Hacker News
1Do not download the app, use the website
- The article discusses why companies aggressively push users to download their mobile apps instead of using websites. While apps offer similar functionality to websites, they primarily serve to collect extensive user data through device permissions, tracking capabilities, and access to personal information that browsers cannot obtain.
Native vs web experience
Debate over whether native apps provide better UX than web apps, with some arguing native apps are smoother while others contend web experiences are deliberately degraded to push users toward apps.Forced app adoption
Users increasingly forced to use native apps for essential services like banking and work, with websites becoming unusable or blocked entirely to drive app downloads, limiting user choice and control.Data collection concerns
Discussion around apps enabling more extensive user data collection and surveillance compared to websites, with permissions often abused beyond their stated purpose to gather additional user information.
2It's time for modern CSS to kill the SPA
- The article argues against using Single Page Applications (SPAs) for regular websites, noting that modern CSS and browser features like View Transitions API now enable smooth page transitions without complex JavaScript. It advocates for building simpler, faster websites using native browser capabilities instead of heavy client-side frameworks.
Purpose and value of SPAs
SPAs are valuable for long user sessions and reducing network requests after initial load, not just for transitions. They originated with jQuery and evolved with React, though many developers misunderstand their core benefits.SPA vs MPA development complexity
Developers debate whether SPAs introduce unnecessary complexity for simple websites. Many report longer development times and maintenance overhead with SPAs, while others argue they're essential for complex applications.Performance and user experience
Users report frustration with SPA performance issues like delayed loading, broken navigation, and jarring scrolling. While some SPAs like Gmail and Slack work well, many implementations create poor user experiences compared to MPAs.
3Women dating safety app 'Tea' breached, users' IDs posted to 4chan
- A data breach at the social media app Tea resulted in the exposure of approximately 72,000 user images, including selfies and ID photos, which were discovered and reported on both Reddit's 4chan community and CNET.
Privacy vs safety concerns
Discussion about tension between women's safety needs and privacy implications of sharing personal data, with debate on whether such apps enable necessary protection or harmful surveillance/gossipTechnical security failures
Criticism of Tea's negligent data storage practices, leaving sensitive ID documents in public cloud storage. Debate on need for better security standards and regulations for apps handling personal dataPersonal data protection
Arguments for stricter limits on companies collecting government IDs, with suggestions for policy changes and discussion of risks of normalized ID collection by non-financial services
4Rust running on every GPU
- A developer demonstrates how a single Rust codebase can run GPU computations across major platforms including CUDA, SPIR-V, Metal, DirectX 12, WebGPU, and CPU fallback. The project shows that cross-platform GPU programming is possible in Rust without using specialized shader languages, marking a significant milestone in unified GPU development.
Abstraction layers and performance
Debate over whether multiple abstraction layers from Rust to GPU hardware will impact performance, with some arguing it adds complexity while others note similar layers exist in current GPU programmingCross-platform compatibility
Discussion of potential for Rust GPU to break vendor lock-in and enable truly cross-platform GPU code, though some argue max performance still requires vendor-specific optimizationsNo_std crate reuse
Excitement about ability to run existing no_std Rust crates on GPU without modification, though questions raised about whether CPU-optimized code would perform well on GPU architecture
5The future is not self-hosted
- The article discusses Amazon's recent change in Kindle book access policy, highlighting broader issues of digital ownership. It explores the author's journey into self-hosting alternatives to cloud services but ultimately argues that individual self-hosting isn't the solution, advocating instead for publicly-owned cloud infrastructure with strong privacy protections.
Public infrastructure alternative
Discussion of creating public/community alternatives to corporate cloud services, like libraries offering digital storage or governments providing identity services, to balance convenience with control and privacySelf-hosting complexity
Debate about whether self-hosting is too complex for mainstream adoption, drawing parallels to pre-iPhone smartphones and discussing need for better UX/setup experience to gain wider acceptanceDigital ownership rights
Concerns about "digital feudalism" where content is increasingly leased rather than owned, with examples of disappearing ebooks and games highlighting need for distributed systems to preserve access
6CCTV footage captures video of an earthquake fault in motion
- A collection of links including a scientific paper discussing fault slip captured on CCTV video, along with related YouTube videos showing analyses of the phenomenon.
Ground shifting impact on property
Discussion about how land ownership and property boundaries are affected by earthquake faults, with insights from Swedish surveyors about physical markers being more authoritative than coordinatesFirst footage significance
Observations about how remarkable it is that we had images of astronomical phenomena before capturing earthquake faults in motion, drawing parallels to ocean explorationEarthquake measurement and analysis
Technical discussion comparing earthquake vibration measurements to controlled blasts, highlighting the extreme magnitude of the fault movement and its implications for mapping
7Show HN: Price Per Token – LLM API Pricing Data
- A developer created pricepertoken.com to help AI application builders easily compare and track LLM providers' pricing in one place, instead of visiting multiple websites. They plan to expand the service to include image model pricing comparisons across different platforms.
Pricing complexity
Discussion of how LLM pricing is more complex than just input/output tokens, involving factors like batch pricing, peak/off-peak rates, thinking vs non-thinking tokens, context windows, and provider-specific rulesLocal model options
Exploration of running LLMs locally with $2500-10000 budgets, discussing hardware requirements, model options like Ollama, and trade-offs between local vs cloud solutionsToken equivalency issues
Debate about how tokens aren't equivalent across providers/models, with examples like images taking 10x tokens on different models and structured output being counted differently for billing
8Programming vehicles in games
- The article explores the fundamentals of implementing vehicles in games, emphasizing that successful vehicle physics isn't just about accurate simulation but creating the right feel. It discusses the balance between realism and gameplay, covering key components like engines, tires, and chassis, while sharing insights from the author's game development experience.
Engine simulation and sound
Discussion of how game engines simulate vehicle engines, with focus on AngeTheGreat's real-time engine simulator that generates realistic sound, and comparisons to real engine modeling approaches.Vehicle physics implementation
Insights into implementing realistic vehicle physics, particularly importance of anti-roll bars and suspension for natural feel. Debate on balance between realism and playability in racing games.Simple vehicle simulation examples
Developers sharing experiences creating basic but effective vehicle physics using simple calculations, pin joints and forces in 2D games, with discussion of implementation details and user feedback.
9Internet Archive is now a federal depository library
- The provided URL appears to be a future-dated blog post from Internet Archive about being designated as a Federal Depository Library. However, since this is a future date (2025) and the content is not actually accessible, there's no actual content to summarize.
Library weeding and digital transition
Discussion of how libraries handle outdated materials, with debate about whether digitization justifies removing physical copies and what constitutes "outdated" content in library contextFederal depository status implications
Questions about what being a federal depository library means for Internet Archive, including obligations, access to government documents, and designation processContent removal concerns
Debate about Internet Archive's history of removing content upon request and whether federal status could lead to government control over archived materials
10Google spoofed via DKIM replay attack: A technical breakdown
- The article details a sophisticated phishing attack that used a fake Google subpoena email to trick users. The scam involved a DKIM replay attack to bypass security measures and used Google Sites to create convincing but fraudulent pages. The incident highlights the importance of scrutinizing unexpected emails and verifying authenticity before taking action.
Technical solution development
Discussion of DKIM2 protocol development by Google/Yahoo engineers to prevent email replay attacks by protecting SMTP FROM/TO headers, with detailed technical specifications and implementation challenges.FBI email seizure process
Firsthand account of how FBI seizes Google account data through direct communication channels rather than visible notifications, including detailed prison experiences and investigation procedures.Email authentication weakness
Analysis of how the described attack works by exploiting OAuth app naming and email forwarding rather than DKIM signature manipulation, with debate about the article's potentially misleading presentation.