Ask HN: What non-financial ways can I/we help Wikileaks? - <AUTHOR>

We've all been watching Wikileaks take a beating from the powers that be, and even though I might take issue with the way in which they handle some of their information I think their cause is important and I find it deplorable that the big guns (Amazon, Paypal, EveryDNS, etc.) would try to essentially kick someone off the internet rather than at least allowing free speech to take place.
I don't have a lot of money right now (bootstrapping a startup while my last one sits in the clutches of an evil marketing megalomaniac), so donating to Wikileaks is not really an option. I do have a fair amount of technical expertise (as compared to the general public, at least - maybe not compared to the community here or the staff at WL). What can I do to help them, and does anyone else want to get on board? <comment><USER2> You can support the release of information, and wikileaks, by seeding their torrents: <http://thepiratebay.org/search/wikileaks/0/99/0>

Or you can be a public backup; mirror the wikileaks site like the dutch "schock blog" Geenstijl did: [http://mirror.geenstijl.nl/20101203-wikileaks/220.127.116.11...](http://mirror.geenstijl.nl/20101203-wikileaks/184.108.40.206/index.html)

<comment><USER3> How much space does the mirror take?

 _Edit: not much, <15MiB. Got some torrents seeded now, thanks for pointer._

<comment><USER2> For those interested, this is a torrent for a mirror of today's website: [http://thepiratebay.org/torrent/6009610/Wikileaks_Offline_Mi...](http://thepiratebay.org/torrent/6009610/Wikileaks_Offline_Mirror_- _By_Palatinux)

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER4> Wikileaks activists and whistleblowers rely on Tor. Assange has publicly stated that by running a Tor relay you can help the backbone infrastructure. Wikileaks would not exist without Tor.

<http://www.torproject.org/>

<http://www.torservers.net/>

If you are a coder, donate your time and help with development (irc.oftc.net, #tor)

<comment><USER5> The hard part about running a Tor node for me has always been that you're helping the bad guys just as much or even more as you're helping the good guys, make sure that you know what you are getting in to before running a Tor node.

<comment><USER4> If you ask Tor exit node operators, they all share the same experience: Abuse is very low in comparison to the traffic they're pushing as a whole.

And yes, technology can be misused. So can a hammer. Tor protects everyone. Who is to judge about what is "bad" and what is "good"? US Government? Google?

There's an estimated number of at least 10,000 bridge users EVERY DAY. I don't think any criminal would go through the pain of using bridges, so that must be people behind firewalls in totalitarian countries.

Also, if you're up to something not good, it's always easy. As a criminal you can buy bot nets, pay servers with stolen credit cards, etc.

<comment><USER6> Pretty straightforward to make the good/bad judgement about child pornography. (I like Tor; unlike WL, my Tor reservations are entirely technical).

<comment><USER7> Except that countries differ in their legal definition of what a child is.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER8> Great question -- and great suggestions elsewhere in the thread.

One very useful thing to do is boycott Amazon over this, and ask your friends and family to do so as well. It's easy enough:

\- buy books and DVDs elsewhere this holiday season \- ask any friends and family not to buy via Amazon \- post about it on your Facebook (and your blog if you have one)

Amazon made a business decision not to stand up for free speech. If they take a beating as a result, other companies will think twice before doing the same.

<comment><AUTHOR> Good call. I am not usually into the sort of activism that involves boycotts because I find them counter-productive, but I'd rather support my local bookstores anyways so I might as well be vocal about it.

<comment><USER8> it's a great point ... one of the great things about this is the chance to do something positive with the money. so maybe a "boycott" isn't the right way to pitch it. other suggestions welcome.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER9> Amazon, Paypal, EveryDNS, and now Wells Fargo. Tried to make a credit card donation this morning after hearing about the mafia-style business tactics and Wells put a block on my card! I called and had the block lifted, then asked to file a complaint, but the manager said I could not follow-up nor would they issue a complaint number! You might not be surprised by something like this in Russia, but I live in the US!

</comment><comment><USER10> Their main goal is in disseminating information. The front page is just the wrapping paper. If you want to further their goals, seed their torrents.

<comment><AUTHOR> As I noted in a different reply - I agree with you, but I think the wrapping paper is very important for a large segment of their audience. Believe it or not, I know many people who grew up with computers and yet don't know what a torrent is or how to use them. Beyond seeding torrents, I would like to make sure that people know how to find the information.

</comment></comment><comment><USER11> The problem at the moment is that wikileaks can't handle the growth both in terms of submitted documents and volunteers lining up to help.

Daniel Domscheit-Berg said in a german interview a few months ago that they have a full inbox for programmers willing to extend the plattform, but they don't have any resources to review the applications nor the "middle management" to coordinate them.

Also Assange has put no effort into changing this in favour of releasing these "big" scoops. So: at the moment there probably isn't much you can do in terms of direct involvement.

</comment><comment><USER12> Also consider those who won't be savvy enough to look to torrents but still need the info. Mirror the sites and distribute the links across social networks. Consider sharing with the UK, FR, ES, DE & US journalists who had a preview of the cables prior to going public. They may be able to disseminate to interested general public more efficiently.

</comment><comment><USER13> Regardless of your favored method of distribution, make sure you consider the consequences of sharing classified documents.

Those consequences are probably negligible for the overwhelming majority here, but for anybody anticipating getting a US security clearance within the next seven years, you're likely shooting yourself in the foot. You'll either have to reveal the fact that you've disclosed classified material, or else lie under oath. Neither of those being ideal if you're trying to get that job.

It also conflicts with your clearance if you're already holding one.

I'm not saying you should or shouldn't support Wikileaks. Just make sure you give it adequate thought before jumping on a torrent.

<comment><USER14> It's absurd. It's public knowledge now. They're trying to threaten the bourgeois intellectuals. DOn't give into this baseless (Baseless in precedent I don't know how much they get to discriminate based on politics) threat. Also if State et al. don't hire anyone interested by the cables I think we might be slightly screwed later.

<comment><USER13> Rather than get into the ethics of it, I was simply hoping that people would pause, even if just for a second, to make sure they were comfortable being involved. I'm not trying to sway people either way.

I agree with you - you can't put Pandora back in the box. I don't, however, think that changes the classification of the leaked documents. When judging an individual's fitness for a security clearance, I imagine that they're looking more at character traits than specific instances of undesirable behavior. Sharing these documents that are already "public knowledge" is only noteworthy because it _may_ indicate that you're not uncomfortable with the idea of releasing classified documents if it's for a cause you believe in. (Just speculating here)

 _> >Also if State et al. don't hire anyone interested by the cables I think we might be slightly screwed later_

I disagree with this. I can think of a handful of reasons somebody lacking interest in these cables would still want to work for the government. Example: To do engineering work for a defense contractor, you'll undoubtedly need a secret+ clearance. You might seek such positions for the job security they provide. Or maybe you're interested in working with cutting edge technology that isn't necessarily available at more budget constrained (IE commercial) companies. Many of the engineers working at a high technical level are drawn to the technology, not the politics.

To reveal any bias, I should note that I do contract work for the US government.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER8> send a holiday card to Bradley Manning (the alleged whistleblower, currently in the brig in Quantico)

[http://www.bradleymanning.org/15364/holiday-cards-for- bradle...](http://www.bradleymanning.org/15364/holiday-cards-for-bradley- mannings-freedom/)

</comment><comment><USER15> Don't stop the support once it's no longer frontpage news.

As for details... I'm wondering myself. I feel too much like a slacktivist so far.

</comment><comment><USER16> Write to your politician/newspaper in support for wikileaks

<comment><USER8> great suggestion. and phone them, too.

</comment></comment><comment><USER17> I suppose one way to help is by sending them leaks. I hear they're looking for corporate leaks now, so they could certainly be helped by people who have evidence of corporate wrongdoing.

</comment><comment><USER4> <http://piratenpad.de/CBlttttTHT>

</comment><comment><USER18> Wait, at what point did releasing classified information, treason, become something worth supporting?

Edit: I love it. Downvoted. Information is classified for many reasons. Some of which are because some information may help the US's enemies. That is treason.

Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort.

You only know now that the information released was not of high caliber. You only know that after 1 man decided to release these documents. If this 1 man decides to continue to release information, one day he may release something more substantial that could actually harm the US.

You downvote me for what? Because you don't agree that it's treason? Or you simply support someone releasing classified information. You don't get to break the law and then later claim that it's not that bad. He broke. the. law.

<comment><USER19> I'll agree that _embarrassing_ information was released.

But I think the allegation of "eleasing classified information, treason..." needs to be proven ( at least _better_ evidenced ) before suppression by governmental (quasi-governmental?) retaliation.

<comment><USER18> See, it's only with hindsight that you get to know that it was simply embarrassing information. Before it was released, it could have been a myriad of things all of which could have easily been treason because it may have aided our enemies.</comment></comment></comment>


Ask HN: Ctrl/Shift with same hand or opposite? - <AUTHOR>

I have been contemplating the techniques in efficient typing. In particular, whether it is more efficient to press a Ctrl or Shift key with the same hand that you press a number or letter, or with the opposite one.<p>Have you any thoughts on this? <comment><USER2> Change caps lock to control. It will be awkward for a day and then you'll probably love it. Especially if you are using OS X or *nix where you are doing a lot of ctrl+d, ctrl+e, ctrl+a, ctrl+k, etc.

</comment><comment><USER3> All left hand, and my Caps Lock is mapped to Ctrl. Life-changing.

<comment><AUTHOR> I'm trying this out currently. Only problem seems to be when I need to use Ctrl with Alt. Then the original control seems to be more natural.

Do you have an opinion on using the right shift/control?

<comment><USER3> I don't use the right modifier keys out of habit. However, using Ctrl+Alt with Caps Lock still feels natural (I press alt with my thumb and caps lock with my ring finger, feels very natural). Also, I leave Ctrl still mapped to Ctrl so effectively I have two Ctrls on the left side and use whichever is more convenient. (Still tends to be Caps Lock in almost all situations)

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER4> Same hand. Each hand should work independently, so the other hand can already be moving to the next key(s).

<comment><AUTHOR> Is there any reason you believe this to be most efficient?

The downside to using the same hand is that it is slower for that hand to complete the depressions as it is more awkward.</comment></comment>


Too Many People Buying iPhones Other Than the 5 - <AUTHOR> http://daringfireball.net/linked/2013/04/29/knock-on-apple

<comment><USER2> Yet if it was more accurately framed as $2000 for an iPhone 4 with 2 years of service or $2200 for an iPhone 5 with 2 years of service, she probably would never have picked the iPhone 4. She might have picked the iPhone 5 or she might have picked a dumb phone that didn't require a data plan.

</comment><comment><USER3> Yep, great point, it cannot possibly hurt Apple to have new customers coming into the ecosystem. After all they are going to be buying apps from the app store where Apple takes a 30% cut. The device is only the beginning. They are probably also likely to buy other Apple products - like MacBooks. This was Jobs' strategy when he moved advertising dollars to the iPod. He knew it would move more Macs (although in the early days iPods required a Mac).

</comment><comment><USER4> If this shows anything, it's that Apple is feeling the pressure to for faster planed obsolescence. People don't go running after Samsung Galaxy S2 released around the same time, because for a long time Galaxy was stuck with an out of date Android version, while the iPhone ran the latest iOS as soon as it was released and will probably run the next one.

Devices that last long, can't get todays' short term investors happy.

</comment><comment><USER5> I disagree with this. I would buy a new iPhone, but I wouldn't buy a new iPhone 5. I truly can't see much innovation between the 5 and the 4S, except for a bigger screen and slightly faster, whoopee doo.

If you are going to sell over-priced luxury goods, then you need to make sure that you don't out-compete YOURSELF.

<comment><USER6> Leaving aside innovation, I think it'd be reasonable to add LTE and a 20% weight loss to that list.

</comment></comment><comment><USER7> Anyone read the daringfireball post? Seem not.

The POINT of his posting was to call out the moronic pundits for never being satisfied. At first criticizing Apple for not having a lower-priced iPhone and then in the same breath criticizing consumers who purchase the older iPhones because they are lower-priced.

The stupid decisions of consumers to purchase lower-priced phones considering how many years the cost of the phone will be amortized (at least in the prevalent US cellular phone market) had absolutely nothing to do with the article - however true that is.</comment>


'Facebook baby ads taunted me after stillborn' - <AUTHOR> https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-45901514/facebook-baby-ads-taunted-me-after-stillborn <comment><USER2> > Facebook said it was caused by a bug in the system that has now been fixed.

Funny how problems like these are attributed euphemistically to "bugs" that are "fixed" in reporting.

I do not often see journalism incorporating detailed descriptions of computer- related mishaps other than "glitches" [1,2]. It does not help that reporting on these circumstances to journalists may also be mediocre.

[1] [https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dr- gridlock/wp/2016/07/2...](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dr- gridlock/wp/2016/07/21/long-lines-for-southwest-airlines-passengers-at-area- airports/)

[2] [https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the- switch/wp/2015/07/08...](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the- switch/wp/2015/07/08/computer-glitches-are-basically-inevitable-but-for-big- companies-they-can-be-big-problems/)

<comment><USER3> Would it really matter? The root cause would probably sound something like this:

"The user's preferences were ignored because the advert system failed to invalidate the cache during the change, causing the user's previously cached settings to be used. This occurred only for a small set of users, who were in a similar geographic location and were assigned to an experimental cohort to test an updated component of the advert system."

Would anyone understand this? Would anyone care?

<comment><USER4> I feel like turning this into a technical issue is sleight of hand

<comment><USER5> Ah but you see, it isn't, here's what happened in the ticket system:

Feature: Display most profitable ads to users without offending anyone.

Bug: User was offended.

Resolution: Add user to block list for offending advert.

Status: resolved.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER6> My wife had a miscarriage last December; we've been getting mailers advertising baby formula for months - one of them was literally an entire box of samples. Turns out we'd both been trying to throw them away before the other one saw them, because it's kind of soul crushing as a reminder. Thanks, future!

</comment><comment><USER7> One of my acquaintances/facebook friend's daughter was murdered in Australia and she got ads about "surprising your daughter with this beautiful gift"

It's heart breaking to even think about it.

</comment><comment><USER8> I don't know if this would have stopped this particular instance but "Parenting" is one of three ad categories you can hide completely in your Facebook ad settings (the other two being Alcohol and Pets) so at least you have the option to be creeped out by other types of ads instead.

</comment><comment><USER9> This sucks. I thought "why not install an adblock," but not everyone thinks like that, and that's fair.

<comment><USER10> That doesn't work on the Facebook app. And then they block you for reporting too many ads. Facebook ads are late 90s era quality.

Not to mention fradulent.

<comment><USER11> "And then they block you for reporting too many ads."

Glad to see Facebook has the customer's best interests at heart.

<comment><USER12> To be fair if you try to block all ads you're not really a customer.

<comment><USER13> Users are not the customer - advertisers are. We don't pay facebook to use it advertisers do.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER14> Surely, they also get snail mail related to babies. This is not a technology/Facebook problem.

<comment><USER15> Not sure about elsewhere but in the UK we have a mechanism to prevent that: [https://secure.dma.org.uk/bmpsr/](https://secure.dma.org.uk/bmpsr/)

</comment></comment><comment><USER16> If you get offended by ads then install an ad blocking service. When I recently got a new computer, I tried to support content creators by not blocking their ads. After a few days I gave up, there were too many semi pornographic ads that offended me. After installing ublock origin, all my problems went away.

<comment><USER17> That sounds easy until you realize you would need a special adblocker for Facebook. Ublock Origin doesn't handle those.

And don't even get started on mobile adblocking, it's still widely uncharted territory. I had to use an altogether new browser on Android, because mobile Chrome doesn't allow ad-blocking plugins. Shocking, I know.

<comment><USER18> Social Fixer</comment></comment></comment>


Ask HN: A master's thesis topic that will help me get a job at Google? - <AUTHOR> What topic could I choose for my Master's thesis to learn a skill that will help me get a job at Google?
I'm not asking you to come up with an exact subject for me. I'm asking for some kind of guidance.
I know that Google tests the knowledge of graph theory quite strongly. Maybe it would be a good idea to write on something related to this topic?
I'm a computer science student. <comment><USER2> How about writing a thesis that isn't just for getting a job at an overrated company and on a topic that could help other people?

<comment><AUTHOR> Why do you think it's overrated? Have you worked there?

<comment><USER2> I've never worked there nor want to. I know plenty of people who've worked in and around the company, and they've painted a good portrait of company that isn't worth working for in 2019.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER3> I feel your motivation is misdirected.

A Masters/PhD thesis should be in something you're interested in and deeply care about. More than getting a job, it should be about advancing the frontiers of available knowledge in a given field.

If you do really well employers would line up to hire you.</comment>


Ask HN: Stock option strategy? - <AUTHOR>

I have been offered a job from a start-up and with it a big pile of stock options. I would be the first employee. Company has only acquired some seed and bridge funding.
Together with founders have we have a clear agreement for my commitment which will be only for three years and have agreed vesting schedule etc. along those lines, but the reality for this kind of venture is that the exit would happen probably around near year 4-5.
Do you see any kind of arrangement where I can walk out with options that don't expire (as probably don't have the cash to exercise when exiting) and someday make money out of those options ?
Also what are the key points one should have in the agreement  (their proposal is rather short and only contains mention of the amount, vesting period and rapid vesting on liquidation event) ? <comment><USER2> I would add a clause that if I am terminated after a grace period, say 90 days, that either all or a percentage of the options immediately vest. This will prevent you from being a candidate for termination to gain back options. You are taking a huge risk up front, make sure you secure that the compensation that you are taking that risk for cannot be pulled out from under you. As for walking without the options expiring, I think it is unfair to expect that of a company, the options are there to bind you to the company, until it is successful. Unless otherwise agreed upon you should have the same mindset. If you do not, you should go back and have a conversation with the principals and come to a meeting of the minds on that subject.

<comment><AUTHOR> Yeah, we see eye to eye with the commitment period and have agreed on that. It's just how to arrange a scheme that would allow me to keep a fair share of the company and make profit out if as I would be a key component of building the product. Actually I completely trust on the founders, but seed-a VCs might not agree with our arrangement.

<comment><USER3> My take:

Vesting is meant to prevent you from walking away with options while not being a part of the company because nobody wants to deal with former short term employees.

In the end, either you trust the founders to make only honest mistakes and treat you ethically or you don't...and the VC who has a personal reason to screw you out of options is a much less likely scenario than all the options and stock being worthless.

That being said, funding events could trigger portion of the options vesting.

It's all negotiable - but it may not be worth the mistrust hardball negotiations often create.

<comment><USER2> A group of partners that I had in one of my start-ups where guys that I though that I could trust, many of us had worked together before and I was young and not very experienced in these matters. I was diluted out of everything and ended up walking out of a 90 million dollar exit with less than 100k. I learned a valuable lesson then and there and that is when real money is involved people change. Get it in writing it you may end up regretting the fact that you did not.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER4> If you're in London there's an event going on this evening about exactly this topic:

[http://bootlaw.com/2011/10/29/november-2011-options-for- shar...](http://bootlaw.com/2011/10/29/november-2011-options-for-sharing/)

<comment><AUTHOR> Sadly no :( would have been very interesting</comment></comment>


"My position as Product Manager of Automation Technologies was eliminated" - <AUTHOR> https://macosxautomation.com/about.html <comment><AUTHOR> Q. I hear you no longer work for Apple; is that true?

A. Correct. I joined Apple in January of 1997, almost twenty years ago, because of my profound belief that "the power of the computer should reside in the hands of the one using it." That credo remains my truth to this day. Recently, I was informed that my position as Product Manager of Automation Technologies was eliminated for business reasons. Consequently, I am no longer employed by Apple Inc. But, I still believe my credo to be as true today as ever.

Because who needs or expects anything remotely 'pro' at Apple any more?

<comment><USER2> Just for fun / boredom, if he was granted $100,000 worth of shares every year since 1997 and reinvested his dividends after they started paying out, he'd have somewhere near 800,000 shares today worth nearly $85 million.

<comment><USER3> Does Apple give anyone that's not a senior executive nearly that many shares? If they do, I need to go return a recruiter call immediately.

<comment><USER4> It's absolutely within the range of possibility, even for an individual contributor.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER5> Apple's plan for the future does not include Mac or MacOS. They've been treating macOS as a second-tier OS for years and have been barely updating it. And when they do update it, they just backport some iOS features to it. You can also tell that macOS is not a priority because security updates for same kernel issues always come weeks after they've been fixed on iOS.

And let's not even get into Mac hardware and how there's no more true Pro options and how rarely they even update them.

Cook's infamous quote says it all about the future of Mac:

> _"I think if you're looking at a PC, why would you buy a PC anymore? No > really, why would you buy one?" – Tim Cook, talking about the iPad Pro_

Requiem for the Mac is in order.

<comment><USER6> Or they have been treating macOS as a mature OS where there is little space for the revolution. Except that part of "barely touching" is not really true.

      > You can also tell that macOS is not a priority because
      > security updates for same kernel issues always come weeks
      > after they've been fixed on iOS.

Or you can tell that iOS has much larger user base and hence the priority for security fixes.

<comment><AUTHOR> > Or you can tell that iOS has much larger user base and hence the priority > for security fixes.

Yeah because that single guy that needs to code all security patches has to finish iOS first before he goes to another building to work on macOS?

We are often discussing (me included) Apple moves like they have very little resources to do anything. Then I think again and d'oh.

<comment><USER7> AKAIK Apple no longer has a separate MacOS group. You could interpret this as a good or bad sign -- I interpret it positively. The Mac folks can develop drivers or whatever they need but core tech (e.g. GCD) need no longer start on one platform.

<comment><USER4> Ultimately, all the various *OS functions report to the same senior vice president. However, there still are teams that predominantly do macOS, iOS, etc, and there always have been engineers who worked on multiple platforms. Historically, the barriers have mostly been against porting iOS technology to macOS, but that hasn't been an issue in several years.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER8> Sad day. Sal is and has been the biggest cheerleader for macOS automation technologies ever.

</comment><comment><USER9> What a shame. I really thought we'd see some interesting developments in the macOS automation space, as only a couple of years ago JS was introduced as a scripting language alongside AScript. However, this is worrying as there are so so many individuals who rely on bespoke, fine-grained task automation (and not just glossy consumer apps) to use their Mac productively.

<comment><USER10> I'm quite happy with hammerspoon for MacOS GUI automation. I'm using it to collect the screenshots for a hyper(term) theme gallery ([https://hyperthemes.matthi.coffee](https://hyperthemes.matthi.coffee)).

Although now I'm not sure how much hammerspoon relies on the official APIs.

<comment><USER11> Two things:

1\. You have "https:/" (<\-- one "/") in the hyper.io link

2\. "server can't find hyper.io: SERVFAIL"

I'm interested in terminals, but this has an impossible-to-Google name (for obvious reasons).

The themes look really cool though!

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER12> > was informed that my position as Product Manager of Automation Technologies > was eliminated for business reasons. Consequently.

Business reasons to not have a head of automation for an Operating System? It truly could be the case, but honestly I'd be ok if someone investigated companies like Apple to see if there's an illegal pattern of letting go people over the age of 40.

<comment><USER13> I can't speak for the Apple of today, but when I left Apple in 2010 there were more wizened, "gray-beard" programmers working for Apple than at probably all the SOMA startups combined. Of all the things you could accuse Apple of (and there are plenty), I think ageism has got to be near the bottom of that list.

</comment></comment><comment><USER14> Hey, 20 years come get your reduction prize. This guys salary is probably a rounding error on a spreadsheet but what he knows about Apple in any line of their business would be worth the money. Just a shame.

</comment><comment><USER15> This is a great way to scare pro users after a lukewarm reaction to the latest MacBook Pro's.

</comment><comment> crack-the-code Does that mean that he was effectively fired? I can't help but think there must be some additional context as to why he was terminated and not transitioned to another role (assuming my understanding of the situation is correct). Is Apple really doing that bad?

<comment><USER16> Why would you think that? It's relatively uncommon for companies to transition employees when they decide to remove whole business functions.

<comment><USER17> It seems stupid that they just throw away talented people. And then they pay millions for talented people through buying startups.

<comment><USER18> Penny-wise and pound-foolish perhaps, but Apple absolutely doesn't have a cash flow problem that would get in the way of any flavor of these decisions.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER19> Sad to hear about Sal's departure (I'm not going to speculate on the reasoning).

What I guessing as I read into this is that Apple is likely moving towards cloud-based everything, and de-emphasizing OS-level functionality that's not tied to cloud.

</comment><comment><USER20> _" UNIX CLI (shell, python, ruby, perl), System Services, Apple Events (JavaScript, AppleScript, AppleScriptObj-C, Scripting Bridge), Automator, Apple Configurator (AppleScript, Automator), and Application scripting support in Photos, iWork, Finder, Mail, and other Apple applications."_

I can speculate why Apple has made this decision. Notice the amount of siri integration into macOS? This theoretically makes automation by code the black sheep in Apples grand plan. Do away with code, push voice.

<comment><USER21> Yup, that's exactly what my company's open plan office is missing. 50 people muttering aloud at their computers all day.

<comment><USER20> _" The integration of an at least partially voice-controlled intelligent digital assistant into a desktop, laptop, and/or tablet computer environment provides additional capabilities to the digital assistant, and enhances the usability and capabilities of the desktop, laptop, and/or tablet computer."_

 _" Intelligent Digital Assistant in a Desktop Environment"_, 2013 Apple patent ~ [http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph- Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=H...](http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph- Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch- adv.html&r=2&p=1&f=G&l=50&d=PG01&S1=\(345%2F473.CCLS.+AND+20140807.PD.\)&OS=ccl/345/473+and+pd/8/7/2014&RS=\(CCL/345/473+AND+PD/20140807\))

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER22> Unfortunately they have been neglecting this aspect of the Mac for a long time. It's a real shame because it used to be a solid advantage of the Mac over other OSs. Recently I looked to see if Automator is still on my system, I was surprised it's still included. They clearly don't care about this part of macOS and it's such a shame.

<comment><USER10> It's there, it works, you haven't looked at it in years. Apple may or may not care about it, but apparently neither do you.

Automation probably gets us excited about ideas to streamline our lives, but nobody ever gets around to it. I certainly hope it remains well-supported because there are people who actually need it (accessibility comes to mind). Also because I did actually just use it in a toy project.

</comment></comment><comment><USER23> Remember this the next time you hear corporations complain about ruthless employees who are willing to jump ship for mere money.</comment>


Books by Successful Entrepreneurs and Executives - <AUTHOR> http://www.bigwinner.org/books/

<comment><USER2> A list of everything is close to a list of nothing.

<comment><AUTHOR> Hi Jerry, thank you for your comment. I was worried about making the list too extensive. However, to prepare it I went through tens of thousands of books on Amazon.com and read through the author's bio blurb. The vast majority of business books (90-95% in my experience) are written by people who have not achieved success in business. This list covers the small percentage of people who actually started successful businesses, raised funding, or reached the executive level.

<comment><USER3> With a list this long, I start to miss the capability of seeing it sorted by avg. stars.</comment></comment></comment>


Ask HN: PHP/JS world from Java/C# world, Suggestions?  - <AUTHOR>

I am more interested in Web related stuff. Have been for a year now. But my full time job is in Java. And it is not web related, although we make the UI using GWT. Interesting company here.
I have also been working on my startup for almost a year now.
Been a Java programmer, C# programmer, novice PHP programmer, and much more. (Check out "Little history" towards the end.)
Just wondering, if it might be a good option to start learning PHP and JavaScript on the side, after I am done with version 1 of my startup's software, so that sometime next year I can apply to some startup in CA, and move there. Also that gives me a chance to work on web programming, serious web programming, hopefully with millions of users, kind of stuff. I guess my question is:
1. Do I jump into PHP and make that my career? Do people get good paying jobs in CA doing that?
2. What about JS? Is that an absolute requirement for a web related job? I don't think so.
But I would like to know from "real" web programmers who are doing jobs in PHP or JS, out there in CA, preferably in startups, but not necessary. I just want to work somewhere interesting, in CA.
3. What's the money like for web development jobs in PHP/JS in CA?
4. Keep in mind, I would love to learn both PHP and JS, so that I can make at least one complete application before applying for a job.
P.S. - Little HISTORY Grew too much, so pushed towards the end.
LITTLE HISTORY
I graduated with a MS last year and founded my startup here in Dallas, Texas, last September.
Applied for a couple of funds, tried YC twice, never really got anything. Realized I practically ran out of money and into debt, took a contracting job, one thing let to another, they loved me, and offered a position , Java related.
I got that, and I loved it. Since the job mostly involved tools like GWT, Java , Spring, hibernate and more. It was big enough so I wouldn't get bored. Small enough that I can probably learn it inside out in a few months. Turned out to be deeper, so still having fun learning it. Oh yeah, immigration issues started creeping in too.
I found out you can only do your startup for so long, before they would deport me. Or at least that was one option. Some lawyers say true , some say not. So, picked up a job.
My startup involves making a generic solution for a lot fo NP complete problems, and making it fast enough, and simple enough for non-expert users to use it. Well towards the end of version 1. (Hoping to launch it to HN users first when it is ready.) <comment><USER2> Given your Java experience, you should consider learning JavaScript, jQuery or Dojo Toolkit and JAX-RS. Learn to write JSON services with JAX-RS and to use a client side JavaScript framework to make calls to those services and render the UI. Throw away, JSP, Struts, Tiles and all the other cruft. Use pure CSS, HTML and Javascript to build your UI. With JAX-RS It is as rapid as ROR or Django or any of the other "rapid" frameworks and is drop dead simple.

The reason you want to do this, is because then you know how to build web UI's without any non-W3C technologies. What this allows you to do is take the same front-end and back it with services in any language. So you can start to write JSON services in python, PHP, Ruby or whatever language you want to learn without having to rewrite your UI. This will allow you to try different languages without having to invest heavily in learning large web frameworks. You can write one service in Java and the next in python, the next in Ruby. This will allow you to evaluate which one feels right to you.

After doing this your UI skills are portable across any stack you come across because you have removed the UI from server side stacks.

As for the server side languages for web, PHP is the most popular by a large margin. It is unfortunate given that it is such a poorly designed language, if you are in it for the gigs then learn PHP.

Python would probably be the second most popular (if you exclude Java/JSP and .NET / ASP) and is more rewarding if you are looking for something that has good job prospects with an elegant language.

Ruby would probably come right after the first two, there are jobs and it is a well designed language, worth learning if you want to go that way.

</comment><comment><USER3> Definitely learn Javascript, it's the language of client side web (becoming more popular on the server side with projects such as node.js). It only gets more interesting as browsers become more capable (local storage, WebGL, web workers, etc.)

As for PHP, it's definitely established as one of the most popular server side languages. You'll be able to find plenty of companies that could use PHP skills to maintain existing infrastructure. However, newer startups are more likely to be based on Ruby or Python, with the more adventurous exploring Clojure, Scala, node.js, etc.

With Clojure or Scala, you'd be able to leverage your existing Java skills, so that might be something to think about. I bet you'd enjoy the new programming paradigms these new languages offer. With PHP, you're not going to be learning many new concepts.

As for finding a job, you're just going to need to check the job postings in the areas you want to move to. You'll find a bunch of PHP like I said, but see what else people are looking for. Good luck!</comment>