skysight-inc/HackerNews huggingface dataset:
>Do you honestly believe AQ has been fighting for decades just to get the NSA to take phone records from Verizon?

As part of a larger strategy, sure. Osama bin Laden stated publicly that his goal was to bankrupt the U.S.[1] The NSA is wasting billions of dollars on this while we run enormous budget deficits.

[1] http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/11/01/binladen.tape/

>In a manner of speaking, a full embrace of all civil liberties plays directly into their hands as it gives them much more freedom of communication and movement while affording the citizens only a very marginal increase in those civil liberties by comparison.

Only if their end goal is to kill people rather than bring about some specific political result. Presumably the killing is a means rather than the goal, and if the goal is made unachievable through attacks because we resist overreactions to them then there will be no incentive to go on killing people.
Re 1: In the case of the general public, I don't see this as such a bad thing -- so long as the app store is free of malware. The point is that they can sideload apps if they desire to do so.

Re 3: Sad, yes, but it doesn't prevent sideloading as far as I know.
Totally. If they had announced a back button, I would have been ecstatic.
Progressive California did a great job with its two PIPA-cosponsoring Senators. I don't know how the software industry gets rolled so badly in state politics.
Stuck in Hong Kong?

Short on money?

On the run from the Triads or the Man?

Come stay at the (formerly) fabulous Chung King Mansions!

The only hotel you can live in 24/7, get a job and raise a family in. In balmy Kowloon! Rooms start at $30.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XiRF1OOuw8&list=PL12CEAFFE67...
New Breed of Banking Malware Hijacks Text Messages
You point out an additional problem with protests: the methods that don't piss people off are ineffective at getting attention, and the methods that get attention just piss people off.
I personally hope the accelerometer-linked 3D will not also help to make flat the battery which already does not last long.
Of all the criticisms of the Windows platform I recall, I don't remember anyone complaining it was "closed system".

In fact, the opposite problem made it a haven for malware and viruses.
Yet another site that disables pinch zoom on iOS. He develops iOS apps yet makes his webpage hostile to iOS browsing.
I was referring to this benchmark: http://www.techempower.com/benchmarks/
I took it for granted that PRISM is also used for industrial espionage. It seems like this is the "low hanging fruit" for such a system. I'm not surprised that this isn't something the media is talking about since we're giving China such a hard time about it.
These are critiques of Apple's other products and software, but none of them apply to this specific hardware. Are there specific criticisms of this Mac Pro hardware?
What is your preferred alternative?

Anyone who wants to install a non-Play Store app, can. If you're someone looking at a piece of software on the internet, the application's website can easily offer you instructions on how to download and install their software. This is exactly how Windows has always operated.

A perfect example of this working well on Android is the Amazon Appstore. Disregarding for a second the meta-ness of it being another app market, they do a great job of explaining to the average user how to download their software (by pushing it to them through email, text, etc.), "allow non-Market applications" and install the APK. Sure, not every user is capable of doing this, but I think anyone who has helped non-technical family can attest to the fact that the same is true on Windows.
It should support 32GB dimms, so 128GB.
I've given up any hope of Java ever being considered a sexy language. Its philosophy has been the polar opposite of 'move fast and break things' at least in terms of how the language has evolved. That's been mostly a good thing, though frustrating. The language features are catching up now with the 'sexy' languages and it's pretty exciting.

Still one of the biggest problems with Java I think is the plethora of options you have when building a web stack. And integrating everything is a huge pain. There are options like dropwizard or play, but those bake in too much of their own assumptions for my taste. If anyone is interested in seeing what a modern Java web stack looks like, check out my attempt at it here: https://github.com/depsypher/flapjack
I think it's more justified here than aero, but in both cases it gives you a sense of context, that the other layer is still there benief it even if you can't see it clear enough. In a static shot it's just noise, but as you slide it up it reinforces the idea of layers.

That said, once you've slid it up it's just squiggly noise that's damn near impossible to draw type on legibly.
On iOS 7 (beta), it should be available now.
I disagree, it gives the gist of what is in the background. You can easily tell if the layer is over the homescreen or Mail or Safari etc. I like the blur effect because it makes it easier to read text than on just say a 80% opaque layer (and I think it looks cool).
We should resurrect this 2009 Stallman prophecy.
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=318440
The design looks so familiar, and it has been bugging me the whole day. Finally, I found it! The new Mac Pro designs reminded me of this DLINK Wireless Router

http://thegadgetclub.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/d-link-c...
I dismissed Java a lot more back when it was hip. Now that it is not hip, it is no longer necessary to dismiss Java, since I can simply ignore it.
I don't think so, we just still stuck in the past. It is definitely quite reasonable to get rid of the file system as a user concern, how many people bother organizing their files into folders anyways? They would be better served by tagging and other enhanced meta-data to make search more effective.
Yeah, I worked at an ISP in 1998 and was told of the request / demand that we install Carnivore. Since then I've understood that everything is being recorded, but I've just carried on with everyone else with a kind of sad, resigned, "oh well" attitude... and have taken comfort in the fact that we're ALL subject to this, so - at least things are somewhat leveled out. Resistance seems futile.
How to use intellect over intuition in hard decisions
These are critiques of Apple. In buying a Mac Pro, you're lending financial support to a company that does the things spelled out in those articles.
If anyone is wondering why I flag DF posts, I do it because it's pure opinion/editorial/fluff/blogspam that really has nothing to do with HN.
Did you never hear of the Free Software movement? The closed, or non-free nature of Windows was one of the prime motivators for lots of open source projects. See https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+bug/1
Ah, it seems you are correct. They have already been using that notation for awhile. For example, the latest version is 10.8.4 (not 10.84 like I thought).
You don't _think_ you have anything to hide. I'm sure if you found yourself under suspicion there would be plenty of bits and pieces in your telephone and internet history to paint you as someone who couldn't be trusted. Or worse.
That is a loaded comparison and has no place as the top comment here. Having lived in both countries, I can tell you you're less likely to be harassed by a self-important policeman in China than in the US. Likewise, you're less likely to be in debt, in jail, or homeless.
Agree (I have a Pegasus TB RAID also). Thunderbolt changes the calculus for system upgrades. Glad to see someone exploiting this.
Not nothing. It offers aspects, which allow you to group your friends into different categories so you can easily choose who to share what content with. Google found them useful -- at least enough to rename them circles...
Dear U.S. Navy,

Where are your nuclear subs and what are their missions?

Sincerely,
Definitely a U.S. citizen
... or is pardoned: https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/pardon-edward-snow...

Not that I am holding out a lot of hope, but the more signatures the better. It does seem like the best outcome; we need greater transparency, and whistle-blowers help with that substantially.

See also: http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2013/06/government_sec...
> ..sounds like he's validating his own intelligence by noticing how intelligent the design is. Only time can validate great design, and it's very early days.

Sounds like you are just grinding an ax because use of the word "intellectual" to you seems way too egotistical?

Well, they could have validated the design via lots of user testing; they could have done A/B testing on multiple great designs (not just the chosen design and several crappy ones). There is a lot of work to design than just the creative work.
The ending is a huge load of bollocks.
Context for Foreign Policy again: it's the journal of the Council on Foreign Relations, summarized by Noam Chomsky as essentially the business input to American foreign policy. Ask yourself: which business interest does the publication of this article serve?
So the reverse of never attribute to malice what can be explained by incompetence. Glass half empty.
Who cares, you didn't have to develop for their closed system. You could make apps for macs that can be downloaded if you care so much about programming for macs. Honestly, who cares.

Also, whatever happens once, doesn't have to happen ever again, but if it happens twice, it will almost certainly happen again. You will get burned over and over, unless you get smart.
Libradar: Is Edward Snowden libertarian?
it was a closed system... I remember my dad shelling out $500 for MS Visual basic for me, and then $500 for MSVC++. Visual basic was fun, but I didn't do anything with it. I never got past MFC in VC++ and I wound up using borland's C++ instead for my science fair project.

Now, I can put ubuntu linux on my machine - for free (or in my case, preloaded from DELL at a discount over windows) and get a million different toolchains with free documentation online.
Perhaps you're not understanding the parent's use of "closed system"? It means a proprietary environment with no access to the underlying source code.
Your memory of what's behind is the impression.
That would be why I referred to it as a tech stack, not a language.
The linked dimms have 43% lower bandwidth than what Apple has specced (PC1866 vs PC1066) and are over twice the $ per GB.
The problem with "reasonableness" is that there's no single definition of what's reasonable, so you'll get different courts giving different verdicts in similar cases. Instead, couldn't we define things very strictly, but require them to be revised every n years with the current needs and expectations of society?
Nice try, Verizon.
-I think the big question here is how are the three "cards" joined together?

These days PCIx (and similar) extender cables are used commonly on server builds. I wouldn't be surprised if apple used some sort of equivalent ribbon to connect the graphics cards.
This sounds like a modern version of the Poor Man's Copyright[1] where you mail yourself some document for _protection_.

[1] http://www.snopes.com/legal/postmark.asp
Are we really going to give Microsoft no credit for this 'flat' design style?
I seem to have the opposite problem. I use Siri/dictation _all the time_ when responding to text messages (because I can talk a lot faster than I can type on an iDevice) and I frequently accidentally hit the international keyboard or .?123 button instead.
You're trying to solve the problem of "app x/y/z not approved in store" but all you've done is move those goalposts to the third party arbitrator who now has a financial incentive to deny approval to anything.

Just no.

Even worse your solution is effectively a government takeover of any store over size X. Trying to force goods on vendors is not the free market, it's central planning lite.

Apple runs it's store the way it wants to. If you don't like it don't sell your wares there, don't shop there, picket their retail locations, call for boycotts online, etc.
Most people can tally up a sum. Most people can write a letter or note. Most people can sing a song, even if probably out of tune.Most people can draw a map or simple diagram. Nearly all people can communicate by talking.

On the other hand, most people can not write even a tiny piece of software.

I think that will change in the future.

But there's a lot to be done until we are there.
I don't have an answer, but the Japanese bit at the end is fascinating. I read a book (may have been a history of the Kokoda Trail) which discussed the Japanese soldiers reaction to being captured. The expectation was to be executed or tortured. Once it became clear this wasn't going to happen, full cooperation usually occurred as the culture and loss signified the defeat by a superior leader and force, and allegiances shifted. I have likely jumbled this a bit, but the gist of it was that the Japanese soldiers reaction to loss was quite different to the European soldiers.
> Far far less than Java jobs.

And far far far far less than .NET jobs. Which is still more fun than Java.

> Rails and CRUD web apps bore most hackers to tears.

They don't bore me to tears. Between the brand new Javascript frameworks like Angular and CSS frameworks like Bootstrap, it's possible to develop great looking, simple apps that have a great deal of functionality in extremely short amounts of time.
That's the thing - you can't see what's behind - take a look at the shot here: http://www.apple.com/ios/ios7/

If you look at control center - the flashlight glows green and the camera red. Why? Because some arbitrary icon that you can't even make out is that color behind it. I find that really odd.

Even if you could actually make out what's behind the layer, I don't see the utility (and I'd argue it's even more distracting).
would it be better if he were a libertarian that hated Ayn Rand? (there are quite a few)
Another scenario is that the NSA (and friends) are just far looser with "secrets" than we would have imagined. It is incredible to me that the NSA has almost entry-level contractor employers -- who have little loyalty or long-term career aspirations within the NSA -- running the show. Simply incredible.
He worked for the CIA on IT security since approximatly 2004-2005.

In 2007 he was stationed in Switzerland (CIA), he left the CIA in 2009.

In 2009 he started to work for a private contractor in the U.S and Japan which had him stationed at a NSA facility.

I don't get all the media reports that he only been on the inside for 3 months. This adds up to 7+ years.

It all on his wiki page with footnotes to sources.
for some reason, it won't let me delete my duplicate comments that were created because of errors on postings...
Of course they could validate the product to the best of their ability through user testing. I'm not disputing that. I'm sure they validated the iPhone 4's exterior antenna before it launched too. There's just so much you can't discover about a product until it's released into the wild.

I was wary of posting my comment because it comes off as ax grinding, which is why I prefaced it the way I did. I'm genuinely interested to see if anyone shares my opinion, or if I'm nuts. I can accept either outcome.
"Why don't we have LED lights on the ports? That way people can see them when the machine is in the shadow of a desk."

"How do we turn them on?"

"Today, when people have trouble seeing ports, they tilt the machine to give it more light. So we'll detect that."

"Hey, so now we don't need garish colors on our ports!"

"Bonus."
Saying the NSA doesn't care if you've smoked weed is like saying the telephone doesn't care if you've smoked weed. It's technically true, but you can still get arrested for things you say over the phone. Same with the NSA, where they don't actually enforce the laws themselves, they're just a data provider for everyone else. And even if no one cares now, when the data is stored indefinitely, things you're doing/saying now that are completely innocuous could be used against you years or even decades in the future. Ex post facto won't stop the government from banning you from getting on a plane, getting a passport, taking out a bank loan, etc.
If the only tool you have is a hammer, it’s tempting to treat everything as if it were a nail.
Touché. I should read more clearly, and be less angsty. Sorry about that :)
This is a convoluted buzzword mess.

He's talking about the consumer buzzword 'cloud', as in iCloud, eCloud, store your pics in the "cloud", not
the IT buzzword "cloud computing", with things like virtualization, EC2, AWS, S3. Thanks for that, marketing assholes.

But I want to know. Whats the difference now, in light of all the spying, between storing your stuff encrypted on S3, or using EC2, and colocating hardware somewhere? Are we worried about back doors into the virtual machines and S3 buckets, or are they just going to watch the traffic in and out, just like they can do anyway if you colocated, or even put all the crap in your basement?
I like the equivalence between "a machine I'm not going to buy but must be just so" and "serious workstation".
I know people who have been royally screwed by exactly this - they give you an API, devs everywhere come up with ideas, do the hard work - and the platform picks the low hanging fruit. Not only do they get carte blanche to steal peoples ideas but the licenses often give them complete rights to steal your source code as well.
It's only fair considering Ayn Rand hated libertarians.
After PRISM: the $1K Tax Credit to Watch the Watchers
I use it all the time to add things to a grocery/shopping list reminder.

'Add eggs to groceries'

'Add soda to groceries'

etc.

It works really well for me and is much faster than opening a note app, finding the grocery note, typing in what I need, etc. The only odd thing is that it creates things as reminders and not as notes--you can use notes but you have to explicitly say 'Add foo to groceries note', so I just use a reminder since it's faster (and has a nice checkbox interface).
Java is the new COBOL. Everyone is going to be wondering when Java will die for the next thirty years. Java will still be running the enterprise decades after RoR is gone.

The more interesting question is which will die first: Java or COBOL?
That's only one small part of the story. I think the main thing here is that he had an app that he worked on that was rejected because Apple felt nobody wanted it, and then a few months later Apple releases pretty much the same thing itself and everyone loves it.
The general trend of Rand-bashing is annoying--not because there aren't many, many valid criticisms, but because those criticisms are seldom if ever used.
Depth, in the form of stack-able windows, has been present in desktop OS interfaces for decades. Is iOS gradually reinventing the wheel?
little observed fact - he's criticizing Ronald Reagan directly.
Site is too slow to load on my phone.

I'm assuming its "professional networking based on proximity" based on the splash image?
Ugh. I am usually a DF fan, but this article is riddled with worthlessness:

"The design of iOS 7 is based on rules."

iOS 6's design certainly was not inferior due to lack of rules

"a Z-axis of layers organized in a logical way"

That's the basis of every UI.

[/rant]

Anyways, here is a summary of the article, for those not interested in digging meaning out of it:

1. Blurred transparent layers are cool and useful (Ubuntu has known this for years now).

2. Apple is finally making software whose elegance and design captures the essence of their hardware design (yay!). You get that same "just works" feeling (like sliding shut a heavy, mechanical dead bolt with no resistance).

[/summary]

Here's my review of Apple's iOS6 UI, if anyone is interested (note: I have used and loved Apple products my entire life):

1. Finally catching up to the flat UI trend. +1

2. LINKS instead of navigation buttons? I'm not a fan, but okay, as long as the "tappable" area is the same.

3. LINK instead of [SEND] button in Messages? Why?

4. Safari's icon is so ugly

5. Mail's icon is so ugly. Wtf!

6. The "Control Center" screenshot looks hideous on that backdrop, darken the background of your modals!

7. wtf@the default homescreen background! I don't even remember what that trend is called.. bokeh? bokah? Hang on one sec, gotta take this, the early 2000s are calling.

8. LOVE the look of the new bottom bars

9. LOVE the switch to helvetica neue with a skinny font weight

10. hate the < > buttons in safari, why are they so huge and freaky

11. Mail looks awesome, as does Weather and Messages

12. Weather needs a bit more contrast

13. LOVE safari's new address bar

But overall good job apple, it's a huge step to take and looks like the first iteration will go well.

[/review]
btw, Elements of Style is a very short book (~26 pages) and early editions are available online:

https://courses.washington.edu/b572/public/StrunkWhite.pdf
-Thunderbolt-to-PCIe breakout module (which is what many power users have been doing in the years since the last update)

Do you have any examples of this? I did a quick google but didn't find anything. My imagination is telling me that looks like some sort of motherboard with slots in it...
Out of curiosity, what about the political records or statements of Obama and Feinstein made you trust them with civil liberties and privacy?
I have the beta, and as of right now they aren't - the effects are only for the wallpaper.
> I wonder what 'About this Mac' says about the version number. 10.9 was the last one. 10.99? Then 10.999?

10.8 is the current. I haven't downloaded the beta yet, but I'd bet on 10.9 for Mavericks. After that ("Yosemite"?), probably 10.10, etc.

There's predecent all over the place for diatomic versioning (vs. decimal, maybe there's a proper name for it?), but Solaris is a good example for operating systems. Sun went to major rev 5 with the first version of Solaris. Oracle inherited 5.11 (minor rev 11, marketing name "Solaris 11"), and will presumably keep on keepin' on.

It will be interesting to see whether Apple's choices of "inspirational California places" will be the obvious and cliche, or relatively obscure and interesting. "Mavericks", though I don't like the word itself, suggests something more toward the latter. "Yosemite", no matter how deserving, would prove me wrong. Maybe it will be a mix of both.

Either way, they can stick with that theme for a good long time!
'cause we're too busy putting money and effort into making new things, while Hollywood (in the same state, notice, and thus sharing the same senators) is putting money and effort into attempting to stretch their dying business models through force of arms when need be.
Which applies to any centralized 'marketplace' for apps that's popular enough; whether that's Apple's App Store, Google Play, Valve's Steam, or Ubuntu's Software Center (and all other linux package managers for that matter). So, I'm not entirely sure what the argument is here...? If people wan't to define that as 'closed', that's cool, conceptually I could see how that makes sense. But again, I never hear that term being used to describe Linux package managers like I mentioned above, so I'm not sure what the distinction might be between them and something as lenient for acceptance as the Play store. Is it the 'killswitch' that makes a system closed or what?

Windows never had a repository system so devs had to advertise and distribute their .exe's independently, giving the ecosystem that feel of 'open-ness'. But the second you have a semi-curated centralized repository system available like on Ubuntu or Android, the system becomes 'closed' because it effectively creates this 'barrier' you mentioned due to the new convenience. So is there no middle-ground here?
As a developer of a weather app myself, I seriously doubt that Apple refused your app due to its use of video clips & the possibility of its competing with iOS 7's weather app. Yahoo weather exists, after all, and it's really close in look & feel.
Why in the hell do people still develop for Apple? It seems like an uphill battle...