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2024-06-22

My Windows Computer Just Doesn't Feel Like Mine Anymore

  • Windows has become more commercial and less personal, with advertising integration making it feel cheap.
  • Forced updates and intrusive changes often break systems and alter user settings without consent, impacting reliability and user experience.
  • Alternatives like macOS and Linux are praised for being ad-free and offering more user control, though Linux can be complex.

Reactions

  • Users are expressing frustration over the increasing control and intrusive features in Windows, such as the inability to remove 'Recommended' from the start menu and persistent OneDrive prompts.
  • Complaints include issues like web searches in the start menu that can't be disabled, Edge browser settings being reset, and Windows automatically installing older driver versions.
  • Some users are suggesting alternatives like using Linux distributions (e.g., Fedora, Linux Mint) or tools to manage and debloat Windows, highlighting a growing dissatisfaction with the current Windows experience.

Internet Archive forced to remove 500k books after publishers' court win

  • The Internet Archive (IA) has been forced to remove 500,000 books after losing a lawsuit to book publishers, significantly impacting readers who depend on IA for access to rare books.
  • IA is appealing the decision, arguing that its controlled digital lending should be considered fair use under copyright law, emphasizing the role of libraries in providing access to knowledge.
  • An open letter with nearly 19,000 signatures highlights the negative impact on education and underserved communities, with IA supporters urging publishers to restore access to the removed books.

Reactions

  • The Internet Archive (IA) has been ordered to remove 500,000 books after a court ruling favored publishers, igniting debate over copyright laws.
  • Critics argue that IA's well-intentioned actions were legally risky and could have endangered the organization, highlighting the need for copyright reform.
  • The case underscores the tension between preserving access to knowledge and complying with current copyright laws, with many advocating for a better balance.

Language is primarily a tool for communication rather than thought [pdf]

Reactions

  • Language serves primarily as a communication tool, not necessarily as a medium for thought.
  • People process thoughts differently: some have internal monologues, others visualize words, and some think in abstract concepts.
  • This diversity in thought processing challenges the assumption of uniform cognitive experiences and underscores the complexity of human cognition.

After my dad died, I ran and sold his company (2018)

  • After his father's death, the author took over a chemical manufacturing company in Nasik, India, while also managing his own company, CB Insights, leading to Atlas's acquisition on June 1, 2018.
  • The author navigated the complexities of running a vastly different business, focusing on growth through cold-calling and emailing prospects, resulting in Atlas's best revenue year and eventual acquisition by a family-held chemical company.
  • Key lessons included the importance of clear goals, simplicity in negotiations, and the potential for growth in India's challenging regulatory environment, especially with increased female workforce participation.

Reactions

  • The author discusses the challenges of taking over and eventually selling a family business after the death of a parent, emphasizing the importance of succession planning.
  • The narrative highlights the emotional and practical difficulties faced in managing a family business without a clear succession plan.
  • The story underscores the significance of finding a buyer who values the employees, ensuring their well-being post-sale.

Barcelona will eliminate tourist apartments

Reactions

  • Barcelona plans to eliminate tourist apartments, aiming to free up around 10,000 homes over the next four years to address the housing shortage.
  • Critics argue that this measure is insufficient and that more housing construction is necessary to meet demand, while others worry about the economic impact on tourism and local businesses.
  • The debate underscores the tension between maintaining affordable housing for residents and accommodating tourists.

Farm: Fast vite compatible build tool written in Rust

  • Farm is a Rust-based web build tool designed for rapid web development and JavaScript library setup, known for its speed and efficiency.
  • It supports incremental building with persistent and module-level caching, compiling only changed modules, and offers rich features including support for various file types and frameworks like React and Vue.
  • Farm is fully pluggable, compatible with Vite plugins, and ensures consistency between development and production environments, supporting both legacy and modern browsers.

Reactions

  • Farm is a new build tool written in Rust, compatible with Vite, and claims to significantly reduce build times.
  • Users are divided, with some concerned about potential security risks due to its non-Western origin, while others praise its faster build times, particularly in Continuous Integration (CI) pipelines.
  • The discussion includes comparisons with other frontend build tools like ESBuild, Rollup, and Bun, highlighting both performance improvements and concerns about stability and ecosystem support.

Own Constant Folder in C/C++

  • Using the sqrtps intrinsic in C/C++ with clang's -ffast-math flag can lead to precision issues as it replaces sqrtps with rsqrtps.
  • Inline assembly can enforce the use of sqrtps, but it doesn't support constant folding when the function is inlined.
  • To ensure both constant folding and correct behavior, use __builtin_constant_p to check if the vector is constant and apply _mm_sqrt_ps accordingly.

Reactions

  • A Hacker News user highlighted inefficiencies in Rust's type-safe math operations when optimizing machine learning code, particularly with Euclidean remainders involving floating-point numbers and integer divisors.
  • The user created a custom function to enhance performance but faced limitations due to Rust's type constraints, suggesting that compiler support could facilitate such optimizations.
  • The discussion expanded to include the potential for a dedicated crate, the complexities of C/C++ optimizations, and the importance of understanding compiler behavior and trade-offs in performance optimization.

Andrew S. Tanenbaum Receives ACM Software System Award

  • On 20 June 2024, Andrew S. Tanenbaum received the ACM Software System Award for his work on MINIX, a microkernel-based UNIX operating system created in 1987.
  • MINIX, initially 12,000 lines of code and made open-source in 2000, significantly influenced the teaching of Operating Systems and the design of systems like Linux and MeikOS.
  • The award, supported by IBM and including a $35,000 prize, recognizes Tanenbaum's impact on operating system design, particularly his advocacy for microkernel architecture.

Reactions

  • Andrew S. Tanenbaum has received the ACM Software System Award, recognizing his significant contributions to computer science education and software systems.
  • Tanenbaum is renowned for his influential textbooks, such as "Computer Networks" and "Modern Operating Systems," which have helped many students and professionals understand complex topics.
  • His creation, MINIX, a Unix-like operating system, is notable for its use in Intel CPUs' Management Engine, highlighting its widespread impact.

HybridNeRF: Efficient Neural Rendering

  • HybridNeRF, a new neural rendering method, combines surface and volumetric rendering to improve efficiency and quality, particularly for semi-opaque and thin structures.
  • The method achieves real-time framerates (36 FPS) at VR resolutions (2K×2K) and improves error rates by 15-30% on datasets like Eyeful Tower and ScanNet++.
  • HybridNeRF outperforms previous methods in rendering quality and speed, especially in handling specular effects and high-resolution indoor scenes.

Reactions

  • HybridNeRF is a new approach in neural rendering, aiming to improve efficiency in generating 3D scenes from 2D images.
  • The discussion highlights the challenges and potential advancements in neural radiance fields (NeRF), including camera location accuracy and preprocessing steps like Structure from Motion (SfM).
  • The post has garnered interest due to the potential release of the code and the excitement around future research directions, particularly in eliminating traditional preprocessing requirements.

TSMC experimenting with rectangular wafers vs. round for more chips per wafer

Reactions

  • TSMC is testing rectangular wafers to potentially increase chip yield and reduce waste from the edges of traditional 300mm round wafers.
  • The industry has relied on 300mm round wafers for 25 years, making a shift to rectangular wafers challenging due to existing equipment and process standards.
  • Apple and Nvidia prepay TSMC, helping with capital expenses, and the transition could simplify lithography processes and reduce stress on partial dies, despite significant technical and logistical hurdles.

OWASP Juice Shop: Hacking a Modern Web Application

  • The article discusses hacking the OWASP Juice Shop, an insecure web application designed to help developers and penetration testers practice their skills.
  • It focuses on executing a reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) attack by injecting malicious code into the search bar, emphasizing the need for sanitizing user input.
  • Resources like TryHackMe and The Web Application Hacker’s Handbook are recommended for further learning, with a reminder that ethical hacking should only be for educational purposes.

Reactions

  • OWASP Juice Shop is highlighted as an educational tool for learning about web application exploits through a capture the flag competition format.
  • The article received mixed feedback, with some praising its educational value and others criticizing its quality and ad presence.
  • The discussion includes suggestions for improving writing style and reducing distractions like ads to enhance readability.

Creative workers deserve better than a choice as to who rips them off

  • Spotify's payment model benefits major labels (Universal, Warner, Sony) with significant ownership stakes and monthly minimum payments, often not shared with artists, resulting in low artist earnings despite high label profits.
  • Creative workers are concerned that AI will eliminate jobs, with lawsuits from companies like the New York Times and Getty Images against AI training potentially harming fair use. The real solution is seen in labor rights and organizing rather than increased copyright.
  • Upcoming appearances include the Locus Awards (virtual and in Oakland), HOPE XV in Queens, NY, and keynotes in Chicago for Exile in Bookville and the American Association of Law Libraries.

Reactions

  • The article highlights the economic imbalance where creators receive a small portion of profits, while middlemen take the majority.
  • It proposes that creators should unite and negotiate collectively, particularly in industries with powerful oligopolies, such as music.
  • The debate includes whether creativity is undervalued by the market and the impact of monopolistic practices, with some arguing that technology and platforms significantly shape the creative economy.

A Forth Story (1995)

  • Allen Cekorich, a physics graduate, started his career in 1975 at MDH Industries, working on measuring sulfur content in coal using Californium 252 and initially using Fortran for simulations.
  • He later adopted the Forth programming language, despite initial confusion, and used it to develop a sulfur meter prototype, facing resistance from colleagues who viewed Forth as unconventional.
  • Despite Forth's power and efficiency, its niche status and the industry's preference for mainstream languages limited its adoption, leading Cekorich to eventually stop programming.

Reactions

  • Chuck Moore's NOVIX 2000 CPU, based on Forth, used two stacks and performed multiple instructions per clock cycle with minimal gates, showcasing an alternative CPU architecture.
  • The GA144 chip, inspired by Forth, is minimalistic and could replace System on Chips (SoCs) with more flexibility and lower power usage, though it may be challenging to use without common peripheral libraries.
  • Forth's simplicity allows for quick, personal creation but can be non-standard and difficult to understand, making it less adopted by teams despite its power.