grx

Disagree! I'm normally all for easier entry points, but

  ssh login to running instance
  using curl to download the gcloud sdk
  tar to unpack
  sudo to install
  systemctl to start local processes
  useradd dedicated www
  chmod and chroot to allow access
  rsync to tranfer files

are absolute basics of system administration.

People who cannot even handle those tasks should not use a root server for their project. There are alternatives to a full system, if running a single app with a database is your use case. Be it Heroku or Lambda, there are solutions that do not need administrator knowledge to run an application.

To add to this, servers that are lousily configured because some developer did not know what platform to use damages the infrastructure as a whole. They are broken in, used for spam or data theft if the application has some user base. If you know someone who does not know how to handle a system, please advice them to either coop with an admin or to not use a full system for their project.

From my POV it's a great answer and good advice!

I had trouble keeping focus on one project, because I feared missing out on the other things I wanted to do. In the end I not only overworked myself but in retrospect had no long lasting contributions I would still feel proud of. For me it worked to reduce the amount of projects I'm involved with and then make big and useful progress. And to guard some time off to just do nothing (which in fact is time for the brain to reflect and should be taken very seriously regarding mental health).

Because the schedule does not provide it, here's the direct link to the talk: https://youtu.be/iffTJ1vPCSo

I see two things:

1) making data and facts more available and easier usable for everyone. This includes good sources, polished data streams and - the most neglected thing I suppose - good UI for non-techs.

2) Decentralize applications, plug in interoperability. OStatus is a good example of this. We need to reduce datasilo hoarding monopolies. This also partly plays into 1)

> It’s 100% reasonable to have a high degree of skepticism within a low-trust environment.

And this IMO kills it in an increasing amount of work places. I might be seeing it more pessimistic as it is, but the increased people turnover, team fluctuation, miscommunication and related factors produce a massive drop in trust between co-workers.

> Or we can start from a place of positive intent right from the beginning and keep it there until they violate that trust.

Additionally, I would search for a way to tell people I work with about this principle. Some people begin to distrust you if they think you are kinda odd

How can you compare the monthly price versus VM types/capabilities?

What does my bill say about the performance of my app in an e.g. Amazon environment?

I see two problems:

1. „Ship, ship, ship!“ – Yes, a speed advantage over competitors - especially with a new innovative product - is a key factor for startups. BUT: does anybody really believe in the transition from prototype to a scaling product? The article talks about „Startup Lifecycle with DevOps / NoOps“. Show me a business that has done this transition; planning ahead for a rewrite and budget für new admins.

2. Cloud-lockin. This should be taken very seriously by any startup that wants to live longer than a technology cycle. If you choose to build your platform on top of cloud technologies, you give up the control over functionality and storage. IMO any tech business should be able to handle at least web and application server architectures for their platform (I agree that mail is something different that should be left to mail providers).

Problem could be that implementations for ad networks are notorious for tracking. You would need privacy sensitive, distributed ad networks as well.

Thanks for your unpopular input!

  Well, the kicker is obvious: normal people who don't read HN can not. Facebook changed lives for people who "can not".

Agreed! Too many techies are out of touch with "normal" people. "We need to have our own infrastructure!", "Why are you not setting up your own mail server?!" Duh, it's not doable for people outside of the adminsphere!

  The payoff is always "a worse solution but you get to keep your privacy". 
  The reality is, almost nobody wants that 

  who will host it, who will support it, who will pay for it?

  I don't think that's changing anytime soon, because even if the minority 
  ("you and me") may be willing to pay for a substitute to buy out our own 
  privacy, most people won't, and then the whole point falls anyway, because 
  the solutions will obviously not integrate.

Agreed as well! But I don't completely follow your reasoning: I think it is our, the IT's, responsibility to build tools that anybody can use on rented infrastructure. You can automate almost everything nowadays, from bootstrapping the OS to installation of packages and administration via web interfaces. The key point is to keep control over generated data.

Heh, nice reference.

Of course I am exaggerating. But IMO people vastly underestimate how similar their own behaviour is to other people. Meaning, if Facebook "knows" me since 12 years (!) it can very precisely categorize me into a group of people. And those other people do not leave Facebook but feed it more information.

It's too late to join the Leaving Facebook party. If you were a regular user since 2005 and leave now, it does not make any difference anymore. The collected data about you is enough to interpolate your profile for the next decades.

Of course, decentralization is a valid point and it's really important to get people who are kinda "new" to social media on distributed platforms. Twitter is centralized as well and also tracks with buttons and scripts. We need critical masses for e.g. XMPP and OStatus platforms like Mastodon.

This of course also applies to mobile clients like WhatsApp.

You are right, it is located in Hamburg. Thanks for the hint, I always assumed Ireland was the EU-wide location!

https://www.facebook.com/shiploveahoi https://www.firmenwissen.de/az/firmeneintrag/20355/215148792...

Aside from the censorship debate, I still wonder what measures the German government has to enforce these fines. None of the discussed big companies are settled in Germany, but are regulated under European law. Where is the connection? Does a EU member have the capability to use EU regulators to enforce fines based on state law?

I see problems with

> A centralized "owner" of the social graph is bad for the Internet.

versus

> Establish a non-profit and open source software (with copyrights held by the non-profit) which collects, merges, and redistributes the graphs from all other social network sites into one global aggregated graph.

Yes, the author claims this is only at the beginning a centralized institution,

> While the non-profit's servers and databases will initially be centralized, ensure that the design is such that others can run their own instances, sharing data with each other.

but in reality everybody who works with decentralized software like XMPP, Mastodon, GNU Social, Diaspora and various "darknet" nodes knows how difficult it is to get users to use the software/join the node.

In fact, I don't think a company like Facebook (10 years after this article was published) will ever implement an external social graph that allows users to pull data from their platform. Users should be more sensitive to the features the products they use support. A platform that implements a protocol like OStatus is a far superior product to invest in as a closed monopole.

I feel ya, it's frustrating. Although I did not yet have a problem with time zones, I experienced being left out simply by joining the chat later in the evening.

If a group has the choice between realtime and asynchronous channels there needs to be a guideline for this.

If my org takes pride in consensus for everybody, everybody needs to have the time to submit input. It's not uncommon that some active users in a chat go for an ad-hoc decision just because they are more than one and want to work _now_. In the long term this damages the culture, splits the participants and is difficult for newcomers.

Hmm.. Matrix? XMPP?

> "nothing is more important to democracy than an educated electorate"

You would do a great service to the privacy scene by not using Google Docs for sign up forms! (Or in general..)

It's like everyone builds a political army from its user base, steering it by manipulation with algorithms and bots.

This works since the beginning of humanity, I don't see why it surprises people that new technology resorts to proven methods.

Probably the US! /s

Thanks for your reply, I re-edited it back. I'm just curious if it was a personal decision of your parents or if the circumstances were the reason, sorry if this is too personal!

Why didn't they help?

Is this an American thing? It's pretty common in Germany, but I remember that foreigners often see us as the 'renters'-country (meaning the majority rents instead of owning a property), so there might be a difference. Just wondering why this seems an increasing thing in your cities.

It's also no big secret that parents often support their children far beyond the school time if they are not able to apply for student loans (Bafög).

Nice Google ad, well done!

> Evernote wanted to take advantage of the cloud

Evernote _is_ part of the cloud. Buzzzz

> Evernote houses a large amount of unstructured data, and the company is looking to do more with machine learning.

Meaning private data? Is this covered in the TOS? Can I influence the usage of my data by Google before migration?

> These networks aggressively scan advertisers' javascript for suspicious code

How is Javascript that (a) reads parts of a binary file to build a new routine or (b) does silent redirects to TinyUrl NOT suspicious?! What are they looking for in these cases?

I just hope the IP stays in Germany. Really sad to see that one of our internationally better-known game forges seems to die. Like so many good studios before them.

That would mean someone develops a library that uses features of Python 3, but needs some horrible hacking to port those features to Python 2. Thanks, but no - please make a cut and decide or split it in two separate packages.

> But now I also have the motivation to apply more of what I have learned

This should be the key to the answer you are looking for. We all have to make tough decisions when it comes to working agreements. Don't beat yourself up because you made a choice in the past. Let the process you went through be an experience you can use the next time.

I don't think this is a good idea simply because it reduces the need to upgrade your library from 2.x to 3. It's a clear cut and a good chance to weed out unmaintained libraries

> I love the language and framework we use

And what's that if you don't mind me asking?

Also,

> and I get really, really lonely working from home all the time.

look up co-working spaces in your area! If you find a good one with private booths you might be able to stay productive but also have the benefit of having people to chat with if you want to. (and a good mix of startup people with seniors also does not hurt I guess..)