Hacker News
1Docs – Open source alternative to Notion or Outline
- Docs is an open-source collaborative text editor focused on knowledge building and sharing. It offers simple editing, offline capabilities, AI actions, and real-time collaboration features. Built on top of modern technologies, it aims to be a secure, self-hosted alternative to popular document management platforms.
Government involvement in open source
Discussion largely supports state-funded open source as a way to reduce dependence on big tech, save taxpayer money, and create sustainable alternatives. Some debate about government competing with private sector.Deployment complexity
Debate about whether the solution's infrastructure requirements (10+ containers) make it impractical for individual users vs organizations. Some suggest simpler alternatives needed for personal use.Existing alternatives
Various open source Notion alternatives discussed including AppFlowy, AFFiNE, SiYuan and others. Discussion of their relative merits and trade-offs compared to both proprietary and open source options.
2Generate impressive-looking terminal output, look busy when stakeholders walk by
- A satirical CLI tool that generates impressive-looking but meaningless terminal output to help developers appear productive and skilled without actual coding. It features fake progress bars, technical jargon, and simulated crises to convince colleagues and managers of one's expertise.
Work from home efficiency
Debate on whether WFH is less efficient than office work. Some argue it depends on individual fit, with drawbacks like isolation and communication challenges. Others note benefits like flexible hours and higher productivity for some workers.Screen monitoring and micromanagement
Stories of managers doing screen monitoring and shoulder-surfing. Workers share creative ways they maintained appearances while being watched, including using terminal-based tools to look busy.Terminal appearances
Discussion of how terminal colors and technical-looking displays impress non-technical managers and stakeholders. Terminal apps and colored output are seen as looking "professional" regardless of actual functionality.
3Military grade sonic weapon is used against protesters in Serbia
- Serbian police used LRAD sonic weapons against protesters in Belgrade, deploying high-decibel acoustic devices that can cause severe pain, disorientation, and potential hearing damage through concentrated sound beams.
LRAD weapon details and implications
Discussion of Serbia acquiring LRAD systems, their concerning use against civilians, and debate over whether countries should sell such weapons to potentially authoritarian regimes.Protest circumstances
Focus on peaceful protesters being attacked during a memorial silence for 15 victims, with descriptions of the weapon's effects and impact on the crowd.Counter-measures and responses
Exploration of potential defenses against LRAD weapons, from technical solutions like hearing protection to tactical responses like dispersal, and debate over escalation risks.
4Show HN: A personal YouTube frontend based on yt-dlp
- MYGA is a minimalist YouTube frontend that provides a clean, distraction-free viewing experience by removing ads, comments, and algorithmic recommendations. It offers channel subscriptions, video downloads, AI-powered content summarization, background playback, and offline viewing capabilities while focusing on chronological content delivery and user attention control.
Making yt-dlp more accessible
Debate over whether making YouTube downloading tools more user-friendly will lead to Google shutting them down. Some argue accessibility threatens the tools, while others say demand will ensure alternatives always exist.Content discovery
Discussion of how to discover new content when using alternative YouTube frontends, since they lack algorithmic recommendations. Solutions proposed include using social signals, RSS feeds, and separate apps for discovery.Alternative interfaces
Technical discussion around building and deploying YouTube frontend alternatives, including Docker containers, API usage, and features needed for practical usage like downloads management and video player controls.
5Sign in as anyone: Bypassing SAML SSO authentication with parser differentials
- Critical authentication bypass vulnerabilities were found in ruby-saml up to version 1.17.0, allowing attackers with a valid signature to construct SAML assertions and potentially take over any user account. Users should update to version 1.18.0, and libraries using ruby-saml must also be updated to reference the fixed version.
Saml implementation issues
GitHub's SAML has security flaws allowing unauthorized access. Apps can read org data without proper auth checks. Multiple vendors were notified but responses varied. Security bug reporting seen as thankless work.Personal vs work accounts
Strong consensus against mixing personal and work GitHub accounts due to risks of email mixups, account merge issues, and offboarding problems. Separation of accounts recommended despite GitHub's ToS limitations.Xml parsing vulnerabilities
XML parsing and signature verification in SAML implementations are prone to security issues. REXML specifically criticized for parsing invalid XML. Parser differentials between libraries can lead to authentication bypasses.
6GPT 4.5 level for 1% of the price
- Baidu has launched two new AI models: ERNIE 4.5, a foundation and multimodal model, and ERNIE X1, a reasoning model with multimodal capabilities comparable to DeepSeek R1 at half the cost. Additionally, ERNIE Bot is now free for individual users through their official website.
Benchmark accuracy controversy
Claims of ERNIE-4.5 matching GPT-4.5 performance are disputed due to cherry-picked Chinese language benchmarks. Discussion centers on whether benchmarks are meaningful and how to evaluate real-world model capabilities.China's technological rise
Debate about China's growing dominance in AI and tech, with some viewing it as inevitable disruption through cost advantages and scale, while others worry about IP theft and geopolitical implications.Pricing and competition
Focus on ERNIE's significantly lower token pricing compared to competitors, sparking discussion about AI becoming commoditized and whether current AI company valuations are sustainable.
7Apple's long-lost hidden recovery partition from 1994 has been found
- This article recounts the discovery and investigation of a hidden recovery partition feature in Apple's Performa 550 computer from the early 1990s. The author details his quest to find an original, unformatted Performa 550 to study this obscure piece of Apple software history, which was designed to help users recover from system failures through a hidden backup system.
Bootable OS backup in 1994
Discussion of various computers from 1994 that could boot when OS was damaged, including Acorn Archimedes, Atari ST, and Amiga with ROM-based operating systems, plus DOS systems using bootable floppies.Classic MacOS UI appeal
Nostalgia for black & white MacOS interface design, with appreciation for visual affordances and textures. Users discuss ways to replicate this look in modern systems and bemoan current flat UI design trends.Conner drive reliability
Users share negative experiences with Conner Peripherals hard drives from the early 1990s, describing sudden failures with no warning signs and data loss incidents.
8Career Advice in 2025
- The article discusses challenges in the current tech job market, particularly for senior leaders who thrived in 2010-2020. It highlights how AI/LLM adoption is changing skill requirements, making traditional leadership abilities less valuable while technical expertise and adaptability become crucial for career success.
Questioning AI adoption
Debate over whether companies must transition to AI/LLMs, with many viewing it as an irrational assumption pushed by leadership despite practical limitations. Yet companies forge ahead due to market pressures and investment momentum.Career adaptation advice
Discussion of whether to avoid web development due to AI impact, debate on Bay Area vs other locations, and strategies for career growth like getting yearly offers and developing specialized skills.Leadership challenges
Senior leaders and managers struggling to adapt as skills valued in 2010-2020 (team building, hiring) become less important than execution speed and AI integration, regardless of whether this shift is rational.
9Transformers Without Normalization
- Dynamic Tanh (DyT) is introduced as a simple replacement for normalization layers in Transformers, achieving similar or better performance across various tasks. This challenges the conventional belief that normalization layers are essential in modern neural networks and provides new insights into their role in deep learning.
Implementation challenges
Users report mixed results implementing DyT, with some seeing slower convergence than RMSNorm. Proper initialization seems crucial, with custom weight initialization helping performance but still not matching RMSNorm's effectiveness.Performance implications
DyT offers 7-8% speed improvement in training/inference, primarily by removing normalization barriers between layers. This enables better distributed computing across GPUs and improved handling of non-homogeneous hardware.Vanishing gradients concern
Discussion of whether DyT's tanh-based approach risks vanishing gradients. Consensus is that modern techniques like proper initialization, residual connections, and focus on spectral radius around 1 mitigate this risk.
10Our interfaces have lost their senses
- The text explores the evolution of computer interfaces, from physical interactions to modern touchscreens and AI chatbots. It argues that our digital interactions have become increasingly flat and text-based, losing the rich, multi-sensory experience humans naturally prefer. The author advocates for interfaces that better utilize our various senses and physical capabilities.
Modern UI fatigue
Users are frustrated by inconsistent interfaces, constant UI reinvention, and loss of accessibility standards. Modern apps often ignore platform conventions, forcing users to learn new patterns per app while basic functionality becomes harder to discover.Physical vs digital interaction
Discussion around whether modern interfaces have gained or lost tactile qualities compared to older computers. Some argue phones/tablets offer more physical interaction, while others miss the permanence and muscle memory of traditional hardware controls.Page design critique
Debate over the article's presentation - some praised its creative design while many found it distracting and ironic given the content. Criticism of AI-generated images and excessive animation detracting from readability.