither Russia nor China tend to sell their latest hardware.
I thought that too, but it doesn't apply. This is malware. It doesn't need someone to be gullible beyond the click of the button. Scams, on the other hand, require actually convincing the mark to send money, which is why they need to be sure they have a gullible person on the hook.
>Is it my imagination or is Marco the king of writing blog posts that are quick reactions to whatever is trending on HN?

From the impression I get of Marco whilst listening to his Build and Analyze podcast, is that he does have a lot to say about the technical aspects of his work. However when he does, it is often written/spoken out as a response to a question. The constant talk about PHP in recent weeks has probably triggered something he's been thinking about for years.
Scott's right, of course.

But to the advantage of the good guys, anybody with the brains and discipline to do a better job of this kind of thing, is much more likely to be able to make a better living honestly, than through fraud and deception.
Modbook Pro: Pen-based OS X tablet returns as a converted 13-inch MacBook Pro
That doesn't make sense. If you write code based on GPL-licensed software, then sell that to me, all the GPL says is that I have the right to the source code (not just the executable) and the right to modify/distribute/sell it as well.

However, if the DoD is hiring outside help, I'm not sure the above case is even relevant. When a startup hires an individual to write code, the individual doesn't necessarily maintain the rights to the code he writes, because he's acting on behalf of an organization (so the rights are automatically assigned to the company instead). And a company is free to distribute GPL code internally without releasing its source externally.

A separate question is whether the fact that the DoD is a government agency makes this aspect of corporate law not apply. Most writings of the public government are automatically in the public domain (a law which was pivotal in the Pentagon Papers proceedings), and the fact that the government is comprised "of the people" may make this issue more complicated.

> And even though the DOD’s use of open source code will alter the GPL for said code (they can’t, for obvious reasons, release any code they use and modify back into the wild)

This is what I don't understand. What are they altering about the license? And what are these seemingly 'obvious' reasons? The NSA was fully capable of releasing SE Linux. As for software to control missiles, etc., the real issue is that individuals (and even nations, as we've seen) can't create the physical weapons easily - the software itself is not necessarily the biggest hurdle.

(And, depending on what type of use we're talking about - though we'll probably never know exactly - the GPL may not even need to take effect, just as GPL and proprietary software can both coexist on an underlying GPL operating system, for example).
I'd tolerate multi-AZ as a baseline.

Thanks for AppFog -- I hadn't heard of them, but will check them out.
For the iPad, there is this app[0] that actually makes decent use of AirPlay: you can set the TV viewpoint separately from the iPad. Past that (no app can make eraser nub styli better), the Surface Pro might be worth a look, it packs a digitizer (no idea who's, likely Wacom or N-Trig).

[0] http://notetakerhd.com/
I think it’s just attrition by explaining the GIL problem over and over again. Nick is one of the major core developers and probably just fed up by the topic. So this bit of snark is all the pay he’ll ever get for his work on CPython.
Why Files Exist
Base64 decryption only works for the first part of the hash, though. The second part after the slash is still garbled. :/
Epic. Pretty articulate for a 9-year old, but I love it even though I think it's slightly fabricated.
Why I'm an Entrepreneur
How I Predicted Pebble Backers with 98% Accuracy
The problem is that the people who click on these also have lousy grammar and don't notice, don't care, or won't actually read all of the text.

There's only so much we can do if the end user refuses to think. I suspect a lot of these people will be migrating to locked down/walled garden devices soon anyway.
I'd move away in a heartbeat. I don't HATE PHP, but I do resent being forced into it. I also hate the CMS's my job makes me use - WordPress and Drupal mostly, but often some custom stuff pops up.

Reasons I haven't:

1. I can't relocate again. I did for a job that didn't pan out, and now we have a home, a newborn son, and his grandparents moving out here (~2000 miles away). Just not feasible.

2. I'm up near Seattle and it seems all the Listed jobs are Microsoft languages, Java or require a lot of experience. I rarely even see a Jr. Level job and it is 3+ years experience when they show up. I have about 3 years experience at the moment, with PHP though...

3. I actually have a CIS degree, which is a B.S but isn't "true CS" as I didn't go above Calc I in maths. My C exposure was one class in college, and I'm kinda scared of C++...

4. Maybe it's impostors syndrome but I don't feel qualified yet to be a "real" programmer. I'm actually quite happy doing web development. There are challenges, and my lack of education in algorithms and maths aren't really an issue at this point.

5. New son, wife, own a house, all of these really restrict my personal project time. That and I'm really into weightlifting at this point, and I have other hobbies, which doesn't help either.

Excuses? Probably, but it isn't that I'm unwilling to move away from PHP, its that it is just not that convenient.
Integrating Github commits with the Facebook Open Graph
but hold on a min... most people wont be checking email, or surfing the web, or anything major on a server... its kind of silly to be doing stuff like that... but if everyone was using it as a desktop OS, and was browsing, checking email, etc, there is more of a chance to attack it... yes, i agree, attacking servers running everything, but its a bit harder... and how, exactly, would you get the virus on to a server anyway?
How many different file types do you typically use in a week?
I will be a dick repeatedly and to the greatest of my ability to people who create only to make money. Create something beautiful and figure out how to market it, don't find a market and try to capitalize on it. Steve Jobs called people who try to squeeze markets rather than create great things "sick," "demented," and "parasites." In this case I think he's right.
"I divide my officers into four groups. There are clever, diligent, stupid, and lazy officers. Usually two characteristics are combined. Some are clever and diligent -- their place is the General Staff. The next lot are stupid and lazy -- they make up 90 percent of every army and are suited to routine duties. Anyone who is both clever and lazy is qualified for the highest leadership duties, because he possesses the intellectual clarity and the composure necessary for difficult decisions. One must beware of anyone who is stupid and diligent -- he must not be entrusted with any responsibility because he will always cause only mischief." Kurt von Hammerstein-Equordn (German General)
Is bitcoin still deflationary?
> You keep coming back to "generalized knowledge doesn't comprise red-flag knowledge", and I keep coming back with specific examples of red-flag knowledge.

My post was not intended as a defense of them per se. I care more about the generalities of the law, rather than about MegaUpload specifically. You made it sound like knowledge of infringement in general was enough when it's not, per Veoh, prompting my post. If they had knowledge of specific acts of infringement, they may well be in trouble, but that wasn't my point.

And I should probably disclaim that, as always, anyone with more than an academic interest in this should consult a lawyer.
Ruby. It's the cleanest language with the most sensible standard library I've come across to date. Ruby doesn't necessarily mean Rails, and in fact I'm not a fan of Rails' overly prescriptive paradigm. (As an aside, any time you hear Rails is an MVC framework, discount it because it's really an MVA framework.) One of the things you'll find coming from the world of PHP is Ruby has consistent method signatures. For this and a lot of other reasons you'll almost certainly be happier with Ruby.

Aside from happiness, there are things that make Ruby more powerful. For example, you can cleanly implement the reactor pattern (think: NodeJS) with EventMachine and with EM-Synchrony you can avoid the callback hell that comes with NodeJS.

If you want, you can look at Sinatra to provide the common functionality that the PHP framework provides. With Sinatra you're not all-but-forced to use an ORM like you are with Rails, as Sinatra doesn't include one. If you really want, you can go closer to the metal and look directly at Rack, which is middleware between web servers (Apache, Nginx, etc) and the actual application.

There's really no right way to do it, but the best thing is to learn and explore. Some people will recommend Python, and while it's a decent language, it's got some things I consider to be rough edges -- lack of useful language features, such as switch/case statements, and badly implemented parts of its standard library that handle network requests.

The next language on my learning list is Go. I've heard nothing but good things about it, but I'll reserve my judgment until I have some experience with it.
Could use the Google App Engine, or any app engine that has free usage.
http://alternativeto.net/software/google-app-engine/ <--List of alternatives to the the app engine.
Also might wanna look at OpenShift https://openshift.redhat.com/
I'm assuming you don't have any arguments left because you're needling me on my wikipedia link rather than addressing anything I actually said. If that's the case, you're really not adding anything constructive to this conversation.
With the new optimizations I will be twice as productive as I previously was (but still half as productive as I would be with native JS).
I was about to post this exact thing. Its easy enough to figure out if you watch the computer play. Using this its possible to win every single game as long as the number you start with isn't divisible by 6.
I didn't find it difficult to read, but the post is relevant, even if it's been made elsewhere.

The point is that venture capital isn't broken, as the post implies, but is becoming diluted at a cost of innovative vision. It's clear that there's tremendous vision in pockets, however with the onslaught of new money chasing high returns, it creates performance pressures on innovators to produce higher returns, quicker.
Absolutely agree - that's just silly. Their status page is close to useless.
Windows Server Core?
Does anyone know how Apple is able to get away with this, when Microsoft was under so much antitrust litigation in the late 90s for simply bundling their internet browser?
:) This was just a teaser page/warmup puzzle for fun. Thanks for trying out!
It is times like this that I wish for multi-upvotes.
Like I said, a project looking for a problem. There are now 5-7 cross platform solutions with stronger developer community support.
This is a rather sophisticated scam indeed. Unfortunately you don't need such kind of sophistication level when it comes to non-tech users or as the OP puts it his "Mom".. because for them even a banner ads which say "you have one message waiting" or the ever popular "emoji in email" just works equally well.
would those be managed at that price? because it's a hell of a lot more expensive when you factor in the cost of devops to make sure it stays working and fails over properly.
Python and Ruby are both general purpose languages, and both also run on the JVM.

Knowledge of Java can be useful though, as terrible as the language is.
People who are motivated primarily by profit have missed the bus and are sitting in the terminal at 3 AM in the shivering cold.

Create something beautiful, and learn how to package it. By starting from the premise of "how do I make money" you ensure that you will merely be spewing more inane filth into the world. This is why I hate the internet marketing jerks who spend their days making landing pages for affiliate marketing products while performing SEO to pollute keyword index rankings. People like that might as well not exist, and in fact it would be better if they didn't.
I think that the popularity of Chrome and the usage problems that occur because it can't be set to default have merely started the conversation. It isn't just Google apps. Sparrow, for example, is a top notch email client. It's tough to use exclusively because many of the email features embedded within iOS point to the Mail app instead. As third-party applications continue to increase in quality and functionality over the stock apps, users will likely prefer to change default apps. Apple's job is to make users happy.
Inside Python's itertools.tee()
Except when you have to factor in all the plane flights to replace broken HDD. And the risk of not making it in time for when it breaks.
Delivering a consistent Twitter experience
I've been reminding folks here for a month. Our NTP servers are locked and loaded. I'm tempted to hang a webcam in front of one of them and screencap 23:59:60 for the people here who are still confuzzled over the whole concept.
Laziness definitely drives people to innovation, but being bored with what's currently being done is another indicator of an innovator. I would almost say even more so because laziness implies no wanting to do something.
He's echoing the many, many scandals of centralized bitcoin banks that had the same thing happen over the past year. It's like the wild west out there.

https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/MyBitcoin
Wes: Thanks!

Anyone reading this who wants to get started with Pandas: The early release of "Python for Data Analysis" (http://shop.oreilly.com/product/0636920023784.do) is already very helpful.
I'm going crazy or should I not have won here?

Playing a game for N: 10
Your move: '4'. Computer's move: '1'. Remaining candies: '5'
Please provide a number between 1 or 5.
Your move: '5'. Computer's move: '5'.
Sorry! You lost the game.
C/С++ Twitter (only links to interesting articles)
RiskRanker : A New malware detection technique | The Hacker News
and today they post this https://dev.twitter.com/blog/delivering-consistent-twitter-e...
HTC Inspire 4G Review | HTC Inspire 4G AT&T
Why the diss on Africa?
"The problem is that the people who click on these also have lousy grammar and don't notice, don't care, or won't actually read all of the text."

Considering that polished pieces of software ship with typos as well, it isn't an indicator of a virus or malware.
Yes, JavaScript has the same string comparison problems as PHP. And it gets a ton of criticism for it. JS doesn't have all these other problems, though.

For the unit tests, it looks like there are still 100 unexpected failures in the latest release:

http://gcov.php.net/viewer.php?version=PHP_5_4&func=test...

Am I misinterpreting that?

Yes, no platform is free of security problems. But the way a security problem happens is as important as what the problem is. That PHP's unit tests are so noisy that important regressions can't even be noticed even when a test exists to catch them speaks extremely poorly of PHP compared to other languages.
Badly needed cash? RIM has 2 billion.
One thing I'm having trouble with (that I haven't seen mentioned anywhere) is getting alpha testers. I'm building extensible analytics software (www.instahero.com, not all ready yet), and I need people who could use something like that, but I haven't been able to find any.

You can't try marketing at this stage (people will expect something that works) and all the people I know are at least slightly out of the target market.

Maybe it all comes down to having a good network... If anyone would like to try Instahero (even for very custom stuff, like hardware sensor tracking), get in touch with me (info is in my profile) and I'll set you up.
The extreme adversity isn't necessarily from other people.
How Red Hat Decides Which Open Source Companies to Buy
Sometimes you buy and sometimes you build. How do you know when to do one or the other?
Multicore will drive the development of languages in general, and this will bring with it the libraries and ecosystem.

So if you're stuck in limbo trying to "make the right choice," concurrency is the feature that you should pay attention to because it will bring the dominant language in years to come, even if the CRUD devs don't use it directly.

And who knows what the basic Web app of the future will be, it may not be CRUD forever.
> Linux (over OSX) does actually have a package system (it's a messy hack on OSX)

I wonder if you've tried homebrew? It's really really good, esp compared to the horrors of MacPorts.
Except there are always exploits in signed code on that platform, in the form of jailbreaks.

It's a weak argument at best.
This is what I thought. Somebody in Congress should hire another Princeton professor for a few million to figure out if a browser is, in fact, a crucial piece of a mobile operating system. After grueling research, I bet I can predict the answer to that.
I was in the same boat, until I do complex node.js projects, do you use fibers etc? To get around the boomerang code?
Network effects are still horrible barriers to overcome on social networks or phone platforms. Once a company has large numbers of active users they tend to win, and once they start winning they have little incentive to care about the well being of individual third party developers. Once they have the eyeballs the third party developers want access to, they can treat most of them like dirt, and they can still count on more lining up to use their API.

If a company like Google struggles to launch a new social network with their existing huge user base, you know its hard. Yes social networks and platforms do die, like MySpace and RIMM, and new ones burst in to prominence like Pinterest or Android, but for every new network or platform that succeeds, hundreds or more probably thousands fail.

Small third party developers have strong incentives to put up with the risks involved in using API's provided by dangerous companies like Twitter, Facebook and Apple because they have to if they want to get access to all the users those companies own.
How To Set Chrome Browser As Default On iPhone[Jailbreak & Non-Jailbreak Tweaks]
Great point!

Thing is, the Chinese demand is met through RMB - the RMB has a whole ton of problems. My concern is that items like potash and oil (which the Chinese are hungry for) will become too expensive to keep the growth moving.

However, I haven't thought about your perspective, so I'm likely wrong. Thanks a lot for your feedback - it gives me something new to think about!!
Related: "Why do Nigerian Scammers Say They are from Nigeria?", http://research.microsoft.com/pubs/167719/WhyFromNigeria.pdf
Practical Advice for Your Wicker Sofa
When we picture our dream wicker sofa, one of the most important details that bothers our mind is which is the perfect cushion for your sofa.
Much of the text in the page is not visible, and the layout is broken.

Chrome 20 on Ubuntu 12.04.
A while ago I wrote that perhaps the greatest contribution the Bitcoin experiment will make to humankind is to teach you and me and our neighbors more about the realities of economics. And now I will add that the Bitcoin experiment will also contribute to greater understanding of attack surfaces and online crime. Many of the ideas about how to mine Bitcoins, store Bitcoins, and trade with Bitcoins as a medium of exchange illustrate both the strengths and weaknesses of any other medium of exchange in a world full of human beings. Seeing the discussion of Bitcoins here on Hacker News reminds me of early discussions in the 1990s of online payment systems such as PayPal, and the arguments beforehand that PayPal wouldn't have to invest a lot of time and effort (as it eventually did) building defenses against theft and fraud. If a weakness in a system is attached to a lot of money, the way to bet is to bet that someone will go looking for that weakness, even if you haven't thought of it.
Blabber against PHP
Uh... You're quite wrong about that statement. If I could find you in real life I'd love to make $1,000 bet with you.