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2023-05-11

See this page fetch itself, byte by byte, over TLS

  • The page demonstrates a live, annotated https: request for its own source, showcasing a pure-JS implementation of TLS 1.3 called subtls.
  • Raw TCP traffic is carried via a WebSocket proxy, providing outgoing and incoming message annotations with key raw bytes in hexadecimal.
  • The code for the project is hosted on GitHub, with an appended Easter egg allowing the user to follow along with a simple PostgreSQL session.

Industry Reactions

  • The benefits and drawbacks of compressing text vs. binaries are debated, including the CO2 emissions saved by well-engineered binary formats.
  • Developers discuss technical details on CPU clock limitations and the intricacies of TLS 1.3, and a TLS playground called subtls is shared as a helpful resource for understanding TLS connections.

What is new in algorithms and data structures these days?

  • The post discusses the latest trends in algorithms and data structures within the tech industry.
  • The thread includes a discussion on the importance of having a solid foundation in algorithms and data structures for a career in computer science.
  • The community provides useful resources for learning and practicing algorithms and data structures, including online courses and coding challenges.

Industry Reactions

  • Approximate nearest neighbor search (ANN) and advancements in data structure have been exploited by companies like Weaviate and Pinecone.
  • Optimization algorithms have various real-world applications and can provide optimality bounds.

We should start to add "ai.txt" as we do for "robots.txt"

  • The author suggests creating an "ai.txt" file to provide guidelines for how artificial intelligence (AI) should interact with websites.
  • The "ai.txt" file would work similarly to the "robots.txt" file and could include information on data handling, privacy concerns, and content filtering.
  • The goal is to prevent potential harm caused by AI and to provide clear guidelines for how AI should interact with the web.

Industry Reactions

  • Debate surrounds the effectiveness of using robots.txt as a model for this, and concerns are raised about potential copyright law issues and the impact of long copyright terms on creativity and competition.
  • There are discussions about the legal status of AI training on unlicensed content, potential solutions such as using existing conventions, and concerns about corporations benefiting from free use of smaller content creators' platforms.

The Leverage of LLMs for Individuals

  • GPT-4 is a powerful AI language model that can help individuals create and innovate without the expectation of immediate returns.
  • GPT-4 is different from ChatGPT, and OpenAI's official website has benchmarks showing its capability.
  • By leveraging GPT-4, individuals can build websites, create products in multiple languages, and generate ideas with unprecedented productivity, empowering them to achieve their dreams beyond their current abilities.

Industry Reactions

  • Concerns arise regarding LLMs generating insecure code, and training the models with secure best practices is crucial.
  • LLMs can complement software development but cannot replace human developers, and finding a balance between using LLMs and developing new skills is necessary.

Google I/O 2023

  • Google I/O 2023 took place recently and the keynotes are available for viewing.
  • Attendees are encouraged to join I/O Adventure Chat and connect with Googlers, experts, and developer communities.
  • The conference covered developing for mobile, web, AI, and cloud, with opportunities to attend in-person events or find local community-led events through I/O Extended.

Industry Reactions

  • Some criticized Google's focus on executives and big buyers, rather than developers
  • Discussions involved issues with Google's products and services, biases on Hacker News, and challenges of finding good Bluetooth headphones

YouTube tests blocking videos unless you disable ad blockers

  • YouTube is testing an experiment that asks users to disable their ad blockers or pay for a premium subscription to watch videos.
  • Users will receive a pop-up warning that "ad blockers are not allowed" and offered the option to subscribe to YouTube Premium to remove ads or have ads enabled.
  • YouTube spokesperson confirmed the experiment and stated the company aims to encourage viewers to try YouTube Premium or allow ads on the platform.

Industry Reactions

  • Users debate the ethicality of using ad-blockers and suggest alternative ways to support content creators.
  • Concerns about YouTube's limitations, subscription revenue payout structure, and treatment of content creators are discussed, along with suggestions for improvement.

My friends who cheated in interviews are getting promoted (2022)

  • The user's friends cheated in job interviews and were subsequently hired at companies like Amazon and Salesforce.
  • Despite the cheating, the friends have been promoted to higher positions and are now earning high salaries.
  • The user expresses frustration with the broken hiring process and suggests that in-person interviews could prevent cheating.

Industry Reactions

  • The debate is about the fairness of competition and the importance of honesty and integrity in the tech industry while using various interview methods to assess candidates' skills.
  • The discussion touches on the importance of industry-wide reform to minimize cheating, promote fairness, and raise standards of practice.

Why I'm done with Mouser Electronics

  • The author is disappointed in Mouser Electronics, a preeminent online component retailer in the United States that they have recommended for two decades because of a series of comical mishaps in the past 10 months.
  • The author has spent over $20,000 with Mouser but has encountered issues with their shipping that caused packages to go missing, and unhelpful customer service that seemed to offer no solution, forcing the author to reorder parts, leading to more charges and inconveniences.
  • Mouser classified the author as a "distributor" after their last customer service interaction without any reason, warning, or recourse, which could lead to parts of their order being canceled without explanation, even though the author is a serious hobbyist and not an eBay scalper.

Industry Reactions

  • Users discuss their experiences with ordering electronic parts from Mouser and Digi-Key, including issues with refunds, shipping costs, and customer service.
  • Customers complain about Mouser's pricing and suggest alternative companies, while also expressing preferences for Digi-Key due to their consistently great performance and excellent customer support.

Infosec company pwned by 4chan user

  • A cyber risk assessment company, Optimeyes, has been completely owned by an anonymous 4chan user.
  • The leak includes all the source code for the Optimeyes platform, customer data, fully trained ML models, and hardcoded credentials for their infrastructure.
  • The leak was made possible due to a misconfigured Jenkins instance and highlights the importance of cybersecurity.

Industry Reactions

  • People debate the use of Jenkins as an outdated system, discussing potential replacements and challenges of switching to new ones, but note that many big companies still use Jenkins for its extendable and configurable nature.
  • OptimEyes.ai, a company that provides automated cybersecurity services, suffered a data leak due to poor security practices, such as creating an internet-facing Jenkins instance, not properly segmenting customer data, and failing to use multi-factor authentication. Some commenters made jokes, while others criticized the company.

The "Y" logo in the top-left corner has been upgraded to SVG

  • The Y logo of Hacker News, located in the top-left corner of the interface, has received an upgrade to the scalable vector graphics (SVG) format.

Industry Reactions

  • Some users had issues with the design, suggesting improvements such as matching the logo with the top-bar color and increasing space between upvote and downvote buttons.
  • While one commenter praised the change, another claimed they didn't notice a difference, and others criticized the bright orange and white color contrast or the small size of the icon.