Emacs for OSX - <AUTHOR> http://emacsformacosx.com/

<comment><USER2> Probably the first site I've seen that uses SVG as the entire page, and it's really neat. The whole thing scales beautifully no matter what size the browser is.

<comment><USER3> I did not notice that before, thanks for pointing that out!

<comment><USER4> Yes, except poor job hiding the default no-svg-support message (hint: with Safari 4, Zoom out).

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER5> For those who use this: how does this stack up against

<http://aquamacs.org/>

and

<http://homepage.mac.com/zenitani/emacs-e.html>

?

<comment><USER6> The builds on emacsformacosx.com are literally taken from CVS (or the ftp.gnu.org release directory) and compiled up with no extra patches, packages or anything. I _did_ take the resulting binary and make a fancy looking .dmg for it to live in but the actual application itself is completely stock.

I specifically made these builds because Aquamacs annoyed me. Think of them as sort of the anti-Aquamacs. Aquamacs tries to force Emacs into being a well behaved Mac application where, for instance, every buffer is a separate window (which is really annoying when you have multiple hundreds of buffers open). I'm sure there are Mac people out there that will love this and think that it is cool and maybe even The Right Thing. _I_ wanted an Emacs for Emacs people that happened live on OS X and not an Emacs for Mac people.

The Carbon Emacs Package you linked to is more of a batteries included type of distro that aims to add a bunch of extra packages to the stock emacs. I haven't used it lately but it's worth noting that the recently released Emacs 23.1 doesn't have a Carbon port in the main source repo any more. It got replaced with the Cocoa/GnuStep port.

<comment><USER7> A more important question for me:

How is this different from building Emacs out of MacPorts? I interact with Emacs solely through a terminal window, and so don't need or want a GUI version.

<comment><USER8> My Mac OS X comes with emacs and vim already if you're using the terminal. I thought they all did.

<comment><USER7> Yes, but it usually lags a bit behind the current versions (as all operating- system packages do). So I end up building a more recent one from MacPorts anyway.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER9> I've been using aquamacs for some time now, and I think I'll be switching to plain old emacs because of this page. Is this _really_ just a vanilla build of emacs with no customization? It seems to be much more well-behaved than the last time I tried out the regular emacs (which I think was version 22).

</comment><comment><USER10> I notice this version ignores any value I give (set-frame-height (selected- frame) ...), however, it's better than running in a Terminal and I could never get Aquamacs to work with my .emacs (just hangs).

</comment><comment><USER11> That's a lot of fancy. I wish I just new what the flags were, as it doesn't build on Snow Leopard for me.

<comment><USER12> Doesn't build for me either right now (NativeRect array problem in nsterm.m), but I'm guessing it doesn't for him either since there hasn't been a build for 2 days.

I've always build mine with:

        ./configure --with-ns
        make -j 4 bootstrap

(I only rebuild every few months or so, so a bootstrap is safer)

<comment><USER6> Yes, my script got the NativeRect error tonight. Last night I was offline reconstructing my disk after I botched some code in a home made gpt partitioning tool (it made a full recovery--phew).

I think I'm going to have to figure out how to build with -m32 so that it works on versions before 10.6. I haven't looked into it but I suspect you can "lipo" the 32 and the 64 bit executables together like you can with PowerPC and Intel and so that might be an option too.</comment></comment></comment>


Shopify's explosive growth shows life for ecommerce outside Amazon - <AUTHOR> https://trackingtalk.com/index.php/2018/02/15/shopifys-explosive-growth-shows-life-for-ecommerce-outside-amazon/ <comment><USER2> Wonder if existing merchants are switching or if there's a lot of new merchants.</comment>


Ask HN: Is asset building as a service (ABaaS) a good idea? - <AUTHOR> I have this idea which I think is a killer, revolutionary, amazing idea but not sure if I'm right or just insane. Create a service that accepts a list of Javascript dependencies (from either NPM or GitHub), minifies them, combines them, and returns them to you in one file, in a RESTful API. Like this:
POST https://assetbuildservice.com/assets
assets[]=github.com/foobar/package1&assets[]=github.com/bazquz/package2
302 Redirect
Location: https://assetbuildservice.com/assets/da39a3ee5e6b4b0d325
GET https://assetbuildservice.com/assets/da39a3ee5e6b4b0d325?prod=1
200 OK
/* Ref: https://assetbuildservice.com/assets/da39a3ee5e6b4b0d325
 * AssetBuildService.com built your assets! */ (function(a,b,c){d,e,f=0,0,1,...
The ABaaS would know how to make RequireJS play nice with AMD/CommonJS in one project, and other JS projects that don't use a requiring system. But that's it. It doesn't know how to transpile other languages to JS or do anything fancy with dependency trees -- it just creates a flat file that combines every dependency. It's too dumb to figure out what order they go in too, so you'd have to experiment with that in your API calls. It could be an open source library that's also hosted on a community-funded server.
What do you think? Useful or useless? <comment><USER2> Clever idea! My current workflow for doing this same job is just using Bower to manage the dependencies and a Gulp script to concat them. I'd be a little worried about moving all my dependencies "to the cloud" like this.

But loads of people use sites like CDNJS, so I can definitely see it being used. I'm not sure I'd want to be paying the hosting bills if it takes off though :)

<comment><AUTHOR> Thanks, that's encouraging! All I want a service for is building assets, not hosting them, so there are easy ways to secure it from that angle: making the build URLs expire after 60 seconds, making users authenticate to access them, etc.</comment></comment>


Flex - <AUTHOR> https://harc.ycr.org/flex/ <comment><USER2> The name is a reference to Alan Kay's master's thesis. Here's an excerpt [https://www.mprove.de/diplom/gui/kay68.html](https://www.mprove.de/diplom/gui/kay68.html)

Also, I've previously looked into Ometa, the predecessor of Ohm and I found it to be the possibly cleanest parsing solution available. Check it out if you ever feel parsing-monious.

<comment><USER3> A colleague of mine did some very impressive work with Ometa; it seems to be not just a parser but a system for building all sorts of compiler-like things.

<comment><USER4> Those interested in Ometa can check out the Metacompiler tutorial for background, [http://www.bayfronttechnologies.com/mc_tutorial.html](http://www.bayfronttechnologies.com/mc_tutorial.html) and experiment with a JS-based demo metacompiler, [http://www.bayfronttechnologies.com/mc_workshop.html](http://www.bayfronttechnologies.com/mc_workshop.html)

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER5> Interesting but vague.

How do I see any of these actually in action? Do they work?

Will they be released at some point or are they proof of concept work that will never see the light of day beyond an academic paper?

<comment><USER6> code release isn't always the most important. bret victor never released code to any of his prototypes, but the ideas conveyed in his interactive essays have inspired many hackers to come up with their own solutions, or to adapt his ideas into their systems. e.g.,

[http://worrydream.com/LearnableProgramming/](http://worrydream.com/LearnableProgramming/)

good ideas live a lot longer than code.

<comment><USER7> In this case it is actually released and you can run this tool, and it is actually pretty awesome:

[https://github.com/harc/ohm](https://github.com/harc/ohm)

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER8> Not sure if this is intentional or not but at first I thought this was something to do with Flex (the Lexer generator - as in one half of Flex and Bison). Something that is even more confusing since the first graphic in the page contains a BNF document and talks about compiler generation.

If Flex was a business with a trademark this would count as infringement without a doubt. Same type of product, same name.

<comment><USER9> Flex is such a common name. Search for "flex" on the internet, and you'll find dozens of companies and products with the same name.

<comment><USER10> Yeah, but how many of them are involved in compiler development? I think this is in poor taste. I can't imagine that they're not trying to capitalize on flex's fame.

<comment><USER11> The name is a reference to Alan Kay's M.Sc thesis from 1968: [https://www.mprove.de/diplom/gui/kay68.html](https://www.mprove.de/diplom/gui/kay68.html)

<comment><USER10> Alan Kay's Flex quickly became Smalltalk while Flex (the lexer) spent the last 30 years doing its thing under that name. It might not be deliberate but it's definitely confusing and they definitely should have realized it would clash within the compiler development namespace. It's like making an HTML parser and calling it Chrome.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER12> I appreciate the demos for each of these applications, but the descriptions could be more specific. I'm interested in what Trainee _does_ but it's hard to understand. There are many questions left unanswered by this page, such as: How are problems with unknown variables displayed? How are more sophisticated games displayed, such as two-player games (Connect 4), imperfect information games (Minesweeper), etc?

<comment><USER13> The page as is now just has summaries and provides an overview for our group; as the projects mature, expect to see more detailed content about them!

<comment><USER14> I'll be excited to learn more about your latest work :)

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER15> What about a better interface for Coq? I think this makes more sense to experienced programmers. Also for mankind.

<comment><USER16> I agree. One could argue that Agda and Idris are a better interface to the type theory that underlies Coq.

</comment></comment><comment><USER17> I wish the Ohm editor allowed custom grammars for describing the grammar.

In fact, I wish more projects based on Ometa and Ohm allowed this so there's a better chance they can bootstrap each other. Of course, some semantics might still be missing but at least parsing would work.

<comment><USER18> Hi, I'm one of the developers of the Ohm Editor. Can you elaborate a bit on what you mean? Or maybe you'd just like to file an issue at [https://github.com/harc/ohm-editor](https://github.com/harc/ohm-editor) and we can discuss it there?

<comment><USER17> Hi!

So right now, I can write the grammar G1 for a language L1 in Ohm and parse strings written in L1 by putting them in examples.

If L1 is a language for describing grammars (such as a Ohm with a slightly different syntax), one of the "example" could be the grammar G2 for a language L2. But then I can't give the editor examples of L2 to be parsed!

(Of course if L1 has extra semantics instead of just syntax, it wouldn't be easy to change anyway, except by editing the Ohm Editor's source.)

A sample use case:

G2 is something like this:

[https://github.com/asrp/pymetaterp/blob/master/pymetaterp/bo...](https://github.com/asrp/pymetaterp/blob/master/pymetaterp/boot_grammar.py)

The example/input written in L2 that I want to give it is something like this

[https://github.com/asrp/pymetaterp/blob/master/pymetaterp/py...](https://github.com/asrp/pymetaterp/blob/master/pymetaterp/python_grammar.py)

I could of course, rewrite this input in Ohm's grammar just so I can visualize the parse in the Ohm editor but it would be faster if I only needed to write G1 (that is, G2 translated to Ohm but matching the same language as L2=L1) and make minor adjustments to the input.

A full translation of this "input" to Ohm would also make it harder for me to port bugs fixed in the Ohm version back to the original version.

The next step would be to make this input the grammar G3 and give _it_ inputs which can be visualized in the editor.

I'm not sure if you intend to have the Ohm editor used like this or not though.

Very nice project, by the way. I really like how you show the parts of the inputs that matches, with the option of expanding rules.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER19> I like how Ohm is designed. Very intuitive. Surely the best tool if you have to do some parsing in a Web app.

</comment><comment><USER20> So basically ohm is Ian Piumarta's peg compiling to JavaScript, not C. And ohm-editor is the visualizer when going down the operator precedence rabbit- hole, which is the only peg problem, compared to a conventional back-recursive parser generator. One advantage of peg is that it doesn't need a flex lexer. Strange name then. I would have called it pegjs.

<comment><USER21> re: pegjs - that name is taken - [https://pegjs.org/](https://pegjs.org/)

Have used it in the past, would use it again.

</comment></comment><comment><USER22> In the "Selected Past Work" section there's "Natural Language Datalog" which I would be interested learning more about, but the link seems to be wrong. Anyone knows where to find more info on it? My google skills are failing me.

<comment><USER23> Start here, I think ... [https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datalog](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datalog)

<comment><USER22> Thanks! I was hoping to find some details on specifically their past work in the area, but it was a good pointer to some general introduction.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER24> Interesting work. I'm particularly curious to see how the "Natural Language Datalog" will evolve; it seems to have various potential use cases, from conversation in social and occupational settings to specialized project tasks, learning and building across various sectors, etc.

It reminds me of some previous roles where my key task was "translating" abstracted information and creating interfaces for less technical audiences to interact with technical information.

<comment><USER25> I just added a link to a GitHub repo and live demo for the Natural language Datalog project. (You can see them if you hover over the image, on the Flex website.)

<comment><USER24> Thanks, I'll check it out again.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER26> Where is the chorus project hosted? Was browsing around on github for related devs and YC but couldn't find it. Have these tools been officially released yet? reply

<comment><USER27> Unfortunately still just a half-baked experiment, but I really hope the next version under development will be complete enough to share.

</comment></comment><comment><USER28> This stuff looks AMAZING, but no code or binaries to try? :(

<comment><USER29> Ohm is available to play around with and is open source.

[https://github.com/harc/ohm](https://github.com/harc/ohm)

</comment></comment><comment><USER30> Cool, wonder if these guys ever talk to the folks behind [http://witheve.com/](http://witheve.com/)

</comment><comment><USER31> Where can I download the chorus mentioned in the link ?

<comment><USER32> I have been following the Edwards projects for years; I find them (and his views) mostly very interesting, but they move extremely slow. This one seems the most interesting by far, but me too would be very interesting to see a repository / download. Maybe it is there somewhere, but...

<comment><USER27> Real soon now...

Seriously, thanks for the encouragement. I'm really hoping the latest version will be good enough to share at long last.

<comment><USER33> Hi Jonathan, "Subtext 3 and 4 were successive experiments in a new semantics of mutable state I describe as synchronously updateable views." What does this mean? Is Chorus a database?

edit: the answer from his paper: "Typical applications are built from at least three distinct technology stacks: a database, a programming language, and a UI framework. Each of these technologies has its own semantics, and much of the complexity of application programming stems from the need to glue them together. Chorus instead provides a single unified model built upon our prior work on Subtext (Edwards 2004-2014). Our statically typed tree structures are effectively databases: the types are schemas, collections serve as tables, and references serve as relationships. All data is persistent, and all execution is performed in concurrent transactions."

<comment><USER32> I think there are videos and code for Subtext (or an earlier version of Subtext) ; I would recommend you watch all videos by Jonathan; they are good.

<comment><USER34> I found [https://vimeo.com/jonathoda](https://vimeo.com/jonathoda)

Do you know of others?

<comment><USER32> Check out this page; [http://www.subtext-lang.org/](http://www.subtext- lang.org/)

Together with Brett Victor his Inventing on Principle, I usually show this [https://vimeo.com/140738254](https://vimeo.com/140738254) to people when explaining my daily existence and the unfairness of it (as in; some of us have these ideas and yet, my CPU cores + memory are overloaded doing trivial db queries to do code completion and rendering HTML because that is what we write GUI's including code editors in now :).

<comment><USER34> I sympathize with the frustration! It's debilitating to know that there is a better way to program something yet you can't use it because it hasn't been implemented yet. I mitigate the pain by spending some time every week working on my own ideas of how computers / programming should work. Some of these ideas are very similar (at first glance) to subtext / chorus. I knew I couldn't be the only one thinking like that.

<comment><USER32> I love programming with computers still (and have so for the past 34 years); the ideas set forward in these videos and implementations do give the feeling we might get somewhere. I myself only write tools for specific projects. I hope I get a chance of distilling something more generic from that some day but that might be simply too hard. As for Alarming Development, I much liked Subtext & Coherence (where did that site go? [0]); from what I have seen Chorus is a more high level approach and very curious to try that out even though we have not seen much yet.

[0] [https://web-beta.archive.org/web/20130810132017/coherence- la...](https://web-beta.archive.org/web/20130810132017/coherence-lang.org)

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER35> I would love something like seymour for JS development. Being able to see the complexity of execution as you type would be invaluable.

<comment><USER36> Exactly this. I'm a very visual person in regards to getting things done. Being able to see how a function works, would be delightful.

<comment><USER37> Not a perfect solution, but this allows you to see how the computer executes a JS code. Hit the forwards and back buttons: [http://pythontutor.com/live.html#code=function%20nested%28%2...](http://pythontutor.com/live.html#code=function%20nested%28%29%7B%0A%20%20return%202%3B%20%0A%7D%0A%0Afunction%20callMe%28%29%7B%0A%20%20var%20x%20%3D%201%3B%0A%20%20return%20x%20%2B%20nested%28%29%3B%0A%7D%0A%0Avar%20y%20%3D%20callMe%28%29%20*%202%3B%0A%0Aconsole.log%28y%29%3B&cumulative=false&curInstr=4&heapPrimitives=false&mode=display&origin=opt- live.js&py=js&rawInputLstJSON=%5B%5D&textReferences=false)

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER38> Would love to see more about the past work projects, especially the bottom right one. Is this research group opening a line of communication with the public? Gitter, slack, a google group?

</comment><comment><USER39> I recently stumbled upon something similar but probably more light-weight: [http://ncase.me/loopy/](http://ncase.me/loopy/)

</comment><comment><USER40> Is this in any way connected to the Eve/Lighttable guys?

<comment><USER14> Nope, though we all play in a similar space and I know several of the people in Flex - they're fantastic folks doing really interesting work. :)

<comment><USER18> Likewise, we really like what you're doing with Eve!

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER41> Hmm so this line of work isn't listed on the YC Research page - is this the result of some sort of a YC grant program that I missed?

<comment><USER13> Flex exists as a group in HARC, which is listed under YCR.

</comment></comment><comment><USER42> The title could use some embellishment

</comment><comment><USER43> Wow. Just in time for my compilers exam :)

</comment><comment><USER17> Is there no audio for any of the videos or is that just my browser?

</comment><comment><USER44> > The Flex group uses technology to improve the range and fluidity of human > expression. We invent new concepts and representations that amplify people's > ability to create, connect, and understand. We create tools that blur the > line between using and creating, in order to provide a conversational medium > for thinking and doing.

What the hell does this even mean? Usually I don't mind marketing-speak at all, but this is literally comical. I was expecting some art or creative related .. something. What I got was tools for building programming languages.

<comment><USER13> It's what we honestly do (and aspire to do) as best explained in a couple of sentences. But as always, judge us by what we do rather than the vision that we profess.

<comment><USER45> Maybe try something like

> At flex we believe that _good_ interfaces should empower users. We try to > blur the line between simply _using_ a user-interface and being a > programmer. We do this by thinking about new ways to intuitively represent > programming concepts, and endeavor to provide tools that have a smooth > learning curve that takes you all the way from just being a user to being a > programmer.

Unless I'm horribly misunderstanding your goals. Which really I probably am because you're horribly vague.

<comment><USER46> Well as I understand them it's not wrong, it's just very limited. It would be like describing Engelbart's projects as "Making interaction with the computer more graphical and efficient such as by employing pointing devices and interactive text", whereas ARC's aim was much more visionary.

I think their ideas go beyond just making programming more accessible (your summary), but more along the lines of "using computers as instruments of enriching thinking".

One of the projects (Chorus) even specifically mentions and rejects programming as a problem-solving tool (for that specific domain of problems), instead opting for thought-process enhancement from the other side, basically making spreadsheets on steroids.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER47> I'm still having trouble figuring out why anyone would actually want to make their own language, on a real project and not just BYOSchemeForTheLearningAndLulz or whatever. I guess I'm just really spoiled by Ruby, which makes it so easy to add semantics to a system that I absolutely never want new syntax.

Introducing a parser generator workflow to a project that already has access to Ruby is almost certainly Doing It Wrong. Every time I've tried it, I ended up scrapping it and just did it in Ruby with a DSL. You're going to want to access and control whatever it is you're writing with Ruby, so why not just stay in the language?

I guess if you're coding in something really dull like Go or Java, you can easily get to a point to where the developer experience is constrained by the language so you need a new one.

<comment><USER48> One very simple reason is just a file format. Let's say you want to make a configuration file that's more expressive than JSON or something similar. You really don't want to make a Ruby DSL for your configuration file because executing a configuration file is "a really bad idea" (TM) :-)

I've made many parsers in my career. I even wrote a SIP parser using antlr which I'm particularly proud of. There are lots of places where you need to parse.

<comment><USER49> Moreover, there are many places where people fiddle with hand-written parser code, nested functions evaluating regexes with many holes and unhandled edge cases - where they should have used a parser generator instead.

So my impression is that in general, parser generators are underused, not overused.

Anything that encourages people to use parser generators is IMHO a good thing. Ideally, parser generators should become as ubiquitous as template languages, with an similar race between libraries for ease of use, suitability for the most common cases, and lower entry barrier.

<comment><USER47> Templating systems, now that might actually be a use case! But again, there are already lots of templating systems out there. Just pick one and go on with your project.

I think I really am just really spoiled by Ruby.

<comment><USER49> _> But again, there are already lots of templating systems out there. Just pick one and go on with your project._

But that's exactly my point: You can do that for template systems, but not for parser generators. (Well, you can, but your choices aren't nearly as nice.)

<comment><USER47> Well, sure, but you don't just use parser generators for the hell of it. They have to fit into the broader overall context of a system that drives outcomes.

It's easy to see what role a template system can play in such a project, much harder, for me anyway, to see what one would actually use parsing for outside of the rarefied context of building a new general purpose programming language. Anything you'd want to parse, there are already going to be parsers written. Just pick one and go.

If you're just screwing around, by all means knock yourself out. But in all the real work serving real humans I've ever done, I have never been able to justify building out a parsing system. I can't even look at a regular expression without wanting to rip it out.

I can see if you're maintaining the library that, say, does TOML parsing for Lua. But that's not in the realm of the everyday.</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment>


Kubernetes and containers used for the new B-21 Stealth Bomber - <AUTHOR> https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/northrop-grummans-new-b-21-stealth-bomber-technological-powerhouse-159641 <comment><AUTHOR> """ Roper's post on LinkedIn explained it this way… the "USAF innovation hasn't missed a beat during COVID-19. Our B-21 team just ran containerized software with Kubernetes on flight-ready hardware! Another step towards "DevStar": our initiative to bring radical autonomy to software development, partnering with Northrop Grumman." """</comment>


Chris Dixon discusses rising startup valuations & potential startup bubble - <AUTHOR> http://namesake.com/conversation/cd8c4262-559c-11e0-bb51-12313f014066

<comment><USER2> I don't see why everyone assumes a bubble.

I think it's just like real estate purchased for renting out: People know you can make money on it, people realize that, so invest in that knowing rental income can at least pay for the mortgage (in some markets). So all the low hanging fruit are gone as people are not afraid of investing in these companies. You have to go for less low hanging fruit and invest more to get your piece of the pie.

The idea of a valuation of a private company is possibly also the issue. Who says a company's public market cap (which is what valuation is supposedly mirroring) has anything to do with what a private company sold part of itself for.

I'd say in general, if X was the cost of 10% of a business, that's not saying you could actually buy it for 10X. You might actually have to pay 20X to buy the whole thing or perhaps only 5X.

<comment><USER3> Forward looking valuations are the most difficult. I think when people talk about a bubble they are speaking to the fact that people are being overzealous in the assumptions about how big / far the company will go.

</comment></comment><comment><AUTHOR> I'm intrigued by the idea that you can have super high startup valuations and NOT have a startup bubble.

</comment><comment><USER3> Incredible discussion going on right now with huge players in the startup world. Kedrosky, Dolginow, Nivi, Hotchkiss, Dave Morin, etc... WOW

</comment><comment><USER4> The scenario they're talking about with the SEC regulating secondary markets is the most plausible theory of and unwing I've heard yet.

<comment><USER5> No bubble, it's a super bubble!

</comment></comment><comment><USER6> Epic convo with some major players. If you're in strtupland or a fan of it, you need to go listen in now.

</comment><comment><USER7> Nice. So basically he's saying that it's too expensive for an investor as of late.

<comment><USER3> Not too expensive. Just that the prices are in line with real value so the ability to gain a high return is minimized.

</comment></comment><comment><USER8> Namesake is awesome - like the best of Twitter + Quora

<comment><USER9> Maybe I'm being cynical but to me it just looks like IRC which keeps crashing my browser.</comment></comment>


Why can't I write the word 'tv' on the iOS Messages app? - <AUTHOR> https://github.com/tomj/iphone_tv_messages <comment><USER2> Those kinds of things are done on Bloom filters and maybe you got a false positive.

Try typing tv 6 times in notes app, correcting every time. it should fix itself.

</comment><comment><USER3> Interesting gif. However, I don't have any problem with "tv" on my iPhone. Maybe something you corrected on the past?

<comment><AUTHOR> That would have been my thought too but it's a new 6S

</comment></comment><comment><USER4> In your dictionary someone might have changed an autocorrect from TV to Rv...

<comment><AUTHOR> Nice! I know that can happen from standard auto-correct usage , it's just that this is a fresh iOS install on a fresh device, I haven't used the word Rv any time lately, and there are definitely no other people who use my phone, and it just started doing it for no reason. Viva la autocorrect!

<comment><USER5> I wonder if on a fresh install with no previous data to work with if it chooses the word alphabetically? RV does come before TV.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER6> No problem here on 9.1 (13B143).

<comment><AUTHOR> I'm 13B143 too. Weird.</comment></comment>


Show HN: Put localhost on the internet, share dev apps or develop webhooks - <AUTHOR> http://localhost.run/ <comment><USER2> When I run the command ssh -R 80:localhost:8080 -p 2222 ssh.localhost.run, it is asking for the password on Windows with git bash.

<comment><AUTHOR> It's fixed, please try again

<comment><USER2> When I visit the url that it gives when your run the ssh command, I'm getting Nothing connected here, check your SSH! message on Windows 10, but it works fine on Windows 7.

<comment><AUTHOR> I'm trying to source a windows 10 machine to test it on because I can't duplicate your problem on my development environment I'm afraid. Watch this space, I'll drop a reply once I've figured out what's up.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER3> Are there plans for https support? I like it as it's a pure ssh alternative to ngrok

<comment><AUTHOR> yeah, that's the next item on my todo list. If you follow the twitter account from the website I'll drop a tweet when it's on https.</comment></comment>


VOTEism for Belarus - <AUTHOR> https://docs.voteism.org/countries/belarus <comment><AUTHOR> VOTEism is a political opinion poll app originally made for the 2020 USA Presidential Election. We launched VOTEism on HN about two months ago: [https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23584648](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23584648)

We now believe VOTEism is needed in every country that has a democracy. Accordingly, VOTEism now supports opinion polling for Belarus. If you are a Belarusian you can download the VOTEism apps for your country from the links below and vote for your preferred Presidential Candidate.

iOS: [https://ios.voteism.org](https://ios.voteism.org) Android: [https://android.voteism.org](https://android.voteism.org) About VOTEism: [https://docs.voteism.org](https://docs.voteism.org)

We hope Belarus rises up safer and stronger from this.</comment>


Google helps Pentagon analyze military drone footage–employees "outraged" - <AUTHOR> https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2018/03/google-helping-the-pentagon-sift-through-millions-of-hours-of-drone-footage/?amp=1 <comment><USER3> Comments moved to [https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16532112](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16532112). Not the flamewars though.

All: we eventually ban accounts that propagate flamewars like these. Please read [https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html](https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html) for how HN is intended to be used, and then please use it that way.

</comment><comment><USER4> Love how "some employees" at Google are bent out of shape that Google would help the DoD. To those employees: it's cool, just sit back, write code, drink your fancy coffees and be self absorbed while patriots defend you and do the hard work of defending freedoms.

<comment><USER5> [https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/24/world/asia/drone- strikes-...](https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/24/world/asia/drone-strikes- reveal-uncomfortable-truth-us-is-often-unsure-about-who-will-die.html)

[https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2014/nov/24/-sp-us- drone...](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2014/nov/24/-sp-us-drone- strikes-kill-1147)

Whatever you think of civilian deaths, don't forget that we assasinated 6 US citizens without a trial. Freedoms my ass. What about the freedom of people attending a wedding or receiving medical treatment not to be killed? If this was another country doing the same to the US, would your non-argument hold water?

<comment><USER6> Wars always have casualties. Technology helps to reduce them. In WW2 it was normal to wipe whole cities using bombs.

<comment><USER7> In fairness, can you name a time in WW2 where the US government intentionally killed US citizens without regard to due process? There is supposed to be a strict separation of never using the military against the citizens of the united states. We have the national guard for a reason. Capturing those targets wasn't an objective, the government wanted them dead and it didn't afford any of those American citizens the rights laid out in the constitution.

How is that any different than murder?

<comment><USER8> Japanese internment camps? I'm sure at that scale people died that would not have.

Next given the scale of wwii I'm sure there were us citizens fighting for the axis powers. The main difference is we lacked the ability to track, research, and target individuals like we do today.

<comment><USER5> While those camps were morally reprehensible and constitutionally indefensible, the goal was not to kill people. Can we at least agree that the whole , "A secret court has ordered your death from the sky," thing is a lot more purposefully murderous? Not capture, not detain, just kill.

<comment><USER9> Well that's the whole problem with the War on Terror, isn't it - <USER2> designation of who's an enemy is rather unilateral. At least in Al-Awlaki's case he was advertising his ultra-militant intentions about as clearly as possible.</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment>


Setback in the outback - <AUTHOR> https://signal.org/blog/setback-in-the-outback/ <comment><USER2> I applaud the technical community rallying against the bill like this, but I fear that technical solutions are ultimately useless for this issue.

If the political climate stays the course, all the technical solutions for overcoming surveillance will eventually become marginalised and labelled as terrorist materials. Access will be blocked, anyone in possession may eventually face jail time.

AU customs is already searching the phones of people entering the country, it's not hard to imagine they might start denying entry to people with strong crypto capable apps like Signal.

I think this is a losing battle if it can't be fought at the legislation level...

<comment><USER3> There are two levels where ultimately tech wins: 1: end to end cryptography is easier to make than break When what you're describing happens and it's banned, there's a level two technical solution: 2: put the software onto your machine in such a way that it's not possible to know that the software is on the machine without entering a specific code. Basically an at-rest encrypted volume, which looks like unwritten blocks. I'm not a crypto guy but that seems in principle impossible to detect or ban in the long run.

<comment><USER4> That's only possible if application hiding is integrated into the OS. Mobile device vendors are unlikely to support such a feature.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER5> Yes, like most bills passed in the technology space in Australia, the politicians have no idea what they're asking for and its implications, and neither do the ones voting on it.

In application, it may be half-assed anyway. The worst part is that it set precedent for the world to follow.

<comment><USER6> It's true. There were over 15,000 submissions from the public and industry, most of which weren't published (the few hundred that were were overwhelmingly negative). In the hearings of the Parliamentary Joint Committee for Intelligence and Security, there was testimony provided by technical experts, industry groups, human rights groups, legal experts, and digital rights groups, all saying that the bill was flawed, needed to be significantly overhauled, and shouldn't be passed. Apparently the offices of MPs and senators all over the country were inundated with phone calls, letters and emails in opposition of the bill too.

Even Labor (opposition, who had the numbers with the cross bench to block the bill in the Senate) the week before it was passed basically said they wouldn't support it, and even earlier in the day they rolled over were still saying how terribly flawed it is.

After it was passed, in email correspondence with the office of my federal MP, basically all they said was "The intelligence services say they really need this to keep us safe over Christmas from terrorists and paedophiles." A clear example of post-truth politics - let's ignore all the experts and instead use an emotional argument!

The worst bit was that it was patently false. The Secretary-General of Security at ASIO had actually admitted in a PJCIS hearing two weeks prior (with the potential to be charged with contempt of the Senate if he was found to be lying) that they didn't actually have any specific threats that they needed this for over Christmas! Not to mention that the bill had a 28 day response window for most of the notices and then implementation would take at least weeks, so there is no way anything could be put into action for months! One of the only things they got that they could actually use immediately was a much harsher penalty for not giving up your phone passcode to police or the intelligence services if they ask you for it...

I'm not into conspiracy theories, but the BS is so strong and this bill being passed so anti-democratic that it really makes you wonder if the intelligence services are pulling strings in the background behind this.

<comment><USER7> Labour does not want to give the Libs any reason to point any fingers should 'something' happen open Christmas. That can be the only half-arsed reason for this farce. The rest are all full-arsed horseshit as everybody, including Labour, knows.

Facts just don't matter anymore, if they ever did.

One could hope the whole thing gets canned after Labour wins in May.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER8> This situation is making me think about a couple of silver linings:

1\. Open Source software is better prepared to deal with this kind of threat.

2\. Self-hosting the encrypted communication platform means that there's no one but you for the Govt to approach

<comment><USER9> >2\. Self-hosting the encrypted communication platform means that there's no one but you for the Govt to approach

Assuming they don't James Bond style break in unnoticed and plant a backdoor on your soft/hard-ware.

<comment><USER6> Which, unfortunately, our secret intelligence services are legally able to do. Unlike in the US where it would likely be against the 4th amendment, ours are allowed to hack any computers/network equipment and enter premises to plant listening devices, alter computer equipment, etc.

The most problematic bit is that they are allowed to do things like alter timestamps in files if required to conceal their hacking, which could potentially be destroying exonerating evidence if the target is innocent!

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER10> While the government can't crack Signal or put a backdoor in its official code, it could force your favorite appstore to send its own backdoored Signal to your phone as a push update.

Same goes for any apps, people will probably start turning off auto update now, makes for a much more secure world doesn't it?

<comment><USER11> I was under the impression that Google Play Store apps were cryptographically signed by the developer/publisher (not by Google), and the phone would refuse to update the app if the key behind the signature had changed. Am I wrong on this?

<comment><USER12> Wouldn't playstore itself be the the simplest yet most effective target for these laws rather than Signal?

Signal themselves aren't on f-droid which has far more protections and the apk download is basically hidden on their site.

Google certainly has no qualms about China, is draconian Australia much of a stretch?

<comment><USER13> Applications are signed by Signal, so Google can't make fake ones.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER14> Some previous discussions on the passage of the law:

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665033](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665033)

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18661483](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18661483)

</comment><comment><USER15> Kiwis: What should we be doing to make sure that we don't wind up in a similar situation?

<comment><USER16> Keep voting left, disassociate yourselves as much as possible, and pretty please accept my request for citizenship >.>

<comment><USER17> It's not so much a left-right thing as it is libertarian-authoritarian.

<comment><USER18> This is correct. The nominally center-left party in Australia, the ALP, voted with the center-right Coalition to get this passed. On the edges of the left and the right there were voices against this, but the center (where the most people are) went with backdoors.

<comment><USER16> As of 2013 there's no way the Coalition can be called "centre-right" by any definition of the scale I've seen.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER19> Tangential, but when even avowedly privacy-conscious entities like Signal cannot see fit to serve a simple web-page without realtime reporting all user access to assorted third parties (including divisions of the Google and Microsoft empires), it actually saps my hope more thoroughly than the unsurprising idiocy an malevolence of some Aussie politicians.

</comment><comment><USER20> They want backdoors but are afraid of Huawei spying on everything and everyone.

<comment><USER21> Learn from the best...</comment></comment>


Fire from Moonlight - <AUTHOR> https://what-if.xkcd.com/145/ <comment><USER2> Explaination about making something hotter than sun from sunlight confuses temperature and heat energy. I don't buy it.</comment>


From Zero to a Million Users - Dropbox and Xobni Lessons Learned - <AUTHOR> http://blog.adamsmith.cc/2010/05/from-zero-to-a-million-users-dropbox-and-xobni-lessons-learned.html <comment><USER2> Surprisingly engaging considering that it's just the slides from their talk. Does anyone have a link to a video (or even just audio)?

<comment><USER3> Here's video for a different talk, by Drew (Dropbox). There's a fair bit of overlap: <http://www.justin.tv/startuplessonslearned/b/262672510> (story here <http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1290303>)

</comment></comment><comment><USER4> Slide 57 is a good one (Netflix):

Total Lifetime Value of a user: $6/mo x 22 mo. lifetime = $132

Acquisition Cost of user: $40 affiliate or advertising

Lifetime gross profit of user: $92

</comment><comment><USER5> Seems like a great complement to Drew's other lessons learned deck: <http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1290303>

</comment><comment><USER6> How Dropbox is different from hundreds of "storage in the cloud" companies ? All of what I saw in the slideshow I might assume was more or less done by the other companies. General marketing fluff that is quite obvious.( Nothing against Dropbox, since I'm a happy user). Luck played a certain part(big part?). I want to see the slideshows of companies that took years to get to 100,000 users :) Then I might think they had less luck and their lessons would apply to your average startup. Patrick McKenzie for example (no offence), I don't think he was lucky it just lots and lots of work and I get real gems from his talks/blogs...

<comment><USER7> The same way Google was different from the crowd of search engines that already existed when they started: better execution.

</comment></comment><comment><USER8> Interesting to note from a success story how little tech and how much marketing was involved.

<comment><USER9> I think this kind of thing gets overlooked a lot on HN considering the tech heavy role most have here. Personally I'm not surprised at all.

But never underestimate marketing. Building the best widget in the world means nothing if no one knows it exists.

(that being said having the best widget in the world is, in itself, a great marketing tool)

<comment><USER10> At the same time though, their products so good that it wasn't really necessary for them to hire some stellar biz dev/sales whiz, they were instead able to use these methods to attract users. I don't think these methods would work as well if the product was not up to par.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER11> Great slideshow. I voted with my wallet for DropBox after buying my iPhone and finding them in the AppStore. I don't really need 50GB worth of storage, but it's an awesome app that I'll make daily use of, so it seemed a shame to stick to the free account and not say thanks by subscribing.

</comment><comment><USER12> Is this Xobni really comparable to Dropbox? I mean, I hadn't heard of Xobni until just now.

<comment><USER13> I don't know what xobni's advertising was like in other cities, but I was very surprised with the amount of advertising they had here in Seattle. Just a few weeks ago, when Microsoft released Office 2010, Xobni had this gigantic advertising campaign. I don't think I've ever seen so much advertising for a simple app.

Advertising I saw: Tons of teens dancing with Xobni signs around the edges of the Microsoft campus. Planes circling Seattle, with signs trailing behind them. Radio ads. Bus ads. TV commercials. Tons of shit plastering Bellevue.

It was impressive to say the least. I'm probably one of the most difficult consumers to advertise to, and I nearly wanted to try the product after seeing that advertisement campaign.

Anyways, nothing for me to say about the product, just the advertising.

<comment><USER9> That's just you ;-)

<http://blog.seattlepi.com/microsoft/archives/202911.asp>

They seem to be courting Redmond.

<comment><USER14> We are courting msft employees to use Xobni again. At one point we had 16k msft employees using Xobni. Then they started beta testing Outlook 2010 internally and we weren't compatible, so we lost all but 1,000. Our seattle campaign was designed to let them all know we are now compatible with Outlook 2010. When MSFT buys a Xobni Enterprise license for their employees, they will easily pay back the cost of our advertising campaign :)

And despite some media theories, No we didn't do this to get MSFT to acquire us.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER15> Awesome slides - inspiring stuff!

</comment><comment><USER16> Funny timing, since I just got spam [1] from Dropbox.

[1] It was an email from an address I don't recognize using a first name that no one I know has.

<comment><USER17> I think users get more storage if you use their referral link. Could be a sleazy way of trolling for storage.

<comment><USER18> Which they should crack down _very_ hard on. The recipient of an affiliate's spam can't tell the difference between them and the actual company. A quick way to a tarnished reputation.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER19> Nice slides.</comment>


How i started with 0 money and and 0 programming. - <AUTHOR> http://ilostmyego.wordpress.com/2013/12/11/i-started-with-0-code-and-no-money/

<comment><USER2> "Zero to big" \- how big is big? I find it strange that people would choose to buy from a relatively unknown, unproven store, but I'll accept that it might be possible.

That said, this strikes me as an odd strategy to celebrate. How successful could you possibly be from a series of 14-day-free-trial store-hopping? Respect for hustling, I guess, but it's a bit of a "meh, so?" story.

<comment><AUTHOR> Thanks for commenting first, i loved your honest comment. Well, i mean the purpose of this article is just to show that even I'm not specialist in the domain, i or we can still find a way to do something like getting a sum big enough to pay for free time expenses. But sure lot of things have to improve and it will be improved.</comment></comment>


UNESCO / ITUs Broadbandcommission cites Global Warming denial websites[118] [pdf] - <AUTHOR> http://www.broadbandcommission.org/Documents/reports/bb-wg-gender-report2015.pdf <comment><AUTHOR> And so much other stuff is wrong with this report. I wonder who paid for making crap like this

Suggestions on title, etc. are welcome. It's my first Hackernews</comment>


Woman's Face Photoshopped In 25+ Countries To Examine Global Beauty Standards - <AUTHOR> http://www.buzzfeed.com/ashleyperez/global-beauty-standards

<comment><USER2> Wow. The USA ones are awful.

<comment><AUTHOR> Perhaps $5 buys a lot more skill in some countries than in others?

</comment></comment><comment><AUTHOR> Excerpt that made me think HN-ers might find it interesting:

 _The project, titled Before & After, originally came to Honig while she was working as a social media manager for a small startup. Her boss introduced her to Fiverr, an international freelancing website where anyone can hire freelancers from around the globe to complete almost any task imaginable. While browsing the site, Honig realized the prevalence of those offering Photoshop skills. "It immediately occurred to me that in this pool of workers, each individual likely had an aesthetic preference particular to their own culture," Honig told BuzzFeed. Thus, the idea for Before & After was born._

<comment><USER3> Great idea for a project. I'd really like to see it done with professional artists that work for leading fashion magazines in each country. It seems hard to take too much away from the current project because the edits are probably done to suit the preferences of the individual freelancer, which might be very different from their culture's general preferences.</comment></comment>


Your software just isn't mission critical - <AUTHOR> https://m.signalvnoise.com/your-software-just-isnt-mission-critical-b26f8079e6ec <comment><USER2> Mission critical does not mean what he thinks it means. Mission critical refers to any component that's vital to operation of a system, business, or project and exists at any software driven organisation.

Safety critical is the one where your astronauts are left stranded on the moon with no oxygen if it goes wrong.

<comment><USER3> I prefer the terms "life critical" (people could die if there's a bug) and "business critical" (business could die if there's a bug). I think "mission critical" is a military term (mission could fail if there's a bug).

</comment></comment><comment><USER4> The fact that some missions are more consequential than others doesn't dilute the meaning of "mission critical" for whatever you're talking about. It's critical to _that_ mission, not the forward progress of humanity.

</comment><comment><USER5> Who is this rant directed at? I don't know the context, but I presume he's responding to some specifc group of programmers who he hasn't named.

<comment><USER6> Seems to be classic DHH. Reminds me of Rails is Omakase: [http://david.heinemeierhansson.com/2012/rails-is- omakase.htm...](http://david.heinemeierhansson.com/2012/rails-is-omakase.html)

</comment></comment><comment><USER7> He is following zuckerbergs messiah complex. He should stick to rails. Yelling at develpers is obnoxious.

<comment><USER8> Absolutely. This guy has some sort of superiority complex.

</comment></comment><comment><USER9> Mission critical can mean critical to one's mission. And if that's your photo sharing startup, then so be it. Use whatever language you need to get you through the day.</comment>


Anonymous LLC - <AUTHOR> https://www.l4sb.com/lpa/anonymous-llc/ <comment><USER2> Pricing on these services is pretty high. They charge $404 + filing fees, but at least in New Mexico, one of the states that permits anonymous LLCs, you can form one yourself in about 30 minutes of effort and $100 or so in fees plus $100 or so to hire a registered agent. Hard to justify the $404 on top of fees...

<comment><USER3> $200 is for doing it. $404 for knowing how to do it.

<comment><USER2> Most secretaries of state publish pretty detailed instructions on LLC formation, and more support is usually available from a state small business advocate. Sure, there is value in professional advice, but I wouldn't say LLC formation is the kind of thing that requires it.

<comment><USER4> It's not even necessarily the advice, it's literally just throwing money at a problem. Even if there are clear instructions, some people would rather throw money at having someone else do it. This service is for these people.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER5> As far as I know, it's possible open an anonymous LLC, but to open a bank account must disclose the owners.

<comment><USER6> It takes 3 clicks to find the owner of a llc online. No such thing exists for banks (how do i get the bank account number of xxxx llc?)

<comment><USER7> Totally incorrect. I have formed very, very many LLCs and they all use registered agents. You'd have to sue in order to find out the actual owners.

For the record, I am a practicing attorney licensed in NY State.

<comment><USER6> Sorry I can add more text.

You can go from LLC Name (Foo, LLC) to Registered Agent Name in 30 seconds. You cannot do the same with Company Name to Bank Account (or from Bank Account to Owner Name).

I also use a registered agent for all my LLCs, but you don't have to. You can totally put your own address down when doing paperwork, and then your home address is open to the world.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER8> LLC's are already anonymous depending on the state. This is such a marketing gimmick.

<comment><USER9> haha, that is what is funny about this. But you really should use a lawyer to form your entities, because the registered agent can be subpoena'd and you would never know. The lawyer can lock that up under client-attorney privilege.

</comment></comment><comment><USER10> Do I need something like this if I want to work on side projects that touch legal gray areas? Let's say asking users to upload/annotate stuff that might be copyrighted for a ML pipeline?

The only step taken to staying anonymous is hiding WHOIS on the domain. But I feel like if someone really wants to sue me they can still send a court order to DNS host or something so I want to limit personal liability if it's stuff that I am just doing for fun.

<comment><USER11> The desire for Anonymonity doesn't have to be for nefarious reasons. Like you said ppl like to use Private WHOIS records so that their private info isn't broadcast all over the web.

Another possible use-case for Anon-LLCs is Apple's App Store, apparently the only way you can register an app there is either through your own name or a corp -- using an Anon-LLC is this case would be along the lines of electing a private whois.

</comment></comment><comment><USER12> There is no such thing as "anonymous LLC". Being in that business far longer than that company existed, I should know it. We have registered LLC companies all over states for decades.

Anonymity is not absolute. The simple fact that manager and member names need not be disclosed to Secretaries of States does not make the LLC "anonymous".

Anonymous means having no known name or identity or known source.

Each LLC company must have its organizer, the person registering the company. Organizer may me the member of the LLC or the agent.

Each LLC company must have its registered agent, and such agent must keep information of members and managers ready in their offices, and shall give it to Secretary of State upon request, or to any courts upon court orders. Failures to maintain correct information of the members/managers of the company are penalized.

The title is misleading.

</comment><comment><USER13> FYI, any attorney can do this for you. You just pay them and they act as the registered agent. Actually, anyone can act as your registered agent (in my state, at least).

</comment><comment><USER14> Is it truly anonymous even with a FEIN registration? The owner will need to file an SS-4 with their SSN or already registered FEIN anyway.

NM looks the most attractive to me right now.

</comment><comment><USER15> What are the use cases for an anonymous LLC?

<comment><USER16> Assembling property for development. Concealing ownership of certain assets. Keeping your name from appearing in certain public records.

<comment><USER17> >Assembling property for development

This is definitely the most common reason for anonymous LLCs. For elaboration, think about buying up a ton of crappy property in a specific area. Doing it all under a single LLC with traceable names can cause property agents and banks to notice and raise prices / hold out on existing property that the developer may need.

<comment><USER18> It predates the LLC era, but this was how Disney bought up its huge swaths of land just outside Orlando to build Walt Disney World.

[http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-disney-shell- companies...](http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-disney-shell- companies-20160408-story.html)

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER19> Anyone know how if it is possible to form Anonymous LLC in California or Nevada, is yes, how?

</comment><comment><USER20> If I live in California though, my understanding is that I must have a California LLC. Is that not true?

Basically either way if I have a California LLC or Delaware LLC, I'll still be required to pay California income tax and the flat $800 a year LLC fee.

<comment><USER21> If you're physically in California, you're required to qualify/register your LLC with California (and pay the taxes), but it does not have to be a California LLC. See, for example: [http://www.nolo.com/legal- encyclopedia/qualify-foreign-busin...](http://www.nolo.com/legal- encyclopedia/qualify-foreign-business-california.html)

<comment><USER20> So there would be no financial advantage to switching to a Delaware LLC if I'm going to continue living in California other than the courts are more favorible to business in Delaware. Is that right?

<comment><USER22> My understanding is that the primary benefit of Delaware incorporation is that it has the most well established case law of any state, not that its courts necessarily have any particular bias toward businesses over individuals (although this may very well also be the case).

<comment><USER9> Which is a totally overrated benefit.

Judges in any other state can lean on Delaware court outcomes if their state has never seen the issue before. But what if you don't like the direction the case law went? Then its better for you to create a new outcome in literally any other state.

You think literally all 50+ states' legislatures just sat idly over the last 30 years while Delaware's marketing machine was churning out the non-income- tax-related revenue scheme for their government?

Just think about it for a second, it doesn't matter what the collective conscious currently thinks right now, just think for yourself on it. There are over 50 US jurisdictions that could have any number of things in their law books and case law related to business.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER23> I'm recieving Firefox warnings about my privacy in this website.

<comment><USER24> Same on Safari

</comment></comment><comment><USER25> in WA state

[https://www.sos.wa.gov/corps/search_detail.aspx?ubi=](https://www.sos.wa.gov/corps/search_detail.aspx?ubi=)

with a UBI will tell the agent and the governor(s) of the LLC.

If you use the current search function on the SOS website like this one :

[https://www.sos.wa.gov/corps/search_results.aspx?ubi=](https://www.sos.wa.gov/corps/search_results.aspx?ubi=)

then you get a group of listing with a click through that does not list the governor(s).

Weird quirk.

</comment><comment><USER26> JJ Luna is a well known expert in this space: [https://jjluna.com/Resources- LLCs](https://jjluna.com/Resources-LLCs)

A recent podcast with him: [https://inteltechniques.com/wp/2017/01/17/the- complete-priva...](https://inteltechniques.com/wp/2017/01/17/the-complete- privacy-security-podcast-episode-014/)

<comment><USER27> Not sure who JJ Luna is, but reading through his FAQ on ghost addresses doesn't exactly inspire confidence. Specifically his description of INTERPOL "holding someone's feet to the fire". That's not how INTERPOL even remotely works. They aren't a Supra national police org, they don't even have the power to make arrests. They are a data clearing house for individual state police authorities. At most they could put out some kind of notice, but it would be the Spanish police org in his example that would be doing all the work.

Understanding your adversary is the first step to rational risk assessment.

</comment></comment><comment><USER28> I've always been confused about the different protections afforded to different cooperate structures. Why do you want an anonymous LLC rather than a different legal entity? How much anonymity is provided via this service? Is this actually a benefit?

<comment><USER29> IANAL but my understanding is that 1) it keeps your activities private when doing business as the LLC since no one has to disclose the owner of the LLC and 2) tax liabilities are not passed to the owner of the LLC, so if a business deal goes underwater the creditors can't pursue you personally.

I'm sure some details there aren't 100%. most people I know using them are privacy freaks so my experience is biased towards that end of it.

<comment><USER30> It would've prevented [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8fU2QG- lV0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8fU2QG-lV0) from getting caught. Not that that's a good thing, but it's an example of the type of business an anonymous LLC would be used for.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER31> Anyone besides stripe/atlas operate a service like this that comes with a bank account?

</comment><comment><USER32> Website still says copyright 2016, not a strong signal regarding their attention to detail.

<comment><USER33> Or maybe it's an indication of their proper understanding of copyright notices...

The year in the copyright notice is suppose to be the date of the creation of the work or the year in which it was first published, which is not necessarily the current year [0].

[0] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright_notice](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright_notice)

</comment></comment><comment><USER34> Anonymous companies are a problems for years now, people are hiding their taxable income behind those companies. They are also used to avoid responsibility in case something goes wrong. See the panama papers a few years ago. Delaware is a paradise for those companies.

The NGO Global Witness is fighting anonymous companies for years now [https://www.globalwitness.org/en-gb/campaigns/corruption- and...](https://www.globalwitness.org/en-gb/campaigns/corruption-and-money- laundering/anonymous-company-owners/)

<comment><USER35> But what is the problem?

When you run some sort of SilkRoad website, I doubt you can ride it long just because you happen to incorporate in Delaware. After all, its still a part of USA.

<comment><USER34> I think it is a huge problem, because it makes corruption easier and if you put enough anonymous companies between you and what you do, nobody can find out what you are doing. At least those people hope they can. That is why a public register is important. Companies were never a tool for being anonymous, they were always a tool of distributing risk.</comment></comment></comment>


Ganeti: cluster virtual server management tool from Google - <AUTHOR> http://code.google.com/p/ganeti/

<comment><USER2> The project lead gave a presentation at ICFP 2010 (because the project uses Haskell for some of the key algorithmic portions). The associated PDF is here: <http://k1024.org/~iusty/papers/icfp10-haskell-reagent.pdf>

</comment><comment><USER3> Wow, I'm not sure how I missed this project. This project solves a lot of the issues I'm grappling with in my current VM lab.

Anyone here using Ganeti?

<comment><AUTHOR> I only found out about Ganeti today and thought I'd post it here.

I'm currently looking over the docs and seeing how best to implement to play around with it.

Finding it particularly funny that back in 2009 the source code was moved off of Google Code and onto a hosted git server: <http://code.google.com/p/ganeti/wiki/SourceCode>

<comment><USER4> We did that because after using git on top of Google Code's SVN backend (using git-svn) for a year or so, we were really limited by Subversion's lack of real brancing/merging. While on top of SVN, we only had two branches, and we did "lose" fixes done on one branch (as in forgetting to forward-port them to the other one) a few times. After switching to git, we're able to easily manage one master branch and two branches per release (so between 3 to 5 or more branches) easily, and with strong merging capabilities (no patches lost).

Today Google Code also offers Mercurial, but we're so used to Git by now… :)

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER5> Mozilla is testing out using a small cluster of Ganeti VMs to manage failover for Hadoop/HBase admin services such as NameNode, SecondaryNameNode, JobTracker, and HBase Master.

This isn't an extremely high traffic cluster, and so far, it has been working very well.

Also, the Mozilla IT team has been using it in a few other systems, but I don't know the details of those.

</comment><comment><USER6> The OSUOSL is a big Ganeti user and have even built a web based front end to allow some of the projects hosted at the OSL to manage their own VMs. See <https://supercell.osuosl.org/>

</comment><comment><USER4> Hi all,

If you have any questions about Ganeti installation/configuration or related stuff, remember that we have a (friendly) mailing list — email@example.com

regards, iustin</comment>


Airbnb evicts users planning to attend white nationalist event - <AUTHOR> http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/the-wrap/article/Airbnb-Evicts-Users-Planning-to-Attend-White-11740721.php <comment><AUTHOR> I'm pretty surprised Airbnb has done this. This move will draw further attention to their lack of adherence to "common carrier" laws, which prevent hotels (and some other types of businesses) from treating customers in this way. It may be that Airbnb is not subject to these laws as written, but by taking stands like this it becomes more likely that the laws will be amended to force them to comply.

Taking a stand like this will also make Airbnb less popular in some circles. I would guess that this won't just be among white nationalists, but also in conservative circles more generally.

Grounding this decision in the commitment to "accept people regardless of their race, religion, national origin, ethnicity, disability, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, or age" will lead many conservatives - and even some moderates - to wonder what group or behavior will be banned next. Can someone be booted for having tweeted something that is racist, ageist, or sexist? What about statements that are grounded in religious beliefs, but which violate one of the other protected classes, such as sexual orientation?

The Airbnb community statement is very broad, and it is now clear that if Airbnb determines that you have violated it, they are willing to take far- reaching actions against you. For some potential customers - and also for voters who are asked to consider "Airbnb taxes" \- this revelation will raise a red flag.

EDIT: man, this post dropped like a rock from the front page. I'd be curious to know why - perhaps too high of a comment / point ratio?

I thought HN was especially careful with news that is negative/controversial about YC companies, to avoid the perception of partiality.

<comment><USER2> I agree. I believe It should be left up to the hosts, if anyone, to decide who can stay in a private residence.

Deactivating user profiles based on anything other than a breach of user agreement is ridiculous.

<comment><USER3> The article points out that's exactly what Airbnb has done:

"In 2016 we established the Airbnb Community Commitment reflecting our belief that to make good on our mission of belonging, those who are members of the Airbnb community accept people regardless of their race, religion, national origin, ethnicity, disability, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, or age," Airbnb shared in a statement. "We asked all members of the Airbnb to affirmatively sign on to this commitment."

<comment><USER4> Was this agreement part of the EULA that no one reads? Not saying it's less valid, but it does feel a bit weird invoking the EULA. I thought users and software firms had an unwritten agreement that they could add anything they felt like to the EULA as long as they didn't actually invoke it.

<comment><USER5> Nope, it was a page (or popup?) with a short and visible text and forced you to Accept or Decline:

[https://static1.squarespace.com/static/553a1999e4b01dde7b6bc...](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/553a1999e4b01dde7b6bccdb/t/58ad9de2f7e0ab81132aedca/1487773187075/?format=750w)

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER6> If correct, this is very bad. Applying a political filter to deny lodging to people who are visiting for a purpose the corporation does not approve of is a very bad idea.

I could understand if _hosts_ who objected to renting out their own place to someone based on the renter's beliefs that they strongly disagree with; but even this is borderline and the corporation acting as a moral police is, to me, a very bad path for a society to start on.

<comment><USER7> Disagree. This happens everywhere, all the time, on all levels of the political spectrum. Why is it only bad now that the left is doing it? Why wasn't it "a very bad path" when Hobby Lobby make the government give them an exemption from providing full health care to their employees? Why isn't is "a very bad path" when companies fire employees for being gay, or not hiring employees because they are black or hispanic or a woman? Is it a "very bad path" when a company refuses to make a cake for a gay wedding, or when a church refuses to have a ceremony for a gay couple?

Why is it you always hear people saying "this is crossing a line" when the left does something that the right has been doing for years?

<comment><USER8> Is it really useful to slap a left or right label on those examples? I heard plenty of uproar about all the "right" stories you referenced and all the response were the same as the "left" stories; "well, it's a free country and it's their right to do that but it's gonna offend some people and might ultimately be bad for business."

There are organizations people tend to view as "above all that non-sense" until they do something stupid, then you see phrases like "very bad path", "slippery slope", "fine line". Then there are organizations people expect might take extreme stances on certain topics and no one is really surprised when they do it. People still talk about it when it happens but it quickly dissolves into something like "well, I'm never going to convince them what they're doing is bad and I was never going to buy their cake anyway. Best I can do is not be that way myself."

If there's anything to polarize on it's probably reach of the organization. Actions by organizations that have no direct effect on most peoples lives won't get talked about for very long. When it's a organization that provides a global service with little competition, people get more concerned.

But even reach isn't a good divider. Most organizations don't accomplish global reach without first promising things like equality and fairness, but some do, some even promise to do "bad" things. So maybe people's reactions to events like this are more about broken promises.

<comment><USER7> I'm trying to highlight two things: one this isn't "a bad path" that we're "starting on". We've been here for a long time. The second thing is, if you think this is "just starting", either you haven't been paying attention or you don't think those other things are a "dangerous path". Basically he's saying that a company refusing to do business with a white supremacist is crossing a line that was not crossed when gays, blacks, hispanics, or women had the exact same treatment.

This amounts to one thing: if you're drawing your line in the sand at the persecution of neo-nazis knowing full well that gays, minorities, and women are on the "no protection" side of that line, you might be a neo-nazi yourself.

There is no question on what type of outrage ptero is expressing. The only way to read that comment is that he's disappointed that people he agrees with are finally being persecuted.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER9> This seems perfectly fine to me. They're a private company and can decide which customers they want to serve and to which they want to refuse service.

Of course if you allow this you'll also need to accept that a baker can refuse to bake a cake for a gay wedding.

<comment><USER10> > need to accept that a baker can refuse to bake a cake for a gay wedding.

White nationalists are not a Federal protected class, homosexuals are.

This whole thread is full of people who are tying relativize every kind of behavior. Not everything is subjective, our civilization has guidelines on what's accepted as moral and what is immoral.

<comment><USER11> But some members of society find homosexuals immoral _. "Civilization guidelines" could deprive members of their freedom.

_Devil's advocate. Consenting adults should do as they please.

<comment><USER3> As long as those folks that find homosexuals immoral don't actually discriminate against homosexuals, I think we're fine.

<comment><USER11> Live and let live. That would be an ideal out come.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER12> It is pretty amusing to see the script flipped here. The very same people saying the baker shouldn't have to bake the cake are now saying the rental service should be FORCED to allow them to stay.

Good luck with that.

<comment><USER13> I don't see anyone calling for the government to force Airbnb to let these people use their service.

</comment></comment><comment><USER14> Are they evicting leftist groups demolishing cities like they did in Hamburg couple weeks ago?

<comment><USER15> Not sure why you were downvoted. "Of course I like my city to be destroyed, we need more of that".

I remember when during inauguration those brats wearing all black came and burned cars, trash cans in the street and a bunch of other vandalism.

Though I think they ended up with pretty steep charges, it turns out rioting in DC is not like in other cities and carries pretty heavy penalties.

<comment><USER16> You're not sure why he's being down voted? Hmm.

1\. He used whataboutism

2\. Anti capitalism anarchist protesters aren't Nazis and aren't calling for the genocide of entire ethnic groups.

Get this through your dumb fucking skull: Nazis aren't conservatives and don't deserve any protection.

We used to shoot them dead. They are getting off easy.

<comment><USER7> >whataboutism

I have a real problem with this term, especially as it's now being used by the alt-right to shut down any conversation. It's completely fine to say "this side does this, that side does that". It's completely fine to point out that other people have flaws as well. Not every mention of the opposing viewpoint is whataboutism. Whataboutism is a diversionary tactic designed to deflect the conversation away from your flaws and onto someone else's flaws.

It's super easy to shut down whataboutism. I say "you're a bad person", they come back and say "what about these other bad people" and I say "yes, they're bad too but let's keep talking about you right now". If they say "no no that's not fair, these other guys are bad", that's whataboutism. If the conversation continues like normal, then it's just a normal conversation.

<comment><USER16> You're wrong. The conversation doesn't just "move on". Derailing it from the get go with bullshit points that have nothing to do with the original discussion is detrimental in in of itself.

It's an old soviet tactic now being used by internet trolls. Those of us that know history see right through it and roll our eyes.

<comment><USER7> The problem is "whataboutism" is the new Godwin's Law. It's used to stop any conversation that the other person doesn't like. It had a good run until the alt-right realized they could use it too, and use it anywhere and everywhere. And when they use it, the other person has to stop talking, for exactly the reasons you mentioned. It's a get-out-of-jail-free card for neo-nazis and internet trolls.

I was having a conversation about the lack of response from the president on the Minnesota mosque bombing the other day and mentioned that they had time to talk about the Bowling Green Massacre story that was made up out of whole cloth by the administration, and the guy I was talking to said "oh so whataboutism is your only response?" His argument was basically "if you mention anything other than the exact topic we're talking about right now, it's whataboutism and your argument is invalid". But that's not true, and it's not even a valid use of the word "whataboutism". It's been co-opted and corrupted by these fascists who realized that if we use it, the conversation stops. So they can use it to stop the conversation too.

You have to understand that with a lot of these people, the conversation will never move on. You try to shift the conversation back, and if they don't let it then _you_ move on. But crying "whataboutism!" and expecting something magical to happen... it doesn't. It won't. It never will again. They've learned that tactic and incorporated it into their strategy and it has lost all of its power. Now whenever I see someone using the word "whataboutism" to shut down a conversation, I can't help but wonder if they themselves aren't an alt-right fascist troll.

Remember when Godwin's Law could control a conversation on the Internet? But now if you say it everyone just laughs at you. That's where "whataboutism" is very quickly heading.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER17> " _those who are members of the Airbnb community accept people regardless of their race, religion, national origin, ethnicity, disability, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, or age_ "

Not - it may be noted - regardless of their political stance.

<comment><USER10> You truly believe White nationalists "accept people regardless of their race"?

<comment><USER17> Who on Earth suggested anything about what I truly believe or not? I quote, and I point out a specific omission.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER18> I am an occasional Airbnb host. I am happy for Left/Right, Gay/Straight, religious/areligious, black/white/all people to stay in my home, however I utterly reject anyone who discriminates against others for any of these reasons, particularly if they are using my house in order to exercise their discrimination.

AirBnB's Community Commitment gives me comfort and it is something I am happy to see them enforce.

</comment><comment><USER19> I need more details. The article says it was lodgers, not hosts, who are affected.

But air bnb's stated policy of non discrimination is far more directly related to hosts, and in that manifestation is consistent with public Accomodations legislation.

However, denying lodging to someone based on their beliefs is dangerously in conflict with the same legislation.

</comment><comment><USER20> Freedom of association is not evil.

<comment><USER10> Nobody is taking their freedom. They just don't want to do business with them.</comment></comment>


Chip 2.0: High Level C to Verilog with Python Bindings - <AUTHOR> https://github.com/dawsonjon/Chips-2.0 <comment><USER2> As an hardware engineer, I'm always skeptical of these homebrewed high level design flows, they usually never seem to translate to good hardware.

And it seems to be the case for this one too. I quickly generated some Verilog code from one of the given examples and I was surprised to see flip-flops without reset. Also, not all registers are even being reset'ed at all.

I have some serious doubts about the quality of the hardware generated by this tool.

<comment><USER3> No need for async reset in most FPGA flows--the flops all start at zero, or whatever you initialize them to. Adding one anyways may bloat your area, and has no benefit. (Like, if you don't trust the FPGA's own power-on-reset logic, then how do you expect it to get configured?)

<comment><USER4> This. GP's comment is way old school. For most FFs in your designs, reset is unnecessary.

Ken Chapman at Xilinx wrote some wonderful whitepapers about that; look them up. Join us in enlightenment, brother.

<comment><USER2> It's not old school, it's standard practice in the ASIC design industry.

You mentioned those papers but you didn't link them, so I will have to guess that this is the one in order to address your comment:

\- [https://www.xilinx.com/support/documentation/white_papers/wp...](https://www.xilinx.com/support/documentation/white_papers/wp272.pdf)

I guess the keyword here is "FPGA design". The author of the paper argues that the FPGA already offers an abstraction layer that allows the designer to ignore the problem for certain occasions in order to save up on area.

> The good news is that 99.99% of the time, the timing of the reset release > really doesn't matter. (...) However, if you have ever had one of the > circuits that doesn't work the first time, then maybe you have encountered > one of the 0.01% cases and have been unlucky enough to have released the > reset at the wrong time.

> A design implemented in a Xilinx FPGA does not require insertion of a global > reset network. For the vast majority of any design, the initialization state > of all flip-flops and RAM following configuration is more comprehensive than > any logical reset will ever be. There is no requirement to insert a reset > for simulation because nothing will be undefined.

But it doesn't mean it is 100% correct as this design would be very poor if it was ever translated to an ASIC. I guess since this project is done with FPGA design in mind, the strict ASIC design rules don't apply here.

<comment><USER3> Not really a question of degree of correctness. Optimizing for FPGA vs. ASIC implementation are just different problems. Approaches that are optimal for one may be sub-optimal or outright wrong for the other.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER5> _Very_ interesting that this doesn't seem to lean on any existing compiler toolchains - it all appears hand written from compiler through cpu generation.

I wonder how the results compare to something like TCE [http://tce.cs.tut.fi/](http://tce.cs.tut.fi/) which takes advantage of the LLVM ecosystem.

Given the lack even of advanced c-compiler optimizations and the inherent drawbacks of FPGAs, can this even beat the power or speed performance of a software implementation running on e.g. a modern ARM core?

<comment><USER6> I wish the documentation gave more details about the whole conversion process.

I'm guessing that the RISC core gets optimized by dropping instructions that aren't needed for a particular C program.

But does it have some kind of heuristic to determine whether or not to drop an instructions based on how often it's used? Or is it just a greedy "If the C compiler generates instruction A, then add instruction A to the CPU" decision?

</comment></comment><comment><USER7> Very interesting. Please take note that this is not your usual transpiler such as MyHDL or Migen:

"Behind the scenes, Chips uses some novel techniques to generate compact and efficient logic - a hybrid of software and hardware.

Not only does the compiler translate the C code into CPU instructions, it also generates a customised pipelined RISC CPU on the fly. The CPU provides the optimal instruction set for any particular C program."

I'll test it out soon and post about it.

<comment><USER8> I wonder what it would do if you compiled a small Lisp or Scheme interpreter that included eval with it.

<comment><USER7> I'm not sure if I have the software skills for that (my compilers course is still pending in Coursera), but will try to do it!

However, I would not raise my expectations that much.

<comment><USER9> You could try one of the minischeme implementations floating around github without too much fuss.

Not sure how FPGAs do their thing but a swapping out fgets() with something else and setting up the garbage collector to use one block of memory would probably be necessary I'd imagine.

<comment><USER7> The FPGA architecture is not the problem here. This Chips thing works on another level of abstraction: it will generate a small RISC CPU and run the interpreter it compiles. So, maybe I can try to port [http://armpit.sourceforge.net/](http://armpit.sourceforge.net/) or something like this.

But I don't expect not very interesting to happen. The " CPU optimization" will not result on a Lisp Machine. It will probably just compile the interpreter as usual and prune unnecessary instructions.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER10> Does anyone know how this compares to LegUp [0], an academic HLS tool for C to Verilog? Apparently that tool has also been commercialized into a startup [1].

[0] [http://legup.eecg.utoronto.ca](http://legup.eecg.utoronto.ca)

[1] [http://www.legupcomputing.com](http://www.legupcomputing.com)

</comment><comment><USER11> If you have the money/business, BlueSpec is the best tool for high level synthesis.

[http://bluespec.com/54621](http://bluespec.com/54621)

</comment><comment><USER12> This looks fascinating - thanks for sharing!

</comment><comment><USER13> how different from myhdl [0]

[0] [http://www.myhdl.org/](http://www.myhdl.org/)

<comment><USER6> Completely different.

myhdl is an alternative to Verilog, but it's still RTL.

This tools takes the C code, compiles it to a custom assembler language and embeds the generate assembler code as a ROM in a custom generated RISC processor.

<comment><USER13> there's no mention of that in first few paragraphs

<comment><USER6> Indeed, there is not.

I had to run the example design to fully understand what it's trying to do.</comment></comment></comment></comment>


The Man Who Took on Amazon and Saved a Bookstore - <AUTHOR> http://www.forbes.com/sites/philjohnson/2012/05/10/the-man-who-took-on-amazon-and-saved-a-bookstore/

<comment><USER2> Oh please. I go to that bookstore all the time, and I can assure you it's not the "digital printing press" that keeps them afloat. I've never seen a single person mention it or use it.

What they are doing, and which the article really skims over, is constantly offering things that you simply _can't_ find at Amazon. They have a comprehensive, well curated staff review section. Their "New Fiction" and "New Non-fiction" is filled with carefully selected books that people wouldn't be able to find just from looking at the NYT Best Sellers list. (Indeed, their NYT Best Sellers rack is given less than prime real estate.) They're constantly holding book signings, poetry readings and other such things to engage the community (which the article mentions quickly, in fairness). And they also have a floor dedicated entirely to used books - the only general used book store in all of Harvard Square.

The competition that Amazon crushed, B&N, Borders, and the like - they tried _none_ of those things.

This bookstore didn't do anything more special than actually _work hard_ to beat Amazon. Oh, and they also picked a location literally across from Harvard Yard, filled with a constantly rotating customer base with a penchant for reading. That helped too.

I'd like to see a chain really try to differentiate itself from Amazon through similar hard work - picking places where people obviously _want_ to buy books, and offering them a great bookstore that differs from Amazon in scalable, consistent ways.

<comment><USER3> As an avid fan of Harvard Bookstore, I can say you're 100% right.

They also host philosophical society there on a quasi-weekly basis, and great people show up for quality discussion. The last time I went was for the machine intelligence chat, and who did I see across from me? Richard Stallman, ready to share his take on AI.

Harvard Bookstore is quality, that's why they're thriving.

(One more tip, they don't carry technical books, which are the ever-changing ones that I would normally order on Amazon. Good move on their part.)

<comment><USER4> Do you happen to remember what Richard Stallman said?

<comment><USER3> He was part of the conversation, not a speaker, so he wasn't necessarily talking about one theme.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER5> I love the Harvard Bookstore, but the Cambridge neighborhood (or maybe Boston more generally?) may be a bit unusual.

Cambridge also supports an outstanding independent bookstore focused on books in foreign languages (Schoenhof's[1]), a small poetry-only independent bookstore right around the corner from The Harvard Bookstore (Grolier Poetry Bookshop[2]) and a used bookstore with a focus on scholarly books (Raven Books[3]).

Raven is newer (the Cambridge branch opened only in 2005), and both Grolier and Schoenhof's are less well-stocked than they once were (I've been visiting Cambridge more or less yearly since around 1992), but _they still exist_. Comparable places in so many other cities are just gone.

 _Edit_ : Reading the commenters who live in Boston talk about "the carnage" in their local book scene makes me think "the grass is always greener". Where I live (NYC) I only notice the dead or dying bookstores, but Boston always seems relatively thriving when I visit.

[1]: <http://www.schoenhofs.com/>

[2]: <http://grolierpoetrybookshop.org/blog2/>

[3]: <http://www.ravencambridge.com/>

</comment><comment><USER6> I still prefer going to bookstores like to aimlessly peruse than to efficiently click through links and read Amazon reviews. It's also a much needed respite from a digital display.

Furthermore, there's a nice comforting feeling being physically around others who appreciate reading.

/gettingold

</comment><comment><USER7> This is truly excellent!

As we are finding with photographs, there is still a desire for people to have physical analog manifestations of things they look at and read. There is a quality (not so hash on the eyes) and convenience (no batteries, cords, worrying about getting them wet, etc) to these things that technology has not yet replicated.

What is also great here is the use of on-demand creation. The Espresso book machine is the 3D printer of printing; there no longer seems to be a need to make these things in huge quantities and let them sit in warehouses. Well, maybe there was when people were buying more print books (citation needed) but there seems to be a market for which that is not the case now. It also seems like the price point seems to be reasonable enough that people might pay for physical on-demand printed books.

Great stuff!

</comment><comment><USER8> I'm curious about one line in this

"Imagine for a moment what it would feel like if people walked into your company and used the lobby to call your competitors and buy their products. That's standard consumer behavior in a bookstore. People browse, find a book they like, pull out their smart phone, and order online."

If this is the case why don't stores like B and N just offer free WiFi and add an affiliate link to anyone going to Amazon. It would let you get some profit from people buying on their phones in your store. My impression was you can more or less redirect/adjust the traffic of anyone on your Wi-Fi. Is there some ethical or logistic reason why Best Buy and B and N don't do this?

</comment><comment> X-Istence I know from personal the experience the reason why I peruse a book store and then buy from Amazon is simply the price. Having it available instantly instead of waiting the 3 - 5 shipping turn around is nice and all, but it isn't worth a markup of almost 25 - 40% over what I pay on Amazon.

I love book stores, and there have been quite a few that I've been to where I've found books that Amazon simply didn't have and bought them, but overall the price is too great of a difference to simply ignore.

</comment><comment><USER9> An excellent example of embracing the changing technological landscape and providing new value in addition to it. Now if only Hollywood would realize this, stop mourning antiquated ways of doing business and provide new value with the amazing technology that is available.

</comment><comment><USER10> I used to love local, independent bookstores.

Then, when I wrote and published my own book, and learned a lot more about the industry, I realized that the current book publishing and distribution model makes no economic sense (unlimited returns!!??) and is fated to die.

Support your public library. Support online competition to Amazon. But the brick and mortar bookstore, except for a very, very few, is history. Don't mourn it. Create a better, different tomorrow.

</comment><comment><USER11> "If you live in Cambridge and neighboring communities, you can order online and get any book delivered the same day by an eco-friendly Metroped "pedal- truck," or a bicycle, as I like to call them. Beat that Amazon."

Here's how: any book, ever published, in 60 seconds or less. Kindle.</comment>