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RandyRandersonon JDeploy – Deploy desktop Java apps as native bundles on Mac, Linux, and Windows

conda might be another option. Apparently it does anything (not just python packages).

https://github.com/conda-forge/miniforge

RandyRandersonon I have never read a business plan or balance sheet

If Kim Kardashian started an ice creme company, she'd have a very good chance of succeeding.

Let's say she starts a few more businesses and they are successful. Is Kim someone we should take business advice from? She is one of the richest self-made women ever.

Kim would likely never have to make any ice creme either.

Here's a pg speech. Make your own conclusions:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4_14pZlJBs

RandyRandersonon Joe Rogan Is the Aleph

Saved you a goog:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Aleph_(short_story)

RandyRandersonon Are popular toxicity models simply profanity detectors?

Right. I think the bot issues will always be with us. I'm just suggesting that there is a huge class of problems ML can solve but because of 'tail risk' (bad behaviour at extreme X values), ML solns can fail entirely.

We need to develop a way to work with ML st most queries can be answered by ML but there is an exception pattern that defaults to a manual, prescriptive process, or whatever.

Also we need APIs to allow detection of that state.

RandyRandersonon Are popular toxicity models simply profanity detectors?

Machine learning is not something that can solve for all X. Where data is sparse OR where there is uncertainty, there needs to be a fallback.

We need to come up with UI patterns and flows that reflect this otherwise ML solns will continue to disappoint.

RandyRandersonon Show HN: Loadjitsu – a modern load testing alternative to JMeter

Can you even 'replace' an open-source soln with a closed-source one?

If so, there are already many better "replacements" like loadrunner:

https://www.softwaretestinghelp.com/loadrunner-alternatives/

RandyRandersonon Is the madness ever going to end?

I call this: PLIRT - Pyric, Low Interest Rate tech.

Low interest rates drive money into speculative hands and then in into the salaries of tech cargo cultists, Resume Oriented Architects, Tech mono-hammer-wielders[0] and other people who should never be given the power to make decisions. This creates all sort of bad ideas and tech. We are in a monstrous PLIRT bubble ATM. Pyric because them winning means all of us losing.

[0] Every problem's soln is methodA/techX: the only one these ppl ever use.

RandyRandersonon Is Google Search Deteriorating? Measuring Google's Search Quality in 2022

One reason it might deteriorated is that goog is constantly battling ppl 'optimizing' their content for Google while competitors likely see less than 1/1000 of this.

RandyRandersonon Table Oriented Programming (2002)

I stopped reading shortly after:

"a = (b * c) + e + f"

Something like this would have been a better ex:

a = b(c+e) + f

This guy maybe hasn't heard of operator overloading as no one would do as he suggests in most 'OOP' languages:

"a = ((b.times(c)).plus(e)).plus(f) // sillier"

RandyRandersonon California is the only state to hide its spending – nearly $300B a year

It's interesting that there is a lot of effort spent on reigning in spending but when there are reductions in services, quality thereof or otherwise spending there is not a corresponding reduction in taxes.

In Canada we have had constant reductions in the quality of education for at least the last 40 years, without any corresponding reduction in taxes.

While I'm in favour of public education in principle, we cannot trust the gov to not raid this and the health care coffers so that they can spend on what will get them re-elected.

RandyRandersonon America is running on fumes

The linked hbr article would be a great study on how statistics can be used to reach incorrect conclusions/imply results that are not true. Off the top of of my head:

* immigrants that start more businesses (the implication is that this is a good thing, maybe it's not). What if they did that b/c they couldn't find a job b/c they had less contacts?

* study looked at 1300 odd people and then followed up with 360 found on linkedin later. Maybe the ones on linkedin are on there to promote their business? The ones that got jobs don't have need for li?

I stopped reading there.

Also note that if 1000 ppl start businesses, 1 bill gates in the 1000 will completely skew the results.

RandyRandersonon Tel Aviv is the world’s most expensive city

Site is not responding but it's hard to believe this - must not be taking into account income. This seems like a more reasonable ranking (HK, Vancouver, etc):

https://www.geographyrealm.com/these-cities-are-the-most-una...

RandyRandersonon My worst tech interview experience

Author states that the following threw him off: Interviewer: "you must be writing a lot of Swift" after a few minor syntax errors.

Maybe being put off by an ambiguous comment was why you didn't get the job? Did you consider maybe in his notes he might've said: "Smart guy but was put off by a single comment (a failed attempt at humour on my part). Probably not someone who would thrive in a lively atmosphere".

I had an interviewer ask a question and, not satisfied with the answer, get up and walk out. The other guy apologized and we had a good discussion after the other guy left.

RandyRandersonon Goodbye Microservices

I'm not sure why anyone thought this was a good idea in the first place. I always saw it as a manifestation of Conway's law [0] driven from money printing.

That is, more money -> higher demand for employees -> employees that shouldn't be given authority are -> "I want to code only in <techx that no one uses> -> microservices are the only way I can do this -> microservices are good.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conway%27s_law

RandyRandersonon Firefox is the 45th result when searching for “Firefox” on Windows Store

"Powered by Bing Search"

RandyRandersonon Show HN: I built a no-BS recipe search engine

The search here is great - you can filter by min number of reviews and sort by star rating, which should be the default on amzn, newegg, etc.

Ok, I know this filter is not on ecommerce sites b/c money but one day there will be enough competition and then ...

Ok, I know there will never be real competition b/c capitalism. Why can't you just let me have this little fiction?

Ok, I know b/c reality.

RandyRandersonon The LZ4 introduced in PostgreSQL 14 provides faster compression

Post that uses specious word: "performant" and a reply starting with "Actually, " - can we not create a prize for this? Maybe hn bingo cards? Dang, that would be good.

RandyRandersonon Roy Fielding's Misappropriated REST Dissertation (2020)

SOAP, REST, Big Data, microservices - it's funny how, at the time, everyone seems to be unbelievably vociferous that <technology_of_the_moment> is the only way to do things and that we should all be thankful that the great magnet in the sky gave us this sacred cow. Then, 5 years later, it's obviously the worst thing ever next to the <new_hotness>. <new_hotness> always being unevenly in some ways worse and in others better.

We need to, in our exuberance, ask ourselves: what are the current false Gods? Are we technologists that reason or a headless flock?

RandyRandersonon Facts every web dev should know before they burn out and turn to painting

"9. HTML is fantastic", I stopped reading there.

RandyRandersonon Why I Hate Frameworks (2005)

This guy's argument (in a nutshell, heh): I want to build a spice rack, do you have any oak tree seeds?

I do have to say, though, a lot of things I wrote ~17years ago probably haven't aged well either so...

RandyRandersonon Veteran engineers (10 yrs exp+) advice needed

These are all gleaned from mistakes I've made or seen made in my career:

. Don't do a good job; only seek to make sure ppl (managers and co-workers) are happy with the job you do.

. Do what's best for you (not necessarily the organization). Aka Resume Oriented Architecture. Aka ROA for the best ROI.

. View being employed as a business. Would you ever start a business to sell to one client? Always be looking for the next client.

. Never document anything. Sadly, the more obscure language/tech/code/artefact you emit, the harder it is to get rid of you. I inherited a whole team that had all the router/switch/etc passwords in their heads "for security reasons". They could not be fired, even for coming in at 10.30am and leaving at 3.30pm, constantly missing meetings, etc.

. Hire someone to replace you once you've built an inscrutable system. You can't get promoted if you still do everything and you can't do nothing (manage) if there are things to do.

. Save and invest often. If you do, by the time someone competent is in a position to see how bad a job you did and bring the hammer down on you, you'll have enough to take up woodworking and occasionally chuckle to yourself thinking about how anyone would ever right the trail of destruction you've left.

. Never tell anyone these things. ;>

/sarcasm

RandyRandersonon China sends record number of warplanes towards Taiwan

https://archive.is/DjgbT

friday 38, sat 39 planes.

RandyRandersonon The Framework is the most exciting laptop I've used

For some reason laptops that don't have a numpad at 13", they almost always do on 15+ inch versions.

RandyRandersonon The Framework is the most exciting laptop I've used

As @fouc points out, I meant this kb:

"poster is probably referring to this: https://images.idgesg.net/images/article/2019/11/16in-macboo..."

RandyRandersonon The Framework is the most exciting laptop I've used

Very exciting. Hoping they will make something similar with:

. 15 or 16 inch chassis

. 4k display (OLED, if possible)

. largest battery they allow on an airplane

. no keypad

. 2x speakers facing up

. AMD, if possible

. arrow keys as Apple does it

. charge a premium for this - ppl will pay it!!!

Basically just copy what Apple does but with a little customization. I know this would be difficult but hoping someone from framework will read this. No one wants to buy a dell XPS but its the most popular windows laptop in its class for a reason.

RandyRandersonon Dutch entrepreneurs avoiding negative interest by opening multiple bank accounts

Better idea: borrow as much as they'll give you. Get paid for that. Also invest borrowed money in the highest return/largest etf you can find.

Note that most of the companies in said ETF are also doing this.

RandyRandersonon Rent control isn’t working in Sweden

Many would say that comparing San Mateo, arguably part of silicon valley (the center of the technology business world-wide), to Vancouver (we have no real industry unless you count tourism or money laundering[0]) is at best disingenuous.

[0] https://complyadvantage.com/knowledgebase/vancouver-money-la...

RandyRandersonon Rent control isn’t working in Sweden

Meanwhile in Vancouver:

. 1120 CAD/sqft

. median before tax household income (City of Vancouver) 72,585 CAD

. ~30pc tax -> ~51k after tax

. 400 sqft 1120= 448k. 15% = 62k for a 15pc downpayment for a 400sqft condo.

Summary: In Vancouver the median household* would not be able to save 15% of a down payment for a 400 sqft "home" if they spent NOTHING for a year. We'll ignore the fact that housing appreciated for many years here at more than 10%/y.

This is good for ppl like me b/c I own stuff and this situation forces ppl to work more for less money in jobs they hate. For folks starting out (incl new immigrants), it's terrible. The root cause is very high immigration. Sweden (and Canada) have very high rates which puts pressure on the low end of the job market and pushes up home prices.

The US has a much lower rate (0.5%/y) than Canada (1.1%/y), which is likely one reason why homes are still somewhat affordable there.

RandyRandersonon Why Disney World doesn't have mosquitoes

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceratopogonidae

RandyRandersonon Enterprise, IT architecture and strategy is getting more and more frustrating

Just as the process of building a bridge has a lead engineer, supported by likely many different different types of subordinate engineers, large IT projects succeed more with a similar structure and process.

If you're building a bridge over a small pond, iteration based on feedback from users will likely work well.