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Is Pre-K All It’s Cracked Up to Be? - tokenadult
https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/is-pre-k-all-its-cracked-up-to-be/
======
tokenadult
Here is a link to the study publication from Vanderbilt University about the
program in Tennessee:
[http://peabody.vanderbilt.edu/research/pri/VPKthrough3rd_fin...](http://peabody.vanderbilt.edu/research/pri/VPKthrough3rd_final_withcover.pdf)
| {
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Quantum Cryptography Applied to Control Power Grid - kvakernaak
http://dailyfusion.net/2013/02/quantum-cryptography-applied-to-control-power-grid/
======
marcel99
Why use it for power grid specifically?
| {
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} |
Internationalisation for beginners - kyllikki
http://vincentsanders.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/true-art-selects-and-paraphrases-but.html
======
luxpir
Thanks for the write-up. A very interesting read. It's an area that is ripe
for innovation, and a massively growing industry.
The XLIFF and TMX formats also offer flexibility in the handling of translated
data, as with .po files, but there are many problems still to be solved, as
contingencies mentions.
As you mention "Real people are still required to do the translations and
verify them" and the army of professional translators and agencies in the
market is on hand to do that, but developers often work in formats they are
unfamiliar with.
The bulk of a freelancer's work is in MS Office files, run through a CAT
(computer assisted translation) tool, and the resulting file (and translation
memory, TM) is delivered. When a developer needs a bunch of strings translated
they stray into unfamiliar territory for the average freelancer.
Specialists are out there, but a common format approach would help here. Most
professional CAT tools (costing from 200-1000+ of your local currency units)
can process .po files, which is a bonus, but doesn't solve many of the
remaining problems out there.
A multi-language translation memory (i.e. several source/target combinations)
would be useful in many cases, as would a simple 'export translatables' button
in the admin dashboards of apps.
I hope more HN readers dig in to the problems mentioned here, as technical
solutions could have a big influence on the future of
globalisation(-ization!).
------
gomox
Thanks for the write-up, I deal with the same issue in our company and while
we do work in Gettext with UTF-8 (that solves most basic issues just fine), it
seems every project that does i18n is cooking it up in their own way and I
have not been able to find many references online. I will probably make an
article describing our setup when I get around to polishing it.
The concensus around Transifex in #i18n@freenode seems to be that the open
source version is old and not maintained and should not be used. The SaaS
offering is much newer and packs quite a bit more features.
The "good" open source offering appears to be Pootle [0].
Honestly, I would be very worried about depending on a cloud service such as
Transifex for something that is so deeply embedded into our (pretty
continuous) development process. This requires automation, and all the time
invested in integrating with release processes and continuous integration can
easily go overboard. Of course, if Transifex were seamlessly integrated with
project management applications out of the box, then it wouldn't be such a
risky proposition.
\----
An interesting point about i18n that is quite independent from the tool
selection is how you write your message identifiers. You can basically use
labels (i.e, an ID for the string) or use the "original" string.
Here's the tradeoff: if you use an ID, you must reference the application
constantly to understand what the translation should say (and in any non
trivial application, this is a huge burden for translators), and there is
either no string reuse (because places with the same intended content have
used different IDs), or the need for an anal curator to go around chastising
developers ("the OK button should always be ACTION_BUTTON_LABEL_OK!! fix
it!!"). On the other hand, if you use original strings in English you will
find that you experience language collisions (two places where the original
string in English is the same, but the translated one is not), so you end up
resorting to introducing artificial differences to make them unique (i.e
"Request (verb)" and "Request (substantive)" instead of just "Request").
A hack that goes a long way if your engineering team is based off a country
that uses a latin language, is to use that instead of English for original
strings. Latin languages are typically more complex than English so collisions
are greatly reduced. Chances are your translation team is also based in that
country as well, so no harm done.
\----
If you are doing branchy development, I put together a wiki page [1] on the
Mercurial wiki with a script I use to merge translation catalogs (.po)
seamlessly when doing branch merges. It can easily be used with git as well.
\----
Links
[0] <http://pootle.translatehouse.org/>
[1] <http://mercurial.selenic.com/wiki/MergeGettext>
~~~
mpessas
> An interesting point about i18n that is quite independent from the tool
> selection is how you write your message identifiers. You can basically use
> labels (i.e, an ID for the string) or use the "original" string.
> Here's the tradeoff: if you use an ID, you must reference the application
> constantly to understand what the translation should say (and in any non
> trivial application, this is a huge burden for translators), and there is
> either no string reuse (because places with the same intended content have
> used different IDs), or the need for an anal curator to go around chastising
> developers ("the OK button should always be ACTION_BUTTON_LABEL_OK!! fix
> it!!"). On the other hand, if you use original strings in English you will
> find that you experience language collisions (two places where the original
> string in English is the same, but the translated one is not), so you end up
> resorting to introducing artificial differences to make them unique (i.e
> "Request (verb)" and "Request (substantive)" instead of just "Request").
The PO format uses the field "context" to differentiate among the various uses
of a word/phrase. You should also add a comment for your translators in this
case.
Also, using an ID messes with the PO format itself. E.g., fallbacks in case of
a missing translation will not work.
But there are other formats that are ID-based, like .properties in Java.
------
adlq
Great blog post about l10n and i18n! I'm working on improving that process in
our company and currently I'm choosing Zanata [0] as a (Java-based)
translation platform because out of Transifex's no longer maintained community
edition (how unfortunate!) and Pootle, Zanata's installation actually was
painless and the community around it is very responsive!
Too bad I didn't stumble upon Weblate [1] first though, it looks promising
(thanks onemorepassword).
I've set up an independant "localization server" that executes the following
process:
1) Regularly pulls new revisions of the code and updates to the latest
revision.
2) A mercurial hook [2] is thus called and the source strings are extracted
from the code with xgettext [3] so that new POT gettext files are generated.
3) The POT files are finally pushed to Zanata's server via its API.
We currently do in-house translations for one locale, while others are managed
by an extenal translation provider. Employees in our company can just login
(Zanata provides OpenID authentication) and collaboratively translate and
review the application strings. Whereas Zanata can be used to export ressource
files and push projects to our external translation provider's platform via
their API.
But as others have said in this thread, l10n automation curently involves a
lot of manual code glueing and adapting with your version control system.
There's definitely potential since available solutions only address the
translation problem and haven't gone very far in the whole process.
I'd be more than glad to exchange about the subject with others who have gone
through the same experience!
\---
Links
[0] <http://zanata.org/>
[1] <http://weblate.org/fr/>
[3] <http://mercurial.selenic.com/wiki/Hook>
[4]
[http://www.gnu.org/software/gettext/manual/html_node/xgettex...](http://www.gnu.org/software/gettext/manual/html_node/xgettext-
Invocation.html)
------
bazzargh
"Finally the Java property file format was used (with UTF-8 encoding) which
while having bugs in the import and export escaping these could at least be
worked around."
The java property file format is ISO-8859-1 not UTF-8. I have to wonder if
that's the bugs you hit? While you can have something that is UTF-8, there's a
couple of wrinkles with trying to use that with java i18n.
See:
[http://docs.oracle.com/javase/6/docs/api/java/util/ResourceB...](http://docs.oracle.com/javase/6/docs/api/java/util/ResourceBundle.html#getBundle%28java.lang.String,%20java.util.Locale,%20java.lang.ClassLoader%29)
... when you load a resourcebundle, it tries to load a properties file, and it
ends up calling this method:
[http://docs.oracle.com/javase/6/docs/api/java/util/Propertie...](http://docs.oracle.com/javase/6/docs/api/java/util/Properties.html#load%28java.io.InputStream%29)
... which mentions the encoding.
There's a couple of ways around this - one is to write a bunch of code to
change how resourcebundles are loaded, the other is to use java's native2ascii
tool in your to provide files that are correctly escaped.
~~~
kyllikki
Transifex have extended the format and allow resources to be UTF-8 encoded
(see [http://help.transifex.com/features/formats.html#java-
propert...](http://help.transifex.com/features/formats.html#java-property-
files) ) however the importer does not correctly cope with single quote
characters, backslash n (newline) and several other characters being encoded
when they ought to be (as per the document you referenced which I also used to
begin with ;-)
If you look at the script Vivek wrote [http://git.netsurf-
browser.org/netsurf.git/tree/utils/split-...](http://git.netsurf-
browser.org/netsurf.git/tree/utils/split-messages.pl) he clearly documents the
odd importer issues which is why we called it the transifex resource format
and not Java resource format ;-)
------
onemorepassword
Transifex looks nice, thanks for the tip, but it seems like you have to add a
lot of glue to connect your own version control to their proprietary version
control via their API.
What I would really like is something like Weblate (<http://weblate.org>),
that you can hook in directly to your code repo. Is there anything like that
out there?
~~~
nsallembien
Disclaimer: I work at Transifex.
The perl script written by the user in the article is about 100 lines of code.
Doesn't seem like a lot of glue...
Another nice thing that Transifex provides which is not described in the blog
is the Transifex client[1]. I wonder why he didn't use it.
[1][http://support.transifex.com/customer/portal/articles/960804...](http://support.transifex.com/customer/portal/articles/960804-overview)
~~~
kyllikki
I did not use it because it was an unverified python script with a bunch of
dependencies, as a rule I generally do not like executing untrusted code
without at least a basic review.
As you mentioned, the Perl script was 100 lines and was easier at that moment
in time to integrate than to review the python.
Of course once the python client has been reviewed perhaps it would be a more
general solution.
------
contingencies
Whilst the key/value approach is solid, the 'industry standard' .po (GNU
gettext / <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gettext>) format supports more
features, like complex plural and ordinal/cardinal number support that is a
requirement in some languages.
In addition, some of the biggest issues with internationalization in my
experience (~exclusively i18n projects for 10+ years) are generally
missing/broken support in certain components (great reasons to contribute
resources upstream for open source projects!), managing translations over
time, cultural issues, right-to-left, differing program-level logic (eg.
maximum SMS message length variations based upon character set requirements),
differing seasons/days of operation/holidays. Calendars are of course a pain
(though a solved one), as are timezones - for which a truly synchronized,
global approach is frustratingly hard to deploy at the best of times.
~~~
kyllikki
The gettext PO file format does indeed provide many other features, I do not
disagree, but there does seem to be an over reliance on it within the
platforms I looked at.
The format does have some pretty major drawbacks too, like the msgid can
become "fuzzy" which leads to a differing set of issues related to the unique
keying between translations.
It also tends to lead to developers English (C locale if you like) being
selected as the default language and it turns out developers like myself are
sloppy and sometimes produce barely parsable messages.
Your remaining points are really valuable to someone inexperience in the
field, like myself, so thanks for pointing those out.
It is interesting you call out cultural issues, did you have any specific
examples?
~~~
mpessas
> The format does have some pretty major drawbacks too, like the msgid can
> become "fuzzy" which leads to a differing set of issues related to the
> unique keying between translations.
I am not sure how much of an issue this is in practice. The main problem of
the PO format AFAICT is that it is quite outdated. For instance, it has no
support for genders and you cannot "mix" plural rules within a phrase.
> It is interesting you call out cultural issues, did you have any specific
> examples?
The wikipedia entry on l10n[1] has some examples.
The process of localization is not merely about translating some strings, but
adapting them to a specific language and culture, which is the hardest part.
For instance, your home page is one of the most important pages in your app
and is geared to make as many people as possible sign up. Do you think a
simple translation would have the same effect on British, French, Arabs,
Japanese etc people?
[1]:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internationalization_and_local...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internationalization_and_localization)
| {
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Google insider exposes ‘immoral’ tax scam - rpm4321
http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/uk_news/National/article1261720.ece
======
cynicalkane
Not paying your fair share isn't contrary to the spirit of tax law because
there _is_ no discernible spirit of the tax law. If the tax law says if you do
Foo with shell company Bar through subsidiary Baz, then you get more money,
legislators wrote that there for some reason because they wanted to encourage
or discourage some behavior. I think it is neither reasonable nor moral to
live in a society where corporations are "morally" required to second-guess
the intentions of the writers of 10,000s of pages of tax law.
Judge Learned Hand was the most important judge never to sit on the Supreme
Court. Here's what he has to say:
"Anyone may arrange his affairs so that his taxes shall be as low as possible;
he is not bound to choose that pattern which best pays the treasury. There is
not even a patriotic duty to increase one's taxes... Everyone does it, rich
and poor alike and all do right, for nobody owes any public duty to pay more
than the law demands."
~~~
Nrsolis
It doesn't appear that this is what was happening here. They did the deals in
London and then _claimed_ that they were done in Ireland for tax purposes.
Essentially, they expected that no one would ever check whether a tax nexus
was established in the UK. The fact that the UK didn't have any ability to
check if this was true doesn't mean a law wasn't broken.
~~~
cynicalkane
A paywall mysteriously went up so I can't go re-read the article. But IIRC the
article accused Google of _avoidance_ , not _evasion_. Avoidance is legal and
evasion is not. So the article seems to be saying that closing deals in
Ireland to avoid taxes is legal, or at least likely to be legal.
~~~
DanBC
This is england. We have strict libel / slander / defamation laws.
Saying that Google is avoiding tax is fine. Saying that Google is evading tax
is not fine unless I can prove that they are.
Note that "tax avoidance" used to mean normal "tax planning" - using purely
legal means to reduce your tax bill. Now it feels a bit different. Now it
feels a bit sleazy, a bit of a grey area, a bit borderline. When people say
"tax avoidance" it feels as if the steps taken are right on the borderline, or
are loopholes that just haven't been closed yet.
~~~
Nrsolis
Correct.
Tax avoidance has evolved into a shell game of jurisdiction shopping and
regulatory arbitrage.
In the USA, states got so fed up with companies assigning their trademark and
copyrights to DE subsidiaries they could make tax-free royalty payments to
that they started doing combined reporting to nullify the effect of those
constructions. Even though companies had no offices, employees, or business in
DE, they nonetheless were claiming that their very valuable IP was situated
there.
The net effect is that it's easy to deduct royalty payments in a high tax
state and have them appear in DE, a low-tax state.
Not to be undone by combined reporting, they've (companies) now expanded this
approach to offshore destinations to keep the benefits of transfer pricing.
GOOG does it. AAPL does it. MSFT does it.
[http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/29/business/apples-tax-
strate...](http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/29/business/apples-tax-strategy-
aims-at-low-tax-states-and-nations.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0)
------
simonsarris
I generally agree with Ben Franklin here, that taxes are not theft, rather the
opposite, failure to pay taxes due is _theft from the rest of society._ He
hated the "all taxation is theft" libertarians of his own day:
_"The Remissness of our People in Paying Taxes is highly blameable; the
Unwillingness to pay them is still more so. I see, in some Resolutions of Town
Meetings, a Remonstrance against giving Congress a Power to take, as they call
it, the People's Money out of their Pockets, tho' only to pay the Interest and
Principal of Debts duly contracted. They seem to mistake the Point. Money,
justly due from the People, is their Creditors' Money, and no longer the Money
of the People, who, if they withold it, should be compell'd to pay by some
Law._
_"All Property, indeed, except the Savage's temporary Cabin, his Bow, his
Matchcoat, and other little Acquisitions, absolutely necessary for his
Subsistence, seems to me to be the Creature of public Convention. Hence the
Public has the Right of Regulating Descents, and all other Conveyances of
Property, and even of limiting the Quantity and the Uses of it. All the
Property that is necessary to a Man, for the Conservation of the Individual
and the Propagation of the Species, is his natural Right, which none can
justly deprive him of: But all Property superfluous to such purposes is the
Property of the Publick, who, by their Laws, have created it, and who may
therefore by other Laws dispose of it, whenever the Welfare of the Publick
shall demand such Disposition. He that does not like civil Society on these
Terms, let him retire and live among Savages. He can have no right to the
benefits of Society, who will not pay his Club towards the Support of it._
That being said I think it's a problem that needs to be fixed in the culture
and governance of a people, not in Google itself, since attempting to assign
any civic duty to a multinational is probably laughable. Singling out Google
probably doesn't do too much good, except maybe to make people think of
"favorite company X"'s role in society.
~~~
rayiner
Releveant to the issue at hand: in the state of nature, pasty nerds like Zuck
and Brin and Page don't rule the world. Their lot in life is to be subservient
to the physically strong, or else be the victim of their strength. Its
society, acting through a government that makes possible the kind of orderly
world in which Google or Facebook are possible.
There are practical reasons to tax more or less. But no moral ones. Without
ordered civilization real wealth creation, beyond the savage subsistance level
Franklin points out, is not possible and by virtue of that fact there are no
moral limits on taxation.
~~~
newbie12
There absolutely are moral limits on taxation. Otherwise we are all just
slaves to the state.
"Property is the fruit of labor...property is desirable...is a positive good
in the world. That some should be rich shows that others may become rich, and
hence is just encouragement to industry and enterprise. Let not him who is
houseless pull down the house of another; but let him labor diligently and
build one for himself, thus by example assuring that his own shall be safe
from violence when built." -- Abraham Lincoln
~~~
rayiner
We're not slaves because we choose the level to tax ourselves at and
presumably we're free to leave whenever we want. Its more like a condo complex
with a ridiculously high HOA fee. You gotta pay it if you live in the
building, but nothing is stopping you from getting on the owners board and
voting yourself a lower fee, or moving to a different building.
~~~
dpatru
Taxes are theft precisely because we don't tax ourselves. In America, taxes
are set by the majority choosing to not tax themselves very much and instead
to tax a rich minority. It's two foxes and a chicken voting on what to have
for dinner.
~~~
rayiner
The minority nonetheless choose to participate in that group vote. Moreover,
they often do so before they become rich, and only complain about the outcome
after they reap the benefits of participating in that society.
------
Steko
_Brittin told the PAC last year that “nobody” in Google’s UK office was
selling advertising on its website. When he asked to give further evidence
last week, he admitted “a lot of the aspects of selling” did take place in
London but the deals were “closed” by staff of Google’s Irish subsidiary.
The distinction is crucial because if deals were finalised by London-based
staff, Google could be deemed to have made profits on the contracts which
would be taxable in Britain, rather than low-tax Ireland. “It uses a concocted
scheme to avoid tax. It’s a smoke-screen to distort where the substance of its
economic activity is really taking place,” Jones told The Sunday Times.
He said he attended meetings where Google’s London sales staff closed deals,
including winning contracts from eBay, the online auction site, Kelkoo, a
price comparison website, and Lloyds TSB. He showed The Sunday Times
contracts, invoices and correspondence between Google and its customers in
Britain. One 2004 contract had the address of Google’s London headquarters
next to the heading. Clients would be sold deals by Google staff in London,
who were in charge of sending out contracts and receiving signed documents
back from clients. In addition, British clients paid money into British bank
accounts for Google services. _
------
throwaway420
I am normally enraged by a number of Google's business practices and am
extremely hostile and critical of them when it comes to their evil and
horrible customer service practices, among others, but this is about the
stupidest criticism of Google that I've ever heard. This isn't even actually a
criticism - EVERY individual and company works to minimize their own tax
burden as much as they can. Google is not evil for not wanting to give even
more of their cash to any government.
If Barney Jones wanted to report on what he viewed as illegal activity, why
would he wait nearly a decade to come out about this? This is incredibly
bizarre and stupid.
------
sjtgraham
I'm quite tired of the populist rhetoric of "morality" vis-à-vis tax that the
UK media and politicos seemingly wheel out every other day. The bottom line is
that taxation is a legal issue, not a moral issue.
Lord Clyde said in Ayrshire Pullman Motor Services v Inland Revenue _"No man
in the country is under the smallest obligation, moral or other, so to arrange
his legal relations to his business or property as to enable the Inland
Revenue to put the largest possible shovel in his stores. The Inland Revenue
is not slow, and quite rightly, to take every advantage which is open to it
under the Taxing Statutes for the purposes of depleting the taxpayer's pocket.
And the taxpayer is in like manner entitled to be astute to prevent, so far as
he honestly can, the depletion of his means by the Inland Revenue"_.
That is the law of the land to this day.
There is a moral obligation to obey the law, but not to pay a penny more in
tax than the law demands. If there is a problem with the law then legislate to
ameliorate the issue, but please spare me this talk of "morality".
------
cromwellian
Internationally, the laws need to be changed. All the major players are using
Ireland, Bahamas, Cayman Islanda, et al, as avoidance schemes. The firms try
to take advantage of every legal loophole, even if in morally grey areas,
because their competitors are also all doing so.
Really, the major OECD players need to get together and figure out a way to
stop the tax loophole arbitrage. Although the tax havens have no incentive to
do so.
~~~
AnthonyMouse
>Really, the major OECD players need to get together and figure out a way to
stop the tax loophole arbitrage.
It's really a domestic political problem. The source of the problem is that
you're attempting to tax something called "profit" in the context of an
international corporation. Profit means revenues minus costs. The problem then
becomes obvious: The corporation's executives will strive to report more of
the international operation's costs in the subsidiary in the higher tax
jurisdiction, and to report more of its revenues in the lower tax
jurisdiction.
So, you say, make them report things accurately. But what does that even mean?
If a company produces a product for internal use in one country and exports it
to another, what is the "accurate" price to be reported as revenue to one
subsidiary and cost to another? Is it the price that the item would cost at
retail, or the price that it would cost if purchased in volume, or the cost of
the raw materials used to produce it, or what?
No matter which you choose, companies will arrange their affairs so that it
benefits them. If the price is set at the actual cost of production then
subsidiaries in high tax jurisdictions will be found selling everything they
produce through subsidiaries in lower tax jurisdictions and eliminating all of
their profits that way (minimize taxable revenues). If the transfer price is
allowed to include a nontrivial amount of profit then subsidiaries in high tax
jurisdictions will be found buying everything they use at a premium through
their foreign sister companies in lower tax jurisdictions and eliminating all
their profits that way (maximize deductions).
The problem is that the entire concept of allocating _profits_ by jurisdiction
in an international supply chain owned entirely by a single entity is just
totally unworkable. The profit belongs to the entire supply chain; in arms
length negotiations the allocation of profit to each component would be
determined by negotiating skill. And no matter what value you place on a
transaction, corporations can rearrange their affairs to take advantage of
that valuation, and it will be profitable for them to do so even if it costs
$95,000,000 to save $100,000,000 in taxes.
The solution is to stop trying to allocate profits and just tax something
else. Which is why it's a domestic political problem: People don't want to
hear that. They want to imagine that corporations can pay their taxes for them
and, as if by magic, this will get everyone else out of having to pay for the
government services they want provided.
It's totally possible to tax international corporations, but you can't do it
by trying to tax corporate profits. If you want to tax a corporation that
makes use of government services and your jurisdiction's people when it
produces value, tax real property or labor. If you want to tax them when they
make money selling to your population, tax sales. If you want to tax
investors, tax investment income.
Corporations aren't humans. If you ever did manage to extract tax revenue
based on corporate profits, it would inevitably come out of the pockets of one
of those groups in any event. Taxes have to be paid by somebody.
~~~
MarkMc
The problem with taxing people instead of profit is that it is easier for a
person to move to a low-tax jurisdiction than is is for a company to move the
place where it adds value.
I'm not convinced that allocating profits by jurisdiction is unworkable. You
ask, "If a company produces a product for internal use in one country and
exports it to another, what is the 'accurate' price to be reported as revenue
to one subsidiary and cost to another?". My answer is, "The price an
independent supplier would have charged for the same quantity". Now I agree
there is _some_ wiggle room here, but only up to a point. If the average
profit margin in the widget industry is 10%, your widget subsidiary might be
able to book a transfer profit of say 20%, but not 200%.
~~~
AnthonyMouse
>The problem with taxing people instead of profit is that it is easier for a
person to move to a low-tax jurisdiction than is is for a company to move the
place where it adds value.
What makes you think that? Here's one example: California has some of the
highest taxes in the U.S, but everyone in Silicon Valley and Hollywood making
big money still lives there. Why don't all of those people leave and move to
Texas or Nevada to take advantage of lower personal income and sales taxes?
It's far easier for the corporation to "move" because the corporation only
exists on paper. It can incorporate and hold its trademarks and copyrights in
Delaware or an offshore subsidiary even though its headquarters is in
California, etc.
> If the average profit margin in the widget industry is 10%, your widget
> subsidiary might be able to book a transfer profit of say 20%, but not 200%.
But they don't need 200%. They only need 20%, which when applied
systematically is enough to erase the 10% profit margin they might have made
in the high tax jurisdiction.
There is also the matter of what an "independent supplier" would actually be
charging. Suppose the international operation decided that it would like to
close all of its offices in the UK and stop doing business there, but continue
selling software licenses in bulk to third party UK distributors who come to
do business with it at its headquarters in Ireland. In that relationship the
international operation _is_ an independent supplier, but they have all the
power. The third party distributors have no other source for licenses, but the
international corporation has a large variety of willing distributors, so it
can force them to sell at razor-thin margins in the UK and claim all the
profits for itself in Ireland. What you see them doing is largely what you
would see if they were independent entities.
~~~
MarkMc
Yes, Hollywood and Silicon Valley executives are tied to California because
that's where the jobs are. But people who rely only on investment income (ie.
retired people and the very rich) can often be found moving jurisdiction to
avoid tax.
A corporation may exist only on paper but the value that it creates comes from
a mixture of social, human and physical capital - and that occurs at a
particular place. Facebook could move its place of incorporation to Delaware
overnight, but the place where it 'adds value' is rooted in California.
Regarding the widget manufacturer: Yes, in some cases a transfer profit of 20%
will be sufficient to wipe out all reported profit in the high-tax
jurisdiction. But how common would that be? If Apple were to able to inflate
the cost of manufacturing an iPhone by 10% there would still be plenty of US
profit left to tax. If Ford could inflate the cost of all the components it
imports from low-tax jurisdictions (not high-tax ones like Japan) by 10% would
it have a significant effect on reported profit?
You are right about the software licences - I made a similar point here:
<https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5731680> If the software was developed
in Ireland then the UK shouldn't be able to tax the profit.
~~~
AnthonyMouse
>Yes, Hollywood and Silicon Valley executives are tied to California because
that's where the jobs are.
That's where the jobs are because that's where the employees are and vice
versa. There is a reason you don't see many software companies setting up shop
in Des Monies and trying to attract engineers with the low cost of living.
>Facebook could move its place of incorporation to Delaware overnight, but the
place where it 'adds value' is rooted in California.
That's what I'm saying. You should tax the things that "add value" (employees,
real estate that implies use of local infrastructure, etc.) rather than trying
to tax profit, because profit doesn't have a country.
The problem with the alternative is that just because your country contains
something that "adds value" doesn't mean a corporate entity in your country
can make any profit from it. Suppose your country has great engineers. If the
engineers are the valuable commodity and the market is efficient then they'll
get paid close to the value they provide to the company and leave little as
profit for the corporation. You can have a company which is providing _huge_
value to the economy but is having to pay its employees the lion's share of
that revenue in order to retain them. That company won't have very high profit
margins because if it kept more of the profits for itself its engineers would
quit and join a competitor that pays better.
The only way that doesn't happen is if the company has something its
competitors don't (strong trademarks, trade secrets, some unusually valuable
copyrights or patents, etc.) But then the value of that non-geographically-
dependent asset (which is all that keeps the company from having razor thin
margins) can be whisked off to an entity in a low tax jurisdiction, leaving
the entity within the higher tax jurisdiction in the position of having
extremely small margins again while the profits accumulate in the entity
associated with the movable asset.
>Regarding the widget manufacturer: Yes, in some cases a transfer profit of
20% will be sufficient to wipe out all reported profit in the high-tax
jurisdiction. But how common would that be?
You're asking how common it is for a company to have a less than 10% profit
margin? I would say that covers most companies. The primary exceptions (which
Apples clearly falls into) are the companies that sell products covered by
high value copyrights, patents, trademarks, etc. Which leads to what we've
been discussing with software licenses.
The problem simply is that you can't have significantly higher taxes than the
next country on anything that can be easily removed from your jurisdiction, or
that is exactly what will happen. And the profits of international
corporations fall into that category.
~~~
MarkMc
> You should tax the things that "add value"
Ok we have a misunderstanding about the term, 'add value'. I was using it to
mean profit but you are using it to mean costs. My gut feeling is that taxing
costs instead of profit will lead to warped incentives, but I admit I cannot
think of a good example just now.
> You're asking how common it is for a company to have a less than 10% profit
> margin?
No - I wasn't clear, sorry. I was thinking a company might typically have the
following costs as a percentage of revenue: (a) domestic costs 40%; (b)
imports from high-tax countries 25%; (c) imports from low-tax countries 25%.
Increasing this last figure to 27.5% would not wipe out the company's profit
margin.
> the value of that non-geographically-dependent asset ... can be whisked off
> to an entity in a low tax jurisdiction
A company's advantage over its rivals often geographically dependent. Toyota's
famed culture of lean, just-in-time manufacturing allowed it to become the
biggest carmaker in the world. That culture was a company asset rooted in
Japan that could not be whisked to any tax haven.
As for intellectual property, is there absolutely no way to structure the tax
code so that growth in the value of these assets can be taxed? What about a
simple rule that says IP cannot be transferred across borders within the same
company? That is, the value of a patent is tied to the country in which the
R&D was done. The value of a book's copyright is tied to the country in which
it was written. The value of a software licence is tied to the country in
which the software was developed. Etc.
> The problem simply is that you can't have significantly higher taxes than
> the next country on anything that can be easily removed from your
> jurisdiction, or that is exactly what will happen. And the profits of
> international corporations fall into that category.
If that was the case then the corporation tax for most of the Fortune 500
would be zero. The current system, although imperfect, is still somewhat
functional.
------
quackerhacker
"a devout Christian and father of four," is this suppose to portray an image
of NOW that he is no longer with Google and after working there "between 2002
and 2006," he wants to "do the right thing." PA CHA!
He's obviously doing it with his own intentions, whatever they may be. He
worked there that long and now that he's no longer with them, just wants to be
get PR.
Given my background in regards to Google (it's not positive), I'm not a fanboy
of this "good," employee and am NOT AT ALL in favor of Google.
~~~
hosay123
Perhaps the conviction of seeing it plastered all over the UK headlines in the
past few weeks was too much for him? I'm not sure what being Christian has to
do with it, why you're reacting to that, or why the journo even bothered
mentioning it
------
cjdrake
Using the word "immoral" in this context is just silly. Google is a
corporation, and legally avoiding taxes is the fiduciary responsibility of any
corporation to its shareholders.
Corporate taxes are ridiculous to begin with, because the cost is paid by
either employees or shareholders. Only people can pay taxes.
------
molex333
This is very old news (at least a year or two). This is such common practice
that there is a nickname for it. It is called the double Irish
<http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_Irish_arrangement>
~~~
ISL
What's new is that the British government has decided to care.
See [1], search news for 'google tax', etc.
Edit: The Irish take is interesting [2]. The Cypriot crisis and Apple's
decision to take out a huge loan rather than on-shore some offshore cash both
provide further spice to the present arrangement.
[1] [http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2013/may/18/eric-
schmid...](http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2013/may/18/eric-schmidt-
google-tax)
[2] [http://www.independent.ie/opinion/analysis/no-wonder-the-
nei...](http://www.independent.ie/opinion/analysis/no-wonder-the-neighbours-
are-upset-over-our-cosy-tax-policies-29276553.html)
------
bifrost
I think the key here is -> "It is able to record the revenues in Ireland
because the UK company is deemed to drum up new business, with sales staff in
Dublin executing all deals."
If the business was initiated in the UK, but executed in France, guess who'd
get the tax money -> France. This doesn't seem particularly swarthy, and
frankly doesn't really warrant an article or any sort of hubbub unless you're
interested in being a Google hater. I'm fine with being a Google hater, I
don't use Google search/ads/gmail/etc because I don't like their privacy
practices/etc...
Anyways, what sort of services are we talking about here? If we're talking
about Google ad network deals, you buy ads and they get displayed all over the
world, you do not pay taxes everywhere the ads were shown.
~~~
DanBC
If someone in England buys a product, in England, from someone in England, and
uses English money, and that product is an ad and that ad is shown to people
in England, then it seems reasonable that English taxes should be paid, even
if the company uses a bizarre scheme to hand off the very last part of the
chain to complete the deal in Ireland.
Google is welcome to move their office to Ireland if Google wants to use the
Irish tax scheme.
~~~
bifrost
Thats the thing; they bought this product from Ireland not from England and
they in fact do have an office in Ireland. Just because someone chatted with
someone else in England about it doesn't make it an "english sale".
~~~
DanBC
> Just because someone chatted with someone else in England about it doesn't
> make it an "english sale".
If almost all of the work was done in England then it's an English sale. The
fact that Google contrives a bizarre situation where their English sales
(between English staff and English customers delivered in England, not
Ireland) have a tiny bit of work done in Ireland should be irrelevant.
I'm not sure how you can call it an Irish sale when the money changing hands
is Sterling not Euro, between banks in England not Ireland, and arranged by
staff and customers in England not Ireland.
~~~
bifrost
> If almost all of the work was done in England then it's an English sale.
Not true at all. If my company (an american one) goes to the UK for a
sales/marketing push, and we make sales, the sale is booked as a US sale. The
currency and banks used to pay for the deal have no standing whatsoever. My
company can even hold a UK bank account, we can accept payment in UKP, it
still doesn't change the fact that the income is booked as a US transaction.
The deciding factor is under what jurisdiction the contract is signed, in this
case its Ireland because thats where Google chose to close the deal (its
clearly stated in the article). It may be vexsome, but this is a direct result
of bad tax policy.
------
marhumph
Barney Jones is a devout Christian, you best listen to this man.
~~~
EliRivers
That's an odd thing to mention. In the UK, being a "devout Christian" is
definitely an odd thing, if not outright vaguely suspicious.
------
tn13
One of the stupidest criticism I have read. Tax evasion and Tax planning are
two different things. And "morality" and "taxation" can not be spelled in same
sentence.
------
pavanky
How is this news now ? Isn't this pretty much what every corporation does to
reduce the tax load ?
~~~
frossie
This is news now because there is a UK parliamentary committee hearing
(analogous though not identical to a US congressional hearing) into corporate
tax avoidance schemes, and Google is being accused of having misled the
parliamentary committee in previous testimony before it:
[http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2013/may/16/google-
deni...](http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2013/may/16/google-denies-
disguise-operates-tax)
I obviously have no knowledge of the specific matter, but in general it is a
bad thing if MPs start accusing you of having lied to them, and it is not
unusual for whistleblowers to come forward when stuff like that starts to hit
the news.
~~~
j_baker
That's certainly not the way it works in the US. Our politicians routinely
lambast people to score easy political points.
------
patrickdavey
If there's one book I'd recommend on the subject of Tax Havens, Tax Avoidance,
Tax Evasion it's this:
"Treasure Islands, Tax Havens and the men who stole the world" by Nicholas
Shaxson
<http://treasureislands.org/>
Really, an eye opening fascinating read.
------
NolF
The moral argument is a weak one at best. Companies have a responsibility to
their shareholders to maximise profit.
I there is a $500 deductions for drycleaning without receipts, people are
going to claim all $500. It's the same concept at a large organisation.
~~~
aaron695
> $500 deductions for drycleaning without receipts, people are going to claim
> all $500.
This is illegal if you didn't have any drycleaning. You can go to prison(In
theory) if caught.
------
D9u
_We are sorry this service is unavailable as it is currently receiving a high
level of traffic please try again later._
I wish I could read the article myself.
(without reading the article)
One could say that Google is doing its part to avoid financing the war
machine.
~~~
lukethegeek
A FORMER Google executive has blown the whistle on a massive and “immoral” tax
avoidance scheme that has “cheated” British taxpayers out of hundreds of
millions of pounds over the past decade.
Barney Jones, 34, who worked for the internet search giant between 2002 and
2006, has lifted the lid on an elaborate structure which diverts British
profits through Ireland to the Bermuda tax haven.
Although Google’s London sales staff would negotiate and sign contracts with
British customers, and cash was paid into a UK bank account, deals were
technically booked through its Dublin office to minimise its liabilities here.
Jones, a devout Christian and father of four, is ready to hand over a cache of
more than 100,000 emails and documents to HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC),
detailing the “concocted scheme”.
He has already provided testimony to the Commons public accounts committee
(PAC) which led to the combative questioning.. [paywall]
~~~
D9u
Thanks!
Looks like I was way off the mark with my preceding comment.
------
smogzer
It's immoral that governments take poeples money and use it for intents
orthogonal to those original people intents, e.g. war, subsidies to monopolies
such as the oil industry, corruption, etc.
Google on the other hand provides a great services for free and acessible to
everyone. I would prefer my taxes to go to google; and if they would become
government they would be much more efficient than any government out there.
By the way google if you want a toy country to try stuff, try Portugal. This
goverment could use some help and they are some nice people who support the
private initiative.
------
brianobush
As a shareholder, I think taking advantage of tax loopholes is the company's
job. However, If I was British, I might see this in a totally different light.
------
lazyjones
While I also consider these tax avoidance schemes immoral (and borderline
illegal, but who am I to judge ...), I have to disagree with the notion that
everyone (everyone else, because noone's getting the multinationals to behave
anyway) should be paying their taxes in a straightforward manner and avoid all
the little tricks for the Greater Good. I believe I have 2 good reasons:
1) in a democracy, people are ultimately responsible for laws and therefore
for such loopholes. It is their responsibility to close them if they consider
them wrong, not to avoid them out of sheer goodwill - they only put themselves
at a disadvantage and reward those who benefit from loopholes (because these
crooks will be richer in relation).
2) If only a handful of multinations exploit these loopholes, they will not be
fixed. Those corporations can afford to invest millions in lobbying and
bribery to keep their tax privileges. So there is only one appropriate
reaction: everyone must try to benefit from these tax loopholes until it hurts
governments so much that they are forced to act.
------
aaron695
I though companies 'are not people' so I don't see why the word immoral should
be applied to such things. Can't really have it both ways.
~~~
Nursie
Companies are made of people. People should know to act morally.
However as companies are made of people, not people themselves, corporate
personhood is very, very dodgy law. Hope that clears it up for you.
------
DanBC
The whistle blower left Google in 2006.
The whistle blower claims to have many thousands of emails to hand over.
What the heck Google? How did he get to keep these emails?
> Barney Jones, 34, who worked for the internet search giant between 2002 and
> 2006, [...]
> [...] is ready to hand over a cache of more than 100,000 emails and
> documents to HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC), detailing the “concocted scheme”.
~~~
greenyoda
How hard is it to make a copy or a screenshot of an e-mail and smuggle it out
on a thumb drive?
~~~
DanBC
When you work for the accounts department of a security conscious company,
which is chock-a-block full of smart computer-competent people, it should be
pretty darn hard to smuggle out email. Especially 100,000 emails.
~~~
oijaf888
Assuming google uses gmail internally it would be as hard as connecting via
imap and then copying your thunderbird files to a flash drive or taking home
your laptop and copying them then.
------
MarkMc
The profit that Google makes on UK revenue should not be taxed by the United
Kingdom - it should be taxed by the United States. Google's profit is due
almost entirely to its fantastic computer algorithm, which was developed in
the US. Tax should be based on the jurisdiction where the value was added, not
where the sale took place.
Another way to look at it would be to imagine that Google headquarters
auctioned off the rights to run Google UK to the highest bidder. Google
headquarters would have such a strong bargaining position that the successful
UK bidder would end up with very low profit margins.
But what annoys me are the loopholes that allow Google to transfer profit from
the place where the value was created (the United States) to some other low-
tax country.
------
a3n
I wonder, do corporations see themselves as essentially other countries? And
if they do, does that maybe explain the urge to minimize as much as possible,
even down to zero, the payment of taxes to an enemy/competitor?
------
muhuk
Honest question; how is it immoral if it is not illegal and the contracts were
not misleading?
Also why did he wait 7 years if he was so moral? It would kill me by then.
~~~
jordonwii
It isn't. To say it is is just silly.
"Don't hate the player, hate the game."
~~~
shrikant
Why not hate both?
~~~
jordonwii
Because the players can't do anything about it. No matter how much we talk
about morals, if, for example, Google were to not engage in the same tax
avoidance schemes that all of its competitors do, then it'd be costing itself
billions of dollars. Which is a reasonably substantial competitive
disadvantage. That's money that can't go into R&D, maintenance, etc., whereas
the companies that compete with Google do. And for what? A positive PR image?
------
Steko
Ask HN: Do the pro-Google voting rings get paid extra to flag these articles
on Saturdays or do you donate this time?
edit: <http://imgur.com/wvB8lgH>
~~~
DanBC
There are a number of reasons why this article is dropping down the pages, and
"pro-Google flaggers" is only one of them.
1) Automated flame detection drops the submission down the page
2) Political discussion gets flagged. Quite a lot of this thread is about US
taxes.
3) Lack of upvotes. It only got about 70 upvotes.
~~~
Steko
It's certainly not #3: with 3 hours and 70 votes it would easily be ahead of
#4 in the screenshot (4 hours and 66 votes). Instead it's #27.
#2 I don't see why you would flag the topic and not the political comments.
Moreover we see plenty of topics where comments go political that don't get
egregiously flagged down.
#1, I'll plead ignorance on any automated flame detection but I'm very
skeptical that's what we're seeing. I'll stick with Occam's razor: time and
again the articles this happens to are either critical of google, or favorable
to MS or Apple.
~~~
Steko
It's certainly not #3: with 3 hours and 70 votes it would easily be ahead of
#4 in the screenshot (4 hours and 66 votes). Instead it's #27.
#2 I don't see why you would flag the topic and not the political comments.
Moreover we see plenty of topics where comments go political that don't get
egregiously flagged down.
#1, I'll plead ignorance on any automated flame detection but I'm very
skeptical that's what we're seeing. I'll stick with Occam's razor: time and
again the articles this happens to are either critical of google, or favorable
to MS or Apple.
Examples:
<https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5716010>
<https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5715231>
------
lukethegeek
Part of that article is behind a paywall.. :(
------
kbar13
cool paywall
------
j_baker
I seriously wonder about the credibility of this story. It seems that this is
the only news source that's carrying this.
~~~
desas
Googles UK exec has been questioned by a parliamentary committee after
receiving this evidance, this was reported widely in the UK (I also read an
article in the guardian). The Times just has more info on the leaker.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
GeekWire's favorite pitches from the TechStars Seattle Demo Day - tomfakes
http://www.geekwire.com/2011/favorite-pitches-techstars-demo-day-red
======
tomfakes
I spent the afternoon at this event.
My top 5 and bottom 5 are roughly the same. I really, really want to use
Smore, but I have nothing to promote right now!
Frankly, the GoChime system feels creepy to me, just based on their current
implementation. Perhaps they'll get good feedback that points them a better
way - or shows that I'm wrong!
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Time.is - LeoPanthera
https://time.is
======
LeoPanthera
Later today there will be a leap second. Leap seconds are introduced to keep
time in sync with the rotation of the Earth, which is slowing down, although
not at a uniform rate, and so we only know when we will need a leap second
about six months in advance.
Today's leap second will be introduced at 23:59:59 UTC, which means the
following second will be 23:59:60 - giving the minute of 23:59 61 seconds in
total. This means that if you live in the UK, or any other country using UTC
as a time zone, you will need to count one extra second before shouting "Happy
New Year".
If you live east of UTC, the leap second will happen after the new year, and
you don't need to worry. If you live west of UTC, including all of the USA,
you will need to set your clock back 1 second before midnight in order to
count down accurately.
In theory, internet-connected devices like smartphones and laptops should
adjust themselves, but in practice, they may only do so after the actual
event, and so your phone may not have exactly the correct time tonight.
For accurate time keeping, the site I have posted here will accurately show
the leap second as it passes. I am not affiliated with it.
Happy New Year!
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Ask HN: How do you stay motivated when creating content in a vacuum? - essub
I've started tinkering on a few web apps of my own in my free time. Currently I'm working on a bookmarking site a la Delicious or Pinboard. At first, working on features for myself was fun, but now I'm finding myself unmotivated with no active users. I have no delusions of grandeur; I never expected to get tons of users to sign up, but I hoped for few to impress and keep me going.<p>Whether it's about having no users for your app, no followers on twitter, or no readers of your blog, it's hard to stay motivated when you're creating content in a vacuum. How do you get past this?
======
griffin99
I ran into the same issues when I was creating a site, noodleshare.com. It was
tough staying motivated, and in fact, i left it alone for about 3-4 months
because of that. What ended up helping was getting positive feedback from the
community, whether that was going to meetups or chatting online about the
progress. What's funny is I ended up redesigning part of the site to help
others keep up that drive. If you believe in it though, then find a partner
that's a loud mouth and does nothing but chat about what you're doing. It's
working for me!
I also disagree with fjw. "Keep creating content" is not the answer. You
either need to refine what you have based on feedback and trends, or get out
there and network more to let people know what's out there.
------
revorad
It's no fun creating in a vacuum. Don't make something and sit quietly hoping
people will notice. No one owes you any attention.
Make a noise, shout out from the rooftops that you've built something, fake
confidence if you have to.
The number of channels available to promote your stuff is unlimited now. Make
some noise.
------
fjw
You've already put in enough time to make the site and if you really think
that it can take off with more users, then keep creating content. If it's
something you truly believe in and don't want to just let die out, then this
should be motivation enough.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Show HN: Fairbooks – Uber for authors, Spotify for readers - gottarts
http://fairbooks.co?ref=hn
======
3dfan
Im interested in the topic of books so I went out of my way and enable
javascript. Because your page otherwise shows nothing. And yet, I still see no
explanation of what it is. Just some beautiful layout with fluff words.
~~~
gottarts
Thanks for the "beautiful layout", and I'm sorry about the javascript
"problem". You can find more infos in our blog, at
[http://fairbooks.co/blog](http://fairbooks.co/blog)
~~~
3dfan
That gives me "Error 404 - Web app not found"
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Winners and losers in Amazon’s $13.7B purchase of Whole Foods - smb06
https://techcrunch.com/2017/06/16/winners-and-losers-in-amazons-13-7b-purchase-of-whole-foods/
======
clumsysmurf
I think the customer is going to lose, eventually. I was chatting with a
worker at WFM and they mentioned that WFM sends out inspectors to farms /
suppliers to make sure things are up to high standards.
Now compare that with Amazon, who co-mingles inventory and can't even
guarantee what I purchased was authentic.
Also, will I pay more for Kale after reading a book on food nutrition? Will I
have to put the food in the basket to know what the price is?
I see two very different cultures. Time well tell, I guess.
~~~
bambax
I buy most things online, yet I don't understand how you can buy "fresh"
anything online: don't you need to see it, test it, smell it?
I would never buy a melon that I can't smell first, or a fish without seeing
its eyes, or shrimps that I can't see how blue the head is, or cheese that I
can't press, etc.
How is this going to work? If you don't care about these things, isn't it
easier to buy canned goods or go to the restaurant?
What are the customers who want fresh but don't need to see / touch first?
~~~
michaelt
I don't know about the things you cook, but when I inspect things in the
grocery store I'm generally checking for (a) bruises/damage and (b) being past
its best.
Online grocery retailers have their employees (and stock management practices)
doing those checks for you.
A short-sighted company might think it was profitable to send bottom-of-the-
barrel leftovers to online customers - but in the long term there's much more
money to be made by sending a family $100 of good quality groceries every week
forever than sending them $100 of poor quality groceries once. So retailers
have every incentive to get the checks right.
With that said, if you're an expert cook, it's possible you're sensitive to
nuances the average person would overlook. In that case online shopping might
not meet all your needs.
~~~
bambax
Yes it's true it would be counter-productive to sell bad products.
However, when you shop in person you can choose, and so the best eye gets the
best products (or at least, so she thinks!)
And it's not only about quality: sometimes the same customer wants different
things. Regarding ripening for example, sometimes I want very ripe fruits to
use now, and sometimes I want greener ones because I intend to use them in a
few days. Same for cheese, what you want depends on when you intend to use it.
I don't want a Camembert hard as stone to eat tonight. I want one that's
"almost bad".
How do I tell all this to Amazon Fresh?
~~~
michaelt
In some cases, there are multiple products. For example, with things like
bananas and avocados retailers will offer a choice of 'ripen at home' and
'ready to eat'
Some retailers also let you provide instructions as free text. Obviously this
is more flexible, but prevents a computer from checking the worker's work.
------
SeeDave
Although it goes without saying that this is huge news, I have my concerns
that the response was near-universal unbridled optimism.
I'm a little interested in hearing how else this may play out in the spirit of
"fearful when greedy, greedy when fearful" and welcome any contrarians to
(respectfully) share their thoughts.
As a side note: I've found the various armchair M&A proposals triggered by
this rather amusing. Just this weekend I heard various people earnestly
suggest that:
1\. Wal-Mart purchases Rackspace and RIM
2\. Google purchases Costco and Disney
3\. Apple purchases Netflix and Target
~~~
ido
The Apple/Netflix combination sounds a lot less far fetched than these other
examples (with the iTunes store being a pretty serious business).
------
vaishaksuresh
I am happy about this acquisition at least for deliveries. I've used Instacart
extensively and they don't seem honest at all. Prices/fees are not
transparent, I don't know who I'm tipping and how much of the tip the person
actually gets and in the end I don't even get my groceries correctly.
------
PhantomGremlin
The article didn't mention the biggest loser, viz the consumer.
Amazon has already said they want to cut costs. I can't wait until they adopt
their typical stocking practices, like they do with so much other stuff they
sell. E.g. you'll have normal merchandise commingled on shelves side-by-side
with third party supplied garbage. Much like they already do for DVDs and
similar items, stocking genuine commingled with counterfeit. But don't worry,
it'll all still be "fulfilled by Whole Foods".
That's a little hyperbolic. But I just don't see any positives at all for
current Whole Foods customers.
Whole Foods most important asset is their reputation, which IMO is way way way
above Amazon's reputation.
~~~
wapz
> you'll have normal merchandise commingled on shelves side-by-side with third
> party supplied garbage
I don't think this is fair or even reasonable to say. It's going to be in a
B&M store. You can inspect the item. The FDA/whatever organization _will_ be
inspecting food on the shelves. As for reputation, Amazon has the best
customer service (tied with companies like REI) in my opinion.
I mostly agree that I don't see any positives for the customers at this point,
but I don't think it's going the way of 3rd party counterfeit goods.
~~~
PhantomGremlin
_As for reputation, Amazon has the best customer service (tied with companies
like REI) in my opinion._
Sorry, I very very strongly disagree. I buy very little from them any more
because I don't trust the provenance.
The saying is that a fish rots from the head down. Bezos and Amazon have
proven time and time again that they don't really give a fuck about quality.
Their one and only goal for the last 23 years has been to increase revenue, no
matter the cost.
Here's this gem: Amazon's Chinese counterfeit problem is getting worse[1].
Here's some choice quotes from that article that illustrate exactly what I'm
saying:
_Always a problem, the counterfeiting issue has exploded this year, sellers
say, following Amazon 's effort to openly court Chinese manufacturers, weaving
them intimately into the company's expansive logistics operation._
_To unsuspecting consumers, fake products can appear legitimate because of
the Fulfillment by Amazon program, which lets manufacturers send their goods
to Amazon 's fulfillment centers and hand over a bigger commission, gaining
the stamp of approval that comes with an FBA tag._
_Furthermore, Amazon 's commingled inventory option bundles together products
from different sellers, meaning that a counterfeit jacket could be sent to an
Amazon facility by one merchant and actually sold by another._
It's almost inevitable that the Amazon corporate culture that has allowed crap
like that to get worse and worse over the years will eventually take over
Whole Foods.
[1] [http://www.cnbc.com/2016/07/08/amazons-chinese-
counterfeit-p...](http://www.cnbc.com/2016/07/08/amazons-chinese-counterfeit-
problem-is-getting-worse.html)
~~~
wapz
Why are you tying customer service to quality of goods? If you don't like
their quality of goods that is a fine reason to not buy from them, but I don't
see anything in your argument disputing their customer service (the only part
you quoted). If you receive a counterfeit item from Amazon (in my experience),
they will 100% refund you the money instantly with almost no questions asked.
They have also been refunding nexus 5x phones that die out of warranty
(bootloop problem).
> Their one and only goal for the last 23 years has been to increase revenue,
> no matter the cost.
How can that be remotely true? Amazon has spent millions on R&D for the
future, not for the current.
~~~
PhantomGremlin
What I quoted from you began with "As for reputation". Amazon's reputation
cannot be reduced to only customer service, which is what you are
highlighting. It's a straw man you have created.
A company can have a good reputation for customer service, while having a bad
reputation for other things.
In your example, the way Amazon achieves their customer service reputation is
reactionary. If you catch them selling you crap, then they will replace it or
refund your money. It's a fool's errand to allow them to play that game with
you.
The logical endgame to that business approach is the melamine poisoning in
China about a decade ago. "Oops, sorry we sold you milk and infant formula
adulterated with melamine. Sorry it killed your child. Here's your instant
100% refund with almost no questions asked".
As for revenue, once again you're creating a straw man. Of course R&D is "for
the future" and "not for the current". That's the literal definition. I said
revenue, not R&D.
As for my comment about "no matter the cost", let me try to restate it in more
detail, perhaps I didn't phrase it well:
Since its inception, Amazon's number one goal has been to grow revenue, from
year to year, as quickly as possible. That's their #1 business goal. They have
optimized for that revenue goal over other business goals. Revenue over
profit. Revenue over quality.
If selling a larger quantity of crap means their overall revenue increases,
then that's what they will do. That's what I meant by "no matter the cost". A
different way to say that would have been "Amazon Marketplace optimizes for
increased revenue at the cost of quality".
Marketplace is an easy way to increase revenue. No need for R&D. Just allow
all sorts of counterfeit crap to commingle in existing warehouse, and generate
revenue on fulfillment. The more crap you sell, the more you increase your
revenue.
The more Amazon increases its revenue, the more the stock market rewards it.
Wall Street values Amazon almost exclusively on revenue growth. Bezos has made
clear that his #1 goal is revenue, and Wall Street has embraced that metric.
Not coincidentally, supermarkets are very high revenue operations with very
low profit margins.
------
Shivetya
I am still unconvinced it was a good move. Both European discount grocery
chains are in the US now, Aldi and Lidl. Aldi has had a presence here already
and Lidl is now coming in strong. The traditional grocery store chains are all
challenged by these foreign discounters who can even undercut Wal Mart grocery
at times; though Wal Mart does carry name brands as well.
Gourmet and similar grocery stores operate on the fringe but how much
disposable income is out there to keep them all going? Do they really compete
with Kroger and the like? To me its like comparing Costco to WalMart. Sure
they had similar items but they have wildly different customer bases and
income levels.
------
orionblastar
Oddly Amazon has been forced to collect a sales tax in some states. So buying
a retail company would be in their best interests to have a place to sell to
locals.
Walmart and others complained about Amazon stealing customers and had the
states crack down on them for state sales tax.
In my area near Ferguson and Hazelwood Missouri Amazon plans a wharehouse.
They should buy out Sears and K-Mart because they are closing down stores near
us that Amazon can use as shops to ship packages to from their warehouse to
compete with Walmart, Costco, and Sam's Club.
~~~
techsupporter
> Walmart and others complained about Amazon stealing customers and had the
> states crack down on them for state sales tax.
This is one of those rare instances where I'm going to agree with Wal-Mart
here. Yes, residents of an area with a sales tax are supposed to remit that
tax to the local government. No, virtually nobody actually does this.
Wal-Mart was at a legal disadvantage because it is following the local law
that says "if you have a sales presence here, you must collect sales tax
here." Amazon shouldn't be able to skirt that by saying "oh, our warehouses
are _technically_ owned by Amazon Warehouse Services, LLC and not the actual
Amazon.com, Inc. that actually sold the products."
(Yes, I know the lore about how Bezos deliberately started Amazon in
Washington State because, at the time, Washington was a smaller market
compared to the ones he wanted to sell into "tax free," so that only proves my
point about the deliberate tax dodge.)
~~~
votepaunchy
States are Constitutionally prohibited from taxing interstate commerce.
Congress had to fix the problem (at their pace) of Amazon (and others) not
paying sales tax to states in which it did not have a physical presence.
------
amelius
I'm wondering if there is a limit to economies of scale. Is there some point
where it doesn't matter cost-wise to produce N+1 instead of N?
Will Amazon gobble up the rest of the world and bring the economy to a halt?
~~~
threepipeproblm
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diseconomies_of_scale](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diseconomies_of_scale)
------
ouid
This is a vertical merger no? When did that stop being illegal?
~~~
adventured
Vertical mergers have never been illegal, ie it never started being illegal.
The combined Amazon + Whole Foods will have only a few percent of the US
grocery market (around 3.x% if I recall correctly), which is highly
fragmented. Walmart by comparison, has around 16% of the US grocery market.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Virtual Reality Poses the Same Riddles as the Cosmic Multiverse - dnetesn
http://cosmos.nautil.us/short/132/virtual-reality-poses-the-same-riddles-as-the-cosmic-multiverse
======
botverse
Wachowski Brothers really made an impact.
Jokes appart that nautil.us page messed around my ios safari browser history
pushing state with each scroll event :/
~~~
pmontra
Yeah, such a horrible implementation. What's that for?
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Evidence of water in megacanyon on Mars - cwan
http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/shortsharpscience/2010/10/getting-down-under-on-mars.html
======
wanderr
Can anyone help explain how likely this is to be the result of water? Is it
possible these lines were produced by wind?
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
The idea ain't the hard part. One writer finds out hard it is to create an app - DuncanKinney
http://www.unlimitedmagazine.com/2011/08/how-to-create-an-iphone-app/
======
zachrose
Spoiler: At no point in the story does the author download Xcode.
~~~
wccrawford
Haha, I thought you meant he just paid someone else to do it... No, so much
worse. He didn't even -try-.
His app could have had a working version on the store in 2 weeks, if he'd
really tried. It would benefit from further work, but would have proved his
point.
Instead, he got dazzled by how much work the -best- apps take and gave up.
It's like looking at a guitar and realizing how much work it takes to become a
rockstar, and just giving up before you've even picked the thing up.
Most people aren't rockstars, and most apps don't hit #1 on -any- list.
~~~
MatthewPhillips
No, a non-programmer cannot create an iPhone app in 2 weeks, even a really bad
one. You've been programming too long.
~~~
gojomo
I interpreted 'If [reporter] really tried' in the grandparent post to mean,
"if reporter earnestly sought out and hired an expert".
Of course, the know-how for doing that takes time to develop as well.
But, if this reporter's real goal was getting an app done, rather than writing
a story, she probably would have spoken to more people who had actually hired
devs for short projects. Instead, she seems to have spoken to just enough
people to get usable quotes for the story.
She never switches from the layperson's "invent" terminology (a misnomer for
the ideas-into-functions process of software development) and is only ever
hand-wavy about going rates for expert help. There is _someone_ out there who
has the expertise to make a simple version 1 of her app in 2 weeks or less;
how much does that person charge?
~~~
Wilduck
I noticed the use of the word "invent" as well. It kind of hurt to read the
first time. I thought after her first Google search she might realize that
there was a better word for it, and start searching for how to "create" or
"write" or "code" an iPhone application.
------
dreamdu5t
In the late 90's, people thought they could strike riches by throwing up a
webpage.
Today, people think they can strike riches by creating a mobile app.
Not much has changed.
------
StavrosK
25% to develop the app for the MEDL incubator? Is the other 75% for just
coming up with the idea, or also for launching, getting users, promoting, etc?
EDIT: Apparently they handle everything and you get 25% just for the idea. Not
bad.
~~~
wccrawford
I've had a few ideas that I'd gladly give up 75% of to have someone else do
them... If they do them properly.
~~~
nanijoe
I have a boatload of ideas that I would gladly give up for a 10% equity stake.
------
gte910h
The prices he quotes are WAY outsized. Low to Mid 5 figures will do a huge
proportion of apps that "People have an idea about" using US or Canadian
programmers. Some will go into 6 figures, but millions? Really? Not for most
ideas.
(This is what I do for a living, 3rd party app development).
------
DuncanKinney
Thanks for all the comments everyone. I was the editor who commissioned the
piece. To give some context the writer had about 12 days to write the article.
An impartial observer (not me obviously) might get the impression that the
people offering up advice here might need to take themselves a little less
seriously. Have a lovely day and thanks for reading and commenting.
~~~
drewcrawford
To give some context, most of the people on this site are professional
software developers. i.e., my full-time job is writing iPhone apps, so I've
been thinking about that process for the last 2-3 years.
For me personally, 75% of my working hours is spent talking to people who have
an app idea and don't have the funds to execute, and trying to separate those
from paying clients. If I could cut that number in half, I would literally be
twice as productive. It would be like adding 3 hours to every workday, or
producing an additional ten apps a year.
~~~
DuncanKinney
Fair enough. This is hackernews. I've passed the link to this comment thread
along to the writer and we'll slowly educate the client base, one at a time.
------
carols10cents
Should it (programming, creating an app, executing an idea) be this hard? Or
would that only lead to more fart apps and more disappointment later in the
process when the app doesn't hit it big?
~~~
Someone
I doubt it ever will become easy; the goalposts will keep moving.
For example, if, 20 or even 10 years ago, years ago, you built a webpage with
nothing but a textarea and a 'save' button that allows people to save a single
text per URL, you have a CMS that could have made you real money. Nowadays,
wikis must be more advanced than that.
Having said that, it is possible to lower the barriers. I think it would be
extremely cool and useful to have something HyperCard-like on iPad. I do not
think everyone's five minutes of work should be on the app store, though.
~~~
eru
Also think of spreadsheets. They allow normal people to write simple programs.
------
racketeer
text cache --
[http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:rhOH__L...](http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:rhOH__LLQwwJ:www.unlimitedmagazine.com/2011/08/how-
to-create-an-iphone-app/+unlimitedmagazine+/2011/08/how-to-create-an-iphone-
app/&hl=en&gl=us&strip=1)
~~~
DuncanKinney
We're back up. Turns out hackernews can send quite a bit of traffic.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Ask HN: Software engineers, do you fill timesheet with 1 hr granularity? - ankurdhama
======
davelnewton
I usually go in 30min chunks.
Ot depends on the client, e.g., if they generate relatively small tasks I'll
go in 15 min increments.
I rarely have things that take that short of a burst, but I'd be uncomfortable
billing someone for an hour of work if I only worked 15 minutes. That seems
dishonest to me.
That said, I bill for the time it takes me to get set up to do that work,
e.g., if I have to spin up a specific environment, or gather reference
materials, etc. that is included in billable time, because it's time I'd
normally be doing something else.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Algorithms are Thoughts, Chainsaws are Tools - lispm
http://piratasum.com/algorithms-are-thoughts-chainsaws-are-tools?c=1
======
pook
Check out Sorenson's collection of livecoding videos:
<http://vimeo.com/impromptu/videos>
Trust me, Impromptu does not need a narrator to speak for it.
Too bad Sorenson has no plans to port it to *nix (
[http://lists.moso.com.au/pipermail/impromptu/2007-October/00...](http://lists.moso.com.au/pipermail/impromptu/2007-October/000007.html)
).
------
Groxx
That's fascinating... I've never even heard of livecoding. Definitely going to
have to play with this a bit. And it's motivation to learn Lisp.
As to the video, I really wish the music was louder. Hard to hear when the
narrator's voice is so much louder. (I've also got background noise to listen
through).
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Before you condemn Apple again... - wells-riley
http://blog.wells.ee/before-you-condemn-apple-again
======
freehunter
So basically, before you condemn Apple, remember all the good ads they had
before? All the ads they had with a real point, showing something that was
clear to the viewer?
The reason Apple is being condemned right now is because this ad _isn't_ a
Think Different ad. It isn't a Here's to the Crazy Ones. It isn't a Mac vs PC.
It's not memorable, it's not unique, it's not defining a culture. It's simply
an ad. That's very un-Apple.
Maybe before you defend Apple again, make sure they have a defensible
position. "They had good ads in the past" is a non sequitur, and honestly if
your argument is "yeah it's not good, but let's just forget about it", you
might not be thinking clearly.
~~~
tptacek
No, the opposite. Before you condemn Apple, remember that bad ads are nothing
new for them.
You should read these things before you comment on them.
~~~
freehunter
Did you read it? No where does the author say "Apple makes bad ads". He said
Jobs made cheesy, empty ads. "Genius" isn't a cheesy, empty ad. It's just bad.
In an article that starts with "Apple makes great ads", continues onto
"everyone else makes poor ads", reaches a conclusion of "Apple hasn't made a
bad ad since the G4 and Powerbook were hot" and finishes with "Apple's
advertising is getting worse, but you can't blame them for that", the last
thing on my mind at the end was "Apple always has bad advertising". Because in
the last 5-10 years, that just hasn't been true.
------
tptacek
Nit: "marketing" is not a synonym for "advertising". Advertising is part of
promotion, which is in turn part of marketing, but it is not the most
important part of marketing (normally, that's pricing and market
segmentation).
Steve Jobs was, by all appearances, a master marketer across the board. But
Chiat\Day didn't do much of Apple's marketing work.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Nail the Customer Development Manifesto to the Wall - TristanKromer
http://steveblank.com/2012/03/29/nail-the-customer-development-manifesto/
======
sunkencity
Seeing mottos, manifestos or anything else in list form on wall in your
company is a sign that it's time to try to find a new job.
------
yumraj
I'm in Steve's class at Haas (U.C. Berkeley), and our team has undergone 4
pivots in 8 weeks, which is 1 pivot every two weeks. Every time we spoke to
customers, there were revelations, both with respect to what will not work,
but also what we can change that might work.
Lather Rinse Repeat...
------
Akram
"8.No Business Plan Survives First Contact with Customers" - I have personally
experienced this and was speechless then my bplan fell flat. Listening more
and talking less will help understand the problem.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
SHN: "Big Iron Age"-Tweets - masswerk
http://www.masswerk.at/keypunch?b=XDAwMzIwMTM0MDMxYTA3MzQwNzM0MDMxYTAxMzQwMDMyXCAgIFwwMDFjMDAzMDA1M2MwMzFhMDEzYTAxMzgwMTNhMDMxYTA1M2MwMDMwMDAxY1wgICBPTUcsIGxvb2sgYXQgdGhpczogaHR0cDovL3d3dy5tYXNzd2Vyay5hdC80MDQhICNlcnJvcg==
======
masswerk
Not exactly new, but updated to detect and extract any links (URL) provided in
the text. So, you can forward a working link using a punched card. (Images are
bit tricky, use MLT PNCH or column binary.) Links must start with
"[http://"](http://") or "[https://"](https://") as fully qualified URLs in
order to be detected, case will be preserved, even when displayed in upper
case on the card.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Google Invests $450M in ADT - uhhyeahdude
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2020/08/adt-will-exclusively-install-nest-hardware-in-450-million-google-deal/
======
uhhyeahdude
I'm not surprised that GOOG is buying a huge home security company. It
advances the prevailing narrative in the US. One in which pervasive state
surveillance of it's own citizens is normalized, and the line separating the
corporate world from the government is increasingly blurry.
This is dark, and it is presented as inevitable. Which, I suppose, it is. Look
at the synergy!
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Ask HN: Remote workers, what headphone/mic combo do you use for video calls? - remoboost
Simple enough question. I'm about to start a remote position and I'm looking for good suggestions for a clear, comfortable, and hopefully non-intrusive headphone/mic combo for video calls. Preferably, something wireless would be even better. Interested to hear what others are using
======
heyalexej
When having more than one person in the room, I'm using the Samson Go Mic¹.
When I'm alone, for calls and everything else really: listening to music or
just cancelling the noise (AC, on flights etc.), I'm using BOSE QC35².
Both products I would highly recommend. But the headphones in particular are
probably the best investment I've made to boost my productivity.
1\. [http://www.samsontech.com/samson/products/microphones/usb-
mi...](http://www.samsontech.com/samson/products/microphones/usb-
microphones/gomic/)
2\.
[https://www.bose.com/en_us/products/headphones/over_ear_head...](https://www.bose.com/en_us/products/headphones/over_ear_headphones/quietcomfort-35-wireless.html)
~~~
SyneRyder
Wow, +1 on the Bose. I completely forgot there was an inline microphone on the
Bose QC25 cable. I just tested it with my MacBook Pro, it detects it as an
External Microphone, and the quality is good enough for work calls. This is
going to reduce my luggage while travelling!
Prior to that I've been using a pair of Logitech USB 250s, which have a
surprisingly clear microphone (better than the Bose), but aren't very
comfortable for extended use.
------
hn_user2
I tried to find a good wireless headset for my remote meetings. My discovery
was:
\- Bluetooth microphones are of general terrible quality. After recording and
playing back my different attempts at a nice wireless mic, the build in omni
directional mic on my MBP always shockingly came out ahead. It really didn't
make any sense to me. \- Long pair programming or brainstorming sessions with
co-workers can outlast the headsets.
In the end, I just plug in my earbuds that came with my phone, which give me
audio, and the built-in mic pics up my voice.
That being said, appreciate this question, maybe someone else has found
something better.
I tried various Logitech and other bluetooth headsets made for cell phones, I
also tried Beats Powerbeats. So maybe I was just going in the wrong direction.
~~~
joatmon-snoo
I think it's a combination of both the tech and lack of demand. Bluetooth
audio stuff is only now getting up to par (at least that's the feeling I get
sniffing around /r/headphones and the like), and when the two primary
audiences that care - gamers and enterprise - have reliable wired
alternatives, there just isn't enough motivation for someone to really break
out there.
I suspect on the tech side one of the big disadvantages a BT mic has to suffer
from is how to balance power consumption with the circuitry you need to pull a
good signal off. Looking this up[1] it seems that a MBP is much better
positioned for that kind of hardware as opposed to a mic.
On another note I've seen some praise for the Skullcandy PLYR.
[1] [http://www.mediacollege.com/audio/microphones/how-
microphone...](http://www.mediacollege.com/audio/microphones/how-microphones-
work.html)
------
cauterized
Just a set of mid-range earbuds with inline mic, and a clip on the cord to
attach it to my collar and keep the mic near my mouth.
As long as the mic is clipped there, I've never had anyone complain about
audio quality. I doubt it'd be difficult to find a similarly decent Bluetooth
set.
I'd be more concerned about Bluetooth range and reliability than the quality
of the mic. Audio hardware for this sort of purpose is basically a solved
problem. Usually connectivity or software issues interfere more with
communication than audio hardware does once you reach a certain (low) baseline
for hardware quality.
------
blohs
Apple headphones that comes with iPhone, the sound quality is really good and
portable to carry.
~~~
nickflood
Wanted to say the same.
Mic in earpods combined with Skype's background noise cancellation makes it so
that you can be heard clearly by your peers even if you're in a noisy
restaurant.
It's already in my reflexes to just shove earpods into a small pocket in my
jeans/shorts whenever I put them on or stand up from my desk so that they're
always with me.
As an added plus, they work like a charm with every windows/androind laptop or
phone out there.
------
Jdam
In my company, everybody uses Jabra gear (because the company pays for it). I
own some Bose Noise Cancelling headset, because I had it before, and everybody
complains that there is no noise cancelling on my mic, what the Jabras have.
Evolve 80, that's what everybody got and people are quite happy with it,
despite the gamer look: [http://www.jabra.com/business/office-headsets/jabra-
evolve/j...](http://www.jabra.com/business/office-headsets/jabra-evolve/jabra-
evolve-80)
------
karlkatzke
I generally don't use a headphone/mic. I use a plug in puck style
speakerphone.
I can do this because no one else is around when I'm working or I can close
the door and be alone. The main reason that I don't use something with a
headset is because I always had problems with headsets, especially wireless
ones -- either they wouldn't pair, or they'd come unpaired between calls and
I'd have to do the "can you hear me" dance, or I'd have something wired on my
head and it'd be a pain in the butt, or ... well, the list goes on.
If you have something wireless, make sure you know how to use it really well
and that you have a test or two that you can quickly do to ensure operation
and that you have a backup you can quickly fail over to.
I spent four years working remote in a 24/7 operations position, and then
another few years working out of a satellite office but from home at night in
a similar position. Some of the marathon troubleshooting calls I was on would
exhaust even the most serious of batteries.
------
verandaguy
Full disclosure: I'm not a full-time remote worker, but my team has VoIP
conference calls if someone's working from home on a particular day (so
whenever someone's sick, or if the weather's too bad for someone to make a
distant commute). I've been on both sides of these calls.
My personal preference is a combination of the Blue Yeti[0] and a pair of Sony
MDR-7506[1] phones. This is a really comfortable setup since I can have the
Yeti a bit off to the side (not blocking my monitor) while still picking up
good quality sound, and I can also step away from my desk (e.g. to look for
some files) without worrying that the headphone cable's going to be too short.
I've also got the headphones plugged directly into the mic's 3.5mm jack, which
means I can control output volume from the microphone (which I find more
comfortable than a keyboard).
[0] http://www.bluemic.com/products/yeti/
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_MDR-V6
------
xenophonf
What are you looking for---something mobile or something for your desk?
At my desk I use a Plantronics Savi 700 series. It integrates well with a wide
variety of Windows phone apps---e.g., grabbing the headset will auto-answer,
replacing it or pressing the button on the side will hang up---and since it's
multi-line and supports Bluetooth, I can use it with my mobile phone, too. Mac
phone app integration is less than stellar and mostly limited to Skype (not
Lync) and whatever Cisco's softphone is called. (Older versions of Lync for
Mac integrated with the headset, so I'm not sure if I broke something or
Apple/Microsoft/Plantronics just dropped the ball.)
Audio quality is fantastic and with the default config, I can let the dog out
and walk around the house without any issues. I don't recall how long the
battery lasted with the default configuration, but I don't really remember
running out of battery except on days where I have back-to-back-to-back
meetings. I ended up switching on some power conservation settings that
reduced its range, and since then I haven't had any issues running out of
battery. (I just schedule meeting breaks to take care of the dog.)
------
registered99
I use a cheap 3.5mm-accepting headphone set [0] if travelling, or a pair of
AKG K550 [1] modified to accept a 3.5mm replaceable cable, with a V-Moda boom
mic [2]. The boom mic is what makes this combo. It's really cheap, and crazy
resilient. I have been travelling with it for the past year and trip over it
all the time. It's still going strong, and it's also the best headphone cord
I've ever had as well.
[0]:
[https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TADC6CS/ref=twister_B011QQ1W4E?...](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TADC6CS/ref=twister_B011QQ1W4E?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1)
[1]: [https://www.amazon.com/AKG-K550-Closed-Back-Reference-
Headph...](https://www.amazon.com/AKG-K550-Closed-Back-Reference-
Headphones/dp/B005CNR7B0) [2]:
[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BJ17WKK/ref=s9_acsd_hps...](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BJ17WKK/ref=s9_acsd_hps_bw_c_x_5)
------
dankohn1
I have a USB headset
([https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0091F8F7A](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0091F8F7A)
) hooked into my Macbook, that I use for calls with Skype, Google Hangouts,
and UberConference (the last two via Chrome).
Fairly regularly, the USB-C jack slips out, and the call switches to the
MacBook's speaker and microphone. When I reinsert, and then switch back to the
headset's speaker and microphone (by selecting them after option-clicking on
the volume icon), the call stays on the MacBook's speaker and microphone. I
then need to hang up and redial to get the headset working again.
Any ideas on how to switch to a headset mid-call?
It seems ridiculous, but I've solved for now by switching to this headset that
hooks into the 3.5mm jack instead: [https://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Analog-
Stereo-Headset-Microp...](https://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Analog-Stereo-
Headset-Microphone-981-000587/dp/B00WGQNJK4)
------
late2part
If you are working alone, do not get headphones. Use decent speakers and a
condenser microphone [1] on a boom [2] mounted to your desk.
You can lean in to the mic when you need to be heard better, and it keeps your
hands free.
Plus on video conferences it makes you look like a cool radio DJ.
[1] Blue Microphones Snowball (White)- Shockmount an Popfilter Bundle
[https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00P0PP1XG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_ClDo...](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00P0PP1XG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_ClDoybX9MJFN0)
[2] GVDV Microphone Stand Adjustable Professional Desk Recording Microphone
Suspension Boom Scissor Arm Stand With Phone Holder, Pop Filter And
Replaceable Shock Mount Suitable For Most Microphones
[https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FLQP7BE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_2oDo...](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FLQP7BE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_2oDoybSR1BMB8)
------
vollmond
I'm not currently remote, but I do have a 6+ hour remote D&D game about twice
a month. I have this cheap bluetooth headset [1], and have honestly found it
to be just fine. I use it with Skype on my laptop. The battery lasts a good
long time, it sounds perfectly fine, and it's not noise-isolating, so I don't
get that weird voice echo in my own head like I do with my earbud headset.
Plus it can pair with 2 devices at once, and sounds surprisingly decent when
I'm listening to music.
[1] [https://smile.amazon.com/MEE-audio-Bluetooth-Headphones-
Micr...](https://smile.amazon.com/MEE-audio-Bluetooth-Headphones-
Microphone/dp/B008FH1PJA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1480173926&sr=8-2&keywords=air-
fi+runaway)
------
solarsavior
Sennheiser MB Pro 2 UC.
[https://en-us.sennheiser.com/mb-pro-1-uc-and-mb-pro-2-uc](https://en-
us.sennheiser.com/mb-pro-1-uc-and-mb-pro-2-uc)
This page shows them all.
[https://en-us.sennheiser.com/business-bluetooth-headsets](https://en-
us.sennheiser.com/business-bluetooth-headsets)
The Bluetooth is excellent to both computer (using included dongle) and cell
phone (which I use all the time). The microphone is extremely good; filtering
out all background noise. The sound is adequate for speech and loud enough for
speech. They are not good with music and the maximum volume is just over
adequate. (plenty enough volume for most environments, but not enough to blast
music) The headset is light and the charge lasts for hours and hours.
------
popey456963
I'm currently enjoying the Thomson WHP3311BK wireless headphones. Their
quality is superb and I feel comfortable wearing them for 15 hours at a time
(they even don't run out of power!). For a headset, I actually use the Blue
Yeti microphone, large (2/3rds the size of my monitor), but incredibly high
quality (I can be 30 meters away yet can still be heard clearly by customers,
helpful when I'm running around looking for papers). I used to own a ProSound
YU-37, much smaller microphone and about 1/10th of the price, would highly
recommend that if you work in a loud environment. It's uni-directional and
doesn't pick up much background noise at all, downside with that is of course
you can't run around the room and still be heard.
------
Skywing
I've been using the bose quiet comfort series. They're expensive, but they've
got good active noise cancellation, if needed in loud areas. They do support
the Apple microphone cable, so you can do phone calls with them. When at my
desk, though, I use a Blue Yeti mic.
------
xlayn
Sennheiser PC31, I'm not sure if the speakers on those are shared with the PX
headphones, which sound by the way very nice for music.
[https://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-31-II-Binaural-Headset-
Mic...](https://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-31-II-Binaural-Headset-
Microphone/dp/B0077L2WCY)
and in case your laptop/desk doesn't have mic and headphone jack you can use
[https://www.amazon.com/Sabrent-External-Adapter-Windows-
AU-M...](https://www.amazon.com/Sabrent-External-Adapter-Windows-AU-
MMSA/dp/B00IRVQ0F8)
that works with Linux, not sure about windows/mac.
for the cellphone plantronics voyager legend, which is expensive but works
every time very well.
------
snadal
For intensive use I'd recommend against use of headsets.
We've found the Jabra Speak 410 (USB) and Jabra 510 (Bluetooth) speakerphones
to be much more comfortable and microphone and noise cancelling are excellent.
IMO speakerphones are much more natural to use than headsets for a daily use.
Jabra 410: [http://www.jabra.com/business/speakerphones/jabra-speak-
seri...](http://www.jabra.com/business/speakerphones/jabra-speak-series/jabra-
speak-410)
Jabra 510: [http://www.jabra.com/business/speakerphones/jabra-speak-
seri...](http://www.jabra.com/business/speakerphones/jabra-speak-series/jabra-
speak-510)
------
rwmj
I used to use a Jabra freestanding mic/speaker, and it's still a great choice
-- they have excellent separation and no echo problem at all.
I recently upgraded to a Logitech BCC950 freestanding conference camera, and
it is also excellent.
Note that both of these solutions are much more expensive than an ordinary
headset or webcam (~£200 range).
[https://secure.logitech.com/en-gb/product/conferencecam-
bcc9...](https://secure.logitech.com/en-gb/product/conferencecam-bcc950)
------
nevenr
[http://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/wireless-
headset-h800](http://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/wireless-headset-h800)
------
HarrietJones
I had a plantronic C210 for a while. It was getting worn (After 4 years), so
I've recently upgraded to a Plantronic C310.
[https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B007JURP2A](https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B007JURP2A)
Can't recommend it highly enough, and I spend at least an hour a day speaking
on it. Some days I forget to take it off. For phone calls, Monoaural is fine
sound wise, and it's IMO more comfortable for long stretches of use.
------
randallsquared
I use Sennheiser headphones (don't remember the model and it doesn't seem to
be on them; I bought these 3-5 years ago).
My rMacbook Pro 2015 sits on my desk under a monitor, right side toward me,
with the lid closed. Because I've never really had a problem with people
hearing me clearly (as long as the connection was okay), I haven't bothered to
buy a mic. This is true even when the laptop's fans are racing due to, say,
Docker for Mac struggling, as it does.
------
khaledh
After reading many reviews complaining about wireless headsets, I went with a
wired one: Sennheiser U 320
[https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B008VQ68C4](https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B008VQ68C4).
It's a gaming headset, but I use it for video conf calls and listening to
music. Great quality and haven't had a single issue with it (other than being
less convenient than a wireless headset).
------
zachlatta
For audio I use the MEE M6 earphones with Comply foam tips (the tips really
make a world of difference).
For video and microphone, I use the Logitech ConferenceCam Connect and
consistently get complemented on my video and audio quality, but I wouldn't
recommmend it to others due to the price – I only use it because I was able to
get it for free through a promotion.
------
loukrazy
As others have said, Bluetooth headsets are generally bad for consistent
quality in my experience. I tend towards a wired gaming headset (turtle Beach)
with a long cable just because it is simple and works with my phone or laptop.
Of course most of the quality is dependent on the conferencing solutions your
company uses.
------
thenomad
I use a Samson C01U condenser mic for calls. Not cheap but it also gets used
for professional voice recording, and it's also not that expensive.
I tend to use speakers and rely on echo cancellation. It appears to work
pretty well as I rarely get complaints. My current speakers are Harmon/Kardon
ones, but I got them as a gift.
------
andrewaylett
I use a pair of Plantronics BackBeat Pros. Some Mac software prefers me to use
them wired in, which I expect to be true of all Bluetooth headsets.
The sound is really great, the headphones are really comfortable and I don't
get complaints about sound quality from the mic -- coming from Plantronics I
expect the mic to be good :).
------
mypalmike
Decent quality earbuds for hearing, and the built-in stereo mic on my Logitech
webcam (I'm usually docked when conferencing). Never heard any complaints
about clarity of my voice.
* Used this for 4 years a a remote developer with multiple meetings per day. The conferencing software is where everything usually falls apart.
------
mmaunder
AKG K240 studio headphones ($70). Super comfy, amazing audio and fully over
ear. Open back so your can hear some ambient noise.
Aphex Microphone X ($200) USB mic with boom arm. Sound like the golden god
that you are. They make amazing pro audio gear and have condensed that from a
rack of gear to a single mic and USB interface.
------
kofejnik
I discovered that wearing headphones (even earbuds) for hours is pretty
tiresome, so I strongly prefer using my macbook's built-in mic and external
speakers. Obviously, this wouldn't work in a coffeeshop situation, but it's
not a good work environment anyway.
------
josh-wrale
I use this: [http://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/stereo-
headset-h390?cr...](http://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/stereo-
headset-h390?crid=36) (Logitech H390). It's quite good.
------
nirvanatikku
Sennheiser PXC 550 WIRELESS - [https://en-us.sennheiser.com/wireless-
headphone-headset-blue...](https://en-us.sennheiser.com/wireless-headphone-
headset-bluetooth-noise-cancelling-pxc-550-travel)
------
brians
Microsoft's LS-6000. I liked it so much I bought a second for my spouse. The
outgoing sound quality is very good, the ear cups are tolerable for hours, and
it doesn't keep me from hearing a phone ring in the next room.
For use with my phone, QC-20i's.
------
sethammons
I went to a brick-and-mortar and tried on several. I went with skull candy
aviators. Comfortable for hours. Has a cable, which is a downside. I can't do
the Apple ear buds, they ache after half an hour or so.
------
codazoda
Simply the ones built into my macbook or my headphones (depending on how much
privacy I have). I use basic Skull Candy earbuds when I need them. I do 3 to 5
meetings a day and some pair programming.
------
shem73
I'm using Beyerdynamic DT 797 PV. The sound quality of both the headphones and
the mic are excellent. It needs 48V phantom power, so I feed it with a
Focusrite Scarlett USB audio interface.
------
jedanbik
I use the EarPods that came with my old iPhone 6. Any reason that wouldn't
work for you? Planning to get AirPods for the wireless-ness once they hit the
stores.
------
xchaotic
Blue Yeti microphone + semi open sennheiser headphones.
~~~
stacktracer
This is exactly what I do. Surprised to find such a specific combo already in
the comments.
------
mordant
Sennheiser Momentum Wireless 2 - the first near-audiophile quality Bluetooth
headphones I've ever heard, and they also have decent mic quality.
------
robryan
Sennheiser 363d, really comfortable to wear for long periods of time.
Headphone sound quality and microphone quality are both great.
------
twovi
for my mic, I use
[http://www.bluemic.com/products/snowball/](http://www.bluemic.com/products/snowball/)
really good and takes care of the background noise for you.
then for my headphones, I use JBL Bluetooth headphones or mpow wolverine ear
buds.
the combination works pretty well
------
ddorian43
I just use my laptop built in mic (hp 6470b). Headphones are Sennheiser hd 380
pro or Panasonic RP-HJE125-K.
------
mmenger
I use the Logitech H820e (DECT Headset) with 300ft range, so I can walk around
while on the phone.
------
sheraz
Just a set of urban ears I got "for free" when I bought an iPad. Works like a
charm
------
jwr
Sennheiser ME3 microphone connected via a USB audio "pod".
------
kochandy
2012 27" iMac built in mic/camera
------
willcate
Sennheiser earbuds with inline microphone
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Porting the Go compiler from C to Go - sqs
http://gophercon.sourcegraph.com/post/83820197495/russ-cox-porting-the-go-compiler-from-c-to-go
======
beliu
Author of the post here. Happy to answer any questions I can, and FYI, we
(Sourcegraph) are liveblogging all of GopherCon at
[http://gophercon.sourcegraph.com](http://gophercon.sourcegraph.com). Let us
know if you have any questions or find it useful!
~~~
nfoz
Are you at all concerned about the possibility of the Trusting Trust[1]
problem manifesting in any of your Go compilers?
[1] [http://cm.bell-labs.com/who/ken/trust.html](http://cm.bell-
labs.com/who/ken/trust.html)
~~~
0xdeadbeefbabe
Since this is an exercise divorced from reality, the usual vehicle was
FORTRAN.
Dang it I cheated and looked up Rus's quine. For anyone not wanting to cheat a
good hint would be "tail recursion"
------
Shamanmuni
It's great that they are aiming for an automated conversion from C to Go. It's
clear they aspire to convert their code which was written in a certain way.
But I think it would be a huge boost in Go usage if they could eventually aim
to transpile any C code into Go code.
A little dream of mine would be if in the future when Rust is stable Mozilla
developed a transpiler from C++ to Rust. That would be brilliant.
By the way, all the other talks at GopherCon seem pretty interesting, I hope
someone uploads videos of them soon.
~~~
jerf
It is unclear how one would compile arbitrary C code into _useful_ Go. The
stereotyped conventions of well-written compiler code allows for a more
idiomatic translation than a general translator could ever aspire to.
C++ to Rust would be even crazier.
(Transpile is a silly word. It's "compile". Compiling already trans-es.)
~~~
Shamanmuni
I know it's crazy difficult to do it, that's why I was talking about dreams.
But maybe a set of guidelines about translatable C code plus a translator
which is good enough for a variety of cases would make refactoring the
resulting code such a manageable task that many projects could consider
switching to Go directly.
You are technically correct in that compile already implicates a translation,
but we usually use that term refering to a translation into a lower level
language and not another language at the same level. You can say transpiler or
source-to-source compiler for those cases and I think it's clearer and more
accurate for the reader.
~~~
yohanatan
> ... but we usually use that term refering to a translation into a lower
> level language and not another language at the same level.
Rust is not lower-level than C++ and neither is Go lower-level than C.
~~~
yohanatan
This should not have been down-voted. We are talking about translation from C
-> Go and C++ -> Rust (which are both in the _opposite_ direction of the
definition given for 'transpiling').
~~~
vanderZwan
I agree that your comment added value to the discussion, and gave a counter-
vote.
However, arguably the term could make _more_ sense there, _if_ we ignore the
earlier definition and instead assume "trans" is short for "transcendent", as
in "climbing to a _higher_ level".
If we then simplify that to "compile from one language to another of roughly
equal or higher level", it becomes a useful word to indicate a specific subset
of ways one can do compilation.
Of course, I'm completely pulling this out of my ass and I might piss off
actual CompSci people who use very specific and strict definitions in their
papers (kind of like how some get annoyed with the procedure/function mixup),
so take this with a grain of salt.
------
stcredzero
Automated rewrite FTW! This can help you avoid freezing a project while it is
being ported. Also, if you have a code base with its own idioms, then those
idioms can be matched and translated, which can produce cleaner target code.
~~~
adient
Go 1.0 spec is already frozen and will not change any time soon.
~~~
szabba
I believe he referred mostyl to freezing the efforts on impoving the
implementation.
~~~
stcredzero
I was also talking about projects and porting in general. Incidentally, I've
been paid to do exactly what we're discussing. (Porting a production program
using automated translation.) It works.
------
SixSigma
Russ' paper on the subject from Dec 2013
[https://docs.google.com/document/d/1P3BLR31VA8cvLJLfMibSuTdw...](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1P3BLR31VA8cvLJLfMibSuTdwTuF7WWLux71CYD0eeD8/preview?sle=true&pli=1#)
------
micro_cam
I'm reminded of the fortran to c compiler f2c that was used to produce pure c
implementations of lots of libraries like LAPACK.
I'm curious how they will handle things like pointer arithmetic and memory
safety in C vs Go. If they mange to do so in a performant way I could see
translating lots of numerical or computationally intensive code to Go so that
it could be run in a shared cloud environment without worries about memory
safety and without having to resort to vms for separation.
~~~
mjcohen
If you took arbitrary fortran, especially with i/o, the results were an
unreadable mess - but they compiled and ran.
For a project I had (in the early 90s iirc), I had to extensively modify the
fortran and make multiple versions before the generated C was readable. Still,
much easier than a rewrite.
------
thinkpad20
> There are currently 1032 goto statements in the Go compiler jumping to 241
> labels.
Wow, that's really striking. I know that goto statements have their uses but
for something written in the last couple of years to have over a thousand of
them is very surprising (it might not be surprising at all for those who write
C code all the time). I guess they're mostly just for error handlers?
~~~
jgrahamc
For example:
[http://golang.org/src/cmd/6g/gsubr.c](http://golang.org/src/cmd/6g/gsubr.c)
Some are for single error return, but others are just to make a nice structure
for the code.
~~~
raverbashing
Ah the old C style of function types in a different line.
This smells of very old code (as the header testifies)
~~~
rootbear
I use that style all the time. I like having the function name start in column
1, it can make searching easier.
I do wish that in C1x (for x > 1), they could find a way to let us declare
multiple formal arguments of the same type without repeating the type:
float
my_graphics_hack(float x, y, z, r, g, b, u, v) { ...
instead of
float my_graphics_hack(float x, float y, float z, float r, float g, float b, float u, float v) { ...
which gets really tedious and obfuscates that fact that they are all the same
type, especially with the typename is more complex than just "float". When the
new syntax was added to ANSI C, it wasn't possible to do multiple variables,
for reasons I've forgotten but which I think had to do with forward type
references. It would be awfully nice to find a fix for this.
~~~
simias
That's a poor justification, there are plenty of tools to index and search
C(++) code like ctags or cscope, and your example could use a vector or a
struct, I have a hard time imagining when a function with such a prototype
would be useful in real life.
~~~
clarry
Compound literals are not too pretty and not too well known. Plus, if you care
about c89... So, do you wrap all your values in a struct because the prototype
gets too long otherwise? What a chore.
Preferring that function names start at the first column to make searching
easier is a perfectly good justification.
You, on the other hand, seemingly would impose your tools (which have their
shortcomings) and workflow on people with no justification at all.
Just because a tool exists, doesn't mean it's good (or better than what people
are accustomed to) or that everyone must use it.
Do you think everyone should use Vim on Linux too?
~~~
simias
No, I think everyone should use Emacs on FreeBSD, but that's not my point.
Adding syntactic sugar to a language makes the language bigger and harder to
completely understand, it makes it easier to misuse a feature (and C already
has a lot of trickery with types, like when you declare a parameter as an
array but it behaves like a pointer). I'm a strong believer that implicit is
better than explicit and that while there are many ways to do the same thing
some are better than other in practice. Of course, "in practice" can change
from one project to the other, what matters in consistency. I applaud the
choice of Go to standardize on a single coding style for instance.
For the particular example of the parent, while I write a lot of C code for
work and for fun I have yet to encounter a situation where I saw a function
taking 10 floats as arguments and thinking "yup, that's completely the right
way to do that". If you have an example of such a code I'd me more that
willing to reconsider my position, otherwise we're just talking about the best
way to tame a unicorn.
------
hrjet
This might become a nice benchmark for the Go language; the same code base
implemented in C and Go! It may not be fine-tuned for optimisation, neither in
C nor in Go, but may still give a good ball-park estimate.
~~~
lazyjones
Indeed, but it would be much more useful and impressive if they rewrote the
compiler in Go by hand. I'm disappointed that they are aiming for an automatic
translation instead - some people are going to ask themselves whether Go
actually isn't that much fun to program in. An independent reimplementation is
better for correctness too, they can compare outputs and find bugs in both
implementations instead of porting over old bugs and adding new bugs where the
translation goes wrong.
------
AYBABTME
I'm really thankful for the liveblogging, as I couldn't manage to get my body
to the conference.
I understand the desire to promote the Sourcegraph app by doing the blogging,
and I think its effective. However, the blog is real annoying to browse, as
every (prominent?) link points to Sourcegraph the app instead of the blog.
~~~
AYBABTME
Just to clarify, because I think my original comment is disbalanced.
I'm REALLY thankful for sourcegraph's liveblogging. The above comment was a
suggestion as I thought they might want to know that (at least for me), the
navigation of the blog was confusing.
~~~
sqs
Thanks! We are having a fun time liveblogging and are glad you're finding it
useful. We got complaints when the blog image did NOT link to Sourcegraph,
too. :) It's almost the end of this conference, but next time we liveblog,
we'll have 2 separate header images, or try something else to make it less
confusing.
------
kristianp
"They’re deciding to automatically convert the Go compiler written in C to Go,
because writing from scratch would be too much hassle."
When transcribing a talk, there isn't any need to write "They're". Just use
the same pronoun the presenter used, otherwise it stands out like a sore
thumb.
------
pohl
_3) Go has turned out to be a nice general purpose language and the compiler
won’t be an outsize influence on the language design._
In what sort of ways does self-hosting early influence a language design? Were
they hoping to avoid something in particular by delaying self-hosting?
~~~
gizmo686
The general way that self hosting influences language design is that the
compiler is often one of the first major projects to be built using a
language. This does not give it more influence then other major projects, but
if your goal is to have a language designed for use case X, it is generally
best to have your early projects with it be for X. Additionally, self hosting
may encourage a language design that makes bootstrapping easier (such as a
stricter divide between the state-1 language and the general language).
~~~
pohl
I sort of had the general sense of that already. I guess I was hoping for
something more specific about what language features are so useful when
writing a compiler but get in the way for general problems.
The part I quoted above almost sounds like wiping sweat from one's brow after
having dodged a bullet: "phew, the language is safe from influence by those
gull-durn compiler-writers..."
------
rdc12
"Note: There’s a book written about converting goto code to code without goto
in general, but this is a sledgehammer and not necessary here."
Anyone have any idea what the title of that book is?
------
ANTSANTS
>A Union is like a struct, but you’re only supposed to use one value
>(they all occupy the same space in memory). It’s up to the programmer to know which variable to use.
> There’s a joke in some of the original C code:
> #define struct union /* Great space saver */
> This inspired a solution:
> #define union struct /* keeps code correct, just wastes some space */
Somewhere in Scotland, a sum type sheds a single tear.
~~~
piokuc
> #define union struct /* keeps code correct, just wastes some space */
Not always, though...
~~~
rsc
Yes, always. And if you don't believe me, it's not my trick. I learned it from
Dennis Ritchie (he was thinking about a C to Limbo converter).
~~~
andybalholm
It works when unions are used correctly. If they are used to deliberately
subvert the type system (e.g., put in an int, get an array of char out) it
doesn't work. But C has so many other ways to subvert the type system that
there's no need to do that.
Probably about the only place you'll see them used like that is in the code
produced by web2c in compiling TeX. Knuth used variant records a lot to get
around Pascal's type safety, and they get translated to unions.
~~~
rsc
That code is not valid according to the C standard, so there is no guarantee
it will work anywhere. In particular, many modern compilers have optimizations
that would break that code. I would be a little surprised if modern web2c
still uses unions this way and gets away with it.
The only standard compliant way to, say, convert a float to an int is to use
memmove:
uint32 i;
float32 f;
i = 0x80000000;
memmove(&f, &i, 4);
~~~
bzbarsky
Which part of the C standard would forbid type punning a uint32 to a float32?
[http://www.open-std.org/jtc1/sc22/wg14/www/docs/dr_283.htm](http://www.open-
std.org/jtc1/sc22/wg14/www/docs/dr_283.htm) suggests that C89 explicitly
allowed this, C99 at first glance did not, and was errata'ed to make it clear
that this is still allowed. C11 seems to have the same verbiage.
~~~
Someone
Devil's advocate example:
union hack { int x; float y};
int foo( int *i, float *f)
{
*i = 3;
*f = 42.0;
return *i;
}
Aliasing rules say foo need not read from that int pointer, may switch the
order of the write to f and the write to i, and can assume that foo returns 3,
so
struct hack h;
foo( &h.i, &h.f);
might return 3 or something else. I think that last call introduces undefined
behavior, but only becuase of the definition of foo that the writer of that
call might not even have the source for.
But of course, that is an "you shouldn't do that" edge case. One could also
claim that the corrigendum doesn't apply because foo doesn't "use a member to
access the contents of a union".
~~~
bzbarsky
Sure, but that's an aliasing issue, not a type punning issue. I agree that the
code you cite there is a violation of the aliasing rules, and will not work
"as expected" on modern compilers unless one does the equivalent of gcc's
-fno-strict-aliasing.
And I agree that the corrigendum doesn't apply in this case. Once you hand
different-typed pointers to the same memory to people, whether via union or
just casting pointers, the aliasing rules will up and bite you.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Ask HN: Why is there no $10,000+ luxury smartphones? - Huhty
Tons of people are willing to spend thousands of dollars on fancy clothes, jackets, purses, sunglasses, etc. So why is there no ultra expensive (but also VERY POWERFUL) smartphones out there?
======
tfitz237
Here you go: Phones that range from $13,300 to $31,700
[http://www.vertu.com/us/en/collections/signature/shop-
collec...](http://www.vertu.com/us/en/collections/signature/shop-collection/)
The most expensive phone on that page is $31,700:
[http://www.vertu.com/us/en/collections/signature/shop-
collec...](http://www.vertu.com/us/en/collections/signature/shop-
collection/red-gold-black-dlc/600724-001-01.html?cgid=12500)
I believe they come with their own concierge service.
~~~
notahacker
I can't help wondering whether the effect the design of those phones have on
the average person spotting them is less "wow, polished ceramic pillow, red
gold detailing and alligator-skin case" and more "wow, that guy over there
keeps bragging about how rich he is then pulls some cheap phone that looks
like the one I had in the late 90s out of his pocket"
Or maybe they're just way ahead of the curve when it comes to the inevitable
retro craze for turn-of-the-century phone design
~~~
Jugurtha
It doesn't matter, for several reasons:
Smartphones have no exclusivity or wealth signaling potential; both the rich
and the poor can afford one. They're basically the new feature phone. I don't
think anyone would brag about something everyone could afford. (i.e: no rich
person would brag about an iPhone).
Some of the most expensive things go unnoticed to the 'untrained' eye. It
might be by design in an inside joke spirit. Not many would recognize John
Lobb shoes, Scabal suits, or Patek Philippe watches.. I wouldn't, but some
would. They _do_ look good and have an appeal to the hacker inside everyone
who loves things well made, especially things _custom_ made. Bespoke shoes is
as 'hackery' as it gets.
> _Or maybe they 're just way ahead of the curve when it comes to the
> inevitable retro craze for turn-of-the-century phone design_
Vertu's design has been consistent over the years as far back as I can
remember.
------
toufka
Because the price/capability curve over time for modern electronics is nowhere
near linear. So to get a new phone at the front of the capability curve is
very expensive, and will be considered nowhere near the front within a single
season. So your bang/buck ratio for spending that amount buying luxury just
doesn't go very far.
~~~
paulddraper
Exactly.
Compare that to a watch, clothes, or sunglasses, where an $X item today is the
same as an $X item next year.
------
tschwimmer
Here's one for $16k USD: [http://www.theverge.com/2016/5/31/11818358/sirin-
labs-solari...](http://www.theverge.com/2016/5/31/11818358/sirin-labs-solarin-
privacy-smartphone-hands-on-photos)
The website is the most over the top displays of form over function I've ever
seen: [https://www.sirinlabs.com/](https://www.sirinlabs.com/)
~~~
euyyn
That sphere's awesome, though :D
------
detaro
Luxury smartphones exist, but they are mostly variants of existing smartphones
with bling added (gold, diamonds, ...), I think sometimes sold with concierge
services and stuff like that. People don't care that much about technical
differences, especially since they wouldn't be all that large. Current top-of-
the-line smartphones already are pretty dang close to the maximum that is
technically possible at any given time. A few more extra features (stuff like
multi-sim, bigger memory) might work out, but that's not something people are
willing to pay a lot more money for.
------
dtnewman
1) It costs a lot of money to develop smartphones. To justify a higher price,
you'd need to spend a lot of money on people to develop a better phone. It's
almost certain that you won't be able to compete with Google or Apple on
research budget since there are a limited number of people willing to spend
$10,000+ on a phone, so your market is gonna be small.
2) People don't want to switch ecosystems. Say you develop a new platform to
compete with Android and ios and you come up with something better (that's a
big if). Assuming only your $10k+ phones have that new OS, developers won't
want to make apps for your phone. So you'll end up needing to be compatible
with Android in order to get access to all of their apps. Most likely, you'll
end up just using Android like some Vertu phones do. And then people will
wonder why they are spending so much money on a phone that is basically just
an Android phone and does the same thing as any other Android phone. Maybe
you'll have slightly higher specs, but the flagship phones from the current
big companies already have specs that are high enough for most users.
3) Cellphones become outdated quickly. If I spend $10K on a phone, I'm still
not going to want to use it in 10 years from now. A lot of luxury items are
made to last for a long time. I have sunglasses (not particularly luxurious
ones) that are 12 years old. I'll concede that many luxury items are _not_
made to last long, but for many of them, there is at least a perception of
quality.
4) Cellphones stay in your pocket and aren't as visible as many luxury items
such as bags or clothing.
------
wodenokoto
An old watch doesn't become bad at telling time, so you can invest a lot of
money in it and keep it as jewellery for a long time.
A smart phone ends up being bad at being a smart phone after a few years. Apps
stop working, web pages start loading slowly etc.
So there is much more prestige in getting the new iPhone before your peers,
than owning an expensive-on-the-outside, but slow on the inside phone.
With that being said, there are companies that will tear your iPhone apart and
place it inside a gold enclosure and others that will sell extremely expensive
handsets. I tried talking to a jeweller about vertu phones back when they were
still Nokia phones, and he tried to explain to me that people who invest
~$15.000 in a phone don't care about screen resolution or OS versions. I
didn't understand why anybody would pay extra to get what was essentially a
2-3 year old.
------
RichardHeart
For the same reason there's not really any $10,000 cpu's, monitors, keyboards.
You can charge more, but you can't add much more value, and if managed to, you
might have to charge 100k. Some things are very very hard to make better. I
predict posts with laser projectors and extremely rare and marginally better
tech after this :)
~~~
wodenokoto
$100k watch doesn't tell time better than a $10 watch.
But phones, like watches are very much a fashionable accessory, so it should
be ripe for the same high-price segments as watches.
~~~
fileoffset
You may find that most, if not all 100k+ watches are full automatics of
varying complications. When someone makes a wholly mechanical smart phone,
then yeah, they will probably charge 100k for it ;)
------
wmf
There are some bling-encrusted luxury phones like Vertu. In terms of power, it
isn't really possible to build anything more powerful than flagship phones.
~~~
noobermin
Took a look at those, they aren't very attractive.
------
bsvalley
Because I don't think it would be a multi-billion $ business. It has to be
something more than just a smartphone.
------
olegkikin
Because producing a custom powerful phone (not just adding diamonds) will
likely cost you much more than $10K per.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
The end of dumb software - wyday
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2009/09/the-end-of-dumb-software.html
======
patio11
The web/cloud does not automatically make software "smart". _Programmers_ make
software smart. Everything else is an implementation detail.
Your addressbook does not automatically hook up with trusted friends to update
because you just glossed over about five or six Certifiably Hard Problems such
as a) proving identity, b) disambiguating names, c) trust, and d) doing it all
with a GUI which will not cause a big-thinker-no-technical-skills-marketing-
consultant to say "Why do the freaking engineers make it so I need a PhD in
graph theory to use my freaking address book? How hard does an address book
need to be? I put a name in once, I type it again, it comes back out? Sheesh,
do your jobs, people!"
------
byrneseyeview
All the problems he's describing could be solved in about five minutes, if he
were using Emacs' org-mode, bbdb, and VM-mode or Gnus to read mail. But only
if he'd spent a couple hours learning them first.
There are tradeoffs with every kind of software. That little screenshot he
posted is _beautiful_ ; time spent making a program beautiful is time not
spent making it functional.
_The ability to run these little utility programs on the command line is a
great virtue of Unix, and one that is unlikely to be duplicated by pure GUI
operating systems. The wc command, for example, is the sort of thing that is
easy to write with a command line interface. It probably does not consist of
more than a few lines of code, and a clever programmer could probably write it
in a single line. In compiled form it takes up just a few bytes of disk space.
But the code required to give the same program a graphical user interface
would probably run into hundreds or even thousands of lines, depending on how
fancy the programmer wanted to make it. Compiled into a runnable piece of
software, it would have a large overhead of GUI code. It would be slow to
launch and it would use up a lot of memory. This would simply not be worth the
effort, and so "wc" would never be written as an independent program at all.
Instead users would have to wait for a word count feature to appear in a
commercial software package._
[http://adam.shand.net/iki/library/in_the_beginning_was_the_c...](http://adam.shand.net/iki/library/in_the_beginning_was_the_command_line/)
Sorry, Seth.
~~~
mattmanser
Normal people don't use command lines as it's not discoverable, they can
barely type, it's a pain, easy to forget, etc.
And compared to 1998 when the article you cite was written, normal people also
have supercomputers sitting in their living rooms where time to launch for
1,000s of lines of code is instant, for all intents and purposes.
We have APIs, Flash, Silverlight, WPF, Java and many, many more to take away
the pain of writing GUI code.
"time spent making a program beautiful is time not spent making it functional"
Try telling that to all the people who bought an IPhone. It's time to man up
and accept the fact that a good UI and hence UX is essential to modern
programming.
But feel free to go on living in 1998. I see the appeal, you get to point at
your emacs screen and do the old 'all I see now is blonde, brunette,
redhead...' ;)
~~~
KC8ZKF
Command Line or GUI is a false dichotomy. For example, both of you cite Emacs
as a command line tool, but I haven't used Emacs in a terminal for _years_.
The Emacs I use today is a Cocoa application with pull down menus, drag and
drop, etc. (I still wouldn't call it pretty, or a good example of user
interface, but not because it is a CLI.)
------
jvdh
It is stupefying that this article is written now, and there is not a single
reference to semantic web, or artificial intelligence research.
This problem has been identified decades ago, years of research have gone into
it, and some solutions have been identified. Granted, most solutions are not
workable, precisely because they try to be too smart, which ends up not
working either.
But just saying "why is my meeting scheduled at 2am?" or "why doesn't it
recognize names?" or calling out "This is the end of dumb software!" is being
dumb yourself. Seth could've at least done a little bit of research.
~~~
_pius
All I kept thinking about throughout this article was the semantic web.
------
Tichy
Unfortunately, often it ends up being very annoying when the computer tries to
be smart. Not to say it can't be done, but the PC's helping hand is not always
welcome.
~~~
silentbicycle
Yeah, when a program _tries_ to be smart and repeatedly, helpfully "corrects"
what you're doing, it often just gets in the way or corrupts your work.
Word is the first example that comes to mind (for myself, and many people).
One such situation is they way that git just punts on hard merge decisions -
coming up with accurate heuristics for complex merging is very difficult, but
the programmer responsible for the merged content can usually make the
decisions easily. This frees git up to focus instead on storing and
propagating those decisions well.
~~~
encoderer
Trouble is, you don't notice the thousand times when Word corrects a "teh", a
caps "MIstake", or an apostrophe screw-up.
But we do notice when it changes acronyms and other things in a way that makes
us ctrl+z the auto-correct.
~~~
stcredzero
A part of the problem is the top-down mandated idea of what is "correct." If
these things can be adaptive in a non-intrusive way, then it can all be like
"teh" and "MIstake." I would _love_ to stop telling new word processors to
stop correcting Smalltalk. I wonder if there's any way to keep information
like that around with you? I can _try_ to do 100% of my word processing on
Google docs, but, am I ever going to get there?
Preferences like this need to be tended by operating systems. If I tell one
text editor widget about "Smalltalk," there's no reason why all of them across
the system shouldn't know about it.
~~~
ptomato
"If I tell one text editor widget about "Smalltalk," there's no reason why all
of them across the system shouldn't know about it."
It is on OS X. (Leaving aside software that implements its own spellchecking,
of course.)
------
euroclydon
If only Stalin's goons had had access to the top five people you talk with and
where and when you meet them, all on a centralized network. They could have
gone home early to spend quality time with their families rather than stake
people out and interrogate them.
~~~
desu
Like, say, Facebook?
------
morphir
This has been solved. The solution is called DCI. Data Context Interaction. A
new paradigm where you design your software according to the end users mental
model. Understand DCI and you should be able to craft software that makes more
sense per usability. Trygve Reenskaug has explained why the traditional MVC is
flawed.
ref. <http://www.artima.com/articles/dci_visionP.html>
~~~
jjs
> _A new paradigm where you design your software according to the end users
> mental model. Understand DCI and you should be able to craft software that
> makes more sense per usability._
If you understand the end-user's mental model, your biggest gains will be from
sales and marketing.
~~~
DenisM
There is no contradiction - understanding user's mental model helps both
marketing and code structure. It pays to structure code in such ways as to
ease absorption of new requirements, and the DCI claim is that they have a
better idea how to do this compared to MVC or other approaches. I recommend
reading the linked article, it's long but worthwhile.
------
fnid
_I_ can't wait for the end of dumb software _users_.
~~~
omouse
What do you mean?
~~~
fnid
I mean users like the author of that blog who think just because he can think
of a feature it is easy to implement. I mean users who create a meeting at 2am
instead of 2pm and get mad at the software for not warning them of their
mistake. I mean dumb like people who create 10,000 contacts and get mad at the
software for not automatically deleting the ones they don't care about
anymore.
What he is suggesting is just absurd. If it actually did do what he wanted,
he'd get pissed off like the guy the other day who got mad because apple's
time machine automatically deleted some year old backups of his system to make
room for the latest backup.
------
makecheck
His examples tend to focus on sources of data. Arguably, a desktop program
doesn't have to care where its data comes from, and it doesn't even directly
need web features to be smart.
For instance, what is the difference, really, between using address book data
that's entered entirely manually by the user, and data that may have been
partially synchronized from somewhere on the web? As long as it ends up in the
format the program expects, it can appear "smart". The program itself doesn't
need a sync feature, as long as _something_ can sync that understands its
formats.
So the issue, to me, is that programs just need more open data formats, and
there need to be more handy services (like sync programs) that deal with those
formats.
------
jimfl
I honestly don't see what developing for the web does to encourage smarter
applications? Is it things like "If I do this, I have to round-trip to the
server over the WAN?" or "If I do this, I have to ask the asshole middle-tier
developer for something?"
In fact, more and more desktop applications ARE web applications, they just
don't use a web browser as a client. I suspect that Godin is a little bit off
the curve here, and the moment is going to shift back toward the desktop (AIR
and other sorts of things) where developers can build rich applications
without having to hassle through the browser compatibility issues that can
cripple teams.
------
dangrover
One of the apps I'm working on solves his Address Book problem. It aggregates
your interactions with others using the Spotlight database and by crawling
your chat logs and (probably not in 1.0) interactions on sites.
------
setth
Meetings can be at 2 A.M ...you never know....What you think is not always
right..sometimes.....
------
edw519
Please say it ain't so. I love dumb software.
Every time I see dumb software (which is just about every day), my juices get
going with all kinds of ways to do it better.
I became a programmer because I thought it would be fun and a nice living.
I remain a programmer because there is still so much to do. And thanks to dumb
software, there probably always will be.
~~~
unalone
So your argument is that you like broken software so that you can go fix it?
That sounds exactly like what Godin's asking for.
------
subbu
Xobni has identified such dumbness in Outlook. I am sure there are quite a few
areas where desktop needs to learn from the Internet world.
------
zeynel1
The first issue is not related to dumbness. It is handled usually with a pop
up window that shows you the entire text when hovered.
Second issue can be handled as an option: "all my appointments are in business
hours."
Maybe Seth Godin wants that infamous paper clip back: "I see you are drafting
a letter. Let me help..."
~~~
watt
his point, for the second issue, is that the option should be on by default.
and that makes sense.
however, the sad thing about article is that it shows Seth does not understand
software development. There is no people who make "desktop" vs "web" software.
Mostly this is the same group of people: software developers, and we all are
alike - only difference is the delivery platform.
And the specifics of the selected delivery platform does not provide any
qualitative difference for code that runs on it. Basically: you can make
crappy desktop apps, and crappy web apps. The address book does not become
good magically, because it is rendered as HTML page.
To finalize my point, the default state of software is "crap". Anything else
must be engineered on top of the underlying "crap". The "why my software does
not do (blindingly obvious) thing X" articles are amusing (function as bug
reports, or invent insightful features), but are orthogonal to actual
development of software, unfortunately.
Software will continue to slowly evolve, there is no qualitative leap coming.
~~~
Agent101
A leap may come when we can reduce the cost of development by off-loading more
of the work on to computers. However that is not just around the corner. And
nothing to do with web development.
------
duncanj
"Dumb software" -- FTFY (title)
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Sunsetting Tor Messenger - nimbs
https://blog.torproject.org/sunsetting-tor-messenger
======
VikingCoder
I think about trying to hide the metadata of who is communicating...
I wonder about a public stream of end-to-end encrypted messages.
Anyone can add a message to the stream.
Everyone reads all of the messages, and tries to decrypt all of them.
There are lots of variants to this, lots of ways to optimize it, probably lots
of ways to implement it. But that's the core idea.
One variant is that what everyone downloads is just enough of a message
metadata identifier to see if they're the intended recipient (something about
Bloom Filters or PGP Signatures or something, I dunno). Then, if you are the
intended recipient, you request the message contents itself. To obscure which
messages were for you, you also download some very large number of other
messages.
Something about microtransaction fees to pay for all of it. Maybe something
about distributed ledger. Mumble, mumble. Maybe messages only live for X days
or something.
Thoughts?
~~~
derefr
I believe there is a Usenet newsgroup, somewhere under alt.binaries, that's
effectively a numbers station: it's just GPG-encrypted (but not signed) blobs
with no titles. Anyone can post, anyone can listen, everyone has to download
everything to figure out which things they can personally decrypt.
Sadly, googling related keywords doesn't seem to pull up the name of the
newsgroup. I believe I read about it during a discussion on a Tor onion-site
forum, on "why people keep getting caught doing illegal things on Tor, and
what _real_ OPSEC looks like."
~~~
kstrauser
I think you're thinking of Mixmaster:
[http://mixmaster.sourceforge.net/faq.shtml](http://mixmaster.sourceforge.net/faq.shtml)
~~~
schoen
More likely alt.anonymous.messages, as a Usenet newsgroup.
------
tribby
ricochet[1] is my preferred option for situations that would require something
like tor messenger (which is very few situations, but I digress). I like that
the UX has a built-in threat model (e.g. "do you really want to click on
this?")
TAILS users can't use it because tor-over-tor is weird (ricochet uses its own
tor process). but it looks like it's getting close.[2]
1\. [https://ricochet.im/](https://ricochet.im/)
2\.
[https://labs.riseup.net/code/issues/8173](https://labs.riseup.net/code/issues/8173)
~~~
Boulth
I wish the page had screenshots. That's usually a good measure of how the
software is maintained. Currently the page mentions that it's "experimental".
As far as I can see currently the only widely used, secure protocols are
Matrix and XMPP with OMEMO.
~~~
jerheinze
> I wish the page had screenshots.
The Github page has one: [https://github.com/ricochet-
im/ricochet/](https://github.com/ricochet-im/ricochet/)
> As far as I can see currently the only widely used, secure protocols are
> Matrix and XMPP with OMEMO.
secure != metadata free
~~~
hnarn
Well, that placeholder conversation in the screenshot sure made me cringe.
That being said, I look forward to it being integrated and working with Tails.
~~~
Ajedi32
Yeah. I haven't watched that show in a while, but isn't Phineas usually
supposed to be totally oblivious to Isabella's advances?
------
buovjaga
Retroshare now provides a Tor version:
[https://retroshareteam.wordpress.com/2018/03/13/release-
note...](https://retroshareteam.wordpress.com/2018/03/13/release-notes-
for-v0-6-4/)
> Running Retroshare over Tor has a number of definite advantages: it does not
> require firewall management (Tor does it for you); you do not need a DHT to
> find your friends (Tor does it for you), and whatever code is tied to
> ensuring security of your IP information is not needed anymore.
~~~
e12e
How does tor "find your friends" (stand in for dht)?
Is this some new feature of the protocol/network?
~~~
e12e
I guess the idea is rather than a user@host identifier, that looks up via
first dns, then at protocol level on the host (eg look up mx record for
<host>; attempt rcpt to <user> via smtp) - or a dht protocol - one could
simply use a tor node identifier as user identifier. Which might make rotating
keys hard - but at least that makes sense; onion "addresses" are unique and
"secure".
------
sandworm101
Would like to read, but it looks like my work is blocking access to
torproject.org. I had not realized that this sort of blocking was in place.
Gauntlet thrown. My project for today is now to gain access to Torproject on
my work machine. Bonus points for installing and running Tor without elevated
privileges.
~~~
jerheinze
Here are some links you may try,
[https://via.hypothes.is/https://blog.torproject.org/sunsetti...](https://via.hypothes.is/https://blog.torproject.org/sunsetting-
tor-messenger)
[https://web.archive.org/web/https://blog.torproject.org/suns...](https://web.archive.org/web/https://blog.torproject.org/sunsetting-
tor-messenger)
[https://archive.fo/U8jHR](https://archive.fo/U8jHR)
[https://archive.is/U8jHR](https://archive.is/U8jHR)
[https://archive.today/U8jHR](https://archive.today/U8jHR)
> Bonus points for installing and running Tor without elevated privileges.
Try
[https://github.com/TheTorProject/GetTorBrowser](https://github.com/TheTorProject/GetTorBrowser)
then use meek-amazon as a pluggable transport to get it working if your
network censors Tor traffic.
~~~
sandworm101
Reading the material on other pages is cheating. I'm trying to bypass the
blockade altogether, disproving its utility. Similarly, the issue isn't
slipping the tor traffic through the firewall but actually installing the
software on a machine theoretically configured to prevent installation of
software.
~~~
quetzlcoati
Send an email or XMPP message to gettor@torproject.org, or a Twitter DM to
@get_tor, to receive links to download Tor via GitHub, Dropbox and Google
Drive.
The download is a zip file that can be extracted and run anywhere without
installation.
Include the word 'linux' or 'osx' in the body of the message to get a binary
for those platforms.
~~~
jerheinze
Github link is easy to remember without sending an email or twitter DM:
[https://github.com/TheTorProject/GetTorBrowser](https://github.com/TheTorProject/GetTorBrowser)
------
nukeop
Matrix.org/Riot.im has all the encryption you could wish for, a modern, useful
interface, and a federated model in which everyone can run their own server
and talk to everyone else, just like email.
~~~
edhelas
As far as I remember you needed quite big servers if you wanted to "federate"
with others, like join big chatroom because Matrix will try to replicate the
history and keep it in sync. Is it still the case?
~~~
Arathorn
Yes, if you want to participate in rooms with >10K users or >500 servers you
need quite a large box (several GB of RAM) - although over the last few weeks
we had several massive algorithmic performance breakthroughs which should help
this _a lot_. these are currently being tested and implemented in Synapse (the
python impl).
------
datamoshr
I think the world of secure messaging is in an odd-way at the moment. It feels
a bit like competing standards at this point[1]. I'm personally still using
signal as the metadata shared by Wire is way too much imho.
Even more interestingly the EFF has stopped trying to recommend the best one
and instead is encouraging the users to do their own reasearch (even redirects
old urls[2])
1\. [https://xkcd.com/927/](https://xkcd.com/927/)
2\. [https://www.eff.org/secure-messaging-
scorecard](https://www.eff.org/secure-messaging-scorecard)
~~~
BuildTheRobots
Signal is great; except there's also tonnes of metadata.
If I'm trying to talk to someone anonymously, having to give them my phone
number somewhat defeats that anonymity. Even having it installed is
potentially dangerous; it scans your phone book and suggests other signal
users (thereby outing you as a user in the first place).
~~~
reitanqild
I'll defend Signal here. This is all about your threat model:
My threat model includes:
\- kids in my house
\- Facebook selling my data to insurance companies
\- future employers googling me
\- etc
It does not include:
\- NSA
\- local police (in 2018)
I'll still try to give away as little as possible as while I trust local
authorities now I've no reason to be sure I can trust them in 5, 10 or 20
years (see Turkey).
In my case Signal seems reasonable for _some things_ and _for now_.
Personally I'm also annoying all crypto experts here by using Telegram for
some communication and I might even use postcards for other communication (and
there might even be communication channels I use but never talk about).
------
prabhaav
We are building [https://www.stealthy.im](https://www.stealthy.im),
decentralized, encrypted messaging with WebRTC.
Would love your thoughts & feedback on how we could better meet your needs!
~~~
untog
What is your thought on WebRTC exposing user IP addresses?
[https://www.ovpn.com/en/blog/webrtc-might-expose-your-ip-
add...](https://www.ovpn.com/en/blog/webrtc-might-expose-your-ip-address-
despite-vpn/)
~~~
prabhaav
Great question untog, we have webrtc as a convenience and you can turn it off
in “Snowden Mode”
------
jayess
What ever happened to mixminion and mixmaster?
------
waynenilsen
I find Tox[1] to be a reasonable messenger.
[1] [https://tox.chat/](https://tox.chat/)
~~~
giancarlostoro
There's a lot of shady stuff surrounding Tox though see:
[https://github.com/irungentoo/toxcore/issues/1379](https://github.com/irungentoo/toxcore/issues/1379)
Also:
[https://blog.tox.im/2016/04/01/litigation/](https://blog.tox.im/2016/04/01/litigation/)
I rather support KeyBase or Wire (Open Source back-end exists and I think the
clients are open source too!) as an alternative. I'm leaning cleanly toward
Wire, though everyone I've suggested KeyBase to enjoys it. I like the free
storage of KeyBase... sue me.
Edit:
Wire Github: [https://github.com/wireapp](https://github.com/wireapp)
~~~
entropie
keybase is awesome from day one. their android client is just horrible slow
and unresponsive.
i hoping for a fix soon.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Run your own job board - Giorgi
http://www.jobberbase.com
======
there
aren't all of these separate job board sites diluting the results for
employers? if i were to post a job opening, i'd want to expand my reach for
candidates, not shrink it by only posting to a low-traffic niche site.
maybe someone should make a service that can spam a single job opening to the
dozens of new job boards popping up (jobs.37signals, crunchboard,
jobs.joelonsoftware, etc.)
~~~
filipcte
Niched job boards are good if they are run by professionals from those niches
-- and jobberBase aims to help those people start such job boards. Large
recruitment websites can be too general and it becomes very hard to filter out
the noise they bring.
------
ibsulon
Jobberbase are belong to us?
(What? It's not like any real discussion was happening in here.)
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Ask HN: Job searches don't have to suck, do they? - LanceJones
We're working on a 'Hipmunk' for hacker job searches, and we'd love to hear from this community about what's important in a job search.<p>What drives your search? Is it 'job first' or 'company first'?<p>We can imagine job/company location is pretty important, but what about understanding the customer problem the company is trying to solve? How important is that to you in your search?<p>What about the day-to-day perks of working for an organization (e.g., 4-day week, choice of hardware, free lunches, etc.)?<p>Would information about a company's success in the market (as much as can be shared publically) be highly relevant to your search?<p>And finally, how do you discover what great new companies are out there to work for?
======
ig1
It varies a lot between hackers.
Someone working in say the financial sector or in gaming is much more likely
to want to move within that sector than say someone working on web design
where industry is secondary to technology.
Also location has a big impact how some searches for a job, someone in SF or
NY who has a wide range of options is more likely to be picky about multiple
factors, while someone in a tech backwater is much more likely to care about
company success (as losing your job is much more serious) but may also be
willing to travel much further to work.
There's also a lot of factors which relatively few developers care about (4
day work week, whether the company will allow you to work on open source
projects in your own time) but the developers who care about them _care a
lot_.
I run a developer job board in the UK so I obviously spent a fair amount of
time thinking about these things :)
If you want to chat feel free to drop me an email, happy to share advice from
my own experience.
------
mgkimsal
Factors for me in order: * Location (or telecommute options) * Pay range *
Problem space * Perks/benefits * Other
By location I'd generally mean what's nearby me, but secondarily, if I was
ever considering a move, that target destination would obviously come in to
play.
Pay range - I really need to have an idea about pay scale/range from a
company. It's really annoying that more companies don't offer a range up
front. It might attract the wrong crowd, perhaps, but it might also help
people be a bit more realistic about the value a company places on them.
Problem space is less important to me for a couple reasons. I've worked in a
range of domains over the past 16 years, and have found I can adapt to most
problem domains, and am generally equally happy in all. I don't have a huge
push to be in telecom vs education vs retail - the problems each industry face
can be as interesting as you want to make them.
Perks - they're nice to have, but I'm not driving 2 hours per day just for a
free gym membership. They've never been a deciding factor for me. 401k
contributions - nice, sure. I've generally never pursued 'jobs' in such a way
that I had 3-5 offers at the same time, so I'm not sure how much of a deciding
factor they ever _would_ be, but I think the other factors would generally
outweigh most perks.
------
dennyferra
1\. Location (I currently commute at least 2 hours a day) 2\. Pay and Benefits
(Married, 2 kids, house) 3\. Work environment / culture (Hardest part to
determine*) 4\. Perks (Coffee, gym, flexibility, etc) 5\. Everything else
I feel that understanding the problem space comes lower in the list of factors
for me. I might be more inclined to work in a tech focused company but if
factors 1-4 above are met at a company that works in agriculture... well then
give me a straw hat, some overalls and I'm in.
The one thing that sucks for me is gauging the company culture. Phone or face-
to-face interviews just don't cut it. And unless you know someone who works at
the place it's difficult to get a good idea of what the place is really like
to work at. I wish I could watch a video of people just working at the place.
Show me how the meetings go, show me how you guys deploy code, show me a
developer working on something, show me what happens when an issue in
production comes up. ~ There's an idea, video job postings!
How do I discover great new companies? Search, search, search, interview & ask
questions, talk to developers, go to meetups and talk to the people there,
blog, tweet, hope something interesting somehow makes it in front of my
eyeballs.
Oh and one other tip (not my site): <http://dearrecruiters.com/>
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Google cloud outage - thomassharoon
https://status.cloud.google.com/incident/cloud-networking/20004
======
qmarchi
Heyo Googler here.
The problem was a mix between another cloud provider and GCP.
Dare I say, there should be little customer impact as of 13:37 PST.....
The status dashboard is going to be your best idea on information.
~~~
svacko
Is the another cloud provider AWS? I could see tons of connection timeoutes
between GCP & S3/Elasticsearch service.
Hope everything is resolved now for good.
~~~
judge2020
Seems AWS, connection to gmail's smtp relay also started timing out.
------
nammi
We were seeing timeouts in east-1. I don't know what "normal" looks like, but
Pingdom's map seems to show the whole east coast as affected
[https://livemap.pingdom.com/](https://livemap.pingdom.com/)
------
svacko
yeah, our GKE pods running in us-east1 were dying ~90minutes ago like crazy...
hope they are gonna resolve this soon. not the luckiest day for Google, nor us
------
x__x
I was bummed out when Siteground moved all their cloud accounts over G,
without telling their customers beforehand
------
kgraves
This is extremely concerning as somebody looking to move or build on top of
GCP for the long term. I wonder why anyone would choose GCP if outages are
occurring on a regular basis.
~~~
pgodzin
Any evidence they happen more frequently that the other clouds?
------
tagux
"We had a router failure in Atlanta".
WHAT? You kidding us?
Urs Hölzle, technical infrastructure at Google Cloud senior vice president,
said, "We're very sorry about that! We had a router failure in Atlanta, which
affected traffic routed through that region. Things should be back to normal
now. Just to make sure: This wasn't related to traffic levels or any kind of
overload, our network is not stressed by COVID-19."
~~~
ocdtrekkie
Was it like... a hardware failure? If you serve more than 100 people you
probably should have redundant routers. Was it a configuration issue that
replicated over to multiple devices at least, I hope?
~~~
toast0
Have you worked with redundant routers? They certainly reduce the number of
outages, but sometimes the hardware (or software) fails in exciting ways that
doesn't engage the redundancy, or doesn't engage it properly, and you still
get an outage (or you get an outage that wouldn't have happened). Or
sometimes, one circuit is out of service for repair or upgrade, and the other
circuit is connected to the router that failed. And routing for the AS that
travels on that circuit was set not to fallback to transit because the last
time that happened, it caused major issues.
I have no specific knowledge of today's events, but this sort of thing
happens. You can get the number of incidents down pretty low, but not to zero.
~~~
ocdtrekkie
I have. I am just highlighting that the problem surely should be more complex
than described. Or that their redundancy for these events was not adequately
devised.
~~~
toast0
Google often releases a pretty solid post-mortem, which will give the detail
of the event. The level of detail appropriate for same-day release is really
'router failure' or 'power failure' or 'software failure' or 'vehicle drove
into the building failure'. Expecting more than 'we know what it was, and we
fixed it' or 'we don't know what it was, but it stopped happening' or 'yes,
we're working on it' on a same-day twitter post is unreasonable.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Real World Divorce: Introduction - lisper
http://www.realworlddivorce.com/Introduction
======
pedalpete
The initial intro is an interesting read, I wonder if a catchier title would
make this a best-seller. It could be in the horror section.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Tesla wants to power your home with a battery - ghshephard
http://money.cnn.com/2015/04/22/technology/tesla-home-battery/
======
ghshephard
"Those batteries start at about $13,000, though California's Pacific Gas and
Electric Co. (PCG) offers customers a 50% rebate. "
For the summer, California E-6 Residential rates are $.32/kWh during peak
times, $0.13/kWh during off peak. If your house is using, say, 4 kW, for 5
hours during peak - then that 20 kWh will cost save you 20 * ($0.32-$0.13) =
$3.80/day in power costs, approx $115/month. Do that for 4 months/year ,that's
$460/year. With a 5 year life, that battery would need to be less than $2300
to come out even. [http://cleantechnica.com/2014/09/05/teslas-gigafactory-
may-h...](http://cleantechnica.com/2014/09/05/teslas-gigafactory-may-h..).
suggests that $100/kWh is in the ballpark.
@$6500 net, after rebates, that would mean the Tesla battery would have to be
on the order of 65 kWh to be a no brainer, which is unlikely given that they
were, according to the article, previously demoing a 10 kWh battery.
I'm sure they've thought it through though, so will be nice to see where my
math around $100 kWh is wrong.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Rethinking Streets for Bikes - dsego
http://rethinkingstreets.com/
======
crote
I quickly read through this. Context: I'm Dutch and live in Utrecht, The
Netherlands.
This booklet has one massive flaw: it is constructed using American best-
practices. At best, a couple of examples could be considered almost
acceptable. Most of them were woefully inadequate and consist of little more
than a blob of quickly-fading green paint in ill-considered positions. Worst
of all, several examples are clearly flawed, and to me seem even more
dangerous than not having any infrastructure at all.
If the goal is to show to unimaginative people that it is indeed physically
possible to create something resembling bike infrastructure, then it will do
fine. But if you're trying to actually create a good, safe, well-used cycling
network, then this is not the way to do it.
If you want good examples, go visit something like
[https://bicycledutch.wordpress.com/](https://bicycledutch.wordpress.com/) .
This booklet almost reads as if it was written by someone who has only heard
about cycling infrastructure, but never actually lived in a city which has it.
The intention is there, but there's an even longer way to go.
Some trivial stuff to change:
\- Add green dye to the asphalt instead of adding a layer of green paint. This
means that it will not fade. \- Color the whole cycle path, not just a few
small parts of it. You're trying to create a continuous network, remember? \-
Don't use a zebra-crossing style striping at crossings. A continuous green bar
would be way easier to see and interpret as something to stop for. \- Don't
create turn boxes. They are always in dangerous positions and there are better
alternatives.
But most important of all: don't just add cycle paths to your main car roads.
You wouldn't add a sidewalk and crosswalk to an interstate, would you? Create
the main cycle routes on secondary streets, and make them unattractive for
cars.
~~~
syndacks
I recently visited Amsterdam and was blown away by the cycling infrastructure
there (I live in NYC and cycle daily).
I realized, though, that unlike many American cities, Amsterdam came of age
way before the automobile. The US has a fetish with cars.
Therefore, it's impossible to compare the two countries' cycling
infrastructures. The link you shared is so far beyond anything we have in the
US; you can't simply say "this is how it should be done".
Instead, we have to start somewhere small and make incremental changes until a
tipping point ocurrs. Add more bike lanes, introduce bike share programs, etc.
Since I've lived in NYC the amount of cyclists has increased steadily. I'm
hopeful this trend will occur as programs like OP are continually introduced.
Overall I agree with you, I just think the historical contexts are
fundamentally different. American cities will approach Amsterdam...in a few
hundred years :)
~~~
welder
> I realized, though, that unlike many American cities, Amsterdam came of age
> way before the automobile. The US has a fetish with cars.
No, Amsterdam also loved cars. It was activism that turned it into a bicycle
heaven.
[https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/may/05/amsterdam-
bic...](https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/may/05/amsterdam-bicycle-
capital-world-transport-cycling-kindermoord)
~~~
icebraining
See also
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YY6PQAI4TZE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YY6PQAI4TZE),
about the Amsterdam neighbourhood De Pijp fight for a play street without cars
in 1972.
~~~
Udik
Thank you for this link. I moved to Amsterdam less than three years ago, and
the difference between what is shown in the video and how the whole city is
now is just unbelievable. It's a testament and a lesson on how it's possible
to really vastly transform things for better, with time and will.
Hemonystraat, one of the streets cited in the video, now:
[https://www.google.it/maps/@52.3567496,4.9026422,3a,58.5y,13...](https://www.google.it/maps/@52.3567496,4.9026422,3a,58.5y,137.85h,87.62t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1ses9alBsdaQ6J6U_BonNvHQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656)
------
cletus
So when I last visited Perth, I bought a bicycle and rode around a lot. Google
Maps was helpful here in showing where the bike paths are. While other people
might feel fine riding in traffic I never have and probably never will.
Honestly I just don't trust drivers, particularly in this era of smartphones.
Anyway, there are vast differences in what people view as a bike path. Take
Reid Highway as an example [1]. Those strips on either side of the road are
the bike path. This is a highway with a speed limit of 90kph (~55mph), which
probably means people are really going 120kph on what is essentially the hard
shoulder.
There's no way in hell I'd ride on that. Personally I considered something
like this stretch of Morley Drive [2] to be a good standard of biking
infrastructure, for several reasons:
1\. Wide bike path separated from the road
2\. The road has a wide median strip. I can't tell you how much this helps in
crossing busy roads.
3\. The bike path isn't right up against the walls of residential properties.
This can be a real nightmare for visibility of cars pulling out.
4\. Bike paths shouldn't be clogged with pedestrian traffic either as in if
it's a busy pedestrian area, have a separate pedestrian path.
Personally I just like to find long residential streets with minimal busy road
crossings. You can fly down those things and don't have to second guess what
cars are doing most of the time.
As for America in particular, I've said it once and I'll say it again the most
anti-cyclist (and anti-pedestrian) rule is the ability to turn right at a red
light and it's almost universal in the country. Even in places where it's
technically illegal (eg the five boroughs of NYC) you have people who either
don't know or don't care (eg once I told some driver fairly calmly after they
did it and stopped at the traffic 50 feet down the road that it was illegal in
NYC they told me to go F myself).
[1] [https://goo.gl/maps/MfLB58HyZHJ2](https://goo.gl/maps/MfLB58HyZHJ2)
[2] [https://goo.gl/maps/wAnsF4HUqPA2](https://goo.gl/maps/wAnsF4HUqPA2)
------
ilaksh
Designing to accommodate bikes is the right direction but I wonder if a city
could be designed to have a actual physical separation between large vehicles
and small ones. Just because of the physics people on bikes are likely to be
injured or killed by much larger cars in the event of a collision.
~~~
twblalock
The places where people ride bikes en masse, like Amsterdam, have physical
separation. Very few people want to have cars whizzing by a few feet from
their elbows. If you want people to seriously consider cycling as anything
other than a hobby you need physical separation of bicycles from cars.
Unfortunately cycling advocacy organizations in the United States tend to be
opposed to physical separation.
~~~
ams6110
Why is that? I've seen that: dedicated, separated bike paths are unused, and
cyclists continue to ride in the street with the cars.
~~~
brippalcharrid
Cycle lanes tend to be designed for speeds below that which a cyclist of even
average ability is capable (otherwise, they would tend to more closely
resemble roads).
Sheltered from motorised traffic, they cater to a wider age, experience and
ability range, and the fact that they are typically narrower than roads
exacerbates problems that arise from mixed-ability/experience users sharing
same facility.
Features of cycle lanes[1] tend to put cyclists in closer proximity to
pedestrians than they would be on a road, and this creates a lack of physical
and psychological separation that further reduces practical speed (and
utility). They also create new challenges such as situations[2] requiring a
cyclist to observe a 270°-arc on the approach to a junction. In the last
example, it doesn't matter if I have right of way, and it doesn't matter if
I'm wearing a helmet; all it takes is a motorist not to be paying attention or
to misjudge my speed and I could be the victim of a fatal accident, and that's
not a risk that I'm willing to take.
[1] [https://i.imgur.com/CkAxcE5.jpg](https://i.imgur.com/CkAxcE5.jpg) [2]
[https://i.imgur.com/0q9PadV.jpg](https://i.imgur.com/0q9PadV.jpg)
~~~
ndnxhs
Those multi use paths in my city are almost all full of people on their
phones. You basically have to go at walking pace.
~~~
crote
Or yell loudly at them. If the bike paths are obvious, people will quickly get
used to them, especially if they themselves also bike on them regularly.
But multi-use paths where pedestrians mix with cyclists should be avoided at
all costs.
------
choeger
Is anyone catching the irony that building cities for bikes is pretty much
like building cities for cars, just in a somewhat smaller scale? You need fast
lanes, parking lots, bad weather handling, crossings, cross roads, etc.
Will we in 20 years have even denser cities and then try to ban the bikes?
How about fighting the trend to ever denser cities? Allow for three or four
story buildings and leave it at that. Demand lots of space between buildings.
Build intelligent subways. And plant some effing trees now and then.
~~~
crote
What is ironic about it? There are already pedestrian-only zones in many
cities, aren't there?
Ironically, the aim should be towards the opposite you're suggesting. By
increasing the density and removing space between buildings, you are creating
a city where it is more viable to use bikes or walking as your main mode of
transportation. Subways are useless if your final destination isn't easily
walkable from your stop. Your goal shouldn't be to create a city for cars,
your goal should be to create a city where it is easy to get somewhere.
I do mostly agree with the three or four story height, though. This is the
proper height to use for most suburb-style developments, higher is only really
needed in the CBD.
------
mises
I appreciate a lot of the ideas of accommodating bikes, and think it's a
laudable goal. But it's not practical everywhere.
As an example, I have lived in Houston in the past for some time. It is huge -
I commuted roughly 20 miles each way. That's not "bikeable". And not everyone
goes to the same place. Some work downtown, but not nearly as many as you'd
think. The energy corridor is in an entirely separate area. Many people work
in the Woodlands. Some people have jobs out in Katy. Some work in the
industrial areas or near the ship channel.
And don't even get me started on the heat. Nobody wants to bike when it's 95
degrees out, even if you can shower once you reach your destination.
Many of the proposed solutions are centered around cities like New York: small
metropolitan areas to which everyone commutes with at least reasonable weather
and with reasonable distances. It's also very difficult to design good public
transportation for such a city as I described, especially since many of the
places I listed are technically different cities.
With that said, I would be interested in hearing ideas for how to solve a
problem like this. I and friends of mine have debated how to solve such an
issue before, and come away without an answer. If someone has an idea, let me
know.
~~~
crote
You're completely right, most cities just aren't built for cycling.
The solution is probably zoning. First, create smaller zones, resulting in
more diversity. Second, allow some light commercial use inside residential
areas. Ideally, stores like small supermarkets should always be within a
20-minute walking distance inside towns or cities. Third, create denser plots:
discourage single-story buildings, leave less space empty on the plots, and
create narrower roads.
The problem is the conversion, but it's doable over a longer period of time.
If the proper laws are in place, this is probably doable over a year or 50-75.
~~~
ListeningPie
Shortening the distances is not enough to solve the heat problem, when being
outside 5 minutes with moderate motion resulting in needing a shower.
~~~
mises
Exactly. Many people don't realize that Houston is not just hot but humid. How
much water would all those extra changes of clothes use? All those extra
showers?
------
porlune
Interesting, and a bit cyclical - roads were originally "smoothed" in the 19th
century because of lobbying from cyclist organizations.
[https://www.theguardian.com/environment/bike-
blog/2011/aug/1...](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/bike-
blog/2011/aug/15/cyclists-paved-way-for-roads)
Note: the obvious pun wasn't intentional, but I'm leaving it in because it's a
pun.
------
jdavis703
This might sound pedanatic but I hate when transportation choices are framed
as for cars or for bikes. Transportation is for people. Talking about and
designing our street infrastructure as if it’s designed for machines like cars
and bikes leads us to designing systems that aren’t very friendly to humans
(one needs to look no further than the ever increasing incidents of deaths for
people walking or riding a bike).
~~~
cletus
I'm not sure what the point of your comment is to be honest. Transportation
choices are made between different modes of transportation all the time.
There's no universally good option.
Take NYC where light changes happen about every 45 seconds. This is necessary
for pedestrians to be able to get anywhere and because the blocks are fairly
narrow (in the north-south direction) in Manhattan.
I've visited the Bay Area many times and it's a nightmare as a pedestrian. You
need to cross, say, Castro and El Camino Real and you might be waiting 3+
minutes for the light change to cross those 6 lanes of traffic (and you
probably have to be on your guard for inattentive drivers turning right at red
lights even when you have right-of-way.
I used to walk back to Mountain View from the Google campus along Shoreline in
the afternoons. That's where the on ramp is onto 101 South and it uses a
light-less system (I don't believe it's a full clover leaf?). Crossing that on
ramp to continue down Shoreline was essentially an exercise in waiting for
some driver to take pity on you to let you cross.
Clearly a choice has been made in favour of cars.
Urban planners also go out of their way to restrict traffic to 20mph in
pedestrian-heavy areas by narrowing lanes and decreasing distances between
lights because there's a huge increase in injuries and death to pedestrians by
going 30mph.
So a choice is made in favour of pedestrians here.
~~~
jdavis703
Examples of bad design thinking from the report:
* Decorative bike racks that make securing a bike more difficult.
* An expectation that people will feel comfortable riding feet away from vehicles traveling 35-40 MPH
* Shrugging off increased injuries on one redesigned street.
------
sunstone
One of the issues here is that it's very likely that e-bikes will start to
dominate regular bikes in near future. Because of their fast acceleration they
may well be more suited to the roads that cars currently dominate than to the
typical "bike lane" environment. Certainly the difference between an e-bike
and a regular bike is much bigger than would be expected at first glance.
Last year the Dutch bought more e-bikes than 'normal' bikes. And in terms of
the euro total amount it was even much more. [1]
[1][https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/mar/01/bike-
country-n...](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/mar/01/bike-
country-n0-1-dutch-electric-record-numbers-e-bikes-netherlands)
~~~
crote
The difference isn't that big in The Netherlands. Legally, e-bikes are limited
to 15mph, and the electric motor can only provide assistance. Faster pedelecs
are classified as mopeds and are mostly not allowed on bike paths for obvious
safety reasons.
In practice, I've not yet noticed this domination. Getting passed by an e-bike
does happen, but it's not very common.
~~~
sunstone
It may seem contrary to common sense but e-bikes primarily replace a car,
rather than a regular bike, for running chores within the range of about
10-15km. It's the range, and lack effort (sweat) that is compelling rather
than its speed.
------
csmeder
Here is a moon shot idea for US cities, by 2050:
1\. All car streets need to be under ground in tunnels
2\. All vehicles must be 100% electric
3\. Over ground traffic is limited to: walking, wheel chairs, bikes, scooters
and wide load special permit vehicles.
Forget Trump’s plan for going to the moon another time, can we do this
instead?
~~~
Misdicorl
The waste and cost of putting even a small percentage of road miles
underground is truly astounding. This isn't comparable to going to the moon.
It's comparable to turning every single family home into a thirty story
skyscraper.
------
ListeningPie
Why do journalists continue to compare American cities to Copenhagen or
Amsterdam when it comes to bicycle infrastructure and safety? I argue it is
primarily the climate followed by size.
In Denmark the climate is mild, with few hot summer days and even fewer snow
days that would make bicycling impossible. Comparing Boston average
temperatures to Copenhagen, Jan-Feb on average are 4 degrees C lower and July-
Aug are 7 degrees C hotter [1][2] in Boston. Then there are lists of America's
worst bicycling cities ranking Dallas, TX at the top, where average July-Aug
highs are 15 degrees higher than in Copenhagen [3]. Climate wise the cities
are very different.
If you can't bike to work everyday because of the weather then infrastructure
of bikes cannot replace car infrastructure. In Denmark bicycle infrastructure
can replace car infrastructure because the climate makes it possible to bike
work every month of the year. In even mild climate cities like Boston it
becomes much harder to be dependent on bicycles with hotter summers and colder
winters.
That's looking at the climate. Next, the Boston Urban area is 4.600 sq km with
4 million people, whereas Copenhagen is only 606 sq km with 1.6 million people
[Wikipedia]. Some back of the napkin calculations would make average travel
distances 3 times greater in Boston.
Because of the differences in climate, size and population between Copenhagen
and Boston, I do not consider bicycles a viable solution for Boston's
transport challenges and I extend this line of thinking to most American
Metropolitan centers.
[1]
[https://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=90527&cit...](https://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=90527&cityname=Boston-
Massachusetts-United-States-of-America)
[2]
[https://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=8160&city...](https://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=8160&cityname=Copenhagen
--United-States-of-America)
[3]
[https://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=95227&cit...](https://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=95227&cityname=Dallas-
Texas-United-States-of-America)
~~~
desas
> Why do journalists continue to compare American cities to Copenhagen or
> Amsterdam when it comes to bicycle infrastructure and safety? I argue it is
> primarily the climate followed by size.
Because they're the world leaders and something to aspire too
------
maddyboo
Dave Amos, one of the authors of this publication, has a YouTube channel
called City Beautiful [1] in which he covers issues around urban planning. It
is absolutely worth a watch.
[1]:
[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGc8ZVCsrR3dAuhvUbkbToQ](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGc8ZVCsrR3dAuhvUbkbToQ)
------
newshorts
I drove to the office 5 days last year. My bicycle is my primary form of
transportation and I have to say, it’s a wonderful way to live.
I doubt the US or local states/cities will properly implement bicycle
infrastructure anytime soon. Imaginative or not there’s just too much money to
be made by having everyone purchase cars.
------
provolone
Bike lanes in the US have always been in the areas where it is more dangerous
to ride. The mere presence of a bike lane instead of an undecorated shoulder
seems to confuse many as to what is possible or acceptable.
Riding and moving at speed with traffic will always be safer than getting
boxed in.
Bike only trails are typically filled with weaving inline-skaters, people
walking four abreast, and other hazards. Again, you're safer and faster when
you stick to the roads.
This typifies the attitude of "there aught to be a law" held by individuals
(usually those who have no intention of cycling seriously) waiting for the
state to take action and spend money to solve a non-problem.
The self-starter's solution is to take action and build up your cycling
skills.
------
provolone
How safe does 80mph freeway traffic feel for novice drivers?
Cycling is incredibly dangerous according to many here, but is it more
dangerous than heart disease?
------
jonnycomputer
so annoying that i have to register to download the pdf. ugh.
------
inamberclad
Looks like the full text is behind a paywall
~~~
crote
For "Rethinking streets with bikes":
Fill in any values on the form, they are for tracking purposes only. No mail
confirmation or payment required.
For "Rethinking streets":
The download link sends you to a registration form, but you can fill in any
random email address - no confirmation is sent and it directs you to the
download page at
[http://www.rethinkingstreets.com/download.html](http://www.rethinkingstreets.com/download.html)
.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
An interview with Ross Anderson on new threats to security and privacy - gpresot
https://www.edge.org/conversation/ross_anderson-the-threat
======
theprop
"And that’s why Microsoft software is so insecure, and why everything that
prevails in the marketplace starts off by being insecure. People race to get
that market position, and in the process they made it really easy for people
to write software for their platform. They didn’t let boring things like
access controls or proper cryptography get in the way."
If no one is using the internet or computers, then there's no point being
sophisticated about its security and privacy. This unfortunately makes certain
technologies like e-mail impossible to make truly private...and it's hard to
get a few billion people to change their email protocol now, though not
impossible. For example, https protocol was added and widely adopted for the
internet.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
EOS Blockchain – Creating Your First Monster in EOS Jungle Testnet - leordev
https://steemit.com/eos/@leordev/monstereos-creating-your-first-monster-in-eos-jungle-testnet
======
leordev
I'm sharing here because I think there's a lot of developers interested in
blockchain and I believe EOS is the cutting edge next-gen chain and developer-
friendly. The community is awesome and the chain itself allows developers to
build amazing stuff! :)
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Rain simulator for pluviophiles - verbilis
http://pluvior.com/raindrops.html
======
deathanatos
Oh man, as a southerner stuck in California, I cannot tell you how much I miss
rain. And especially thunderstorms[1].
(if you want a few recommendations) I love how the drops wipe away the
moisture on the "window"; in my experience the droplets won't fall perfectly
straight: they get perturbed by the smaller droplets on the window (what
they're wiping away). Subsequent drops in the "tracks" left by earlier drops
will fall faster, since there aren't any smaller droplets to hold them up.
They also speed up as they get bigger, and wind will cause them to move
together.
Can I get a thunderstorm?
Also, thank you — I'd long forgotten the name of the song and the artist; I'd
been looking for "Primavera" by Ludovico Einaudi [2] for a while now. (another
Ludovico Einaudi piece was on the page)
[1] I would have never guessed that a place "couldn't" have thunderstorms;
I've been in Silicon Valley for four years now, and there's been barely
anything that passes for a thunderstorm. (For anyone in the bay area going "we
have thunderstorms, sometimes!"… it isn't the same.)
I've occasionally wondered if people in the south aren't more religious
because the weather (the south has thunderstorms, hail, tornadoes, the bay
area has… lots of sun.) isn't literally putting the fear of God in them.
[2]:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmxFAT581T4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmxFAT581T4)
~~~
inklesspen
Boodler [1] is an open-source system for generating soundscapes. It comes with
a hour long thunderstorm soundscape [2] that grows and then fades away.
The author of Boodler also has an iOS app [3] specifically for the
thunderstorm.
[1]: [http://boodler.org/](http://boodler.org/) [2]:
[http://boodler.org/package/com.eblong.ow.storm/](http://boodler.org/package/com.eblong.ow.storm/)
[3]: [http://zarfhome.com/pocketstorm/](http://zarfhome.com/pocketstorm/)
------
xiaq
The switches are really confusing for me: white = on, cyan = off, which the
opposite as I expected. The night/day toggle also seems broken - "Night"
always get underlined.
Firefox 38.0 here, if that matters.
Nice stuff otherwise :)
~~~
verbilis
My fault, thank you for notifying us, kind regards
------
schoen
Maybe ombrophile (Greek ὄμβρος 'rain storm') is a more sensible derivation
than pluviophile (Latin pluvium 'rain') -- although it looks like people on
the Internet mostly use it in a technical sense to describe plants or forests.
------
krylon
Very nice!
It would be even nicer - although none of the ambient/white noise generators
I've seen so far does that - if one could control the intensity of the rain or
make it do that little thumping sound when rain drops hit the window.
Don't get me wrong, though - this _is_ very nice! Especially as it's a cold-
ish, rainy day outside where I live.
~~~
xenadu02
That's why I built Storm Sim. It's in the App Store.
It dynamically generates the audio based on the samples you select and in
advanced mode you can adjust the variance, frequency, looping, etc.
I made two huge mistakes based on bad assumptions (it was my first iOS app)
1: that you wouldn't want to edit the storm while it was playing. I have the
code working now to do live updates and should be releasing it soon.
2: that people would care more about the audio than a fancy UI since you spend
the vast majority of the time listening (not looking). Boy was I wrong! I
still haven't gotten a good designer to help me tidy it up.
If you like it don't buy IAP in the free version - you can get the same stuff
for $4 cheaper in the paid version.
------
gluelogic
This is really cool. I love rain. The droplets are great. Consider
desaturating the Manhattan at night photograph some to make it look more
"rainy." Example:
[http://i.imgur.com/apg5CwK.png](http://i.imgur.com/apg5CwK.png)
------
jimmydddd
Sounds good. I am a pluviophile. Is this any different than, for example,
rainymood.com, rainycafe.com or rain.simplynoise.com, among others? No offense
meant. Just curious.
~~~
verbilis
Made for fun, choose your favorite one.
~~~
jimmydddd
Cool. Thanks. Again, nice job.
------
cshimmin
Can you go into more detail about the raindrop "simulation" on the window? I
love the idea, but it seems like they larger drops are just moving random
distances at random times, clearing a path as they go.
That's a nice first approximation, but it would be cool to put some real
dynamics in there. For instance, I noticed they are not "absorbing" droplets
as they fall; if a smaller droplet rolls over a bigger drop, the bigger one
just disappears. Also, the movement for smaller drops should be initiated when
another small drop randomly falls into the surface. This should be a poisson
process, and I could be wrong but I feel like that's not what's being used
here. Lastly, the distance a drop will roll should depend on how "dry" the
path is that it travels, although that one seems pretty hard to simulate!
~~~
Vesther
Pretty sure this is just
[https://maroslaw.github.io/rainyday.js/](https://maroslaw.github.io/rainyday.js/)
------
hughes
Looks good, but why do you limit the Night version to 10fps? The JS profiler
shows you're explicitly doing nothing on 5 out of 6 frames.
~~~
verbilis
You mean to make the motion more smooth?
~~~
hughes
I mean in `animateDrops` you check if `timestamp - lastExecutionTime < speed`.
You set `speed` to 100ms when you call `engine.rain`.
Because of this the motion is jittery, updating at about 1/3 the rate of
smooth video and 1/6th the rate our eyes can perceive.
------
polyx
Can you please make a favicon, so people can delete the title of the bookmark
so that it takes up less space
~~~
jergason
You can usually edit the titles of your own bookmarks.
~~~
joegreen
Yeah but favicon appears next to the bookmarked page's title in browsers. If
there's no favicon you can't say which page the bookmark leads to after
deleting the whole title to save space :-)
~~~
lkbm
I use the "I hate your favicon" extension for Chrome:
[https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/i-hate-your-
favico...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/i-hate-your-
favicon/laggbmpbikikiablknnppgglelkncemk)
------
altrego99
Very nice. Does anyone have a recommendation of a good rain in video game? The
genre - racing, shooter, RPG, or even a demoscene - I don't mind, I just want
good rains and thunderstorms!
~~~
secant
The video game that first came to mind was the opening segment of Metal Gear
Solid 2. Something about the rain in that first part of the game was done
perfectly. I've placed a video of the opening scene below.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ukh7C9zkXGc](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ukh7C9zkXGc)
------
wgx
Note for rain-fans: a 'pink noise' generator can make a sound which, while not
quite like a recording, should make you feel the same rainy feelings. :)
~~~
lozf
If pinknoise will suffice, then sox[1], (free, cross-platform, opensource),
lets you generate your own (amongst many other things). The following will
play for 8 hours, but you can remove the time completely to run indefinitely:
play -n synth 08:00:00 pinknoise
[1]: [http://sox.sf.net/](http://sox.sf.net/)
------
david-given
If you like this sort of thing, don't miss Andrew Plotkin's procedural
soundscape generator, Boodler; the one-hour summer storm is particularly epic.
(Pocket Storm is also now available as a standalone iThing app.)
It's at [http://boodler.org/](http://boodler.org/).
------
StavrosK
Good job, although having everything blurred until a drop hits the window
makes me feel I'm in the shower.
------
marshall-lee
First of all I should say that it's really a good thing!
But please fix a bug with fullscreen mode — It resizes incorrectly when I
press F11 (Chromium 42.0.2311.90).
It's also worth to add more photos! Or just change them periodically — every
week, for instance.
~~~
verbilis
From the next week, photos and sounds will be changed every day or two, thanks
------
martinrue
If people are looking for similar things, there's also
[http://calm.com](http://calm.com) from Alex Tew of Million Dollar Homepage
fame.
------
ahaltindis
It would also be great if we could have chance to see lightnings with some(I
don't know how) light effects on the picture when it is on. Just an idea..
Great job by the way!
------
Faint
I've heard a couple of other sites like this, is there a googlable term for
them? A directory? Soudscape site? The rain sound loops a bit too often in
longer listening.
~~~
loarake
I've been using [http://naturesoundsfor.me/](http://naturesoundsfor.me/) as
they let you mix a bunch of sounds and control the relative volumes of each.
I've settled on 40% "Creek" and 70% "Rain" for sleeping.
------
sho_hn
Reminds me of
[http://giant.gfycat.com/DaringMetallicBovine.gif](http://giant.gfycat.com/DaringMetallicBovine.gif)
------
Uptrenda
If you listen to this when its already raining its like your roof has a leak.
True story.
~~~
verbilis
Sorry to make you feel uncomfortably)
------
porker
I love the raindrops running down the fogged-up window :)
------
verbilis
To change the sound of rain, choose the NIGHT mode.
------
h0l0cube
Meh: asoftmurmur.com
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Sir Roger Scruton: 1944-2020 - cpr
https://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2020/01/roger-scruton-1944-2020/
======
dredmorbius
A conservative voice, and one I didn't know well, but from what I've seen,
respected. Rare these days.
His BBC series "Why Beauty Matters" is well worth viewing, and would make an
appropriate remembrance:
[https://www.invidio.us/playlist?list=PLSkXu6NsLxmPlYpw6AVEO_...](https://www.invidio.us/playlist?list=PLSkXu6NsLxmPlYpw6AVEO_SHiRAwK4kuL)
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Show HN: MMO 2D Space Action Game - esuen
http://astralrift.com/game.html
======
Fando
Cool game, what did you use to make it and how long did it take? It would be
more engaging if controlling the ship was easier. The momentum drift makes it
annoying to play because controlling the ship is so counter intuitive.
~~~
esuen
Most of the development for this game took about 2-3 weeks. The momentum drift
is just part of the game, but I may adjust it based on more feedback.
------
sov
Looks cool! I'd recommend adding a simple flame thruster animation behind the
spaceship to indicate how fast you're travelling.
~~~
esuen
In the works!
------
pubby
It's possible to go out of bounds at the corners.
~~~
esuen
I know, will be fixing.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Mozilla adopts plain-vanilla password sign-in for Firefox sync - hiburo
http://news.hitb.org/content/mozilla-adopts-plain-vanilla-password-sign-firefox-sync
======
josteink
I see this as a reaction to the competition they're facing with Google Chrome.
With Google Chrome you log into your Google account. email + password and all
is good. It's _simple_ , but fundamentally insecure. Google, NSA and whoever
else they partner with can poke at all your data without restriction because
it is based on a centralized authentication model.
Firefox always based its sync on a _secure_ model where no data was stored
unencrypted at Mozilla's sync-servers. There was no traditional "account"
which Mozilla had to validate. You could also chose to use your own sync
server. Either way, they can not peek at your data.
You gave Firefox your email and a "password" and from that it generated some
private keys used to encrypt the data sent to Mozilla. Private keys which you
then had to distribute to other Firefox'es one way or another.
They attempted to ease the pain by having some "pair this device" wizards with
3 simple values you could copy from device A to device B, but in the end it
still meant that the superior security came at a cost.
No non-technical people I know use Firefox's sync, but everyone I know who use
Chrome also use its sync feature.
When comparing browser, some people literally list out "sync" as thing Chrome
does and Firefox doesn't. That tells you a lot about how a simple and in your
face implementation can drive adaptation. (I think Chrome's approach is too
in-your-face, but that's another discussion.)
I honestly believe Firefox's original model is superior once you get past the
initial warts, but I can see why they are making the changes they do.
~~~
dochtman
This isn't really accurate.
The problem with Firefox's current/old sync model is recovery. I.e., users
think they're getting their stuff (history, passwords, etc) backed up, but
when they lose their device, their data is gone forever, because almost none
of them will have bothered to write down the long random string that
functioned as their sync key. Also, the pairing was relatively hard to use for
"normal" users.
In the newer Firefox Accounts model, yes, Mozilla will use a username/password
model for users. However, the password is never sent to Mozilla in the clear,
and data is still encrypted with a password-derived key before being sent to
Mozilla. However, users can still recover their data because they know
(something that can be used to generate) the key used to encrypt their data.
See here for more details: [https://github.com/mozilla/fxa-auth-
server/wiki/onepw-protoc...](https://github.com/mozilla/fxa-auth-
server/wiki/onepw-protocol)
I do think Mozilla would have promoted Sync more if it didn't have the
recovery/UX issues I mentioned, so in that sense it might be a response to
Google's model, but Mozilla's model still has a very well thought-out privacy
strategy.
For those who actually liked the previous random key model + pairing, I think
they might reinstate that as an option within the newer
protocol/implementation at some point.
~~~
haakon
I really hate that this new model requires trust, whereas the old one did not.
Even if I trust Mozilla not to peek, I have to accept that all my data,
including all my passwords, now become subpoenable.
I get that the old model is too complicated for most people, but I really like
it and am able to handle it just fine. I don't want to trust the NSA, damnit.
~~~
ordinary
This is incorrect. Both in the new scheme and the old, sensitive data is
encrypted. In the old scheme, this key was randomly generated, while in the
new, it is derived from a password. Either way, you do not need to trust
Mozilla.
The main security concern (as far as I can tell, and I'm far from an expert)
seems to be that the KDF used in the new protocol is not as strong as the one
used in the current Sync protocol.
You should read the link posted in the post you replied to, especially the
security analysis. It is quite readable and might allay some of your fears.
------
blueskin_
Will Mozilla be removing the secure sync option or having this one in
parallel?
I don't use it myself, but it's definitely worrying to see a secure option
being potentially removed in favour of plaintext storage on servers outside
the user's control.
~~~
k_bx
I don't think it's stored in plain text, the post was about standard
login/password signing in instead of too-complex current mechanism.
~~~
blueskin_
If it's a username/password pair, either the data has to be stored in
plaintext, or with a key escrowed using the user password, which are not as
secure as a private key only known to the user.
~~~
icebraining
No, you can use a different system: don't send the password to the server,
instead create a private/public key pair from the password (deterministically)
and send only the public key to the server.
When you want to authenticate, just have the client sign something with the
private key. If you want to encrypt on the client, it can just do PGP-like
encryption (encrypt data with random AES key, encrypt that key with public
key, send all to the server).
~~~
blueskin_
Considering the average user's password choice tendencies, that's still weaker
than a key from a proper source of entropy, then password reuse on top of
that.
That plus IIRC, RSA isn't deterministic even with the same seed. Not sure
about generators for elliptic curve though.
~~~
tga_d
They're using key-stretching to mitigate the use of bad passphrases, though
reuse will still be an issue.
[https://wiki.mozilla.org/Identity/AttachedServices/KeyServer...](https://wiki.mozilla.org/Identity/AttachedServices/KeyServerProtocol#Client-
Side_Key_Stretching)
And RSA is deterministic.
------
tarkin2
Now all my bookmarks, history, passwords and the like will be stored on a
centralized server?
The decentralization, especially in the wake of the NSA/GCHQ revelations, was
one of its main advantages.
Sigh. I may well have to turn Firefox sync off then.
~~~
icebraining
They were already stored in a centralized server. They were just encrypted,
and they'll continue to be.
~~~
tarkin2
Ah, looks like you're correct.
[https://wiki.mozilla.org/Labs/Weave/Developer/FAQ#How_do_use...](https://wiki.mozilla.org/Labs/Weave/Developer/FAQ#How_do_users_know_their_data_is_secure.3F)
I'm still a little unsure if this new system is less secure, however.
~~~
blueskin_
With a password, of course it is.
------
icebraining
The actual announcement from Mozilla:
[https://blog.mozilla.org/futurereleases/2014/02/01/test-
the-...](https://blog.mozilla.org/futurereleases/2014/02/01/test-the-new-
firefox-sync-on-nightly-release-channel/)
------
zokier
Not Mozilla Persona? Why wouldn't it be suitable for this purpose?
~~~
AndrewDucker
They want to encrypt your data on the client-side, so that no data is visible
to Mozilla. The password is used to carry out this encryption.
------
yetfeo
What is the 'Firefox Account' the new sync system uses and how does it differ
from Persona? Will I need a 'Firefox Account' for other Mozilla services? What
about Firefox OS? It seems bizarre to me to have this additional account
system while promoting Persona as the system for other people to use. Is
Persona abandoned?
Edit: the article mentions a Firefox Account is needed to use the Firefox
Marketplace too. That's a webapp which I thought would have suited Persona.
~~~
callahad
Firefox Accounts is a centralized authentication system based on email
addresses and passwords. Persona is a decentralized authentication system
based on proof of email address ownership.
For Sync, Persona isn't the right tool for the job. Specifically, Sync needs a
human-memorable source of entropy (password), and minimal external
dependencies so that recovery meets user expectations. It's possible that
Accounts will eventually use Persona for email verification, but the
centralized password is unlikely to go away.
Marketplace is in a similar situation, and actually uses a centralized,
friendly fork of Persona so that it can proactively force users to re-
authenticate before purchases and allow people to use the site before they
complete their email verification. Those features might make their way into
Persona in the future, but for now it felt better to trim them from Persona
and switch Marketplace over to Firefox Accounts.
------
option_greek
Aah good riddance to the older approach. Its a major fail from UX perspective.
The long sync key was ridiculous to type.
~~~
maaku
Have an attitude like this and you will never have security or privacy.
~~~
blueskin_
Those who would sacrifice privacy for convenience deserve neither.
~~~
mweibel
So you're implying that 99% of humanity will have no privacy nor security?
~~~
zaphoyd
That appears to be where we are headed.
------
ksec
I wonder if they would update Firefox Sync on iOS. Since it is pretty much
dead.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Show HN: Pact – a safe smart contract language (web editor) - buckie
http://kadena.io/try-pact/
======
fiatjaf
I think everybody knows this, but I don't: what is the use case of something
like a private blockchain with smart contracts?
~~~
spopejoy
There's a number of applications for permissioned blockchains, perhaps even
running in a "public" context. But the main application so far is inter-
organizational transactional systems. Smart contracts in this context are as
useful as in the public case (aka Ethereum), for defining and socializing
business logic and processes. Fixed consensus membership doesn't fundamentally
alter this.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Uber fined peanuts in God View surveillance, data breach investigation - ourmandave
http://www.zdnet.com/article/uber-fined-peanuts-in-god-view-surveillance-data-breach-investigation/
======
gcb0
it pays off to have all those former politicians in the payroll.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Telegram Raises Target for Biggest ICO Ever to $2B - uptown
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-01-18/biggest-ico-ever-is-said-to-grow-as-telegram-targets-2-billion
======
mehrdada
Durov had hoped working with the Iranian government and caving to their
requirements would give him free rein over that market where Telegram was
popular. After eventually facing backlash and blocking from there and
realizing that strategy is not sustainable, so they are essentially pivoting
to something that makes money quickly for them. I don't think there's a more
sophisticated strategy to look for here. Capitalize on the brand, if it is
really worth anything, and cash out.
------
hal9000xp
I find a bit suspicious about this ICO. There is no official information about
ICO, there is no whitepaper. Or we are went so far that whitepaper is not
needed anymore?
It took me two months to read about Tezos project and its founders before I
decided to put tiny amount of money into this project (and it still have huge
problems with foundation which I couldn't predict).
~~~
beaner
I don't know enough about it, but maybe it's not a technically novel ICO.
Maybe the coins just represent a type of equity?
------
tptacek
Being simultaneously brazen about probably being on the receiving side of a
zero-sum game for retail investor cash _and_ in any kind of network-effect
business (a messenger surely counts) seems like a solid recipe for a heavily-
subscribed ICO.
------
diimdeep
Durov just playing with everyone and raising hype.
BTW I submitted white paper, but it didn't make front page
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16149979](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16149979)
------
meritt
Anecdotally, I don't know a single person in my network who uses Telegram but
I know numerous people who use Signal (including some very surprising non-tech
folks). Is this a common trend or do I just have a really weird network?
~~~
benbreen
I know about 30 people who use Telegram but 25 of those are Iranian. Seems to
be more popular in countries where VPNs are common, I'm told because Telegram
uses less data.
~~~
ReverseCold
The apps are also really nice. Every platform has it's own native application
that runs fast and feels great to use.
------
jaequery
not a bad marketing strategy, sure got everyone's attention!
------
sillysaurus3
It's kind of strange to see how Telegram and Coinbase turned out. HN was
practically hyperventilating against both of them. (I was a part of that
rabble.)
The words had merit, but it's weird to see that they didn't really matter.
------
JumpCrisscross
I mean, why not?
It is unlikely courts will impose support, fiduciary or other requirements on
Telegram, _ex post facto_ , in respect of these tokens. Telegram could cash
out the proceeds to pay a massive dividend and then call it a day ( _i.e._ pay
salaries, dabble, and take lots of vacation days). It might be contested. But
on what grounds?
I think Durov is an honest actor. But what says Durov calls the shots a year,
or five years, or ten years from now? In any case, if you have to trust Durov
to be nice, what is the point of a decentralized architecture?
_Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer. This is not legal nor investment advice._
~~~
Grazester
Durov has made claims about Whatapps in the past that was not very honest if I
remember correctly
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Pakistan Criticizes U.S. Raid on bin Laden - lotusleaf1987
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703922804576301124180651068.html?mod=WSJ_Home_largeHeadline
======
lotusleaf1987
Sorry but when you're too corrupt and incompetent to find the world's most
hated man living in a mansion near your most elite military academy--well you
lose the right to complain that someone finally intervened and put down a mass
murderer.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Show HN: PostDish – What’s on Your Plate? - asidiali
https://postdish.com
======
asidiali
Hey all!
With this lockdown in place, I’ve found myself cooking more than normal - and
with that, lots of new food pics have been piling up on my phone.
I hacked together PostDish this past weekend as an easy way for people around
the globe to share what they’re cooking, eating, and enjoying.
Recipe functionality will be coming soon to share recipes of delicious dishes
that you post!
Open to all feedback! Thank you
PostDish - what’s on your plate?
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
DNA technique that caught Golden State Killer is more powerful than we thought - rustcharm
https://www.theverge.com/2018/10/11/17964862/family-dna-crime-search-golden-state-killer-forensics#
======
coolspot
There is no way of not leaving DNA samples on a crime scene.
Humans lose tiny particles of skin, hairs all the time.
I can see how this powerful technology can make 99.99% murder clearance rate
reality, changing the world for better.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Buffett and Munger won't buy Facebook stock - airnomad
http://money.cnn.com/2012/05/06/news/buffett-facebook/index.htm
======
rmATinnovafy
No surprise here. If you want to understand why (in depth) read "The
Intelligent Investor" by Benjamin Graham.
tl;dr: Facebook lacks intrinsic value. Like most tech companies out there.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Ask HN: Can body odor transmit virus? - ezconnect
======
DamonHD
no
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Andrew 'Weev' Auernheimer Faces Jail - mediagearbox
http://www.businessinsider.com/andrew-weev-auernheimer-att-ipad-hacker-sentencing-2013-3
======
eldr
I wonder how he would be treated if he had picked up a stack of paper
printouts an AT&T employee had left on a park bench and taken it to a news
outlet in order to showcase AT&T's recklessness with customer information?
Would Aaron Swartz's case have been handled the same way if he'd gone into a
library and photocopied a whole heap of journal articles? The powers that be
seem terrified that someone might use technology in a way which they can't
control. Apart from the disgusting human rights abuse that these cases
illustrate, I worry about the future when people like judges and prosecutors
think it's at all fair or reasonable to put people in jail for freely
accessing information.
------
Encosia
It blows my mind that someone could get 10 years for idempotent operations on
what was essentially a public API. Put in any other context than "scary
computer hacking", it would be obvious to most people that the insecure system
was at least as much to blame as this kid.
~~~
objclxt
Firstly, the laws around this sort of thing are _very_ stupid. But with that
said...I'm not wholly sympathetic here.
The disclosure was _totally botched_. The IRC logs that came out during the
case showed that Andrew and Dan (Spitler) talked about shorting AT&T stock
(they ended up not doing this, but it's not the sort of thing you talk about),
and going directly to news organisations, bypassing AT&T. They also considered
(perhaps jokingly, but again, not something you joke about) selling the e-mail
addresses to spammers.
Andrew also initially told Gawker he'd disclosed to AT&T, when in fact he
hadn't (Ars has a good summary here[1]).
I am definitely not saying that a ten year sentence is warranted, or that any
sort of custodial sentence is appropriate. In fact, I doubt he'll be given 10
years, more like 2-4 (since his fellow defendant, who plead guilty, got 12-18
months). But I do think the disclosure was handled really, really badly. I've
found and disclosed very similar vulnerabilities - I would not leak the entire
database out. That's just crazy.
Again, it's the old black/grey/white hat argument again. But to go public
without _even informing_ AT&T doesn't endear him to me.
[1]: [http://arstechnica.com/apple/2011/01/goatse-security-
trolls-...](http://arstechnica.com/apple/2011/01/goatse-security-trolls-were-
after-max-lols-in-att-ipad-hack/)
~~~
edem
I totally agree with you. They don't hand out 10 years for nothing. It is a
little harsh though.
~~~
yardie
_They don't hand out 10 years for nothing._
LOL. If you mean literally nothing than no. But the war on poverty, war on
drugs, and 3-strikes means the US justice system is handing out long sentences
for black and hispanic males 3x the rate of white criminals.
------
DoubleMalt
Every piece I read about him made me like him less.
But despite my deep feelings of antipathy the charges that are brought against
him can NEVER warrant 10 years of prison.
That's ridiculous.
~~~
objclxt
In many countries simply _accessing a public server without consent_ is
illegal. Here in the UK the Computer Misuse Act contains the following gem:
> _It is an offense to make a computer perform a function and for that
> function to be deemed unauthorised by the owner of that computer_
This is fantastically broad. I believe it's similar in the US. It's led to
convictions for things like directory traversal, XSS testing, and even people
looking for vulnerabilities with good intentions. If you're doing stuff like
this, _be aware of the risk_. Some companies are very good about it (Facebook,
Google, etc). Others take a far dimmer, litigious view (AT&T?).
These are not laws that are taught in a civics class. I think it's important
that until the laws can be changed (and they definitely _should_ be changed)
that people in this field know the risks, and weigh them up accordingly.
I agree with you that Andrew's approach is quite...antagonistic. I wouldn't,
for example, go on the record saying I think "a sane society would lynch [...]
Carmen Ortiz". Personally, I'm not in favour of public lynchings. This isn't
going to endear you to the court, or to those who could help change the law
for the better.
~~~
rorrr
> _In many countries simply accessing a public server without consent is
> illegal_
1) Set up a public server
2) Wait for google bot to show up
3) Press charges against google
4) Sue in civil court
5) Profit.
~~~
arethuza
And in some countries you can only sue on the basis of an actual loss so as
you haven't lost anything you have nothing to sue for...
~~~
prawn
There was a case where a search spider deleted all content from a database by
following delete links. Would that count?
------
rdl
This sucks. weev is an asshole and troll, but he's also a friend, and he
hasn't done anything a lot of other people don't do routinely. I hope he gets
a suspended sentence, but I think the 50/50 is he'll get ~3 years in total,
served at least 1.5y in a federal prison.
------
sergiotapia
"In 2010, Auernheimer and a compatriot, Daniel Spitler, discovered that
visiting an unsecured AT&T Web server and entering a number associated with
the customer's wireless account allowed him to obtain that customer's email
address.
By altering the number and repeatedly querying the server, Auernheimer and
Spitler were able to obtain hundreds of thousands of email addresses, which
they then released to Gawker."
===
Amazing that something as simple as that landed him 10 years. This is
something even I have done with some servers for telecoms in my country. And
trust me, I'm no hacker. I just know basic HTTP GET request parameters, and
what asshole doesn't know about those?
The laws in the US are terrible.
~~~
crusso
Testing car door handles in a full parking lot is amazingly simple too. Does
that mean it's okay to look through any unlocked cars' glove compartments to
collect personal information of the owners?
Auernheimer crossed a line. The punishment seems excessive, but then again I
don't know all the details of what he tried to do with the data.
The fact that he obtusely refuses to recognize that he crossed a line doesn't
exactly make me feel sorry for him.
~~~
rcfox
If you have a lot full of unlocked cars, perhaps you should bear some of the
blame too?
When Sony was hacked and user data was leaked, they received quite a bit of
blame. At least they had some semblance of security. AT&T was wide open.
~~~
Nrsolis
"But your honor! SHE WAS ASKING FOR IT! You can see how she dresses."
~~~
rcfox
You've missed my point. If you were in a parking lot and found your car to be
unlocked, this might alarm you. You might try someone else's door to see if
it's similarly unlocked, and just to be sure it's not a fluke, you might try
another.
I'm not even going to try to adapt that to your rape scenario. I feel like
there should be an equivalent of Godwin's law that I could appeal to in this
context.
~~~
crusso
You paint far too innocent a picture of what happened. If we're going to use
analogy, can't we make an effort to have it be accurate?
Let's roll with your scenario -- Do you systematically go through all the cars
in the lot? Do you collect personal information from those cars, like names on
the insurance? Do you get busted making on-the-record comments about
exploiting the use of that data for your own personal gain?
Seriously, weev was hardly being a good samaritan. He was doing something he
shouldn't have been doing, made some stupid/incriminating comments in a public
forum, then didn't handle the data properly. Worst of all, he's facing serious
jail time and is too obnoxious to even admit that what he did might have been
inappropriate.
Personally, I'm all for living in a world where you can leave your car door
unlocked and not be blamed when someone opens the door. Call it a Godwin-esque
move if you want, but I'm just not into blaming victims.
------
arbuge
It seems to that the real villain is AT&T, for making this private data
entrusted to its care freely available to the public. What criminal and civil
liabilities will it face?
~~~
crusso
That's disingenuous. "Freely available" implies that AT&T desired to give this
data away or advertised it knowingly. Clearly they didn't.
What Auernheimer did, with intent, was to bypass AT&T's intended use of the
system.
What AT&T did was incompetent or perhaps even negligent by a reasonable notion
of corporate coding standards. You'd need to dig a bit more to learn how
systemic the incompetence/negligence was before attempting to sign appropriate
blame, though. Maybe some contractor got into the system and made the change
that made that exploit possible the day before and deployed it without
following AT&T release guidelines. I dunno. Knowing that kind of info matters,
though.
Let's not twist the facts of what happened in order to justify different
outcomes.
~~~
arbuge
Disagreed. The facts are indeed that AT&T made this freely available... my
definition of making something available is that it is readily available for
the taking, whether I desired to give it away or not. If I leave my front door
open due to negligence, I probably don't desire to be burglarized, but it is
true to say that I have made my house contents freely available. If my house
contents include a laptop full of people's private data, then I think it's
reasonable I should face some penalties.
As to your other point, AT&T is responsible for the actions of its contractors
as well as for its full-time employees.
~~~
crusso
For anyone with a little knowledge about locks and basic tools, no
conventional door lock prevents entry. So by your logic, nearly all house
contents are freely available.
Regarding AT&T, it's not a question of responsibility - it's a question of a
level of fault that is negligent. At some level, it's your responsibility
because you gave AT&T your data, right? At some level, it's your
responsibility because you have an email address, right?
Without a detailed assessment of many factors, just throwing out there that
AT&T is negligent seems to be fairly irresponsible.
~~~
arbuge
Nah. If I give any website my email address, I have a reasonable expectation
it won't be published on that website in a public manner ripe for harvesting.
Unless of course the Ts&Cs I'm signing explicitly say it will (somewhere
prominent, preferably in bold red with flashing letters).
------
rohern
Here is a very good lecture on the state of cyber crime law. I recommend it to
everyone in this community. Things are crazier than you are probably aware.
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0Z_z4EHq6M>
------
nwh
This website just showed a full page advertisement, then kicked me back to
their home page when I clicked the continue button. Monumentally useless.
------
osamas_mama
i love weev and i had a blast trolling with him back in the day but he's
nothing like swartz. the biggest split being that swartz had good intentions
whereas weev was having fun.
i don't think he should be imprisoned for exploring at&t's god awful security
but i also don't think he should be worshipped.
------
jrockway
What exactly was he found guilty of?
~~~
andyjohnson0
"Andrew Auernheimer, 26, of Fayetteville, Arkansas, was found guilty in
federal court in New Jersey of one count of identity fraud and one count of
conspiracy to access a computer without authorization." [1]
Those were the charges. Ridiculous in my opinion.
[1] [http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2012/11/att-hacker-found-
gu...](http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2012/11/att-hacker-found-guilty/)
~~~
jrockway
What is AT&T guilty of? Is it now legal to publish personal information
without any authentication?
~~~
andyjohnson0
I just listed the charges, I didn't say I agreed with them. And I didn't say
anything about AT&T.
It seems clear that AT&T failed to protect their customer's personal details.
Whether that makes them criminally liable depends on US law, about which I
know almost nothing. This [1] article seems to imply that it is fairly weak
compared to European data protection laws, so it may be that AT&T did nothing
wrong in a strict legal sense.
While its tempting to think that he was just made an example of for
embarrassing a corporation, he did write a script to harvest 120,000 email
addresses from the AT&T server. I'd say that constitutes criminal intent, even
if he had no intention of using the addresses for a criminal purpose.
There are two problems here: 1. absent or weak data protection laws, and 2.
disproportionate sentencing guidelines (up 10 years) for what in this case is
basically a victimless crime.
[1] [http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/03/technology/consumer-
data-p...](http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/03/technology/consumer-data-
protection-laws-an-ocean-apart.html?_r=0)
~~~
betterunix
"While its tempting to think that he was just made an example of for
embarrassing a corporation, he did write a script to harvest 120,000 email
addresses from the AT&T server. I'd say that constitutes criminal intent, even
if he had no intention of using the addresses for a criminal purpose."
Criminal intent...to do what exactly? Email people? Was he planning to send
them spam?
Why are we punishing someone who writes a script? Do we really want to live in
a society where programming your own computer is a crime?
~~~
andyjohnson0
_"Criminal intent...to do what exactly?"_
Intent to commit a criminal act: "conspiracy to access a computer without
authorization". If he'd just accessed a few accounts then that could be
attributed to user error or a technical fault, if anyone ever even noticed.
Put what he did shows persistent intent to do something which is illegal in
the US, even if he wasn't aware of the illegality.
Look, I agree with you. Jailing this guy is manifestly absurd, stupid, and
cruel. I was just trying to explain who other people, who may hold differing
opinions to you and I and happen to write the law, might see things. Doesn't
mean I agree.
~~~
jessaustin
That's circular reasoning. We started with, "he accessed a computer". Then we
asked, "what was his criminal intent in accessing that computer?" You can't
answer, "to access that computer."
_If_ he had sold the data to the Russians, _that_ would have been the
criminal intent we're seeking.
------
Nursie
Yeah this is ludicrous. AFAICT, AT&T effectively published this information to
the web, this guy just pointed out where it was.
Not a crime.
~~~
Volpe
Didn't he try to extort money out of them after spidering all the information?
~~~
sp332
He talked about it, but I don't think that actually happened. The chat log was
used against him at the trial anyway.
~~~
objclxt
He was charged with conspiracy, so it's relevant that it was discussed.
Conspiracy usually requires discussion of the intended crime, and then at
least one party to commit an act that furthers that crime. It doesn't actually
require the crime itself to be committed.
------
maeon3
When everyone is a criminal all the time, with selective enforcement, it makes
it easier to tax and control. When political winds shift, you can eliminate
anybody you want, because you just make an excel spreadsheet of political
enemies and then forward it by email to law enforcement for increased
survallence, and whamo, felony convictions, how much you want? 1 year? 5
years? 10 years?
The government is just trying to maintain its power over the people, when
federal reserve realizes there is no other alternative except to default on
the US treasury, there is going to be a lot of unrest, and the internet will
be a focus point of governmental rebellion, it's important everyone who
accesses the internet is a felon. Especially the coders, like this one, who
will be making the rebellion possible.
You got to put the fear in them. We may be the ones, like our founding
fathers, who have to write up a new constitution, bill of rights, and spawn a
new nation to break away from the defective one. Like the good men of old time
broke away from Britain. The battlefield this time around will not be on the
shores of Boston, the battlefield will be software, servers, clicks, and smart
phones.
As with all battlefields, the side who wins is the one who prepares the most.
This is why we are cracking down on website clicking by programmers, rather
than cracking down on governmental corruption.
~~~
rwmj
I guess you must live in China. Here where I live, the government is made up
of ordinary people who are also subject to the law, and we can vote to change
the law whenever and however we want.
~~~
rytis
Just out of curiosity, where do you live?
~~~
rwmj
The UK, but my answer would equally well apply to the US or the majority of
democratic nations. There's not a Big Conspiracy. There's just lots of people,
often stupid and ill-informed, but nevertheless people voting for what we
want.
~~~
betterunix
"There's just lots of people, often stupid and ill-informed, but nevertheless
people voting for what we want."
How exactly do you think uninformed people are voting for what they want? The
USA is a country where people are _surprised_ by what is illegal.
~~~
rwmj
Firstly, it is possible to go out and inform people. Best to get off HN and
out of the house, because only a tiny number of pretty intelligent people use
HN and all of us have similar backgrounds and beliefs.
Secondly, although I think HN-readers would make great voters on subjects we
care about, eg. how the Internet should be regulated, yet I'm sure _we'd_ be
mostly stupid and ill-informed about things that we don't know or care about,
eg. farming regulations, or sickness benefits for elderly mentally-ill
patients, or a thousand other specialized subjects.
~~~
betterunix
"yet I'm sure we'd be mostly stupid and ill-informed about things that we
don't know or care about"
That is not the issue. The issue is whether or not we are _expected_ to follow
laws that we know nothing about, particularly since ignorance of the law is
not considered a valid defense in this country. If you are not running a farm,
you are not expected to adhere to farming regulations and you could not
violate those regulations. On the other hand, if you _use_ a computer -- and
the majority of US citizens do -- you _are_ expected to abide by computer
laws.
Right now, there are a lot of laws that _everyone_ is expected to follow but
that few people are aware of. Most Virginia residents had no idea that
opposite-sex cohabitation was illegal when that law was repealed -- millions
of people in that state could have faced prosecution for a law they were never
aware of (and in the 90s a woman was threatened with prosecution as part of an
attempt to shut down her business). Typically, the police are unaware of these
laws and so most people will never be arrested even if they are in violation.
On the other hand, when the government _wants_ to prosecute someone (e.g.
Alexander Shulgin), all they need to do is look hard enough to find a law the
person violated. Sometimes the government seeks nothing more than to set a
precedent (Aaron Swartz) that would allow them to prosecute others. That is
where the real danger lies: the government is limited not by the lack of
criminal laws but by its own inefficiency in searching the legal code.
Most people are entirely unaware of this situation and believe that as long as
they are not harming anyone they are safe. It is hard to raise awareness,
because most people do not see anyone being prosecuted in this way, and even
when they see it they usually have a hard time feeling sympathy for the
defendant (e.g. Lori Drew). After all, who can feel sorry for someone who
collects this sort of artwork:
[http://www.japanator.com/man-arrested-for-manga-
collection-t...](http://www.japanator.com/man-arrested-for-manga-collection-
the-comic-book-legal-defense-fund-will-take-the-case--8753.phtml)
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Microsoft's Complete Diskinect - SolInvictus
http://hellmode.com/2010/06/15/microsofts-complete-diskinect/
======
rbanffy
"and a dance demo featuring a No Doubt song (“Hella Good”) that was last
popular nearly ten years ago"
Ouch!
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Why I'm dumping Google Chrome - zatkin
http://www.extremetech.com/computing/210576-why-im-dumping-google-chrome
======
QUFB
Every release of the Chromium, the open-source version of Chrome, is available
for download:
[https://commondatastorage.googleapis.com/chromium-browser-
sn...](https://commondatastorage.googleapis.com/chromium-browser-
snapshots/index.html?prefix=Win/)
Chromium does not auto-update.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
U.S. sets 5-year and lifetime lobbying ban for officials - randomname2
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_TRUMP_LOBBYING_BAN?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2017-01-28-17-31-55
======
Overtonwindow
As a former lobbyist in DC, I support this. The revolving door makes perfect
sense in a closed loop of Washington, but in my experience it has led to
corruption and carrying the status quo. As far as lobbying for foreign
governments, while not having worked on that directly, I do know foreign
governments pay a tremendous amounts of money to hire former members of
congress. If you're curious look up the lobbying disclosure database. [1]
1\.
[http://disclosures.house.gov/ld/ldsearch.aspx](http://disclosures.house.gov/ld/ldsearch.aspx)
------
fictioncircle
> Trump is allowed to waive any of the restrictions.
That is an important exception. The fact it exists basically means this is a
fig leaf he might rescind on his last day in office.
~~~
handedness
That is true of any Executive Order. And any future Executive can rescind or
otherwise modify that order.
I'm not saying that's a good or bad thing in this particular case, but people
sometimes forget that law created via EO only exists, persists, is enforced or
not enforced at the whim of POTUS.
------
downandout
Not everything Trump does is bad. The media will either spin this as
ineffective, or simply won't report it, since this is a positive thing that
Trump did and those kinds of stories simply won't be tolerated in today's
mainstream media environment. But it is nice to see him carrying out the
promises that he made to his base, even if we don't all agree with them. That
is rare among politicians.
~~~
chillwaves
Stealth edit. You claimed the title did not mention Trump as evidence of media
bias. The title explicitly does.
> The media will either spin this as ineffective, or simply won't report it
The media will not report it? Then how are we seeing this story?
~~~
downandout
Nope, not a stealth edit. I deleted that part of it within seconds. The HN
title is _U.S. sets 5-year and lifetime lobbying ban for officials_. The
moment I realized that this was not the title of the article itself, and
before you posted your comment, I deleted that part of it.
_The media will not report it? Then how are we seeing this story?_
Most people do not get their news straight from the AP. It will be fascinating
to see this story get spun and spun again by the likes of CNN, MSNBC, etc.
~~~
threeseed
It has already been reported on news sites. Just to name a few. Not much
"spin" that I can tell:
[http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/trump-sets-5-year-
lifeti...](http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/trump-sets-5-year-lifetime-
lobbying-ban-officials-n713631)
[http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/trump-sets-year-
lif...](http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/trump-sets-year-lifetime-
lobbying-ban-officials-45115600)
[http://time.com/4652703/president-trump-lobbying-
ban/](http://time.com/4652703/president-trump-lobbying-ban/)
~~~
downandout
Here's CNN's attempt at spin [1]:
"However, Trump's move to ban his aides from cashing in on their current jobs
may be easier said than done. Lobbying can be ambiguously titled in practice,
and while former staffers may not become registered lobbyists, they could
potentially trade influence and government experience for a hefty paycheck all
the same."
They also buried the story among many negative ones on their home page.
[1] [http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/28/politics/donald-trump-
executiv...](http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/28/politics/donald-trump-executive-
actions/index.html)
------
cmurf
Not much new here.
[http://www.npr.org/2017/01/28/512201631/trumps-executive-
ord...](http://www.npr.org/2017/01/28/512201631/trumps-executive-order-on-
ethics-pulls-word-for-word-from-obama-clinton)
~~~
general_ai
From the same article: Clinton ended up revoking the order (so his order
basically did nothing), and Obama gave waivers even to the previous, watered
down 2-year version.
This new order has considerably more teeth than anything that came before,
though of course it remains to be seen if Trump grants any exemptions, or
follows what was promised on the campaign trail to the letter. If he does, and
if he manages to get congressional term limits passed as well, DC will be in a
much healthier state once the current crop of entrenched geezers vacates the
premises.
~~~
nkozyra
> If he does, and if he manages to get congressional term limits passed as
> well, DC will be in a much healthier state once the current crop of
> entrenched geezers vacates the premises.
Why would an arbitrary restriction on representative government = a healthier
state? Look, I think there are grand problems in the electoral process that
lead to the same people getting elected forever. That produces an environment
conducive to career politics and incites people to pursue that path over
public service.
But the public voting for representation is not the problem. The baby should
not be thrown out with the bathwater.
~~~
marcoperaza
So I used to oppose term limits for Congress until I saw a very interesting
argument:
The longer you have been in power, the longer the list of prior decisions and
positions that you must defend, or else admit you were wrong. And so you end
up clinging to bad positions, opposing good laws and good repeals, or
supporting bad laws and bad repeals, because your own political fortunes are
tied up in having been correct the first time around.
~~~
WalterBright
Being called a "flip-flopper" guarantees one cannot learn from experience.
~~~
nkozyra
It's amazing how a potentially valuable human attribute has been branded as a
political handicap.
~~~
manquer
Well it depends.. if you vote someone for his current stance towards something
I would expect he keep it whether he personally has changed view or not . If
you vote for someone on their ability to think and act , for thier character I
would expect them to change.
Usually it a combination of both so there is no simple answer
~~~
marcoperaza
Also, you want these people for their good foresight. Hindsight isn't quite as
useful.
------
adjkant
I think overall this is a good idea, but it's important to consider the
temporary nature of it as an executive order. And of course the use of
exceptions.
My question, that I have not seen discussed and am too lazy to do the math on,
is this: In the next four years, how many democrats vs republicans are likely
to retire / leave office? Will this have any partisan benefit?
This goes for term limits as well, which I think also could be a good idea
pending execution.
------
Numberwang
One of the few good Trump policies.
~~~
helthanatos
We'll see in a year... It's only been a few days.
------
pkaye
Could this be negated through some freedom of speech rights argument later on
once they leave office?
~~~
handedness
It's an EO, and therefore could be completely scrapped by any future POTUS.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
DirecTV charges family $400 for equipment destroyed in Colorado fire - jalanco
http://gazette.com/article/1502291
======
driverdan
Why is this on HN?
I don't understand the problem. Why wouldn't they charge for the lost
equipment? That's why you have insurance.
~~~
Turing_Machine
"Why wouldn't they charge for the lost equipment?"
Because they care more about happy customers and good PR than a measly $400?
Seriously, the PR hit they're going to take for this far exceeds the value of
the equipment.
------
DanBC
Why doesn't DirecTV insure the equipment against fire? Thus covering the cost
of people who've genuinely had a tragic fire, and still able to go after
people who should pay?
From the headline I thought it was going to be an automated system still
sending letters.
> _Commenting on a complaint from a Mr.Arthur Purdey about a large gas bill, a
> spokesman for North West gas said "We agree it was rather high for the time
> of year. It's possible Mr.Purdey has been charged for the gas used up during
> the explosion that blew his house to pieces." (Bangkok Post)_
------
notahacker
It doesn't seem like a particularly smart thing to do, since for the sake of
$400 they've ensured at least one customer will _never_ use their $10-$50 /
month service again...
~~~
mikeash
On the other hand, it's a dumb thing to get upset about. Their equipment got
destroyed while you were responsible for it, that means you're on the hook for
it. If you had insurance, it'll cover it. If you didn't, then you're deeply
screwed far beyond the cost of some TV equipment.
Neither side comes off looking at all good here, although DirecTV is
definitely in the right, even if not necessarily smart.
~~~
Turing_Machine
Being technically/legally in the right and doing the right thing for a
customer (particularly one that's suffered a tragedy) aren't always the same
thing, not morally (which I doubt DirectTV cares about) and not from the
standpoint of customer relations.
~~~
mikeash
I agree as far as customer relations, even if it just pissed off this one
person it hardly seems worth it. But I think they're both legally and morally
in the right here, not that it really matters much.
~~~
Turing_Machine
From the update it looks like they already have a policy of forgiving
equipment loss in a case of this type. Someone gave the customer bad
information.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Not raising funds to stay small and happy - antoinefink
https://antoine.finkelstein.fr/not-raising-funds-to-stay-small-and-happy-938535c9c09d
======
edshiro
I also identify with the author. Tried the startup game on two occasions and
got burned 2 times (one as senior engineer the other as CTO) - somehow both
companies managed to sell but not at a price that made my shares worth it.
I then swore I would never be an employee again and decided to join an
accelerator but crashed out. Now I am freelancing and building a bootstrapped
business on the side: much less headaches, I earn a good living, and get to
build something I am passionate about while remaining master of my destiny.
Not seeking VC money nor VC-esque returns, just a meaningful life where my
work is valued and provides enough to live comfortably.
~~~
soneca
May I ask what is your bootstrapped business?
I am about to start one myself and I am curious about how and why experienced
devs choose their ambitious side projects
~~~
edshiro
I am building a B2B platform for logistics and taxi companies to store dash
cam footage and easily retrieve and annotate them (for accidents, training,
etc.).
We already have one interested customer, so trying to finish the MVP by
January!
~~~
therealdrag0
If you're only that far how do you "earn a good living"?
------
ig1
Building a small boot-strapped company vs a funded company is in a large part
dictated by market and product rather than by individual intention.
If you try to build a funded company in a space that can't sustain one you
will struggle, likewise if you try to build a small bootstrapped company in a
space that can you will similarly struggle.
If your direct competitors have a much better product then you (because they
have more dev/product/ux resources than you), a professional sales org,
marketing machine, etc. then it's very hard to compete. Your acquisition costs
and churn will be high which will severely hurt your ability to grow to a
sustainable level.
There are some ways to compete by going after the customers your competitors
don't want (if they're price sensitive, too small, wanting unusual
customization, services, niche needs, etc.) but you should think about upfront
what your strategy is going to be.
~~~
shubhamjain
> If your direct competitors have a much better product then you (because they
> have more dev/product/ux resources than you), a professional sales org,
> marketing machine, etc. then it's very hard to compete. Your acquisition
> costs and churn will be high which will severely hurt your ability to grow
> to a sustainable level.
I would disagree. If the customers are comfortable with your product, and they
don't feel a big reason to switch, they probably won't. This is more true in
the B2B space where customers tend to be less finicky. There are plenty of
products that haven't innovated in years, but still enjoy decent sales.
~~~
ig1
Even a couple of percentage points of churn is a big deal in the long term as
you have to keep replacing those customers just to stand still.
If you're in a moribund space you can get away with a MVP product for a long
time, but if you're in a highly competitive space where your competitors have
a significantly better product and a better sales team it has a real impact.
The other major factor driving churn in bootstrapped b2bs is they largely sell
to SMEs who have a high-rate of insolvency.
~~~
amenod
Being bootstrapped doesn't mean you can fall asleep. You still have to fight
for your customers, however VC investment is usually not what will help you in
the fight. It is even common for startups to fail _because_ of the funding,
when they try to reach the goals which are not realistic, just to provide
returns for the investors.
------
onassar
Rarely comment, but definitely identify with this. Given HN's general focus on
growth and funding, I think it's great/important for an article/concept like
this to be given some reach.
I find that there isn't enough critical thought given to why one ought to
pursue an aggressive growth strategy. And that generally, staying small is
seen as a failure to grow, rather than a conscious effort to grow in line with
ones own life. Going from 3 to 100 employees in a (relatively) short period
will naturally have a large impact on one's personal life and mental/emotional
state. I think it's important to ask, before one ventures into that kind of
adventure, whether or not you're okay risking mental/emotional (and arguably
physical) stability in place of the adventure, and the potential financial
windfall.
There's nothing wrong with saying no to that risk. This is a short life we
have, and spending it chasing growth to keep up w/ the momentum of the
extremes of capitalism doesn't need to be your game ;)
[edit] Prefer my last paragraph be written as: There's nothing wrong with
saying no to that risk. This is a short life we have, and __if you 're
__spending it chasing growth to keep up w / the momentum of the extremes of
capitalism, it doesn't need to be your game ;)
~~~
v_lisivka
Startup is aimed at growth, to become next unicorn. If your business is not
aimed at growth, then it is just regular business.
YCombinator is incubator for startups, hence their HN site is aimed at
startups too.
~~~
jchw
I can see why YCombinator would be biased toward startups that raise funding,
HOWEVER: I've always understood the word 'startup' to simply mean any new
business.
------
framestr
I can definitely agree with this. I was developing
[http://framestr.com](http://framestr.com) (SaaS), and at the time, we had to
bring on a 2nd developer and server costs were increasing (we all wanted to
avoid raising funds and aim to bootstrap). Rather than raise funds, my
partners and I built a small SEO business. We ended up scaling the SEO
business to around $200k MRR.
Having been through the financing process before for at a previous start-up, I
can say that the time invested in the side business was not a whole lot
different than time invested in fund raising (+ meetings, reporting to
investors after the raise).
By hustling, we were able to build a nice life style business, while being
able to grow our tech SaaS. At the same time, we had much more flexibility and
have been able to build / invest in what we want, and for what we believe is
best long-term.
~~~
cjalmeida
Anecdotally, Boeing built furniture for a while to keep afloat when developing
it's commercial aircraft business
[http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1832.html](http://www.u-s-
history.com/pages/h1832.html)
------
renegadesensei
Totally agree with this. Been bootstrapping my own thing for a while. If it
hits $5k MRR I'll be more than satisfied and probably never raise money.
------
WhyNotHugo
What worries me the most about freelancing, or being a small 3-person shop, is
retirement.
A 3-person shop might not be sustainable if me (1/3) decides to retire and has
to pay someone to keep it afloat. And that is, if I find such a person. I also
have to make sure that whatever service I provide, will keep making sense in
~30 years.
Saving might work in countries with stable economies, but you still have to
set aside quite a bit of money -- and should you outlive your saving, you're
in trouble.
~~~
tluyben2
Why do you want to retire? It is a question out of interest as I do not know
many people (many of retirement age or above) that want to retire (anymore).
Most who did retire in my circles (including me) found it not very inspiring
and went back to (more than full time) work.
------
top256
It depends what you want and what is your market size. Due to liquidation
preference, it makes sense for investors to invest in any good companies they
can no matter their size.
Now that SaaS is maturing and opportunities are smaller microSaaS will become
more commonplace.
I built one 10 years ago and I remember people thought I was crazy at that
time...
------
Mountain_Skies
I believe it is Bhutan that measures gross national happiness in addition to
GDP, realizing growth just for growth's sake doesn't necessarily increase
overall happiness. Don't know how well that works for them but good for both
the nation and this startup to have it as a goal. My concern in the context of
the startup would be that another player would enter the same market segment
and use funding to expand aggressively, eating all of my market share in the
process. Even if there is plenty of space in the market for both the slow
growth and quick growth startups, there is going to be a danger of getting
steamrolled by the quick growth company.
~~~
cperciva
Yes, you're thinking of Bhutan. But "gross national happiness" is just a
propaganda exercise.
~~~
collyw
As a Buddhist nation I doubt that is the case. Its seems fairly central to
Buddhist philosophy from my understanding of it.
Out of interest having been chasing growth for decades I assume we are at the
highest GDP measure ever, but do you assume that we are happier than ever? The
opioid crisis in the US would suggest otherwise.
------
Izmaki
I was expecting more than a few paragraphs claiming that a small company is a
good thing in regards to happiness and flexibility at work... oh well.
------
roadbeats
I also had these thoughts when I bootstrapped but the problem is not being
able to hire a great team that can build something you would not be able to.
If you’re all 3 single guys in 20s, enjoy 20s. When you’re married and have
kids, then you’ll care about bills rather than lifestyle and retreats.
~~~
charlesdm
Depends how much you're making as a bootstrapper? If $10 or 15k a month isn't
able to fund your lifestyle then you'll probably have problems later in life.
Also, unless you're based in the Bay area / NYC / London, hiring people
generally won't cost you $10k/mo per employee.
Also, no one says you can't sell your bootstrapped business. A project
generating $30k in profit can generally be sold for $1-1.3m. Reinvest that,
and you suddenly have great cash flow from investments in addition to any
other income you manage to make from your next project.
All in all, a path worth taking in life if you want flexibility and freedom.
~~~
AJ007
You can definitely make over $1m a year running a bootstrapped business. On
the high end of the success scale you can walk away with more money than a
successful VC backed co-founder.
There are more businesses that are totally inappropriate for VC than should
take VC money. The problem is everyone is equating tech businesses with VC.
There are plenty of dead tech startups that actually have modest economics and
would have worked if VC, and the high expenses of the top tier US talent, had
been avoided.
Another note, something I’ve learned more recently. Some businesses won’t make
more money even if you force more capital in to them. You can end up with a
really good company that can be profitable for decades, but destroy it by
force feeding it outside capital (VC or other.) It is important to identify
this early.
------
alvil
Funding is just another form of employment (or slavery if you wish).
------
baxtr
What’s the ultimate value of growth anyway? If a startup is VC backed, then
growth is the pathway for investors to get rich. If growth is a way to have a
sustainable competive advantage of that’s a value too. However there are also
enough small companies with a sustainable competitive advantage. Depends very
much on your positioning etc
------
c3534l
I think about the controlled growth of Amazon. They're the tortoise than won
the race. Others grew fast and crashed and burned. They were careful not to
overleverage and to make sure they were doing what they could handle.
------
amelius
> Not raising funds to stay small and happy
But in this winner-takes-all reality, is that possible? If your business
concept becomes successful, what prevents a bigger player to copy it, improve
upon it, and steal away your customers?
~~~
aeden
> But in this winner-takes-all reality, is that possible?
This is an assumption, and I would say, an invalid one. The reality is
actually that there are many successful businesses in any given industry. This
is thanks to the fact that one-size does not fit all. Niching down is a good
way to build a small, profitable business, because you can address the needs
of the niche better than those bigger players that have to try to solve the
problems of many different customers using the same systems.
~~~
unitboolean
Good point
------
adolfadi
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| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
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Ask Disporia on HN: Are you building a system or an application? - lakeeffect
Does anyone have a good idea if Disporia is building a system or an application?
I took what i could bare at their blog, but no email contact , only join our email list.
Better said, Are they building a system of applications or an application that supports other application?
======
Rhapso
The Diaspora Team is not talking to anybody. What we do know, is that they are
developing this along the lines of "personal server" So I think the best
answer to you question is 'True' (watch out for those boolean statements!)
They are building a system made only of client/servers. Each "server" is a
client to its owner and a server to everybody else.
~~~
lakeeffect
Personal Server would mean an application i host. Direct
opposition(competition)to the Cloud.
Is their end user system of hosting, better than cultivating a system to
harness the individual ownership of users collected information on various
applications in the cloud?
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
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Ask HN: Good Taxonomy Naming Conventions? - Kagerjay
How do you go about naming things? I struggle with this. Especially when it comes to frontend design. I use mostly BEM style naming, but I find things to be too verbose sometimes, slowing down productivity and readability. Often times the first tool I grab off my shelf is a thesaurus.<p>Do you struggle with naming things, or have methods for handling this? I find what is most helpful is to use an analogy with a well defined hierarchial taxonomy. For instance:<p>- A stick figure has a head, a body, feet, arms - much like the DOM has a header, body, footer, and asides. Arms have fingers, feet has toes, much like there are footer links and aside widgets.<p>These examples could be either found in nature or just well established in society. What I am looking for is taxonomy hierarchial examples that could be used in any application, that aren't namespaced already. Examples for class inheritance is (animal → dog).<p>------------------------------------------------------------------<p>Other applications relative to naming:<p>- CSS classes, and their hierarchial relationships<p>- Designing a CSS framework & its naming conventions<p>- Functions, variables, classes, etc for frontend or backend<p>- Defining different UX webcomponent names and their hierarchial relationships<p>- Defining keyword definitions document for larger projects, both from the users & developers standpoint<p>- Designing endpoint documentation for REST API's<p>- Writing technical documentation with actual relateable examples (without using the word <i>foo</i> or <i>bar</i>)<p>------------------------------------------------------------------<p>What are examples you use?<p>Do you use these principles in your codebase?
======
x0hm
We shouldn't try to shoehorn our design into a taxonomy.
Name things based on their intent in a given context.
If you're having trouble with names, you're very likely in one of 2 camps -
1) You're trying to shoehorn your objects into a specific naming convention.
2) You don't have a clear idea what the intent of your object is.
In any case, the best solution is to simplify - as simple as possible for its
given context, and no simpler.
Trying to force a hierarchy or taxonomy of names across a given project is
just going to confuse things. Your names won't be organic representations of
your objects, and you'll have trouble down the line.
If a thing is a type of another thing, those naming conventions are fine, but
don't force it.
Give things fitting names, don't fit them into names.
~~~
Kagerjay
I guess taxonomy might have been the wrong word.
For things like functions and variables, writing a name isn't terribly
difficult, since you can use an object's intent. There's only a few ways to
interpret this if you were following SOLID principles _(specifically,
singularity)_.
For things like CSS class... and organizing enough that it becomes a mini
framework - this has been challenging for me. CSS classes just tend to be so
much more vague on what its intent is. I mean its styling a component, but
that component could be called so many different things.
Another issue is when I pull in a CSS framework like bootstrap. I only use 5
different components. I'll write 90% of my own custom CSS from scratch. But I
still try to avoid using bootstrap's namespaced classes. I don't like
intruding on these reserved namespaces.
I have mixed feelings because there's only so many good ways of naming
something. I'll pull up a thesaurus to see if there are good alternative
semantic names. Sometimes, there isn't any.
I hope this makes sense. My project has already been split to 20 sass files in
7 different directories. I've refactored it as many times as I could. But I'm
starting to 2nd guess my naming conventions and realize how sloppy my code
still is. Because I didn't define a button with 3 classes (one for sizing, one
for color, one for general UI) but rather one at that time.
I like a sense of rigidity in projects. Naming things is extremely important
for me to get right the first time. Its like naming model#'s for a company
that sells many goods. You can name it whatever you want, but, grouping
together items and using special naming rules _(prefixes, suffixes, etc)_ pays
off in the long run.
So you can identify a class, and immediately know what it is, without look at
its actual code
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Introducing Xubuntu core - ebilgenius
http://xubuntu.org/news/introducing-xubuntu-core/
======
theandrewbailey
This looks great. I've continually chose Xubuntu because it's Ubuntu without a
lot of the fluff. I've wondered if there was an easy way to remove or not
install the few other things that I don't use (like Abiword and Parole). Will
be trying this later today.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
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WSJ: The Family Business Revenue Act - hga
http://www.google.com/search?q=%22on+January+1.+The+sales+pitch+is+that+this+will+only+whack+hedge+fund+managers+and+other+unsympathetic%22+site%3Awsj.com
======
hga
(For subscribers:
[http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405274870462980457532...](http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704629804575325031494469728.html))
The Congress is " _rewriting a half century of partnership tax law with no
hearings, no analysis and little debate._ "
Since for tax purposes a LLC is a partnership, this sounds like another strike
at organizing your startup as one (or just starting out as a simple pure
partnership). From the limited details in the editorial it doesn't sounds like
HN type startups will be affected, although that could change at any moment,
but the principles being established are dangerous. As the Federal government
gets more and more desperate for revenue, i.e. whenever interest rates spike
due to the world having a finite appetite for US Federal debt, the situation
will get ugly.
As of yet the whole HN type financial ecosystem has just been experiencing
(often just potential, I grant) collateral damage as less popular classes of
businesses are targeted ("it's nothing personal"), but eventually the Federal
government will run out of those and deliberately cast its net much more
widely.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
The AI-Box Experiment - mhb
http://yudkowsky.net/singularity/aibox/
======
justintocci
pretty simple solution. I'm surprised no one has posted it.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Ask HN: How do you and your team share code snippets? - brianchu
How does your team share snippets of code with each other? Simple chat? Skype? Gists?<p>Do you think there is a better way of doing this?
======
tptacek
Internal Github enterprise server, gist.
------
darkstar999
Google chat, email, verbal
------
bedspax
skype, gists, pastebin
------
gdi2290
google talk
------
dbond
Hipchat
------
krapp
pastebin mostly
------
staunch
wiki
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Systemd Is Not Magic Security Dust - walterbell
https://www.agwa.name/blog/post/systemd_is_not_magic_security_dust
======
bkor
Systemd makes it easy to add additional limitations to every service you're
running. More easily restrict all your services (NTP client, DNS caching
server, etc).
It adds an easy to use method to restrict all of the daemons and services that
someone might be running. Further, because the unit files are often shipped
with the daemon/service, it'll do this by default on every install. Not just
to the ones which have been looked at by a sysadmin. So a standard RHEL server
by default has more restrictions than before.
The examples are pretty unconvincing IMO. The article talks about an email
server. Systemd will provide an easy method to not have one service read the
other one. In the examples it talks about email server and a web server. But
completely ignores that someone will not just target that specific service,
you could just as well compromise the NTP client and then move from there to
another service.
Obviously systemd is just one small layer and security is not a yes/no thing.
But why then talk specifically about systemd? The article seems to suggest
that it's better to not use these abilities. This goes against the usual
defence in depth security IMO.
~~~
qwertyuiop924
>Systemd makes it easy to add additional limitations to every service you're
running
So does chroot. And so does jails. And posix capabilities. And cgroups...
~~~
bkor
It seems you skipped the bit where I said that those restrictions are often
shipped by upstream and as such applied to everyone by default? It's one thing
to lock down your machine(s), systemd allows to lock down loads of services
for everyone.
It's not perfect, it doesn't do everything. But is your suggestion really not
to make use of systemd abilities because maybe something else could be used?
How does this not go against the defence in depth theory?
Try and use (filesystem) capabilities. Now apply that security fix: capability
is gone. Further, that was just a change made to your machine(s).
It seems much easier to improve the security on all fronts instead of going
for some idealistic super safe solution that either takes ages or doesn't
happen.
Example: pretty nice to restrict that Jabber daemon written in Java from
accessing too much of the filesystem.
~~~
qwertyuiop924
Well, posix capabilities can be packaged upstream do that. So can Capsicum,
for that matter. And so can chroot...
~~~
bandrami
If only there were a free POSIX-ish OS that did privilege separation and
chroot for daemons by default. Perhaps some enterprising Canadian developer
could base it on the BSD kernel.
~~~
qwertyuiop924
Well then, there's your proof.
------
martius
The author of this blogpost is publicly insulting David Strauss (the systemd
contributor to whom he responds) on twitter:
[https://twitter.com/__agwa/status/782643469034528769](https://twitter.com/__agwa/status/782643469034528769)
~~~
deong
To be fair, he's doing so while referencing a response from that developer
that was just as insulting. I don't want to get into a debate over whether two
wrongs make a right, but the flow was "Systemd is not good", followed by a
reply of "you're just a child throwing a tantrum", __then __followed by the
insulting tweets.
------
DyslexicAtheist
I quite like systemd on my newer notebooks, hate it on servers. Different
users (DWH != 1-person desktop installation) have different requirements.
@munin[0] did a pretty good illustration on why both pro/con systemd camps
might be right about their reasons:
→ So, systemd is kind of a perfect microcosm of all the 'problematic' behavior
in tech, all at the same time. It's a project that is dedicated to novelty and
a specific set of goals - mostly speed-centric - above all else. And, to its
credit, it -does- make certain linux systems boot faster than other, competing
init systems. However. First, the way in which systemd has progressed has
taken specific advantage of certain problems in the open-source community.
Namely, that there are many projects that have little or no attention paid to
them, despite being infrastructurally critical.
→ So there is little desire by various linux distributors to make the effort
to maintain them - and when someone shows up offering to replace and maintain
that functionality, taking the responsibility off the already overworked
maintainers' plate? That's attractive.
→ Open source maintainers are always in a deep technical deficit trying to get
these old bits and pieces maintained, so they're eager to get the help, and
don't look too closely at what his 'help' entails.
→ And unfortunately, what this 'help' entails is the highly toxic systemd
community - and I use 'community' in the loosest sense, because it really
works out to being a sort of cult, spearheaded by a specific individual with
the ultimate power of acceptance or rejection over anyone else's participation
in the project.
→ Which is really unfortunate, because that guy's got an ego the size of
Manhattan. And he continually refuses to take criticism over his design and
implementation choices - take a look at what's left of any bug reports.
→ I say "what's left" because he has a history of purging anything he
considers to be "un-useful" \- that is, critical - from the archives
→ Now, certainly, you -could- go ahead and fork the project! Except now you
have a giant codebase and no community to work with to fix it. You could
always convince the distros to abandon it! ...except you're now up against a
bunch of overworked people who, frankly, won't care. And, worse, now that it's
a de-facto 'standard' in the linux world, you have a whole lot of
institutional inertia to work against to try to replace it, and - unlike when
they replaced init - a dedicated group of people who are utterly convinced
they're doing the right things advocating against rolling back the changes.
And, worse, there -are- some good points. SysVInit -is- grody as all get-out.
→ However, because of their dedication to novelty above all else, they're
making not only all the same mistakes sysvinit had to learn...
→ [ And because of ego, rejecting these mistakes as being 'un-useful
criticism' ]
→ But they're making whole new kinds of mistakes - things like
[https://cfp.systemd.io/en/systemdconf_2016/public/events/21](https://cfp.systemd.io/en/systemdconf_2016/public/events/21)
… which is just -staggeringly- WTF.
→ It's this whole fun trend of "fail fast" that, sure, looks great in a
startup producing some new kind of app for making your phone go yawp
→ But it's not -really- a very good model for infrastructural type concerns -
the things that need to be, by reason of their importance - conservative and
slow to change. You want your infra to be -reliable-, not "full-featured" \-
at least if you've any sense.
→ So: You have the trend-chasing guys who show up to solve "all your problems"
at the cost of making mistakes that could be seen a mile away. Eventually
leaving you far worse off and making a huge mess that will be -extremely-
expensive to fix when a reckoning comes. All in the name of some "change"
that's needed from the status quo and without understanding why the status was
quo. What's the solution here? Well, for one thing, take a look at the fine
print when Mephistopheles shows up offering to take care of all your problems.
It's too late for Linux - most Linuces are pretty much doomed at this point
into becoming utter travesties that make WinMe look reasonable. Though the
Devuan and Alpine folks seem to have some good impetus behind them.
→ Consider carefully what consequences are going to show up from adopting
these new and nifty 'features'.
→ Consider that there is a very large difference in requirements between core
infrastructure and user-facing things.
→ [ Because user-facing things can fail fast and be updated fast, but core
infra is much more expensive and time-consuming to do either ]
[0] Source:
[https://twitter.com/munin/status/781257878321582080](https://twitter.com/munin/status/781257878321582080)
Sorry about the above format, was too lazy to do a 'storify' or 'tweetlonger'
also hoping he puts that into a blog.
~~~
bandrami
Can't stand it on servers. It takes an absurd amount of effort to just get a
deterministic non-parallel service initiation. And the whole "systemctl start
foo.service && systemctl status foo.service" bit to make sure it actually
started is such a regression it's mind-boggling. Plus it hates the fact that I
use a static /dev tree (that's the only way I've found to do it on a server
while keeping my sanity).
On my laptop, it's fine, I guess, though even there I aesthetically dislike
parallel service initiation; I'm glad Jessie still lets you replace it with a
real init system, though I wish epoch [1] were packaged.
[1] [http://universe2.us/epoch.html](http://universe2.us/epoch.html)
~~~
parenthephobia
> _deterministic non-parallel service initiation_
When is this a problem?
> _systemctl start foo.service && systemctl status foo.service_
If you need to do that, the problem is with _foo.service_ , not systemd. If
foo.service fails to start, the right way, then "systemd start foo" _will_
fail. This is true of any init system: if a service starts but then bails out
after success has been reported to the user, it's too late to change that.
> static /dev tree
What's insanity-causing about a dynamic /dev tree "on a server"?
~~~
bandrami
> When is this a problem?
You're joking, right?
Sysadmins _need_ a deterministic boot order, period. If I want services to
activate on a request I'll use inetd, but I haven't wanted that in years.
> If you need to do that, the problem is with foo.service, not systemd.
This isn't about assigning blame, this is about my server being usable. If a
service fails to start I need the command that called it to fail also.
> What's insanity-causing about a dynamic /dev tree "on a server"?
Again, it's non-deterministic. Worse yet, it's declaratively configured in a
million and one udev rules instead of one imperative run control script (which
would at least be better, though still a bad idea) I need the devices on my
servers to always have the same names and numbers, and obviously a static tree
which doesn't expose any surface for my error or somebody else's attack is
strictly better than a configurable system that does expose those surfaces.
My run control scripts start the services that need to be started, in the
order they need to be started, one at a time, because at 3 am with the alarms
going off, that is transparent to me or to whoever has replaced me after the
tragic bus accident. Sysadmins get this, which is why so much of the pushback
against systemd came from us. Distribution maintainers love systemd, and I get
that, but I'm not a distribution maintainer. So now my site-local imperative
run control scripts replace an upstream declarative config system rather than
a distro-maintained set of run control scripts. C'est la vie.
~~~
justinsaccount
> My run control scripts start the services that need to be started, in the
> order they need to be started, one at a time, because at 3 am with the
> alarms going off, that is transparent to me or to whoever has replaced me
> after the tragic bus accident.
If your services need to be started in a particular order to work your
services are broken.
I've seen this sort of setup over and over again. Some custom
'startservices.pl' script that starts services "one at a time" in the "right
order" like application server -> web server.
Then one day the DBA restarts the database that lives on another box, the app
server crashes and the entire site is down.
So you get paged at 3am and run your startservices.pl script to fix the site.
Great job, pat yourself on the back.
Meanwhile, a site run by admins that use process supervision had a 5 second
outage until the app server process was restarted automatically.
You can tell systemd that one service depends on another, but it shouldn't
really be needed. This doesn't even have anything to do with systemd. You can
do the same thing using runit.
> Sysadmins get this, which is why so much of the pushback against systemd
> came from us.
..."us". No. You don't speak for everyone.
~~~
bandrami
> If your services need to be started in a particular order to work your
> services are broken.
Umm... that's possibly the silliest thing I've read on HN, which is going a
ways.
I don't know about you, but I like for my web server to come up _after_ the
NFS share it reads from is mounted. YMMV.
~~~
justinsaccount
> I like for my web server to come up after the NFS share it reads from is
> mounted.
Why does this matter? Your load balancer or service discovery layer should
detect that the web server is not functioning properly and take it out of
rotation. What do you do when your NFS server has an outage?
Even if you DID care about that sort of thing, systemd has a RequiresMountsFor
option:
RequiresMountsFor=
Takes a space-separated list of absolute paths. Automatically adds dependencies of type Requires= and After= for all mount units required to access the specified path.
Or with something like runit you would just do
#!/bin/sh
# web/run
if [ -d /web/root ] ; then
exit 2
fi
.. normal start commands here
That way if the box comes up before the NFS server the web server process will
still properly start on its own as soon as NFS comes back up.
I'm sure your hacked up scripts handle this scenario or anything else that can
go wrong. Or maybe you get paged at 3am every few days when something breaks.
YMMV.
~~~
bandrami
Hm. You seem to have a lot invested in convincing me that the systems I've
been using for over a decade don't actually work. _shrug_.
Yes, I agree there are complicated ways that systemd and other rc systems can,
largely, emulate the flexibility I get from writing a bash script to start the
services I want started. I just don't really want them.
~~~
justinsaccount
> You seem to have a lot invested in convincing me that the systems I've been
> using for over a decade don't actually work.
Yes, I used to work with people like you. "What's wrong with this method?
we've been using these scripts for 10 years!"
And every time the database restarts the app server crashes and the site goes
down. And for 10 years this has been seen as perfectly normal. After all, it's
so simple! At 3am all someone has to do is login and run some site specific
bash scripts that someone hacked together 10 years ago.
~~~
bandrami
> And every time the database restarts the app server crashes and the site
> goes down.
Nope. I've also never had these phantom poorly behaved forking daemons leaving
orphan processes all over the process space that people claim drove them to
systemd. Like I said, YMMV. What I've built works really, really well, and can
be picked up tomorrow by anybody who knows sh.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Microsoft says don't use PPTP and MS-CHAP - Suraj-Sun
http://www.h-online.com/security/news/item/Microsoft-says-don-t-use-PPTP-and-MS-CHAP-1672257.html
======
Mithrandir
Here's Moxie Marlinspike's blog post about the MS-CHAPv2 vulnerabilities:
[https://www.cloudcracker.com/blog/2012/07/29/cracking-ms-
cha...](https://www.cloudcracker.com/blog/2012/07/29/cracking-ms-chap-v2/)
Bruce Schneier also wrote about MS-CHAPv2 vulnerabilities back in 1999:
<https://www.schneier.com/paper-pptpv2.html>
------
zokier
I don't see anywhere in the KB article advising not to use PPTP. MS only
recommends switching tunneling tech as an alternative to using more secure
authentication method with PPTP (ie PEAP).
Besides incorrect title, the final remark about OpenVPN is bit trollish imho.
~~~
juan_juarez
Yeah - why would MSFT suggest an open source solution when they have their own
tech? When have you ever seen MSFT suggest an open solution?
~~~
MattHarrington
You may be surprised to hear that there's lots of stuff happening with open
source here at Microsoft. ASP.NET MVC, the Azure SDKs, and F# are all open
source. Check out this blog for more: <http://blogs.technet.com/b/port25/>.
------
nolliesnom
Does anybody have more information on the claim in this article that WPA2 is
insecure too?
~~~
zokier
It's only insecure if MS-CHAP is used for authentication, ie when used in
WPA2-EAP mode. More commonly WPA2-PSK is used, which remains unaffected.
~~~
ajross
In English this means that if you're using the standard "share a single
password for the wifi network" mode that all consumers understand, you're
fine. If you're in an enterprisey environment where you use your own wifi
password that is the same as your login password elsewhere, you're in trouble.
~~~
kbolino
You _may_ be in trouble. There are other forms of EAP that do not use MS-CHAP,
like EAP-TLS.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
The Evolution of a Software Engineer - dolel13
https://medium.com/@webseanhickey/the-evolution-of-a-software-engineer-db854689243
======
venomsnake
No spring, no ORM. Their enterprise example is worthless.
On a more serious note - in the career of a software developer the moments in
which his power, resources and responsibilities are balanced are rare. Which
leads to over engineered hello worlds if he is bored and have extra time. Or
hacked together mission critical in a crunch time. Often both simultaneously.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Scribblenauts Caught Being Accidentally Racist - aliasaria
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/94784-Scribblenauts-Caught-Being-Accidentally-Racist
======
eplanit
No -- it's not them being accidentally racist. It's you misunderstanding
something you read, and _leaping_ to the conclusion that it's racism. This is
a very common reaction, unfortunately, in recent months.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
The Name Game (1999) - hernan7
http://dir.salon.com/media/col/shal/1999/11/30/naming/print.html
======
egypturnash
Wait is this Salon or the Onion?
> It seems that when Altman and Manning presented the name Jamcracker to a
> client recently, the reception was not everything they had hoped for. "I put
> the name up in front of their creative people," Manning says. "There were a
> couple of women sitting in. One of them got up and said, 'Oh, that's
> disgusting.' Another said, 'This is really sick.' I said, 'Excuse me, what
> are you talking about?' They said, 'We can't explain it, but that name is
> just creeping us out. We don't know what it is, but could you take it off
> the wall, please?'" Manning remains mystified by the incident. "There's
> apparently some strange, uncomfortable meaning attached to it in the minds
> of some women," he says. "God knows what that could be."
Seriously, I can't stop giggling at this whole article, especially gems like
this!
------
rwhitman
Note that this article is from 1999, which was probably the all-time peak for
corporate identity consultants like this.
Quoteth the article "Naseem Javed, president of ABC Namebank in New York,
speculates that someday, historians will look back on the late '90s as a low
point in the annals of naming."
Yup, sounds about right.
~~~
BerislavLopac
I think that naming consultants provide quite a valuable service -- but one
must remain realistic. This story depicts everything that can be wrong about
that industry, especially the fact that most participants don't even realize
how silly they are: [http://www.igorinternational.com/clients/wynn-luxury-
hotel-b...](http://www.igorinternational.com/clients/wynn-luxury-hotel-brand-
name.php)
------
jrockway
I like HP better than Agilent. HP reminds me of playing with dusty and
obsolete but once-really-expensive electronics, like atomic clocks and
multimeters accurate to 10 decimal places (I have one in my apartment!).
Agilent reminds me of white people wearing white bunnysuits in white clean
rooms playing with brand-new overpriced (and off-white) electronic devices,
developing weapons of mass destruction to wipe out humanity once and for all.
But hey, that's just me. I can't afford their products anyway.
~~~
loumf
I read somewhere a while ago, that the most enduring names were just surnames.
Ford, McDonald's, HP, Dell, etc.
------
mynameishere
When Ford decided to make a new division decades ago, they had to give it a
name (alongside the low-end "Ford", middling "Mercury", and high end
"Lincoln"). The first suggestion was old Henry's son Edsel's name. No one
liked that so they brainstormed endless names, and brought executives into
dark rooms with projectors, flashing one name after another. Eventually they
flashed, "BUICK" to see if anyone was awake. Nobody was.
Then they asked poet Marianne Moore for suggestions. She came up with such
names as "Utopian Turtletop", "Pastelogram", "Turcotinga" and "Mongoose
Civique".
Eventually they just went with Edsel.
~~~
BerislavLopac
Actually Civique sounds like a very nice option for a car brand...
------
fnazeeri
I bought the domain iCapsule.com for an idea I had a few years ago but never
pursued. This post reminds me that someone could use this without paying
squatter fees. Ping me if you're interested...
------
jorgem
So funny, there is a real tech company called JamCracker -- we used them on a
project years ago. I don't think these companies should recommend names if the
domain is taken.
~~~
Umalu
This article is from 1999. The JamCracker mentioned in the article is probably
the same JamCracker you worked with.
------
jbyers
(1999)
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
The Latest Project to Preserve Pompeii Reveals New Treasures - bookofjoe
https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-latest-project-to-preserve-pompeii-reveals-new-treasures-11597837940
======
mywacaday
The European Union has its problems but it's good to see it contributing to
world heritage preservation by funding 105M to help preserve Pompeii. I sent a
day wandering around Pompeii in 2010, it's well worth a visit and is easily
doable as a day trip from Rome if your ever there.
~~~
bambax
Don't miss the National Archaeological Museum in Naples; most of the best
frescoes and statues found in Pompeii and Herculaneum are there, and it also
presents many other spectacular artifacts.
------
bookofjoe
[https://archive.vn/DZHnv](https://archive.vn/DZHnv)
------
dr_dshiv
This is all I'm holding my breath for:
[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herculaneum_papyri](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herculaneum_papyri)
~~~
xtiansimon
I suppose you’ve read that delightful summer read, Stephen Greenblatt, The
Swerve: How the World Became Modern, (W.W. Norton, 2011).
------
082349872349872
My favourite pompeiian hypothesis:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suburban_Baths_(Pompeii)#Eroti...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suburban_Baths_\(Pompeii\)#Erotic_art_in_the_Suburban_Baths)
> "These boxes are thought to have functioned as lockers in which bathers put
> their clothes. It is speculated that the paintings possibly served as way
> for the bathers to remember the location of their box (in lieu of
> numbering)"
Now, just where _did_ I leave my tunic and sandals? Ah, yes, here we are, just
to the right of the _chaliphage_.
------
INTPenis
Can't read it but there are many like it online.[1]
I love the two political candidacy inscriptions they found.
1\. [https://www.world-archaeology.com/features/new-finds-from-
po...](https://www.world-archaeology.com/features/new-finds-from-pompeii/amp/)
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Virginia Police Caught Assaulting Teens, Video Deletion Fails - guiambros
http://revolution-news.com/virginia-police-caught-assaulting-teens-video-deletion-fails/
======
nickysielicki
"Smell" as probable cause needs to disappear.
As an extension of this, the existence of drug dogs is extremely irritating to
me. It's been seen more than a few times that they're commonly trained to
react to a cue rather than genuinely detecting illegal substance. Dogs aren't
conscious, and they don't have a sense of morality. I have a huge problem with
them being used by police and that their 'opinion', if you want to call it
that, is respected in a court of law. A dog cannot testify in court. A dog
doesn't realize it is lying. It's insulting to the legal system.
~~~
swift
I agree with pretty much everything you said, but I do think it goes too far
to say that dogs aren't conscious. The evidence I have for dog consciousness
is about as good as the evidence I have for human consciousness, as far as I'm
concerned.
------
guiambros
The scary part is:
_“The Virginia Beach Police Department immediately began investigating this
incident based on the officer’s self-reported Use of Force Report and video
captured from the officer’s TASER camera submitted the night of the incident.
The department was previously unaware of the citizens recorded video until
TODAY”_ [1]. (note the 'incident' happened in January).
Police brutality will only stop when all officers are _forced_ to wear head-
mounted camera, 24x7. No dash-cam, taser-cam; Google Glass-like-cam, recording
_everything_ they say or do.
In the meantime, the only solution is for citizens to do what the young woman
rightly did: try to record - and hope evidence is not tempered with.
[1]
[https://www.facebook.com/VirginiaBeachPD](https://www.facebook.com/VirginiaBeachPD)
~~~
rmxt
Note: I believe that calling it a "TASER camera" is simply using the name
brand of the device. It's not a camera literally mounted on a electrical
weapon, but rather a body mounted camera made by the company TASER. Say what
you will about uninformed writers repeating catch phrases verbatim without
understanding their meaning, or fat public contracts consistently going to the
same vendors. Frankly, I'd rather have the body mounted cameras made by a
company that doesn't also make weapons... seems like all too cozy a situation
between the methods of force (weapons) and the tools used to keep that force
in check (body mounted cameras and video storage and retrieval systems).
~~~
guiambros
Indeed: [https://www.taser.com/products/on-officer-
video](https://www.taser.com/products/on-officer-video)
It seems pretty good, in fact. Very much in line with what was suggested
above.
------
Udik
According to the article, three kids are stopped by the police over a broken
license plate light, then one of them, apparently without any reason, is
pepper sprayed twice and tasered four times, and finally they're arrested (one
of them will be in jail till July), not before the cops have tried to delete
the recordings of the whole scene from one of the boys' phone.
Well, the first comment to the story (via Facebook) reads: "It's unbelievable
that people actually justify these kids behavior!! I guess maybe it's because
my parents raised me to respect police officers. They knew that camera was on
them and they added fuel to the fire because of it. Just get out of the car,
no taser, no spray...".
The comment has 100 likes so far. What the hell is going on in the USA?
~~~
paintrayne
These are not the most sympathetic victims so people shit on them. Welcome to
the USA. It's a real shame because the escalation of force there was entirely
unnecessary. Some comments even sarcastically ask, what should the police have
done with the kid who refused to get out? Just leave?
Obviously not. But the kid wasn't going anywhere and they could have waited
for a legal guardian or negotiated further before escalating with the use of
force. Not to mention the gratuitous use of TASER when the kid was attempting
to comply.
Unfortunately, my ultimate take away is that people who object to police abuse
are in the minority. If someone is perceived as a punk or criminal, it is open
season. Democracy at its finest.
I'd really like to hear from a European counterpart how they think this
scenario would have gone down across the pond. Not like this, I am sure.
What good are cameras and recordings if the citizens are OK with what they
see?
~~~
mixmax
In Denmark it would be a major disaster, people would get fired, hearings
would be held, and media discussion would ensue.
As a comparison: In 2012 (the latest year I could find data for) Danish police
fired a total of 49 shots over the year.
~~~
plongeur
"Danish Police Beating Unarmed, Disengaged, Kneeling Civilians"
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4xlfiEzx14](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4xlfiEzx14)
------
oh_sigh
revolution-news doesn't seem like a particularly unbiased source. A lot of
news stations have reported on it, why not link to them instead if we want to
talk about this story?
My favorite sentence from the article: "the sensible young woman requests a
sergeant be present to avoid her rights being further infringed."
------
jqm
I see the big offense not in forcibly removing the kid from the car (the
police are probably within their rights as far as that goes), but in
attempting to delete evidence. That's the real crime for which someone should
be fired and possibly prosecuted as well.
~~~
oh_sigh
Agreed. I'm interested in hearing how this plays out. I hope they can prove
chain of custody of the phone and determine if the video was deleted at all,
and if it was, if it was deleted when in the hands of an officer. Right now we
just have it from the driver that the file was deleted. But this was the same
driver that said "I wouldn't allow marijuana in my car", and the guy in the
back seat ended up being busted for possession and intent to sell marijuana
based off of that stop. I hope there is good evidence one way or the other if
the file was deleted, and the officer is punished if it was in fact deleted
while in an officers custody.
I'm leaning towards the fact that it was not deleted while in the officers
custody, but I'd love to see the forensic evidence. My reasons:
1) The driver already was caught lying
2) It's convenient that the driver had the technical know how to get undeleted
files off of her device
3) The officer was already recording the entire course of events on his body
cam.
------
kw71
This corner of Virginia is plagued by disgusting behavior of police and other
officials. Neither you nor your family are safe if you happen to be in
Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, or Portsmouth. The police departments and
commonwealths attorneys in these jurisdictions have a disgusting perversion of
the concept of 'equal protection of the laws,' they simply decide that some
individuals deserve to be abused and the perpetrators of crimes against them
shall be unsanctioned, free to roam the streets and able to possess firearms.
Certain people in the community are free to commit crimes due to their
political or social connections, and they are protected and permitted to hold
government jobs within various agencies of these cities such as the police
departments and school boards.
------
mixmax
I'm sorry to say, but looking from Europe America looks more and more like a
policestate.
~~~
guard-of-terra
I'm so not moving to the US ever now!
On one hand Paul Graham's "the only place to be is Bay Area" gig, on other
hand is this and similar stories. One can find a lot of unsafe places without
changing continents.
One more entry for my "rather kill myself than live there" list. Incidentally,
the other one is where I currently reside.
------
plongeur
Then again ... if a cop tells you to leave the car and you then start to argue
and to fight back instead of following the order.
What kind of reaction do you expect?
This would happen in any country.
~~~
DanBC
Police do not routinely carry pepper spray and tasers in every country.
~~~
plongeur
So? What country are you referring to? In Germany f.x. they do carry pepper
spray and tasers and a gun and in most other countries as well. What's your
point?
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
The IP Bill: A Letter to My MP - mocko
https://mocko.org.uk/b/2016/03/12/ip-bill-a-letter-to-my-mp/
======
youngbullind
Any suggestions of a good base country? My company is registered in London but
if this goes through I can see the argument for changing that.
~~~
flashm
Yep I'm registered in the UK as well. I'm not entirely sure how it will affect
us. We have around 2000 users. Nothing out of the ordinary stored or any
messaging service.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Chinese Labor - watch the first 34 minutes at least - merryandrew
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZnZOe_tKCs&feature=player_embedded
======
merryandrew
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manufactured_Landscapes>
Awards: Best Documentary – 2007 Genie Awards[1] Best Canadian Film – Toronto
International Film Festival[1] Best Canadian Film & Best Documentary - Toronto
Film Critics Association Awards[1] Nominated for Grand Jury Prize - 2007
Sundance Film Festival[1] Won the Reel Current Award (presented by Al Gore) -
2007 Nashville Film Festival
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Is Go an Object-Oriented Language? - spf13
http://spf13.com/post/is-go-object-oriented
======
optymizer
The problem with the author's case for Go's is-a relationships is that it
breaks down the moment you want to pass the object to a function expecting the
original object.
For example,
[http://play.golang.org/p/EmodogIiQU](http://play.golang.org/p/EmodogIiQU)
type A struct { }
type B struct { A } //B is-a A
func save(A) { //do something }
b := &B{}
save(b); //OOOPS! b IS NOT A
If Go had is-a relationships, the code above would be valid. Instead, Go only
implements has-a relationships, and simply provides shortcuts to calling
B.A.foo() as B.foo().
One _could_ create B.save(), which would call save(b.A), but the very reason
you're now proxying the call to save() is because there is no is-a
relationship in Go.
We all know about interfaces, but the problem is that is-a relationships do
exist, and you can't always use interfaces, because often you want to share
the data encapsulated by the objects, not only the behavior. One ends up
creating methods to fetch each piece of data, but in code that is supposed to
be performant, calling methods instead of accessing fields is suboptimal.
~~~
tolmasky
In my experience its always really telling that there are no incredibly simple
is-a relationships to use in inheritance justifications (as opposed to tons of
goto real world examples for just about every other feature under the sun).
Its always either incredibly abstract (B is-a A), or incredibly contrived
(Triangle is-a Shape). I've spent a lot of time in inheritance heavy code, and
I've yet to find something that wouldn't be just as, if not more, elegant
without inheritance. I've spent the most time in Cocoa (which I believe to be
very well designed BTW), but the inheritance there is clearly not needed IMO.
I usually find one of the following to be true:
1) Very shallow inheritance trees that could have very easily (and more
logically) been replaced with interfaces. For example, NSResponder being
everything's superclass even though just about all of its methods are empty
implementations ("subclassers responsibility"), aka, it clearly should have
been an interface.
2) Confused/strangely complex is-a relationships (mutable array is-a immutable
array, what? so if I specifically specify NSArray, I may still get a mutable
array and the type system will be happy???).
3) Strange rules around what methods are overridable, and more importantly,
how specifically they can be overridden. Why can't I in a UIView subclass
override -subviews to ensure that it always has the same subviews? Well,
implementation detail, that's why. Normally this would be fine, but since
anyone is allowed to muck around in a subclass, suddenly I need to know _the
way it was implemented_. This of course conflicts other parts of the framework
where you are definitely expected to override the method and not use a setter.
I have yet to be presented with one of these "killer" is-a relationships that
_must_ exist. If the sole excuse is "performance", then sure I'll conceded. I
guess I don't work in environments where member access is the performance
bottleneck so I guess I can't relate.
~~~
pcwalton
> In my experience its always really telling that there are no incredibly
> simple is-a relationships to use in inheritance justifications (as opposed
> to tons of goto real world examples for just about every other feature under
> the sun). Its always either incredibly abstract (B is-a A), or incredibly
> contrived (Triangle is-a Shape). I've spent a lot of time in inheritance
> heavy code, and I've yet to find something that wouldn't be just as, if not
> more, elegant without inheritance.
The flow tree (render object tree) in Servo (or any other browser engine) must
use inheritance: we have a heterogeneous tree of objects that all share a
common set of fields (position, intrinsic widths, collapsible margins, some
various bits that store state during reflow), but they all use virtual methods
because they must lay out their contents differently.
We can't use composition because we wouldn't get virtual methods. We can't use
an interface because then we would be forced into virtual dispatch for all of
those fields that are shared between flows.
Rust doesn't have OO yet either, so we're forced to hack around it in weird
ways (usually via a small amount of unsafe code to simulate inheritance).
> I have yet to be presented with one of these "killer" is-a relationships
> that must exist. If the sole excuse is "performance", then sure I'll
> conceded. I guess I don't work in environments where member access is the
> performance bottleneck so I guess I can't relate.
A browser engine is exactly that sort of environment. Forcing all member
access to go through virtual dispatch would murder the performance of any
browser.
Note that this was exactly the sort of thing that OO was designed for in
Simula: heterogeneous trees of objects that all share some common fields but
have different virtual methods. This generalizes to GUI libraries, game worlds
etc—in short, simulations :)
~~~
tolmasky
_> The flow tree (render object tree) in Servo (or any other browser engine)
must use inheritance: we have a heterogeneous tree of objects that all share a
common set of fields (position, intrinsic widths, collapsible margins, some
various bits that store state during reflow), but they all use virtual methods
because they must lay out their contents differently._
Haven't used Servo, but one of the big eye opening composition experiences for
me was Unity's Scene Graph. Whereas Cocoa uses an inheritance model for its
view-tree, Unity has a tree of transforms that you do not subclass or change
in any way, and then you add behaviors to those transforms. If you want it to
render, you can attach a renderer, if you want to hit test, you attach a
collider. If you want any arbitrary other thing to happen, you create that
behavior. Its really nice, the idea of "tree" is completely separate from all
other concepts. Rendering a 3D game, on mobile, at 60fps (on GC-ed Mono no
less), makes me feel pretty good about its performance characteristics. Most
our perf issues were with limiting draw calls and optimizing shaders, not
method calling.
Similarly, I worked a lot on a browser engine in the past and virtual method
dispatch was again not this clear cut performance killer.
~~~
pcwalton
> Most our perf issues were with limiting draw calls and optimizing shaders,
> not method calling.
Sounds like the work done by tree traversals weren't high overhead in general
for your workload. But it does matter for some workloads.
> Similarly, I worked a lot on a browser engine in the past and virtual method
> dispatch was again not this clear cut performance killer.
We're seeing large gains from, as far as we can tell, having fewer virtual
method calls than other engines. Eliminating virtual dispatch opens up a huge
range of call-site optimizations since the methods can often be statically
inlined (as well as reducing the load on the branch target buffer).
> Similarly, I worked a lot on a browser engine in the past and virtual method
> dispatch was again not this clear cut performance killer.
That doesn't match my experience. Devirtualization opens up lots of inlining
opportunities, and inlining is one of the most critical optimizations that
compilers can do (mostly because of the other optimizations that it opens up;
e.g. const propagation, GVN, etc. etc.)
See this study: [http://hubicka.blogspot.com/2014/04/devirtualization-in-c-
pa...](http://hubicka.blogspot.com/2014/04/devirtualization-in-c-
part-5-feedback.html)
Devirtualization optimizations improve Dromaeo by 7-8%. That's a significant
win, especially since devirtualization is only a best-effort optimization and
Dromaeo has a lot of JS in it.
------
adamlett
I would say the defining property of OO, is polymorphism. It's the property
that allows some code to call a Bar() method on object Foo and not be
concerned with the exact type of object Foo. Without polymorphism, there is
little differnce between Bar.Foo() and Foo(Bar).
Implementation inheritance is a property of _some_ OO languages and one that
is hard to imagine separate from OO. Which is why perhaps so many insist upon
it being a required property for some language to be called OO. I am firmly in
the camp that thinks implementation inheritance is a bad idea and it is best
to avoid it even in langauges that support it. Thus I don't agree with anyone
who claims that it is an important characteristic of a language.
Whether object instances find their genesis in classes, factories or
prototypes are IMO the least important aspect to consider when discussing
whether or not some language is truly OO. It's the object instances that do
the important work. Where they came from is not so interesting.
~~~
abrahamsen
> I would say the defining property of OO, is polymorphism.
Make it dynamic polymorphism, and I agree.
~~~
groovy2shoes
Subtype polymorphism. Dynamic dispatch.
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subtype_polymorphism](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subtype_polymorphism)
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynamic_dispatch](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynamic_dispatch)
Polymorphism is a feature of the type system, and thus inherently static.
Dynamic dispatch is something you often wind up with as a consequence of
subtyping, but neither requires the other, strictly speaking.
------
asgard1024
I have to say, I like Go model better than "standard" OOP (as in Java, C#..).
Class is a single construct used for three different abstractions, namely:
\- modularity/hiding
\- inheritance
\- polymorphism
This eventually turned out to be a bad idea (as evidenced by all the mess with
virtual methods, multiple inheritance and structural patterns), and interfaces
(and namespaces) were added to partly remedy this.
In Go, you instead get three orthogonal constructs:
\- modules
\- embedded structures
\- interfaces
These directly correspond to basic principles of OOP. Nice and clean.
~~~
dragonwriter
I like that Go and Rust reexamined some of the underlying traditions of the
C++/Java/C# approach to OOP rather than reflexively repeating them -- and
while I think Go and Rust both, on a high level, took good (but very
different) approaches, I think the one thing that Rust did right that would be
better _even with the rest of Go 's approach_ than the way Go did it is
explicit and detached declaration of interface implementations for data types.
~~~
NateDad
So you're saying you'd prefer it if you had to explicitly tell Go that your
type implements an interface? Something like this?
type Shape interface {
Area() int
}
type Square struct {
sideLen int
}
// Somehow denote that this function is implementing
// Shape's Area function
func (s Square) Shape.Area() int {
return sideLen * sideLen
}
Because, one of the things I like best about Go's interfaces is that you _don
't_ have to do that.
~~~
dragonwriter
> So you're saying you'd prefer it if you had to explicitly tell Go that your
> type implements an interface?
I'd prefer that to having to avoid using the most natural names for methods to
avoid implementing an unintended interface -- it seems to me that Go's
approach in this area makes easy things easier and hard things harder.
~~~
NateDad
Why do you care if you accidentally implement an interface?
~~~
dragonwriter
Because conforming to the signatures necessary to implement an interface
doesn't imply confirming to its semantics, so accidental interface
"implementations" are a type-safety problem.
~~~
NateDad
They're really not. You still have to have someone pass your type into
something expecting an interface. It's no different than passing a string into
something expecting a path when you pass it an html document... at some point
the programmer needs to decide if passing the value into the method makes
sense.
In the canonical example:
type Boat interface {
Launch()
}
func LaunchBoat(b Boat) {
// do some boat stuff
b.Launch()
}
type NuclearMissile struct{}
func (nm NuclearMissile) Launch() {
// launch nuclear missile
}
func main() {
rocket := NuclearMissile{}
LaunchBoat(rocket)
}
Sure, this _compiles_ , but the code doesn't make any sense. Lots of things
compile, that doesn't mean the code makes sense. At some point it's the
programmer's responsibility to think a little.
~~~
dragonwriter
> You still have to have someone pass your type into something expecting an
> interface.
Yes, that's generally the case with type-safety problems, even with the type-
safety problem existing, it takes an actual programming error for it to become
a problem -- and that is, indeed, the standard response of people saying type-
safety isn't important (usually, though, its not a reason people would say
something isn't a type-safety problem.) And its not completely invalid --
there is a reason that in a world dominated by static-typed languages with
limiting type systems, dynamic languages like Ruby and Python that don't offer
type safety but do offer a lot of flexibility that the type systems of
C++/Java/etc. made, at best, cumbersome to acheive.
OTOH, if you are choosing a language with the extra ceremony involved in
static typing, its kind of a big step back to not even get the level of safety
with interfaces that you'd get with C#/Java, much less a more modern,
expressive static type system.
------
jnks
The author of this blog post is a little confused about embedded structs. His
examples of _has-a_ and _is-a_ are both _has-a_ 's, and the syntax change
involved (leaving off a name for the embedded type) doesn't actually do
anything.
type Person struct {
Name string
Address Address
}
is equivalent to
type Person struct {
Name string
Address
}
And in fact, these are equivalent too:
p.Address.Zip = "01313"
p.Zip = "01313"
[http://play.golang.org/p/aKH3YxT5Mb](http://play.golang.org/p/aKH3YxT5Mb)
Go doesn't really support _is-a_ for structs, as pointed out elsewhere in the
comments here. Interface implementation is the only way to get the sort of
"this type can be substituted for this other type" idea that _is-a_
inheritance provides in other languages.
------
ChuckMcM
Reminds me of the (possibly) apocryphal story of Nickolas Wirth telling his
audience at Apple that Modula-2 was OO and having one of the audience members
object. To which Dr. Wirth replied, "Who are we to say what object oriented
means exactly?" and the objector, who turns out to be Alan Kay, says, "Well I
invented the term so I get to define it, this isn't object oriented."
I would say that similar objections would be made about Go calling it self
'object oriented' however I also don't know what is being asserted.
Go has many constructs that make abstraction easier, and that is what many
programmers want out of the OO idea, so its fine. I'm sure there specific
things that some people require before they will label something as OO. Is it
a functional question or a religious question as to whether or not Go is
Object Oriented?
~~~
jasode
>I'm sure there specific things that some people require before they will
label something as OO.
For many folks, it's basically _built-in language syntax_ for objects
(data+methods) instead of using patterns, idioms, and conventions. The object-
oriented nature is _explicit_ with syntax of language keywords instead of
_implicit_ with code organization.
>Is it a functional question or a religious question as to whether or not Go
is Object Oriented
I think it's more of a functional/pragmatic one and not religious. (I would
substitute the word "religious" for "psychological" \-- more on that in the
next paragraph). If a language is designated as "object-oriented", I think
it's reasonable to have some expectations that the programmer _does not_ have
to write idioms & patterns to emulate C++/C# type of objects.
That said, there are still _psychological_ motivations for expanding "object-
oriented" to describe what Go can do. The problem is that the term "object-
oriented" has gained a lot of currency as something useful and desirable in
the programming world. Therefore, if someone labels something (e.g. Go) as
"not object-oriented", that has an implied judgement that Go is somehow
"handicapped" and has less power than C++/C#/etc.
Ideally, all programmers would treat the following statements as something
neutral and non-threatening: " _Go is not object-oriented. C language not-
object-oriented._ "
But since we can't (the psychology), we get articles explaining how C and Go
are actually object-oriented after all. We do this, that, and the other thing,
and voila, "C is object oriented."
~~~
jeremyjh
>Therefore, if someone labels something (e.g. Go) as "not object-oriented",
that has an implied judgement that Go is somehow "handicapped" and has less
power than C++/C#/etc.
But that is precisely the point of Go: it IS less powerful. It has no
inheritance, no generics or templates, no macros or pre-processor, no raw
pointer access, no exceptions etc. This is all completely intentional, and yes
it will be a turn-off to many.
~~~
jasode
Understood.
But then people can just shift the argument around to the word "powerful".
Unlike electricity where "power" is composed of just 2 dimensions (voltage and
current), "power" in a language has hundreds of dimensions.
If for one programmer, the "interesting" things in Go include ultra fast
compile times, builtin concurrency primitives, network library, etc, then to
him, " _Go is more powerful than C++._ "
The disagreement over what dimensional components of "powerful" is worth
comparing then feeds more debates (and implied judgments of language
worthiness).
------
jbert
Something I've done in some golang code recently is to fake some OO features.
I'd appreciate some commentary on the approach.
So I want a few different, but similar things. These are actually stages in a
processing pipeline, each stage doing different processing steps.
What I'm currently doing, which mostly works well, is to have a struct type
('Stage') which does all the generic work (equivalent to an abstract base
class in C++). The Stage contains a function ptr ('Each') to actually do the
processing step.
I can then have various 'derived' types which embed 'Stage'. Each one is
assembled via a ctor which sets up the 'Each' function ptr. Effectively this
provides inheritance with method overloading for the Each function.
I also have an interface ('Stager') which is satisfied by the Stage type, and
so consequently by all the derived types (since they embed Stage).
So, I seem to have most of the benefits of C++ abstract base class and
'inheritance' (of data and methods), including overriding of methods by
subclasses (using explicit assignment to function ptr).
It feels pretty nice to work with. The main concern I have is the slight
klunkiness of the Stage/Stager duality. I also don't think I'd like this if I
had many overridden methods (I just have one atm).
Anyone care to comment on a better way to this or other critique?
~~~
NateDad
I think you'd do better making the stages into plain functions that take an
interface... why do the stages need to be structs at all?
~~~
jbert
It's really the code to connect the stages. I want to support 1->many, so a
single stage can fan out it's output to multiple consumers.
The code which wants to be generic is in the handling of things like setting
up channels between stages, handling data passing between them and
cancellation (shutdown).
I also want to support a layer of abstraction, where I can compose a graph of
stages into a single stage.
The goal is to have a number of primitive processing stages and allow
abstraction and composition to build more complex processing.
Basically I could move to a pure interface and associated functions (not
methods). That would perhaps be more idiomatic go. It's just a slight shame
that a bunch of code which lives to my mind slightly more naturally as a set
of methods on a type gets promoted to top-level package functions due to the
inabillity to define methods on an interface. But that's probably OK.
------
chimeracoder
> Since a standard definition doesn’t exist, for the purpose of our discussion
> we will provide one.
Who said a standard definition doesn't exist? From Alan Kay, who 'invented'
object-orientation and coined the term:
> OOP to me means only messaging, local retention and protection and hiding of
> state-process, and extreme late-binding of all things. It can be done in
> Smalltalk and in LISP. There are possibly other systems in which this is
> possible, but I’m not aware of them[0].
Yes, you can make the argument that the term has evolved in common parlance
beyond what Kay originally conceived of, but it's silly to propose a "modern"
definition of object-orientation and not at least mention the original
definition.
[0] From a 2003 email: [http://userpage.fu-
berlin.de/~ram/pub/pub_jf47ht81Ht/doc_kay...](http://userpage.fu-
berlin.de/~ram/pub/pub_jf47ht81Ht/doc_kay_oop_en)
[1] Note that he does _not_ mention Java, even though he write this during the
height of Java's popularity:
[http://www.tiobe.com/index.php/paperinfo/tpci/Java.html](http://www.tiobe.com/index.php/paperinfo/tpci/Java.html)
~~~
vidarh
Kay's definition is by no means "standard". "Standard" usage of the term
started deviating from Kay's definition almost as soon as it was conceived. By
time the term was widespread, it already meant something different to what he
envisioned.
It may be "silly" not to mention the original, but in this context the
original a distraction: the original definition would exclude pretty much
every language we today tend to consider object-oriented.
~~~
kd0amg
The blog post gives us, "To me this feels very much like an object. I am able
to create a structured data type and then define methods that interact with
that specific data." Defining OOP as functions that consume structured data
fails to exclude a lot of languages we don't consider object-oriented.
------
AUmrysh
You can do this same thing in C to get Objects.
Also I believe there may be a typo in your last paragraph
>while staying clear of the brittle mess than is inheritance
It should be "that" instead of "than", I think.
~~~
jerf
C is not an object-oriented _language_ because it has no language features
intended to make objects easier to use or work with. You can't actually attach
"methods" to structs in C.
You can use objects in C, and there's numerous in-the-wild big examples. But
you have to implement it yourself or use some library, and there isn't one
"standard" for the language.
Go clearly does have some features designed to make objects a first-class
element. Equally clearly there are some other languages that have "more" such
features.
This post I'm making is merely descriptive; there's no positive or negative
attached to these statements.
~~~
slm_HN
"You can't actually attach "methods" to structs in C."
You can have structure members that are function pointers which is basically
attaching a "method".
~~~
pdpi
You still have to explicitly pass a `this` to that function, which is kind of
my earmark for telling methods and functions apart. (In this regard, Python
treads a fine line where it has an explicit `self` parameter that is passed in
automatically).
~~~
knome
You _can_ manually pass in the `self` parameter to unbound methods if you
like.
import itertools
class Test():
def __init__( self, number ):
self._number = number
return
def aaa( self ):
print 'AAA<%s>' % str( self._number )
return
def bbb( self ):
print 'BBB<%s>' % str( self._number )
def main():
instances = [ Test( n ) for n in range( 100 ) ]
functions = [ Test.aaa, Test.bbb ]
for instance, function in zip( instances, itertools.cycle( functions ) ):
function( instance )
if __name__ == '__main__':
main()
------
ben336
I think the "object"-less OO tag is a bit overblown. Structs are objects. Just
because Go creators didn't choose to name them that doesn't mean there's a
fundamental difference between Go structs and other languages' objects.
~~~
grey-area
The fundamental difference (and there is one), is that Go omits the concept of
inheritance, preferring composition instead. So in contrast to many mainstream
languages today - Java, Obj-C, C#, C++, Ruby, Python, PHP , etc. there is no
concept of inheritance, only composition of objects and conforming to
interfaces.
There's a good quote in the article about this under 'Inheritance Is Best Left
Out' \- James Gosling responds to someone asking what he'd change in Java in
retrospect - _“I’d leave out classes,”_ he replied.
~~~
voidlogic
>>The fundamental difference (and there is one), is that Go omits the concept
of inheritance, preferring composition instead
Right, but that doesn't mean Go is not object oriented, it simply eschews
inheritance for composition. Go also offers something else n lieu of
inheritance that many other OO languages don't have, embedding.
------
Jare
Surprised there is no mention of hiding or message passing, which are two more
common aspects of Object Orientation. Without them, I think the idea that
methods are "attached" to objects is rather incomplete.
~~~
jdmichal
More common, but certainly not required. For instance, JavaScript does not
provide hiding at all as part of its OO mechanisms. (Implementations that
allow hiding use closures to provide it.)
~~~
Jare
Exactly, that would fit with the tone of the article, which does away with the
idea of OO defined in terms of axioms like inheritance, etc. and instead
explores how these pieces of the OO picture work and relate to each other.
------
kd0amg
_What have’t we done._
Attached that behavior to the struct itself so that invoking a struct's "area"
function could give any of several different behaviors depending on exactly
what "rect" struct you have.
~~~
jerf
To do that in Go, you just add:
type Area interface {
area() int
}
though I'd note I'm deliberately just copying the article as written, as an
"area" that's confined to an int is awfully weird.
Note you can indeed just add that, and you're able to take "Area"s anywhere
you like, and you can even do it in a different module entirely; nothing has
to "declare" than a rect implements Area.
To forstall the usual next question, no, Go has no further overloading based
on type or anything else. My personal advice if you want to use that a lot is
to use a different language. I like Go, but I look on the people trying to use
it for machine learning or matrix math or other intensely mathematical
computational loads with a bit of mystification. It isn't what it's good for,
and I see no sign the core devs even consider it a marginal use case (to say
nothing of a core use case) and have no intentions of changing the language to
make this easier. If you really, really _need_ overloading for your core use
case, pick something else. Go is built for the environments where overloading
is generally dangerous and used by people to do excessively "clever" things on
the server, not for the environments where it is necessary. (Or perhaps
"environment", singular, since "intensely mathematical code" is the only such
thing I know of; everywhere else I've ever seen it it's asking for trouble.)
~~~
rakoo
> Go has no further overloading based on type or anything else
You _can_ overload in Go: see for example how a zlib compressor is implemented
[0].
The gist is that you take a standard io.Writer, embed it in your struct, and
override the Write() method. This way you have a new io.Writer you can use
wherever a io.Writer is needed. This pattern is actually standard in Go (and I
guess in other languages where interfaces are more important than
implementations)
Or maybe I didn't understand ?
[0]
[http://golang.org/src/pkg/compress/zlib/writer.go?s=4340:439...](http://golang.org/src/pkg/compress/zlib/writer.go?s=4340:4391#L136)
~~~
jerf
That's embedding. If it's a replacement for any traditional OO concept, it's
"inheritance", not overloading. (It _isn 't_ a replacement, but if you found
yourself _needing_ inheritance, embedding is what you'd use to get the
closest.) Overloading would allow multiple definition of the same function
name that are dispatched in various ways based on the types being called.
I show this only for example because it's horrifying Go code, but the closest
go equivalent would be:
func OverloadedSomething(params ...interface{}) interface{} {
// (int, int) int
if len(params) == 2 {
a, isAInt := params[0].(int)
b, isBInt := params[1].(int)
if isAInt && isBInt {
return a + b
}
}
// (string) string
if len(params) == 1 {
aStr, isAStr := params[0].(string)
if isAStr {
return aStr + " world"
}
}
// etc etc
panic("OverloadedSomething not given something it can resolve")
}
Which could then be called like:
sum := OverloadedSomething(1, 2).(int)
helloWorld := OverloadedSomething("hello").(string)
I may have the ... on the wrong side of the interface{} in the params.
The Go thing to do is to declare separate functions for each implementation.
Other languages have support for doing that sort of resolution at compile
time, so you don't get the obvious run-time hit you'd take trying to do that
in Go.
------
NateDad
This is honestly kind of a dumb question, because the answer depends on who is
asking the question. Object oriented has become such an overused and little
understood term, that you can't just give an answer without trying to discern
what the person asking is looking for. There's almost always a better question
to ask than "Is x language object oriented?".
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Twitter Followers Vanish Amid Inquiries into Fake Accounts - ganlad
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/01/31/technology/social-media-bots-investigations.html?rref=collection/sectioncollection/technology
======
ActsJuvenile
Twitter is in a dire situation. As a fun project I wrote a Lua - Torch bot to
search for certain tweets and hit like on them based on sentiment analysis.
I realized that API query results were mostly news bots, retweet bots,
corporate PR bots, social media aggregator platforms like Buffer, and just
plain old spam bots.
How bad was it? After filtering 1,000 tweets per query, I barely found 10-20
real human users. That signal to noise ratio is dismal, and detrimental to the
core product experience. Twitter must be forced to maintain this fake high
activity to prop up the share price.
BONUS: Guess who else is spamming their post feed: Tumblr. Tumblr didn't allow
any adult content or keyword search; since Marissa Mayer took over she seems
to have loosened that policy to fluff the numbers. Tumblr today is drowning in
porn.
~~~
nkkollaw
I've yet to figure out why anyone would consume any kind of content on
Twitter.
I've used it for a while, and what I got is that it's goos for (and people use
it) to spam others about your projects or show off. However, if you try to use
it to get news or updates on anything it is the least efficient, most
stressful thing I've ever used.
I see Twitter as a good tool for outages, natural disasters, and protests.
That's pretty much it.
~~~
JoshTriplett
> However, if you try to use it to get news or updates on anything it is the
> least efficient, most stressful thing I've ever used.
Depends _heavily_ on the set of people you follow. I've found it to be a great
source of news, and I typically see news show up there hours to days before I
see it show up in places like HN.
~~~
7dare
For instance, if you follow sports, it's an extremely efficient and direct way
of keeping up-to-date with teams and players.
------
tinbad
It's so obvious that social platforms with business models based on number of
ads/impressions like Twitter/FB are not incentivized enough to remove fake
accounts, yet there seems to be very little public discussion or outrage about
it. I agree with Mark Cuban here [1], they should do more to make sure each
account has a real user behind it, even if it means less revenue. It's just
the right thing to do.
[1]
[https://twitter.com/mcuban/status/957686987229618176](https://twitter.com/mcuban/status/957686987229618176)
~~~
yourdonut
Speaking as an ex-Facebook growth employee, fake accounts actually hurt growth
and are actively sought out and removed by a dedicated team. Think about it--
if a user receives a bunch of fake friend requests, it's a bad experience.
This is one of the (many) reasons MySpace died--because of the onslaught of
porn-promoting accounts that they never cleaned up until it was too late.
~~~
spamizbad
Facebook certainly has been more diligent about stomping out fake accounts
than most other services, with Twitter being social media's problem child.
A telling anecdote: A security researcher friend of mine found a somewhat
small botnet of twitter accounts (~7000). Reported it to twitter, a few months
passed and he noticed twitter hadn't done anything. So he turned it over to a
journalist who eventually poked someone at twitter and... _poof_ all 7000+
accounts were gone 6 hours later.
~~~
dogweather
WTF? What can account for that? I'm not cynical enough to believe that they
_encourage_ botnets.
Maybe simply no dedicated people or team for the problem?
------
jashmenn
We have to be careful about botshaming people who have too many fake
followers: it's pretty easy to buy your enemy a bunch of fake followers just
to discredit them.
Fun story, years ago in my office, before buying followers was well known,
folks would prank each other by buying fake followers for our co-workers.
They'd wake up and be so happy and surprised and then have to spend the
weekend manually blocking each one.
At the time it seemed pretty harmless, but now it is definitely a threat to
someone's credibility.
~~~
orionblastar
Also fake SEO stuff like make an illegal web farm copied from your
competitor's site and use a spambot to post their URL everywhere so Google
penalizes then in web rank.
I was on Uncyclopedia when someone did that to get them removed from Google.
------
strgrd
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13726214](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13726214)
"Link to this post in three years and ponder in its prescients... Web 3.0 will
be born in the death of the heavily botted social networks."
~~~
staplers
What a profoundly insightful comment thread that is. Thanks for linking.
------
grizzles
I have a (maybe) interesting twitter related anecdote. 5-6 weeks back I went
to the twitter website and I was greeted with a login screen. I couldn't
remember my password and didn't feel like finding it so I went off to look at
other sites. That happened a few times, until I went back and POOF, I am
automatically logged back in again. I've never seen a site un-invalidate an
auth token before. Cool beans.
~~~
jeffwass
I had something similarly weird with amazon.
I got a new iPhone and on iOS Safari I needed to sign in to all my accounts.
Except for some reason Amazon recognised me with one-click enabled. I never
used one-click to buy anything before and accidentally bought a kindle book
while browsing the site.
More strangely, when I went to turn off one-click in my settings I was forced
to log in.
So I could one-click buy without explicitly authenticating, but needed to
authenticate to disable it. Very strange and/or shady.
Btw - is there an easy way to cancel an accidental one-click buy? In my case
it was a local author I wanted to support anyway, so I’ll keep the purchase.
But surprised it’s so easy to accidentally purchase something from the mobile
site if you swipe to scroll on the wrong place.
~~~
CodeWriter23
FYI Kindle purchases can only be made via one-click. I hated when Amazon
forced me to enable it to get a copy of Traction.
------
S_A_P
In a somewhat related note. I read the original NY Times article that laid out
the case for the fake followers. The combination of good writing,
investigative journalism and compelling presentation actually made me feel
like they are producing content worth paying for. I am now subscribing to the
new york times.
~~~
mike_hearn
Don't take anything you read in the New York Times about twitter bots too
seriously. They do publish articles that look superficially well researched
but which are nonsense or actually deceptive:
[https://blog.plan99.net/did-russian-bots-impact-brexit-
ad66f...](https://blog.plan99.net/did-russian-bots-impact-brexit-ad66f08c014a)
The problem is that some phrases that appear on the surface to have one
meaning have been grabbed and redefined by particular political groups, almost
used as code words. "Bot" and especially "Russian Twitter Bot" for example
isn't used by Twitter or others in the way you'd always expect:
[https://www.projectveritas.com/2018/01/11/undercover-
video-t...](https://www.projectveritas.com/2018/01/11/undercover-video-
twitter-engineers-to-ban-a-way-of-talking-through-shadow-banning-algorithms-
to-censor-opposing-political-opinions/)
_" Just go to a random [Trump] tweet, and just look at the followers," Singh
says. "They'll be like guns, God, America, like, and with the American flag
and like the cross. Who says that? Who talks like that? It's for sure a bot."_
The idea that Twitter bots can change society in fundamental ways is one that
seems to obsess journalists, who all seem to spend half their day on Twitter
anyway, but I've yet to see evidence that it's true.
------
Pxtl
Okay, who puts time on the Y axis of a graph? Honestly.
~~~
shagie
We scroll down and that becomes a "animation while scrolling". While its an
unusual orientation, it believe it is the right one. Its not a time axis - its
"time since the user was created".
The graph isn't a "this is how many followers the user had at this point in
time" but rather "right now, here are all the followers this user."
A point is "the Xth user following had a join date of Y" and thus the X axis
is in effect a time axis (though not a linear time axis).
From an eye scanning view, the horizontal bands are easier to follow and
notice than vertical ones - and that is part of the goal of the graphic (to
emphasize those bands).
------
patorjk
I'm having trouble understanding the follower visualizations. Does the X axis
represent her followers in the order they started following her and the Y axis
is the date they (the follower) joined Twitter?
~~~
7dare
The original article suffered from the same flaw, and they never really
explained it.
------
mlb_hn
I don't get the justification for labeling the initial block as organic
growth, unless they're claiming that only the horizontal stratification is
signs of bot activity. The vertical stratification should also be signs of bot
activity, and as they point out, many of the supposed bots were in the
vertical stratification groups.
For those not familiar with the graphs, the graph shows date followed on x and
date created on y. Where there's horizontal stratification, NYT noticed it
means the follower accounts that all began following the account at the same
time were also created around the same time, indicating a strain of bots.
However, when there's vertical stratification, there's a shift in the rate at
which accounts are following the account. When the vertical stratification is
followed by horizontal stratification, it's an indication that both sets are
bots - for example, one scenario is that instead of providing a mix of bots
created at different time, someone got lazy and just grabbed a list of bots
all created at the same time. However, vertical stratification could also just
indicate that the person did something good or bad to change the rate of
acquiring new followers so it isn't clear cut. That being said, I'm not sure
that justifies labeling the initial section which lacks horizontal
stratification as organic.
------
fabatka
What I don't really understand about this is, why is anybody concerned with
fake accounts and followers outside of ad companies? (Disregard now the
possible public opinion influencing use of huge fake account networks, I can't
even see this argument against bot accounts in this article.) As I see it,
both bot account sellers/maintainers and celebrities profit from this, only
the ad companies can lose when their business partners realize that they get
fake visibility for their money and decide not to give money for this. Of
course this would in turn eliminate the sponsorships of accounts and thus the
buying of fake followers. So I guess I don't really get why this industry
exists in the first place...
------
oblio
We’re probably 10-20 years away from the internet and especially instant
messaging becoming a public utility. The product itself is immensely useful
but so far hasn’t been monetized except by lock in to a bigger platform or by
turning the user into a product.
We’ve had AIM, ICQ, MSN, Yahoo Messenger and many others that can be seen in
the list of protocols supported by pidgin.im. Now we have Facebook Messenger,
Whatsapp, Skype, Hangouts and the thing from Apple.
Or at least there should be a standard everyone that wants to sell to public
institutions should follow for instant messaging.
------
anfilt
I am not sure why this is a problem, but I don't really use twitter. Yes, fake
accounts exist. It's only twitter's problem not sure why this something the NY
times would care about?
~~~
ddebernardy
To name but a few reasons off the bat:
1\. Twitter is selling content feeds to TV news networks. With enough bots out
there your tweet may very well end up on TV.
2\. It counts for SEO. I once met a guy in 2010-ish who was into casino SEO.
He was running a network of ~150k FB/Twitter accounts to promote articles that
quoted the oddball news outfits that quoted his clients' press releases.
3\. Some people actually read what's going on on Twitter. In particular
journalists and swaths of opinion leaders. See any late night show, really,
for ample Twitter coverage.
4\. Some people with tons of followers occasionally retweet garbage memes on
Twitter, including racist videos tweeted by white supremacist UK groups that
turn out to be fake.
------
code4tee
What’s even worse is that advertisers end up paying a lot of money to
advertise to these bots. In an early ad campaign with Twitter we quickly
realized a lot of our spend on “engagements” was engagements with bots. We
pulled the plug on Twitter spend really quick.
This has been a known problem for a while and Twitter has done little to fix
it at scale. Given that they make their money on these paid “engagements”
there are going to be a lot of people taking a real close look at this.
Interesting days for Twitter ahead.
------
grangerize
I don't know if it is only me but I like when the graph changes as you scroll
down to give you more insights.
------
TazeTSchnitzel
I tend to soft-block (block and then immediately unblock, it removes them as a
follower) most new followers, because most are either brands or fake accounts.
------
ahamedirshad123
One Indian actor threatened to quit twitter, because another actor has more
followers than him.
------
forkandwait
I have completely ignored Twitter since some guy told me about it 10 years
ago, and I have not once thought "wow, I wish I had paid more attention to
that."
~~~
jashmenn
Just wait until you learn about Bitcoin
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Real-Time Strategy Game AI: Problems and Techniques [pdf] - tosh
http://webdocs.cs.ualberta.ca/~cdavid/pdf/ecgg15_chapter-rts_ai.pdf
======
stygiansonic
Related HN discussion:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10638184](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10638184)
~~~
lfowles
It would be interesting to see a graph of stories inspired by other stories on
HN. I'd expect lots of short little sections of ~5 or so stories for about a
week after a current event.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Show HN: Network geographic activity visualization, made with Processing - valverde
Processing (processing.org) is such a great tool, I decided to spend some time learning about it during the holidays. Here's what I came up with:<p>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4ehmI2YVdQ<p>The globe you see in the video is rendered in real-time, with a script polling a webserver via a PHP script which simply runs 'netstat | grep ":80" | grep "ESTABLISHED"' and returns whatever comes out. In other words, it returns a list of active HTTP connections to that specific web server.<p>After gathering a list of IPs, I find their geographic coordinates via Maxmind's GeoLiteCity database (it's free and pretty good :). Finally, I plot each connection as a line which fades as it goes further. This fading is important, because it allows to distinguish locations with more connections from the rest.<p>This was inspired by a very similar visualization which Google has in a big screen at the GooglePlex, but I couldn't find a video of it.<p>Comments and other visualizations are much appreciated.
======
retroafroman
Very cool. I'm a big fan of Processing, it makes doing simple graphical stuff
with programming pretty easy. Just out of curiousity, what platform did you do
that on? Did you have to use an external OpenGL library or some other 3D
rendering outside of Processing's core?
~~~
valverde
I tried to use some of the more advanced OpenGL stuff, but in the end I used
the standard P3D canvas (which is part of Processing's core).
I used the "Video" library to make a video out of the animation, and Maxmind's
Java library for geolocation. Other than that, it's pure Processing.
>what platform did you do that on?
The video was rendered on a Mac. Is that what you meant?
~~~
retroafroman
Yeah, that's exactly what I was wondering. Last time I tried playing with the
Processing's video API on Linux there were some problems IIRC. That was a long
time ago, so it's probably fixed now.
Anyway, cool visualization!
------
valverde
Clickable: <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4ehmI2YVdQ>
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
What's Caterina Fake doing in Yahoo! - sf2007
======
sf2007
I really think people like her create a lot more value when they are starting
a new company, and not when they are working for a giant like Yahoo!
~~~
danielha
Funny you say that. She's currently leading Yahoo!'s technology development
group, and is behind their internal "startup" incubator, Brickhouse. Their
first product was Pipes, which is actually quite cool.
So the "giant" seems to agree with you there.
~~~
nickb
No she's not. Salim Ismail is leading Brickhouse:
<http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/03/14/salim-ismail-to-head-yahoo-brickhouse/>
She'll lead 'strategy'... whatever that means. I think she'll leave very soon.
She was demoted afterall.
~~~
JMiao
Caterina established Brickhouse at Yahoo! and hired Salim Ismail to run it.
Brickhouse, of course, is a product of her strategic role at Yahoo!
------
sf2007
Don''t get me wrong - I didn't mean to say she isn't doing anything "cool".
However, the fact remains that one can be so much more innovative and nimble
in a "real" startup. Given a choice, a truly smart person would prefer to work
for a cool starup vs Yahoo! Brickhouse.
The level of motivation one has in a startup is simply not there in a public
company.
~~~
bootload
_'... Given a choice, a truly smart person would prefer to work for a cool
starup vs Yahoo! Brickhouse. ...'_
Probably making the choice of sticking around for the stock vesting period. If
you are ever asking yourself a question about someone, especially web/software
related go to the source [0]. Here is what 'Fake' had to say not long ago
about startups v's the SoftCo's of the world ...
_'... Having worked at startups for my entire career, I had never worked at a
company larger than 100-150 people. On a normal day, we would walk around
patting ourselves on the back for how brilliant we were, how innovative, how
fast we could ship, how much attention we paid to our customers, how WE were
the rock stars and the people at those big companies? slow, dull, stupid
wankers! ...'_ [1]
and goes on to explain that innovation is happening at large companies but
needs to build a process withing the corporate framework.
_'... But then I started working at a 10,000 person company and began to
realize we weren't all that after all, the real Peter Framptons were the ones
innovating at big companies. You build something brilliant while
simultaneously serving literally billions of customers? Party on, you TRULY
rock. ...'_ [2]
So this is what Fake is up to. Working out a process within the context of a
large company to allow continual innovation. After doing a startup, waiting
for vesting and having access to working capital and authority to execute it
seems a natural progression.
Reference
[0] Katerina Fake, 'Big Companies, Small Companies, Innovation and Brickhouse'
<http://www.caterina.net/archive/001049.html>
[1] Katerina Fake, 'Big Companies, Small Companies, Innovation and
Brickhouse', Ibid.
[2] Katerina Fake, 'Big Companies, Small Companies, Innovation and
Brickhouse', Ibid.
~~~
greendestiny
It's an interesting attitude but I think she's wrong. A big company is already
serving billions of customers so they have a lot to lose. If a big company
launches a service and its not an immediate success people will attack the
brand. Also you get a lot of exposure at an early stage and the users aren't
as sympathetic.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Ask HN: moving to Thailand for 2-6 months, any advices? Anyone join me? - snitko
So I decided I should do this some time, just to change the scenes and boost productivity, so this December I'm probably moving to Thailand for 2-6 months where I'm going to code the hell out of my current projects. However I'm not really sure where do I ask a couple of things I'm concerned about. I was hoping some HN people lived/are living there and could give me a valuable advice.<p>I'm mostly concerned about renting an apartment:
1. Is it a good idea to look up an apartment on the internet (if so, what's the best website?)
2. What are the usual agencies fees and other conditions there? How much do you actually pay if you get an apartment for $x? Is it $2x? $3x?
3. What can go wrong in the process of renting an apartment?
4. I heard that most apartments are rented for 6 months or more. Does that mean I lose some money if I move out earlier?<p>Also, if anyone was thinking about doing the same, you are welcome to join me. Not suggesting living together, but meeting up and making friends could be exciting. And I would also be glad to meet people who already live there.<p>Thanks, HN.
======
jobeyonekenobi
Hey there. Like many others, I lived in Thailand for a number of months,
boxing. I don't have too much advice regards the housing.
I do however have some advice regarding your time there. Be very aware that no
matter where you go, you will be perceived as well off. You will (seriously)
be batting women away left right and centre. Very pretty women who see you as
their ticket out of there.
If you do gain a girlfriend, don't be surprised that your money will go
nowhere as far as you had hoped. Scooters, money for family, eating out more -
all will make their way into your life very quickly.
It's easy to say it will never happen to you - you don't have to go looking
for a partner out there. They will find you and persue you. For Western men,
this can be a huge change from the generally more entitled women of the West.
Please excuse my asumptions that you are interested in females - I don't know
if the same is true for Thai men.
~~~
dinedal
Having only _visited_ there, I can concur.
If you do decide to date a Thai woman, be very careful, the culture of dating
there is extremely different then the West. I would highly recommend research
into how the culture works before you get into something you might end up
regretting, it's certainly not for everyone. You will find it very difficult
to find the difference between sincerity and gold digging. Also, be very
careful of working girls.
Oh, and stay in the north for cheaper living, Chang Mai is awesome! Don't pay
more then 70Baht for a Big Chang!
------
lem72
I haven't lived in thailand, but lived in China for a year, and I find that
anything found on the internet that is in english has the rents raised
substantially.
You may want to start by staying at a hostel and becoming friendly with the
hostel staff. They usually have friends who know friends who will be able to
help you out for sure.
You may also want to bring a bit of money to hire someone from the country (in
china you can pay around $500-$600/month for a full time university graduate
who majored english) to be your personal assistant while getting things set up
for you. In fact I would highly recommend this.
In China, we had to sign a year lease, but actually got out of it early and it
wasn't a hassle at all but that may just be that our landlords were great.
Another idea you may want to try is to use something like couchsurfing.com
just to meet local expats there. When I lived in the Caribbean I used to let
people couch surf and would introduce them to the locals that would show them
what they wanted to see/do. You don't even need to stay at their house, you
can just ask them questions through the website.
Good luck on your adventure, I haven't gotten to Thailand yet, but as soon as
I can make it out there, I will. Iceland is next on my list.
~~~
snitko
Thanks for this valuable input. I will probably use some of the advices. And
couchesurfing.com is exactly what I've been looking for.
------
sganesh
I have traveled extensively in Thailand. The one city I love & keep going back
is Chiang Mai. It has great coffee shops with free WiFi, an excellent ex pat
community, plenty of colleges and friendly folks . I would book your stay at
Spicy Thai Backpackers Hostel. The owner Pong is pretty cool, plus it's in a
quiet neighborhood. He can also help you find long time rentals. Hope this
helps.
------
gexla
Doing much the same but in the Philippines. Don't rent an apartment, you could
likely get a hotel room which is not much more expensive than an apartment
(some people here live in hotels long term) while you look around. Forget
about agents, just ask around, probably other expats. You should be able to
find apartments which are month to month.
------
tomotomo
Here's my advice for Vietnam, probably also applies to Thailand. You don't
need to bother finding a place before you arrive.
1\. Go to the tourist/backpacker area, find accommodations. 2\. Find a
reasonable hotel you can stay in for a few weeks. 3\. Find a cheaper place you
can stay at for a few months.
And.. 0\. Look on expat/travel forums instead.
------
petervandijck
1\. No, get it when you're there. Reserve the first two weeks to get settled
and organized.
~~~
snitko
Yeah, thanks. I was thinking exactly that. Any tips on the agencies to go to
then?
~~~
petervandijck
I would stay in a popular hostel and ask around in that hostel. There will
often be notices hanging there as well.
Sharing an apt can be a lot of fun too, and easier to arrange.
------
mbenjaminsmith
I've been in Thailand on and off for around a decade. I founded / used to run
a PR agency in Bkk and now write software. I'd be happy to give you some
pointers. Email me at mbenjaminsmith at gmail. - Matthew
------
alnayyir
I planned on Malaysia this winter ($ allowing) rather than Thailand for
various reasons, otherwise I'd join you.
Reasons include:
1\. Money
2\. Stability
3\. I know more people in Malaysia
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
An Open Response to Taylor Swift's Rant Against Apple - ColinWright
http://nextshark.com/an-open-response-to-taylor-swifts-rant-against-apple/
======
natch
Nice try, but if the photographer is only getting paid when their work is
used, don't they have themselves to blame, for refusing to work on a work-for-
hire basis?
That aside, comparing someone (anyone, not necessarily Taylor Swift) who has
poured a lifetime of effort into their music with someone who brings so much
less to the table doesn't seem fair. I'm not saying photographers bring
nothing to the table. But it's arguably less, and it's also an apples to
oranges comparison.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Ask HN: What do you do during the dead time while programming? - selrond
All those times, when you need to wait a couple of minutes to build / compile stuff, but starting to work on something in between is not worth it / impractical, but still - you don't want to get completely distracted, so you can jump right back quickly - what do you do?
======
skfist
I typically use the time to write - my thoughts, ideas and notes of all sorts
- which are directly or indirectly relevant to whatever it is I'm working on
at the time. That's how I find problems worth solving. There are opportunities
hiding in everything we do every day. All it takes is a portion of our time
dedicated to thinking and synthesis of information from various sources.
------
chadcmulligan
flip to an open HN tab, I used to flip to reddit, but I've blocked reddit now
- wasted to much time.
~~~
selrond
in fact, this thread was a product of dead time
------
sodimel
I waste time by drawing, browsing HN or (more recently) dev.to.
~~~
selrond
I have a hard time reading anything on dev.to TBH, I find it's way too pop-
culture-unicorns-everywhere for how pragmatic programming is (should be?) in
its essense
~~~
sodimel
I like the community-driven development of forem, but aaaall those posts about
only nodejs stuff are starting to be boring.
Like if webdev is nodejs only. I struggle to find anything good about django
:/
~~~
raihansaputra
Was in the same boat about Django online. The current community forum is
pretty good, and I'm also subscribed to Django News for the regular updates.
Really good resource. [https://django-news.com/](https://django-news.com/)
Edit: And the Django Chat podcast is really good too
~~~
sodimel
In fact, I discovered Django News when they included a package I created
([https://django-news.com/issues/30](https://django-news.com/issues/30) − at
the bottom of the page) :D
Now, I subscribed to their newsletter (and to their dev.to account too).
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Viral marketing is not a marketing strategy - itsybaev
http://andrewchen.co/2007/09/01/viral-marketing-is-not-a-marketing-strategy/
======
itsybaev
"There's no such thing as viral" David Heinemeier (37signals)
<http://youtu.be/0CDXJ6bMkMY>
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Disrupting Deepfakes: Adversarial Attacks on Image Translation Networks (Code) - natanielruiz
https://github.com/natanielruiz/disrupting-deepfakes
======
brian_herman__
Doesn't this make it worse because you can just make another GAN or something
that undoes this?
~~~
OneGuy123
Yes, it's a never ending race.
~~~
natanielruiz
For now, we show that if StarGAN is trained on images augmented by adversarial
attack it does become more resistant but not completely resistant to attacks.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Ask HN: What license key service do you use for your product? - gcatalfamo
I want to generete a license key for the customers who buy my product after they purchase (e.g. with stripe or paypal).<p>I don't want to reinvent the wheel, is there a SaaS or similar I could use for key generation and management?<p>This is especially important because the product is an App Script add-on, so everything "administrative" that has to be built on purpose is a distraction...
======
programd
I did some research on this and didn't find anything that fit my needs. I need
to generate licenses for software that's running in Docker containers. I
finally decided to roll my own.
The whole thing is basically a database, simple front end, and a bit of code
that generates a license key. The license is basically a signed/encoded string
which my software can parse and validate. The user buys the license string,
they feed it to my software as a config parameter and the software verifies
the signature and validates it in various ways. Job done.
If there's any demand for something like this I'm willing to productize the
whole thing.
~~~
crackcomm
There is already [https://www.vaultproject.io/](https://www.vaultproject.io/)
------
graystevens
Pinging ezekg with his startup [https://keygen.sh](https://keygen.sh)
~~~
ezekg
Hey, thanks for the ping! Keygen ([https://keygen.sh](https://keygen.sh)) is
an developer-focused API that handles user management, licenses and helps you
track things like devices, etc. It integrates easily with Stripe and other
payment providers using webhooks. I just launched a new feature this month
that handles licensed software distribution as well. :)
------
seanwilson
I haven't tried it but Gumroad looked promising. They deal with payments and
subscriptions, each sale generates an email to the customer containing a
license key and you just make a simple HTTP API call (e.g. via JavaScript or
whatever) in your app to verify a license key is still valid. I had a look at
several other similar services but couldn't find a simple one that didn't
require you to run some kind of server yourself.
~~~
gcatalfamo
Yes I was also looking into gumroad and sendowl, trying to understand which
would fit my needs more.
~~~
seanwilson
So from memory...API calls to SendOwl requires a secret to be sent and each IP
can only do an API call once per second. For desktop apps for example, you'd
need to create some kind of server of your own to keep the secret hidden and
perform rate limiting.
Gumroad seemed super simple in comparison. I was concerned about it being a
relatively young company and some stories about all sales being refunded
because of too many suspicious transactions though (I'm guessing this is
rare). Worst case you could export all your license keys + user emails and
transition to another service. It's really quick to try out as well as you can
make test purchases and just use "curl" calls to verify licenses.
Other ones to look at are Sellfy, FastSpring and Paddle. Paddle told me that
for subscription checks I'd need to maintain my own database + server for
that. Gumroad looked the easiest by a long way.
Have you considered other services? I'd be interested to know what you found.
I'm with you that you don't want to be implementing this yourself. Not having
to worry about bugs in your payment processing code is likely well worth the
cost.
------
BjoernKW
In case your software’s written in Java you could use License4J:
[https://www.license4j.com](https://www.license4j.com)
It’s not a SaaS but rather an on-premise solution, which can be an advantage
depending on your infrastructure.
------
marktangotango
There was a product called LimeLM that was quite popular a few years ago. The
creator was active on the old Joel on software forums. Last I checked it had
been sold to Oracle. Sais la vie and all.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
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So what are (some of) my values? - DoreenMichele
https://raisingfutureadults.blogspot.com/2020/05/so-what-are-some-of-my-values.html
======
poormystic
Words mean so many different things to different people, and for me the
subject of Values is the study of what is valued. For instance some people
might value wealth, and not value love. I personally value love over wealth.
For me, having spent time in prayer and meditation, love is a person, who
might indeed be called Love. Valuing my relationship with Love, I wish to
behave lovingly towards others. Selfishness is out. The modern world says to
its children that they must look after number one, meaning put themselves and
their own comfort first. For me this is utterly wrong, because my happiness is
in my relationships with other people. (There is only ONE; others are myself;
the relationship I have with the world is ultimately the relationship I have
with myself. Therefore fine grained questioning of the structure of morality
is needless, and any fool can understand how to become happy in their
relationship with the world; with GOD; with themselves: Love is Happiness,
Happiness is Beauty... Love is the work of care for others, and Happiness is
the outcome of such work. Love is what I value.
~~~
DoreenMichele
Thanks.
The post isn't really intended to be comprehensive or something. I'm just
trying to stumble my forward on developing this parenting blog that has been
languishing.
"Anything worth doing is worth doing badly." I'm sure this sucks, but I need
to see how people react to it and what not to improve on that and work out how
best to communicate about parenting topics.
~~~
poormystic
:)
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
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Ask HN: Are there no irrational/incorrect valuations? [Re: WhatsApp and others] - sendos
Whenever a big acquisition is made, e.g. Instagram for $1B or WhatsApp for $19B, there are lots of posts here on HN about "why is it worth so much? this is insane! we are in a bubble"<p>And those posts are invariably met with responses that mostly agree with the valuation, and make several rational-seeming arguments why the valuation makes sense.<p>It seems there is no valuation for which one cannot come up with rational arguments supporting that valuation as the correct one (at least correct for the company making the acquisition).<p>So, I have a question for people who defend these valuations: Are there no incorrect/irrational valuations?<p>Off the top of my head, some reasons for valuations that can turn out to be wrong are:<p>1) The due-diligence on the acquired company was not thorough enough, or missed an important point<p>2) Expectations/predictions of where the market will be in a few years are wrong<p>3) Collusion between investors/stakeholders at the acquired and acquiring company, which increases the value of the acquisition so that investors in the acquired company get handsomely rewarded [how often does this happen?]<p>I would assume there are several more possible reasons for a bad valuation, but what I read on HN and related news sources are back-and-forths between people who are flabbergasted by the high price and people who claim that it is a perfectly good price.<p>Are there more nuanced positions between the above two? If yes, what are they, and why don't we see them more often on HN?
======
alok-g
Another one is just outbidding the competition, but that probably falls within
#2 (via estimation what the acquisition of the company by the competition
would do to your company in the long run).
------
notastartup
I honestly think that we are in a bubble right now. Somebody today posted a
1998 AOL article highlighting the purchase of a chat company and the languages
are very similar to what we read today about these type of mega buyouts.
Having said that, I think that the financial forecast of Facebook is
questionable at this point, if they need to keep buying billion dollar price
tag items without making money from it's core product, it's a no brainer math
that at somepoint in the future they will lose investors confidence and
ultimately disappear. I have similar views regarding Twitter.
If Google bought this I wouldn't be worried but it seems that Facebook is more
concerned about portraying the image that they are powerful and too big to
fail without making enough revenue like their rivals.
Google and Microsoft have enough cash to fail many many more times than
Facebook has relatively fewer chances to fail.
| {
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How Brian Kemp Hacked Georgia’s Election - occamschainsaw
https://www.engadget.com/2018/11/09/how-brian-kemp-hacked-georgias-election/
======
bradknowles
Hacked? No.
Desecrated? Yes.
| {
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What Does Your Company Blog About? - landtco
Why?<p>How do you choose topics?<p>How do you promote your content?<p>Does blogging work for your business?
======
ASquare
1\. What do we blog about
My startup is travel focused. And so naturally we blog (at
[http://blog.planitwide.com](http://blog.planitwide.com)) on 2 topics:
a) Travel, which falls into a couple of categories:
i) Deep dives & reviews of quality travel resources and why someone should
choose to use them in a specific (or sometimes broad) context
It's not hard to choose topic - we start with what we know & use - and that's
a long list.
ii) Thought leadership on the travel space in general (which ties into why we
exist in the first place).
These are the kinds of posts that (we believe) will eventually get us noticed
and establish our credibility as people who know whtat they're talking about.
b) Startup Life Like every startup, there is a boatload of learning that
happens. These are all perspectives that can benefit other people in the same
boat.
Again, not hard to come up with topics, just see what you've learned trying to
do xyz. Even (and especially) failure is valuable learning to share.
>
2\. Promoting content:
We promote on
a) Social Media: Twitter & Instagram (no bandwidth for more). Instagram is
especially useful for showing behind the scenes stuff & sneek peaks at what's
coming (which can then also be shared on Twitter - or other platforms)
simultaneously.
b) Travel focused communities: /r/travel on Reddit & Outbounding.org. Being on
here also involved mostly participating in discussions and building
reputation. Our content promotion is an afterthought. People will discover it
if they find it useful
c) Startup/tech focused communities: Hacker News, Inbound.org,
Growthhackers.com, USVconversation.com. Again, same principle as other
communities - don't talk about yourself most/all of the time. Build reputation
first.
d) Medium: We cross post to collections we've created on Medium for additional
exposure to the audience that comes there to read great content.
>
3\. Does blogging work?
Two things:
a) Rule of thumb is that if you're starting out, you're going to be blogging
for near-zero audience for nearly 6 months. We've been at for 3-4 months and
while we have some traffic, there's no real engagement (as expected) with our
content yet in terms of shares/comments etc.
It all takes time and you have to stick with it.
b) Blogging doesn't necessarily mean you have to have a wordpress blog. It can
mean you do it on Medium, or Tumblr or even as a video blog solely on youtube.
It all depends on what your end goals are.
Hope that helps.
------
lauradhamilton
My startup blogs about healthcare innovation -- analytics, software, startups,
mobile, medical research, process, etc.
Link:
[http://www.additiveanalytics.com/blog/](http://www.additiveanalytics.com/blog/)
How do I choose topics? I look over Google Scholar, Google News, PR sites, and
government sites and find what seems interesting to me -- ideally stuff other
people haven't written about. Then I write about that.
I promote the content via twitter (@addanalytics), LinkedIn, Google+, Facebook
(totally worthless so far, maybe I am doing it wrong), sometimes Hacker News.
Does blogging work for your business? Yes, I've gotten some good leads via
blogging. It has also improved my search engine rankings a bit although it's
not magic.
------
photorized
_What Does Your Company Blog About?_
Data, insights (about any popular topic), social analytics, and our own new
product features. Recently wrote about Bitcoin, #AmazonCart, Google Glass.
[http://blog.itrendcorporation.com](http://blog.itrendcorporation.com)
_Why?_
We are a startup, so any additional exposure is nice.
_How do you choose topics?_
Pretty much at random, but usually has to do with interesting data.
_How do you promote your content?_
post to Twitter, FB, LinkedIn.
_Does blogging work for your business?_
Still not clear. We do get meaningful traffic, but I suspect much of it is
from techies trying to build analytics in-house.
------
lucasisola
Molo.io - Marina Management B2B SaaS
We just decided to start blogging. We're aiming to build an audience with our
customer base prior to launching v1 of our product.
Topics: We are aiming to choose topics that will provide insights, thoughts,
and solutions that will add value to the day-to-day business happenings of our
audience.
Promote: We have a mailing list of folks interested in the upcoming launch of
Molo so we'll use that, Twitter, and news aggregators from our industry.
Does it Work: Hopefully, we have an advisor who is also doing B2B SaaS and he
has found great value and good leads coming from the blogging he does. Only
time will tell for us.
------
danielhonigman
We blog for a number of reasons. Since we run a B2B business, we'll write
about topics of interest (i.e. issues in the B2B or software space), our
community/users and the company, as appropriate.
Check it out: [http://about.g2crowd.com/blog](http://about.g2crowd.com/blog)
Our site is also at [http://g2crowd.com](http://g2crowd.com). (Might give you
a better sense of what we're about.)
| {
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Two CMU Computer Science Professors Resign, Citing “sexist management” - crsv
http://www.post-gazette.com/business/tech-news/2018/08/14/lenore-manuel-blum-carnegie-mellon-university-school-computer-science-project-olympus/stories/201808140055
======
geofft
The two professors are Lenore and Manuel Blum:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lenore_Blum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lenore_Blum)
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manuel_Blum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manuel_Blum)
~~~
yodon
And their Wikipedia entries don't begin to convey what super nice people
Manuel and Lenore are
------
quxbar
This is far more damning than any puff piece I have seen in years.
~~~
jjoonathan
Yep. Combined with the earlier news that they removed demonstrated interest as
an admissions criteria (too far in the other direction IMO), CMU is starting
to look like a warzone.
~~~
azhenley
What was removed??
~~~
sp332
Edit2: See nv-vn's comment below.
They won't consider how much you "demonstrated interest" in CS to get into the
program.
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17446996](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17446996)
[Edit: this isn't only for the CS program, and it's not only about women, but
you can fill in the blanks I guess]
I think it makes sense if you think women (IIRC this was about the gender gap
in CS) tend not to be directed toward CS as much as men are in middle/high
school, or if you think their accomplishments might have been downplayed or
not played up as much due to someone else's sexism. After all when you're
recruiting for college you don't care so much about a person's past
accomplishments so much as future potential.
~~~
emddudley
How can you possibly judge future potential without looking at past
accomplishments?
~~~
TheCoelacanth
"Demonstrated interest" in college admissions means that they attended an
information session or visited the campus or something else like that. Maybe a
reasonable thing to consider in admissions decisions, but hardly what I would
call an "accomplishment".
------
vowelless
Manual Blum is the B of the BFPRT algorithm ("median of medians"). He got a
turning award for contributions to complexity theory.
------
raincom
Many rock stars in theoretical computer science, including theoretical
cryptography, are linked to Blum either directly (advised by him) or
indirectly (advised by his students).
He left Berkeley to CMU to stay close to his son, Avrim Blum then at CMU, and
grand kids. Avrim moved to Toyota Technological Inst, Chicago for greener
pastures last year.
It is kind of expected of Prof Blum couple to leave CMU to Chicago to stay
close with his son. Wish they had given more substance to their claims of
'sexist management'.
~~~
jimbokun
" Wish they had given more substance to their claims of 'sexist management'."
Just because they didn't share the substance with you, doesn't mean they
didn't share it with CMU administrators.
~~~
rndmwlk
What's the point of a very public resignation if you're just going to silently
pass off the issues to the people you claim are doing nothing about said
issues?
------
viirii
She was very engaged with women@scs when I was at CMU ... I wonder how things
got so bad that they are resigning rather than retiring
~~~
yodon
In a setting like that, retiring would be giving up. Resigning doesn't
directly change things but is a far more active response than retiring.
------
Svoka
Reading article still no idea what happened. Two scientists resigned at age 75
and 80 after year sabbatical. No specific reasons or issues named.
------
lukejduncan
> “So we are resigning. We are not retiring, we are resigning,” she wrote. “No
> parties please.”
I don't know how academia works, but what is the implication of "resigning" vs
"retiring"? Does that change what happens with pensions or is it just a
semantic difference used for emphasis?
~~~
PAClearner
think 'quitting' vs 'retiring'. no idea about pensions etc. I would be
surprised if CMU offers pensions and not a normal 401k.
~~~
greglindahl
... 403b.
~~~
PAClearner
so 401k for tax-sheltered institutions? nifty!
------
azhenley
I always thought CMU was immune to this type of stuff. It is very
disheartening, but I hope it gets better.
Is there any news out there with info on whether this is a long-term or
widespread issue at CMU or is it more of a localized problem?
------
ssohi
glad they are still listed as instructors for a complexity theory course next
semester
------
utopcell
Still no idea what happened.
------
cmu-pro
This all falls on Dave Mawhinney. He’s a sexist power hungry joke. Acts like a
big deal saying he sold a company to LinkedIn. LinkedIn acqui-hired one guy
and Dave pretends he had something to do with it. Treats women and anyone
beneath him like garbage behind their back and plays Bro with everyone else.
He’s a cancer at cmu. They need to toss him out.
~~~
sagebird
Isn't this sort of culture poisoning to be expected when a flourishing
university CS department invites the creation of a center for
entrepreneurship? Have you seen this sort of arrangement work out before when
you invite 'VC' personalities into academia? Maybe it is rare to find non-
asshole VCs.
It's incongruent to see these two figures share the same podium. (See it while
you can: [https://www.cmu.edu/swartz-center-for-
entrepreneurship/about...](https://www.cmu.edu/swartz-center-for-
entrepreneurship/about/staff.html) )
------
a13n
Is there something I can install to block ad blocker blockers? In this case it
looks like Admiral is the culprit.
~~~
viirii
use incognito mode for that link
~~~
kangnkodos
I think the ad is just taking too long to load. So the web site assumes you
are using an ad blocker, and doesn't let you see the article. Just keep trying
again and again, and eventually, the slow ad will load.
------
bitmadness
Manuel Blum is my academic great grandfather, i.e my advisor's advisor's
advisor. He is a legend. Very sad to see this happen.
------
Kenji
Copy-paste of article because this website is pure utter shit and requires you
to disable adblocker.
_Lenore and Manuel Blum — both longtime professors of computer science at
Carnegie Mellon University — have submitted their resignations.
In a Monday morning email blast to staffers in the School of Computer Science,
Ms. Blum, founder of the university’s Project Olympus business incubator, made
accusations about “professional harassment” and “sexist management” on the
school’s Oakland campus over the last three years.
In the email obtained by the Post-Gazette, she pointed specifically to changes
made in recent years under a “new entrepreneurial management structure on
campus.”
Monday evening, Ms. Blum confirmed the resignations, noting they will take
effect Aug. 31, 2019, as the couple have been on sabbatical for the past year.
“Carnegie Mellon University is saddened by Lenore and Manuel Blum’s decision
to resign from the university. We recognize their lasting contributions to the
university, the City of Pittsburgh, and to the field of computer science,” CMU
spokesperson Abby Simmons said in an emailed statement.
“Lenore and Manuel raised some important issues in the email announcing their
resignation,” she continued. “Please know that we are committed to examining
them, and acting accordingly on our findings.”
The Blums have compiled impressive resumes.
Ms. Blum, 75, who earned a Ph.D. in mathematics from the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology in 1968, has been a professor of computer science at
CMU since 1999.
She is the founder and faculty adviser for the university group “Women@SCS,”
which has a mission to empower women's academic, social and professional
opportunities in the computer sciences.
In 2007, she founded CMU’s Project Olympus startup incubator, which has
supported a number of successful companies on campus. For example, portfolio
company Safaba was acquired by Amazon in September 2015 for its automated text
translation software and Facebook bought Faciometrics in November 2016 to
boost its facial recognition algorithms.
Manuel Blum, 80, who also holds a Ph.D. in mathematics from MIT, has been a
professor of computer science at CMU since 2001.
In 1995, he received the Turing Award — the highest honor in the computer
science field, often likened to the Nobel Prize — for his contributions to the
foundations of computational complexity theory.
Ms. Blum, in her email, did not detail specifics as to what drove the decision
to resign beyond describing an atmosphere that she felt put up roadblocks and
kept her out of major decisions, including refusals to answer her emails. On
numerous occasions, she wrote, she tried to resolve troublesome situations,
but they have not been resolved.
“So we are resigning. We are not retiring, we are resigning,” she wrote. “No
parties please.”_
~~~
amaccuish
Thanks. It's managed to freeze a VM I tried to use to read it.
------
rwcarlsen
They have been at the university for nearly 20 years and are 75 and 80 years
old respectively. At first I was impressed that some professors were making
huge sacrifices standing up for what they believe. But at age 75 and 80, they
aren't really risking any sort of career or financial stability. I'd like to
give them the benefit of the doubt, but it is hard not to feel like maybe they
just saw a convenient moment to try to make a statement when they were about
to retire anyway?
~~~
beat
In the letter, they do address that the problems leading to their resignation
are recent.
~~~
rwcarlsen
I saw that - but in their position I would be much more likely to do seemingly
drastic things to send a message that I otherwise would not be willing to do
if I had more to lose.
To me, what they have done by resigning is not more significant than someone
young in their career simply speaking out. It is commendable that they spoke
out, but I don't see the resignations as adding much punch.
~~~
PAClearner
idk man they are hugely famous in computer science and are also both renowned
for being very kind and well known in the community. they aren't randos
getting in a fight with their department. they are academic royalty so their
actions are by default assigned a lot of credibility.
as a someone in graduate school for computer science [not cmu] I find this
shocking and am INTENSELY curious about the details. hard to imagine a more
effective resignation.
imagine if steve jobs resigned from apple because the boards was being sexist
or something-I think that resignation would get a LOT of attention. that might
be sorta similar to this situation.
~~~
rwcarlsen
I personally choose to place more emphasis on the sacrifices of individuals
than on their position of prominence when determining how important an issue
is. I would personally find an average-joe resignation more interesting than
one from anyone who had much less to lose in terms of livelihood.
~~~
PAClearner
I was sorta thinking about like raw empirical impact ya know? like normative
vs descriptive.
~~~
rwcarlsen
I'm more after looking for ways to get a qualitative feel for how big a deal
the issues are that caused them to resign rather than how big an impact their
resignation is. But I guess it seems the HN community has pigeon-holed me here
and prevented me from getting much discussion about things. Maybe another day
:-/
~~~
rectang
I think the reason you're taking fire is that your posts have questioned the
sincerity and commitment of the Blums. Many people on HN would rather assume
good intent, for two reasons.
First, because of their gravitas as prestigious researchers. (I'm actually a
bit uncomfortable about that -- most people who experience gender
discrimination haven't won Turing Awards, but we should still listen to them.)
Second, because sticking your neck out about gender issues guarantees a
ferocious response and will make your life hell, so nobody does it
whimsically. So what if they're not 35? Doing this at 75/80 is still
incredibly unpleasant.
Like I said in my other post, I think we as members of the public do not have
enough information to pass judgment. But if the Blums choose to say more, I
hope we will all give them a fair hearing.
~~~
PAClearner
1\. I am also uncomfortable about this
| {
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The IQ trap: how the new genetics could transform education - walterbell
https://www.newstatesman.com/2018/04/iq-trap-how-new-genetics-could-transform-education
======
ggm
I'm one of the naysayers, and I'm one of the lefties. So, I've come here to
parade my bucket of no painted red. But, asked the purely intellectual
question "is any element of intelligence heritable" obviously I'm going to say
yes.
Yes. It's heritable. What do you want to do about it? How much do you want to
screw things up, acting on it?
| {
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Shuttleworth steps down as Ubuntu CEO - ilamont
http://blogs.computerworld.com/15275/shuttleworth_steps_down_as_ubuntu_ceo
======
dagw
This could be a good thing for both Ubuntu and Canonical. From what I've
seen/read/heard Shuttleworth never showed much interest in Canonical the
company and spent all his time evangelizing Ubuntu the distribution. By
getting someone with more interest in the business side of things running the
business side things hopefully Canonical can grow into whatever it was hoping
to grow into.
This will also leave Mark with more free time to focus on what he seems to be
passionate about. All in all this could turn out to be exactly what Canonical
and Ubuntu needs.
~~~
jrockway
Or Canonical will do to Ubuntu what Novel did to SuSE. Ever hear of SuSE
anymore? Neither has anyone else...
~~~
dagw
I actually use OpenSuSE as my main distro of choice, but I get your point. The
problem was that once Novell swallowed SuSE there was no one around to really
push or advocate SuSE. Novell took the bits they needed and spat out the rest
for the "community" do to what they want with. No one at Novell really had any
interest in SuSE Hopefully Mark continuously advocating and fighting for
Ubuntu and still being closely involved with (and, for that matter, owning)
the company will prevent Canonical from cannibalizing it for a quick buck.
~~~
kajecounterhack
I too use OpenSuSE, though lately I upgraded to a mbp. I might switch back to
Ubuntu (I used it for 3 years). Everywhere I go, whenever I say I am a linux
user, the first thing people say is, "Oh, Ubuntu?" When I tell them I use SuSE
a lot of them are like "what's that?"
Which is surprising given that SuSE used to be big...and I thought it still
was, sort of.
------
mark_l_watson
As a Linux user since 1992, Ubuntu is my favorite distro, out of many great
distros. Mark Shuttleworth has really done the whole world a great service,
definitely someone who has given something back to the world. I use Ubuntu on
all of my servers, most of my customers' deployments, and boot it on my
MacBook. I hope that Shuttleworth keeps putting a lot of energy into promoting
Ubuntu.
------
Zilioum
For me this move makes sense. I'always saw Shuttleworth as the head of the
Ubuntu Community and not as the CEO of a company. I'really believe that doing
what he will be doing in the future suits him better.
------
motters
Also see <http://blog.canonical.com/?p=307>
------
elblanco
Too bad, his vision has really dramatically changed the desktop linux
landscape. For many users, Desktop Linux _is_ Ubuntu.
~~~
RyanMcGreal
FTA:
> Shuttleworth added that he will not, in any way, shape, or form be leaving
> Ubuntu. In an interview, Shuttleworth said that he's will stay head of the
> Ubuntu Community Council and the Ubuntu Technical Board. [...] "I will be
> spending more time on the areas that interest me the most and where I feel I
> can do the most good." [...] Neither Ubuntu nor Canonical will be changing
> its direction. Looking ahead Shuttleworth will still set the overall goals,
> but Silver will be in charge of implementing the strategy to reach these
> goals and day-to-day business management.
~~~
elblanco
Well, we'll see.
------
redstripe
Damn shame because 2011 is going to be the year of linux on the desktop for
sure.
~~~
jhancock
I'm pretty sure Shuttleworth has clearly stated he never sees a profitable
business model around Desktop linux.
~~~
TrevorBramble
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desktop_Linux#Year_of_Desktop_L...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desktop_Linux#Year_of_Desktop_Linux)
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Why Aren't Doctors More Tech-Savvy? - dvdt
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/01/why-arent-doctors-more-tech-savvy/283178/
======
na85
The article does a pretty good job summing it up, actually. But there's
another huge reason: time.
I'm married to a physician; work tends to spill over into personal time, the
demands of running a practice are real and nontrivial, and a lot of times your
doctor just doesn't have the luxury of free time to spend fiddling with
computers.
That fiddly time is often the difference between your average tech savvy
individual and a Luddite.
My wife is still doing her residency. She's in her twenties, has an android
phone, she likes the _idea_ of Linux, and she knows there are real benefits to
using an EMR system when it becomes time to start her own practice. She isn't
a Luddite.
But she doesn't have time to go out and educate herself on security and
technology to the point that she will be making an informed purchase. I
imagine many doctors are in a similar situation.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Ask HN: Is 30 too old to be a digital native? - Flopsy
======
tmaly
I am 37 and I consider myself a digital native. I did start out on super slow
modems, but I have been hacking away at things since I was a young kid.
~~~
kleer001
Am 39, have same intuition. In 2nd grade we got Appl IIs. Was BBSing at 13,
etc... Certainly not social-network version of the digitalrati though.
WTF is snapchat for? Get off my lawn.
~~~
kjs3
I'm a decade older. I've been into computers since I was probably 12
(Burroughs mainframe). I know what Snapchat is for, but I'm happily married
and am happy to stay that way, so I don't much care. It's not that we're
unaware, it's that the current crop of entrepreneurs are unaware of the market
we represent.
~~~
kleer001
Ok, so what's the psychological/cultural anchor that keeps Snapchat alive and
floating? I mean, I understand what's happening mechanically, but I don't get
why it would be engaging, entertaining, or lead to compulsive use.
Maybe because I'm introverted and don't care what my friends are eating? I
have no insight into the minds and motivations of young women, so maybe that's
part of it too. Dunno.
~~~
tmaly
It has some form of hook and reward like instagram, sort of how things are
outlined in "Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products" by author Nir Eyal.
I have a niece that just turned 16, and she uses SnapChat all the time. My 19
year old nephew told me my recently launched food site bestfoodnearme.com
would not appeal to the younger crowd because it was not an app. I countered
and said there are people out there that do not want to fill their phone with
endless apps. I can remember how open and different the internet crowd was in
the mid 90's. Things seem so walled off in their own gardens in this modern
app world the younger crowd lives in.
~~~
kjs3
_I countered and said there are people out there that do not want to fill
their phone with endless apps._
Yup...things are in fact different now.
------
dragonwriter
In its original context, it probably applies to anyone that was in school
(possibly including college) at a time such that their learning methods could
have been substantially affected by the changes in media in the last decade of
the 20th century; since then, its usually (fairly arbitrarily) been used to
describe those born of 1980.
Insofar as its a substantive experience description and not just another term
for Gen Y/Millenials, I'd say if you engaged in substantial online interaction
and that it substantially affected the way you approach information, learning,
and social interaction, during -- or, _a fortiori_ , before -- high school,
then you count.
------
rcavezza
If I understand correctly, I believe a "digital native" to be the equivalent
of a "millennial" or a "gen y" person. If so, no, 30 is not too late to be a
"digital native".
This would typically be people born 1983 or after. If you are 30, you are more
than likely a "digital native".
------
enginnr
Those who ran BBS systems wax nostalgic about being early adopters of new
communication methods and systems. It's the same with the digi-native set;
waxing nostalgic about Geocities and Angelfire homepages when they could be
building something to replace them (Like what the Neocities and Snapchat crowd
are doing). It's the wrong question. 'Too' in a question puts the onus to
answer with an extreme viewpoint
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Why Python 3 Exists - cocoflunchy
http://www.snarky.ca/why-python-3-exists
======
andrewstuart
IMO one of the reasons for all the angst is that .encode() and .decode() are
so ambiguous and unintuitive which makes them incredibly confusing to use.
Which direction are you converting? From what to what? The whole unicode thing
is hard enough to understand without Python's encoding and decoding functions
adding to the mystery. I still have to refer to the documentation to make sure
I'm encoding or decoding as expected.
I think there would have been much less of a problem if encode and decode were
far more obvious, unambiguous and intuitive to use. Probably without there
being two functions.
Still a problem of course today.
~~~
dietrichepp
Hm, I never saw this as ambiguous at all, except for a few weird encodings
that Python has as "convenience" method.
Here's how you remember it: "Unicode" is _not_ an encoding. It never was, it
never will be. Of course, the data must be encoded in memory somehow, but in
Python 3, you cannot be sure what encoding that is because it's not really
exposed to the user. From what I understand, there are different encodings
that string objects will use, transparently, in order to save memory!
You always "encode" something into bytes, and "decode" bytes back into
something. There should be exactly two functions, because the functions have
different types: "encode" is str -> bytes, "decode" is bytes -> str. Explicit
is better than implicit.
output = input.decode(self.coding)
With Python 3, I instantly know that "input" is bytes and "output" is str.
~~~
twoodfin
Indeed, the Python 3 Unicode string object is fascinatingly clever. Code worth
reading:
[https://github.com/python/cpython/blob/master/Objects/unicod...](https://github.com/python/cpython/blob/master/Objects/unicodeobject.c)
~~~
nostrademons
Also, it's incompatible with UTF-8 strings stored in C, which means that when
you cross the Python/C API boundary, you have to re-encode all strings. This
is a large performance penalty right at the time when you can least afford
performance penalties.
IMNSHO, most modern languages should be storing strings as UTF-8 and give up
on random access by characters. You almost never need it; in the most frequent
case where you do (using indexOf or equivalent to search for a substring, and
then breaking on it), you can solve the problem by returning a type-safe
iterator or index object that contains a byte offset under the hood, and then
slicing on that. Go, Rust, and Swift have all gone this route.
~~~
shoyer
This design doc from DyND (a possible NumPy alternative) has some useful
references on this point:
[https://github.com/libdynd/libdynd/blob/master/docs/string-d...](https://github.com/libdynd/libdynd/blob/master/docs/string-
design.md#code-unit-api-not-code-point)
~~~
rurban
Nope. This is just a normal short-string implementation, inlined with 64bit
systems, with a tag bit. Very common on every better VM.
This has nothing to do with (inefficient) encodings, and their bad historic
namings, probably derived from perl.
Of course any name like byte2utf8 or just to_byte or b2u8 would have been
better than encode/decode.
And of course cache size matters nowadays much more than immediate substring
access for utf8, so nobody should use ucs-2 or even ucs-4 internally. This is
easily benchmarkable.
~~~
0x0
"Byte2utf8" is a pretty confusing name for a method, considering utf8 is a
byte encoding of unicode... :)
------
Animats
Unicode worked just fine by Python 2.6. I had a whole system with a web
crawler and HTML parsers which did everything in Unicode internally. You had
to use "unicode()" instead of "str()" in many places, but that wasn't a
serious problem.
By Python 2.7, there were types "unicode", "str", and "bytes". That made
sense. "str" and "bytes" were still the same thing, for backwards
compatibility, but it was clear where things were going. The next step seemed
to be a hard break between "str" and "bytes", where "str" would be limited to
0..127 ASCII values. Binary I/O would then return "bytes", which could be
decoded into "unicode" or "str" when required. So there was a clear migration
path forward.
Python 3 dumped in a whole bunch of incompatible changes that had nothing to
do with Unicode, which is why there's still more Python 2 running than Python
3. It was Python's Perl 6 moment.
From the article: _" Obviously it will take decades to see if Python 3 code in
the world outstrips Python 2 code in terms of lines of code."_ Right. Seven
years in, Python 2.x still has far more use than Python 3. About a year ago, I
converted a moderately large system from Python 2 to Python 3, and it took
about a month of pain. Not because of the language changes, but because the
third-party packages for Python 3 were so buggy. I should not have been the
one to discover that the Python connector for MySQL/MariaDB could not do a
"LOAD DATA LOCAL" of a large data set. Clearly, no one had ever used that code
in production.
One of the big problems with Python and its developers is that the core
developers take the position that the quality of third party packages is
someone else's problem. Python doesn't even have a third party package
repository - PyPI is a link farm of links to packages elsewhere. You can't
file a bug report or submit a patch through it. Perl's CPAN is a repository
with quality control, bug reporting, and Q/A. Go has good libraries for most
server-side tasks, mostly written at Google or used at Google, so you know
they've been exercised on lots of data.
That "build it and they will convert" attitude and the growth of alternatives
to Python is what killed Python 3.
~~~
pwang
> That "build it and they will convert" attitude and the growth of
> alternatives to Python is what killed Python 3.
Well said.
------
danso
> _We have decided as a team that a change as big as unicode /str/bytes will
> never happen so abruptly again. When we started Python 3 we thought/hoped
> that the community would do what Python did and do one last feature release
> supporting Python 2 and then cut over to Python 3 development for feature
> development while doing bugfix releases only for the Python 2 version._
I'm guessing it's not a coincidence that string encoding was also behind the
Great Sadness of Moving From Ruby 1.8 to 1.9. How have other mainstream
languages made this jump, if it was needed, and were they able to do it in a
non-breaking way?
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1162122](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1162122)
~~~
bdarnell
C and C++ are so widely used that transitions like this are made not at the
language level but at the level of platforms or other communities. Some parts
of the C/C++ world made this transition relatively seamlessly, while others
got caught in the same traps as Python.
The key is UTF-8: UTF-8 is a superset of 7-bit ASCII, so as long as you only
convert to/from other encodings at the boundaries of your system, unicode can
be introduced to the internal components in a gradual and mostly-compatible
way. You only get in trouble when you decide that you need separate "byte
string" and "character string" data types (which is generally a mistake: due
to the existince of combining characters, graphemes are variable-width even if
you're using strings composed of unicode code points, so you don't gain much
by using UCS-4 character strings instead of UTF-8 byte strings).
My theory is that the python 3 transition would have gone _much_ smoother and
still accomplished its goals if they had left the implicit str/bytes
conversion in place but just made it use UTF-8 instead of ASCII (although in
environments like Windows where UTF-16 is important this may not have worked
out as well).
~~~
dietrichepp
You are correct that there's no real benefit in UTF-32 over UTF-8, which is
why Go and Rust (and others) have worked with UTF-8 in memory just fine.
However, the actual encoding of a str object is irrelevant, and it's not the
point. The whole point of the str/bytes difference in Python is that you make
Python keep track of whether you've done the conversion or not. In Python 2,
you can be sloppy, and the programs are buggy as a result!
You're putting the cart before the horse here in terms of the Python 3
transition. The str/unicode fix was one of the driving factors for Python 3 to
exist in the first place, and if you removed it, then what's the point?
Again, look at Go or Rust. Both of them have separate types for strings and
bytes, even though they have the same representation in memory, and as a
result we don't have that kind of bug in our program.
~~~
bdarnell
> The str/unicode fix was one of the driving factors for Python 3 to exist in
> the first place, and if you removed it, then what's the point?
The reason python 3 exists is that most python 2 code had latent unicode-
related bugs that would only manifest when they were exposed to non-ascii
data. The backwards-incompatible barrier between str and bytes was the
solution the python 3 team chose for this problem; adopting utf-8 as the
standard encoding would have been another solution which I claim would have
been more backwards-compatible (essentially moving to the go/rust model, which
prove that you don't necessarily need separate byte and character string types
for correct unicode handling).
~~~
hetman
But not every 8-bit byte string is valid UTF-8 so that could still cause a
world of pain.
------
tzs
In the Reddit discussion of this, someone linked to this criticism [1] of
Python 3's Unicode handling written by Armin Ronacher, author of the Flask
framework.
I am not competent to say whether this is spot on or rubbish or somewhere in
between [2], but it seemed interesting at least.
[1] [http://lucumr.pocoo.org/2014/5/12/everything-about-
unicode/](http://lucumr.pocoo.org/2014/5/12/everything-about-unicode/)
[2] Almost all of my Python 2 experience is in homework assignments in MOOCs
for problems where there was no need to care about whether strings were ASCII,
UTF-8, binary, or something else. My Python 3 experience is a handful of small
scripts in environments where everything was ASCII.
~~~
lmm
It's wrong. The whole point of cat is to concatenate files. But if you
concatenate two files with different encodings, you end up with an unreadable
file. So you _want_ cat to error out if one of the files that was passed has a
different encoding from the encoding you told it to use, _which is exactly
what the python cat will do_.
~~~
jlg23
> The whole point of cat is to concatenate files.
Yes.
> So you want cat to error out if one of the files that was passed has a
> different encoding.
No. I expect it to read bits from stream A until it is exhausted and then read
bits from stream B until it is exhausted. All the time just writing the ones
and zeros read to the output stream (of bits). And no, a byte does not have to
be "8 bit"
([http://www.lispworks.com/documentation/HyperSpec/Body/f_by_b...](http://www.lispworks.com/documentation/HyperSpec/Body/f_by_by.htm)).
~~~
lmm
And concatenating a file of 9-bit bytes with a file of 8-bit bytes will
produce something useful? No. If you don't know what your bits represent then
you will corrupt them. Python does not need to faithfully reproduce all the
historical oddities of unix.
~~~
jlg23
It might - depending on what I intend to do with the file (I still have the
offsets of the individual files because I know the original file sizes).
API-wise, in my humble experience, it's hell to deal with operations that are
supposed to work on bit-streams but try to be smart and ask me for encodings
of those - this is information I might not even have when building on those
basic operations. The "oddities", how you call them, are the result of not
over-abstracting the code to handle yet-unknown problems.
You want to concatenate text files with different encodings? _Convert_ them.
Expecting a basic tool to do this for you (or carp on "problems")
quintessentially leads to cat converting image formats for you and demanding
to know how to _combine_ those images: (addition, subtraction, append to
left/top/right/bottom of first image etc).
~~~
lmm
> API-wise, in my humble experience, it's hell to deal with operations that
> are supposed to work on bit-streams but try to be smart and ask me for
> encodings of those - this is information I might not even have when building
> on those basic operations. The "oddities", how you call them, are the result
> of not over-abstracting the code to handle yet-unknown problems.
That's how C ended up as the security nightmare that it is. There are a lot of
things you can do in C that you can't do in Python - you can reinterpret
strings or floats as integers, you can subtract pointers from integers, you
can write to random memory addresses.... Sometimes these things are useful,
but most of the time they just lead to your program breaking in an unhelpful,
nonobvious way.
Python is not that kind of language; it will go to some pains to help you not
make mistakes. If you want to do bit-twiddling in Python there are APIs for
it, and you could implement a "bit-level cat" using them, but it's never going
to be the primary use case. Arguably there should be better support for
accessing stdin/stdout in binary mode, but that would make it very easy to
accidentally interleave text and binary output which would again result in
(probably silent) corruption. (Writing a "binary cat" that concatenates two
_files_ of bytes would not lead to any of the problems in the linked article -
it's only trying to use stdin/stdout that's causing the trouble in the link).
~~~
jlg23
> That's how C ended up as the security nightmare that it is.
And that's how I ended up completely wasted after a friend had to throw a
party after a GNU version of a common unix tool was able to accept his first
name as valid parameters.
And no, C's problem are _not_ based on encoding issues. Those are not even a
first-class symptom.
> Python is not that kind of language
Maybe. I don't care much, even though I do speak Python fluently. Though, I
_do care_ about minimal functional units whose documentation I can grasp in
minutes, not hours.
> [Python] will go to some pains to help you not make mistakes.
This is not specific to python, this is specific to [language] developers. If
all you do is text processing, you will think in characters and their
encoding. I don't. A lot of programmers don't - because they deal with real
world data that is almost never most efficiently encoded in text.
To reiterate: We are all dealing with bit-streams. Semantics of those are
specific to their context. If your context is "human readable text" \- deal
with it. But please don't make me jump through hoops if I actually just want
to deal with bit-streams. If you need magic to make your specific use-case
easier, wrap the basic ops in a library and use it.
Last but not least: This all is completely off-topic when the question is
about "why python3" \- it's great for your use-case, but from an abstract
point of view, python3 was just the rational continuation of python2, cleaning
up a lot of inherited debt. Though it might fit your world-view, it's not
necessarily what it was about.
------
rkrzr
IMO the biggest reason to use Python3 is its concurrency support via async +
await.
Fixing the unicode mess is nice too of course, but you can get most of the
benefits in Python2 as well, by simply putting this at the top of all of your
source files:
from __future__ import unicode_literals
Also make sure to _decode_ all data from the outside as early as possible and
only _encode_ it again when it goes back to disk or the network etc.
~~~
tudborg
So much this! asyncio was the main selling point for me, but in general, why
not follow the language?
I never really understood the "rather stay with py2.7" thing. I get it with
big old monolithic applications. You don't "just" rewrite those, but _every
new python project_ should be done with the latest stable release.
Is anyone starting their PHP projects on PHP4? Any new node projects in 0.10?
Of course not, that would be moronic.
~~~
netheril96
Because you don't know what libraries you may depend on in the future when you
start a new project. I was a fervent Python 3 supporter, and wrote every of my
fresh projects in Python 3 instead of 2, until one day I found I needed LLVM
in my project, yet the python port at that time was for 2 only.
I mostly avoid writing Python 3 nowadays, because I don't want to rewrite my
project or find painstakingly an alternative solution when I could have just
imported a module that runs fine under Python 2.
------
BuckRogers
I chose to port from CPython2 to PyPy4, rather than to CPython3. It just made
more sense. I for one see no value in Python3 (unicode has been supported
since 2.6). My reasons for migrating to PyPy4 instead of Python3-
1) It was easier than porting to CP3.
2) It gave me a tangible benefit by removing all CPU performance worries once
and for all. Added "performance" as a feature for Python. Worth the testing
involved.
3) It removed the GIL. If you use PyPy4 STM, which is currently a separate
JIT. Which will be at some point merged back into PyPy4.
So for me, Python3 can't possibly compete, and likely never will with PyPy4
once you consider the performance and existing code that runs with it. PyPy3
is old, beta, not production-ready, based on 3.2 and Py3 is moving so fast I
don't think PyPy3 would be able to keep up if they tried.
Python3 is dead to me. There's not enough value for a new language. I'm not
worried about library support because Py2 is still bigger than 3 and 2.7 will
be supported by 3rd party libraries for a very long time else choose
irrelevance (Python3 was released in 2008, and still struggling to justify its
existence...). My views on the language changes themselves are stated much
better by Mark Lutz[0]. I'm more likely to leave Python entirely for a new
platform than I am to migrate to Python3.
PyPy is the future of Python. If the PyPy team announces within the next 5
years they're taking the mantle of Python2, that would be the nail in the
coffin. All they have to do is sit back and backport whatever features the
Python2/PyPy4 community wants into PyPy4 from CPython3 as those guys run off
with their experiments bloating their language. I believe it's all
desperation, throwing any feature against the wall. Yet doing irreparable harm
bloating the language, making the famous "beginner friendly" language the
exact opposite.
I already consider myself a PyPy4 programmer, so I hope they make it an
official language to match the implementation. There's also Pyston to keep an
eye on which is also effectively 2.x only at this time.
[0][http://learning-python.com/books/python-
changes-2014-plus.ht...](http://learning-python.com/books/python-
changes-2014-plus.html)
~~~
cname
There's just a bit of hyperbole in your comment. Most major libraries have
been ported to Python 3. I wonder if the opposite of what you're saying will
happen--i.e, the libraries that don't support Python 3 will be left behind.
Fabric is an example of that for me.
~~~
BuckRogers
Of course you may be right, but obviously I don't think so at this time. I
feel I made a smart, safe bet. I'm still writing valid 2.7 code that could be
migrated to 3.x at any point if for any reason my current plan would fall
through. It would be just as easy for me to migrate to 3.x as it would anyone
else with 2.x codebases.
So far, solving CPU performance in Python and removing the GIL is pretty much
the holy grail. Python2 would have to completely collapse (no signs of this)
for CPython3's ecosystem to outweigh the long-tail of libraries only on 2.x
and the truly next-level dynamic language CPU performance.
While I am enjoying "performance as a feature" and GIL-free Python at the
moment, I can still migrate to Python3 at any time if I lose my safe bet with
PyPy4/Py2.
To me it looked and still looks like a no brainer.
~~~
cname
> I'm still writing valid 2.7 code that could be migrated to 3.x at any point
Well, that's kinda true, although there is somewhat of a learning curve doing
2-to-3 migrations. Depending on your situation, this may or may not matter,
but if you need to "move fast" on this at some point, it'd at least be
beneficial to know what's involved (even though it's not that onerous IMO).
~~~
BuckRogers
I've used (tested) Python3 many times over the years and releases. I'd
consider the changes trivial. I'm not anti-Python3, I'm pro-PyPy4.
In my attempts to test Python3 releases though I've ran across bugs and
performance regressions from 2.x. After I continually ran into this in a few
releases I eventually threw my hands up. The last release I ran tests on was
3.4 and I'm no longer interested in later releases until something as
substantial as PyPy's CPU performance and removal of the GIL (PyPySTM) shows
up to beat what I have now.
It's slick to have the entire Python2 ecosystem, major performance boost to
your code, and still leave the door open for Python3 if they ever stop
bloating the language.
Other than being dramatically slower than PyPy4, Python3 is also feature soup.
I strongly dislike technical churn rather than true technical innovation
(which is what PyPy represents). I'm more in line philosophically with Go, I'd
prefer to remove features until you're down to a very concise and stable core.
Python3 has many negatives, but from my perspective they keep piling on more.
------
rdslw
I love when people with native english skills write monsters like this: "If
people's hopes of coding bug-free code in Python 2 actually panned out then I
wouldn't consistently hear from basically every person who ports their project
to Python 3 that they found latent bugs in their code regarding encoding and
decoding of text and binary data."
This should be under penalty ;)
Anyone to divide it into few simpler sentences?
UPDATE: And another one from our connected sentences loving author: "We
assumed that more code would be written in Python 3 than in Python 2 over a
long-enough time frame assuming we didn't botch Python 3 as it would last
longer than Python 2 and be used more once Python 2.7 was only used for legacy
projects and not new ones."
~~~
teek
The first one:
> If people's hopes of coding bug-free code in Python 2 actually panned out
Python2 developers wanted to write bug-free code _.
_ code = for the purpose of processing text and binary data
> then I wouldn't consistently hear from basically every person
Python2 developers could not write bug free code. So they complained _.
_ complained = complained about their algorithms having bugs when they rewrote
those algorithms in Python3
> that they found latent bugs in their code regarding encoding and decoding of
> text and binary data.
Python2 code written by the same developers had bugs that they did not know
about.
When the same developers rewrote their code in Python3, they found the bugs.
(If Python3 did not exist, then it would be very hard to write bug-free code
in Python2.)
The second one:
> We assumed that more code would be written in Python 3 than in Python 2 over
> a long-enough time frame assuming we didn't botch Python 3 as it would last
> longer than Python 2 and be used more once Python 2.7 was only used for
> legacy projects and not new ones.
If we designed Python 3 correctly, then we expect Python 3 to live longer than
Python 2. We also expect more code to be written in Python 3 for the same
reason. We also expect only old projects will be written in Python 2.7.
------
Scarbutt
Since python3 is not backwards compatible with python2, why didn't the python
devs leverage the opportunity for creating a more performant non-GIL runtime
for python3?
~~~
svisser
Removing the GIL is a difficult problem: [http://python-
notes.curiousefficiency.org/en/latest/python3/...](http://python-
notes.curiousefficiency.org/en/latest/python3/multicore_python.html)
~~~
criddell
I think the question was if you aren't going to be backwards compatible, why
not unshackle yourself completely and design a new language without the GIL
and make it as pythonic as possible?
A scripting language that support multi-threading is possible, right? I think
TCL does it.
~~~
chrisseaton
I guess they were happy with breaking backwards compatibility a little bit,
not not as much as simply removing the GIL and not adding back any implicit
synchronisation at all.
------
nulltype
So Python 2 did not have super obvious string handling. One of the odd things
that they seemingly could have fixed pretty easily is to change the default
encoding from 'ascii' to 'utf8'. That would have fixed a bunch of the
UnicodeDecodeErrors that were the most obvious problem with strings:
[http://www.ianbicking.org/illusive-
setdefaultencoding.html](http://www.ianbicking.org/illusive-
setdefaultencoding.html)
If they had to make Python 3 anyway, I think the main thing they were missing
is that they should have added a JIT. That makes upgrading to Python 3 a much
easier argument. If the only point of the JIT was to add a selling point to
Python 3, that probably would have been worth it.
------
collinmanderson
It seems to me if bytes/unicode was the only breaking change we would probably
be over the transition by now.
There are a lot of other subtle changes that makes the transition harder:
comparison changes and keys() being an iterator for example. These are good
long term changes, but I wish they weren't bundled in with the bytes/unicode
changes.
------
cft
We migrated to Go from Python 2, since instead of incompatible Python 3 we
needed faster Python 2 replacement.
------
diimdeep
Str is tip of the iceberg. Python before 2.7 and current Python is completely
different language semantically; methods, functions, statements, expressions,
Global interpreter lock behavior.. This is sad that this blog post and
discussions around it didn't mention anything about it.
~~~
rcthompson
The article isn't covering all the differences between Python 2 and Python 3.
Based on this article as well as other articles I've read in the past, the
Unicode issue was the original reason they decided it was necessary to break
backward-compatibility, but once that decision was made, there was no reason
not to make any further backward-incompatible improvements.
------
PythonicAlpha
The reason, I still did not port to Python 3:
(and yes, Unicode in Py2 is a mess ...)
They just broke to many things (unnecessarily!) internally. Particularly they
changed many C APIs for enhancement modules, so that all of them had to be
ported, before they could be used with Python 3. They did not even consider a
portability layer ... why not??
Some (not all) of the bad decisions (like the u"..." strings) they did change
afterwards, but than it was a little late.
So many modules are still not ported to Python 3 -- so the hurdle is a little
to high -- for small to nil benefits!
So, the problem (from my side) is not Unicode at all ... just the lack of
reasonable support from the deciders side.
\---
Maybe, some time later, when I have to much spare time.
~~~
stillsut
Agreed. Also this:
"So expect Python 4 to not do anything more drastic than to remove maybe
deprecated modules from the standard library."
But _why_ break all the existing libraries that use those modules, even if
there's now "better" ways. In every comparison I've ever seen on performance,
robustness, etc python always loses to the other big languages. Except in one
area: the availability of user-land submitted packages and extensions. So why
break them for a little perf boost?
~~~
PythonicAlpha
Sounds really a bit weird to me.
I hope, that they really think hard, which modules really must be removed.
I would only consider security reasons to really remove a library module. Or
at least mark it deprecated for a long while until it is used only really
rarely.
------
henrik_w
This is a pretty good explanation of unicode in Python:
[http://nedbatchelder.com/text/unipain.html](http://nedbatchelder.com/text/unipain.html)
------
euske
I like Python3 personally. It's new and better but a _different branch_. I'm
annoyed by people abbreviating it as "Python" and treating it as a substitute
for Python2. In my opinion, the "Python" name should be exclusively used for
Python2, and Python3 should've been always used as one word. The whole Python3
situation caused unnecessary confusion to the outside (non-Python) people,
which I think could be avoided.
------
makecheck
Since I'm trying to keep a small footprint, I rely on the system version of
Python on Mac OS X, which is 2.7.10 now.
To use anything newer, I'd have to ask users to install a different
interpreter, or bundle a particular version that adds bloat. There's no point.
The most I've done is to import a few things from __future__; otherwise, my
interest in Python 3 begins when Apple installs it.
------
echlebek
The Go authors have solved this problem thoroughly. When working in Go, I
usually never have to think about this.
[https://blog.golang.org/strings](https://blog.golang.org/strings)
~~~
eugenekolo2
Go came out in 2009. What's your point? I'd sure hope they'd look at languages
older than them.
------
niels_olson
How long is the transition going to take? Serious question. Because I'm rather
tired of starting new work and finding some module that drags me back to 2.x.
~~~
ubernostrum
Technically, "forever", since there will be people who never port their code.
If you're depending on one of those holdouts, it's time to find a new
dependency, because if they haven't ported by now they won't and that's your
problem because...
in practical terms, the transition is about to be over, since now the Linux
distros are all-in on converting to Python 3 for their current or next
releases and that will forcibly move the unported libraries in the bin of
obsolescence.
------
onesixtythree
From the outside, Python 3 seems like a much better language. I don't have
strong views of its object system (I avoid OOP as much as I can) but it seems
like the string/bytes handling is much better, and I'm also a fan of map and
filter returning generators rather than being hard-coded to a list
implementation (stream fusion is a good thing). Also, I fail to see any value
in print being a special keyword instead of a regular function (as in 3).
What I don't get is: why has Python 3 adoption been so slow? Is it just
backward compatibility, or are there deeper problems with it that I'm not
aware of?
~~~
harryf
What makes me snarky is the replacing of
'%s %s' % ('one', 'two')
With
'%s %s'.format('one', 'two')
The latter is just more annoying to type. Stupid argument I know but I find
myself grumbling to myself every time...
~~~
mixmastamyk
Simplified to this in Py 3.6:
f'{one} {two}'
~~~
teddyh
Do you have a reference for that? Wouldn’t that be introducing a huge security
hole in all programs?
~~~
mixmastamyk
PEP 498. Literals only, does not add any _additional_ security problems.
~~~
teddyh
Ah, right; I missed the ‘f’ prefix. And since it’s only done when parsing the
expression, it is not a security problem. Thanks!
------
mathgenius
Ok, fine. Can we have the print statement back?
~~~
untothebreach
Genuinely curious, why do you prefer `print` to be a statement rather than a
function? I've heard a lot of criticisms of Py3, but this is the first time
I've heard this one.
~~~
bufordsharkley
I think a function is "better", but the print statement should have been
preserved.
Print is used either for:
1) Writing to stdout/stderr 2) Debugging the hacky way
The print function is better for the former (though more often than not, I use
Armin Ronacher's click.echo for compability)[0], but I fastly prefer the print
statement for (2). Not dealing with parentheses is always a plus; I can add
and remove print statements far more quickly.
I find it to be an increase in friction, and I don't see any real downside in
leaving it in.
[0]
[http://click.pocoo.org/5/api/#click.echo](http://click.pocoo.org/5/api/#click.echo)
~~~
untothebreach
I agree with you on 1), I much prefer `print(..., file=sys.stderr)` to `print
>>sys.stderr, ...`.
For 2), though, I have always used auto-inserting parens in my vim, so I never
really experienced any pain w.r.t. parentheses. I can see how that would be a
pain, though.
------
gnrme
I think this is the primary reason why some scripting languages end up in the
education space (as a tool for learning), while others go mainstream and
ubiquitous in the commercial space. Breaking stuff between versions is a
headache and expense for everyone except the most superficial users.
The 'there should be one – and preferably only one – obvious way to do it'
rule sounds like another reason. It's like being asked to choose between a
perfect general use knife or a Swiss army knife.
~~~
gipp
This would _almost_ be a reasonable post if Python weren't mainstream and
ubiquitous in the commercial space.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
HBO NOW’s app has pulled in $19M since the “Game of Thrones” premiere - janober
https://techcrunch.com/2017/08/24/hbo-nows-app-has-pulled-in-19-million-since-the-game-of-thrones-premiere
======
gergdgdfg
I hope they could do better. GOT is way better than certain movies that had
pulled in hundreds of millions.
~~~
Stanleyc23
blockbuster movies are a few times more expensive to make. also remember HBO
is getting a subscription with recurring revenue. Roughly speaking, I think if
their churn is low the ROI could be just as good if not better.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
37signals wants to charge their customers for the chance to give them customer feedback - brett
http://www.37signals.com/svn/posts/384-37signals-customer-summit-exploration
======
brett
There's always been something fishy about 37signals that I can't put my finger
on. I respect what they've done but know that I _definitely_ don't want to run
a company like they do. Firstly, they charge for everything they possible can.
This is not necessarily bad in and of itself but at some point they stop
feeling like a product company. First and foremost they're a _brand_ company.
I can't help but think they'll sacrifice quality in any other area if it helps
their brand out. That's probably not entirely fair, but it's the picture
they've painted.
I just want to build cool stuff. I know brand is important but it seems silly
to me to try and make a career out of blathering about how awesomely I build
cool stuff and how much I _just get it_ where so many others don't.
~~~
skinner696
We tried basecamp for awhile but then grew out of it. Then we tried Highrise
when it came out - found it pretty much useless. Lots of people heeded their
call for simplicity and the fight against feature creep and that's a good
thing. But when their own products begin to get lapped by competitors and the
new stuff they are releasing isn't very useful, then there are problems. That
said, I don't blame them necessarily for charging people for all this stuff;
at $100/person, they probably actually wouldn't make very much money - they
need to rent space, get some food, pay for A/V, etc. Going to a developer
conference is one thing, but I'm not sure it would be worth a day to hear how
someone is using a glorified web form as a collaboration tool.
------
jey
Isn't this a little harsh? What, you can't file bug reports or submit
suggestions without going to the workshop? These user conferences / workshops
are _very_ common in the software-for-businesses industry, AND $100 is
extremely cheap for one of these things. I'm not saying that it provides any
legitimate value or anything, but it's a normal practice, and I think people
just go to them because they just have to drink beer and socialize with other
geeks, it's a vacation from real work, and they expense it so it's free to
them.
~~~
gibsonf1
It's an excellent opportunity for their competitors to get informed about
their products for only $100 (and a plane ticket. My startup being one of them
- not that I have time to fly over there) It is also a social gathering, so
people might be getting value out of it in that respect too.
------
gyro_robo
They want to charge people $100 to sit through a sales pitch?
~~~
dpapathanasiou
Ballsy, definitely, but think about the people who show up for that: you (if
you're 37signals) _know_ they'll sign up for anything you offer.
There's an important concept in sales called pre-qualification (i.e. only
spend time pitching to prospects who are likely to buy) and this is one way of
doing it, albeit an extreme one.
~~~
jaf656s
I think there is even more to it than that. Imagine the buzz that can be
generated from 300 blogs going up after the conference about the latest,
greatest 37Signals app coming up...
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Fusuma – Make slides with MarkDown easily - peaceiris
https://github.com/hiroppy/fusuma
======
belzsch
I’m surprised no one’s mentioned pandoc by now. It’s a Swiss army knife that
among other things makes slides from Markdown documents and lets you pick from
a number of JS templates or Latex/Beamer. Converting Markdown to PDF slides is
just a simple-ish oneliner away.
And terrific for a whole number of other use cases, too - including but not
limited to Markdown <-> Word, Epub conversion, HTML conversion and endless
others. I find myself turning to it all the time.
[https://pandoc.org/](https://pandoc.org/)
~~~
jaymcgavren
Used pandoc for a couple presentations recently and while it's clear the
experience will be wonderful eventually, it's still a bit buggy. There is no
widescreen template included with Pandoc and attempts to use other templates
caused me to encounter
[https://github.com/jgm/pandoc/issues/5402](https://github.com/jgm/pandoc/issues/5402)
. The resulting .pptx files won't open in Keynote, either, but luckily they
_did_ open in Google Slides, which then let me download a visually-identical
.pptx that opens everywhere. Point is, slide support in Pandoc is still
somewhat new and people should not go in expecting a trouble-free experience
at this point.
------
glandium
Maybe I missed it, but there doesn't seem to be an explanation for the name. I
think software that use clever names should explain why. In this case, fusuma
are traditional Japanese sliding doors.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fusuma](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fusuma)
~~~
hnlmorg
> _should_
I wouldn't say we are entitled to an explanation of why an open source project
is titled any more than we are entitled to the project being open source in
the first place.
~~~
Rychard
It's not about entitlement; if the purpose of a name isn't to give people an
easy way to remember something, what good is it?
If the developer wanted to increase interest in the project, explaining the
name could only further this goal.
~~~
hnlmorg
You're right of course. It's just as someone who struggles with naming
projects, I often get annoyed when I see comments on HN focusing on naming
things rather than the cool work that has been shared and donated to the
community. However on reflection, on this occasion my comment was unfair.
------
lwhsiao
Cool project. Looks like it's in a similar space as Marp [0].
[0]: [https://yhatt.github.io/marp/](https://yhatt.github.io/marp/)
------
woogle
On macOS, I strongly recommend DeckSet[0]. It's a Keynote/Powerpoint from
Markdown, especially valuable when you embed code in your presentations.
[0]: [https://www.deckset.com/](https://www.deckset.com/)
~~~
appleflaxen
i'm completely willing to support good software with money, but there are so
many amazing options being posted in this thread that are feature rich,
multiplatform, and free. why do you choose deckset when it's missing two of
these three? are there must-have features that the others don't offer?
~~~
woogle
Nice questions!
I use DeckSet since a lot of years, I find it easy to use and I love the
result. I don’t care about multi platform because I’m doing my presentation on
a Mac. I don’t care paying fair prices to software.
The only downside I found was the lack of customization offered.
I’ll look into the GitHub list, especially to the 2 others macOS apps
------
mlok
A list of Markdown presentation tools :
[https://gist.github.com/johnloy/27dd124ad40e210e91c70dd1c24a...](https://gist.github.com/johnloy/27dd124ad40e210e91c70dd1c24ac8c8)
------
sudhackar
I have been using [https://hackmd.io/](https://hackmd.io/) for quite some time
now.
~~~
appleflaxen
thanks for posting this comment; hackmd looks great!
awesome features, and great that it's open source.
------
Communitivity
Saw this and remembered when I made some HTML slides during my first year on
the OASIS XDI technical committee in 2005. I used Docbook, and the Slide
document template created by Norm Walsh:
[http://docbook.sourceforge.net/release/slides/current/doc/](http://docbook.sourceforge.net/release/slides/current/doc/)
He and I differed quite a bit on XDI (he was not on the XDI TC but provided
feedback as part of a public review), and I still think something like XDI
will exist in the future, but I have to give him credit - Docbook is an
awesome tool.
There's also DITA (a more modular, but also more complicated, Docbook
alternative from OASIS). There's a plugin for DITA that lets you do slides in
DITA and create Reveal.js based HTML presentations.
[https://github.com/doctales/org.doctales.reveal](https://github.com/doctales/org.doctales.reveal)
------
orliesaurus
Swipe.to was a startup that had a very similar idea (.md powered slides),
don't know what happened to them, but this project brings back the memories
from my days in London meeting cool startups like them..plus the demo and the
Readme look pretty tight, good job!
------
geraldbauer
For an alternative slides maker / builder from markdown sources, see the
slideshow (s9) tool [1]. Slides template packs include s6, reveal.js,
shower,js, impress.js, and many more [2]. [1]:
[http://slideshow-s9.github.io](http://slideshow-s9.github.io) [2]:
[http://slideshow-templates.github.io](http://slideshow-templates.github.io)
PS: Note - slideshow (s9) templates are just jekyll (liquid) templates and,
thus, work out-of-the-box with github pages and friends.
PPS: What's jekyll :-)? It's the world's most popular (static) website
compiler / builder.
------
ssn
I recommend Remark
[https://remarkjs.com](https://remarkjs.com)
------
debatem1
You may want to add a comparison to similar tools to your readme; there are
quite a few.
------
cosmic_quanta
Disappointed there's no built executable. I'm not into web development, so I
don't have npm or yarn handy. Seems like a missed opportunity; a binary would
open this project to a larger community.
~~~
isakkeyten
If it's built with nodejs you won't be able to make a binary without packaging
the whole node/npm with it.
For standalone binary Golang is a better choice but that probably wasn't in
scope for the developer who wrote it.
------
leerob
I'm a big fan of code-surfer, which uses MDX.
[https://github.com/pomber/code-surfer](https://github.com/pomber/code-surfer)
------
edoceo
In the past I needed something like this. Asciidoctor has a nice slides output
just need a bit of style
------
leshokunin
Pretty cool! Can I run this via Docker? Can I use it to open remote .md files?
~~~
pickdenis
The design of unix/linux systems answers your second question with "yes." A
"file" isn't necessarily something on your SSD, but rather an abstract
concept: something that you can "read" from and possibly "write" to (and some
other less illustrative things). It could be under your desk, a pointer to
another file, or a file on a remote computer.
Look into "sshfs".
------
SCLeo
Something really irreverent: it is Markdown not MarkDown.
------
stephenr
...npm
Nope...
.fusumarc.yml
Oh hell no.
Whoever thought yaml was a good idea (not for this project, I mean at all,
ever) is mentally deficient. Those that insist on using it are barely any
better.
~~~
neurotrace
YAML is a mess of a language but what's wrong with npm?
~~~
stephenr
What’s right with it?
~~~
neurotrace
It makes it easy to distribute tools and libraries. There are security
concerns but for something like this, it seems like a fine distribution
method. No one is stopping you from just cloning the repo if you don't want to
use npm though.
~~~
stephenr
The community/npm _encourages_ things like the `isEven`, etc bullshit.
A whole package, to do `foo % 2 === 0` ?? Oh but then it has a dependency on
ANOTHER package which just checks if a variable is a number.
Oh and then there's the isOdd, which is an entire package.. to do `!
isEven`... ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?
~~~
neurotrace
I don't know anyone who writes professional level code that uses packages like
that. Sure, they exist. I'm sure you could find other simple, funny packages
across other ecosystems. Yes, the micro-packages can be too granular but
that's no fault of the author nor the creators of npm. It's the result of
people doing stupid stuff just like people have for decades before. The
difference is that these micro-packages are more visible on npm and everyone
wants their chance to say "yup, I wrote that module."
~~~
stephenr
[https://www.npmjs.com/package/is-odd](https://www.npmjs.com/package/is-odd)
Has 700K downloads a _week_.
A year ago it had 3M a week.
When someone brought up that this project even exists it wa being used
(possibly indirectly) by some very popular libraries.
This is not normal.
------
tobiaswk
Cool project. I'll stick with LaTeX and Beamer.
------
Knove
awesome!
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Harold "Doc" Edgerton - adoyle
http://edgerton-digital-collections.org/
======
adoyle
From the home page of the site: The Edgerton Digital Collections project
celebrates the spirit of a great pioneer, Harold "Doc" Edgerton, inventor,
entrepreneur, explorer and beloved MIT professor. This site is for all who
share Doc Edgerton's philosophy of "Work hard. Tell everyone everything you
know. Close a deal with a handshake. Have fun!"
The site includes access to all of Doc Edgerton's notebooks, scanned in as
PDF's.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Your car contains more code than Boeing’s new 787 Dreamliner - skorks
http://news.discovery.com/tech/toyota-recall-software-code.html
======
MicahNance
First of all, LOC is terrible measure as we all know. Second, the author
separates the plane's LOC into avionics vs. entertainment but lumps them
together for cars to make the car LOC count bigger. It isn't a fair
comparison.
That said, maybe the auto industry needs to learn to separate their systems
like the airline industry since they have entertainment system buttons moving
seats. I don't want my volume to affect my cruise control, thanks.
------
Derbasti
They do include the entertainment system of the car, which has to have some
GUI controls, probably some map rendering and speech recognition, which
unsurprisingly adds up to a few more lines of code than you would expect from
steering alone.
Of course, the entertainment systems of planes mostly run some kind of Linux
or Windows CE, which include _a lot_ more code than the above. AND they deploy
one entertainment system for every few seats, so you would have to multiply
the lines of code with that. AND all those displays have some microprocessors
(or FPGAs) of their own, which add to the number of "ECUs".
In short, the article is just not fair.
------
yannis
Without wishing to get into a flame-war with anyone driving a flashy car, but
my two year old desktop running both Linux and Windows has more Lines of Code
than that, therefore mine is bigger than yours. LOC should never be used as a
metric, is like comparing computing power by weighing computers.
------
rythie
Well it's not something to boast about, more lines = more bugs - I don't want
to crash
------
mcantor
Frankly, I find this terrifying. So, I'm hurtling down the highway in a sheet
metal box travelling faster than the fastest land animal, controlled by
hundreds of _millions_ of lines of code, and bugs in this code could
erroneously stall my car or trigger my airbags? That's too much. It's too much
code. More code means more bugs, and now more bugs means more danger. I'll
gladly trade in my GPS for a car that could still drive even after being hit
with an EMP. (Not that I run into electromagnetic pulses regularly... I just
trust the mechanical stuff more than I do the code.)
~~~
CrLf
Millions of lines is an exaggeration... You can't add up the code for the ABS
to the code for engine control, to the car navigation system.
Those systems may share information, through limited signals or simple data
busses, but they are separate, not a big code blob like a PC or a server.
------
impeachgod
I wonder hoe much of this is hackable?
~~~
CrLf
I'd say little to none. This, of course, excluding the kind of stuff you can
do just by interfacing the engine ECU with a computer (using the OBD-II port
that all new cars have).
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Ask HN: YC applicants, who's up for a morale-boosting meetup/hangout? - viviantan
Any applicants (past, present, future) interested in having an informal meetup this weekend? Whether we hear good news or bad news on the 15th, getting together would be a great morale boost and it'll be fun to meet everyone! I happen to be in Silicon Valley, but I'll be there in spirit for fellow applicants everywhere else :)<p>Please reply if you're up for hanging out with the fine folks who share your excitement and pain. This invitation is extended to the YC partners of course!<p>We'll most likely meetup at a brewery near the "motherships" (Palo Alto and Mountain View). Other ideas and suggestions are welcome. Contact info's in the profile if you need it. <p>Good luck to everyone!
======
xper01
Great idea! Anyone in San Francisco or Berkeley want to meetup? I propose
meeting up at Coffeebar in San Francisco at 3pm on Saturday, 11/15. If you can
make it, please shoot me an email (see profile).
~~~
biscarch
11/15 is Thursday :p
------
viviantan
Bay Area folks! Let's meet at Tied House in Mountain View this Saturday at
6:00. Family members and underaged people welcome; the grownups can migrate to
Nola in Palo Alto afterwards.
I've re-posted about the meetup here:
<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787228>
------
lazerwalker
Anyone's game for something like this in the NYC area? Contact info in
profile.
~~~
cinquemb
Yes!
------
khmel
Would be glad to join - I live in Menlo Park, office in Palo Alto. Coupa or
Nola are good places to meet. I also like smoking shisha - there's one place
in PA, and a good place in Sunnyvale. Igor
------
kpietras
Hi, Excellent initiative. I'm in if it's on Sunday, 11/18 afternoon. PA / MV
area is perfect. I'd recommend Nola or Patio, both Palo Alto downtown.
Looking forward to meeting you Karolina
------
caruana
Fly out to the cayman islands and I'll show you a bit of island life
~~~
viviantan
Lol thanks for the offer! If I get into YC I'll open a bank account there :)
------
webuntu
I guess we're all on the edge of our seats.
...Anyone else in South Florida?
~~~
vostrocity
Surprised anyone's from FL at all. XD
I'm currently North Florida, but I didn't apply to this class.
------
gallaghersean
Can someone be there in spirit for me? I'm from the Tampa Bay, Florida area.
~~~
viviantan
Sending you moral support, even though your state can't count votes. Best of
luck with everything!
------
jlees
Sure, I'm game. Tied House?
~~~
viviantan
You read my mind! Does Friday or Saturday work better for folks who are
reading this?
~~~
jlees
Personally, Saturday; looks like there aren't too many others reading this now
:-(
~~~
viviantan
I've gotten a few emails from people who wanna meet and hangout, and I'll
repost this tomorrow night when all the YC prospects are stalking HN :)
------
dave_arriveby
If anyone is in Adelaide (Australia) email me and we'll meetup!
------
khanukov
Is not so easy to get to this meeting from other countries.
~~~
viviantan
Sadly, no. But you can start your own! And we'll be there in spirit :)
------
replayzero
I am in London if anyone wants to grab a beer
------
relizarr
Anyone in San Antonio, TX?
------
Ariff
I'd be down for this.
------
kfadler
love this! I'm in Tahoe, but enjoy guys and gals.
------
rishikeshg
Cool! Will try.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Ask HN: Are online lotteries/sweepstakes/pools legal and can they be successful? - Baadier
I had a random idea this afternoon for a quick weekend coding session involving online betting pools with a social twist, I'd like to know if these can or have been successful or are they best to be avoided. Additionally for a gambling website are you liable in your country of residence or in the country the website is hosted in? Would HN members ever play any betting games etc
======
maxbrown
IAKAL, but my assumption is that each individual participant is liable to the
country in which they reside. For example, as a US resident, there are
specific laws regarding how I can and can't make deposits/play on online
gambling websites.
On the other hand, you the company are liable in the country the business is
registered in... I would think hosting means little, unless we're talking
about jurisdiction to shut you down.
~~~
Baadier
I've been naïve in thinking that the hosting would have any effect on it,
though you're right with regards to the jurisdiction to shut it down. I'll
have to investigate it further. I could register the business in another
country but that would involve cost that I don't think I'm willing to front
for a weekend project and has a certain dodgy feeling attached as well. With
regards to the states, I would have to investigate each states legislation as
well, before I could allow entry to participants to my understanding.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Gallium Nitride Power Transistors Priced Cheaper Than Silicon - rbanffy
http://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/semiconductors/design/gallium-nitride-transistors-priced-cheaper-than-silicon
======
kazinator
This article has more meaty info:
[http://spectrum.ieee.org/semiconductors/materials/the-
toughe...](http://spectrum.ieee.org/semiconductors/materials/the-toughest-
transistor-yet)
Highlights:
> _In the GaN FET, on the other hand, the two-dimensional electron gas already
> exists naturally. So a positive voltage applied to the drain immediately
> pushes current from source to drain. Thus the amount of current is varied by
> applying a negative voltage to the gate, which restricts the number of
> electrons available to flow from source to drain. A large enough negative
> voltage turns off the flow altogether. Thus in contrast to a silicon FET,
> which is normally off, a GaN FET is normally on._
(Somewhat misleading; silicon FETs that are "normally off" are enhancement-
mode transistors. Of course, there are depletion-mode MOSFETs, and of course
JFETs. There are even power MOSFETS that are depletion mode, see here:
[http://www.ixys.com/documents/appnotes/ixan0063.pdf](http://www.ixys.com/documents/appnotes/ixan0063.pdf)
In any case, this confirms the new transistor to be a depletion mode device.
This has implications for biasing which could be inconvenient in some
applications. In any case, it means it's not simply drop-in replacement for
enhancement-mode MOSFETs in existing designs.)
> _One of us (Mishra) has succeeded in making bipolar GaN transistors. But
> they are not yet as reliable as the FETs because at the moment it is very
> difficult to make p-type material good enough to use in a bipolar
> transistor. Applying electrical contacts to the material, as is necessary to
> connect the device into a circuit, often wiped out the semiconductor 's
> p-type character._
If these challenges are solved, the idea of a new kind of BJT is exciting.
~~~
csirac2
Biasing is indeed non-trivial, and most designs require temperature
compensation to keep drain current constant. In fact, it's pretty easy to fry
a GaN part without proper bias sequencing at power-on and off. At least it is
with the parts I'm using.
Edit: parts like MAX881R [1] make it pretty easy though :)
[1]
[http://datasheets.maximintegrated.com/en/ds/MAX881R.pdf](http://datasheets.maximintegrated.com/en/ds/MAX881R.pdf)
~~~
madengr
I've used the MAX881 for some lower power GaAs, but it's limited to a few mA
gate current. TI has an opamp I used that can drive capacitive loads with +/\-
30 mA, so it makes a good gate driver, whilst allowing a decent amount of gate
bypass capacitance. For temp comp I have found once you get the temp vs IDS
curve, it's identical for devices within a lot, and only need to offset for
pinchoff, which varies device to device within the same lot.
------
csirac2
I've been working with GaN parts for RF after being out of the hardware game
for a few years. GaN was around but nowhere near as prolific as it is now. I
thought SiC would have made more inroads than it has. GaN parts just seem
incredible in every way (to someone like me at least) - amazing performance,
efficiency, power handling in such a small package, more impressive impedance
matching on wideband parts - it's just a shame the basic problem of harmonics
still hasn't been whisked away by magic :)
~~~
madengr
Still issues getting the heat out, but yes, GaN is pretty amazing. 10 years
ago I was load pulling and matching sub 1 Ohm (24 mm) HFET die for 12 watts.
Now you can get 120W in the same periphery.
~~~
dskhatri
Packaging is indeed critical to get heat out. There have been some cool (no
pun intended) developments on this front such as the DirectFET [1], LFPAK [2]
[1] [http://www.irf.com/technical-
info/whitepaper/directfet.pdf](http://www.irf.com/technical-
info/whitepaper/directfet.pdf) [2]
[http://www.nxp.com/documents/leaflet/939775016838_LR.pdf](http://www.nxp.com/documents/leaflet/939775016838_LR.pdf)
[3]
~~~
madengr
Interesting. I have never seen RF power parts in flip-chip, but I suppose
there is no reason why they couldn't. Now Cree did have a 25W, 3 GHz FET in
SO-8 package, which is kind of strange given package inductance, but they are
have moved to QFN now.
------
ChuckMcM
These are pretty cool, this is a datasheet for the 100V part : [http://epc-
co.com/epc/Portals/0/epc/documents/datasheets/EPC...](http://epc-
co.com/epc/Portals/0/epc/documents/datasheets/EPC2036_datasheet.pdf) which in
this case is an enhancement mode transistor (so 'N' channel, or positive Vgs
to turn it on)
The thing that should smack you in the eye when you read the datasheet that
that it has a Theta(j-ambient) of 1100dC/W [1] which is why this tiny part is
limited to 1A continuous current (1 amp x 1 amp x .065 ohms == .065 watts and
a temperature rise of 71 degrees C. But it can be switching probably close to
80 watts while doing that.
I'm a bit surprised though that it doesn't list the switching time.
[1] You can get that down to 100dC/W if you solder it to a 1" square on 2oz
copper but then what is the point of having such a tiny switch :-)
~~~
madengr
There is that guy growing sheets of diamond, if he isn't off'd by the diamond
cartels. I suppose diamond semiconductors will supplant GaN some day. I'm read
a few years ago about cold cathod parts, but I guess it never panned out.
------
raverbashing
Good article until the end
"Lidow says EPC decided to first go after applications at 200 V or less in
order to pursue new applications silicon can’t easily reach, a category that
includes virtual reality and small medical imaging systems."
Sorry for the expression, but "dafuq did I just read"
What does VR has to do with a 100V power transistor? _nothing_
Small medical imaging systems may benefit from this (X-Rays? Mini-MRIs?) but
they're not _essential_ (also medical devices are kind of non-price sensitive,
so)
------
qzcx
If I am understanding correctly GaN mainly used in power components since it
can handle larger voltages. Is it possible that with GaN getting cheaper that
it might start moving towards other component areas that Si dominates? Or is
GaN's usefulness primarily in handling power?
~~~
xellisx
That's what I am wondering. There was a mention of RF, but don't go into
detail. If they can use this advancement in the CPU / GPU area, I think a new
"golden era" might happen. New CPUs and GPUs each year would be nice. =)
~~~
qzcx
Thats part of my other questions. How small is the current GaN technology? How
much can it build on silicon technology?
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
RIAA and MPAA call for government mandated spyware on computers to fight piracy - yanw
http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2010/04/15/riaa-and-mpaa-call-for-government-mandated-spyware-on-computers-to-fight-piracy/
======
RyanMcGreal
Link to original: [http://www.boingboing.net/2010/04/15/big-contents-
dystopi.ht...](http://www.boingboing.net/2010/04/15/big-contents-dystopi.html)
Edit: link to _original_ original:
[http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2010/04/entertainment-
industrys...](http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2010/04/entertainment-industrys-
dystopia-future)
------
MaysonL
Why am I reminded of the passage from Vernor Vinge's _A Deepness in the Sky_
where one of the characters says (approximately) "Any ubiquitous computing
network where every local node has to run government code inevitably devolves
into absolute tyranny."
~~~
michaelcampbell
Because that's about what this is?
------
wendroid
These people are really beginning to annoy me. They are under the impression
that a few poxy songs are the most valuable things on earth. They had a fwe
good years in the sunshine but now it is autumn in the land of sing a song for
sixpence.
Your product has lost its value. Adapt or die.
I know it's a shock to wake up on morning without a steady income from the
songs you sang a 10 years ago but tough, try doing something productive today.
And yes, I do know what it is like. I've had my lifestyle made illegal, TWICE.
> Network administrators and providers should be encouraged to implement those
> solutions that are available and reasonable to address infringement on their
> networks.
Fuck you, PAY ME
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
NIST:"System security should not depend on the secrecy of the implementation..." - jcox92
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Security_through_obscurity
======
jcox92
Security through obscurity came to mind when I was watching US Cyber
commander, Keith Alexander, testify at the senate hearing yesterday. In this
clip
([http://www.c-spanvideo.org/clip/4455801](http://www.c-spanvideo.org/clip/4455801))
he seems to be making an argument for secrecy of the NSA's programs saying
that it makes them more secure. From a purely engineering standpoint, this
seems wrong to me.
~~~
tptacek
Not every policy problem admits to an engineering solution.
~~~
jcox92
Agreed, but I still think it bears some relevance in this situation. Is any
security added by making these programs and processes secret? What would the
security issues be if everyone knew exactly what was being collected, when it
could be accessed, and the requisite processes needed to access it?
~~~
tptacek
Cases before FISC present details of specific sources and methods and specific
targets of foreign surveillance that don't know NSA is "on to them". Those
proceedings were never going to be public. Similar things happen in domestic
cases, which are often sealed.
~~~
jcox92
I should make a distinction between the data itself and the processes through
which the data is collected and used. I'm not saying that the data related to
every case should be made public. I'm just wondering why the processes to
collect and use the data need to be secret. I think the process should be
transparent without the data itself being public.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Useful ORM for .Net implementing a full LINQ Provider - fgblanch
http://www.signumframework.com/
======
nopassrecover
Seems interesting but where is the "why is this better than/different from
LINQ to SQL" etc. FAQ section?
Also interesting that they are using StackOverflow as their support base.
------
olmo
You right! I've started the page to do it
<http://www.signumframework.com/FAQ.ashx> I'll finish this tonight.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
How Search Engines Cope With Real-Time Data - DRRoman22
http://cacm.acm.org/news/53948
======
mahmud
I upvoted the story before reading the article, just because I saw the *.acm
domain and thought meat awaits.
Really disappointing. No actual discussion of the real technology, only a plug
for OneRiot and Scoopler, neither of which has nothing more than fluff.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Senate Boosts Funding for Directed-Energy Weapons - DanielBMarkham
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/21/AR2008092102432_pf.html
======
DanielBMarkham
This technology is truly radical and could change the nature of warfare as we
know it.
I can't wait to get my Illudium Pu-36 Explosive Space Modulator from Wal-Mart
one day.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Ask HN: Anyone working on NFC technology ? - al_
I'm curious if anyone on Hackernews is working around NFC (Near Field Communication )/contactless technology. I don't see many posts about NFC, which it's quite surprising because that's a pretty fun technology to hack around.<p>I interned at a startup where they were betting on NFC's rapid growth, but it isn't happening yet. I'd like to know your thoughts about NFC's possible future.
======
aitoehigie
This sounds interesting. any web links for a newbie to get started?
~~~
al_
I would suggest you download the Nokia6212 NFC SDK, and start playing around.
There are lots of code examples included.
[http://www.forum.nokia.com/info/sw.nokia.com/id/5bcaee40-d2b...](http://www.forum.nokia.com/info/sw.nokia.com/id/5bcaee40-d2b2-4595-b5b5-4833d6a4cda1/S40_Nokia_6212_NFC_SDK.html)
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Drones will be an inflection point in the “War on General Purpose Computing” - bencollier49
======
Varcht
I, for one, welcome our bot overlords!
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
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