Hacker News
1Introducing tmux-rs
- This article details the author's experience of porting the terminal multiplexer tmux from C to Rust as a hobby project. The author describes the challenges faced during the translation process, including initial attempts using C2Rust, build system complexities, and debugging issues. Despite encountering various technical hurdles, they successfully completed the port from 67,000 lines of C code to 81,000 lines of Rust code.
Doing projects for fun
Discussion celebrates the value of hobby projects without practical justification. Many agree that "for fun" is a valid reason to code, and that experimentation leads to learning and potential innovation.Unsafe rust challenges
Debate about using unsafe Rust code in the port, with explanations of why C-to-Rust translations often require unsafe blocks and the tradeoffs between direct porting versus idiomatic rewrites.Terminal multiplexer features
Users discuss desired tmux features, limitations of existing tools like zellij, and configuration tips. Includes scroll behavior, status bar visibility, and session management functionality.
2Websites hosting major US climate reports taken down
- U.S. government websites containing crucial national climate assessments have disappeared, impacting access to critical climate change information. Scientists warn this hinders state and local governments' ability to prepare for climate impacts, with experts expressing concern over the removal of peer-reviewed data that helps communities make informed decisions about climate adaptation.
Political concerns
Discussion of the administration's actions including speech policing, program cuts, and deportations, with debate about whether these indicate fascist tendencies or if such comparisons are hyperbolic.Climate research impact
Extensive cuts to NOAA's climate and environmental research programs, leading to major layoffs and loss of research capacity. Debate about whether other countries can fill the gap left by US withdrawal.Information suppression
Criticism of government's choice to hide climate data rather than openly reject it, with comparisons to authoritarian tactics and discussion of reliance on US scientific data sharing.
3ICEBlock, an app for anonymously reporting ICE sightings, goes viral
- ICEBlock, an iPhone app for anonymously reporting ICE agent sightings, has become one of the top-downloaded apps in the US App Store after criticism from Attorney General Pam Bondi. The app, which allows users to share ICE locations within a 5-mile radius and receive nearby sighting alerts, is particularly popular in Los Angeles amid recent ICE raids.
Privacy and technical considerations
Debate about Apple vs Android implementation, with focus on data collection, push notifications, and whether the developer's privacy concerns about Android are technically valid.Law enforcement overreach
Discussion of avoiding police/ICE interactions, constitutional rights, and government threats against the app developer, with parallels drawn to historical surveillance resistance.Free speech implications
Analysis of whether sharing police location data is protected speech, with comparisons to similar precedents like Waze and concerns about potential Supreme Court involvement.
4Show HN: CSS generator for a high-def glass effect
- A comprehensive glassmorphism effect generator that enhances traditional glass-like designs with advanced layering, including blur effects, translucent textures, and 3D bevels. The project focuses on cross-browser compatibility and optimal resource usage.
Liquid glass replication challenges
Discussion of how hard it is to properly replicate Apple's Liquid Glass effect, particularly the refractive aspects and edge distortions. Seen as a deliberate moat by Apple to maintain visual distinctiveness from competitors.Technical implementation details
Debate about limitations of CSS-only approach vs GPU shaders, performance impacts of backdrop-filter blur, and browser compatibility challenges. Various solutions and demos shared, including JavaScript-based alternatives.Browser resource usage
Focus on performance implications, particularly around backdrop-filter blur operations and continuous repaints during scrolling. Discussion of mobile performance issues and optimization approaches.
5Gene therapy restored hearing in deaf patients
- A groundbreaking gene therapy study successfully treated deafness in patients aged 1-24 by delivering a functional OTOF gene to the inner ear. Most patients showed significant hearing improvement within a month, with the best results in younger children. The treatment proved safe and effective, including in adults.
Deaf culture and treatment controversy
Debate around acceptance of hearing treatments in deaf community, with some viewing cures as threat to culture while others see them as vital medical advances. Parallels drawn to cochlear implant controversy.Gene therapy advances
Discussion of genetic research progress, safety considerations, and how various conditions might be treated. Questions raised about technology behind treatments and why gene therapy stocks underperform despite advances.Hearing loss diagnosis
Exploration of methods to identify specific types of hearing loss, including genetic testing options, genome sequencing costs, and screening programs in different countries.
6AI note takers are flooding Zoom calls as workers opt to skip meetings
- At a Zoom meeting, Clifton Sellers noticed robots outnumbered humans, with 6 people and 10 AI note-taking apps present. This trend of AI tools in workplace meetings raises concerns about human interaction and privacy, as people increasingly use AI assistants to record, transcribe, and attend meetings in their place.
Meetings are low value
Meetings have poor information density and are often used by managers to avoid written accountability. They serve more for authority display than productive communication, with many being used to compensate for poor writing skills.Writing vs talking
Debate over communication methods reveals most people, including many engineers, dislike reading/writing and prefer talking. Written communication is more precise but meetings persist due to widespread aversion to textual communication.AI note-taking limitations
AI note-takers produce excessive, often inaccurate content that's exhausting to review. They miss human ability to filter important points, making them more burdensome than helpful despite their promise.
7Astronomers discover 3I/ATLAS – Third interstellar object to visit Solar System
- A Minor Planet Electronic Circular report from the Minor Planet Center containing astronomical observations and data about recently discovered small bodies in our solar system.
Object characteristics
Large interstellar object (8-22km) with high eccentricity (>6) discovered, moving at 68km/s retrograde. Currently near Jupiter's orbit, will reach closest solar approach (1.35au) around Halloween. May be inactive/asteroid-like or active/comet-like.Detection capabilities
Recent discoveries of interstellar objects attributed to improved telescope technology and detection algorithms. Vera Rubin telescope will enable more frequent sky surveys, likely leading to more discoveries.Impact scenarios
Discussions of hypothetical impacts with Earth or Mars, with estimates of catastrophic damage potential given object's size and velocity. Earth impact would be extinction-level event, while Mars impact could theoretically aid terraforming.
8How large are large language models?
- This article tracks the evolution of large language models from 2019 to 2025, highlighting key developments from GPT-2 through Llama series to various MoE models. It discusses changes in model sizes, training approaches, and the shift from dense to mixture-of-expert architectures in the field.
Model size compression
Discussion of how LLMs achieve remarkable compression of human knowledge, with 8GB models containing vast amounts of information through lossy compression similar to how MP3 compresses music.Training data scale
Debate about the total size of available training data, with estimates ranging from 50TB for web text to zettabytes, and discussion of diminishing returns in model scaling beyond certain sizes.Model parameter counts
Technical discussion of how model parameter counts translate to hardware requirements, focusing on VRAM needs and quantization techniques to run large models on consumer hardware.
9Tools: Code Is All You Need
- The article critiques the Model Context Protocol (MCP) for its limitations in composability and context demands, arguing that traditional code generation is often more efficient. The author suggests that even for non-programming tasks, code-based solutions are superior due to better reliability, validation capabilities, and scalability.
LLMs vs structured tools
Discussion contrasts LLMs with traditional tools/APIs, suggesting LLMs work best when constrained by structured interfaces and used to fill gaps between hardened systems, similar to how 3D printing serves niche use cases rather than replacing manufacturing.MCP implementation challenges
Debate around Model Context Protocol's limitations, including JSON format inefficiency, context window constraints, and security concerns. Some argue direct API/code generation is more efficient than MCP for many use cases.Human-in-the-loop effectiveness
Discussion emphasizes that having humans guide and review LLM outputs produces better results than fully autonomous agents, with LLMs currently best used as accelerators for human developers rather than replacements.
10Stop Killing Games
- A call to action against the harmful practice of prematurely ending or discontinuing games, highlighting the importance of preserving gaming experiences and supporting their ongoing development.
Server hosting options
Discussion of different approaches to keep multiplayer games alive after official servers shut down, including self-hosted servers, LAN play, releasing server binaries, and allowing reverse engineering protocols.Legal enforcement
Debate about how such regulations could be enforced, especially for bankrupt companies, and whether expiration dates or minimum support periods would be effective solutions.Historic examples
References to pre-2005 gaming where self-hosted servers were common, with examples like Half-Life, StarCraft and Quake showing how games previously handled multiplayer without centralized control.