FreeBSD project turns 26 years old - <AUTHOR> http://freebsdfoundation.org/national-freebsd-day <comment><USER2> The first time I installed FreeBSD was in 1995, setting up a basic internet presence (mail, ftp, http) for the consulting firm I worked for. There was a small ISP on the floor above us, and we ran PPP over a serial cable strung out the window.

Aside from a little exposure to NextStep at school, it was my first unix. I had the impression that FreeBSD was this capital-I Institution - Core has always been so professional and competent that from the outside, it never looked like a newish project. I have no idea how they had such comprehensive documentation and still found the time to write code.

I'm still incredibly impressed with them, love FreeBSD, and have been running it with only minor interruptions ever since. I've not been terribly involved (and not at all now), but it has been a privilege to have lived basically my entire career with such an incredibly competent and helpful group of awesome people building what is IMO the world's best server OS.

Looking forward to another 26!

</comment><comment><USER3> FreeBSD was my first operating system ever. My dad had a FreeBSD machine in a little closet in his office. He taught me how to navigate with the command line, edit files with emacs, and send email with mutt. Good times. Here's to 26 years, and many more to come!

</comment><comment><USER4> Congratulations.

A HD-failure in 1998 gave me the opportunity to try out FreeBSD before re- installing my GNU/Linux work environment on the new HD. After a week it was clear I'm not switching back and ever since I am a FreeBSD user.

</comment><comment><USER5> I'm sourcing parts for a FreeNAS build which runs on FreeBSD. I've never touched FreeBSD but I'm looking forward to learning another *Nix. The supported hardware for FreeBSD/FreeNAS isn't as great as Linux or Windows and the new C246 server grade parts are proving hard to find.

>In fact, there's a good chance you're already using at least some code derived from FreeBSD in your everyday life. For example, ... or play the latest PlayStation 4 game sensation, you're already using FreeBSD.

Looks like I have indirectly touched FreeBSD with the PS4.

<comment><USER6> I'm curious, what are the parts you want to use that are not supported by FreeBSD?

<comment><USER5> Used server raid controllers that need to be flashed into IT mode (FreeNAS requirement) and compatible with FreeBSD. People on the FreeNAS forums had issues with a dell H700 controller that's common in used hardware, R720 in my case. Some used mobos too.

Not all of the new C246 motherboards by Supermicro have FreeBSD listed as supported. Even boards that only have a small change are not identical, one board adds 4 gigabit ports but isn't listed under FreeBSD, it will likely work but if any weird issues happen I doubt I'll get official support.

<comment><USER7> Guess it won't help you much, but in case others might be interested I've had nothing but smooth sailing with two different LSI SAS boards with FreeNAS.

One is a 9207-8i the other is a 9201-16e. Picked the latter up cheap from eBay, and flashed new firmware on it.

Both come up without doing anything special.

        mps0: <Avago Technologies (LSI) SAS2308>
        mps0: Firmware: 20.00.02.00, Driver: 21.02.00.00-fbsd
        mps1: <Avago Technologies (LSI) SAS2116>
        mps1: Firmware: 20.00.07.00, Driver: 21.02.00.00-fbsd

<comment><USER5> Thanks, the FreeNAS community told me to sell the dell card on eBay and put in an LSI. I'll save your recommendations.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER8> Using it right now as well as MacOS/Darwin, Linux, Android, Win10.. there is no true and perfect OS, the world consists of multiple interoperable systems made for different use cases. Win10 for SteamVR, Android for mobile and GearVR/Oculus Go/Quest, BSD for networking, MacOS for the polished feeling good programs.. GNU/Linux for an OS desktop

</comment><comment><USER9> Congratulations!

FreeBSD and OpenBSD were my first non-windows OS I tried out. I think the time was 1999 or 1998. Good memories even though I had not much clue of what I was doing at that time. Still learned a lot, basic unix system administration and such. The FreeBSD documentation is great!

Even learned C because I thought maybe I could contribute code. Unfortunately I never made it to contribute. I regret that very much.

</comment><comment><USER10> Lot of time spent in my teens on FreeBSD. Though I primarily use MacOS now all those non-GNU command line switches stuck.

<comment><USER11> I can't tell if you were trying to say this or not, but the default unix utils on macOS and FreeBSD generally share the same (non-GNU) switches/options as macOS's were derived from the BSDs.

<comment><USER12> I'll answer for them.

Yes, they were saying that knowing all those BSD/non-GNU options front their BSD days stuck in their mind and are quite useful when working on a Mac today.

It's better than having to mentally switch between Linux/macOS arguments in your head like many of us have to (like me)!

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER13> As others have pointed, there are very little technical reasons to use FreeBSD. Especially since Linux and Docker ate into the virtualization market. If you have a spare machine and are really that curious than by all means. Ports was a fun experience, and FreeBSD overall felt like a steady drop into real unix. Gentoo and Arch follow the same spirit, but were way too hands free for my interest.

I will warn, unless you do have technical reasons, you will unlikely gain anything professionally in a world of Linux servers. Maybe to make use of the most widely used OS under the BSD license. Apple, Nintendo, Sony, and others have proved this.

</comment><comment><USER14> I'm running a FreeBSD box as my personal file server (have a ZFS pool of WD Red drives).

As a server OS, I've always preferred the BSDs. Unfortunately, due to Docker, BSD is becoming much less relevant for a lot of use cases.

<comment><USER7> > Unfortunately, due to Docker, BSD is becoming much less relevant for a lot > of use cases.

Same boat. I've recently been testing out running Docker inside a bhyve VM, using plain Debian and NFS for mounting the ZFS datasets in the containers.

Not ideal, quite a lot of overhead, but seems to work for my limited workload for now.

So, kinda torn about where to go from here. I quite like having a NAS that just does its thing and is easy to administrate, but I also really want to be able to run various Docker images...

</comment></comment><comment><USER15> I personally use a Linux OS and have never used FreeBSD, what's the most convincing reason(s) for making the switch?

<comment><USER16> It is an interesting change of pace, and a somewhat different culture around operating system structure and package management, although definitely part of the same Unixy family.

Sadly these days the business case for using FreeBSD is weaker than ever because Linux has first-class support for Docker and Kubernetes and BSD doesn't. (No, Jails are not a good substitute because Docker is the industry standard and has a lot of third-party support and everyone wants to use it.) However, BSD is an interesting experience for hobbyists.</comment></comment>


Implementing a Syntax-Highlighting JavaScript Editor In JavaScript - <AUTHOR> http://codemirror.net/story.html <comment><USER2> It's worth mentioning that Google Docs, one of the more sophisticated web- based editors, no longer uses designMode; it just uses the raw DOM and a ton of custom input code. Bespin, likewise, uses Canvas.

designMode seems to be on its way out; good riddance.

</comment><comment><USER3> Either I have a dirty mind or that baboon picture is incredibly NSFW.

</comment><comment><AUTHOR> This explains how the code highlighting is done in jsbin.com.</comment>


Generating Quality Leads - <AUTHOR> Suggest some quick ways to generate quality business leads. <comment><USER2> It might help to add the ASK HN, frame it as a question, and provide context.

For example, what's the market, product, buyer persona?</comment>


The Mathematics of Election Fraud - <AUTHOR> http://akarlin.com/2011/12/measuring-churovs-beard/ <comment><AUTHOR> In the aftermath of 2016 presidential elections academics and activists are calling for audit of the election results in key battleground states. In 2011 Russian Duma election similar allegations of vote tampering were raised. In these elections data scientists were able to show using statistical methods that at very high likelihood the election results were tampered by adding fake votes for the winning party. I would like to see similar analysis for the 2016 U.S. presidential elections. However it doesn't seem that the raw vote counts for each candidate and the total number of registered voters are readily available at polling site level, especially together with information on what kind of voting machines were used and if paper trail was recorded from site to site. Does anyone know if such raw data is available publicly for further statistical analysis by the data science community.</comment>


A comment is an invitation for refactoring (2015) - <AUTHOR> https://blog.pragmaticengineer.com/a-comment-is-an-invitation-for-refactoring/ <comment><USER2> "When code and comments disagree, both are probably wrong." \-- Norm Schryer</comment>


Ask HN: Good startup web hosting - <AUTHOR>

Hey guys,<p>I'm working on build a website and curious to who you prefer for web hosting. I'm not looking to spend much, but I obviously want good service. Who do you recommend? <comment><USER2> I use AWS at work, have used Heroku in tutorials and quick hacks, and DigitalOcean for personal projects. If I wanted just basic web hosting for a personal site, the free AWS tier does the trick. If I had a startup with funding, I would probably use DigitalOcean or AWS. I think being able to know what's happening at the server and OS level is essential. Note: I am biased since I spent some time and effort to understand basic setups for servers, devops, and sysadmin.

</comment><comment><USER3> Do don't give much details. Do you need this long term ? AWS free tier is free only for a year (I think) so what after that ?

I would suggest looking at Webfaction. It is a shared hosting provider, but can support lot more than "websites" People are running their business (web apps) from Webfaction. They are very cost effective. Support is AWESOME. But they don't have "free" tier. but there is a 60-day "free" trial.

</comment><comment><USER4> [http://hostrum.com/](http://hostrum.com/) if you care about security, daily off-continent backups, and active malware scans. Not the cheapest guy in town but worth every penny.

GoDaddy if you're like being upsold. :)

<comment><USER5> I can appreciate your desire to drive business to your company, as any of us would, but don't you think it would be prudent to add a disclaimer, or at minimum refer to yourself in the first person?

<comment><USER4> Ok, insert "I am " in front of "Not". That should do.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER6> It really depends on many factors such as (a) the technology/stack you are using, (b) the purpose of your website, (c) how you expect it to grow over time, (d) your budget, (e) your users geographic location, etc...

</comment><comment><USER7> AWS. Build on the free tier and then upgrade to small or larger as necessary.

<comment><USER8> AWS is excellent. You can use the free tier for the first year, and after that you only pay what you use. It's highly scalable, so if your site/app usage explodes overnight, it won't be a problem. Shameless plug: I wrote a tutorial on how to set up a LAMP stack on AWS a while ago: [http://www.dirktheman.com/tutorial/setting-up-your-lamp- stac...](http://www.dirktheman.com/tutorial/setting-up-your-lamp-stack-on- aws.html)

</comment></comment><comment><USER9> You really should be specific about technologies and everyone will have their favourites but heroku is a good starting point and has a free tier.

</comment><comment><USER10> If you're confident about managing your own server and installing your own software for it, DigitalOcean are superb.

</comment><comment><USER11> Look into Arvixe.com - a lot of my friends stand by it</comment>


My phone was searched at LAX, which apparently is the new normal - <AUTHOR> http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-adi-fourth-amendment-airport-cellphone-search-20170407-story.html?utm_source=Today%27s+Headlines&utm_campaign=347bc3a518-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2016_12_12&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_b04355194f-347bc3a518-80983953 <comment><USER2> \- Terrorism is not a problem at all! -

Instead of fixing the real issues this country has: poverty, homelessness, joblessness, hunger, drug abuse, health care accessibility, affordable housing accessibility - we prefer to look for a boogeymen outside of the country.

Around 500-1000 Homeless Americans die from hypothermia per year, 2000-4000 Americans die per year from hunger, 35000 people on average die from drug over dose, over 500,000 people die from heart desease so in the last 15 years we lost just to these causes - around 8million people!

According to a September 2016 study by Alex Nowrasteh at the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank, some 3,024 Americans died from 1975 through 2015 due to foreign-born terrorism. That number includes the 9/11 terrorist attacks (2,983 people) and averages nearly 74 Americans per year.

8million+ people dead vs. 3000? So where are the real issues?

Why do we allow the government propaganda machine to fool us?

<comment><USER3> I always have a hard time interpreting these statistics.

I understand the numbers of terrorist-related deaths versus non-terrorist one are staggering as displayed above, but if we stopped funding these security measures at airports (scanners, staff, etc), what could the number go up to?

Are these 3000 deaths so low _because_ of the security measures? If we were to remove/loosen security measures at airports, how could we even estimate the impact in number of terrorist-related deaths?

Are these fears of possible ramp-up of terrorist attacks (if security measures are loosened) unfounded?

<comment><USER4> These 3000 deaths approximately zero relation to security measures.

The US government was informed about the 9/11 hijackers and the Boston city Marathon bombers etc. But, they get 99.99% false positives, so such information is basically worthless unless it results in conviction. Further the 9/11 hijackers used weapons no more deadly than what people are still allowed to bring on aircraft. If there where enough terrorists to matter they could have repeated 9/11 any time in the last 10 years. The most 'useful' security measure from 9/11 is a 'secure' door that locks which directly relates do another crashed aircraft making even that if anything a net loss. [http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/26/europe/france-germanwings- plan...](http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/26/europe/france-germanwings-plane-crash- main/)

That said, like the 'war on drugs' it has nothing to do with the actual 'threat' it's all just politics.

<comment><USER5> The only real improvements in security since 9/11 in my mind are that cockpit doors are now reinforced and passengers know to fight back.

Everything else is just a show of force to make people feel better.

<comment><USER4> If you clicked on my link that door has already cost 1 aircraft so it's not a pure win. [http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/26/europe/france-germanwings- plan...](http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/26/europe/france-germanwings-plane-crash- main/)

Passengers fighting back only works if they know there is a problem and the attackers are in the passenger cabin. Once the attacker is past that door they can ignore them.

<comment><USER5> Agreed. There is always going to be risk. Especially if the pilot has gone rouge. But the chances of passenger(s) taking over a plane like on 9/11 had drastically decreased because of awareness and those doors.

<comment><USER6> >Especially if the pilot has gone rouge

What have you got against pink pilots?

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER7> "More recently I was made to wonder: Does the 4th Amendment apply to Muslim citizens at LAX?"

Well, no actually, it does not. Nor does it apply to non-Muslim citizens, or white citizens, or any other types of citizens.

And excuse me, but you were just "recently" made to wonder about this? Only recently?!?

We apparently decided after 9/11 that airports and any place within 100 miles of the border were going to be Constitution-free zones, where the laws around search and seizure just do not apply to anyone.

The following happened to me, for instance, in an airport in 2006:

[https://arstechnica.com/uncategorized/2006/05/6767-2/](https://arstechnica.com/uncategorized/2006/05/6767-2/)

This is one of those things that kills me -- those of us whining about all this, especially under Obama, were "shrill" civil libertarians. But then Trump came to power.

Now that this crap is happening under Trump, and it's happening to ACLU lawyers and doctors and newspaper journos and so on (cue the scary music), it's suddenly a crisis, and people's hair is on fire.

It was a crisis over a decade ago, when we just abandoned the Constitution in airports and at borders. And the warning that civil libertarians gave, which was roundly ignored, was "wait until the wrong person gets hold of this power."

<comment><USER8> The hundred-mile border thing is a myth; it refers to a SCOTUS holding that limits searches with a nexus to a border crossing to within that distance, but does not allow CBP to search people who haven't transacted directly with the border in some way.

ACLU, which I otherwise support wholeheartedly, does us all a mild disservice by perpetuating the myth, which is very widely believed.

<comment><USER9> Really? What about the checkpoints that are set up within this zone stopping and questioning people without reasonable suspicion or knowledge that person crossed the border at all.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ea_VMY0UnA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ea_VMY0UnA)

<comment><USER8> The border search exemption applies only to people who have transacted directly with a border. Being 20 miles from a border gives CBP no special powers over ordinary citizens.

<comment><USER10> CBP routinely stops & questions all north-bound traffic on US 54 >20 miles north-east of El Paso. Am unsure of the distance, but they did request opening my rear hatch(SUV) to facilitate the dog sniffing my parts boxes and tools.

Am pretty sure the checkpoints on I-10 in western AZ are >100 miles N of the border, the Tohono O'odham* rez lies between I-10 & the border.

* The elders have also stated no wall will be built on their lands.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tohono_O%27odham#Border_issues](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tohono_O%27odham#Border_issues)

<comment><USER11> You might have hit one of these:

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Border_Patrol_in...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Border_Patrol_interior_checkpoints#Arizona)

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER12> Every time US border security is being discusses here, I read comments about how things are bad at the Canadian or UK border too.

But does this really make an overreaction legitimate - That other countries are doing it too? Please think again before writing some knee-jerk reaction like "other countries are the same or worse"...

I was once treated unfriendly by Austrian border agents while re-entering the country. Yes, I experienced worse things when entering other countries. I still think that this particular incident was unacceptable, even though things are worse in other countries...

<comment><USER13> > I read comments about how things are bad at the Canadian or UK border too.

I've flown through Germany, Moldova, the UK, Ireland, Singapore, Australia, etc. etc.

America is the worst. Most other countries will not preform pat downs. The German head of transport security even mentioned the body scanners have over a 50% false positive rate (they're literally about the same as random chance; multi million dollar worthless pieces of security theatre shit that should be removed).

The only pat down I recall was Moldova, and even there it was just your legs. I won't fly in the US any more. If I need to leave the country, I'd rather just take a bus to Canada. At least if they violate my rights there, I'm not a citizen and it doesn't bother me.

<comment><USER14> > the body scanners have over a 50% false positive rate (they're literally > about the same as random chance)

That's nowhere near random chance, unless they're flagging half the people who walk through.

If they're flagging 1 in 1000, random chance would be a 99.9% false positive rate.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER15> I really want to travel to Florida from London with my wife and baby for holidays. Stories like this though are big deterrent. I'm an atheist with a muslim name, and Chinese wife(a devout Christian). We've never travelled to US before and honestly don't know what to expect.

<comment><USER16> This is really an overreaction I believe. I know many many Muslims who regularly go from UK to the US without any hassles at all. Of course as a non- Muslim I'm always terrified by these stories but the odds are very very low - you'd probably have a greater likelihood of being hassled coming into the UK from a non_EU country honestly.

<comment><USER17> Sure it is not representative, but that does not mean we should not be concerned. The constitution of the United States is extremely important.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER18> I'm most frightened by how frequently these types of things are happening, and how normal they're starting to seem.

<comment><USER19> This most definitely doesn't seem normal. Problem is so many are looking the other way thinking "well I don't look like a terrorist, so no one will search my phone"

<comment><USER20> "First they came for..." [0]

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

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER14> All my electronic devices were searched by Canadian Border Services when I crossed the border into Canada four years ago.

<comment> Mk-0 Same.

This has nothing to do with who is leading our country. The only thing new here is that it's easy to point the finger at one person for everything you don't like; it's been in place for awhile now.

<comment><USER21> Is that so? Here's the article's take!

> The so-called border search exemption means that the 4th Amendment's > requirement of probable cause does not apply to customs officials, and the > practice of "detaining" cellphones began under the George W. Bush > administration. But cellphone searches by the Department of Homeland > Security have exploded in 2017 — DHS officials searched more phones in > February of this year than in all of 2015. (Four members of Congress > introduced a bill this week that would require agents to obtain a warrant > before searching a U.S. citizen's electronic device.)

<comment><USER22> It is odd that they compared to 2015 instead of 2016.

There could be a good reason, but it feels manipulative.

<comment><USER23> I don't think there's anything odd about this at all. It will just be the case that someone looked at the figures, said "Oh, it's interesting that there were more searches in February 2017 than in 2015 overall" and ran with that figure. It's a more interesting comparison than "There was an increase of 142% year- on-year" or whatever the actual figures are.

<comment><USER22> Full Quote: "But cellphone searches by the Department of Homeland Security have exploded in 2017 — DHS officials searched more phones in February of this year than in all of 2015. (Four members of Congress introduced a bill this week that would require agents to obtain a warrant before searching a U.S. citizen's electronic device.)

President Trump's new security regime wastes yet more of our time and our taxpayer money and shows outright scorn for the spirit of the 4th Amendment."

The article is making it look like this is due to Trump, but if there was an ongoing increase for 2 years under Obama that would be manipulative.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER24> Man that is brutal. Hurt back? TOO BAD!!!

Recently worked with explosives haha, she buys fertilizer on the wrong day.

I'm pretty ignorant, I hope our country works itself out, would be a pity to go down after winning WW2 sure 70+ years later

Oh well... Like the Romans I guess

Edit: I really am ignorant to the world, busy being poor, chasing the dream of "entrepreneurship" 30% of nothing is nothing. Too scared to use the bike rack on the public bus so instead I'll walk for 1.5 hrs (6 miles) home. Scared of bums asking me for money.

Oh well, 1 in 330+million, some people will save us hopefully. It's just hard to see the bad stuff to me because I'm in my own little peasant world. Am I losing my rights/internet privacy problems? I don't know... I don't feel free that's for sure just because of finances but that's not permanent/my own fault.

Ahhh well live or die my life was alright, I was privileged. A bag of meat on a rock.

<comment><USER25> > would be a pity to go down after winning WW2 sure 70+ years later

The USA "won" WW2?

<comment><USER24> To charlseism, sorry you are wise.

I wasn't really making the point of the war itself (who did what) more on the number of people that died and what "we" overcame and then in the future we have this BS that we deal with. Still what about back then, their "ideals" with women cooking at home and that was their life. I don't know like I said I'm ignorant.

(easy way out of an argument just keep saying I'm dumb) also not take responsibility for what I say. Ahh well... I'm like a baby that was discarded and should not have survived but somehow I made it, defective unit. What is success anyway, money? Peace of mind.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER26> Last week, Apple insisted on me giving my account password + filevault password to replace the battery (!) of my macbook at the Apple store. So I guess it's just an American thing to do...

<comment><USER27> I had a similar experience two weeks ago. They asked for my iPhone's passcode when I went in to have my screen replaced. This was apparently going to be stored in a database — I saw the form field on his iPad.

When I refused to give it to them, on the basis of privacy, the employee said that Apple could not provide the service. He backed down a little when I asked to speak to his supervisor, but then said that not providing my passcode would void my iPhone's warranty. Eventually they performed the service without my passcode and had me perform the functional testing myself before walking out of the store.

I wonder how many thousands (millions?) of iPhone passcodes are stored in Apple's database? And of course the average owner probably doesn't think to change the passcode after the service is completed.

<comment><USER28> The reason for asking for your passcode is so they can perform functional testing, and they don't end up giving customers a device that isn't perfect.

It is stored in a database, but the passcode is deleted immediately after the genius marks the service as completed.

<comment><USER29> "Deleted immediately" is more likely a flag in the database being set to "don't show".

<comment><USER30> Well, it might be deleted immediately from the prod DB, but there is always a DB backup...

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><AUTHOR> > _I intend to file no lawsuit, seek no apology_

I don't understand this attitude.

<comment><USER21> Filing a lawsuit is a tremendous investment of time and money and it's not really clear that these kinds of searches are in any way illegal.

<comment><USER31> Ambiguity is is the bosom buddy of petty tyrany

<comment><USER21> As far as I know they're 100% legal, which is not the same as claiming they're good or moral.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER32> Just and idea for Android: If you are rooted: Make a backup with nandroid and put it somewhere encrypted on your laptop or cloud. Make Backup with root, syncthing and rsync of your sd card (it's so complicated because many cannot remove internal "SD"). Reset phone. Cross border. Restore both backups.

The question is: WHY I need to this counter measures to protect my right of privacy when entering a country like the USA.

<comment><USER33> What would they do if you just don't carry your phone with you when you fly? One could ship their phone or put it in checked luggage.

They are not just looking for data at the border, they are imaging the phone and keeping those records for god knows how long and with what level of security. That is a level of privacy I'm not willing to give up, let alone the risk of having company confidential data end up in unintended hands.

<comment><USER34> In the US if you end up in secondary inspection, your checked luggage can be brought there too.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER35> She went through standard TSA searches - scans, pat downs, and explosive chemical swabbing. (I travel twice a month and have TSA-Pre and I still have to go through that 1/3 of the time). She was then questioned about the nature of her travels. Upon return she was questioned about her travels, the contents of a CD she had, why she tried to open up a bank account abroad, and where the thousands of dollars she left with went. I don't think it was unreasonable for border patrol to be suspicious. Their job is to investigate suspicious behavior and from their perspective they don't know whether the woman was telling the truth or not, but the facts of the matter do raise suspicion. I would be a bit more worried if they didn't ask all of those questions and investigate the issue, why else are we paying them?

<comment><USER17> > I would be a bit more worried if they didn't ask all of those questions and > investigate the issue, why else are we paying them?

Why _are_ we paying them? Their "service" is, _at best_ , inconvenient, and certainly unconstitutional.

The issue is not that this individual was inconvenienced.

The issue is that the constitution of the United States is being thoroughly disobeyed by the federal government of the United States.

</comment></comment><comment><USER36> Does anyone know whether travelers are required to facilitate these phone searches (e.g. enter encryption password at boot and disable screen lock)?

Edit: Found relevant article at [https://arstechnica.com/tech- policy/2017/02/what-could-happe...](https://arstechnica.com/tech- policy/2017/02/what-could-happen-if-you-refuse-to-unlock-your-phone-at-the-us- border/)

In summary, yes. It is a misdemeanor (subject to a fine of not more than $1,000) to refuse to provide assistance (e.g. translation or decryption). Assuming you refuse, they will likely seize the device and detain you for some unknown period of time.

<comment><USER37> What if you and your wife enter on different flights? Wouldn't it makes sense to carry each other's devices and not share the passwords with each other? You aren't refusing; you have a plausible defense to not knowing the passwords.

It's less compelling, but i guess you could have a trusted friend change your passwords for you and require them to later unlock them. (after you get out of detainment 5 days later and fight in court -- instead of the gov't winning, you both lose)

<comment><USER38> Do you seriously think a TSA agent would just say "Oh this phone isn't yours and you can't unlock it? I better just let you take it on the plane!"

If they cannot perform the search no matter what your excuse is, I seriously doubt they will let that phone, or even you, enter.

<comment><USER37> > If they cannot perform the search no matter what your excuse is, I seriously > doubt they will let that phone, or even you, enter.

If you are a US citizen, they can't really keep you out of the country for this. They can make it hell, but not keep you out. If you are not a citizen, then yes, they can send you right back.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER39> This title has little to do with the content of the post, phone copying was the least of this lady's problems.

</comment><comment><USER40> This is to protect your Freedom[tm].

</comment><comment><USER41> I know that there is racial profiling going on, and travel to certain countries will have higher numbers of individuals with certain ethnic backgrounds, but how often is this happening to middle-class white Americans? I used to travel a great deal but haven't done much over the past 5 years.

I remember being questioned for about 15 minutes on my flight from the UK to Paris back around 2008. My trip from the US to Turkey from 2013 was pretty timid, maybe 2 minutes of questions and a mandatory body scan (stopover in Amsterdam). From the US to South Africa completely painless. I did get my hands swabbed for explosive residue on a trip from Detroit to Las Vegas a couple years ago.

I'm just curious if anyone here has personal experience as a middle class white individual getting treatment as harsh as I read in some of these articles.

<comment><USER42> Maybe 5 or 6 years ago I got a very unpleasant grilling traveling to the US when they noticed that I had multiple passport stamps from Turkey and Egypt.

I had to explain repeatedly why I liked Turkey in particular and kept getting asked over and over "Why Turkey?".

[NB Turkey used to be an extremely popular holiday destination for people from the UK and I've been traveling there regularly for 20+ years].

</comment></comment><comment><USER43> >I intend to file no lawsuit, seek no apology.

WHY???? Of all people, the ones who get targeted have standing! Of all people, she might have a shot of pulling in the 4th AND the 14th amendments!

I know people want to live their lives rather than get embroiled in legal fights but the ones whose lives are interrupted by this sort of injustice are the only ones who CAN put a stop to this.

</comment><comment><USER44> Is a reasonable work around to ship your phone to your future destination?

<comment><USER45> \- make a cloud-backup

\- purge your phone

\- enter the US, let them search your plain vanilla phone

\- restore backup

<comment><USER46> If you got a full tutorial on this, I would love to read it ;)

<comment><USER21> Do you really need a tutorial specifically on this? Backup, restore, and wiping your phone are all well-documented procedures.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER47> Man. Being treated this way would make me want to explode.

</comment><comment><USER48> I haven't taken my smarterthanyou phone traveling in years.

Get a $70 candybar, assume it will be lost, stolen, broken, pawned while overseas.

Problem solved -- at least the phone part.

</comment><comment><USER49> I understand that they want passwords for cloud accounts. Do they ask you for your Reddit / YC accounts as well, or just FB, Twitter and G+?

<comment><USER50> I don't know if that would work for social sites where you don't need an account. Lots of people just browse reddit/yc without an account.

</comment></comment><comment><USER51> What would happen if one traveled without any electronics today? Say you left your phone, laptop etc at home? Genuinely curious

</comment><comment><USER52> Not to be incendiary but when she said "the ongoing erosion of our rights", I cringed.

Nobody has the "right" not to be searched or interrogated at borders (except for some politicians that have diplomatic immunity).

Is she a politician? if not, no right was infringed.

<comment><USER53> You have the right to enter your own country.

<comment><USER52> Of course, but they have the right to know what you are bringing in, this can involve searching people, it's a practical necessity.

Try entering your country with a piece of nuclear grade uranium.

<comment><USER6> I know some people's online comments are pretty toxic, but I'm struggling to think of a scenario whereby a Twitter stream or Facebook timeline could be used to make a 'dirty bomb' \--and I'm not having much luck.

Could you help me out here?

<comment><USER52> I'm sure you are aware that their justification is to help determine if people are linked to dangerous groups or not.

Personally I wouldn't go that far but still, my point is that: not being searched at the border is a priviledge, not a right.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER54> I know this won't be popular but I will ask it anyway.

How is searching a phone any different than customs searching all luggage inbound to the US. How are the contents of digital devices considered to be sufficiently different that they don't warrant a cursory scan, if not automatic scan?

Then it comes down to, what exactly could you scan for anyway? Could they do short term scan/records and delete upon leaving the country or short duration? Where is the justification for doing this to citizens of this country or countries not considered to an active threat?

<comment><USER55> because they are copied and stored indefinitely without any promise of not spilling the content. And also that's the kind of thing that leads to an entire village in Yemen to be killed, women and children included, in the middle of the night by the Navy Seals.

<comment><USER6> There's also a delicious irony in the fact the border agents would no doubt claim not to be stealing your data, but merely making a copy of it --while at the same time the US is extraditing people from around the world, to charge them with piracy, for copying music and movie files. In which case, it seems, copying data _is_ theft.</comment></comment></comment>


Anitype - what if letters could move? - <AUTHOR> http://www.anitype.com/entries

<comment><USER2> So glorified dyslexia?</comment>


Revealed: How US and UK spy agencies defeat Internet privacy and security  - <AUTHOR> http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/05/nsa-gchq-encryption-codes-security?CMP=ema_565&et_cid=48048&et_rid=7288831&Linkid=http%3a%2f%2fwww.theguardian.com%2fworld%2f2013%2fsep%2f05%2fnsa-gchq-encryption-codes-security

<comment><USER2>
        "Knowledge that GCHQ exploits these products and the scale
        of our capability would raise public awareness generating
        unwelcome publicity for us and our political masters."

"our political masters"?! If that is the kind of language bandied around the NSA and GHCQ, you can be sure that people probably don't question the authority of those asking them to do something illegal or at least grossly unethical. It also probably be means that there is a strong culture of "the ends justify the means."</comment>


Ask HN: What is your favorite Google chrome extension? - <AUTHOR> <comment><USER2> Without a doubt, uBlock Origin.

Some others I like:

\- Momentum ([https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/momentum/laookkfkn...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/momentum/laookkfknpbbblfpciffpaejjkokdgca?utm_source=chrome- app-launcher-info-dialog))

\- Hacker News Enhancement Suite ([https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/better- history/obc...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/better- history/obciceimmggglbmelaidpjlmodcebijb?utm_source=chrome-app-launcher-info- dialog))

\- Better History ([https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/better- history/obc...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/better- history/obciceimmggglbmelaidpjlmodcebijb?utm_source=chrome-app-launcher-info- dialog))

<comment><USER3> Looks like a copy and paste error on HN link, links to the one below... I think it should be:

      - https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/hacker-news-enhancement-s/bappiabcodbpphnojdiaddhnilfnjmpm?hl=en

<comment><USER2> Whoops, you are correct. Thanks for the fix-up.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER4> \- Markdown Here - Lets me write emails in markdown ([http://markdown- here.com/](http://markdown-here.com/))

\- HTTPS Everywhere - by EFF, works alongside the HSTS preload list to improve HTTPS coverage ([https://www.eff.org/https- everywhere](https://www.eff.org/https-everywhere))

\- Privacy Badger - By EFF again. Blocks scripts. ([https://www.eff.org/privacybadger](https://www.eff.org/privacybadger))

\- Send to kindle - Sends articles directly to my kindle ([https://www.amazon.com/gp/sendtokindle/chrome](https://www.amazon.com/gp/sendtokindle/chrome))

\- iReader - Quick and easy readability extension that lets you read badly formatted extensions. ([https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/ireader/ppelffpjgk...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/ireader/ppelffpjgkifjfgnbaaldcehkpajlmbc))

</comment><comment><USER5> Falcon. Search browsing history in your address bar.

[https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/falcon/mmifbbohghe...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/falcon/mmifbbohghecjloeklpbinkjpbplfalb)

Note Board.

[https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/note- board/goficmp...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/note- board/goficmpcgcnombioohjcgdhbaloknabb)

OneTab.

[https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/onetab/chphlpgkkbo...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/onetab/chphlpgkkbolifaimnlloiipkdnihall)

Full Page Screen Capture. It can auto split very long page for me.

[https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/full-page- screen-c...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/full-page-screen- capture/fdpohaocaechififmbbbbbknoalclacl)

Markdown Editor

[https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/markdown- editor/ek...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/markdown- editor/ekdcaddpmiodcipjfmffhhefijpdckaf)

</comment><comment><USER6> \- honey (for live coupon suggestions ) [0]

\- Ad Block Plus [1]

\- Nimbus Screenshot and Screencast [2]

[0] [https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/honey/bmnlcjabgnpn...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/honey/bmnlcjabgnpnenekpadlanbbkooimhnj?hl=en- US)

[1] [https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/adblock- plus/cfhdo...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/adblock- plus/cfhdojbkjhnklbpkdaibdccddilifddb?hl=en-US)

[2] [https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/nimbus- screenshot-...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/nimbus-screenshot- and-scr/bpconcjcammlapcogcnnelfmaeghhagj)

</comment><comment><USER7> Papier - replace your new tab page with a markdown scratchpad. Dead-simple, local, and beautiful.

[https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/papier/hhjeaokafpl...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/papier/hhjeaokafplhjoogdemakihhdhffacia)

Visual History - augment back/forward with tree-like hierarchy navigation (disclaimer; made this one)

[https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/visual- history/nkc...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/visual- history/nkckokcpjekkokllfplejfkocaikmnml)

<comment><USER8> Papier looks interesting.

I've been using a blank new-tab:

[https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/empty-new-tab- page...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/empty-new-tab- page/dpjamkmjmigaoobjbekmfgabipmfilij)

</comment></comment><comment><USER9> One I didn't see mentioned already: I use something called EditThisCookie.

I'm sure it has many features, but I just use it to quickly delete cookies for one site, primarily on my development sites.

I use it a couple of times a day, probably.

Most common use case: I switch rails projects, and being on the same localhost:port address, it tries to use my other cookies and causes problems. I delete them in 2 seconds.

</comment><comment><USER10> Vimium - I can't imagine using my browser without it anymore. I use it to:

* move around the page

* click on links

* opening new page from browsing history

* refresh page

Basically the only time I need to use mouse or trackpad are pages that have incorrectly marked links (they just add some on-click behaviour without marking element as link)

<comment><USER11> [https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/vimium/dbepggeogba...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/vimium/dbepggeogbaibhgnhhndojpepiihcmeb?hl=en)

Link for the lazy.

</comment></comment><comment><USER12> \- Session Buddy ([https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/session- buddy/edac...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/session- buddy/edacconmaakjimmfgnblocblbcdcpbko?hl=en)) - What you need to recommend to all your friends who have 50 tabs open and a fear of losing them.

\- Pocket ([https://getpocket.com/chrome/](https://getpocket.com/chrome/)) - To read something later.

\- Pushbullet ([https://www.pushbullet.com](https://www.pushbullet.com)) - Less wonderful since they make Universal Clipboard a premium feature, but still the most graceful way to get content across from phone to laptop and back.

\- Better History ([http://better-history.com/](http://better-history.com/)) - Because let's face it, Chrome history sucks.

\- Any.do ([https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/anydo- extension/kd...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/anydo- extension/kdadialhpiikehpdeejjeiikopddkjem)) - I've stopped using the app on my phone for most part, but this extension is still easier to use than adding things to your calendar.

</comment><comment><USER13> Kiwi Conversations - checks for HN, Reddit conversations based on the URL you're on (manual research mode by default, but auto-check is available) - also checks Product Hunt and Google News. [https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/kiwi- conversations...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/kiwi- conversations/pkifhlefpamigmobjmjjjnjglpebflhp)

</comment><comment><USER14> Lazarus: Form Recovery - Autosaves everything you type so you can easily recover from form-killing timeouts, crashes and network errors. [https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/lazarus-form- recov...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/lazarus-form- recovery/loljledaigphbcpfhfmgopdkppkifgno)

</comment><comment><USER15> Completely new screenshot tool =>

Marker - [https://getmarker.io](https://getmarker.io) .

This Chrome extension allows you to capture a screenshot, annotate it and create a _GitHub_ issue, a _JIRA_ issue or a _Trello_ Card without leaving your page

It's pretty powerful for bug reporting.

Disclosure: I'm the founder :)

<comment><USER16> C'mon Gary, disclosure...

<comment><USER15> Done :) Thanks

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER17> I generally try not to use any, because for some reason I can't force myself to trust an extension w/o looking into its code--the process that eats too much time.

So I have only 5 of them installed.

From chrome web store:

* blank ntp (shows a blank page, rather than the chrome default)

* ublock origin (duh)

Not from the web store (I "trust" them, for I wrote them):

* copy_anchor_text

* dereferrer

* hn-dweller

<comment><USER18> I assume you also looked into the entire code base for Chromium (you _are_ using Chromium, aren't you? Using Chrome - with its abundance of closed source gimmickery - would not make sense given your statement) before deciding it was worth your trust?

While I understand why you'd want to look at extension code before installing it I do not understand the trust in Chrome. Given the size of the code base it is more or less impossible for a single person to decide its trustworthiness by 'looking at the code', given that a single intentional 'mistake' can make the difference between trust and thrash.

<comment><USER19> You can do things in Chrome extensions that really are quite scary. Turning that around to not trusting Chrome seems like a bit of a straw man.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER20> For those who listens to music from YouTube while programming, I recently made a Chrome extension to generate a track list in navigation bar using the timelinks in the video description.

It's a clickable tracklist, so you can play the track you want to listen to just clicking it, no matter if YouTube is your current tab or not.

Also, the extension shows a notification when a track starts to play.

[https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/timelink- tracker/a...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/timelink- tracker/abeeaknjabgemeaebpjbcomeaglnfnoc)

</comment><comment><USER21> uBlock Origin

Without it, the web is a totally different place.

<comment><USER22> Amen. uBlock Origin >> AdBlock

<comment><USER23> Why? I ask as an adblock user. Never tried uBlock.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER24> BKMRKS - Simple New-Tab-Page for displaying Chrome-Bookmarks [https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/bkmrks/fdlkakjjmff...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/bkmrks/fdlkakjjmffadamejjcgmmjbfcdbpcgg)

Full Page Screen Capture [https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/full-page- screen-c...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/full-page-screen- capture/fdpohaocaechififmbbbbbknoalclacl)

</comment><comment><USER25> Click and Clean [https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/clickclean/ghgabhi...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/clickclean/ghgabhipcejejjmhhchfonmamedcbeod?hl=en)

uBlockOrigin [https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/ublock- origin/jbcj...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/ublock- origin/jbcjhdkoplalkpdjgiijpnjgndpjgnah?hl=en)

</comment><comment><USER26> Switchy Omega Proxy switcher with autoswitch ability (according to url) [https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/proxy- switchyomega...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/proxy- switchyomega/padekgcemlokbadohgkifijomclgjgif)

Screencastify Video capture from desktop/tab/webcam [https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/screencastify- scre...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/screencastify-screen- vide/mmeijimgabbpbgpdklnllpncmdofkcpn)

The Great Suspender Automatically suspends unused tabs to free up system resources [https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/the-great- suspende...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/the-great- suspender/klbibkeccnjlkjkiokjodocebajanakg)

Open Screenshot Can capture an entire page, even if bigger than screen [https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/open- screenshot/ak...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/open- screenshot/akgpcdalpfphjmfifkmfbpdmgdmeeaeo)

</comment><comment><USER27> Tabs Outliner: [https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/tabs- outliner/eggk...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/tabs- outliner/eggkanocgddhmamlbiijnphhppkpkmkl)

Something like Tree Style Tab but TO shows a single tree for your entire browsing session instead of just the current window. Its cloud backup allows me to sync my tree hierarchy across my devices.

</comment><comment><USER28> All my extensions are like a handicapped version of Firefox feature or extension.

Dynamite [1] - right click on anything than Dynamite / Hide element or selection and it removes a DOM element that was under cursor. Sometimes you have to to this several times to remove something. Firefox has Nuke Anything Enhanced [2]. It allows me to:

\- get behind obnoxious popups with no visible close button

\- get through dumb subscribe-wall

\- remove annoying floating navigation bars (really handy if you like to resize browser windows like me)

The Great Suspender [3] - it unloads tabs unused for specified time and allows to reload them on click. I forgot which one I used on Firefox.

FooTab [4] - blocks loading of tabs on startup - it would be great if The Great Suspender would do this (Firefox do this by default).

I use uBlock Origin and HTTPS Everywhere, but that's just baseline.

[1] [https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/dynamite/djoedchmh...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/dynamite/djoedchmhkmbnkggjnbachnpikkabfhk)

[2] [https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/nuke- anything...](https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/nuke-anything- enhanced/)

[3] [https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/the-great- suspende...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/the-great- suspender/klbibkeccnjlkjkiokjodocebajanakg)

[4] [https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/footab/anbodogikfb...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/footab/anbodogikfbehidmmjdokehphginagbb)

<comment><USER29> Why use dynamite when you can do the same thing with the developer tools fairly easily?

<comment><USER28> I don't think it is as easy.

<comment><USER30> `Ctrl+Shift+C` to select the element, `Delete` to remove it :)

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER31> I like the Momentum extension.

Each time you open a new tab you see a nice picture.

[https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/momentum/laookkfkn...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/momentum/laookkfknpbbblfpciffpaejjkokdgca?hl=en)

<comment><USER32> I see that they get the pictures from 500px. Do you know where they get the quotations from?

</comment></comment><comment><USER33> [http://www.nomorvom.co.uk](http://www.nomorvom.co.uk) is indispensable if you order takeaway from just-eat. it adds UK food hygiene scores to the search results.

Full disclosure: I wrote it, but it is open source and totally free.

<comment><USER33> [https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/nomorvom/dlddncnin...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/nomorvom/dlddncninpbgmlehociemoojbhhhnmph?hl=en- GB)

</comment></comment><comment><USER34> Streamkeys [https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/streamkeys/ekpipjo...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/streamkeys/ekpipjofdicppbepocohdlgenahaneen?hl=en)

<comment><USER35> That is my extension :). Source is here for those interested: [https://github.com/berrberr/streamkeys](https://github.com/berrberr/streamkeys)

</comment></comment><comment><USER36> Twitter Account Switcher

[https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/twitcher- twitter-a...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/twitcher-twitter- account/gmngpagflejjoblmmamaonmnkghjmebh)

</comment><comment><USER8> Auto Copy: Automatically copy selected text to the clipboard. Has options for copying as plain text; including the URL in the copied text; etc.

[https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/auto- copy/bijpdibk...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/auto- copy/bijpdibkloghppkbmhcklkogpjaenfkg)

Tab Snooze: Close unnecessary tabs and make them magically reappear when you need them.

[https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/tab- snooze/pdiebia...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/tab- snooze/pdiebiamhaleloakpcgmpnenggpjbcbm)

</comment><comment><USER37> h264ify - force youtube to use h264 instead of the VP8/VP9 codecs. Unlike h264, which can benefit from hardware decoding, VP8/VP9 are completely done by the CPU, so they eat battery like crazy on laptops.

<comment><USER38> just make sure your gpu supports accelerated h264 in all formats you are interested in (1080@60, 4K etc), otherwise Chrome will use its own internal SLOW AS CRAP unoptimized SINGLE THREADED software decoder which cant handle 1080@60 on 4GHz Haswell. While supposedly more cpu intensive VP9 plays just fine, Im sure its just coincidence.

<comment><USER37> Ha, I did not know this. I'm on a puny, 5-year old MacBook Air and h264 helps.

The new Raspberry PI desktop (PIXEL) includes Chromium with h264ify for hardware-accelerated playback! ([https://www.raspberrypi.org/blog/introducing- pixel/](https://www.raspberrypi.org/blog/introducing-pixel/))

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER39> Shameless plug: Zombocam. It adds filters and effects to any webcam stream on any page! We just launched: [https://www.zombocam.com](https://www.zombocam.com)

<comment><USER40> Shameless astroturfing: I love zombocam; the only limit is myself!

</comment></comment><comment><USER41> 1\. OpenPuppies: [https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/openpuppies/eibead...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/openpuppies/eibeadnlhlhkedcdhfljihkfkgmcacin?hl=en) 2\. Dribbble New Tab: [https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/dribbble-new- tab/h...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/dribbble-new- tab/hmhjbefkpednjogghoibpejdmemkinbn)

<comment><USER42> why does openPuppies need the rights to read and change _every_ website I visit?

<comment><USER43> And why is it 400M?

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER44> Video Speed Controller: [https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/video- speed-contro...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/video-speed- controller/nffaoalbilbmmfgbnbgppjihopabppdk?hl=en)

After installing this, you can adjust the playback speed by 0.1 increments on any HTML5 video element. Works great for lectures and talks. I often watch some videos at 1.5x, 2x, and sometimes even 3x for exceptionally slow speakers.

</comment><comment><USER45> SurfingKeys - "...keyboard-based navigation and control of the web in the spirit of the VIM editor."

[https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/surfingkeys/gfblio...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/surfingkeys/gfbliohnnapiefjpjlpjnehglfpaknnc) [https://github.com/brookhong/Surfingkeys](https://github.com/brookhong/Surfingkeys)

</comment><comment><USER46> Google dictionary - double tap anything and it shows definition or translation.

"Click to remove element" \- Remove any html element.

"Fix fixed" \- remove sticky headers

And various adblockers I guess.

<comment><USER47> Seconded on Google Dictionary. I use that everyday it seems.

</comment></comment><comment><USER48> Wasa"Vi": [https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/wasavi/dgogifpkoil...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/wasavi/dgogifpkoilgiofhhhodbodcfgomelhe?hl=en- US)

It allows you to turn any <textarea> into a small vim-style editor (by simply pressing ctrl+enter). This and vimium really turn chrome into a full vim experience.

</comment><comment><USER49> Postman and its Http interceptor. fiddle with http requests, manipulate which headers are sent. even intercept Http requests and change values on the flight

<comment><USER50> That's going to become deprecated soon since 'Chrome Apps' are. There's a standalone electron app that's basically the same though.

</comment></comment><comment><USER51> [https://www.opentest.co/](https://www.opentest.co/) \- for recording videos, audio

[http://www.gettoby.com/](http://www.gettoby.com/) \- for saving bookmarks easily.

[http://www.unwander.com](http://www.unwander.com) \- for saving places from Trip Advisor, Yelp etc directly to a Trello type board.

</comment><comment><USER52> CACKey ;-)

Trying out Falcon, keeping the exclusion list updated has been slighty more work than originally estimated.

Proxy Switcher, to access some sites though an SSH proxy automatically

</comment><comment><USER53> BriefTube - It's a chrome extension that provides TLDR; for long videos. It works well on Youtube, Coursera, Edx etc.

[https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/brieftube- instant-...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/brieftube-instant- video-s/gfckdcbnnkobldfaefmhaigdolfniill)

note: I'm the proud developer of BriefTube.

</comment><comment><USER54> Strict Workflow [1].

Allows my monkey brain to actually get some code written when I'm connected to the chasm of infinite distraction that is the internet.

[1] [https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/strict- workflow/cg...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/strict- workflow/cgmnfnmlficgeijcalkgnnkigkefkbhd)

</comment><comment><USER55> Boomerang for gmail: Allows you to schedule messages to be sent or returned at a later date. [https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/boomerang-for- gmai...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/boomerang-for- gmail/mdanidgdpmkimeiiojknlnekblgmpdll?hl=en)

</comment><comment><USER56> The iGive button [1], it automatically donates $ to the charity of my choosing when I shop online.

[1] [https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/igive- button/igcjd...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/igive- button/igcjdamjhkmdccbmbilbpabpofenchge)

</comment><comment><USER57> Tabby Cat - beautiful cat illustrations/animations each time you open a tab: [https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/tabby- cat/mefhakmg...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/tabby- cat/mefhakmgclhhfbdadeojlkbllmecialg?hl=en)

</comment><comment><USER58> Livestyle: [https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/emmet- livestyle/di...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/emmet- livestyle/diebikgmpmeppiilkaijjbdgciafajmg?hl=en)

A little buggy, but saves a lot of time while developing a new site.

</comment><comment><USER59> Pocket React Dev Tools

Twitter Web Night Mode - [https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/twitter- web-night-...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/twitter-web-night- mode/cadmiljohldbooihfbkjkobepojailca) (Disclaimer - I built this )

</comment><comment><USER60> UTM Stripper — removes tracking tokens from URL query parameters before sending network request. Uses an internal 307 redirect before requesting the resource.

[https://github.com/jparise/chrome-utm- stripper](https://github.com/jparise/chrome-utm-stripper)

<comment><USER38> why strip when you can block trackers directly?

<comment><USER60> Well UTM parameters are part of the URL itself, which is useful to strip so you don't request them in the first place, and of course for cleaner links when sharing. Using an ad/tracker blocker is complimentary.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER61> Liner - Highlight and save your favorite text [https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/the-only-webpdf- hi...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/the-only-webpdf- highlight/bmhcbmnbenmcecpmpepghooflbehcack)

</comment><comment><USER62> The 'Save to Pocket' extension: [https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/save-to- pocket/nil...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/save-to- pocket/niloccemoadcdkdjlinkgdfekeahmflj?hl=en)

</comment><comment><USER63> When angular.js first came out, a chrome extension was released which displayed popular hacker quotes like "ship it" " when new tabs were opened. What was the name of that extension? I can't remember that after I sold my Mac mini, but that was my favorite.

</comment><comment><USER64> * All-in-One Messenger [https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/all-in-one-messeng...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/all-in-one-messenger/lainlkmlgipednloilifbppmhdocjbda) * uBlock

</comment><comment><USER65> Autoforms ([https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/autoforms/jiicloib...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/autoforms/jiicloibjkdeebmplabecnnnbllmajeg))

</comment><comment><USER66> Anyone could recommend any good gestures extensions? That's the only thing keeping me on the Firefox right now. I tried a bunch of the most popular ones, but rocker gestures (prev/next tab) almost never works as intended :(

<comment><USER38> try Vivaldi browser, its Chrome by Opera Presto devs. Gestures work just like in Presto.

</comment></comment><comment><USER67> Along with all the excellent options posted here, just wanted to recommend - "Ink for Google". It gives a material design look and feel for all google related sites.

Its Pretty good. Especially on youtube.

</comment><comment><USER68> HackerTagger - Lets you tag people on HN if they're interesting in some way. I've also got tags for anyone who mentioned they're founder of X, for future context in comments.

</comment><comment><USER69> [https://plus.google.com/collection/ML9Ex](https://plus.google.com/collection/ML9Ex)

</comment><comment><USER70> uBlock Origin, TabAttack and The Great Suspender.

Another is one I wrote and use to read articles without seeing paywalls. It got pulled off the chrome web store as it started to pick up users, but you can still install and run it in developer mode: [https://github.com/cezary/bypass](https://github.com/cezary/bypass)

</comment><comment><USER71> HTTPS Everywhere, Privacy Badger, uBlock Origin

</comment><comment><USER72> Georgify - alternate CSS for hacker news.

<comment><USER50> I really like 'HN Special'. Been using it for ages and only ever goes weird on death days.

[https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/hn-special-an- addi...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/hn-special-an-addition- to/cchaceegbflphbdpfocjalgjhjoahiia?hl=en)

</comment></comment><comment><USER73> SwithyOmega: to break the Great Firewall

Lightshot: to capture some part of the page as png

Google Transalte: to understand others

Adblock Pro: to block ads cruelly

</comment><comment><USER74> AdBlock is a given but I really like rikaikun which translates Japanese kanji on hover.

</comment><comment><USER75> Awesome Screenshot Minus – What does everyone else use to make nice screenshots?

</comment><comment><USER76> Papaly.com it's a bookmark dashboard it's very fast and comfortable.

</comment><comment><USER77> Adblock

</comment><comment><USER78> adblock plus

adblock for youtube

the great suspender

quick javascript switcher

</comment><comment><USER79> \- AdBlocker

\- Pocket

\- Any.Do

\- ProductHunt

\- FlickrTab

</comment><comment><USER38> -ContentBlockHelper (instead of uBlock/Ghostery)

-Tampermonkey

<comment><USER36> +1 for tampermonkey

Have you written any nice scripts with it?

<comment><USER38> Small random tweaks and hooks, for example adding button to auto invoke youtube-dl on YT and twitch(using custom URI), Hackaday comment system enhancement(highlights new and your own comments in diff color), style injection instead of Stylebot on few pages (using 50MB permanently for plugin just because I have two custom styles on pages I read maybe once a week really hurt my brain, even with 16GB onboard:/), gmail url tracking stripper etc, small stuff. I pretty much imported all of my userscripts from Opera Presto, wouldnt make the switch if there was no way to inject own .js code quickly and painlessly in Chrome/Vivaldi.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER80> Quick Javascript Switcher (turn off JS by default and only enable for the few sites needed).

</comment><comment><USER81> \- uBlock (of course)

\- Vimium

\- YouTube Ratings Preview

\- Remove Google Redirection

\- TrackMeNot (sends random queries to search engines)

\- uMatrix

\- HTTP Headers

\- Vanilla Cookie Manager

\- Project Naphta (on the fly OCR for images)

</comment><comment><USER82> I use Brieftube to skim through long youtube/coursera videos or to pinpoint to a specific memorable frame in a video I once watched (e.g. obama laughing at bernie at white house gathering). Brieftube runs fast, and creates a nice table of contents which also allows easy searching in the sub titles

(currently, extension seems to work only for videos accompanied with english subtitles)

[https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/brieftube- instant-...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/brieftube-instant- video-s/gfckdcbnnkobldfaefmhaigdolfniill?hl=en)</comment>


Mouth Sets Healing Standard - <AUTHOR> https://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode/mouth-sets-healing-standard/ <comment><USER2> Or, in my case, a small scratch from my toothbrush flares up into a super painful canker sore.

<comment><USER3> Don't suffer from this myself but I saw a reddit thread on this recently. It seems that SLS-free toothpaste is helpful for many people. Some other tips in there too. May be helpful for you.

[https://old.reddit.com/r/LifeProTips/comments/8zadwn/lpt_if_...](https://old.reddit.com/r/LifeProTips/comments/8zadwn/lpt_if_you_suffer_from_mouth_ulcers_such_as/)

</comment></comment><comment><USER4> > Morasso and her colleagues also tested this idea by genetically engineering > mice to have more of those factors, the 'directors', in their regular skin > tissue—and sure enough, those mice had significantly faster skin wound > healing than did control mice.

Okay, what is the downside? I suppose there should be one, otherwise evolution would have generated mice with faster-healing skin.

<comment><USER5> Generally, the downside of having tissues grow / heal faster is increased growth rate of cancers. I'm speculating, but exposure of the skin to the sun's ultraviolet radiation may have helped determine the trade-off.

Also, I would argue that there isn't a large selective pressure for skin to heal faster. Once a wound has scabbed over, the risk of infection is relatively low.

<comment><USER6> It occurs to me that letting the wound scab over first would also protect fast replicating cells from UV radiation.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER7> > But we can't genetically engineer humans.

But we can; it is just an opinion that we should not.

<comment><USER8> At least with CRISPR, they're discovering unfortunate side effects and unintended mutations: [https://www.google.com/search?q=crispr+side+effects](https://www.google.com/search?q=crispr+side+effects)</comment></comment>


How to always be sure that your connection is secure - <AUTHOR> http://scratchingmyownitch.com/post/2090527409/howto-always-be-sure-connection-secure <comment><USER2> (assuming you only care about firefox, not email, dns lookups, chat, software updates, that script that calls wget or curl, your netflix live client, etc...)

Ugh.

If you're worried about security on your email or bank account or whatever, you need to use TLS whether you're at home, at work, or on an unencrypted WLAN. You still have a lot of risk at home and at work, since you don't have end-to-end control of a tcp request. And if you're doing that, a tunnel within a tunnel doesn't buy you anything.

If you're worried about people 'sniffing' traffic on a WLAN, and building up a profile on you that can somehow be used against you, you're better off using something like TOR instead of an Ad-Hoc web-only proxy. And even then you need to take a lot of care to make sure all of the web-enabled applications you use actually use the dang proxy.

<comment><USER3> This article is about being sure that (Firefox) traffic is being tunneled when you are on an unprotected WLAN, but I agree that taking extra measures such as using TLS/SSL where possible is also a good addition. However, because not all sites have support for TLS/SSL (e.g. HN), I think it is wise to tunnel all traffic since while the tunnel doesn't add much security to the already encrypted traffic, it still protects the otherwise unsecured traffic from being sniffed by someone else on the unprotected WLAN.

As for TOR, I have found it to generally be painfully slow but I must admit that I haven't tested it at all that much. Also, with clients such as Pidgin and Thunderbird, you can use a SOCKS5 proxy for chat and mail respectively.

Lastly, both Firefox and Thunderbird can be configured to do their DNS lookups through the SOCKS5 proxy.

<comment><USER2> But both the title and the summary claim that it secures your 'internet connection', not your 'firefox connection'. That's my big gripe with the article. And of course you can setup SOCKS5 proxies for all apps, but it'd be nice if the article mentioned it.

<comment><USER3> I agree that the way I phrased parts of the article may have been a little unfortunate, and that I should mention the possibility of using SOCKS5 for other applications as well - I'll edit the article accordingly as soon as possible after tumblr is accessible again. Thanks for the feedback.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER4> That site is currently under trouble.

<comment><USER3> It seems that several tumblr-sites are currently down. Meanwhile, use the cached version [1].

[1]: [http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:http://...](http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:http://scratchingmyownitch.com/post/2090527409/howto- always-be-sure-connection-secure)</comment></comment>


Raspberry PI 2 support added - <AUTHOR> http://blog.netbsd.org/tnf/entry/raspberry_pi_2_support_added

<comment><USER2> NetBSD development is going gangbusters lately.

-current is getting a ton of attention w/ accelerated graphics (very nice) and dtrace is getting lots of love, and small device support (like Pi2) is constantly advancing. And still the same extremely solid-feeling, sensible OS you've always known and loved.

I started using NetBSD about 11 years ago, and am constantly amazed with the experience. Looked to move to Linux and other BSDs, but can't bring myself to leave Net. If you haven't already started using it, now is a _great_ time to begin.

<comment><USER3> NetBSD 7 (very soon now) is going to be really nice. There are a huge number of improvements that add up to a really nice system.

<comment><USER4> Is there a link to somewhere that discusses what's coming up in 7?

<comment><USER2> [http://www.netbsd.org/changes/changes-7.0.html](http://www.netbsd.org/changes/changes-7.0.html)

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment> mark-r > Stay tuned for multiprocessor support!

The dump below that statement appears to verify that only one of the 4 cores is operational.

I'm surprised that multiprocessor support would be a big deal to implement.

<comment><USER5> I don't know the technical reasons behind it, but both OpenBSD and NetBSD once had issues with SMP. I think they both have resolved them in x86 land but I don't know about other platforms. Maybe this is a similar issue and won't take long to work out.

<comment><USER2> NetBSD has had multiprocessor support since 2004 [1] -- the biggest thing I remember re: "multi" support was fiddling w/ the thread model, which was a sort of radical period in development[2]...

[1] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NetBSD#Symmetric_multiprocessin...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NetBSD#Symmetric_multiprocessing)

[2] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scheduler_activations](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scheduler_activations)</comment></comment></comment>


Uber losses expected to hit $3B in 2016 despite revenue growth - <AUTHOR> https://techcrunch.com/2016/12/21/uber-losses-expected-to-hit-3-billion-in-2016-despite-revenue-growth/ <comment><USER2> Previously: [https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13216451](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13216451)

</comment><comment><USER3> My knee-jerk reaction to the shocking scale of losses reminded me of Amazon during the dot-com days of the late 90s and early 00s. They seemed to bleed vast sums of money every quarter. And now they seem absolutely rule online retail.

Granted, it took a long time to get to this stage.

<comment><USER4> The difference was Amazon intentionally spent every dime reinvesting in their infrastructure and fulfillment pipeline. Uber is pricing themselves below cost to gain market share. It could be a winning strategy for Uber, but comparing them to Amazon is very superficial at best.

</comment></comment><comment><USER5> Google image search cab company owner and then explain where the billions in profit are hiding in the system.

</comment><comment><USER6> They will be wildly profitable if they can just outlast taxis and lyft...

<comment><USER7> i.e. they would be wildly popular if they just didn't have any competition?

<comment><USER8> Why would that make them wildly profitable? You have to find margins better than a taxi company somewhere and not just assume they exist because it's an app.

(I keep making this same post for some reason.)</comment></comment></comment>


DeviantArt is growing up with its biggest redesign ever - <AUTHOR> https://www.theverge.com/2019/5/17/18623190/deviantart-eclipse-redesign-wix-acquisition <comment><USER2> it's gonna kill what engagement is still there :(</comment>


HTML5 Custom Elements: Contentious Bits - <AUTHOR> https://github.com/w3c/webcomponents/wiki/Custom-Elements:-Contentious-Bits <comment><USER2> Most of the contentious pieces listed in the article are very difficult problems and correspond to similar problems in language and framework design. It's awesome this is being done in a community driven fashion. Once these issues are worked out, it would mean the existence of a very flexible componentized UI system. In other words it's on par with web assembly in terms of creating a de facto universal virtual machine, but in this case a universal graphical system. Yes it'll have warts, and painful spots, but that will be far outdated that there will be multiple implementations based on a living specification. E.g. Many of the things that made PC architecture great should apply here. I think it's already started with the rise of clojurescript, typescript, and llvm ecmascript emitter.

I've been toying around with the idea of implementing an actor style computation framework on top of web components. In this area details like instantiate in order become crucial. It's a bit odd to see the subtree notification order down on the "other items" list.

Has anyone else made progress in applying an actor computational model on components? In particular in embedding nomadic data into them via message passing? A lot of interesting work has been happening in formalizing data processing in combination with closures [1,2]. I've created some initial prototypes that turns scxml into functioning state matching with svg rendering but have stalled a little in specifying the message passing specification. If anyone's interested I could share the code on github.

[1]: [http://downloads.typesafe.com/website/presentations/ScalaDay...](http://downloads.typesafe.com/website/presentations/ScalaDaysSF2015/T4_Miller_Function- Passing.pdf) [2]: [https://medium.com/@ChuckMiskyes/highlights-from-curry-on- pr...](https://medium.com/@ChuckMiskyes/highlights-from-curry-on- prague-d9b5923fbfe2#.p3i5ei146)

<comment><USER3> I had been playing with some very naive data-flow custom elements as part of a GUI logic in Polymer Designer:

[https://github.com/Polymer/designer/tree/master/elements/log...](https://github.com/Polymer/designer/tree/master/elements/logic) [https://github.com/Polymer/designer/tree/master/elements/des...](https://github.com/Polymer/designer/tree/master/elements/designer- logic-editor)

They use Polymer's data-binding for message passing, which is just sugar for synchronous property setting, so it could have some issues with un- synchronized related state that would be handled better by a real dataflow system. I haven't worked on it in quite a while, but if I get back to it I might work on an event or stream based system.

My motivation here is that using custom elements to both setup and execute the dataflow graph could be very nice for allowing non-programmers to build UI logic, especially when paired with a GUI editor.

</comment></comment><comment><USER4> Seems to me that the HTML 5 living-standard crowd, who were largely opposed to the XHTML concept, are trying to reinvent a bunch of stuff that XML was already good at - the "eXtensible" part of it.

Am I completely misunderstanding the situation?

<comment><USER5> Kinda. What this people are talking about are actually extending the DOM with actual nodes that are programmatically defined. You could never do this kind of stuff to the DOM with XML+XSLT

<comment><USER6> can't they just fix the mutator api and allow better low level support for realtime dom and css interaction?

that would enable defining virtual components in javascript using the standard dom+css for rendering, instead of locking an area of the page to be a unstylable code defined render target - we already got canvas for that

<comment><USER7> Custom elements / Web components are just normal HTML + CSS, not a different rendering method. The big difference is that their styling is isolated from that of the parent DOM.

<comment><USER8> IIRC a Custom Element does not necessitate a shadow DOM. Shadow DOMs are attached programmatically and the definition of a Web Component is a custom element with a shadow DOM that allows it to act like a encapsulated, reusable module. You can have custom elements in Angular without a shadow DOM, hence the existence of Polymer.

<comment><USER9> Although you're right in general, this sentence is pretty confused:

> You can have custom elements in Angular without a shadow DOM, hence the > existence of Polymer.

Angular's "custom elements" are not custom elements at all; they are just HTMLUnknownElement. (That is, `document.querySelector("x-my-angular-element") instanceof HTMLUnknownElement` is true.) To program against these unknown elements, you hook up Angular controllers to them, and the Angular runtime plumbs notifications between your HTMLUnknownElement and the associated controller.

What custom elements brings to the table is the ability to actually create an API for your element that is integrated into the DOM. That is, `document.querySelector("x-my-actual-custom-element") instanceof MyClass`, where `MyClass` is something you define. This will allow things like `myEl.myMethod()`, or `myEl.prop = "value"`, or similar. So you can directly interface with a custom element's API the same way you interface with HTML elements (`form.submit()`, `button.click()`, `input.value = "foo"`). You don't need to use a framework to plumb things around between the actual element, and some associated controller object hidden in a service location container.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER3> This big hope here is that the standard can be finalized in time for native custom elements to be released in Safari 10. Given Safari's slow release schedule, if they don't make it by 10, the next opportunity will be almost 2 years from now. For IE, Firefox, Chrome and Opera, the situation isn't as urgent.

<comment><USER10> I haven't had experience with custom elements, but I think they can be polyfilled quite well. In that case, Safari 10 shipping this would not be a major concern.

<comment><USER3> Polyfilling custom elements right now is ready because only Blink has native shadow DOM, so the polyfill can use a single mutation observer. With native shadow DOM, but no native custom elements the polyfill would need a mutation observer in each shadow root. It would work, but might be slow.</comment></comment></comment>