1. Unity’s Open-Source Double Standard: The Ban of VLC
Total comment counts : 32
Summary
The article discusses the integration of the VLC multimedia engine with the Unity game engine, allowing developers to build their own media player using VLC technology in Unity-based games. The article mentions that Unity banned the distribution of VLC assets on their store, even though there are other Unity assets that include LGPL dependencies. As a result, the VLC assets can now be purchased from the Videolabs Store. The article also highlights the services offered by Videolabs, including multimedia consulting packages and the availability of other upcoming products such as Kyber and game engine integration. Additionally, the article mentions that the NuGet VideoLAN account has reached 2 million downloads in the .NET ecosystem and announces the releases of VLC for Unity (UWP) and LibVLCSharp for WinUI.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses how the author originally created the LGPL (v1) without considering modern concepts like app stores or signed binaries. Since platforms like iOS do not allow users to update libraries, it poses a challenge for deploying LGPL code on those platforms. The article raises the question of whether this is an issue for Unity to address.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article suggests the creation of a lobby or guild to protect projects using LGPL software from being banned by companies like Unity. The guild would initiate lawsuits against these companies based on discrimination laws, making it difficult for them to single out projects. The author argues that if a policy leads to anger and fear, it should be questioned. They also criticize the prioritization of wealth and power over discernment of right and wrong. The author proposes that Unity should abandon policies meant to protect against liability and instead defend projects within its ecosystem against patent, copyright, and trademark trolls. They hope Unity will set an example for other companies in order to reform the system.
2. I’m sorry but I cannot fulfill this request it goes against OpenAI use policy
Total comment counts : 74
Summary
error
Top 1 Comment Summary
Apologies, but I am unable to access external links. If you provide the text of the article, I would be happy to summarize it for you.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article suggests an easy solution to ensure ChatGPT provides better output. It proposes that any text containing the word “sorry” be flagged for human review. This method would be much faster than manually writing spam texts.
3. Removing data transfer fees when moving off Google Cloud
Total comment counts : 29
Summary
Google Cloud is offering free network data transfer to customers who want to migrate their data out of Google Cloud and switch to another cloud provider or on-premises system. This move aims to make it easier for customers to change cloud providers; however, it does not address the issue of restrictive and unfair licensing practices. Legacy providers use these practices to create cloud monopolies and lock in customers, limiting competition and choice. Migrating data out of a cloud provider is inexpensive compared to the cost of restrictive licenses. Google Cloud is advocating for the end of these licensing practices to improve customer choice and competition in the cloud market.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses a response to the cloud services market investigation conducted by the CMA (Competition and Markets Authority). The investigation highlighted that egress fees create barriers to switching and multi-cloud adoption, thus allowing cloud service providers to maintain their dominance. The article also mentions that software licensing is another area being investigated as part of the CMA’s cloud market review.
Top 2 Comment Summary
In this article, it is noted that Google acknowledges that egress fees are excessive. However, they are only eliminating these fees for customers who leave their service. The author argues that if Google truly cared about their customers’ best interests, they would reduce these fees for everyone, not just those who are leaving. The author sees this as a performative action rather than a genuine concern for customer satisfaction.
4. Postgres Incremental Backup
Total comment counts : 10
Summary
The article discusses the new feature of incremental backups in Postgres 17. This feature allows users to do full backups at regular intervals and then perform incremental backups that only contain the parts of the data files that have changed. This is more efficient than using the Write Ahead Log (WAL) for point-in-time restores. The article also mentions the WAL summarizer process, which helps determine which parts of the data directory have changed since the last backup. Enabling this feature can greatly improve the speed of restoring to a specific point in time. The article provides a test scenario that shows how incremental backups can significantly reduce the amount of WAL to replay during restore.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The author of the article shares their experience with a previous startup where Google Cloud unexpectedly terminated all of their servers and removed access. Although they were able to regain access within an hour, they had to recreate all of their servers. Prior to the incident, the startup was taking daily Postgres base backups to Google Cloud Storage at 2:30 AM. Due to the incident happening at around 3:00 PM, they had to replay the Write-Ahead Log (WAL) for approximately 12.5 hours, which was the slowest part and took 6-7 hours to recover the database. As a result of this incident, they started taking base backups every 6 hours.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The linked article discusses incremental backup, a feature in computer systems that allows for partial or incremental backups of data. The author, Robert Haas, also wrote two additional posts that delve deeper into the topic of incremental backup. These posts can be found at the provided links.
5. Hertz to sell 20k EVs in shift back to gas-powered cars
Total comment counts : 106
Summary
I apologize, but the provided content does not seem to be an article. It appears to be a request for verification. Could you please provide a specific article or text that you would like me to summarize?
Top 1 Comment Summary
Sorry, but I can’t access and summarize articles from external links. Is there anything else I can help you with?
Top 2 Comment Summary
The author is bullish on electric vehicles (EVs), but believes that rental cars are not the best place for them currently. EVs are ideal for daily short commutes where charging can be done at home overnight. However, when renting a car, the author finds it challenging since they often drive long distances and are in unfamiliar areas with uncertain charging infrastructure. The author suggests that it may take a couple of decades and advancements in battery and energy technology before EVs are more suitable for rentals. Despite this, the author acknowledges that Hertz’s decision to drop Tesla rental cars is due to high repair costs rather than these concerns.
6. Wind turbines are friendlier to birds than oil-and-gas drilling
Total comment counts : 36
Summary
A new analysis of American data published in Environmental Science & Technology suggests that wind turbines have negligible effects on bird populations. The study used the Christmas Bird Count, a citizen-science project, and data on bird populations, species maps, and the locations of wind turbines in the United States between 2000 and 2020. The research found that building wind turbines had no discernible impact on bird populations, including large birds such as hawks and eagles. In contrast, oil-and-gas extraction, particularly fracking, led to a 15% drop in bird numbers when new wells were drilled. The study highlights that wind power is not only less damaging to the environment than fossil fuels but also has minimal effects on bird populations. However, media coverage tends to focus on the negative impacts of wind turbines on birds rather than the harmful effects of oil and gas wells.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses how bird populations would be better off in a world powered by wind turbines than oil and gas. It highlights that even if no birds were killed by oil drilling, global warming poses an existential threat for two-thirds of North American bird species and a similar proportion of bird species worldwide. It provides a link to further information on the impact of global warming on bird populations.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses various misconceptions or “green energy lies” that the author has heard while working in the oil and gas industry. These include claims that solar panels are toxic, require more energy to produce than they generate, and cannot be recycled. The author also mentions the belief that electric vehicles (EVs) are worse for the environment compared to internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. Another claim is that lithium mining is worse than oil and gas drilling. The article also addresses the misconception that solar and wind prices are increasing and that people are abandoning these forms of energy. Additionally, the author mentions the idea that solar and wind energy cannot work because they are intermittent. Lastly, the author highlights the different opposing beliefs about climate change, such as it not being real, being natural and unstoppable, or actually being helpful to the planet.
7. US regulator considers stripping Boeing’s right to self-inspect planes
Total comment counts : 29
Summary
The article provides information about digital access to quality Financial Times (FT) journalism. It explains the different subscription options available, including a free trial followed by monthly or quarterly payments. It also mentions the availability of an app for easy reading on any device. However, it clarifies that these subscriptions do not include access to ft.com or the FT main app. Finally, it highlights the option to pay a year upfront and save 20%, and encourages readers to join the over one million subscribers who pay for FT content.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article suggests that those who are concerned about corruption and removing money from politics should read Federalist 10 by Madison. It emphasizes the importance of a republican democracy and argues that any government relying solely on human virtuousness is likely to fail. The article advocates for a sustainable government with strong checks and balances, achieved by pitting multiple factions with different interests against each other.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article questions the practice of allowing industries to self-inspect, stating that it undermines the purpose of inspections. It compares this practice to being the judge and jury in one’s own trial and expresses astonishment that it exists.
8. Post Office lied and threatened BBC over Fujitsu dev whistleblower
Total comment counts : 31
Summary
The article discusses the efforts of the Post Office to suppress evidence in the Horizon scandal, where 700 sub-postmasters and postmistresses were prosecuted for offenses based on the computer system, Horizon. The Post Office attempted to smear postmasters and lied to the BBC to prevent the broadcast of an interview with a Fujitsu whistleblower in 2015. The whistleblower revealed that accounts on the Horizon system could be secretly altered. The Post Office’s false claims caused a delay in the broadcast of a BBC program and were celebrated by senior management. The article also mentions earlier investigations by BBC journalists into claims of tampering with Horizon accounts by Fujitsu, which the Post Office denied. The article highlights the Post Office’s cover-up and lobbying efforts to prevent negative coverage of the scandal.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The UK is currently experiencing a scandal involving the Post Office. A Fujitsu developer has confirmed that the Horizon software, which is at the center of the scandal, had the ability to secretly edit accounts. Around 700 postmasters were accused of fraud and theft when large sums of money went missing from their tills. A person in Wakefield, UK, who managed a Post Office branch affected by this scandal, had their life ruined after being accused of stealing thousands of pounds. It is unclear whether this was due to a software bug or someone remotely changing the account records. The Post Office ran a campaign to discredit any allegations against the Horizon software.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article recommends reading a special report by Private Eye called “Justice Lost In The Post.” It discusses the shocking actions of the Post Office and Fujitsu, which affected individuals’ lives. The article applauds the recent show that brought attention to this issue and hopes that prosecutions will arise from it. It also highlights the lessons to be learned about the impact of software on people’s lives and commends any whistleblowers who spoke out.
9. A Love Letter to Tinkerable Software
Total comment counts : 33
Summary
The author reminisces about their childhood experiences tinkering with computers, highlighting how it was a valuable learning experience. They learned about computer networking, cloud storage, and website coding through hands-on exploration. The author emphasizes that these activities were made possible because the software and technology at that time allowed for tinkering. However, they argue that modern software places more restrictions on users, limiting their freedom to explore and learn through tinkering. They suggest that unnecessary constraints prevent users from fully understanding and engaging with technology.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The author reminisces about their experience as a young child using ResEdit to customize applications on their Mac. They mention the satisfaction and sense of ownership they felt through experimentation. They then introduce their current project called Decker, which is a rapid development platform for creating standalone HTML “applications”. The author highlights that what they are most proud of is the fact that every app created with Decker contains editing tools, allowing end-users to customize and extend them. They provide a link to their project for more information.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The author discusses survivorship bias in the tech industry, suggesting that many people got into tech because they were able to explore computers with few limitations. However, the author believes that this was not mainly due to the openness of technology in the 90s. They argue that the current audience discussing tinkerable software on platforms like HN is a filtered group who likely tinkered with tech for various reasons unrelated to its openness. The author suggests that making technology more accessible is a good goal but may not be the biggest challenge for the next generation of technologists. They propose that advancements in user interface, social media, etc. have changed the requirements for successful engineers in the coming decade.
10. Fly through your shell history
Total comment counts : 22
Summary
The article discusses the importance of user feedback and how it is taken seriously. It also mentions the availability of qualifiers and encourages users to utilize them. Additionally, it highlights the ability to quickly navigate through shell history.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The author of the article is considering whether using a search with context, like cwd, is beneficial in practice. They mention that they have been using the command history | grep for a long time and find it effective. This command allows them to search for a specific keyword in their command history and obtain the line number. They also mention that the !12345 command is useful because it allows them to execute a command using its line number without the need for copying and pasting, even when connected via ssh.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The author of the article expresses frustration about the lack of ability to find a command line used in the past due to multiple shells overwriting history files. They are unsure if this issue is a result of their own setup or if the mentioned solution can address it.