skysight-inc/HackerNews huggingface dataset:
My tongue is firmly in cheek, yes. I'm poking fun at the silliness of attaching some holy meaning to version numbers.

My point is that version numbers for end-user software are borderline meaningless; they're marketing fodder. Just look at Chrome and Firefox, for example. Firefox didn't suddenly start improving 10x faster than it was before, but they changed their versioning scheme in a marketing play to compete with Chrome's ever-inflating version, as the casual user assumes that Chrome 37 must be much better than Firefox 6 because its major version is so much bigger.

Apple could either ship a regression in a new major, or ship a less broken regression in a new minor. In either case, there's going to be a regression. Regressions are unfortunate anytime they have to happen, but the assertion that you could only replace Google Maps with an in-house solution in a major is just silly post-hoc justification. You can't avoid disappointing users except by not shipping a regression at all, but you can lessen it by shipping a less-broken product.

As an aside, I can think of at least one other major breaking change/regression in a point release - the total swap in functionality of the lock/mute switch in iOS 4.2. There are also things like dropping support for older devices in point releases (4.3 dropped support for the iPhone 3G) that make the argument look even weaker; device deprecation is generally the sort of thing that is sacredly reserved for major releases, yet Apple seems to have had no problem doing it in a point release, and we're supposed to believe that yet somehow Apple wasn't willing to replace an app in a point release just because it isn't a major?
I was hesitant to upgrade to iOS 6, but am really glad I did.

I regretted upgrading my iPhone 3gs to iOS 5. Everything was slower, and the lag on the virtual keyboard was maddening.

iOS 6 has actually breathed new life into my 3gs. Naturally, it's not as fast as an iPhone 4/4S or 5, but at least now it's not pissing me off on a daily basis.
The problem with the app store as it stands today is that it generates almost no passive sales but also gives you virtually no insight into customer purchasing behavior. Compared to the incredibly detailed analytics you can get for a web app you're basically fumbling around in the dark.
oh, steam on linux? really? it's will possible if Valve will do create the distribution of Linux and will support and further developed its.
Ask HN: Learning Hardware Help
Can someone please break down the comprehensive things I would need to learn to be able to start building things in hardware? Total newb here. I would love to be able to self teach myself.

I am looking for something that's the equivalent to what would be the following in terms for programming:

Front End - HTML/CSS/Javascript + jQuery

Backend - Python + Django

Database - Postgres

Other - CLI

With the above list, and work and dedication, someone can go from nothing to semi-decent beginner and prototype something in 6 months to a year (or sooner) for the web.

Can someone give me the equivalent for someone who wants to be a self-taught hardware hacker. I get the whole learn by doing and I plan to do that. I am looking into things like Arduino (or plan to), etc... But it doesn't seem like anyone has a comprehensive list of things to learn (like the above) or an order in which you need to learn them. I've seen recommendations for one off subjects or a link to an MIT course or something, but I don't think thats enough (albeit its a good start). What I'm pretty much begging for is a comp list like the above for hardware. I should also note I want to learn to be competent enough to do most things in hardware, not just projects with arduinos but I get thats a starting point.

So far I got:

Need to learn how to solder properly... That's it. Is there even an equivalent of subjects, order, etc...

It would be really nice to have a list of things if possible. I know nothing on the hardware side. Thanks so much.
Or RSS ;)

http://blogs.valvesoftware.com/feed/?cat=7
There is a reason you are being down voted. When read against the parent comment your comments as some sort of an assumption about the guy and that if the company has more than 5 employees the star contributors must fired, a highly mediocre rule-by-bureaucracy large corporate manager must be bought in at the point.
Functional languages are declarative. The point is that there are two kinds of languages; languages which people bitch about and languages which nobody uses.

Sure, I can mention tons of commercial projects which are started in those languages, and which use them at least partly(for example Python for scripting interface). However, I really doubt none of the languages provide a solid ground to build upon(even if we weren't talking about systems programming and it's future). Consider C and C++ for example; in what language is the OS you are using written in? The compiler it's compiled with? The libraries you use? The web browser? The JavaScript interpreter? You get the point. The fundamental systems we use are built upon these two languages, and I think it's a big problem people would want to address(myself included), because these languages are nowhere near perfect. There just aren't better alternatives for that domain, considering:

1) existing codebase
2) libraries
3) tools
4) efficiency
5) portability
6) programmer availability, resources and education
7) language reliability and future proofness(e.g. backwards compatibility, vendor and thus platform independence).

These are real problems when it comes to building reliable abstractions(that's the whole essence of systems programming, isn't it?), and thus far C and C++ have been the only languages which have been able to provide all of those the best.

When it comes to the future of computing from a hardware level, things may(or may not) seem a bit better; for example utilizing GPUs for general computing, using low-power ARM/x86 cores for parallelism. There are foundations for these things in C(and now C++ too) and libraries to help programming these things. How many years will it take to get a reliable Go or Rust support for programming a vendor-independent GPU? What's the overhead compared to say C or C++? The alleviating thing here is that GPUs and ARM cores aren't CISC machines so compilers and thus software is highly responsible for the performance, so with a good compiler you can get away with using less efficient implementation language, and get gradual improvements too.
Getting started with RSpec Puppet
So I thought this headline was far-fetched as well when I read it. After all, not only is it a provocative concept, but damnit, I'm acquainted with both Alzheimer's and insulin resistance (as are many HN'ers) and I/we should've heard of a connection before, right?

So then I found this paper, which discusses Alzheimer's and insulin, and suggests rosiglitazone as a possible treatment:

http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/adis/cns/2003/00000017...

And here's how that worked:

http://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=alzheimer%27s+rosiglitaz...

And that's pretty amazing, considering it has been my understanding that there are no effective treatments for Alzheimer's. A successful prediction is also the gold standard of scientific evidence. Unfortunately, the floor fell through on rosiglitazone:

http://content.karger.com/produktedb/produkte.asp?doi=318845

More circumstantial evidence shows up in the fact that coffee, known to improve insulin sensitivity, is correlated with a reduced risk of Alzheimer's:

http://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=alzheimer%27s+coffee&...

And the kicker is this paper from 2005...

http://iospress.metapress.com/content/qunmpv4q3w77e5vm/

"Impaired insulin and insulin-like growth factor expression and signaling mechanisms in Alzheimer's disease - is this type 3 diabetes?"

So now we know where the NYT got its headline. And this may not be as loony as I originally thought. Are they right? Well, we thought we had Alzheimer's figured out about four different times now. First it was choline, then it was amyloid plaques, then it was tau phosphorylation, then it was aluminium toxicity, now it's insulin resistance.

This has the potential to be extraordinary, but I'm not holding my breath.
How does it tie in with Cordova?
Re-reading the PG essay on creating wealth and came across this- "The top 5% of programmers probably write 99% of the good software."

Probably somewhat exaggerated for effect, but also probably true in general concept.

Which hiring folks probably know at least subliminally. Of course, there's also the fact that the vast, vast majority of them are hiring for bad projects to begin with.
HL3 will be a huge money maker for them , I'd be amazed if they gave it away for free.

I suppose making it a Linux exclusive for some period of time might not be outside the realms of possibility. But I can't see what that would do apart from piss people off. Especially people who have no idea how to setup dual boot or who have hardware that isn't very compatible with Linux.

There may well be some perks for new Linux users, but probably more along the line of some extra skins for multiplayer or whatever.
Slides of Albert Einstein’s brain available on iPad app
Especially given how many games on GOG are old dos games that just run in DoxBOX and would be trivial to make bundled linux packages for...

I've had great success installing dos-based GOG games through WineBottler (http://wiki.winehq.org/WineBottler), diving into the package, moving the relevant files out, and stuffing them in Boxer (http://boxerapp.com/) and they run pretty awesome on my mac.
"The first thing I did was look at their Q&A forums, and someone usually had the same problem as me. ... If this didn't work, I was proactive by going to the internet and googling things. This often worked to solve my confusion and taught me things about how "real coders" solve their problems."

This. I don't understand why people think having to Google something here or there is a complete failure of Codecademy. If anything, that gives them a better idea of how programmers solve their everyday problems.

It would be really interesting if Codecademy attached keywords or Google phrases to each step in a lesson. If they sensed that someone was stuck, they could show the phrase they recommend Googling, and explain that that's probably what a programmer would do. Or they could just sneak in a step in a couple lessons that involve Googling something. I really think that is a huge part of the programming mentality that should be taught.
Not sure what you mean here. Rust tends to be pretty dependent on inlining optimizations, just as C++ is. As for code compactness, the way we do task failure leads to significant code bloat at the moment (though that's on track to be fixed, and the code is off to the side and not executed unless you actually fail). As for memory layout, the rules follow C; struct fields are laid out in the order you specify them in the code, and so on.
That's what App.net was going to build (hence the name) until Facebook threatened to revoke API access if they didn't agree to an aquihire. Spreading via Facebook is pretty much required for something like that to take off, but Facebook has decided that they want to be in that business (https://www.facebook.com/appcenter/).
it's the third post on the blog, more likely it's just the post ID.
Yes, but it does take quite some time to get that setup. I remember it took around two days on my server to get the data imported into MySQL. That said, thereafter, searching is a relatively solved problem, so I'd question the value of a C library, though I suppose it'd be useful in a case where you didn't/couldn't have put the data into a database or where you needed to parse new dumps all the time and didn't want to wait.
This reads like a PR release straight from Snapjoy (nothing against Snapjoy, of course).

Isn't there a law that bloggers (or news outlets) must disclose that they've been paid to run such pieces?
I consider myself technical, but when recently faced with a task of backing up contacts from an iPad to iCloud - I got scared.

The iPad had an iCloud account set up. It was unrelated to the current device's owner, so I couldn't back the device up to that account. There is a 'Remove account' button, but what's going to happen when I remove the account? Is something going to disappear from the iPad? How am I going to know?

I figured I should back up to the Mac first, then switch to the new iCloud account and restore if anything happened. I didn't even do that, because the last backup of contacts from the iPad got lost (probably because there was another iPad sync'ed with the same Mac) and I wasn't sure what would happen when I sync'ed it this time.

Maybe technical users tend to overthink these things, but data loss does happen and the current Mac's ecosystem is indeed confusing in that regard.
I can't leave my stuff in the street, especially since it isn't the same location every time I park. In other words, there's not necessarily a dedicated space that will be empty if I'm renting instead of owning, let alone one that I control

In fact, folks who don't have dedicated/owned spaces are probably the best audience for rentals.

Moreover, even if I'm willing to take said stuff into my residence, I may need said stuff on my way to the drop-off.
There are plenty of companies who have spent millions on developing their websites, written in a variety of the languages you list as 'toy' languages, or even PHP. Whether they would have been better to use other languages is impossible to say of course, but these languages are being used for significant projects. The use of the pejorative 'toy' is not very useful, and likely to evoke emotional reactions.

Go was inspired by a talk on the features of C++11 [1] - in despair at the addition of yet more features; the origins of the language and the philosophy behind it might make interesting reading if you use C++, because it was done directly in reaction to the (as they saw it) baroque edifice of C++.

Though I agree that people should not judge languages by popularity, novelty, or coolness (though it seems many people do), that doesn't mean you shouldn't be open to looking at new languages, if only to inform how you use your favourite one. Go for example has been inspired by the languages you deride, or their precursors (Python, Ruby etc), and in fact has taken much from them in syntax and in the popularity of closures etc.

I do agree with your other point though that this is an excellent area for Google to focus on, and something which will benefit a lot of domains which currently don't use scripting languages (systems programming, many large server systems, desktop apps, mobile apps).

[1] http://commandcenter.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/less-is-exponent...
Hubble Goes to the eXtreme to Assemble Farthest Ever View of the Universe
in my experience cheaper. you get more room and stuff for your money. but it's also more inconvenient:

You cannot just enter a date and click button "Book Now". You have to contact multiple hosts and arrange key pick up and stuff.

You cannot just leave the room in whatever state and checkout. You feel like you have to clean and tidy it up a bit.

Picking up keys can be a hassle sometimes.

However you don't have to pay for silly services i never use in a hotel (conference rooms, business centers, telephone in the toilets, etc).
So discovery is hampered, more focus on the screenshot and title is limited to 7 characters. Sounds like Apple want users to find fewer, but higher quality apps:

- browsing fewer apps, with users looking closer at each of them;

- screenshot of the app, you buy the app, not the icon and title;

- shorter title, less stuffed with keywords [good apps often have short names: Skype, Spotify, Instagram, Twitter].

I think this is a good thing, the app store has been too much about churning out low-quality apps.
I don't even play video games anymore, but I played a hell of a lot of CS back in the day. Many years have passed, and I jumped on the Linux bandwagon about 3 years ago, and am now supposedly a productive member of society. But dammit, all I can think about now is plowing over AK-47 slinging bastards running through the top tunnel on de_dust with my pump shotty, or mowing people down with the UMP or headshots with the scout. I don't know, I loved the obscure weapons.

I would increase my consumption of video games from a non-zero amount if I could play CS on Linux.

Make it happen Valve. You got me, I'm now nostalgic.
disclosure: ex-Airbnb employee here

The total airbnb fee on a stay is about 12% (lets assume 9% avg guest fee and 3% host fee). But roughly 3% goes to credit card processing fees and then you have to deal with paying out in countries like Brazil where paypal and ACH aren't viable options. Lets just net it out to 9% for discussion purposes. Average price per booked night when I worked there was $100+.

If you do the same math as the post above then revenue would hypothetically be $270MM, as a revenue multiplier the range we're talking about begins to seem possible for a company on this trajectory with organic growth.

I have a vested interest in a high valuation, but having seen the growth from when I first joined (feb 2011, celebrated 1MM nights booked the first week I was there) to now its really unbelievable - true hockeystick growth.
I got a janky bed in a janky room in a house shared with a not-advertised invalid. But I evaded hotel taxes so it was a good deal.
That's a positivist perspective on research and knowledge. While your perspective on validity might be fitting for quantitative research, for an exploratory expose and kinds of qualitative research some look for other measures of validity and quality. There is an enormous amount of research (papers) on this topic, just look for "qualitative research validity". As it is more a matter of perspective, there often seem some incommensurability creeping into these discussions.

In this case, I believe that a professional/experienced educator who has tried teaching introductory programming can, given their own experiences, relate, understand, and build on the concepts in the article to improve their own teaching and understanding of teaching/learning introductory programming. This is sometimes called communicative generalization (see Smaling: http://www.ualberta.ca/~iiqm/backissues/2_1/html/smaling.htm... ).

For example, to me, as a computer science teacher in high school, I recognize a lot of the issues discussed in the article. Reading the article I am able to link these issues and solutions to my experiences in class and decide to what extent it is credible and trustworthy. Furthermore, and more importantly, I can more easily apply results this kind of research in my daily practice than I can results of (rigorous) quantitative research as that almost always is taken out of context and ' clinically' due to fixing variables that aren't fixed in real life situations (i.e. the classroom, the students (holistic), environment).
Apple's maps are really good. Google's maps are much better, generally, though.

There are places where Apple has an advantage over Google, but Google has been pouring resources into Maps for a long time.

Garmin, TomTom, Navteq, etc. won't be nearly as good as Apple or Google because they aggregate sources.

They aren't unusable, and are better than if you rely on a dedicated GPS. But they can still be improved. Apple doesn't seem to be weighting proximity for search as effectively as Google (unsurprisingly).

Honestly, Apple is the new #2, but they've got a mountain ahead.
How You Could Help Your Future Robot Coworker
> You don't have any arguments

Says the person who insists that evolution is essential to all science yet doesn't have any examples where it makes any difference.
Clearly we need less regulation and government interference, and these problems will magically take care of themselves.
What makes you think Steve Jobs, wouldn't approve of it? I mean maps probably wouldn't get out of the door, but this seems fine albeit different.

I kinda feel sad about all the "What would Steve do. He'd do exactly as I want" I constantly see. If memory doesn't fool me, Final Cut Pro X was panned by users, while Steve Jobs was at the helm. The only difference now it seems there is no RDF deployed.
In the time between when the "year of the desktop" meme was coined, honestly I think the goal posts have shifted.

It shouldn't be the goal or focus of Linux to win on the desktop, because the desktop is increasingly being relegated to a niche player. Winning on the desktop today would be a rather pointless victory IMO.

Linux is already right now, today, amazingly incredibly successful in all domains which I think are most relevant for the future: servers (a given) and mobile (Android, Firefox OS, Web OS, Ouya, etc, etc.)
Siemens Opens 'The Crystal' To Promote Greener Cities in UK
This isn't really a major player getting behind Linux. The move has nothing to with Linux the desktop and everything to do with a future Linux-powered console/SteamBox. Desktop Linux could quintuple it's number of game purchasing users and it would still be inconsequential. The ancillary benefits for Linux, such as non-shitty gpu drivers, will be great but let's not make this out to be something it isn't.
Best of luck. Stay healthy and dedicate time away from your workstation. :-)
Paying Developers is A Bad Idea - Geeklist - Geeklist
I have also wondered a lot about the incompleteness of "link:<mywebsitesite>" command. Google's documentation is not very elaborate regarding that. Google webmaster on the other hand gives a more complete link of external links to the site.

My guess its deliberately incomplete because of:

1) Google's competitor search engines (bing, blekko, duckduckgo) to not easily get Google's Internet graph.

2) Competing websites should not get each other's complete link graph.
One way to look at AirBnB is as a craiglist plus escrow service. The idea is they spammed people advertising rental properties on craiglist to get them to visit the AirBnB site and it has worked so far. Eventually, though, all the people advertising on sites like craigslist will have migrated over to AirBnB and then the growth ends.

The escrow service seems a little dodgey since they are not licensed (see Greenspan's critique - he was roommates with one of the founders of AirBnB). Few major incidents so far, but how long will that last as they scale? The attraction of AirBnB over craiglist may be that the hosts perceive some added degree of safety by using AirBnB. But really, how much liability is AirBnB taking on? Can you sue AirBnB if your property is destroyed? Good luck with that.

What if another site that has an even faster interface pops up and uses a growth hacker to lure away hosts listing their properties on AirBnB? Then what? Acquire them out of fear!

The web is a medium. People use it to advertise things. It's hard to believe that any one company can monopolize a medium like the web for some class(es) of goods or services. But it sure looks like they can, doesn't it?

From For Sale ads in Usenet groups to a mailing list that grows to a website (craigslist) to AirBnB acting as an informal escrow agent to _______?

The interesting thing is that Usenet was originally free. As long as you had an internet connection, you could advertise for free. I'm not sure I understand why advertising still shouldn't be free. And we should be able to reduce the signal to noise ratio, and make doing business via internet more personable and trustworthy, without having to pay a spammer who acts as a dubious escrow agent and takes a percentage.