1. SumatraPDF Reader
Total comment counts : 45
Summary
This article provides information about SumatraPDF, a reader for various file formats such as PDF, EPUB, MOBI, CBZ, CBR, FB2, CHM, XPS, and DjVu. The reader is available for Windows and is licensed under the Affero General Public License version 3 (AGPLv3), with some code under the BSD license. For more information, users are directed to the SumatraPDF reader documentation.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article talks about the author’s efforts to replace selected PDF workflows with open-source software (OSS) due to Adobe’s more aggressive approach to monetizing Acrobat. The author mentions several OSS PDF tools they use, including qpdf for removing passwords and unlocking PDFs, PDF4QT for editing PDFs, Inkscape and LibreOffice Draw for editing PDFs and adding text, Mupdf for parsing and filling forms, SumatraPDF for viewing PDFs, and pdfplumber, a Python package for extracting tables from PDFs into data pipelines.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article provides a retrospective of SumatraPDF, an open-source Windows app, after 15 years of its existence. It discusses the lessons learned and highlights key features and design choices of the software. The author acknowledges the simplicity and speed of SumatraPDF, as well as its dedication to providing a smooth user experience. The article also reflects on the challenges faced and the improvements made over the years.
2. The risk of RISC-V: What’s going on at SiFive?
Total comment counts : 29
Summary
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Top 1 Comment Summary
The author of the article worked at SiFive in 2018 and describes it as a poorly organized company with management issues. They suggest that Samsung and Intel invested in SiFive to benefit their own negotiations with Arm. The author also notes confusion surrounding SiFive’s objectives, whether they are an IP licensing company, a custom core/SoC designer, a catalog parts manufacturer, or a software company. Additionally, the author mentions that SiFive asked for too much money from Intel, resulting in Intel walking away from a deal, which they believe would be difficult for SiFive to recover from.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The author, a chip designer, discusses his knowledge and experience with SiFive, a company in the chip design industry. He mentions that SiFive had various aspects to its business model, including licensing cores and producing chips similar to those found in Raspberry Pi systems. SiFive acquired Open Silicon, a design services company, which was then rebranded as OpenFive. In 2022, SiFive sold OpenFive to Alphawave. The author speculates that the design services aspect of SiFive’s business may not have been successful due to the preference of larger companies to handle design services internally. The reason for the sale of OpenFive is attributed to financial concerns.
3. Unified versus Split Diff
Total comment counts : 41
Summary
The author discusses the pros and cons of using a unified diff versus a split diff for code reviews. They argue that while both views can be useful for simple and small changes, they are not adequate for larger, more complex changes. The author prefers a diff view that allows them to review the code as if they were writing it, paying attention to the recently changed areas but also considering the overall codebase. They suggest a specific format where the current state of the code is shown on the left, with changes highlighted in the margins, and the unified diff for the visible portion of the codebase on the right. They express dissatisfaction with the lack of tool support for this style of review and describe their low-tech and inefficient workflow for achieving it. The author concludes by expressing a desire for easier access to code review functionalities without the need for custom tools.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The author is discussing different types of code reviews. They argue that for large changes, a proper code review should be done at a specific point in time, focusing on the recently changed areas. They believe that general code reviews are simply a sanity check and should be performed by a second pair of eyes. The author suggests that if commits in a pull request are properly ordered or squashed, it is easier to review incremental changes in isolation. They also mention that there are different types of code reviews, such as a sanity check review and a deep, architectural feature premerge review, and the author believes that web tools mostly provide the former type.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article mentions difftastic, a tool that uses “structural” diffing for more detailed and precise highlighting of differences. You can find more information about difftastic at the given GitHub link.
4. NASA just sent a software update to a spacecraft 12B miles away
Total comment counts : 53
Summary
NASA has completed a critical software update for Voyager 2, which is currently over 12 billion miles away from Earth in interstellar space. The update aims to prevent the same issues experienced by its sibling probe, Voyager 1, last year. NASA hopes the software patch will allow Voyager 2 to continue its interstellar exploration. The data sent back by the probe is unique and valuable due to its distant location. NASA plans to test the update on Voyager 2 and, if successful, will send it to Voyager 1, which is even farther away. The space agency also aims to reduce propellant residue build-up in the fuel lines of both probes.
Top 1 Comment Summary
This article highlights the incredible engineering and ingenuity behind a long-lived space mission. It praises the teams responsible for the mission and expresses awe at the accumulation of data and the pushing of boundaries in our understanding of the universe. The article sees this news as a reminder of the positive aspects of humanity’s desire to explore and a source of hope for what can be achieved when working together. The author extends gratitude to NASA and the scientific community.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The Remote Agent (RA) is an autonomous spacecraft control system developed by JPL. Despite pressure to switch to C++, the system was written entirely in Common Lisp, which proved crucial to its success. Multiple versions of Common Lisp were used during the project, with Harlequin eventually being the Lisp that flew on the spacecraft. The Remote Agent software controlled Deep Space 1 during its mission in May 1999 and was able to debug and fix a race condition that hadn’t appeared during ground testing. The Remote Agent was recognized as “NASA Software of the Year”.
5. Animated AI
Total comment counts : 27
Summary
The article is about a person creating animations and instructional videos on neural networks. They have a Patreon and YouTube channel where they share their content. The content is licensed under the MIT License.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article provides links to three visualization tools for CNNs. The first tool is a visualizer from Georgia Tech, the second tool is a collection of visualization tools on GitHub, and the third tool is from TensorFlow.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article praises the use of colors and suggests that the animations are not created by AI, but rather by a person. The author appreciates the effort put into making these animations and thanks the person for sharing them. Additionally, the article mentions that the videos on the YouTube channel related to the animations are highly recommended to watch.
6. Sharp Color E-Paper Display EPoster 25.3in
Total comment counts : 12
Summary
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Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses the release of a publicly available gallery plus display, which is priced at $3230. The author mentions that this display is half the price of ACeP demo display kits from a few years ago. They express confusion about EInk’s branding and which product, ACeP or gallery plus, is associated with high color capabilities. The author expresses a desire to see a color e-ink art frame in a store before purchasing.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The text mentions that there is a link to Yodobashi in HN, and provides a product page for a Sharp model number EP-C251. The link is to a Sharp ePoster lineup page.
7. California suspends Cruise’s autonomous vehicle deployment
Total comment counts : 58
Summary
California’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has ordered General Motors’ Cruise unit to remove its driverless cars from state roads, citing a risk to public safety and accusing the company of misrepresenting the technology’s safety. The DMV suspended Cruise’s autonomous vehicle deployment and driverless testing permit due to concerns about the vehicles’ performance and their ability to respond appropriately to incidents involving pedestrians. The suspension is a setback for GM and the autonomous vehicle industry as a whole. Critics of self-driving technology, such as the Transport Workers union of America, welcomed the decision. Cruise has stated that it is pausing operations to analyze and enhance the vehicle’s response to incidents.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) suspending the autonomous vehicle testing permit of Cruise LLC, a self-driving car company. The suspensions are based on several factors, including the vehicles’ performance being deemed unsafe, the manufacturer misrepresenting safety information, and the manufacturer engaging in practices that pose an unreasonable risk to the public. The article also mentions that Cruise attempted to withhold footage of a pedestrian injury incident from the DMV, which was later discovered by another government agency.
Top 2 Comment Summary
According to the author, who drives a lot in San Francisco, Cruise cars do not perform well. Although they avoid collisions by driving cautiously, their behavior, such as making a left turn against traffic, slows down everyone else on the road, including emergency vehicles and public transit. Additionally, Cruise cars struggle in the rain, have difficulty handling construction, and block garages and driveways. On the other hand, Waymo vehicles are considered far superior. They drive like humans do and, although they still have some issues with weather and construction, they are able to seamlessly share the road with buses, trucks, and private cars without causing delays.
8. How to Build Your Own AI-Generated Images with ControlNet and Stable Diffusion
Total comment counts : 11
Summary
This article introduces the concept of generative AI, which is a type of artificial intelligence that can create new content such as images, text, and videos that have not been explicitly programmed into the system. It explains that generative AI models are typically based on neural networks and use probabilistic methods to generate content similar to the training data. The article highlights the potential applications of generative AI, including generating images for art, product advertisement, and computer vision datasets. It discusses different techniques for generative AI, such as generative adversarial networks (GANs) and Stable Diffusion. The article provides an example of using Stable Diffusion for background augmentation in computer vision tasks. It explains the process of in-painting and using object transformations to create varied and realistic images. The article also mentions other generative AI models like InstructPix2Pix and ControlNet, which can be used for image editing and style transfer. However, it notes that generative AI is still in development and has limitations in scalability and fine-grained control. The article concludes by mentioning the potential of generative AI in curating and annotating large datasets and its integration with the Datature platform for training computer vision models.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The ControlNet model, particularly the scribble ControlNet, has been a significant advancement in compositing complex scenes with specific requirements and shapes. It eliminates the need for time-consuming masking and allows users to create a general black and white outline of their scene for desired effects. Adjusting the conditioning strength allows for tighter or fuzzier outlines. Additionally, tools like Gimp’s Threshold or Inkscape Trace Bitmap can be used to create a black and white outline from existing bitmaps, expediting the scribble process.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article is about the development of CushyStudio, a tool that aims to make Stable Diffusion both practical and enjoyable to use. The tool is still being refined and has not been formally launched yet, but it allows users to work with ControlNets, pre-processors, IP adapters, and other SD technologies. The author personally uses it for real-time scribble to image tasks. The author plans to post about CushyStudio on HN once early feedback has been addressed.
9. Elephants are scared around bees
Total comment counts : 19
Summary
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Top 1 Comment Summary
Researchers at Disney’s Animal Kingdom have utilized their knowledge of African elephants to teach African villages how to become beekeepers. By placing beehives along the perimeter of the village, the elephants are deterred from trampling crops and other areas. As a result, fewer elephants are being killed, and the villagers have gained a valuable trade skill while benefiting from the honey produced by the bees.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses a TED talk by Lucy King on how bees can help mediate conflicts between elephants and humans. The talk highlights the use of beehive fences as a deterrent for elephants, reducing the frequency of crop raiding incidents and promoting peaceful coexistence between the two species.
10. 1Password detects “suspicious activity” in its internal Okta account
Total comment counts : 19
Summary
Password manager 1Password reported detecting suspicious activity on its Okta account, following the disclosure of a breach by the identity and authentication service. 1Password CTO Pedro Canahuati stated that no compromise of user data or sensitive systems had occurred. The company is working with Okta to determine how the attacker gained access. Security firm BeyondTrust, another Okta customer, experienced a similar attack, and it was discovered that the attacker used valid authentication cookies. The incident involved the threat actor accessing 1Password’s Okta tenant and updating an identity provider. The attacker also attempted to obtain a list of 1Password users with admin rights. Since the incident, 1Password has changed its Okta settings and denied logins from non-Okta identity providers. More Okta customers may be targeted in follow-on attacks.
Top 1 Comment Summary
Outsourcing Single Sign-On (SSO) not only makes it technically easier, but also allows organizations to establish contracts with reputable SSO providers. These providers are responsible for managing the documentation and ensuring the security of key material. While 1Password may already have these measures in place as part of their product offering, for most organizations, it is simpler to state that no one within the organization has access to keys, rather than relying on a single individual, like Bob, who manages the SSO server.
Top 2 Comment Summary
This article talks about the transition of 1Password, a software that was originally purchased for a one-time price and stored data offline, to a cloud-based system with a subscription model. This change raises concerns about the security of users’ data.