Hacker News
1A look at Firefox forks
- The article discusses the trend of Firefox users seeking alternative browsers due to Mozilla's recent controversial actions. It explores several Firefox forks including GNU IceCat, Floorp, LibreWolf, and Zen, detailing their unique features, privacy-focused approaches, and how they differ from the original Firefox browser while maintaining compatibility.
Firefox forks and upstream dependency
Discussion of how Firefox forks rely heavily on Mozilla's upstream development while focusing mainly on UX/privacy features rather than core browser functionality, raising concerns about long-term sustainability if Firefox declines.Privacy features breaking functionality
Users report LibreWolf's aggressive privacy features like timezone masking and WebGL blocking break some websites. Debate over balancing privacy with usability, with some arguing for more granular controls and others defending strict defaults.Monetization and support
Ideas for sustainable Firefox development funding, including paid forks, user subscriptions, and search revenue. Criticisms of Mozilla's current monetization approach and high executive compensation.
2Briar: Peer to Peer Encrypted Messaging
- Briar is a secure messaging app that works without central servers, using direct device-to-device communication via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or the Tor network. It protects users against surveillance and censorship, functioning even during internet blackouts. The app offers private messaging, forums, and blogs with end-to-end encryption.
iOS limitations
Discussion of why Briar isn't available on iOS due to Apple's restrictions on background processes, with debate about whether these limitations serve privacy or hinder it. Some suggest alternatives and workarounds.Bluetooth connectivity
Users share experiences using Briar over Bluetooth on planes and in other offline scenarios. Range tests show hundreds of feet possible with clear line of sight, though performance varies with obstacles and concurrent Bluetooth use.Alternative p2p messaging
Comparison of Briar with other peer-to-peer messaging solutions like Reticulum, Meshtastic, and Session. Discussion focuses on their different approaches to security, mesh networking capabilities and development history.
3Apple will soon support encrypted RCS messaging with Android users
- The GSM Association has updated RCS specifications to enable end-to-end encrypted messaging between iPhone and Android users. Apple and Google are both committed to implementing this security feature in future updates, making cross-platform messaging more secure and private.
Google's role in RCS
Despite RCS being a GSMA standard, Google maintains significant control through server infrastructure and Android requirements. Many express concern about Google's centralized role and tracking capabilities.Phone number dependency
Critics argue RCS reinforces problematic reliance on phone numbers as digital identifiers, lacks multi-device support, and represents a step backward compared to older protocols like XMPP that offered more flexibility.Encryption implementation
Discussion focuses on the new E2EE standard using MLS protocol, who controls encryption keys, and interoperability concerns between different implementations from Apple, Google and carriers.
4Milk Kanban
- A discussion on how Kanban is often oversimplified to boards and sticky notes, while its true essence is about visual signals in context. This is illustrated through a simple but effective example of a milk inventory system using an index card, demonstrating that Kanban principles matter more than specific practices.
Kanban systems and visual signals
Discussion of how Kanban evolved from manufacturing to software development, with debate around its meaning as visual signaling system vs task management, and examples of visual indicators in everyday productsOffice milk management
Exchange about the effectiveness of Kasia's milk card system, debate around whether it's appropriate to delegate such tasks, and discussion of office dynamics around shared resourcesProduct design reminders
Examples of products with built-in low-supply indicators like cigarette papers, trash bags, and receipt rolls, showing how manufacturers help users anticipate refill needs
5I'm Peter Roberts, immigration attorney who does work for YC and startups. AMA
- Available for 6 hours to discuss U.S. immigration law changes and developments, with a focus on factual discussion rather than specific legal advice due to liability constraints.
Tn visa concerns
Discussion of risks around TN visa denials, detention possibilities, and future viability amid US-Canada tensions. Recommendations include avoiding border crossings from Mexico and considering alternative visa types like H-1B or O-1.Asylum and undocumented status
Conversation about options for asylum seekers facing denial, particularly those who arrived as minors. Discussion of employment-based paths, marriage options, and concerns about detention risks in current political climate.H1b status changes
Exchange about maintaining legal status after H1B job loss, including switching to H4 status under spouse's visa, timing considerations for new employment, and maintaining continuous legal presence during transitions.
6Popular GitHub Action tj-actions/changed-files is compromised
- The GitHub Action tj-actions/changed-files has been compromised with a payload that could leak secrets, affecting thousands of CI pipelines. Users are advised to immediately stop using it, remove it from all branches, audit past workflow runs, and switch to safer alternatives for file-change detection logic.
Duplicate post and redirect
Discussion about merging with another post on the same topic. Comments were moved to the other thread as confirmed by moderator.
7Why do transit agencies keep falling for the hydrogen bus myth?
- The article examines why transit agencies continue pursuing hydrogen buses despite their proven inefficiencies and higher costs compared to electric alternatives. It explores how agencies' decision-making is influenced by cognitive biases, misleading marketing, limited technical expertise, and overly optimistic cost projections from respected organizations.
Lobbying and oil industry influence
Oil companies promote hydrogen technology to delay green transition and maintain control. Multiple commenters, including an oil company employee, confirm this strategy aims to protect fossil fuel interests and reserves.Battery vs hydrogen performance
Real-world transit agency studies show battery electric buses have lower costs but both technologies still lag diesel in reliability. Electric buses excel in noise reduction and urban environments.Technical efficiency challenges
Hydrogen faces inherent efficiency losses in production, compression, transport and conversion. These compound to make it more expensive than battery electric, with physics and economics making this gap unbridgeable.
8New York Times shut down Tor Onion service
- The New York Times is shutting down its Tor Onion Service, which operated since 2017 to provide secure access to its journalism for readers in blocked regions. Users can still access Times content through the main website, newsletters, podcasts, social media, WhatsApp, and Telegram.
NYT's relationship with power
Discussion of NYT's historical ties to CIA, tendency to align with establishment narratives, delayed reporting of controversial stories like NSA surveillance, and role in manufacturing consent on issues like Iraq War and COVID policies.Alternative access methods
Debate about effectiveness of WhatsApp/Telegram vs Tor for accessing NYT content, limitations of paywalls, and use of tools like archive.is and Bypass Paywalls Clean. Discussion of how these methods work in censored regions.Technical aspects of Tor
Exchange about implementing Tor hidden services, running onion sites, vanity addresses, and the benefits of onion services vs regular Tor access through exit nodes.
9Decrypting encrypted files from Akira ransomware using a bunch of GPUs
- A developer successfully recovered data from Akira ransomware without paying ransom by analyzing and exploiting how the malware uses system timestamps for encryption. Through reverse engineering and optimization techniques, they developed a method to brute-force the encryption keys and created a tool to help decrypt affected files.
Publication ethics
Debate over whether publishing ransomware decryption details helps or hurts victims, with arguments for transparency to help current victims versus concerns about attackers patching vulnerabilities.Encryption implementation
Discussion of why attackers used timestamps instead of proper random number generation, exploring if it was intentional to avoid detection or simply poor implementation.Prevention methods
Discussion of ways to prevent ransomware damage through sandboxing, copy-on-write filesystems, and proper backup procedures.
10The School Car Pickup Line Is a National Embarrassment
- The article discusses the decline of school bus usage and walking/biking to school in America, replaced by car pickups that create long traffic lines. This shift is attributed to increased distances between homes and schools, safety concerns, and car-centric urban design, leading to challenges for both parents and students in daily school transportation.
Walking and independence
Discussion of how children previously walked to school but now face restrictions due to safety concerns, despite data showing kidnapping risks are low. Parents and schools are overly protective, limiting kids' autonomy.Car pickup logistics
Debate about school dismissal procedures requiring parent verification vs letting kids out en masse. COVID led to more structured pickup systems that created traffic jams and inefficiencies.School location changes
Schools moved from city centers to outskirts for more facilities and space, making walking impossible for 80% of students. This shift from 1950s-era neighborhood schools drastically changed how students commute.