The updated Cosmopolitan 3.0.1 library, by Justine and supported by Mozilla, has been unveiled after a year of development, with better software speed and reduced memory usage across various platforms.
The release includes a faster dotfiles loader, Cosmo Emacs, new cosmocc command, latest redbean web server, and an example of a threaded web server, greenbean, which manages a large number of requests more efficiently.
Among new features are several games, and Boulder-based startup, dylibso, has incorporated the library in their product, Hermit.
The Cosmopolitan Third Edition is a collection of 'fat binaries' capable of running on different operating systems and hardware platforms, including Linux OS, macOS, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, and web browsers.
It includes a variety of programs like zip, curl, git, wget, python, ctags, and a Datasette Python application, sparking interest among developers.
Though concerns arise about the practical usage and transition efforts, its potential as a cloud-native deployment format could eliminate the need for a traditional operating system, making it a topic of interest.
A recent study from Monash University has found a connection between a lack of deep sleep, known as slow-wave sleep, and an increased risk of dementia in older adults.
The research shows that even a 1% annual decline in deep sleep for people above the age of 60 results in a 27% higher risk of dementia.
The study, which monitored 346 participants aged 60 and above for dementia onset for 17 years, suggests that improving or maintaining slow-wave sleep could be a possible preventative measure for dementia.
An online discussion focused on improving deep sleep and preventing dementia by focusing on the effects of caffeine, particularly on individuals with the slow metabolizer gene, CYP1A2.
Various strategies were suggested including reducing caffeine intake, completing regular exercise, maintaining sleep hygiene, and taking specific supplements. However, privacy issues about genetic testing companies and health risks from caffeine were brought up.
It was agreed that different individuals may need varying sleep strategies based on their unique biological factors, but all can benefit from exercise, good nutrition, and maintaining sleep hygiene.
Rob Pike, a renowned programmer, outlines five notable rules for software development that emphasize simplicity and discourage premature optimization.
The rules incorporate using straightforward algorithms and data structures to reduce bugs and ease implementation, focusing on data structures due to their crucial role in programming.
Pike also urges not to predict where a program will expend most of its time, thus avoiding early optimization, and underscores the necessity of measuring before opting for speed tuning.
The Hacker News discussion highlighted Rob Pike's 1989 programming rules, with a primary focus on the significance of data structures over algorithms for optimizing code.
Participants criticized the current interviewing trend that concentrates mainly on algorithms, arguing it fails to reflect real-world programming tasks. They advocated for efficient use and understanding of data structures, which can make algorithms more evident.
Other debated topics included performance optimization, error handling strategies, usage of Object-Relational Mapping (ORM), SQL knowledge, and the concept of waste in programming. Suggestions were made to measure before optimizing and consider hardware limitations before implementing theoretically fast solutions.
Job postings need to mention the location and clarify if they are open to remote, interns, or visa candidates.
Only individuals directly involved with the hiring company can post, with a limit of one post per company. Companies that are less known must give an explanation.
Off-topic comments, complaints, and emails from those not personally interested in the job are discouraged. Useful links and threads for job seekers and hirers are provided.
Hacker News has posted various tech job vacancies for November 2023 from companies including GHCO, Octocom, deepc, TalkJS, Rubin Observatory, among others.
The roles focus on areas such as software engineering, infrastructure & cybersecurity, and AI development, with different companies offering a mix of remote, onsite, or hybrid working arrangements.
These job opportunities include internships and full-time positions, open to applicants from various geographical regions, featuring competitive salaries and promoting a healthy work-life balance.
The FCC is contemplating a proposal to increase the minimum broadband speed, triggering debate over the necessity and feasibility of diverse service speeds.
Internet users in the U.S. express discontent with slow fiber internet rollout and the lack of choice, often unfavorable against other countries' speeds and costs, prompting calls for the FCC to encourage more options and control price hikes.
Public opinion differs on issues like data usage, upload speeds, restrictive data caps, and what constitutes "broadband" currently, leading to proposals including metered options, symmetrical speed service, and the regulation of internet access as a utility.
The author illustrates his dissatisfaction with the 2023 Kia Ceed SW, mainly highlighting the excessive and unrequired software features that cause inconvenience.
Complaints include quick re-locking doors, a trunk that doesn't close if something's in its way, loud engine start alerts, and a sensitive turn signal function coupled with a lane-keeping assistant that demands regular steering wheel handling.
Other criticisms are inconsistent tire pressure sensors, intrusive reminders when leaving the car, and an infotainment system constantly needing approval for updated terms and conditions, demonstrating a potentially frustrating driving experience.
The discussion thread highlights a preference for older car models due to their durability, simplicity, and easier maintenance.
It also shines light on ongoing debates surrounding current car technologies like keyless ignition, infotainment systems, safety features, and automated drive assist features—with some users finding certain alerts and warnings to be distracting.
Despite criticism towards aspects like faulty smart keys and distracting touch screen controls, most users recognize the potential benefits of these technological advancements, advocating for a balance between technological advantages and potential nuisances or safety risks.
Asahi Linux, aiming to adapt Linux for Apple Silicon Macs, has identified bugs in Apple's MacOS which may cause certain MacBook Pro models to become unbootable.
The bugs relate to the way newer MacOS versions manage refresh rates, prominently impacting MacBook Pro models with ProMotion displays (14" and 16" versions); when merged in the upgrade and boot sequence, it can result in a black screen necessitating a Device Firmware Update (DFU) recovery.
Asahi Linux clarified that data is not endangered and the issue is restricted to particular MacOS versions (Sonoma 14.0+ and Ventura 13.6+); their installer has been updated to prevent installation if the refresh rate is non-ProMotion.
Asahi Linux, a team of volunteers, has proven its competencies by identifying a bug that can render Mac unbootable, thereby outperforming Apple’s professional team.
The group's findings led to discussions about the need for Apple to invest more resources into bug fixes and how volunteers involved in these investigations should be compensated.
Concerns about automatic data encryption on Macs fitted with Apple Silicone or T2 Security Chip, the resultant potential data loss, and the subsequent recommendation for regular data backups and update delays have been highlighted.
Yann LeCun, recognized as an AI pioneer from Meta, criticizes AI leaders such as OpenAI's Sam Altman, Google DeepMind's Demis Hassabis, and Anthropic's Dario Amodei for allegedly creating a climate of fear about AI.
LeCun suggests that these leaders use fear tactics to centralize AI control within a few companies, an approach he perceives as a real risk; He promotes open-source development to prevent AI from solely being developed by private, profit-driven entities.
He argues for addressing realistic concerns like worker exploitation and data theft rather than focusing on speculative threats of AI, which he attributes to a few companies' control over AI.
An online discussion with AI expert Yann LeCun discussed the potential monopoly of AI by an elite group, proposing the idea of government-funded AI.
Participants addressed potential risks of uncontrolled AI development, likening it to scenarios such as Russian roulette or an arms race, suggesting that AI be treated as a possible security threat with monitoring measures.
The debate also explored AI's influence on stock predictions and wealth distribution, and considered roles of pioneers and regulatory regimes in AI management, likening it to the efforts to control nuclear weapons proliferation and reduce CO2 emissions globally.
The perceived decline in Google's search quality has drawn criticism towards SEO professionals compromising the integrity of online content, an industry that has evolved from deception to consultancy.
Issues like high scam rates and challenges in differentiating good from poor SEO services are exacerbated due to Google's opaque ranking algorithm.
The article also highlights controversial SEO techniques and the shift in Google's search results due to its changed algorithm, emphasizing experience, expertise, credibility, trustworthiness over popularity, and the emergence of SEO tactics overwhelming Google's algorithm.
Hacker News users are debating Google's search results' efficiency and accuracy, with problems like verbose content due to SEO practices, misleading suggestions, and advertisements causing concern.
Users have highlighted a generational divide in interaction patterns and adaptability to the flaws of the search engine. The thread also mentions the evolution of online search, which sees challenges like cluttered information and spam.
Notwithstanding the criticisms, Google's search tools are praised for their easy access to information. However, Google's changes to advanced search options have reportedly frustrated some, while others argue it helps less tech-savvy users find information quicker.
The Association of American Medical Colleges predicts a potential deficit of up to 124,000 doctors in the U.S. in the forthcoming decade.
Despite the enticing average salary of $350,000 and numerous yearly medical school applicants, over half are denied entry which contributes to the declining supply.
This scenario implies possible mismanagement within the medical training system, creating an artificially lowered supply of medical professionals.
The discourse centers around the inherent challenges and merits in medical and tech sectors, such as the extensive financial and temporal investment in medical training, ageism in technology industry, and the potential influence of AI.
Participants contend the distinction of retirement ease between professions, discrepancy in compensation between tech and medicine sectors, and the societal standing of certain professions.
Discussions also highlight the impact of lifestyle on healthcare issues and advocate for system-wide alterations.
Bitwarden, a password management software, has launched updates for better functionality and security, which include upgrades to Secrets Manager, more organized mobile app settings, and enhanced encryption.
New features include auto-fill for German HTML fields, an improved connection workflow to self-hosted servers, SQLite DB support for self-hosted deployments, Apple Watch support, and integrations with DuckDuckGo and Fastmail.
Bitwarden has also introduced a Provider Portal for Managed Service Providers (MSPs), extended its FIDO support, and will no longer support Windows versions 8.1 or older, and Windows Server 2012 or older from the 2023.5.0 release.
Password management service, Bitwarden, has recently rolled out support for passkeys, inciting varying opinions from users.
Key concerns surround the lack of user control over security as Bitwarden does not currently support the import and export of stored passkeys, alongside arguments about the definition of passwords and the lack of standardization for WebAuthn credentials.
Critics question the security of hoarding multiple passkeys for the same account within a single Bitwarden vault and debate over the comparison with other password managers in terms of user interface, functionality, and safety features.
C++23 intends to entirely eliminate support for garbage collection, a feature that has been mostly unimplemented and not supported.
This decision is seen as a positive measure to declutter the language, and will result in the removal of specific names like declare_reachable, undeclare_reachable, etc. from the std:: library.
Despite these changes, existing garbage collectors, mainly those for machines programmed in C++ and operating other languages, will not be impacted as they did not rely on this standard.
The upcoming C++23 standard may no longer support garbage collection, causing differing opinions about the requirement of automatic memory management in the developer community.
The debate extended to the complexity of C++, its unforeseen coding behaviours, and potential consequences of eliminating excessive features, with language barriers making it difficult for non-English speaking participants.
Comparisons were made between C++ and Rust, suggesting Rust could serve as an alternative for tasks typically performed by C++, amplifying the importance of comprehending diverse system functions.
Freelance writer Michael Berben's articles were incorrectly marked as AI-generated by an AI detector, which led to the cancellation of his contract and income loss.
Berben's case underscores the inaccuracy of AI detectors and their tendency to generate false positives.
Despite presenting proof of original work, the client did not rescind their decision due to concerns about Google penalties for AI-generated content, bringing into question AI detectors' advertised precision and the challenges creators face in defending against such claims.
Growing use of AI in content generation has sparked discussions about its impact, focusing on distinguishing AI-generated and human-authored text. False positives of AI detection tools could potentially affect freelance writers' work.
Companies like OpenAI and Google suspectively keep their detection methods a secret, fueling a potential tech 'arms race'. This secrecy also leads to debates on AI's role in education and redefining job roles.
Suggested solutions include the utilization of NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens) as certificates authenticating human-authored content. However, concerns persist around over-automation of creative professions, potential misuse of AI detectors, and defamation claims against writers.
New Computer is developing Waitlist Dot, an intelligent guide designed to help users navigate their lives with personalized services including storing cherished memories, assisting in educational goals, and providing recommendations based on user interests.
The Dot is set to be released later this year, and it will be available on both iOS and web platforms.
The product's capabilities are highlighted through a narrative about Mei, a college student who uses the Dot for varied tasks such as exam prep and cooking.
The AI-driven chat application Dot, has captured attention due to its claim of self-programming and deep understanding of users, although there are privacy and data hacking concerns.
The potential release of a new app, Mei, which could heavily use cloud services has also been discussed, despite privacy worries it shares with Dot. Mei is designed to be a personal AI memory assistant.
A significant announcement is the partnership of Dot with Salesforce. There is also concern about Dot and Mei possibly being outshone by larger corporations like Apple.
There are reports of a malfunctioning 'grep' function on Apple's macOS Sonoma, as highlighted by developers on the Apple Developer Forum.
Users reported varying experiences with the bug; while some confirmed its occurrence, others did not encounter the identified issue.
A possible workaround suggested by one user involves using ssh on Mac with differently set LANG (a system variable determining the system's language and locale).
Developers and researchers are finding challenges in updating macOS while ensuring the integrity of their data analysis processes, often linked to legacy code.
Solutions like Docker, MacPorts, and Nix, as well as transitioning from Homebrew to MacPorts for managing macOS software packages, were proposed but found challenging and workload-increasing.
Some suggested using Linux distributions such as RedHat Enterprise Linux, Rocky Linux, and Almalinux due to issues with macOS updates, tools, and outdated applications. User frustrations over Apple's outdated systems and desire for better developer support surfaced.