HackerX

By year

2019

Ideas that Hacker News readers were still recommending in 2019.

38 posts cited124 citations

Counts show how many picks Hacker News readers cited in each year, not when the post was written.

@mxcl

Career

@mxcl

View on X
Recommended by 42 HN users
From the Hacker News threadleetcode seems to agree with your definition [0]. the meme isn't to say that inverting a binary tree is particularly difficult - anyone familiar with coding challenges and trees could trivially produce a solution. the meme is more pointing out how ludicrous it is that senior/staff/principal interviews can hinge on these types of problems, despite the engineer proving their proficiency by doing something like running DOOM in typescript types or writing homebrew [1]. [0] leetcode.com/problems/invert-binary-tre…... [1] x.com/mxcl/status/608682016205344768@LiquixTypeScript types can run DOOM [video]2025
117

@naval

Business

@naval

View on X
Recommended by 7 HN users
From the Hacker News threadtwitter.com/naval/status/10021034977251… > Seek wealth, not money or status. Wealth is having assets that earn while you sleep. Money is how we transfer time and wealth. Status is your place in the social hierarchy. twitter.com/naval/status/10021036273878… > Ignore people playing status games. They gain status by attacking people playing wealth creation games. From @naval’s Twitter thread “how to get rich (without getting lucky)” twitter.com/naval/status/10021033606468… My note: wealth is options; options are freedom, and buying your time back. Only play status games if you’re playing for fun, but don’t confuse it with success and freedom.@toomuchtodoPursuing status will never bring true happiness2023
14

@solomonstre

Tools

@solomonstre

View on X
Recommended by 7 HN users
From the Hacker News thread>WASM vs a container runtime isn't a meaningful comparison because they're at different layers of the stack. It's not just comparing pure WASM (bytecode) but the WASM+WASI (runtime) which is what this article's WasmEdge (runtime) is about. It's a meaningful comparison when the original creator of Docker containers also compared them: >Solomon Hykes / @shykes@hachyderm.io @solomonstre >If WASM+WASI existed in 2008, we wouldn't have needed to created Docker. That's how important it is. Webassembly on the server is the future of computing. A standardized system interface was the missing link. Let's hope WASI is up to the task! -- from 2019-03-27t20:39:47 twitter.com/solomonstre/status/11110049…@jasodeContainer Runtimes and WasmEdge benchmarking on Arm2023
13

@ziobrando

Philosophy

@ziobrando

View on X
Recommended by 4 HN users
From the Hacker News threadI opened the video. Saw that it is edited (It does not show the entire meeting from the beginning to the end unedited. He puts clips of himself in the middle. He does his signature "ask for donations" thing. Etc). Given literally the entirety of his work history, I know it is going to be misleading if not an outright lie. So I spent 1 minute realizing it won't be worth my 30 minutes and closed the tab. And if you are going to argue that this is not enough to refuse to believe the video and I should present more concrete evidence, I will refer you to the bullshit asymmetry principle: twitter.com/ziobrando/status/2896350607…...@smnrchrdsToronto is gathering cellphone location data to find people congregating2020
6

@michael_nielsen

Learning

@michael_nielsen

View on X
Recommended by 4 HN users
From the Hacker News threadPart of the value is just to be reminded of ideas I've had. But Anki can be used to support creativity in other ways as well: - "Card browser" lets you view the cards in various sorting orders. Alphabetical, time of creation, last reviewed, next reviewed, etc. This is already better for going through cards than the Memo app on my phone. - You can tag cards and sort by tags. (I think doing this also creates a memorization deck for each tag, too. I just don't use this feature...) - I like to put "elements" into Anki which I think could potentially become a part of a creative idea. Being reminded of those things makes it easier to think up new ways to combine things, different ways to do things, etc. - Like Michael Nielsen (who works for Y Combinator), I believe in putting everything into just a single deck. So I see a lot of random seemingly unrelated cards one after the other. I feel like this helps my brain to make unusual connections and relationships. (Nielsen's writings about Anki and spaced memory repetition- reddit.com/r/Anki/comments/8xi9r4/augme…... twitter.com/michael_nielsen/status/9577…... ) - Cards can be starred or suspended. - Visually, the design and flow of the Anki app is fantastic, in my opinion. I genuinely enjoy using it. Tons of user controlled settings, and nice Anki forums. - Use of shared decks can be fun (publicly available decks). Really though, the most important thing is getting the reminders, and having control over when I see Anki cards next. By keeping everything "alive" and stronger in my brain, it just makes it easier to remember things, think of things, see different possibilities, etc. And you can put literally anything in there. I put in literally everything I think is worth reminding myself about. Attitudes, knowledge, quotes, tasks, task elements, ideas, notes about the people in my life, things that are fun, memories from my life, exercise ideas, foods, supplements, etc. etc.etc.@data_requiredAsk HN: How do you keep track of your creative thoughts?2019
5

@tuomassalo

Design

@tuomassalo

View on X
Recommended by 3 HN users
From the Hacker News thread> There is a huge blindspot, I've noticed, where people mistake familiarity for ease of use (and other qualities too). The "legacy" Windows design isn't just so beloved because of familiarity, but because it actually provides visual cues to users [1], and the backstory on how it was designed is also interesting [2]. I know that there was an even more detailed article floating around here on HN but I can't find it offhand. [1] twitter.com/tuomassalo/status/978717292… [2] socket3.wordpress.com/2018/02/03/design…...@mschuster91Linux hits nearly 4% desktop user share on Statcounter2024
6

@threepointone

Web Development

@threepointone

View on X
Recommended by 3 HN users
From the Hacker News threadThe biggest difference is that the class based components are an older iteration of the API into React, one that lies closer with how React internally works (or worked), but one that is not necessarily useful for writing correctly working components. Say you have a component that renders some data it fetches from the backend, and it received the ID via a prop. In a class based component you might be inclined to write the fetching logic in the componentDidMount or maybe the constructor. However, if you change the ID you feed the component, the component will update instead of being recreated. In the naive class based version it won't refetch the data, and won't behave correctly. With useEffect hooks you don't really care anymore, you can reason about side effects in the same declarative way. You express the fact that fetching new data is a dependency of the prop changing, which holds true both on first render and later on update. The hooks API fixed a handful of these 'mistakes' that were still present in the class based API. I agree that the syntax might look awkward at first, but the hooks API is much better thought out than the class based one. (Some anecdata: almost any component that I rewrote in hooks-style has been halved in number of lines of code, the concepts have been much less spread out over the file. See this tweet for an example: twitter.com/threepointone/status/105659…)@supericeWhat I wish I knew about React2020
3

@elonmusk

Business

@elonmusk

View on X
Recommended by 2 HN users
From the Hacker News threadThe reorg of GM by the Obama administration does not tick all the boxes [1], but is the most recent example that would come to mind of government support via BK management and recapitalization. The administration did this to save jobs and the manufacturing supply chain [2]. Capital is made up, management is fungible, manufacturing supply chains and systems are the hard part (which is why, after incredibly aggressive financialization, Boeing is having to acquire Spirit AeroSystems, which had previously been spun out for cost savings...which went to management comp and shareholders). If you are optimizing for a specific outcome, it is important to understand the malleability and limits of the components that make the whole. Even Elon recognized this during Model 3 production hell [3]. I suppose we must always learn the hard way for the lesson to be of value. If management is the problem (and it is very clear Boeing management is the problem), it must be replaced so that the people who do the actual building can build. This is no different than the tech culture of "employ great people and get out of their way." [1] en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Motors_Ch…... [2] obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/economy/jo…... [3] x.com/elonmusk/status/984882630947753984 ("Yes, excessive automation at Tesla was a mistake. To be precise, my mistake. Humans are underrated.")@toomuchtodoBoeing, Union reach wage deal to end strike2024
6

@sarahmei

Open Source

@sarahmei

View on X
Recommended by 2 HN users
From the Hacker News thread> The fact that people are still contributing with RMS at the forefront of the FSF indicates that they at least are fine with the way things currently are. Some people do. Some do not. twitter.com/sarahmei/status/99401050146… In Github's 2017 survey, 50% of the 5,500 respondents claimed they had witnessed toxic interactions while working on open-source projects, and that 18% of them had suffered through a negative interaction. Also, 95% of contributors were men and 3% were women. Are you sure people are still contributing or is it just men who do with very, very few women who is willing to put up with this? php.net/credits.php here, count the women. Or rather the woman! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benevolent_dictat… not. a. single. woman. Not all of this is on Stallman but as he is the figurehead of an entire movement, certainly at least some of it is.@chxNot the First Time We Tried (FSF, GNU, RMS, etc.)2021
6

@trevorsumner

Business

@trevorsumner

View on X
Recommended by 2 HN users
From the Hacker News threadThe fact that Boeing is working on a software fix doesn't contradict the thread. It's explicitly mentioned in the thread. mobile.twitter.com/trevorsumner/status…... > Nowhere in here is there a software problem. The computers & software performed their jobs according to spec without error. The specification was just shitty. Now the quickest way for Boeing to solve this mess is to call up the software guys to come up with another band-aid. (some related follow up tweets) > I'm a software engineer, and we're sometimes called on to fix the deficiencies of mechanical or aero or electrical engineering, because the metal has already been cut or the molds have already been made or the chip has already been fabed, and so that problem can't be solved. > But the software can always be pushed to the update server or reflashed. When the software band-aid comes off in a 500mph wind, it's tempting to just blame the band-aid. > Follow @davekammeyer if you want to dig in.@ncallaway737 Max Explanation by a Software Engineer2019
4

@adamscrabble

Business

@adamscrabble

View on X
Recommended by 2 HN users
From the Hacker News threadThese debt am purchased only tiny share in total debt. We are spent 2 more trillions in one bill more only just now. Chinese are use currency basically stole from world for to purchase these debt: twitter.com/adamscrabble/status/1094717… We need in total embargo China. She are largest threat among existence for continuing America.@da_big_gheyChinese hacking spree hit an ‘astronomical’ number of victims2021
4

@reidhoffman

Startups

@reidhoffman

View on X
Recommended by 2 HN users
From the Hacker News threadI really, really love this story. It is another version, and more relatable I might add, of Reid Hoffman saying "if you aren't embarrassed by your first version you have launched too late." (twitter.com/reidhoffman/status/84714292…) Terrific storytelling, and sadly, 99% of founders will never get past their narcissism and just launch it.@xrdHow I helped build a profitable MVP over a weekend2021
3

@TomerAshur

Security

@TomerAshur

View on X
Recommended by 2 HN users
From the Hacker News threadNSA put (effective) backdoor in Dual_EC_DRBG: schneier.com/blog/archives/2007/11/the…... Thread by someone directly involved on why the ISO rejected NSA ciphers in the past (hint: they refused to justify design decisions, lied, and attacked the credibility of people who had put out actually-secure crypto): twitter.com/TomerAshur/status/988696306… Either they're too incompetent to be trusted or are bad actors and should be treated as such.@kickDon’t Rush Quantum-Proof Encryption, Warns NSA Research Director2019
3

@LazyFishBarrel

Security

@LazyFishBarrel

View on X
Recommended by 2 HN users
From the Hacker News threadPretty consistently [1] [2] [3] [4] it comes out that nearly %80 of security vulnerabilities come from memory safety vulnerabilities. I would consider that largest. Especially Microsoft's doc is pretty telling that this ratio was pretty consistent since 2006 so no amount of external tooling and training solves this. [1] langui.sh/2019/07/23/apple-memory-safet… (albeit apple solving this with an another language and a really nice cpu extension) [2] microsoft.com/en-us/msrc/blog/2019/07/w…... [3] security.googleblog.com/2019/05/queue-h…... [4] x.com/LazyFishBarrel/status/11290009657…@dvtkrlbsHard Rust requirements from May onward2025
3

@VitalikButerin

Programming

@VitalikButerin

View on X
Recommended by 2 HN users
From the Hacker News threadI have to say that I'm happy that Ethereum does not do on-chain governance for this very reason. It more or less follows the IETF principle of "rough consensus". [0] As far as smart contracts are concerned; they're hardly "contracts", but you probably already knew that. Even Vitalik Buterin regrets calling them that way [1]. [0]: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rough_consensus [1]: twitter.com/VitalikButerin/status/10511…...@pietjepuk88Ethereum 2.0 launches2020
3

@goodfellow_ian

AI

@goodfellow_ian

View on X
Recommended by 2 HN users
From the Hacker News threadThese analogies need to be taken with a grain of salt. For instance, king - man + woman actually returns king (since woman - man ~= 0). It's only queen when you ban the words king, man, or woman (since the embeddings of queen and king are close). See Ian's tweet twitter.com/goodfellow_ian/status/11335…... or the linked paper arxiv.org/pdf/1905.09866.pdf for more information.@markchen90Word2vec: Fish + Music = Bass2019
4

@whitequark

Hardware

@whitequark

View on X
Recommended by 2 HN users
From the Hacker News threadThunderbolt is a horrendous piece of garbage. Not just in the sense of "we're making an internal bus external before ensuring security", but just in what it actually is: twitter.com/whitequark/status/109777710… > Thunderbolt, uh, does not expose PCIe lanes directly. Thunderbolt is an MPLS-like packet switching network that can encapsulate PCIe TLPs over a PHY and MAC without a spec, chips without documentation, and software with barely any support. […] Ah, and let's not forget that the absurdly complicated MPLS-like system with topology written in EEPROMs in every node that, as far as I can tell, you have to bitbang via the half-configured packet path (what the actual fuck?), well, it's very general. You can describe a lot of different networks in it. But of course the Linux driver has two or three hardcoded ones, including indexes into the EEPROMs on the way, that it recognizes and loads a hardcoded configuration for. The entire thing is made -even worse than USB-, which is an achievement. It pains me to hear people complaining about the lack of Thunderbolt in AMD Ryzen Mobile laptops, and wishing for it in the next generation now that the spec is no longer Intel-exclusive in some way. Lack of Thunderbolt is a feature.@floatbothStruck by a Thunderbolt2019
3

@hintjens

Philosophy

@hintjens

View on X
Shared by 1 HN user
From the Hacker News threadFollowing that link, I also came across twitter.com/hintjens/status/78325424205… "I'm choosing euthanasia etd 1pm." @12:35 PM · Oct 4, 2016 From Wikipedia: Pieter Hintjens (3 December 1962 – 4 October 2016) was a Belgian software developer It's his choice, and I support it if that's what he really wanted, but it's still really creepy to see.@capablewebSystemd Brand2019
4

@ID_AA_Carmack

Internet

@ID_AA_Carmack

View on X
Shared by 1 HN user
From the Hacker News threadThis kind of nuanced discussion of latency is something I only see among really serious gamers. If you look at things like the Steam hardware survey, it becomes quickly apparent that the hardcore gamer (e.g. someone who has a high refresh rate display or similar and cares about this) appears likely a very small part of the overall gaming landscape, which is a very broad church now. I think game streaming will ultimately win out hugely - “ordinary” (for lack of better term) gamers simply don’t care about the technical disadvantages. Huge numbers of console gamers already often add 100ms or more lag via their TV’s slow image processing and don’t even notice or care. I don’t think the average gamer is as latency sensitive as many readers here might be. Most people are going to see that they can have a high end console/PC-like experience for a fraction of the cost of owning a high end console/PC, for the vast majority that is surely an appealing prospect. Finally, John Carmack himself believes the latency issue can be mitigated well enough for most things - that’s good enough for me ;) > twitter.com/id_aa_carmack/status/110814…... My only real concern in all this is the future of video game mods. This is a pretty big thing now and hard to imagine this surviving well in a streaming based future. This would be a loss, creatively and functionally, for some people.@gioboxSony and Microsoft set rivalry aside for cloud gaming alliance2019
4

@paulg

Startups

@paulg

View on X
Shared by 1 HN user
From the Hacker News threadChecking in on competitors is one thing, monitoring their every move seems borderline obsessive to the point you're not focusing on your own product roadmap. I wouldn't want Google alerts about competition. That feels like paranoia. edit: twitter.com/paulg/status/11092207810353…@echelonAsk HN: What are some keywords you track everyday?2022
3

@patio11

Career

@patio11

View on X
Shared by 1 HN user
From the Hacker News threadOne of my most important takeaways from patio11’s list of thing you need to know (mobile.twitter.com/patio11/status/93661…...) was that for B2B companies sales to engineering ratio is at least 2x and usually much larger because that’s the bottleneck. Atlas Siam is no exception.@Jun8Atlassian built a $20B dollar company with no sales team2019
2

More

RSS feed

Keyboard shortcuts