Hacker News Reader

protomython Cppfront, Herb Sutter's proposal for a new C++ syntax

In The Design and Evolution of C++ by Bjarne Stroustrup there is some interesting discussion on alternate declaration syntax that was rejected because it wasn't compatible with C. The book also explains a lot of design decisions that would be interesting to revisit in light of what has gone on.

protomython Facebook bans Holocaust film for violating race policy

More in the way of a specific law. I don't think a full Sec 230 repeal is a good idea. I really, really want services to have to specify what you did wrong, and you should have some actual options to deal with these services. They have become utilities and need to have some accountability when they call you something vile.

protomython EVGA terminates Nvidia partnership [video]

Intel would seem to be the bigger opportunity since Intel is trying to get established and has a lot of money.

protomython Facebook bans Holocaust film for violating race policy

I sometimes wonder what would happen (it won't) if some fed-up Congressperson drafted a bill that would allow folks to sue Facebook, etc. for libel when it accused you of being a ped0, criminal, or other malcontent. Perhaps they would be a bit less happy to accuse their users of vile things.

protomython Ask HN: What interesting problems are you working on?

Pretty pedestrian given the others, but I'm trying to build a file server setup that makes it easy to roll back from a ransomware (encryption) attack. I starting to think that going with hourly syncs from the home directory with some versioning should do it. The hard part is to make it easy for someone to rollback when I'm not here. People are a bit scared given that its happened to a couple of other small colleges. We already do tapes and we are talking files saved to the servers (most folks aren't allowed to save locally), so it should be within a budget. Like I said, pretty pedestrian. [edit: FreeBSD & ZFS]

protomython Uber investigating breach of its computer systems

Any 2FA is better than no 2FA

That's simply false because of the poor customer service of the providers and fates of many phones.

protomython The sooner we accept RCS is dead, the sooner we can choose the next platform

In the US, I fully expect the whole "green bubble" thing to escalate into something tragic for some high school students. I didn't think much of it until I saw the bullying and dropping of people because they wanted "their blue back". If you don't get your teenager an iPhone in the US then your kid is going to face some added difficulties.

protomython Stripe has decided to nuke my entire business

I still want to see Congress pass a law requiring any internet company that accepts money or fees from you that bans you, must give the exact reason, evidence, and where on your contract / ToS you violated. Frankly, at a certain size (millions of customers), these companies are utilities.

protomython Twilio CEO: Layoffs were carried out through an Anti-Racist/Anti-Oppression lens

What does it mean to layoff through an, "Anti-Racist/Anti-Oppression lens"?

Some woke CEO and HR, have come to the belief that they don't have to know anything about the person, their character, value to the company, or history. They can determine worthiness of the employee by a check box in "Race" or what pronouns the worker uses. I suppose its an easy way to express their own guilt without actually hurting themselves. Plus, it makes them a hero at those parties they go to.

Clearly if you name two factors, you are going to consider those two factors and actually be Racist and have Oppression of your own.

I'm just sick of the assumptions of people. I get the feeling when the lawsuits come, the internal e-mails in discovery will confirm my worst fears about how the CEO operated.

protomython A message from Twilio CEO Jeff Lawson: 11% workforce cut

If a more qualified person is fired over someone else because of race, then he has not only failed the company but told other employees their talent and skills are a secondary consideration. Their pain is not lessened by the color of their skin.

protomython A message from Twilio CEO Jeff Lawson: 11% workforce cut

I always felt looked down upon by those who grew up in the Twin Cities, so I never had a positive experience.

protomython A message from Twilio CEO Jeff Lawson: 11% workforce cut

White people aren't privileged, privileged people are privileged. I sure as heck didn't get any privilege by growing up poor on a reservation. Hell, I'm pretty sure some of my college applications were thrown away because of rural circumstances. So, this new, fashionable racism bugs me a bit.

protomython Byte Magazine: Declarative Languages (1985)

Well, it was more the heir to the Atari 800 where the Atari ST was actually the heir to the Commodore 64. The Atari 800 was far and away better at graphics and sound than the Apple II.

I remember buying this one, and seeing an Amiga a week later in the mall. The Prolog article blew my young mind. How in the heck is it figuring this out, BASIC doesn't do this?!?

protomython Ask HN: What are some of the best documentaries you've seen?

On the lighter side "Side by Side" https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2014338/ about the digital age replacing film. One of the outtakes is pretty inspiring https://youtu.be/lepOQ2KfDwo

On the serious side, Don't Get Sick After June: American Indian Healthcare https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1770673/ rather depressing

Dakota 38 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2838564/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pX6FBSUyQI why Lincoln is taught a bit differently in my old high school

protomython Ask HN: How did you start higher education after 40?

A lot of colleges have Older Than Average programs. They not only are accelerated ways to get your degree, but meet at night to make them easier to continue your career. I've had a couple of relatives go this route. They tend to have a lot more support available.

Students starting after 40 is actually fairly normal at the Native American colleges. Our TCU (tribal college or university) has a lot of almost independent work classes to support this. If anyone needs a suggestion to help single mothers, find instructors willing to teach remote / zoom classes starting a 9PM.

protomython Fark.com's live thread during the Sept. 11 attacks

Probably due to load, most of the big news sites wouldn't load. I ended up going to BBC.com to find out how bad it was. I heard about it from a very confused DJ on a radio station on my way to work.

protomython Tipi – A personal homeserver for everyone

It comes from the Siouan languages of which Lakota is one. Dakota has it spelled and spoken the same. The written i has an ee sound when spoken.

protomython Queen Elizabeth II has died

The driving the Saudi King story is my favorite https://www.businessinsider.com/queen-england-terrified-saud...

protomython The Case for the /usr Merge (2012)

I'm more BSD, but I have come to like 'local' and wish it were further refined so we can mount usr & bin as read-only and be able to rebuild machines with a backup of local and I guess etc.

protomython iOS 16 Available September 12th

T-Mobile does this and also labels a lot of numbers "Scam Likely". Its been really helpful. I too wish Apple would do more, but the carrier can do a bit.

protomython What the interns have wrought, 2022 edition

That's ok, some of the universities reject applications from PO Boxes or application fees paid with money orders. The filters work from a certain point of view, but I cannot help but wonder how much talent sits on the sidelines because nobody has time or the inclination to look.

protomython Don't ignore the janitor

Its basic psychopathic behavior. The lack of care for causing others work is just beyond my comprehension.

protomython Don't ignore the janitor

How about something much simpler, throw your used paper towels INTO the garbage can in the bathroom. I am amazed by the number of supposed professionals that leave them on the counter or just on the floor. It boggles my mind how hard this is for some people.

protomython Leon: Open-source, self-hosted personal assistant

Can it be shared by a group of people? Is it possible to extend it with custom actions like answering questions from local data sources or calling an internal API?

protomython Instagram removes Pornhub's account

Superman, when properly written, is super because he will never cross the line (Superman vs. the Elite). Those stories shed an amazing light on the behavior we love in humanity, that you can do "good" and never stray and still win. The power of those stories is that we believe the underlying truth.

Sadly, if people play by the rules and unfair stuff keeps happening, you teach people to use tactics that they find personally revolting. Welcome to what happens when you move from "I must act honorably" to "the end justifies the means". Never push people to the thin ice unless you are prepared for the consequences as those powerless peons you hurt might just not be so powerless.

protomython Instagram removes Pornhub's account

I get the feeling there comes a point where 'do better than them' turns into do exactly like them. I really wish people had gone with 'live and let live', but since that didn't happen the inevitable pendulum swing will.

protomython Kiwi Farms response to CloudFlare

Because if we banned sites for causing suicides then Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok would be off the internet.

protomython Arm sues Qualcomm, aiming to unwind Qualcomm's $1.4B Nuvia purchase

Arm is seeking an injunction that would require Qualcomm to destroy designs developed under Nuvia’s license agreements with Arm. Arm alleged its approval was needed before these could be transferred to Qualcomm.

This makes no sense at all. I'm trying to figure out the upside for ARM other than they earn more money on their cores. It would certainly put a large damper on the rock star chip designers since they couldn't sell their firms as easily.

protomython The Original “Universal” Port by Atari

That port was the reason I learned to solder and how photocells worked. I put two photocells on the paddle pins and wrote programs on my Atari 400 that used the light levels to do things. I think the original project was in Antic Magazine. It was about recreating a sound device used in 50's scifi films. I used it later to detect if the someone was in the hall during a summer program to give us a bit of warning. Fun projects that are pretty damn hard with USB and modern programming.

protomython Cloudflare's abuse policies and approach

How about social media mobs unfairly categorizes people and corporations that listen to mobs or committees are untrustworthy.

we need to be able as a society be able to and be unafraid to say when things are clearly bad.

Sadly, "disagrees with me" is considered bad and called vile insults these days.