Angry Nerds - <AUTHOR> http://www.atlassian.com/en/angrynerds <comment><USER2> I love the "Cease and desist - Rovio" testimonial. Wouldn't surprise me if that became a reality since they're selling merch. Awesome idea though.

<comment><USER3> Try filling out the order form ;)

Rovio was invested in by Accel Partners - the same group that invested $68m into Atlassian. There's a bit of a connection.

<comment><USER4> What happens if you fill out the form (for the lazy like me)?

<comment><USER5> The submit button doesn't seem to do anything.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER6> The Agilista

More process than progress. This dev fails fast and fails often.

Special Move:

Drops a jargon bomb on each level.

Priceless :D

<comment><USER7> That was my favourite too. Awesome.

</comment></comment><comment><USER8> Ladies and gentlemen, April Fool's day has arrived (at least in Australia).

<comment><USER9> Yup. Wouldn't mind seeing this as a real web game though. Could be fun.

<comment><USER10> But I'd really like the T-shirt. Please?

<comment><USER11> I'll second that. I would happily pay good money for that shirt.

<comment><USER12> Me too, the shirt rocks. Or please share the image in HQ!

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER13> The dev manager The most useless character in the game. Nobody is quite sure what this character does.

Can't agree more, :P

</comment><comment><USER14> What I love the most about it is that I don't see any flash there. It's all HTML.

</comment><comment> brown9-2 Is the "nerds" hitting the ground rather than the pile of 0s and 1s a part of the joke?

</comment><comment><USER15> April Fools?!?

Now, I'm _really_ angry... nerds...

</comment><comment><USER16> Haha, this is awesome. And fairly accurate.

</comment><comment><USER17> (Despite just being a good joke) there's something to be said about the link between success and product familiarity/likeness. The "success" being that it got all of our attention (300+ votes on HN). It's more than just a cheap trick; companies copy ("learn from") each other's ideas and UI layouts all the time.

</comment><comment><USER18> I'd love to see the Nerds vs Plants mentioned.

<comment><USER19> My personal experience is that plants die when I try to keep them. But I can't decide if that's me beating them or them beating me...

</comment></comment><comment><USER20> The level design is a little repetitive... :P

</comment><comment><USER21> Should have included at least one other level design.. definitely made me laugh though.

Also: clicking on the App Store/Android link opens the game in full screen in case anyone is interested.

<comment><USER22> The full screen mode is written with jQuery mobile.. it actually works pretty well on iPhone and Android.

<comment><USER21> Very cool - I just tried it on my iPhone and it worked flawlessly. About how long did this project take?

<comment><USER22> The game itself was a last minute addition that was hacked together in about 20 hours. The intention was to add more levels... but we ran out of time.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER23> Ooh! I'm really good at this game!

</comment><comment><USER24> After having to deal with Atlassian Confluence it's no surprise I'm angry.

JIRA's alright though.

<comment><USER25> The best Atlassian product is one they didn't develop -- Manual JIRA!

<http://thedailywtf.com/Articles/Manual-JIRA-.aspx>

</comment></comment><comment><USER22> The Offical Angry Nerds Shirt is now available! <http://www.atlassian.com/en/angrynerds/orderform>

</comment><comment><USER26> Also, try Happy Owls. <http://hootsuite.com/happy-owls>

</comment><comment><USER27> This is the best one I've seen so far today.

BTW, Angry Birds RIO is disappointing. I miss the pigs!

</comment><comment><USER28> You can't lose. Lame.

<comment><USER29> The only way to win is not to play</comment></comment>


Mary-Jo Foley explains why Microsoft won't dump Bing - <AUTHOR> http://redmondmag.com/articles/2011/08/01/microsoft-backing-bing.aspx

<comment><USER3> I wish Bing was giving me some capability I didn't have before. I don't see how it's going to be this awesomely critical fantastic compelling service if it doesn't.

Example: Google wanted to make driving directions better. But they couldn't get any of the companies with driving data to give them a license that let them do what they wanted. So they drove vans all over the freaking world to get the data to replace the existing systems. And now I can get directions to somewhere on my phone, spoken to me, for free, with a photo of my destination at the end of the trip so I can find the right spot, and much higher quality searching and path selection than my previous stand-alone dedicated GPS device. It's awesome, and makes me happy to be alive today every time I use it.

Google wanted to make voice search better. So they ran a voice version of Google to gather data for a while, and now my phone's keyboard has a microphone button and it feels like magic.

Microsoft wants to... make search better? So they give me a search engine that works like Google's, but with a slightly worse algorithm?

I just don't see what new things Bing lets me do that I couldn't do before. Is there anything it can do that will make me jealous of somebody with a windows phone? That's how they can convince me to buy one - make me want something awesome in my life. I haven't seen it yet. Until they find something, it just seems like a money pit.

</comment><comment><USER4> Foley hits on a key point of integration.

The other key factor for Microsoft is the company's history and view of perseverance. Windows took 3 versions to get right. Word was an underdog to Word Perfect for years. Excel lagged behind Lotus. Outlook/Exchange struggled to catch up to Lotus Notes for ages. Windows Server and SQL Server were laughed at when the company tried to enter the enterprise market. It took a whole generation of consoles for xbox to start beating Playstation. All of them are major cash cows today, and execs know it's because they outlasted the competition and finally found a way to win. Ignoring naysayers is a badge of honor for these guys.

<comment><USER5> Completely agreed with your point and all your examples. However, isn't that how most everyone succeeds? Google, Amazon, AirBnB, Apple (recovery), etc. It's almost always an uphill battle against naysayers.

</comment></comment><comment><USER6> "Microsoft sees Bing as more than a standalone Web search engine -- it's a key selling point for the Windows Phone 7 platform."

kenjackson made a similar point in our conversation a few days ago at <http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2794209>

</comment><comment><USER7> I use Bing as my primary search engine. At some point, I decided that today's Microsoft somehow seemed like a nicer company than Google. And I was hardcore anti-Microsoft for over a decade.

Also, the pretty pictures every morning are nice and the search engine performs well.

</comment><comment><USER8> For those who may not know her, Mary-Jo Foley's reports about Microsoft are typically _very_ well sourced.

</comment><comment><USER9> Too bad I don't think users see bing as the value add that MSFT does.

Look at it this way, iPhone doesn't have massive search integration that is world beating like Android does and users don't seem to mind.

Search is a useful function, but it is not the function you buy a device for.

Phones are primarily communication devices, so making a killer communication device seems like a good idea. Sometimes you want to track down content - <USER2> search in a browser, ok fine bing is useful there.

I just don't think anyone buying a phone even thinks about search integration unless they are a nerd. Search is a feature on a phone, not a de facto reason to buy.</comment>


Show HN: Ask the Caterpillar – A harm reduction chatbot/API for substance info - <AUTHOR> https://www.askthecaterpillar.com <comment><USER2> "Can I mix vinegar and baking soda?"

Sorry, but I couldn't determine what substance you were inquiring about, but I think you wanted to know about interactions.

Same answer for "Can I mix orange juice and vodka?"

<comment><AUTHOR> Geared towards psychoactive substances/drugs :) Has about 500+ that it knows, but always happy to teach it more!

</comment></comment><comment><AUTHOR> Today is the first day that the Caterpillar has been in the world, so input might still be a bit brittle until there are more queries to train it on. Happy to answer any questions!

</comment><comment><AUTHOR> Guess it wasn't time for the Caterpillar yet! Will try submitting again in a few months... :)</comment>


OS X Lion: no, I don't want you to remember what I had open goshdarnit. - <AUTHOR> http://astroaficionado.net/2011/10/24/the-resume-blues/

<comment><USER2> Yeah, I definitely thought this was a great feature in the beginning but quickly realized how messy it made my desktop when I opened applications. I find it is only useful when forcing a restart after software updates, etc...

</comment><comment><USER3> i don't know of a way yet to disable this feature globally, but you can disable it on an app by app basis by issuing this command in a terminal:

defaults write com.apple.Preview NSQuitAlwaysKeepsWindows -bool NO

just replace "Preview" (above) with whatever you want to not have restore windows instead.</comment>


Ask HN: How do you handle Ramadan? - <AUTHOR>

To my fellow Muslim HNers out there: How do you handle your work schedule during Ramadan, specially now that it's during summer for those of us in the northern hemisphere?
I had a lot of problems so far getting enough sleep between working normal daytime hours, going for Isha and Taraweeh prayers, and waking up for sehri/suhoor. But I think I've worked out a schedule that works for me now, but first a little background:
I work in my own startup. We're three people, and I'm the only coder. I really need my mind and body to be fresh in order to work enthusiastically, and I couldn't just sleep the whole day because I need to be able to communicate with my business partners, who keep normal hours. I also miss caffeine (Diet Coke usually) and something to munch on and keep the blood flowing to my head during the day.
So here's what I've come up with:
I wake up at 8 PM and do Iftar and pray Maghrib. Then at 9:30 PM I go to the mosque for Isha and Taraweeh, and I come back home around 11:30 PM. Take a few hours break, then get to the office by 3 or 4 AM. I start working, do sehri at the office and pray Fajr there too, and my partners come in at around 8 AM, so we have time to talk and work together. Then I head back home around noon, and go to sleep. So I'm getting almost 8 hours of sleep this way. And up until Fajr time, while I'm working, I can eat something and have caffeine too.
How do you handle it? <comment><USER2> adlep pulls out his trusty anit-religion spray Sprays generously in all directions, hoping to contain the odor that is trying to invade this race and religion free discussion board...

Seriously, dude what the heck would you submit this here? Do you know what hacker news is all about? Can you read?

<comment><USER3> Must be tough as a Muslim during Ramadan though. Would be a bugger if you were in Norway, north of the Arctic circle. Does that mean you'd have to fast continuously for the time that the sun doesn't set?

Lived in the Middle East a while ago and worked through one Ramadan. But because of the latitude, it was a lot easier to fast during the day prior to Iftar. (I'm not Muslim, but would fast if I was invited to Iftar at someone's house...)

Nothing like a ton of hypoglycemic Muslims speeding home to Iftar to make you concentrate on your driving.</comment></comment>


Bugs from Hell: Injected Third-Party Code and Detours Equals a Bad Time - <AUTHOR> http://dblohm7.ca/blog/2016/01/11/bugs-from-hell-injected-third-party-code-plus-detours-equals-a-bad-time/ <comment><USER2> Makes the runtime projection being provided to processes in El Capitan start to make more sense; who wants to waste hours trudging through a huge stack of calls to find out some hack is blowing up your structures making users complain like its your fault?

While its occasionally fun to do that kind of dive and we all certainly learn something, it doesn't scale well.

</comment><comment><USER3> Why the _hell_ is NVIDIA intercepting CreateWindow calls in Windows?!?</comment>


Apple goes too far in iTunes 8 - <AUTHOR> http://blogs.zdnet.com/Bott/?p=536

<comment><USER2> I would argue that Apple went too far with iTunes when they started bundling ... anything.

Reminds me of another media company that took over your system up upgrades .. any remember RealNetworks?

<comment><USER3> _.. any remember RealNetworks?_

I still suffer nightmares from it.

Just the other day I really wanted to watch an online presentation, yet it insisted I installed realplayer. I was considering it, as I really wanted to watch this particular presentation, but unfortunately I just could not bring myself to going through that again.

<comment><USER4> I also would never install realplayer. Real alternative + vlc has worked for everything I've tried.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER5> yeah, this is definitely paranoia, but is it possible that apple is trying to make the user experience of itunes in windows frustrating so heavy ipod and iphone users with limited technical knowledge will blame it on windows and think about switching to a mac? It's certainly not a nice practice, but Jobs didn't get the market share he has by being nice either.

<comment><USER6> That strikes me as highly unlikely.

First, it's extremely risky. It would expose Apple to class-action suits from users, as well as giving other companies fodder for an anti-competitive practices lawsuit.

Second, this particular error is more likely to hurt Apple's reputation than Microsoft's: The article says that the crashes were observed when plugging in an iPod or launching iTunes. Users will almost certainly associate new crash behavior on an otherwise stable Windows system with their last action: using an Apple product. If Apple really wanted to hurt Windows' reputation, they would have made the crashes random.

<comment><USER7> You're assuming they did it on purpose. Why assume that?

Ever heard the saying about not attributing to malice something that can be explained by incompetence.

<comment><USER6> The malicious assumption is in the parent post ("Jobs didn't get the market share he has by being nice") -- I'm saying that's unlikely, hence I agree that Apple's problem is most likely due to incompetence.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER8> I find that Apple continually installs Safari with iTunes automatic upgrades. Very annoying. They are nicer to me on my Mac.

<comment><USER9> What happens if you rip out Safari on a Mac?

<comment><USER10> Define rip Safari out of Mac. Safari is nothing but a shell for WebKit, the HTML renderer. (+ JS and a lot of other things.) You can probably delete Safari no problem, although it'll probably reinstall with system updates.

You can't pull WebKit out of Mac since it's used in all kinds of programs. The least of which is iTunes for their iTunes Store.

<comment><USER11> Heh, didn't another company get sued for that kind of crap?

<comment><USER12> I think they were sued over iexplore.exe, not mshtml.dll.

<comment><USER13> Actually, they were sued over OEMs and netscape.exe, if I remember correctly.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER14> The long rant seems to be two parts: 1\. A buggy device driver. 2\. MobileMe getting installed.

The former isn't anything new on Windows side, and part of a continuing trend in lower software quality out of apple recently. Hopefully they'll tightening down their dev & testing processes soon.

The latter is the 2nd time they've used iTunes as a beachhead for pushing other software onto Windows.

Maybe it's just old payback for forcing IE on mac os for all those years? Shame how it's the user who has to pay.

</comment><comment><USER15> The iTunes 8 release FAILs on my macbook running the latest OS X. Crashes on startup. I'm not the only one; their support forums have lots of other folks complaining about start up crashes. They didn't shit on windows; they just screwed this upgrade up royally.

<comment><USER15> I should add, for anyone else who's seeing this, I found that if you hold down some combination of alt-command-ctrl (play around, it's not hard to find, and I can't remember exactly what it was) when you click on itunes to start it up, you'll get a "Starting iTunes in safe mode" dialog and that will get you past the crash I'm seeing. It seems to be related to processing cover art.

<comment><USER16> Wow, the fact that iTunes has a "safe mode" is just ridiculous. Glad it helped you, though.

<comment><USER17> Many apps have a "safe mode." The Firefox safe mode has saved my butt many times when I installed a misbehaving plugin....

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER18> iTunes is not just a music player. It is also a media store client, a CD/DVD- burning application, and a sync tool for the iPod & iPhone.

Why then should it be surprising to anyone that it installs background processes and drivers? Yes, malware authors use hidden background tasks, but so does _everyone else_. The technique itself is not evil.

Furthermore, blaming Apple for poor QA because _some_ Windows systems crash when iTunes 8 is installed is ridiculous. Windows is an ecosystem, not an operating system, and there are far too many possible system configurations for Apple (or any other vendor) to test them all.

There are plenty of causes to call Apple evil (DRM, restrictive platform access, insane RAM pricing) or incompetent (MobileMe launch, iPhone 3G signal issues) but a buggy Windows experience isn't one of them.

<comment><AUTHOR> I missed where "MobileMe" was an essential component of iTunes.

And this isn't a problem of "testing them all". It's not like there's 4 rogue configurations floating around in the Windows ecosystem. It's TENS of THOUSANDS of people, and the problem falls well within what should be standard pre-release testing.

And I think people would be far less upset if it weren't for the fact that Apple tries to pretend it doesn't do things like install bloatware.

<comment><USER18> The moment where "MobileMe" became part of iTunes was precisely when they decided to make iTunes the gatekeeper all iPod and iPhone content. Want to use an iPhone on Windows? Them's the breaks.

Also, your "TENS of THOUSANDS" of people are a frigging _drop in the bucket_ compared to the TENS of MILLIONS (or possibly even HUNDREDS) of Windows systems currently in deployment in countries where Apple distributes their products.

Don't people constantly defend Microsoft with the same argument -- namely, that they have no way to test every possible interaction between bad drivers and hardware components simply due to the sheer number and variety of Windows systems in use at any given time?

<comment><AUTHOR> I like how you justify malware/bloatware/bad stewardship of client machines. "But we say you need it" does not defeat the fact that it's malware.

And tens of thousands of users having the same problem (and having it be reducible in 2 or 3 days to a repeatable problem) means that there was little to no testing done. Part of testing is USING the myriad environments of the ecosphere in which your application will exist. It would be like writing a web phone app that only works at 120 x 160 but crashes at 128x128. Sure, it doesn't crash on EVERY phone, but it crashes on a significant number of them.

(It's unclear to me, by the way, that your claim that only a few systems crash is true. I'm able to reproduce the error bug by doing a clean install of iTunes 8. It seems like the problem is much larger than you want it to be. But even if I concede your point that it's smaller than everyone, it's still large enough that we're seeing 'software malpractice')

And Microsoft got hip to how bad the "but there's lots of systems, wahhhhh" excuse is. Welcome to the 21st century. Apple should get hip to how lame that excuse is, too.

<comment><USER12> So buggy software is now 'malware'? That seems slightly harsh.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER19> iPhone 3G and now this

Apple are under pressure, these are not minor bugs, these are major issues

I guess they are pushing their products way before they are ready for a global release.

</comment><comment><USER20> Apple just _shits_ over the Windows platform once again with its software releases.

Intentional or not? I don't know, but this is hardly news.

<comment><USER21> I share your respect for Apple's products (and contempt for Windows).

But this is a bit like all those sites where they have helpfully selected five different "Yes, please spam me!" boxes for you when registering.

<comment><AUTHOR> Except there's no option to un-check a box in this situation. This just -is- the practice of malware, and should not be accepted.

<comment><USER21> Oh? That's just weird..

I haven't used iTunes myself, by the way - I buy CDs for the sound quality.

Sorry for the misinformed post.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER22> excellent article. seems like if Apple wants to maintain their marketshare with Windows users they had better beat a trail to solving this problem. I'd be curious to find out what percentage of iPod users (and iTunes music store users) use Mac vs. Windows. I know people who avoid the iPod because you can't fill it up easily without iTunes.

<comment><USER23> I personally think iTunes sucks for playing music. I definitely prefer Winamp instead, but unfortunately there isn't a Winamp build for OS X that I know of. If not for easy iPod syncing, I wouldn't use iTunes at all.

<comment><USER24> What I find interesting is this: The music player has become a huge pivot point. Itunes is (theoretically) one of _the_ reasons ipods have made it.

None of the pre-ipod desktop players really got much out of their previous positions.

Imagine if in the first few ipod years, scandisk, sony or some unknown had come to market with an _ipod_ that uses winamp as its itunes. half the price & just use whatever software you were using before. That would have been a big gun in the arsenal. It was already popular with the right people to buy mp3 players (people who had mp3s), already proved to be nice to use (lots of people used it).

Instead, they used their own crappy software that no one in a million years would choose to use if it wasn't for the damn mp3 player they got when they where too cheap to go for an ipod.

<comment><USER25> Actually when the first ipod (1st and 2nd) gen came out, it was simply miles ahead of any of the competition. It had more than 128mb of storage data _and_ it fitted in your pocket (there was one alternative from creative which, well, didn't fit in your pocket)

It came with a horrible mp3 manager until itunes was ported to windows a few years later, but I was okay with that since the ipod was so awesome.

The device was way more important than the software.

<comment><USER24> I didn't know about the original software.

But I was talking about the point when the alternative devices were just as good but with no advantage other then price & a software disadvantage.

<comment><USER26> Now that's just silly. You clearly didn't use both the 1st generation iPod and its competitors.

I fiddled around with the Creative Jukebox or whatever it was called before buying the first iPod: the forward next buttons barely worked, the LCD could barely fit the name of a single track on the screen, and the entire UI was barely responsive. The click wheel for scrolling, the large LCD, the great battery life, the incredible form factor... the iPod was 5 years ahead of the competitors.

There were the Rios which were well made, but that was a different league... they were more akin to the shuffle.

And to top it all off, I was using Windows at the time, so it was at a software disadvantage. I had to use some hacky 3rd party, unsupported software to even sync the thing.</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment>


Salim Ismail – Our democracy is about to collapse - <AUTHOR> http://tv.ida.dk/video/13916220/salim-ismail-vores-demokrati-er-ved-at-kollapse <comment><USER2> I turned off after he implied Brexit was a bad thing and that people were just frightened into voting for it. It's nonsense to suggest that the majority vote was either a bad thing or done out of fear. It happened because politicians didn't listen to voters or do anything about their concerns and money was always the deciding factor in everything they do.

If politicians don't represent the will of the people, a revolution will ensue.

<comment><USER3> Investors speaking without the chance of rebuttal from people who have significant experience in the subject is pretty useless. Another thing that stand out is presenting Switzerland as a role model, which has been far from problem free. Universal suffrage wasn't fully implemented until 1991 (1971 on a federal level), it's the most expensive country in Europe, have had huge drug problems as a result of public policy and want to stop immigration similarly to the UK.

<comment><USER4> Gosh Switzerland sounds like a terrible place. I have always wanted to go there for a vacation, but now I'm not so sure, is it even safe to visit?

<comment><USER3> I assume you're being sarcastic, but while I like Switzerland it is a peculiar place. It's not at all uncommon that visitors experience culture shock, thinking people are unfriendly and not realizing how expensive things are. I wouldn't schedule a longer family vacation without doing some research, especially if you have family members that aren't flexible.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER5> I will be critical of Salims point esp. about India. During its democracy for the first 25 years of India was pretty much One party system, the real problem was Nehruvian Socialism and strong Unionism(not trade unions). India is a one nation, but many countries, and these two system ravaged the inherent strength and diversity, with concentration of power in New Delhi.

Post liberalized India, where ever Government has "no role" actually grew tremendously well, and has done well. In India's case, the democracy is messed up at multiple levels because loyalties are more nativist rather than ideological (which is changing at least in urban India). Democracy actually got better in India in the past 20 years. The intimidation that was prevalent in 90s was not there and more and more people are voting outside their caste and religious loyalties.

<comment><USER6> It's in vogue to pin all issues about India on Nehruvian socialism based on hindsight.

<comment><USER5> India has many problems, but most economic problems rose from Command and Control economy, that gave raise to rampant corruption, smuggling (for Gold and electronics) and many other things. Yes, most of the economic issues have texture to them but the main ingredient was government trying to control the markets, Nehru style. I could care less if it in vogue, nor it would be foolish to even think India has fully unburdened itself from Nehruvian Socialism, honestly its not even hindsight, NS is thriving in plain sight again at the cost the people and economy. The Indian Public sector banks are case and point.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER7> The initial meaning of the Greek word "idiot" was reserved for persons not interested and non-participating in political process, especially elections.

</comment><comment><USER8> missing a [video] tag.

</comment><comment><USER9> Oh, that's simple. Democracy "works" only when majority of population is well- educated and cultured, and it tends to collapse when wast majority is ignorant, brainwashed by populism and dogmas idiots.

From the time of ancient Greek only educated men could be able to vote. That accounts for obvious early success of democracy. It also correlates with the notion of the bell curve (there is a famous book) you like it or not.

The utopian idea that everyone shall be able to vote leads to things like Brexit or that unrepairable disaster modern authoritarian Russia turned into.

Patients shall not vote for hospital's rules and medical procedures or staff election. Qualified well-educated doctors should. Students shall not vote for what they going to be taught (due to being not yet fully developed and brainwashed by media), this seems obvious.

But the idea of necessity of some sort of competent and educated "aristocracy" is one of the major ideas in political philosophy. The crucial thing is that members of such aristocracy must be quickly and easily replaced when fail or lost support. This, by the way, is how most of professional communities and university facilities are organized.

Truth is out there.)

<comment><USER10> No. Well-educated, cultured individuals can be just as ideological and destructive as "mere plebs". Take a look at contemporary Academia.

What makes a democracy "work" is a set of established rules that secures the long-term development of the country.

<comment><USER11> Agreed, even highly intelligent people can be completely oblivious to certain basic things or have severely skewed views of reality which may actually be worse for society than mere stupidity.</comment></comment></comment>


Piano Tuner Shows Classical Repertoire Performed in Historical Tunings - <AUTHOR> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBt6APk21tU

<comment><AUTHOR> Some More [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tu5CUUFtl6A](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tu5CUUFtl6A)</comment>


jQuery Learning Center - <AUTHOR> http://learn.jquery.com//

<comment><USER2> Finally. Where was this handy resource five years ago? Everything I learned about jQuery in the early days was from other developers, Resig's blog and through exploring the jQuery code itself and lots of trial and error. This is great, especially the articles I can see on the Widget factory which is something not a lot of jQuery users actually know exists and is extremely helpful for correctly developing more complex plugins. It's good to know what the jQuery team considers to be a best practice considering the amount of conflicting resources out there.

</comment><comment><USER3> Does it really need it? It feels to me that jQuery is simple enough.

<comment><USER4> The bits on performance are interesting:

<http://learn.jquery.com/performance/>

Although the bit about variable definitions on one line under _performance_ is absolute rubbish: <http://jsperf.com/variable-definition> On chrome it's the same, on Firefox their suggestion is __slower __. Added an issue,[https://github.com/jquery/learn.jquery.com/blob/master/page/...](https://github.com/jquery/learn.jquery.com/blob/master/page/performance/variable- definition.md)

The best way for a software engineer to learn about jQuery in my opinion is to look at the source code though.

<comment><USER5> Yes, the variable definitions page leaves me scratching my head. Not sure what it's doing under performance. Surely that's a matter of your personal coding style and I'm not sure a jQuery tutorial site should be so dogmatic about how you choose to define your variables when there's negligible performance impact either way. Although JSLint loves to complain about the "old & busted" style, grouping variable definitions together with commas goes against the principle that inserting a new line of code anywhere should be "safe". If you paste in a new variable definition statement with a semicolon in the midst of a group of comma-separated lines, you're going to break things.

The bit on "clever conditionals" is rubbish as well. Not only are the "better" ways much slower, they're much harder to read. I opened an issue for this one: <https://github.com/jquery/learn.jquery.com/issues/258></comment></comment></comment>


Show HN: Ceryx – Open-source dynamic Nginx - <AUTHOR> https://www.sourcelair.com/blog/articles/75/ceryx-dynamic-nginx

<comment><USER2> Just curious, how Ceryx compares with Kong [1] ?

[1] [https://github.com/mashape/kong](https://github.com/mashape/kong)

<comment><AUTHOR> Hey fica, Kong is a similar project which was developed about the same time with Ceryx. They are both similar in some ways and use cases, but were built for different reasons and goals. I was in a presentation of Kong recently and I can say that I was impressed with the effort they've put on there from Mashape.

</comment></comment><comment><USER3> Show HN: My website which doesn't work in the stock Android browser.

<comment><USER4> How so? [https://imgur.com/YxQBfkc](https://imgur.com/YxQBfkc)</comment></comment>


Specifications of the planned solar-powered Ubuntu laptop - <AUTHOR> http://solaptop.com/en/products/laptops/ <comment><USER2> I'm a bit surprised by the HD spec:

HDD: Seagate 2.5" SATA HDD 320GB

So, not an SSD? Don't SSDs use less power than spinners?

Optimizing price on this one choice is strange, to me, considering they are running an Atom CPU. I'd rather pay $x00 for a model with an SSD and a more power-hungry, non-Atom CPU.

<comment><USER3> Seconded. Of all the features this one caught me off-guard a bit. I was expecting a small-ish SSD akin to what a Chromebook sports.

A 120GB SSD would be really nice in this machine.

</comment></comment><comment><AUTHOR> GMA 3600 sounds like a weird choice for a laptop running GNU/Linux, the drivers for it are abysmal. The CPU is a weird choice altogether, considering it has a 10W TDP. I think a Celeron 807UE would be a better choice, the TDP is the same and the performance should be close to double, with a significantly better GPU that also has a much better GNU/Linux drivers. The built-in 4G LTE and GPS are nice features though.

<comment><USER4> Exactly what I was thinking. Just bought a barebones desktop unit with the GMA3600 and it can only run Ubuntu 12.04! Sounds unlikely it'll run 13.04 with graphics support: [https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/cedarview-drm- driv...](https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/cedarview-drm- drivers/+bug/1176588)

I'm surprised the screenshots show Ubuntu 13.04 though. Anyone know more about which version of Ubuntu is running?

I do understand they're trying to cut costs to meet the $300 price - I do hope Intel puts out some drivers for this chipset.

</comment></comment><comment><USER5> Does anyone have any direct insight into how "real" this is?

I ask because I hate playing the role of dismissive guy on HN but this seems waaaaay too good to be true at anywhere near the estimated price. Even ignoring the solar power challenges a fully rugged design at $350 seems like a huge reach as does submersible at $400.

<comment><USER6> The website would also suggest the laptop comes with a sunlight readable screen which presumably doesn't rely on brightness.

</comment></comment><comment><USER7> Sounds great. What's the _realistic_ performance?

I've dabbled with solar powered portable electronics. Harsh reality is getting direct sunlight for prolonged periods is problematic.

How visible is the screen in full sun? Are the panels' output sufficient for direct powering, or is power buffering required? How long, really, to a full charge (without having to constantly shift it to track the sun)? What percentage of "full sun" is required for direct powering? Are you really willing to leave it lying out in the open for prolonged periods (rain, theft, etc.)? Not trying to bash it, just looking at the gap between "gee, never have to plug it in, that's cool" and real-world concerns.

From prices I've seen, the solar panels + power electronics alone would run $350.

<comment><USER8> The PV panels are detachable and an extension cord can be used to position the panels in an appropriate location, plus most newer PV panels will produce power in cloudy or indirect sunlight, but I too wonder about whether the laptop will operate if the battery is dead and the unit is barely beginning to take a charge.

</comment></comment><comment><USER9> Is the solar panel footprint even enough to power the whole laptop? I haven't done the calculations for it, and I was hoping someone more qualified would join.

In particular, I don't know what the efficiencies are. Also, I was hoping to find an ARM chip on that thing. Intel ATOM was not that power efficient, last I looked.

<comment><USER10> You should look again the Atom is even being used in phones now.

[http://www.gsmarena.com/lenovo_k900-5241.php](http://www.gsmarena.com/lenovo_k900-5241.php)

<comment><USER11> That Lenovo phone uses an Atom Z2580 SoC. Anandtech benchmarked a similar Atom SoC, which used around 4 watts in a 3D game [0]. The Atom D2500, in contrast, has a TDP of 10 watts [1].

[0] [http://images.anandtech.com/reviews/SoC/Intel/CTvKrait/3dgam...](http://images.anandtech.com/reviews/SoC/Intel/CTvKrait/3dgame1-a15-total.png)

[1] [http://ark.intel.com/products/59682](http://ark.intel.com/products/59682)

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER12> I am about to embark on a construction project in a relatively remote location without utilities. The peace of mind built-in solar and known Linux-driver- present hardware will give will probably mean acquiring one of these... if distribution exists in my part of the world.

</comment><comment><USER13> I'm intrigued. What's it weigh though? I'd want to use it for backpacking / disaster-style work rather than sitting at some table or desk.

</comment><comment><USER14> HN should club together and buy this for Joey Hess! :-)

<comment><USER15> He's already solar powered.

[http://joey.hess.usesthis.com/](http://joey.hess.usesthis.com/)

</comment></comment><comment><USER16> What I would vastly prefer over this is if laptop manufacturers would just make it so the power input could be switched into max-power-point-tracker mode. Almost all the electronics necessary to plug a solar panel into a laptop are already there; they probably just require some firmware changes.

<comment><USER17> For the clueless like me- [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maximum_power_point_tracking](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maximum_power_point_tracking)

</comment></comment><comment><USER18> I will buy this. It has a great price and even if it isn't the greatest computer in the world, the fact that you can just put it out in the sun to power it up makes it convenient. Can't wait!

</comment><comment><USER19> I'd love one of these with something like a Pixel Qi screen: [http://pixelqi.com/our_screens](http://pixelqi.com/our_screens) / [http://www.cloversystems.com/SunBook.htm](http://www.cloversystems.com/SunBook.htm)

With just an LCD screen? bleh. anywhere that would charge it well would be nearly unusable. Not a problem if you just want to recharge it while doing something else (and for that it's still a good idea), but still.

<comment><USER20> Pixel Qi's products page links to some SOL products, including a ruggedized netbook:

[http://pixelqi.com/devices](http://pixelqi.com/devices)

[http://www.solcomputer.com/pixel-qi-display-2/rugged- netbook...](http://www.solcomputer.com/pixel-qi-display-2/rugged-netbook.html)

But for now, the max size for Pixel Qi is 10.1 inches, and the price is kinda high.

</comment></comment><comment><USER21> Does anyone have any ideas how much this thing weighs? I couldn't seem to find it anywhere...

</comment><comment><USER22> Why does the site not show images until you almost scroll past them? What an awful UX.

</comment><comment><USER23> I'd be willing to buy this only for being an inexpensive laptop built to run Ubuntu. The solar panels are just an extremely nice bonus, IMO.

(I'd like to know how replacable the components are, though. An SSD in there would be great.)

</comment><comment><USER24> Well considering how bad many LCD screens look in the sun I wonder if this is such a great idea. I would expect a matte screen, but it looks like typical glossy yet that may be simply the photoshop job

</comment><comment><USER25> I've got $300 for this if the solar panel is detachable with a few feet of cord, and the keys aren't flat. I don't want to type on flat keys or in the sun.

</comment><comment><USER26> This should be running LuaOS [http://luaos.net/](http://luaos.net/)

</comment><comment><USER27> Did they look up SOL as an acronym? not entirely good.

<comment><USER28> I thought I landed on a 404.

For those who aren't native English speakers, SOL = shit out of luck (completely out of luck)

"Darn, the concert is sold out, I guess we're SOL."

</comment></comment><comment><USER29> Having the Sun shine on your plastic gadget for an extended period of time? Sounds like a wonderful idea! Why not simply have a lightweight detachable solar panel instead?

<comment><USER8> The first item in the FAQ answers that, yes the panels are removable & an extension cord can be used...

[http://solaptop.com/en/faq/#toggle3664](http://solaptop.com/en/faq/#toggle3664)

</comment></comment><comment><USER30> Does this mean I have to go outside?

</comment><comment><USER31> Enjoy your skin cancer.</comment>


USG eliminates Verisign's ability to increase domain prices in new .com contract - <AUTHOR> http://domainincite.com/11156-breaking-verisign-loses-right-to-increase-com-prices

<comment><AUTHOR> This announcement came as a total surprise to the domain industry. I should have known something was afoot a few weeks ago when analysts started calling looking for the inside track on rumors and news. They usually don't do that unless they've got a reason to dig further - well, this definitely would have been a reason to dig. Verisign was off 15% in pre-market trading and will probably dive lower. I found their comments about "exploiting their patent portfolio" to be pretty interesting. Is Verisign a troll-in-waiting?</comment>


On the Value of Command-Line "Bullshittery" - <AUTHOR> https://medium.com/@eytanadar/on-the-value-of-command-line-bullshittery-94dc19ec8c61 <comment><USER2> The original article _is_ the problem, the one this refers to for context, so- called researchers do just enough work to publish a paper, but don't bother to make it production-quality, so the next researcher comes along and says "this is bullshit". Well, it's called open source for a reason. Less complaining and more code is what's needed.</comment>


Here is something true:  one day you will be dead. - <AUTHOR> http://www.smbc-comics.com/?id=2722

<comment><USER2> I had a conversation recently with a 30-year-old who was worried a career change would be a backward step, and he was too committed to his current life. "I'm not in my 20's anymore, when that kind of thing is acceptable."

I pointed out that his 'working' life was 50 years (~Age 20 to Age 70). He was 10 years / 20% in.

If you sprained your ankle 20% of the way up a mountain, would you keep climbing in pain or return home, rest for a day, and then go again?

If you realised on the first day of a snowboarding holiday that you were a terrible snowboarder, would you spend the second day getting lessons or the rest of the week falling down the mountain and being miserable?

If you are 20% of the way into your working life, and your job makes you miserable for 60+ hours per week, would you stick at it waiting for a promotion until you're 70, or invest some time in making a change?

</comment><comment><USER3> Unless you're Henrietta Lacks?

</comment><comment><USER4> You will be dead a lot more than one day.

</comment><comment><USER5> I pressed the back button and was surprised to see I was on HN, not reddit.</comment>


Ten Year Old Girl Gets Accepted as Paris Innovation Fellow - <AUTHOR> https://www.facebook.com/notes/kat-borlongan/letter-to-the-10-year-old-girl-who-applied-to-the-paris-summer-innovation-fellow/10153524268770740 <comment><USER2> Her blog shows her as a very curious young person who is not only meddling in programming but also in history, politics and 3d-printing :)

I had to laugh hard when reading "Pour construire sur 3DSlash, il suffit de savoir jouer à Minecraft." [~ For constructing in 3DSlash, it's sufficient to know how to play Minecraft.] That's the right attitude!

<comment><USER3> Her prose is adorable; this one made me laugh hard too: [http://corot.top/2016/06/19/interview-de-la-ministre-de- ledu...](http://corot.top/2016/06/19/interview-de-la-ministre-de-leducation- national-najat-vallaud-belkacem/)

</comment></comment><comment><USER4> Here's a link to her personal blog: [http://corot.top](http://corot.top) (it's mostly in French as far as I can tell)

<comment><AUTHOR> It's adorable. For kids by kids. Author Eva. Not a bad robot either. She obviously works very hard.

<comment><USER5> This might very well not be what you meant, but kids (at their best) are inspired, curious and surprisingly determined in large part because they don't understand the concept of "hard work". They build their own stories in their heads which makes the process itself rewarding and challenges irrelevant. Which is what makes it so great. Some other young bloggers:

[http://gizmodo.com/5911806/adorable-nine-year-old-girl- revie...](http://gizmodo.com/5911806/adorable-nine-year-old-girl-reviews-her- school-lunches-on-her-blog) [https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/true- crime/wp/2016/04/05...](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/true- crime/wp/2016/04/05/9-year-old-reporter-breaks-crime-news-posts-videos-fires- back-at-critics/)

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER6> Let's keep the hate off of HN. We get that you are salty. We're all salty. Give us the benefit of not being so predictable about it. Spread hate on a thread about C++ pointers. Ask us why we don't use Rust. Literally anything.

<comment><USER7> What are you talking about?

<comment><USER8> The inevitable snark that comes from internet discussions, especially about twee subjects.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER9> This is great. This has a chance of inspiring the next generation of people to eschew traditional routes. I'm sure she'll be super-successful/inspiring in whatever she does, even if she doesn't fulfill her original objectives (similarly with many of the Thiel Fellows).

</comment><comment><USER10> "The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man." \--George Bernard Shaw

</comment><comment><USER11> Reminds me of this:

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

<comment><USER12> why?

<comment><USER13> Because people used Spirograph to make similar patterns. And the cog wheels of her device are reminiscent of the cogs used to make Spirograph patterns also.

<comment><USER14> Spirograph is an excellent way to introduce kids to the idea of relatively prime pairs.

Because the most awesome Spirograph patterns come from the relatively prime pairs of gears.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER15> Cool, I was not aware of the Thymio robot product. Any experiences here? Wondering if I shoul buy it for the kids...

</comment><comment><USER16> Awesome :-)

</comment><comment><USER17> I wish more people wanted to make the streets smile. I want to do that.</comment>


Show HN: 2D Portals - <AUTHOR> https://blog.applepinegames.com/2d-portals-e293dc41a61e <comment><USER2> This is a great write up!

<comment><USER3> I agree. Yet, the spirit of "Show HN" is for items that other people can try out or play with rather than prose such as blog posts.</comment></comment>


Snyk.io – Find and fix known vulnerabilities in Node.js dependencies - <AUTHOR> https://snyk.io <comment><USER3> From their policies page:

> by uploading or posting content to the Platform and providing access to your > system's source code repository, you hereby grant to Snyk, limited to the > extent it is necessary in order to enable your use of the Platform, a > perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty free and transferable licence > (with right to sub-license) to, including without limitation, use, display > and transmit the content and source code

.. No thanks.

<comment><USER4> You've omitted the previous paragraph: We claim no intellectual property rights over the material you provide to the Service. Your profile and materials uploaded remain yours. However, to enable your use of the Platform, we do need to inspect portions of your code, communicate parts of it (e.g. the dependencies being used) to the Snyk servers, etc. For that purpose, by uploading or posting content to...

<comment><USER5> The omission is inconsequential. One does not require intellectual property rights to abuse "a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty free and transferable licence (with right to sub-license) to, including without limitation, use, display and transmit the content and source code."

A service allowing consumers to "find and fix known vulnerabilities in Node.js dependencies" certainly does not require a transferable license (especially one with the right to sub-license). A transferable license allows the licensee to freely assign the license to any other party without the licensor's consent. The wording includes the right to sub-license, allowing the same license to be granted to another third-party -- again, without the need to obtain the licensor's consent due to its inclusion as part of the transferable license statement.

<comment><USER4> Fair point, language is probably too broad (was just in the lawyers template...). Note it is "limited to the extent needed to provide the service", but can be reduced further, as we (Snyk) never had any intent to do anything more than what's needed for the service. We'll remedy that in the next couple of weeks.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER6> You might also look at [https://github.com/nodesecurity/nsp](https://github.com/nodesecurity/nsp)

The Node.js ecosystem is still fairly immature with regard to formalized security, certainly in comparison to, say, the Java ecosystem. There just aren't as many people filing CVEs on packages as a part of vetting their stacks, and certainly far fewer people focused on that part of the security process.

To a certain degree tools are only going to be as good as the security environment. If people aren't filing CVEs at an appropriate pace given the level of vulnerability out there, and it takes a village, etc, etc, then no one group is going to be able to deliver a good security service on their own, since these services are individually (a) a megaphone and filter for a CVE RSS feed, and (b) a minor source of CVEs.

</comment><comment><USER7> I remember seeing something similar posted here for ruby (rubygems) - <USER2> anybody remember what that service was called?

<comment><USER8> [https://gemnasium.com/](https://gemnasium.com/)</comment></comment>


What Accomplishments Sound Like on Software Engineering Resumes - <AUTHOR> https://jacobian.org/2020/may/8/engineering-resume-accomplishments/ <comment><USER2> > we tend, as a community, to focus on knowledge of tools and technologies > over business results.

Ouch, that is both damning and true.</comment>


Ask HN: Nice GNU/Linux Setup to Run on a Tablet - <AUTHOR> Hello everybody! Some of you has some suggestions on the DE and plugins to run GNU/Linux on a tablet x86? <comment><USER2> I haven't come across anything better than what GNOME 3 provides. It works well enough, but I had some issues with the on-screen keyboard on Ubuntu 18.04 (it didn't display properly on a screen with 3:2 aspect ration). In all honesty, I was impressed, but maybe because my expectations were low. I'm interested to know if there are other decent ones out there. I still think there is an opportunity waiting to be realised: a MATE or LXDE based tablet interface that doesn't require manual configuration.

<comment><AUTHOR> I also think that gnome 3 is the best DE in these cases, but the default configuration don't leave enough space for the actual applications (e.g. the gnome bar + application bar leaves only 65/75% of the screen free)</comment></comment>


Show HN: Printavo v3, listening to customers and growing - <AUTHOR>

Been going for about three years now on the side, learned to code in Rails from Michael Hartl's book, got help from friends and have been getting tons of feedback.  I find using Uservoice's idea generation tool was the best along with emailing all customers a few days after they register to get feedback.
I also found that a good amount of people will sign up and abandon the site quickly and I'm going to put in a JQ tour to help guide people around the app.  Also been testing out Olark to gauge converting users.
Anywho, I just launched the latest, responsive Printavo update with has a ton of cool things screen printers need and use on a daily basis.
Any tips on converting more users are more than appreciated. <comment><AUTHOR> <http://printavo.com></comment>


A Silicon Valley kingmaker wants to fix what tech did to California - <AUTHOR> https://theoutline.com/post/2063/sam-altman-united-slate <comment><AUTHOR> Please feel free to edit the (original, but click-baity) headline. The Techmeme version is _Sam Altman 's project The United Slate aims to help elect ~five candidates in California aligned with its 10 left-leaning policy goals but isn't set up as a PAC_ (the Techmeme version is too long).

</comment><comment><USER2> Lessig's Mayday PAC did pretty poorly (spent $10M to support 8 candidates, only two of them won their races).

Did The United Slate take lessons learned from Mayday PAC into account for its strategy?</comment>


Entrepreneurs anonymous - <AUTHOR> http://www.economist.com/news/business/21618816-instead-romanticising-entrepreneurs-people-should-understand-how-hard-their-lives-can?fsrc=scn/tw_ec/entrepreneurs_anonymous <comment><USER2> We suffer from strong survivor bias. Each day CrunchBase sends me a list of companies, most that I've never heard of and many that I can't understand how they're being backed, and it reinforces the idea that you can go out and build a great product and VCs will rain money down on you on your path to success. However these are the exceptions that prove the rule.

Some advice from someone in the trenches.

First, assume that you will never raise a dollar of outside Angel or VC money. Smart, great board, great product, it won't matter. An investor's null hypothesis is that you will fail and it is incredibly difficult to convince them otherwise. If you're the CEO and you don't have Brad Pitt like charisma and you're not a sociopath then it will be very very hard to raise capital.

Second, be prepared for the dreads. The worst part about it is that once these wounds are opened they will be there for life. You're going to wake up at 4:00 and won't be able to sleep because your mind is churning, trying to find some solution to your problem. This usually boils down to insipid growth rates and lack of capital to properly execute.

Third, there will always be 100 things to do and you get to pick 3. What you have will be imperfect. You won't have the metrics you need, and you'll be apologizing for everyhing. It also makes it that much harder to get others to see your vision.

Fourth, the longer it takes you to raise capital the more your team will doubt your competence.

Fifth, you will be rejected every day. VCs, customers, partners, potential employees. This takes a massive psychological toll even as you're get back up to put on that brave face. Unless you are a sociopath it is bound to chip away at your confidence and it may be that split second of doubt that hurts you in your next meeting.

<comment><USER3> If you're awake at 4 AM because of anxiety about growth rate and lack of capital, make some hot cocoa and then thank God you don't have real problems.

I'm not saying this to be snide. Those problems feel real and scary enough. But as the other replies to this comment demonstrate, there is a vast spectrum of human misery that we live on the far end of.

Anything you can do to remain mindful of that will have the side effect of letting you sleep like a baby, even the night before the big investor meeting.

<comment><USER4> I don't disagree, but when you're growing and responsible for the economic livelihoods of several households, it's hard to write your anxieties off as first world. Because it's not really about you anymore, and a "whatever, I'll be fine in the end" attitude just feels, selfish? Irresponsible? I think a great many of us would sleep just fine if we only bore responsibility for ourselves. I'm not arguing that anyone should be destroying themselves over their startup, just that writing all the anxieties off as first world problems just isn't a reasonable ask for founders who care deeply about their teams.

<comment><USER5> The kinds of people that start tech companies in this economy are among the most employable people in the entire world. If your company fails, you'll do the same thing a laid-off steelworker will do: get another job. But of course you'll succeed at doing that almost immediately.

<comment><USER6> When I talk to other founders about the gut of steel, it's not about the money but the people.

'Real' founders are fine -- we have a lower expected salary anyways but are probably extra employable. (Imagine who knows the most about contributing to a business!)

The issue is that we were the ones who convinced the people we sat down with to put their eggs in our basket. Investors put in their hard-earned money, employees devote their precious personal hours and "one shot", and customers (in B2Bs) put their own businesses on the line. A company is a social bedrock and we're ultimately responsible.

This stuff can certainly be rationalized away. Professional investors spread their risk and angels are often in it for the fun, employees get a bundle of a paycheck, lottery ticket, and personal responsibility, customers make business decisions, and everyone is getting a seat on the rocket. However, founders are human and part of that means having empathy.

<comment><USER5> You made tea shoot out of my nose when I read "Investors put their hard-earned money...".

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER7> I used to encourage everyone I know to quit their job and start a company. Now, after having done just that, I no longer recommend this path. Not because I regret doing it. In fact, I think it was one of the best decisions I've ever made. But the road is, as the article says, about as romantic as "chewing glass."

Sure, there are wonderful days when things are working even better than I had planned. But then there are also the regular sleepless nights where I wake up puking, just from the stress. And it's been like this for years. It's a great path for the right person, but if you need someone to talk you into starting a business, then you're probably not cut out to be an entrepreneur. Owning a business isn't all it's chalked up to be. Turns out it ends up owning you. And yet, there's an amazing satisfaction that comes from entrepreneurship that you just can't get by working for someone else.

<comment><USER8> When people ask me if they should start a company, I do a short interview with them to understand their motivation. It's usually dissatisfaction with their job combined with a grass-is-greener view of entrepreneurship. I believe in many circumstances people have a higher chance of finding happiness by pouring deliberate energy into finding a great job rather than starting their own company.

<comment><USER9> _I do a short interview with them to understand their motivation._

Could you please try me?

I have a good job as a software engineer at a successful start up. I am introvert and somewhat shy (although less then I used to be). I don't think many people could imagine me as a CEO. Nonetheless here are the reasons I want to start a company:

\- I want to do something meaningful. I don't mean curing cancer, but having small, positive impact on other people though software. My current job provides that, but only in very small, indirect way.

\- I need to have as much control as possible over what I work on, if my work seems pointless it's a huge demotivator for me.

\- My father is an successful entrepreneur and I think that rolemodel influenced me.

\- I dream of financial independence in my 30ies (working only when I want to). I know that this is not a good reason, but nonetheless part of my motivation.

EDIT: I rewrote some of this, because my I failed to express myself in my first attempt

<comment><USER10> None of these sound like great reasons. I'm four years into starting a business. Here was my motivation:

      * A burning desire not to work for anyone else.
      * A desire, not to retire, but to free up time for all the other things I want to do. Chiefly learning.

It is impossible to to convey, in writing, how badly I wanted these things. I had had a small taste of the working world, and couldn't bear the thought of it.

I wanted to be free of my time. I had read the four hour workweek, and longed for income to that was mostly automatic.

Your motives don't seem like mine. You sound like you might be a better candidate for this:

[http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/](http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/)

That's a reasonable guide to retiring in your 30s. The author was a software engineer. He just reduced his spending and saved a high % of his salary.

<comment><USER9> I think made a really wrong impression in that post. Somehow I can't really find the right words to express myself right now.

While I understand the appeal of passive income, I think I would rather work 24/7 on something really meaningful.

 _Your motives don 't seem like mine._

That is not necessarily a bad thing. There are many types of entrepreneurs.

<comment><USER11> Maybe try building something on the side in your spare time complimentary to the business you work for?

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER12> It doesn't have to be that way. It certainly wasn't for me.

The cool thing about running your own business is that you can run it any way you like. Yes, you can work 120 hour weeks, lose your wife, and have your heart attack at 45. But you can also work one 8 hour day per week, with a quick 10 minute email spin on the other weekdays, and spend the rest of your time enjoying your life.

Both of those routes will get your product shipped, fit it to the market, and ramp you up to a full time living if you do it right.

The idea that you have to work yourself into the ground is just a story they tell people to scare them off. The reality is that entrepreneurship isn't particularly hard, particularly stressful, or particularly scary. Unless you want it to be.

<comment><USER11> Having had a look at your website I have to say the whole going off the beach in Asia and doing some coding stuff seems quite a good idea.

</comment></comment><comment><USER13> My standard advice to folks with corporate jobs who want to venture out on their own is this- hire a couple of guys to vet out your idea. Get the product market fit right, get the MVP done and have someone start talking to potential customers while you are still making a salary. If it is difficult to set aside $5K-$8K per month for this while you are working, it'll be significantly harder once you are not bringing in anything. One of the biggest lessons for me when I did my own start up was that no one else is on the same timeline as you are. They go on their long holidays while you are refreshing gmail every minute to see whether they replied to your email. All the while, you are trying to survive on whatever you have in your diminishing bank account. Age also is a definite factor. If you are in your early twenties and used to surviving on $1500 of research assistantship from university, it is much easier to take random bets. You'll only learn from them. Once you are beyond a certain stage in your life, the equation totally changes.

<comment><USER14> I used to think this was bad advice (hiring out to others to vet your idea) and would actively advise startups against it, but the more I work with entrepreneurs the more I'm coming around to the view that this is a good route to take for someone who is working full-time and considering jumping off to do their startup.

By hiring out to vet the idea it reduces the confirmation bias that entrepreneurs face when researching their own ideas. As you noted, it forces an upfront financial commitment on the part of the entrepreneur, helping them realize what it will take to properly fund a startup at scale. It's also a time saver - trying to talk to potential customers (particularly for B2B startups) while holding down a full-time job is very difficult.

Of course, the entrepreneur should still be involved to the greatest extent possible, otherwise any early learning from the customer conversations, MVPs, etc. is lost...

</comment></comment><comment><USER15> As an entrepreneur I agree that our job is probably more demanding and stressful than your usual 9-to-5 in a big corporation, but I would never say that we have a hard life. Here's why:

\- We have chosen this path ourselves, nobody forced us to run our own business and play the startup game.

\- We are able to do something we love all day and possibly even make a lot of money doing so.

\- We can decide ourselves how much we actually work and how we organize our life (even if most people pretend they can't).

\- If our business fails, we can (mostly) just go back working in a high- paying job in industry.

That's not exactly what I call a hard life. If you think it is, you might wanna take a look outside your IT-/Silicon-Valley bubble, where many people get up every day at 5 am, work 12 hours in a job they don't like but can't quit because they need the money and still are barely able to make ends meet. To them, most of our "problems" would be luxuries to have.

</comment><comment><USER16> This is a welcome article to read this week. I'm in the process of winding down my abortive startup and fielding a lot of questions from confused friends who think I'm just months away from giving them a ride on my yacht. The reality is much, much different. I look forward to having a fulltime job again and having time for music.

</comment><comment><USER3> Focusing on the hardships of entrepreneurship is just a different way of romanticizing it.

<comment><USER17> Absolutely. I felt the part about the guy becoming an alcoholic because he became an entrepreneur to be really over-the-top.

</comment></comment><comment><USER18> Maybe it's my own history and previous life path, but starting a business with a best friend has been one of the mots natural and fun things I've ever done. There are obstacles, and I'm sure the road is rough going for a lot of entrepreneurs, but... This has been the best kind of work I feel that I will ever do, with respect to my own life goals. It takes a certain type, certainly.

That being said, and as a print subscriber to The Economist, I was a bit overwhelmed by this article, which reads like propaganda or cult literature. What I do is hard work, sure, but society doesn't owe me respect for all my hard work (and sympathy for my sacrifices) anymore than they owe farmers or factory workers. And definitely not as much as the guys working on the garbage trucks.

</comment><comment><USER19> > Would-be entrepreneurs need to have a more measured view of the risks > involved before they start a business. But society also needs to have more > respect for people who put their lives on the line to build something from > nothing.

Anyone entering the startup space thinking their lives will be easier is going in with their 'eyes wide shut'. Having said that, if you manage your own personal expectations of being the next Mark Zuckerberg and are realistic, then you should manage.

Always make sure you have more money then you think you need to prove your concept, always estimate longer then you need and always listen to what your body says it needs.

Great article.

</comment><comment><USER20> I am also on the verge of starting a company, and it makes me afraid. More so, upon reading this thread. Looks like there are lot of entrepreneurs in this thread, so some advice maybe good for me. I have identified a pain point in a present system at my company, and since then got to know that this is a industry wide problem. My employer would not solve this issue, and would not give me permission to build it on my own time, as one of my colleague suggested the same six months back and they were not enthusiastic and would not release him from the specific clause in the job's terms and conditions. One of my Managers, who left the company, and is still on good terms with me proposed the idea to his company and the company wants to see the initial prototype. I have none at this point, so will need to develop it.

The problem is, I cannot forego my job income because of upcoming personal situation. Potential customer will not give me lump sum money, and wants to hire me as a consultant, but then I would not be able to sell it to other customers. If I build the product in my spare time, my employer owns it as it is directly in company's field of operation. Angel networking people I have talked to have also asked for a working prototype, but I have none and for building one a good developer will be needed.

So can somebody please give some suggestions on this? Or if someone from Edmonton or Alberta is reading this please get in touch with me @ email@example.com .

<comment><USER21> Actually, this sounds like a non-problem.

The most crucial first step is to change your frame of mind: you're not bound to any employer, and your personal time is _entirely_ your own.

Develop a prototype in your own time, get lots of feedback to improve it, and suddenly all sorts of avenues and options will be open to you.

You could license it back to your company (for a price); if that's rejected, go somewhere else. It certainly sounds as though there's a gap in the market, so the obvious thing to do would be to fill it - ASAP.

Think of it this way: you're working your way toward financial freedom. Why allow anyone to put obstacles in your way?

<comment><USER11> I think iamshs was saying " If I build the product in my spare time, my employer owns it as it is directly in company's field of operation"

Maybe iamshs could switch to another job, perhaps something a bit more part time without the non competes and build the thing on the side then?

<comment><USER20> Yup, my job's clause states that any product directly aligned with company's processes will be owned by the company, even if built away from company's property.

That is what I was thinking, of changing jobs. I have talked to lot of friends and they all have this clause as a standard. I think going part-time is a good suggestion. Because even yesterday I had a chance meeting with one of local company's director and he was also up to see the product and said if I "build it solidly, _company_ will be my first flag". I want to build this thing ASAP.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER22> As a person hoping to start my own business within the next couple of months, this scares me quite a bit.

Honestly the entire notion of building my own company and not having the security of a stable paycheck is frightening. But even taking that into account, it doesn't diminish my desire to keep following this path regardless of the risk and warnings I've frequently heard.

Maybe this means I'm "over optimistic" bordering on "completely delusional" but I'll be damned if I don't try and make this work anyways.

<comment><USER23> The terms optimistic and delusional describe the two states of hypomania. Hypomania can be managed through good diet, exercise, meditation and other things that have absolutely zero to do with your business and everything to do with you. However, you are what makes your business successful at the end of the day. Manage it like you manage your business.

</comment></comment><comment><USER24> It is a game of survival. You have to try several tricks to keep yourself afloat until you reach what you call as success. Being lean (in my case I am a single founder), fit physically and mentally (I did not do this so aggressively when I was employed:-), keeping track of your expenses (some sort of cash flow), going for little money once in a while in a consulting mode, having sufficient capital to not disturb your family all and more are needed till you think you have reached the point where you have exhausted all options - research, market, positioning, customer demos , partnering and so on.

</comment><comment><USER25> The article cites Aaron Levie as an example.

Someone in his 20s who has already raised hundreds of millions of dollars and is already a millionaire.

Hardly the example of the struggling entrepreneur the article is warning us about.

</comment><comment><USER26> I really like the part of the article that talks about taking breaks. Entrepreneurs = work hard. I am a big believer in working on nights when others are having a good time, but you got to take care of yourself. Burning out only slows you down ultimately.

I like to surround myself with family and activities I love to recharge my battery. Often when I come back to working on my project the creative ideas come flowing out.

<comment><USER27> > Entrepreneurs = work hard

Not if you're picking your battles, planning ahead, and executing right.

[I assume you mean "work late". There's nothing wrong with working hard, 9-5, 5 days a week.]

The entrepreneur is the responsible one that will work hard and work late when he has to. The trick is never having to.

</comment></comment><comment><USER28> As a fellow serial entrepreneur, it seems to me that between success, sleep, and living the life, you can only pick 2 out of the three.

<comment><USER22> I hope "living the life" means living how you want it and not really the traditional notion of living luxuriously. I personally want to start a business to have an impact and to build something other people want to use. That would be living the life for me, regardless if I'm sipping Pina Coladas on the beach by noon.

</comment></comment><comment><USER29> The Economist is one of my favourite magazines. Their rhetoric never waffles or glosses over issues. A good example from this article:

"Management literature is full of guff about how entrepreneurs should embrace failure as a "learning experience". But being punched in the face is also a learning experience."

<comment><USER17> I actually did some fighting and getting punched in the face really is the best learning experience when the goal is to learn how to protect yourself. If we didn't throw real punches than we would never learn how to handle real punches. And sometimes you got hit...in the face.

</comment></comment><comment><USER23> > make time to exercise and learn to relax

This is the #1 priority for me now.

</comment><comment><USER30> tl:dr - balance your mind and body.

</comment><comment><USER31> The hardest thing about entrepreneurial success for me personally is the envy it has generated. I wasn't prepared for it.

When I first started seeing results in my business, I quit my job and was able to spend a lot of time doing whatever I wanted. My wife would post pictures of us constantly going on day trips and vacations. It pissed some important people in my life off, and they became very passive aggressive towards me.

It's easy for people who haven't experienced it to assume it's easy to ignore, but when your family members start off by criticizing you, then doubting you, then watching you succeed beyond what they could have imagined, they can end up feeling extremely violated.

I spent the first two years feeling sorry for myself that so and so wasn't talking to me. Now, I've moved on and am stronger than ever.

<comment><USER32> I'm sorry some of your relationships suffered due to your success. I doubt I've been as successful as you, but some people have reacted similarly in my life. I think it can help to view some forms of envy as a mental illness.[1] It's not your fault they're behaving that way, so don't take it personally. If these people are important to you, keep trying to reach out. They might come around eventually.

1\. It's important to separate good and bad forms of envy. Bad envy involves wishing misfortune upon someone. Good envy doesn't. Many people envy Elon Musk, but don't wish him any ill and want him to succeed.

<comment><USER31> I want to comment on this. While many people do envy Elon Musk, you're talking about the ones who admire him, and there is a big difference as you mention before that.

I don't know why I'm wired the way I am, but I'm just not susceptible to envy --at all. However, I hardly think that most people successful or otherwise are like me. In fact, I'd say a good bit of successful people are so _because_ of their envy.

Envy is the worst of the 7 deadly sins. It's like Charlie Munger says, "It's the only deadly sin you're not going to have any fun with."

<comment><USER32> I guess we're using different definitions. By "good envy" I meant wishing you were in the envy-ee's shoes, or at least wanting to live a similar life. I agree that such sentiment can drive people to accomplish more than they otherwise would.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER17> The implication that this gentlemen became an alcoholic because he quit his corporate job and became an entrepreneur seems pretty far fetched. The guy was probably either already an alcoholic or didn't actually become one. There's a huge difference between drinking to cope with stress and drinking because you are an alcoholic. The latter needs no stress to cause him/her to drink.

<comment><USER33> I don't think you're correct here.

The stresses of being an entrepreneur take a tremendous toll and given the risk-taking nature of the condition (entrepreneurialism) I absolutely see those stresses lead to dangerous and addictive behaviors in those who follow an entrepreneurial path - whether it's drugs, drink, sex or gambling I have seen all behaviors triggered in individuals.

The absolutism of your position on what does/does not constitute an alcoholic and what triggers the behavior is misplaced.

<comment><USER34> i think what he's trying to say is that becoming an alcoholic over a stupid decision and the resulting stress is a bit far fetched…

i second that; you might increase the amount you're drinking on a dailly basis for a bit of relief, but that has absolutely nothing to do with being an alcoholic.

<comment><USER17> Yes, I'm trying to say that being an entrepreneur is stressful but it is just so glorified in our circles. This is one of the biggest reasons I wanted to leave the ivory tower of academia because I was so tired of the incestuous little circles of grad students and professors telling each other how much smarter than everyone else they were.

I have 15 years of experience working with drug addicts and alcoholics and the stresses that I hear people trying to get sober have dealt with are often rape, abuse suffered as a child, molestation suffered as a child, loss of a parent when they were very young or just growing up in an alcoholic home. You must be able to admit that these stresses dwarf "being an entrepreneur." In comparison, most people handle starting their own business without it wrecking them but very few people can handle getting raped, or abused as a child without some really serious psychological consequences.

And there are always outliers and exceptions but if that is all this guy is, then it seems pretty disingenuous to use him in an article like this.</comment></comment></comment></comment>


Microsoft's Empty Promise - <AUTHOR> http://www.fsf.org/news/2009-07-mscp-mono

<comment><USER2> This is a significantly better explanation of the FSF's concerns than Stallman. His post reeked of FUD, but this post actually makes sense to me.

I quite like C#, especially 3.0, as a language. I am equally saddened that it is encumbered by hate as it is by fear. I honestly don't think Microsoft would start a mutually assured destruction war, but I've been wrong in the past. That said, I still wouldn't use it for an open source project because it is a political death sentence for any community-driven project :-( can't we all just get along?

<comment><USER3> > _I honestly don't think Microsoft would start a mutually assured destruction > war_

I don't think they would, at the moment. I do think they might at some point in the future.

> _can't we all just get along?_

Sadly, Microsoft's business model and future profits depend on limiting our freedom when we use computers, so no, we can't just get along.

<comment><USER4> I think Microsoft would be most likely to start firing patent lawsuits at a time where Mono started to gain real traction in the free software community. So, if the community _did_ start adopting Mono as a major platform and developed a lot of good software for it, that is when Microsoft would pull the trigger. So, either way, Microsoft gets what it wants. They limit adoption by holding patents that could be later used against the community, and if it _does_ get adopted they can start suing.

I say this as someone who really likes the .NET platform and think it could add a lot of value to the free software community. But I have to agree with the FSF on this one.

<comment><USER5> > _I think Microsoft would be most likely to start firing patent lawsuits at a > time where Mono started to gain real traction in the free software > community. So, if the community did start adopting Mono as a major platform > and developed a lot of good software for it, that is when Microsoft would > pull the trigger._

You know, it is possible that Microsoft has some grand master plan here. But I have to invoke Occam's razor here: it's more likely that MS is ok with Mono.

After all, they don't make money off of .Net directly. They _give_ it away. They make their money by selling Visual Studio. If you were on the fence, wouldn't you be more willing to buy Visual Studio if you knew you could use it to write programs for Windows, Linux, _and_ OS X? And of course, if you have to buy Visual Studio, you have to buy Windows too.

<comment><USER6> They don't need to have a master plan. Just leaving ammo lying around when a future Microsoft could have any of a million reasons to use it is the problem.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER7> One thought that got stuck in my mind after reading the article: use Mono and you risk being sued like TomTom was sued for using VFAT.

<comment><USER8> The FSF has a problem understanding the word "necessary". A court will determine that any method/code/algorithm necessary to fully implement the specs is "necessary", and thus covered by MS's promise.

In contrast, MS never released the FAT family of patents under an open license, as it has with Mono. Bringing up the spectre of TomTom (in the article) is FUD -- it's irrelevant and displays a ridiculous lack of understanding of the law. (And since the FSF is a legal organization, that means their legal opinions can't be trusted to be accurate.)

</comment></comment><comment><USER9> Microsoft is the FSF's arch-nemesis. It doesn't matter what they do: it must always be wrong, as it is their very existence that defines the FSF. The hate must survive.

<comment><USER10> Off the top of my head I would suspect the FSF was established well before MS's rise to dominate the desktop.

<comment><USER11> The FSF can't very well target IBM anymore though.

<comment><USER6> Well if they can shift from IBM to Microsoft, I'm sure they can shift again if Microsoft actually embraces FLOSS to any great extent. Which further undermines the original point claiming that FSF just parrot the opposite of whatever Microsoft say.</comment></comment></comment></comment>


Customer Data Platform – What Features Makes for a Great CDP - <AUTHOR> https://medium.com/analytics-and-data/customer-data-platform-what-features-makes-for-a-great-cdp-74227bc4d028 <comment><USER2> Great article by Julien Kervizic, covers in depth the key functionalities of Customer data platforms. Beside just covering the features of a CDP, it would have been good to also cover the business use case for a CDP.

<comment><AUTHOR> Noted. This is something I had covered in high level in a previous blog posts: [https://medium.com/analytics-and-data/cdp-and-dmp-a-story- of...](https://medium.com/analytics-and-data/cdp-and-dmp-a-story-of- advertising-platforms-draft-9359162f6713)

But that I might want to cover in more details in the future.</comment></comment>


Determining the Size of Your SaaS Market - <AUTHOR> https://thebootstrappedfounder.com/determining-the-size-of-your-saas-market/ <comment><USER2> Here's another great resource on market size estimation techniques: [https://www.slideshare.net/mobile/OpenViewVenturePartners/qu...](https://www.slideshare.net/mobile/OpenViewVenturePartners/quick- market-sizing-approaches-07102015)</comment>


Ask HN: Which ways of finding new clients works for you? - <AUTHOR>

Hi HN!
I've recently started a web design business, had a couple of friend/family pro bono clients, and now need to get some real ones (and real money).
Word of mouth will hopefully eventually lead to regular clients, but that requires an initial set of clients.
What methods have worked best for you?
Specifically, which of these have worked to get you clients?
* AdWords?
* Leaflet drops?
* Networking meetups?
* Cold calling?
* Going door to door?
Any others I've missed?
Cheers <comment><USER2> There was a recent study which discussed the way that freelancers find work.

They were: \- Referrals (27%) \- word of mouth (24%) \- Personal and professional networks (17%)

</comment><comment><USER3> Why don't you start by sharing your business link in your profile page.

</comment><comment><USER4> short term : identify who are your clients, and reach out to them on LinkedIn. Make sure you write a personalised mail and explain how you can solve some problem that they are facing.

long term : content marketing. writing blogs, being active on quora, facebook and linkedin discussions helps a lot.

Things like AdWords, leaflet drops etc haven't worked for me.

</comment><comment><USER5> You are missing "Blogging"

</comment><comment><USER6> Search engine optimisation....takes time but cheaper and effective.

</comment><comment><USER7> Linkedin is a good network to find prospective clients!</comment>


Ask HN: Who still develops in C++ - <AUTHOR> Besides game development and embedded hardware, who still uses C++? <comment><USER2> C and C++ are in many ways increasing not decreasing. C and C++ both have significant offerings in many areas, and you can find both in almost all industries.

I am guessing by the way you worded your question that you are being at least slightly dismissive of the embedded market. Many people are, but almost everything you touch has a microprocessor that likely is running some C and/or C++ code on it now.

Every cable box usually is C/C++, every DVR, home theater receivers, microwaves, conventional ovens, garage door controllers, hell even that stupid sink faucet you touch to turn on/off is likely running some C code. It is everywhere because it is the one language that is the most transportable and powerful across domains that carries the least amount of baggage with it.

C++ is less likely to be found on the tiny to small chips running things, but you see it more and more where chips can support it. Not to mention, every time you use your cell phone you are using dozens of components, most all written in C/C++ and not all are embedded systems.

<comment><USER3> I thought Forth was easier to transport / had less baggage? Or am I wrong?

<comment><USER2> I am not an expert in regards to FORTH so I'd have to let someone with more experience say. FORTH from what I know has been around since at least the Z80 days. But honestly, I do not know if it carries more or less baggage, nor whether it is really more portable.

All the embedded work I have done has mostly been C with a little more C++ in the recent years, outside of some machine level stuff for highly specialized devices. So just from that, at least in my experience C is the more common, portable and easily worked with language.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER4> Every software that's widely used and isn't a crap gimmick is written in C/C++.

Android/Linux is mostly C. Google Search-C++. Web browsers-C++. Java VM is a c++ program. Games-C++.

The only place Java/Ruby/Python/etc has a foot hold is in websites providing crap gimmics that are just wrappers over C/C++ programs. Like uploading a photo or tweet, just providing some glue over all the C/C++ programs that actually do the work.

</comment><comment><USER5> Anyone who needs performance. Although, if you really need performance, you're using C, not C++. Game engines are all written in C/C++. All those languages like Python and Javascript are all written in C/C++.

<comment><USER6> > Although, if you really need performance, you're using C, not C++.

Howso? Yea, don't do dynamic dispatch in your core performance critical loops, but templates give you a lot of capability to get nice abstractions without major (runtime) performance hits.

<comment><USER7> I'd check out the How to C in 2016 thread: [https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10864176](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10864176)

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER8> I am working on robots and C++ is my best choice so far, especially when using ROS or just embedded things.

</comment><comment><USER9> Almost anyone who does any cross platform development. C/C++ makes it very easy to write cross platform libraries that almost all platforms can consume.

</comment><comment><USER10> There are hundreds of sectors where it is used daily , it is not popular in web and mobile app development , but I feel thats not the only place where typical "software development" happens .

ATMs , OS development , cellular networks , lots of industry specific desktop applications for petroleum industry , Cutting machine softwares (lathes , cnc etc) are written in cpp .

</comment><comment><USER11> Insurance companies develop HPC stochastic financial projection models in C++. I have seen approaches using R or Python, but they couldn't give the performance necessary for getting results in reasonable time.

</comment><comment><USER12> High-performance engineering simulation code (think Finite Element Method) is pretty much all written in C/C++ due to performance reasons.

</comment><comment><USER13> I use it for fun, the most recent project I've been working upon is a console- based mail-client with Lua scripting. (Think "mutt").

The core of the project is C++, along with lots of Lua.

[https://github.com/lumail/lumail2/](https://github.com/lumail/lumail2/)

</comment><comment><USER14> I do, working on infotainment systems.

</comment><comment><USER15> I do, when it's the right tool for the job. When in Rome, do as the Romans. Everywhere else, use C or C++. Why? I'm more comfortable and productive with it. I'm sure the Esperanto advocates wonder why I still speak English, too.

</comment><comment><USER16> We use it for Windows system programming libs: [https://github.com/nektra/deviare2](https://github.com/nektra/deviare2) but when we need a UI we integrate it with C#.

</comment><comment><USER17> Most middle-ware systems like database/messaging/file system are written in C++. Users of such systems most likely develop their applications in C++ as well, like gaming and financial firms.

</comment><comment><USER18> most high speed trading firms, robotics firms, and machine learning places

</comment><comment><USER19> Anyone writing OSes -- even most Unix-like OS flavors have plenty of C++.

</comment><comment><USER6> Graphics intensive work outside of games. Adobe's software. Autodesk's software. Most film VFX and animation shops are heavy on C++.

</comment><comment><USER20> Google

</comment><comment><USER21> Quants in Investment Banks.</comment>


Snowflake and the Data Blizzard - <AUTHOR> https://thegeneralist.substack.com/p/the-s-1-club-snowflake-and-the-data <comment><AUTHOR> Breaking down $SNOW and how they maintain their position v. Redshift, GCP, etc.</comment>


Microsoft signs $100m Cloud Deal with NYC - <AUTHOR> http://techcrunch.com/2010/10/20/microsoft-new-york-city/

<comment><USER2> The claim is this'll save $50M by consolidating existing contracts and shifting some stuff to the cloud.

It'll be interesting to see if it goes better than Google's deal with LA, which has run into all kinds of problems.</comment>