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dmitripopov

275 karma · joined January 22, 2013

Author of Helpinator, GIFExplainer and WeirdWrench.
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dmitripopov··on Show HN: A Reddit reader that looks like the frontpage of a print newspaper
It's just awesome! I'm so tired of feed-like layouts, they are not for humans.
dmitripopov··on Build an 8-bit home computer with 5 chips
Well, I just thought you are giving a negative connotation to it while I think there's nothing wrong if the thing is your hobby :)
dmitripopov··on Build an 8-bit home computer with 5 chips
I see what you are talking about, but your parable has another side that no one sees - the guy learned a lot of different things in the process :) For people who enjoy learning and exploration it is the true meaning of the whole thing, not a written tune.
dmitripopov··on Build an 8-bit home computer with 5 chips
I agree. But, you know, enthusiasts enjoy holywars. And there's a thin hazy line between a "true" and a "cheater".
dmitripopov··on Build an 8-bit home computer with 5 chips
Yes, but it's not about the feel of the product which is definitely there, but about the skills required to design. I, personally, would never call anybody who designed his own computer whether with ATMEGA or not, a "cheater". It deserves respect, to say the least.
dmitripopov··on Build an 8-bit home computer with 5 chips
Well, his argument is not about the number of chips but rather component origins. If you are about to pretend that you are in the 80s and you develop a computer in that time, you've got to use what was available. I argue that ZX Spectrum used custom-made ULA and you kind of emulate that approach to design with ATMEGA and he just laughs :)

The truth is that we live in magnificent times where there's a wide range of choice on how to do things and it is amazing.

dmitripopov··on Build an 8-bit home computer with 5 chips
A friend of mine, an 8-bit enthusiast, calls usage of ATMEGA chips "cheating" :) "True" 8bitter relies solely on component base of the 80s.
dmitripopov··on Show HN: Mobile Game – Car Hunters
After reading the title and watching first 2 seconds I thought it will fire a rocket launcher and the car would go up in flames thanks to AR.
dmitripopov··on An injection of magma under Norris Geyser Basin
At a space scale it's a close pass.
dmitripopov··on A bestiary of single-file implementations of programming languages
Somehow I still get those chills while reading source code of programming languages interpreters / compilers. I guess it's like getting to the origins of life, or something.
dmitripopov··on Powerful Radio Signal from Deep Space
Just imagine one day a true alien signal comes ringing, and what the public reaction would be? "Yeah, right. Again."
dmitripopov··on Ask HN: Do you sell to your friends?
Anger was an initial reaction :) I got cooled down pretty soon.

We share the same ethnicity but live in different countries now. I think it has more to do with personal traits than ethnicity.

Anyway, I can't except her money. I guess it's a kind of my own personality glitch :)

dmitripopov··on Ask HN: Any (tech) black friday deals you'd recommend?
My product came out of my own pains of providing end user documentation and tech support, so how can I not recommend it? 50% off BFCM. Here's a post that summarizes my work, at least partially: https://www.helpinator.com/blog/2019/09/18/recommended-readi...
dmitripopov··on Launch HN: CoWop – Remote CoWorking Members' Club
A lot (if not most) of remote workers live in places where shared working space is not available and general purpose offices are too expensive.
dmitripopov··on Show HN: Ribbit – Weekly written content for Reddit for your business
It does not work this way since Google started to rely on behavioral metrics of content, not just keywords. Useful articles that people read and refer to frequently, go up, junk goes down. So creating articles with only aim to sell something is the sure fire way to anger people and waste your money. Content marketing nowadays is about producing quality content IN HOPE that it will help to sell your product.
dmitripopov··on Show HN: I created a portable lightweight replacement for Microsoft HTML Help
Oh, I understand. My primary objective is on end user manuals, not developer docs.
dmitripopov··on Show HN: I created a portable lightweight replacement for Microsoft HTML Help
I am well aware of Zeal, and it's cool for docs that people read from cover to cover. My primary objective was to not to create a new format, but rather provide means for authoring and displaying structured technical content, pretty much like DITA or DocBook, but way more simple and targeted at software (e.g. providing a context-sensitive help feature).
dmitripopov··on Show HN: I created a portable lightweight replacement for Microsoft HTML Help
Epub suffers from the same flaws - only one language per file, freeform styling that makes company-wide style consistency problematic (and when we talk about a ERP system with thousands of users and a miriad supplementary tools created for it - it's a really big problem).

And it was not designed for context-sensitive help of desktop apps, while LiteHelp is.

dmitripopov··on Show HN: I created a portable lightweight replacement for Microsoft HTML Help
I know at least a dozen :) Just kidding. I know a lot more. Enterprise systems tend to have so complicated business processes that a detailed help file is a must.
dmitripopov··on Show HN: I created a portable lightweight replacement for Microsoft HTML Help
Email me your suggestions, please, I am always open. popov.dmitri@gmail.com
dmitripopov··on Show HN: I created a portable lightweight replacement for Microsoft HTML Help
It's not a problem to add styles, especially since LiteHelp is based on structured content, but hey, is that feature so needed? All my client do with HTML templates of Helpinator is to add their own logo and that's it. Content is what matters.
dmitripopov··on Show HN: I created a portable lightweight replacement for Microsoft HTML Help
Because technical writing is about structured authoring (e.g. using specialized content items like step-by-step guides, FAQs or Quizzes) and I follow this metaphor, avoiding excessive formatting options and concentrating on things that matter.
dmitripopov··on Show HN: I created a portable lightweight replacement for Microsoft HTML Help
Ha, sorry :) Should have quoted "Microsoft HTML Help"
dmitripopov··on Show HN: I created a portable lightweight replacement for Microsoft HTML Help
It's a folder with xml files, content is pretty self-explanatory, but I should write a description.
dmitripopov··on Number of Self-Published Titles Jumped 40% in 2018
I added LeanPub (a self-publishing platform) support to my technical writing tool Helpinator a while ago, but did not see any significant interest in this feature. May be I am experiencing a kind ob bias in this case, authors of technical books are exceptional people at most :)
dmitripopov··on Ask HN: How do you work with the fear of your own incompetence?
It's not an "impostor syndrome", it's an "excellent student syndrome". Cognitive behavioral therapy may help you with that.
dmitripopov··on Ask HN: I am addicted to Porn. Help me quit
As with any addiction there are different flavors of it and each one requires specific approach. For example, if the origins of it are in frustration over your sexual fantasies never get real, all attempts to quit the addiction the same way as quitting a smoking habit will only make things worse. I recommend you visit a doctor who specializes on addictions first.
dmitripopov··on Do It Yurtself
In Russia good means reliable, and that's all. Comfort is secondary. But not for youngsters of course, that's why rural Russia is almost abandoned.
dmitripopov··on Do It Yurtself
They were building a Yurt :)
dmitripopov··on Do It Yurtself
In Soviet Union of the 80s a male person with rural origins aged over 18 was considered capable of building a wooden house by himself (or little help from other males in the family) by default. Nowadays you can hardly find someone who is not a carpenter professionally but still capable of building.
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