1. The future of kdb+?
Total comment counts : 17
Summary
The author discusses the use cases for kdb+, a database technology, including historical market data storage, local quant analysis, real-time streaming calculation engines, and distributed computing. They argue that most users don’t actually need the speed of kdb+ and that competitors are now fast enough. They predict that kdb+ will struggle to attract new clients and that Python-based tools like DuckDB and Polars will become more popular for local quant analysis. In terms of combining streaming with historical data, the author believes that other technologies like Kafka, Flink, and RisingWave are gaining traction. They conclude that while kdb+ is a great technology, other open-source competitors have caught up and even implemented some of its best features. The author suggests that kdb+ needs to adapt and make changes in its core technology product to stay competitive.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses the benefits of using TimeScale, a postgres extension, which allows for fast and efficient handling of large amounts of tick data in financial applications. It highlights the column store and compression features, and mentions that it has good support with responsive developers. The article also mentions the drawbacks of using kdb, such as high costs and limitations in its programming language. It suggests that for ad-hoc quant analysis, kdb may be suitable, but for scheduled queries that need to be easily understood and maintained, TimeScale is a better option.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The author quit a quant trading job after two weeks because they found the experience with kdb+ to be frustrating. They had issues with the coding conventions, poor documentation, and outdated technology. The author believes that quants like kdb+ because it serves a purpose as a weapon, but it is not a powerful tool for building software. They suggest that languages like LISP, C++, and Python are better options for building good software and being more productive. The author also mentions performance issues with kdb+.
2. “We ran out of columns”
Total comment counts : 51
Summary
The article talks about the author’s experiences working with a codebase at their first software job. The codebase had a large legacy system, and the database played a crucial role in how the system operated. The author mentions that the database had a limit on the number of columns, and they had to create a separate table called “Merchants2” because the “Merchants” table ran out of columns. There was also a table called “SequenceKey” that was used for generating IDs for new entities. The author describes it as the “glue” that connected different tables. The article also mentions a database table called “calendar” that was filled manually and used for the login system. Additionally, the author talks about the process of dropping and uploading data into the employees table and replicating it to headquarters. The article highlights the complexity and challenges of working with this codebase and database.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article describes a situation at the author’s first company where they had a complex Visual Basic (VB) application running on multiple customers’ computers. The application had many global variables controlling its behavior. When bugs appeared in the application, they were not present in debug mode in Visual Studio. The company’s solution was to install Visual Studio on each customer’s computer and teach them to run the app in debug mode. However, this led to even more problems because there was no version control for the code. The code was stored on a shared disk with multiple folders, each containing different versions of the code with no logical organization. When there was a problem for a customer, a programmer had to go on-site to debug and modify the code. If the bug affected other customers, someone had to go to each customer and edit the code. As a result, each customer ended up having slightly different versions of the code, with some still having bugs that had been fixed for others.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article describes a developer’s experience working with a large legacy codebase written in COBOL and Java. To work on the Java side of the product, developers had to check out individual files, which locked them and prevented others from doing the same. This functionality was achieved through shell scripts on a development server. Each customer had a master jar file representing the final product, and when code changes were made, developers had to manually patch the jar file by unzipping it, copying compiled files, and zipping it back up. This manual process led to inconsistencies and errors in the codebase over time. After two years, the codebase was migrated to git with proper CI (continuous integration), but the experience led the author to resign.
3. ArchiveTeam Warrior
Total comment counts : 12
Summary
The article explains the ArchiveTeam Warrior, which is a virtual archiving appliance that helps with archiving efforts. It downloads websites and uploads them to the ArchiveTeam archives. The warrior is a virtual machine that runs on Windows, OS X, and Linux, and it requires VirtualBox, VMware, or a similar program to run. It uses only your bandwidth and some of your disk space, so there is no risk to your computer. The article provides instructions for running the warrior on VirtualBox.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The author acknowledges the importance of projects that archive data but believes that simply archiving is not enough. They argue that data should be made available to the public in a meaningful way. They highlight Reddit as an example, stating that Reddit wouldn’t feel threatened by data backup, but would be concerned if a decentralized network of nodes made partial copies of Reddit and made it easily accessible for local-first clients and Lemmy mirrors.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses the efforts of ArchiveTeam to preserve internet content by archiving websites like imgur and Reddit. It mentions three specific instances where ArchiveTeam’s Warrior tool was used to back up these platforms. The article includes links to discussions on Hacker News about each instance.
4. p5.js
Total comment counts : 23
Summary
The article is about p5.js, a free and open-source JavaScript library designed for learning to code and create art. p5.js is built by a supportive community and welcomes artists, designers, beginners, educators, and anyone else interested in coding. The library aims to increase access and will only introduce features that align with this goal. The article also mentions various events and workshops where p5.js is being taught and used. Additionally, there is a mention of the old p5.js website, which can still be found.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses the updated website of p5js, which is a JavaScript library for creative coding. In 2023, the Sovereign Tech Fund provided a grant to improve the documentation and accessibility of p5js. The new website is easier to navigate and search, with more useful information. The article provides examples comparing the old and new versions of using p5js with a screen reader. The old version can be accessed via link [2], while the new version and the tutorial on writing accessible canvas descriptions can be found at links [3] and [4] respectively.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses the use of ChatGPT, a language model, in combination with P5.js, a JavaScript library, to create a design tool. The tool is capable of plotting a sine wave and allowing the user to control the phase using a slider. The author also used P5.js and ChatGPT to balance five masses on a circumference, resulting in a rotary magnetic bow with reduced harmonic locking. The article provides links to the P5.js code and a 3D printed result of the design.
5. Show HN: Hanon Pro – piano technique and exercises for the digital age
Total comment counts : 24
Summary
Hanon Pro is a piano app available for iPhone, iPad, and Mac that is designed to enhance keyboard and piano technique and exercises in the digital age. The app allows users to track their progress over time, receive feedback on their playing, and analyze practice habits. It offers a wide range of interactive features such as automatic page turning and computer aided evaluation. Users can browse a catalog of music scores, including scales, technical exercises, and repertoire used by exam boards. The app also provides features like a built-in metronome, adjustable tempo, and realistic playback engine. By connecting a MIDI keyboard or piano, users can take advantage of Hanon Pro’s intelligence engine to analyze their playing and even turn pages automatically. The app also includes Game Center integration, allowing users to earn achievements and receive daily practice reminders. Hanon Pro is a native app built with state-of-the-art technologies and strives to provide a unique and interactive piano practice experience. The content in the app’s catalog is available for purchase to support its development, and users can request specific scores directly within the app. Overall, users have praised Hanon Pro for its engaging features and gamified approach to piano practice.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The writer of the article tried out a music learning app and provided some feedback. They experienced a few crashes when connecting their MIDI controller to the app. However, they found the feedback given by the app to be helpful, particularly the highlighting of wrong notes. The writer suggested that the playback functionality should also support MIDI and mentioned the desire for the ability to start from a specific bar or evaluate smaller sections of the piece. Overall, they found the app to be good and plan on using it more. They disagreed with others who had concerns about the price of the sheet music and thought the pricing was reasonable.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses “Hanon,” a classic book of piano exercises that has been used for 150 years. It is known for improving the speed and agility of pianists, and is still widely used by professional piano players today. The article provides a link to the Wikipedia page where more information about the book can be found.
6. I Made an Extended Version of Vimtutor – Introducing Vimtutor Sequel
Total comment counts : 5
Summary
The article introduces Vimtutor Sequel, which is a tool that provides advanced Vim tutor lessons to help users deepen their understanding of Vim. The easiest way to use Vimtutor Sequel is by installing it using Homebrew. Alternatively, users can manually run the tutorial by cloning the repository. The article also provides instructions for installing and upgrading Vimtutor Sequel using Homebrew. Additionally, it explains how to run the Vimtutor Sequel script on Windows or Linux by cloning the repository. The article concludes by mentioning the licensing details and information on how to contribute to Vimtutor Sequel.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The user is looking for a similar tutorial for Emacs and mentions that they have considered creating one themselves. They also mention enjoying Vimtutor.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article introduces Vimtutor Sequel, an extended tutorial for more advanced topics in Vim. It picks up where the original vimtutor program left off and covers topics such as splits, spellcheck, advanced search and replace, macros, Vim scripting, plugins, sessions, and registers. The tutorial provides step-by-step lessons and comes with a custom vimrc to ensure a consistent learning experience. Installation instructions are provided for both Mac and Windows/Linux users. The author welcomes feedback, bug reports, and suggestions on the GitHub repository. Links to the repository and the feedback section are included in the article.
7. 1991 WWW-NeXT Implementation
Total comment counts : 14
Summary
This article discusses the GitHub mirror of Tim Berners-Lee’s original WorldWideWeb application for NeXT. The mirror includes the code from www.w3.org/History/1991-WWW-NeXT/Implementation/ and provides access to a prototype Hypertext browser/editor. The implementation features file provides a historic changelog, and the commit dates have been backdated to the last-modified day for each file.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses the availability of the NCSA Mosaic browser as an AppImage, which can run on any Linux distribution without the need for recompiling. The NCSA Mosaic browser was developed prior to Netscape/Mozilla/Firefox by the same creator. The AppImage link provided allows users to access the browser on their Linux operating system.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses a person’s solution to a problem with dates. They used GitHub to create daily priority lists. The author applauds their unique use of GitHub, but provides links for further reading.
8. The medieval ‘New England’ on the north-eastern Black Sea coast (2015)
Total comment counts : 8
Summary
The article examines the relationship between Britain and the Byzantine Empire, focusing on the concept of Romanitas and how it influenced British identity. The author argues that the Byzantine Empire played an important role in shaping British perceptions of Rome and contributed to the emergence of a distinct British identity.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses the region where the eastern Goths lived, specifically the Crimean Goths. It mentions that Gothic was spoken by these Goths until the 1700s in certain areas. The article speculates that Old English might have been somewhat mutually intelligible with Gothic at that time, making integration into local society easier for the Goths. However, this speculation is not supported by specific evidence and is based on coincidence in timing and geography.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article highlights the author’s appreciation for Dr. Green’s blog, praising its high quality and the amount they have learned from it. The article also mentions that the blog is rigorous yet accessible for non-academic readers. The author recommends Dr. Green’s book as well, describing it as very readable.
9. IBM Audible Random Timer
Total comment counts : 8
Summary
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Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses a work sampling timer that records what individuals are doing when it goes off. Over time, it creates a pattern of how much time is spent on different activities. Although this management idea never gained popularity due to its annoyance, it could potentially be sold today as an app with a cloud-hosted back end. Two sources are provided for further information on the topic.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses a safety mechanism that fires an alarm and requires individuals to check in or verify something critical to life. The randomness of the alarm is intended to prevent it from being ignored or becoming a habit. The author is unsure if the mechanism described in the article is similar to the one they have seen.
10. This repo is for the DSC v3 project
Total comment counts : 10
Summary
The article discusses the DSC v3 project, which is Microsoft’s latest iteration of the Desired State Configuration platform. DSC v3 is an open-source command line application that manages software components declaratively and idempotently. It can run on Linux, macOS, and Windows without external dependencies. DSC v3 maintains compatibility with existing PowerShell-based resources and can invoke PowerShell DSC Resources. The article also provides instructions for installing DSC v3 and recommends reviewing the documentation and samples repository for more information. DSC v3 uses JSON schemas to define resource structures and outputs, making it easier to integrate with other tools. The article concludes by mentioning the project’s Code of Conduct and Security Policy.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses the difficulty of finding a concise code sample that explains what a certain tool is and why it should be used. The author mentions having visited multiple links but not finding clear code examples. The tool in question is compared to Terraform, but for Windows workstations.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article mentions that the DSCv3 does not require PowerShell to be installed. This raises questions about the purpose of PowerShell if new CLI tools from Microsoft are not PowerShell modules and cannot utilize the .NET object model. The article also questions why DSCv3 is associated with the PowerShell organization when it is just a regular Rust CLI.