skysight-inc/HackerNews huggingface dataset:
Why the Developing World May Be Bitcoin's Biggest Customer
Competent programmers known when its time to maintain code or to re-write it and theres no easy answer. But i definitely agree with your point that insisting on a switch of framework just because its more familiar with out any real compelling reasons is a very bad sign.
We're wrangling with this in our organization. I looked at your site and there's no pricing information.
The most interesting part of this disucssion is to see Mendeley "staff" doing their damage control over the backslash of the sale. I don't think the scientific community will continue use the tool, they will just migrate.
I think exponentially is the new literally.
ClearDB Pro Segment #101: How many MySQL connections are enough for my app?
Describing the Steam Cleaners
>So this only applies to Monsanto, or do local companies have to do the same things?

This would naturally apply to any company, local or foreign.
What is the problem with being connected? I think it is good to strive for connectivity as it encourages cooperation. Of course you need to be careful with what you trust and what you don't trust, and spread the risk when a connection goes 'bad'. This means not relying too much on any one connection.

I don't understand what you mean by "easily broken by revolutions". I also don't see what is bad with a wider perspective, unless it is somehow restricted to "bad people" (the classical panopticon?), but that'd require a very centralized system.
If we could just have shared libraries in the browser, it would solve the problem of having to serve the entire ruby runtime with each webpage. You'd just put a tag in the header indicating you're using ruby runtime version X and the browser would download it and put it in some permanent cache for javascript code. Really, it's high time we got some sort of package management for browsers.

P.S. I mean shared libraries in the abstract sense, not .so or .dll files specifically.
So extortion rather than holding hostages then... "Nice economy you have there, shame if something were to happen to it".
It's the cartwheels that set him apart.
Well, it would be way better if we could add some kind of "source notified" flag directly on the database, we do not want to add mail flood to security breach. :)
It's because of the relative importance of team cohesion on the output of entire company. In a corporation of 250k people, 1 (potential) slacker is max 1/250k lost output. In a company of 9 it is max 1/9th. It's all about risk management here, managing both probabilities and potential consequences.
And as a side note, using something like that isn't reliable at all. Say I wanted to go down the pub for an hour, what's to stop me leaving my phone at home so it looks like I'm still about?
This is very interesting and I didn't know about it. Isn't $300,000 pocket change, though?
In your 5 years running a remote team, nobody has ever taken a bathroom break or a lunch break of more than 1 minute?
The real story with big tech workplaces is that everyone wants to be in charge, everyone wants to establish credibility, no one wants to do the coding. I see this all the time. "I'm a part time coder" to me gets categorized with non-coder.

Insightful and mostly correct, but this is a false dichotomy.

There are a lot of people who want to write code and do the real work, but end up in the nonsense you described-- they spend 50+ percent of their time extorting their weaker peers (for credit and image enhancement) and slugging their equals-- because, as you said, they need to win on the credibility market before the company will trust them with real work.

Corporate software engineers are a defeated tribe who work for managers. The nightmare of being seriously underpaid while writing boring software with a boss who thinks he can do your job in half the time, even though he hasn't written a line of code in 10 years (or ever) and has forgotten (or never knew) how hard it is... well, that's the norm for most software engineers.

You're talking about the MacLeod Sociopaths (people who hack credibility markets and rape the system) and possibly the Clueless (middle-managers in the classic depiction; but most startups are Clueless even down to the bottom, because Losers get culled in tough cultures). But there are also the Technocrats (socially positive subset of the so-called, and misnamed, Sociopaths) who bludgeon the credibility market because they have to, but have a genuine desire to do the hard work-- writing code, clarifying ideas, creating. We're not all prima donnas.
Yes, I can see how using "buttfuck", "fag" and "bitch" in your source code is "blatant sexism".

After all, as we all know, all coders are mature 30+ year old professionals, that if they use a swear word they REALLY mean it, and use it to further their agenda and their bigotry towards women/homosexuals/etc. Instead of, you know, all kinds of immature teenagers that watch South Park and Family Guy until their late 20s, enjoy fart jokes and think they're grown up when they swear, etc.

Wanna fight sexism? How about you go fight Hollywood, music industry videoclips or the fashion industry? That's 90% of established sexism right there. And it involves women in sexy lingerie doing dance moves (as if women are sexual merchandise), not some code on GitHub with a "bitch" variable.

They do have a point with "nigger" word though (or not -- as a European without a colonial past --the reverse in fact-- I fail to see why the word guilt trips the very society who not only committed but still commits crimes against their black people. Sounds quite hypocritical to me: "OK we do all this horrible stuff to blacks as a society and we don't even blink about it, but god forbid someone says the n word, we'll lynch him on the spot.").
SOOP: Service Oriented Operation and Provisioning
Hi Everyone,

I just wanted to share a post that I have just written about a model of service provisioning called SOOP.

http://emekamosanya.com/2013/04/05/soop-service-oriented-operation-and-provisioning-part1/

I would be great to have some feedback.

Thanks,

Emeka
Awesome Justin,

finally something that every web developer understands immediately and really takes the pain out of realtime for a lot of people.
I work in a mixed office, half in/half remote. I'm one of the few people (team lead/admin) that has to be in the office 90 percent of the working hours, which is fine. But I deal with good and bad remote colleagues over the years, so here's some suggestions.

Let me know when you are available, we have shared calendars and other means of indicating status, use them. Respect others time, both work and personal. If I can't get in touch with you for an extended period of time, let me know ahead of time or have a good reason afterwards. Let me know of any critical issues, technical or personal as soon as reasonably possible.

Let me know at you have on your project plate so I can assist or re-balance work loads if necessary. Please keep up with the "paperwork" aka source control, logging, reports, time-tracking and documentation.

If working remotely isn't working out, I've got some offices with doors and a fully stocked break room down the hall. And I'll throw in an extra monitor. :)
See also: YC request for startups, #22...

"22. A web-based Excel/database hybrid. People often use Excel as a lightweight database. I suspect there's an opportunity to create the program such users wish existed, and that there are new things you could do if it were web-based. Like make it easier to get data into it, through forms or scraping.

Don't make it feel like a database. That frightens people. The question to ask is: how much can I let people do without defining structure? You want the database equivalent of a language that makes its easy to keep data in linked lists. (Which means you probably want to write it in one.)"

http://ycombinator.com/ideas.html
that's your choice, but don't pretend devs will change all their stack/development approach to take into account your refusal of using a technology that has been around for 15 years.
To be clear, this is software, so comparing it to Pusher.com is a bit of an apples to oranges comparison. Pushpin is more comparable to Socket.io, Juggernaut, Faye, etc.

What makes Pushpin special is that you can control what the outside-facing HTTP exchanges look like, which makes it good for implementing APIs, and may also be useful if you're just really anal about how your client/server interactions work. :)

The cost is that you need to design your protocol and write client code (the other solutions already have their own special protocols and come with corresponding JavaScript libraries ready to go). So whether or not Pushpin is good for you depends on what level of control you're after.

In the pipeline, Pushpin goes in the very front, just behind a load balancer (if any). The reason for this is you could put instances of Pushpin in different geographic locations, all fronting an application in a single location. So you want it the furthest out, closest to any users that might be connected to it.
That's why many people (I first read about this in Alan Cooper's About Face 2.0) advocating for automatic save also advocate for unlimited undo (or at least something close to it) because closing a document and not saving it is just a form of undo while closing a document and saving it should be the default action.

This is also a place where the desktop metaphor (with paper documents) around which most WIMP systems are built exposes computer details and fails to stick to its metaphoric roots. When I scribble something on paper it's there and I don't have to consciously remember to somehow commit a transient state of my scribbling to paper explicitly.
Google Play Store Axes 60,000 Low-Quality Apps
I'll skip most of the Java vs Go discussion but as you're probably aware that was Go 1.0.3 running on that benchmark.

Here's Go 1.1 vs 1.0.3 on a bit beefier machine: https://gist.github.com/errnoh/5320784

Next benchmark will have Go 1.1 running, can't promise that it'll scale as well as on this server but it'll be significant change anyways.

And most of all, main part of the language is that it's intuitive to write and comes with a clear and readable spec and standard library.

edit: updated gist with Netty using the same configuration
> p2p sync enables you...

That isn't what "peer to peer" means, though. Peer to peer means that peers (the aforementioned browser, smartphone and tablet) communicate directly with each other.

Also, how does CouchDB keep things secure if clients can sync apparently any data? I'm assuming there's something there, but nobody else has explained this.
StickNFind - Bluetooth tracker to stick anywhere
https://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10100259101684977...
>The programs in the shootout are nothing like the programs people typically run and write. For instance, most of the programs I write do a lot of I/O. The shootout programs do none.

Which is as well, because you only want to benchmark for CPU bound parts of the program.

IO is the same speed for all languages, so it cancels out.

>It certainly does in cluster environments where you regularly spin up new server instances.

Not really a common use case.

>It's also important for command-line tools.

I don't think command-line-tools are Go's or Java's niche.
I've been working on this. It converts excel spreadsheets to a sqlite file. It can then serve the sqlite file as a flask app.

https://github.com/lucidguppy/conjuring
Magic of Erlang? I hate to be cynical, but have you got benchmarks to back that up?
Why not ask for compensation? If it took you 6-8 hours and is so good work that other applicants submit your solution, then you should get paid for giving it to them.
I've seen plenty of well intended articles on this topic... but what's being addressed are the symptoms, not the problem.

When you're in a conversation, all you have to do is force yourself to believe that the person you're speaking with could have a viewpoint worth considering.

Tell yourself in your head: Maybe he has a point. Let's hear him out. Good listening automatically follows.
I think the problem isn't one or two people deciding to manage some 50 lines in an Excel file.

The huge problem is that Excel file eventually growing and you start adding sheets and macros until it becomes this HUGE clusterfuck that some interns worked on too and other people who are long gone and folks are still using this monstrosity because that's "how we always did it"... and they continue to live with this broken crutch instead of re-doing it the right way at that point.

I have seen user access reviews done in Excel, for way over 1000 users with an average of 8 accounts per user and at least 60 different managers who were responsible for checking their own employees and partly they would delegate it down to the individual team leaders. In one Excel file they sent around by email(!) and some poor sap who had to somehow make sense of it all and merge it.
The same "technology" that enables us to develop antibiotics so we can live also creates the biological threats that can massacre us during conflicts. Every knife cuts both ways.
Wikimindmap
Some of these could be acronyms, but that's not the point: intent is. Your nickname might be faggot, your intent is not to insult someone or denigrate a group of people. The word bitch is offensive when used negatively against a woman. It's not sexist to call a friend a "silly bitch" is a playful way, nor is it negative to refer to a female dog as a bitch.

Richard Dawkins was not being sexist when he said "Science works, bitches".

I am not being sexist when I name a library BITCH_H, or an IRC client BitchX.

The point here isn't that this is what they are doing in the code, the point is that intent is important.
Yes, I encourage security researchers to always notify the relevant network operators/ authorities if they make an interesting discovery. And that data is always provided for free to agencies such as the CERT. At the end of the day I would like to think that Shodan helps make the Internet a safer place by having smarter people than me find critical infrastructure, and then notifying the operators so things can get fixed. There will always be security issues as long as people are deploying them, so I'm not worried about Shodan becoming obsolete.
From my brief view on the inside, it certainly didn't feel like anyone cares what school you went to.
Telly says so, must be true.
Also, illusion.
Illusion of fear, truth and lies.
And sadly loss of self thinking.

Works very well together.
Completely useless:

1. None of the ~ two dozen websites I've bought from in the past year supports it (and those are already technical shops). And most importantly, Amazon doesn't support it.

2. None of the people I've wanted to send money to have it

3. Never heard of it; why would I trust it? (well, ok, they have some well-known clients, so that gives them some level of trustworthiness)

I am aware it's a chicken/egg problem, but as a user, I don't care.
That's a good idea, but it's a bit scary.

I've seen people use spreadsheets as word processors. They don't know how to layout a document in a word processor, but this spreadsheet lets them put words wherever they want.

Sometimes people misuse spreadsheets. I guess it'd be really good to have some kind of transition from spreadsheets to more suitable tools. (Perhaps using spreadsheets as examples an metaphors?) This doesn't have to be software, it could be a short course on a website.
> [dev speed has] a large impact on the overall probability of getting off the ground

I don't know. This seems common sense but it could be a cliché too.

If we look at other domains, it is not always true. For instance, if you write novels that are not tied to some evanescent trend like a pop star's private life, then the chance of getting off the ground if not directly linked to the timing of publication. It would be the same if you are creating a newly designed chair.

Even on the web, let's take two success stories: when Wikipedia or Twitter were created and made public, I don't remember seeing five other contenders running behind them, and being only two-features-months behind. Same with, say, Minecraft.

I am all for quick development, because it is more fun, but not because it would magically increase to probability of success, which is too low to compute and unpredictable anyway.

I am also all for choosing carefully which path you take, especially when you cross virgin territories. You don't want to find yourself spending a night half naked with a toothpick for your sole defense in Borneo's jungle.
Balancer Battle – Load testing HAproxy, Nginx and HTTP-Proxy's WebSocket support
Also, sorry for highschoolers, but this is for their own good :)

I had my own "let's see what we can do" youth, and sure thing it is very insightful. If we were talking only about business damage, I would say : "well, they desserve it". But we're not.

What do you think would happen if tomorrow, news headline was : "Massive oil truck crash kills 10, caused by hacker tempering with traffic lights." ? Repressive laws against any kind of computer toying would become even harder, and our highschoolers may go to jail for simply trying to have fun.
>>>Though Schneier is great for stating the issues and relationships, he tends to avoid proposing any solutions, and also avoids citing any existing attempts towards solutions.

That's like criticizing someone who has discovered a disease because he hasn't also simultaneously created a cure.
I didn't know the conclusion of the Fairey case and I had never even heard about the Baio case, so thanks for these links.

I don't think you can generalize "the internet" in this way because the forums I read are fairly liberal and will tend to favor the underdog, 'David' or whatever allusion you want to depict the lowly, individual up against 'the man.' So, by that thinking, we should be expected to favor Fairey (vs AP), Baio (vs Maisel ) and the current article's artist (vs Disney). You may say that Maisel is not so black and white, but consider that he still represents the establishment.

Just to specifically address Lee Phillips' article. He clearly has a personal bias that doesn't help his argument with lines like this referring to 'chiptune':

"I don’t get it either, but if people want to create music where part of the aesthetic is that it’s supposed to sound bad, I believe they have every right to."

I have plenty of fond memories to music from Battletoads, Mega Man and Final Fantasy so I think he's fighting a losing battle if he's going to try and convince people that there is no merit to 8-bit music production.
IPad & Italians: a powerful combination
As a person working exclusively from home.

Screw you, even if I was sitting right next to you, you have no right to expect a response to your query in a minute. I will get to you when it's the appropriate moment in my workflow, otherwise I'm just running around like a headless chicken all day getting nothing done.

Working time is headphones on time. You do not distract me when my headphones are on.

We are not doctors in an operating room, you can wait 20 minutes. Hell, if I let you wait 20 minutes there's a 90% chance you'll solve the problem without me.
Google target of Microsoft-led antitrust complaint
Guy, you haven't got this right.
With cars there is some justification for overlap. Some people can't be seen driving a Lexus (or aren't allowed to buy them by corporate policy or whatever), or Audi, but Toyota Avalons at the same trim level and approximately the same price, or a VW Phaeton instead of a Mercedes S-class, would be acceptable. And other people who would prefer a stripper Audi to a luxury VW with better specs, just to be a "luxury car driver".
just looked at the client library and noticed they use SockJS, interesting.
> This requires having the resources to support developing two such products at the same time using separate teams for each, which is not something many companies can afford.

This is definitely the ideal situation, but as you said most companies do not have the resources to greenfield a separate project. Additionally convincing the higher-ups that its worth it is a difficult task.

> Another good way is to rewrite piece-wise, in place (refactoring). There are lots of different ways to do this regardless of architecture, ultimately you're essentially creating a bubble of new code that grows and grows until it completely replaces all the old code.

> Work component-wise in an "add + deprecate" fashion.

Everywhere that I have worked this has been the route we've taken. We isolated the old behavior until we were able to fully ween clients off the product (or perform a data conversion and completely use the new code).
It is always up to the present to use the evidence that better fulfills its goals in the eyes of others.
Maybe you could provide some place to keep track of who has been notified ? Or even better : handle a "report" form yourself, so sources are notified only once and wild internet don't know if source may be watching its logs or not.
For a quick and dirty approach you can use .iqy query files.

It's a really basic format, just a text file with a URL to open and options defined by embedding arrays in the params string. e.g.
POST
Example.com/get_data?first_param=["parameter name","parameter description"]
And then a few variables describing the format of the data to return - it'll parse an HTML table and csv's/tab separated values but that's about it, but it's better than the copy paste loop hell.

You can then add the query file as an external data source and pass parameters to queries to a web interface through excel - cell values or user inputs. It's cross platform back to at least osx office 2003. They're a little clunky, but pretty painless to setup and the only mac compatible system I've found.
Excel<->Web data integration is something I've been weirdly interested in for awhile - if anyone has questions feel free to email me (its in hn profile)

Shameless plug:
I wrote excel-data, a ruby gem that generates iqy files for excel, formats ruby hashes in a format it can interpret, and parses excels bizarre date format. It's pretty basic and my first OSS project, but gives you an idea of the format.
The Entrepreneur, The MBA, and The Misconception
I'm not sure about the novel and chair examples, but the issue of evidence of every early stage failures in general is interesting.

The other proto-pedias and Minecraft-could-have-beens never happened at all - for some people, they stayed on the drawing board and never made it to the web - so there's no evidence of them to point to at all. They left no trace.
> everyone wants to establish credibility, no one wants to do the coding

In engineering-centric companies, coding is necessary for credibility.
>>>This is about living under a constitution guaranteed by law.

And what country would that be? It's no longer America, post-9/11. Secret trials, suspension of habeas corpus, search & seizure (Stop & Frisk and TSA), undeclared wars, Executive Orders, etc.
Facebook now charges you to badger celebrities
Google Cloud Messaging with cloudbase.io - Android push notifications
Even if it is bad in terms of security, wrt system resources it is good. IE6 uses around 15 MB and Firefox uses 100 MB for browsing same sites. Or does IE6 uses virtual memory to show low memory usage?
I've always just dumped the Wordpress database using the export tool. After I have the data I rewrote the template.

Most of the time the Wordpress template is so wonky that its better to just rewrite it (especially if you're migrating away from Wordpress in the first place).
Akamai uses a different way to count the usage compare to Net Applications. Hence the difference. Also, Akamai's presence in China is somewhat of a question.
Maybe there should be a book.

Doing the wrong thing the right way - How to use Excel in ways it was never intended.