skysight-inc/HackerNews huggingface dataset:
It's interesting how Microsoft have been very influential on web standards and development in some key ways. Web Outlook as the first AJAX application, and here in the early history of SVG. Yet never managed to turn that into actual technological or market leading success.

The best I can make of it is that they do have some wickedly clever engineers in there, but appalling management. While web outlook was redefining web application development practices, Hotmail was devolving into a decaying has-been of a service. Where it looks like VML could have become a key web technology, giving Microsoft a market leading position in browser support and authoring tools, instead it became a proprietary ghetto product and they were one of the last browser makers to grudgingly support the new open standard.

Great technology. Incompetent leadership.
I just started a thread for HNers that would like to meet at JavaOne - see http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4504803 for a discussion of time and place.
Ramco ERP On Cloud
Ramco ERP on Cloud enables you to get a 360-degree view of your business, anytime, from anywhere. By putting all your business functions onto one single platform, Ramco ERP on cloud helps automate and integrate them, end-to-end.
Indeed this as an interesting topic; however, I think that many missed the point of the essay altogether. He wasn't saying that Java is a horrible language just that it's not viewed favorably by "hackers". I think that he is probably right but I didn't know he spoke for hackers everywhere. Java is just another tool in the box that almost everyone has to use at some point. Is it ideal? No. Is it perfect? Nope. Is it fun to write software with? Sometimes. I spend most of my days writing Python code with either Django or Pyramid and also have problems with it from time to time. Though I consider Python my "favorite" language it's far from perfect! All languages/platforms have their problems and tradeoffs and there is little you can do about it other than create your own.

Just because Java is not viewed favorably by some random sample of hackers that pg may or may not know doesn't mean it's not an effective language. Hell, I think C and C++ are both horrible but I have to use them sometimes and while its not ideal for me it is what it is. If you wanna get paid, you'll use what you have to. (Joel Spolsky cover your eyes) I went to a Java school to computer science [GASP!] and it was fine. I already knew how to code so it was just a formality for me; however now that I'm looking at Android development I'm glad that I learned some Java along the way. A hacker is a hacker no matter what language they use and most programmers are not good enough to be called hackers anyway.

Predictions are very much like arses; everyone has them and they usually stink.
So is your site apparently.
Chinese CEOs and professors are not Western journalists.
I don't know who to reply to: There's a lot of correct comments from people saying they don't want to run a script through curl from a site. Fair enough.

But why not just fork the repo on Github (or onto your own infrastructure) and run the script from there, where you can verify any tampering?
Another thought just struck me - a friend was relaying his thoughts on Java/JVM vs other languages. Again, related to pg's wrappers, the core thought was "Java as a language was more designed for the computer than a developer. Something like perl was more designed for a developer rather than the computer". The point was more expository than that, but that's stuck with me. Static languages in general seem to be that way, whereas dynamic langs (perl, ruby, php, etc), will make operations much simpler for a dev to implement, even at the expense of speed/clarity to the underlying os/vm. Perhaps there's more nuance here that I'm missing, or perhaps this 'wrapper' fits inside one of pg's wrappers already?
Python & Web: Building Dynamic Web Forms in Web2Py from Ground – Part II
In the first tutorial of this series, we dived into the basics of creating web forms in Web2Py. We saw how easy it is to create dynamic web forms and how smoothly their inputs sync with the database. Assuming that you have followed it, let’s play even harder.
Mac only for now, sorry :(
If it's any consolation, Redgate were the ones that locked down reflector. In fact Telerik released their own free decompiler as a response to Redgate's actions (though I haven't used it - the commercial version of reflector is rather nice).

Fiddler is a wonderous tool, yet in need of some UX enhancements, so I'm hopeful that this change proves fruitful for both the free tool and whatever Telerik ends up doing to monetize the product.
Java-the-language filled a need for some time, and there's a lot of value staked on the JVM, but Java-the-culture needs to die, and the sooner the better.

http://michaelochurch.wordpress.com/2012/04/13/java-shop-pol...
Qaiku.com – What Can We Learn From Product Failure?
Starting with "At what time do you normally get in to bed?" to this Non-24 sufferer living in Germany is sort of like opening with "Enter your ten digit phone number" or "What is your ZIP code?"
looks interesting - its about time there were some new options for aussie merchants
Having developed in Java for years, I agree with some of the points which PG has predicted 11yrs ago!

That said, using Java is sort of a insurance policy.

1. It's easy to find developers. _Sometimes_ easier to outsource modules.
2. It's usually hard to make mistakes in Java (you can screw up, if you want to) - mainly due to great tooling and excellent time-tested frameworks which help a tonne.
3. Has good complementary languages (Scala, Groovy, JRuby..), which interop well with other frameworks at large.
3. JVM does black-magic for you.

I guess committee did make a decent pick then.
« Stack Exchange Security Blog
Sounds good! I've filled in my details on the form.
Hmmm because our primary target (middle aged women) are not that web-savvy i guess, and the .com is the default TLD. We bagged sleep.io when it first went on sale but haven't considered using it as the default.

To ask the opposite (and possibly stupid) question - why would you make sleep.io the default?
"The corn that is used for livestock is not the same corn that you buy at the store (on the cob or in a can). It's tasteless, and so far as I know, not desirable for human consumption"

No, but it is suitable for turning into meal, which is how corn is consumed in the third world, or into HFCS which is how corn is consumed in the first world.

For other grains, it mostly works in the other direction in normal years. For example, a farmer may try to grow wheat suitable for bread, but it rains while the crop is in windrow, making it unsuitable for bread due to its low protein content. It's graded as "feed" and fed to animals in a normal year. However, you can still make bread from it, it just doesn't rise as well.

"why do grain-producers get such large (non-ethanol-related) subsidies?" Because farmer's causes are sympathetic to voters for various different reasons. (historical attachment, enjoyment of low food prices, stereotyping of farmers as close to the land, lower populations in rural districts, and many others)
But the presence of violence in Afghanistan is not evidence of a broader existential threat or a globally organised campaign. Its evidence of a country that has had decades of war and death. This [1] survey suggests that many Afghans don't even know about 9/11. What threat are these people to the USA?

[1] http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/11/19/think-tank-afghans-don...
Pair Programmers Wanted; Week-Long Audition Required
My in-depth OS X 10.9 wishlist
Here's some links on average returns for the Dow Jones (ie, top public companies in the US): [1][2]

I appreciate the links, but didn't find information about the extremes. What I'm looking for would be something more like this paper [1] on Extreme Value Theory but with more pretty pictures.

I got lost in this one soon after the introduction, but was interested in their statements "cross country evidence that the tail behaviour of returns is leptokurtic" and "the tail distribution is of the Fréchet type, hence fat-tailed". I was hoping for a cartoon graph showing just how fat that tail is.
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I think you are saying that you think 1000% per year returns are normal for the top 0.1% of companies.

Essentially, but subtly different. Saying that I "wouldn't be surprised" was more to express the degree of my uncertainty than to state my belief. And I posited .01%, rather than .1%. To put numbers on it, it strikes me as plausible that 3 out of the 2700 listed Nasdaq issues would be up 10x for the year.

Occasionally you may get a smaller resource oriented company that fids oil, gold reserves or something and sees a 1000% increase. Or a small drug company that has a successful trial. These are very unusual too though

How unusual? I'd like to put a number on it. Is a gain of 10x over a year a 1 out of 1000 event, which would make it likely for a couple Nasdaq stocks a year? What about 100x returns over a larger number of years? I'd guess that it's happened at least a few times, but don't know.

My instinct would be that it's a fat tail, but not as fat as the VC market. Rather than hoping for 10x over 10 years (26% year-over-year) with carefully chosen startups, with a broad market index you'd probably lucky to hit 3x (12% compounded).

But what would the long term expected returns be for a broad portfolio of mining companies, pre-trial pharmaceuticals, and internet IPO's? And how would it compare to an average VC firm? I have no idea.

[1] http://www.hec.fr/var/fre/storage/original/application/3b27b... (PDF)
Does anyone have a link to a reputable review where the author has actually tried it in person? 'cos if this works well that is really cool.
Paul Graham's meaning of "is dead" is "has stopped producing exciting ideas". He declared Microsoft dead in the mid-2000s. He wasn't saying "no one uses Microsoft products" or "Microsoft is out of business" (both demonstrably false) but that it was an evolutionary dead end. So far, he's been proven right. If Microsoft ever becomes a company worth caring about, it will be a different Microsoft from what it is now (cf. the parable about never stepping in the same river twice).

He was wrong if his prediction were taken to apply to the JVM ecosystem, because Groovy and Scala and Clojure happened, but he was right about Java-the-language (it has limited uses, but you should be using at least Groovy if not Scala or Clojure for modern JVM development) and undeniably dead-on about Java-the-culture (which is the only thing he claimed the ability to evaluate, having admitted not using the language ever).
I think he has a lot of good points. I think if they would finally stop teaching Java in CS and other IT-related educations and Android would get proper support for other languages, Java(language) would slowly fade away.
Anonymous Hacker take down GoDaddy with IRC Bots
"Pocket-Sized Keys Now Fit On Your Virtual Keyboard"
There are some really bad photoshops in there...
The thing we've wrestled most with (and haven't yet cracked) is how to accept time entry in a way that is unambiguous to even the least confident users, and also encompasses the range of quanta we need to manage (from mins to many hours). We've tried a few different solutions but 24hr dropdowns result in the least comprehension errors!!

How would you do it if you were us?
The icon isn't as sloppy on the homescreen itself, in fact the whole app is done quite well. Native, fast and leap years ahead of m.youtube.com - I was hesitant at first to upgrade to iOS6, because of the removal, but now I'm confident enough that they'll pull of a better version for the iPad too.
Backers Tout Firefox OS as Open Mobile Option
Killing security through obscurity to defeat competitors
It covers all such technologies used for the same purpose:

>The law which applies to how you use cookies and similar technologies for storing information on a user’s equipment such as their computer or mobile device changed on 26 May 2011.

http://www.ico.gov.uk/for_organisations/privacy_and_electron...
I think you're putting meaning into the OP that doesn't exist. I feel like we didn't read the same article.

1. The article covered a panel discussion by Chinese executives.

2. The subheadings may have been a bit in poor taste (and I'd say that making such a statement is a big stretch), but the content was mostly quotes. Very little analysis, only quotes that spoke for themselves.

3. The only item that even comes close to talking about cultural mindsets is item #4, and that statement is also a stretch.

It seemed to be a frank assessment from Chinese executives of what their weaknesses/shortcomings were, and why it's difficult to overcome those weaknesses/shortcomings. I saw nothing in there about culture, race, or anything like that. Again, only item #4 comes even close, and even that is a stretch. That's just a normal prisoner's dilemma situation.

I think the current top-voted comment read it correctly. The top-voted comment talks about secular reasons for corporate failure and difficulty, market forces, etc. That's what I read from the article also.
I can type pretty well on my iPad without tactile feedback, but not when the display is at an angle that makes it easy to see what I've typed (or am typing in response to).

I think the idea is great but agree it should be built into my smartphone ... until then, I'll stick to carrying my Logitech BT keyboard in my bag.
Huh, hopefully this won't lead to their convictions or anything. To be fair, though, all camps here in Greece have signs posted on multiple places stating that photography is illegal.
To answer your serious question: only if I stop to really think about it.

Sunday in my youth was a quiet day. Shops were closed. TV was dreadful. I did chores and prepared for the coming week. Saturday was a day off for fun, Sunday was a sort of day off, but for quiet preparation.

Now Saturday and Sunday are days off for fun; tv is better; shops are open. So, it feels as if the week starts on Monday.

If it makes any difference I'm 42.
The XX shared their new album with only 1 fan to see how it goes viral.
> one of the most unethical companies in the world.

Less ethical than Total? Philip Morris? Freeport-McMoRan? Halliburton? Monsanto?

Save the hyperbole. Companies sue one another.
I also read that they were quoted but it does not change how the article is promoting the traditional western view of China as a country that can't do anything but cheap stuff and copies. Another possible direction the journalist could have taken the article would be: "Chinese CEOs outlines challenges to building the next TI". Hey, in Sweden where I'm from the CEOs talk about gender policies. I'd rather have them talking on building the next megacorp.
No problems, if that ever changes be sure to let HN know!
> undoubtedly one of the most unethical companies
> in the world

Oh please. I now people are irrational, but we can be wiser as to delude ourselves that some company is ethical and other is not based on cherry-picked tidbits.
Part of me is happy that there is a member of the Gnome community that is speaking the language of business. The truth is for the longest time Linux geeks have been speaking the parlance of technology. In this article I see things like this.

"""
a better ISV story
"""

"""
Channel issues
"""

This is the first step towards actually making inroads. That right there is BS and its the language of the corporate sales cycle. Linux will need advocates who are fluent in the language of the corporation to make the partnerships and sales deals that will be required to get Linux onto the corporate desktop. We are not there yet where we can walk into a sales room and compete on a corporate sales cycle with the professional sales guys who pitch solutions based on Microsoft, but at that point that's the battle that needs to be fought.
I'm not sure I find much to quibble with in the essay. In fact I find it almost prescient. Having worked with Java in an enterprise setting for over 12 years almost everything in that essay rings true. As we are acutely aware the enterprise beast moves to a very different beat - namely the vendors looking to make their numbers for the year. You're an IBM shop or a Microsoft shop. The decision's been made for you. And there's nothing wrong with that. As someone else pointed out, you're buying tooling, support and in the case of IBM - hardware. It is the almost the COBOL of this generation.
NexPhone: An Ubuntu-based Smartphone, PC, Tablet and Laptop in One
I'm overreacting saying the article is rascist, I got that now. :)

But I strongly believe the article portrays the Chinese in the traditional way as a land of copies and cheap stuff, when it's a country full of people dreaming to build the next TI.
If they were called EM100(weN)vloops instead of "cookies", the politicians wouldn't have weighed in.
Sorry if I didn't explain my point with the quote. It wasn't obvious to me when I wrote it that it could have several interpretations.

Artists commonly quote Picasso to refer that when practicing you should copy another artist that you admire. In the process you would develop you own style and in a sense you stole that from the original artist.

My point in this case (and I am not an Apple fan), is that HP didn't differentiate enough in this product. I was being literal on the quote, they should steal the iMac, no just copying it.
Something says me it was all misunderstanding and this site was targeted in first place. After all NASDAQ:APPL...
Not indexing JSON data as JSON, indexing a record based (in part) on the content of its JSON field(s) selected via e.g. an xpath-like query.
Western Digital launches world's thinnest 2.5-inch hybrid hard drive
But we have gotten over it.
Getting over it does not mean you forget the people who lost their lives in the tragedy. It means you rebuild and continue to focus on other things that are important to the time or era you live in. I'm reminded of this every morning, when i look out my window and see the new tower standing tall. And if you've heard the debates our presidential candidates are having lately, terrorism is barely mentioned, the focus is on the economy, deficits, etc.
No. The problem is that apple hate is some kind of fashionable thing to do lately, so every piece and bit will be dragged out for display. I bet hundreds of companies are doing the same, but they are just not interesting.
Foxconn story was a good example of that.
I never realised UCL was so high up. Among some people, it's seen as where you go if you fail to get into Imperial.
Man, good luck. It's a head smackingly obvious yet simple idea.. some more: quitting smoking, learning a language, cooking at home.. :)
You're arguing that the median quality output of programmers isn't raised by good practices, good tools and good management by using examples that feature poor practices, poor tools, and poor management.

Some questions to consider:

Practices: Is the output of the median programmer raised or lowered when all code is reviewed by a senior programmer?

Tools: Is the output of the median programmer raised or lowered when the language includes memory management?

Management: Does management that insists on quality output and backs it up with time or resources raise or lower the the output of the median programmer?
How about a visual analog round clock where people can drag the hour hand to a certain point, and choose to create a range by dragging and so extending the time slice with another hour hand.
More interestingly, Oxford overtook Cambridge in Computer Science :P
That the effect of the building's mass is much greater than the TNT-equivalent would apply, in the same way that while a 10 Watt bulb is barely bright enough to read by, a 10 Watt laser will set your book on fire.
I do enjoy a self-propagandising and excessively hyperbolic headline.

In principle the law has an honest objective to increase user awareness of cookies. I just don't understand all the developers on here jumping around at the outrageousness of the law when the ICO in the UK is obviously taking a relaxed approach to enforcement.

Obviously the problem is that a law as drafted could be applied as drafted however I think there is room for a pragmatic approach here which acknowledges a) the type and sophistication of the site and its users b) the type of cookies being used and c) the risk of a user being harmed or making a complaint.
Yes, I may have skimmed a little. But this doesn't excuse language makers for not anticipating such a use common case and returning a result that can be said to be expected (i.e. error, trying to add one list on other). If there isn't a real comparison, you should take a couple of people that are likely to use this and say "what should [] + [] return". You can't say that they couldn't have implemented " []+[] " throws a TypeError or something, even in a dynamic language.

It is said that API is UX for programmers. Well this is UX for a computer language. And JS fails at it. Big time. And this isn't the only stumbling rock (see global variables, == operator, semi-colon insertion, etc.).

My point was that developing under Node.js is same as developing under a browser only the lowest common denominator changes to V8.

Edit: I'm pretty sure + operator in Ruby concatenates two arrays.
That's good news. Fiddler is a great tool and now it will get greater.
Laser projection keyboard lets you type on flat surfaces
Diagnosing Magento speed issues with strace(1) and time(1)
I have to say, yes, sometimes there are such issues. I remember some localization function having these problems.

But then again, difficulty should be staged, the most common cases should be the easiest, and yes, even if you're doing something off-beat you should avoid going into dark corners.
Can we agree to stop using Anonymous as a collective noun

You know Anonymous is a group, right?

Maybe you are thinking of anonymous? (lower case "a")
So the Swedes will be the first people to endure vast suppression by government and banks to do as they say otherwise they cannot use their money to pay.

Mark my words, doing away with cash money will be the most silly thing that people will fall for when it comes to their independence from the big manipulators.

I personally hope that these systems will suffer a lot of colateral damage due to hackers.

Doing away cash will cause despotism at large.
To all the people bashing the EU e-Privacy directive [1] (the "cookie law"): have you bothered read it all?

If so, could you please pin-point which part of the directive you do not like? Which part are hard to implement? Can you also explain us (with the same verve used to bash the directive) how your national implementation is even worse than the EU-wide directive?

The directive is quite short, definitely shorter than a review of a new Mac OS X release. Give it a try.

Spoiler: the word "cookie" is not used in the law, only in the explanatory preamble.

[1] latest consolidated version of the EU e-Privacy directive http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CONSLE...