Hacker News
1The Swift SDK for Android
- Swift announces nightly preview releases of the Swift SDK for Android, allowing developers to create native Android applications using Swift. This milestone enables cross-platform development and code sharing between iOS and Android platforms. The SDK is available for download with getting started guides and examples.
Cross-platform UI approaches
Major debate on UI strategy: native vs shared. Many prefer sharing business logic while keeping native UIs (KMP approach). Cross-platform UI frameworks like Flutter/RN criticized for feeling non-native, especially on iOS. Swift for Android focuses on shared logic, not UI.Business logic sharing vs full frameworks
Strong preference for sharing business logic libraries rather than entire UI frameworks. Developers favor native UI toolkits with shared Swift/Kotlin libraries over "write once, debug everywhere" approaches. KMP and Swift for Android seen as better solutions.Platform economics and development priorities
iOS-first development common in US due to higher revenue per user, despite Android's larger global market share. Regional differences significant - iOS dominance varies by geography. Economic factors drive platform prioritization decisions.
2Unlocking free WiFi on British Airways
- A passenger on a British Airways flight discovered they could bypass the airline's "messaging only" WiFi restriction by exploiting how the system uses SNI (Server Name Indication) to identify traffic types. The airline whitelists certain domains like wa.me for messaging apps, so by setting up an HTTPS proxy with a fake wa.me certificate and routing traffic through it, they successfully browsed any website while appearing to use WhatsApp messaging, effectively getting free unrestricted internet access.
Bypassing airline and cruise ship wifi restrictions
Discussion of techniques to circumvent paid wifi on airlines and cruise ships using SNI spoofing, DNS tunneling, VPNs on port 53, and tools like Xray. Users share experiences with different carriers and methods that worked.Technical methods for network circumvention
Detailed technical discussion of various bypass techniques including UDP port 53 VPNs, DNS over HTTPS tunneling with iodine, TLS 1.3 certificate encryption, and exploiting captive portal payment flows.Legal and ethical considerations
Debate about potential legal risks of bypassing airline systems, with concerns about federal tampering charges versus counterarguments about not actually modifying aircraft systems, plus discussion of network security practices.
3First convex polyhedron found that can't pass through itself
- This content references discussions about Rupert's mathematical concepts, including Rupert's snub cube and Rupert's Property, which appear to be geometric or mathematical topics that generated community discussions with 10 and 23 comments respectively on a discussion platform.
Mathematical significance and methodology
Discussion of the innovative proof technique that rules out multiple possibilities by testing one case, connections to tom7's video work on the same problem, and the computational approach using SageMath. Participants noted the article's accessible level of mathematical detail.Practical applications and mathematical value
Debate over whether this research has practical utility or is purely theoretical, with comparisons to historical examples like matrix transformations becoming useful in computer graphics, and discussion of mathematics pursued for curiosity versus directed goals.Technical details and variants
Questions about whether rotation during passage is allowed, the relationship to 3D collision detection, and observations about increasingly sphere-like "nopert" candidates as face count increases, plus the extremely tight tolerances in examples like the triakis tetrahedron.
4Synadia and TigerBeetle Commit $512k USD to the Zig Software Foundation
- Synadia and TigerBeetle pledged a combined $512,000 to the Zig Software Foundation over two years, supporting the programming language's development for high-performance systems software. Both companies believe Zig will shape the future of reliable distributed systems.
Financial support for Zig
TigerBeetle and Synadia pledged $512k to the Zig Software Foundation, with participants expressing gratitude for the collaboration and the moderators consolidating discussion threads.TigerBeetle adoption experience
A user shared positive feedback about their company's recent adoption of TigerBeetle for a foundational service rewrite, expressing satisfaction with the experience so far.
5Twake Drive – An open-source alternative to Google Drive
- Twake Drive is an open-source project hosted on GitHub with 907 stars and 63 forks. To run it locally, users can clone the repository and use Docker Compose with the minimal configuration file, then access it at localhost. For development, it requires Node.js 18+, MongoDB, and Yarn, with separate commands to launch the frontend and backend components. The project is licensed under Affero GPL v3.
Sustainability and community viability
Discussion focuses on whether open-source cloud storage projects can survive long-term through sustainable business models, strong contributor bases, and community support rather than just technical features. Interoperability with standards like S3 and WebDAV is seen as crucial for adoption.Technical implementation and performance concerns
Users debate the choice of TypeScript/JavaScript for a high-performance application, MongoDB reliability issues, and core requirements like simple sync, conflict handling, zero-drama upgrades, and proper backup mechanisms for production use.Comparison with existing solutions
Extensive comparison between Twake and alternatives like NextCloud, Seafile, Syncthing, and ownCloud, discussing installation complexity, performance issues, mobile support, and specific use cases where different solutions excel.
6Asahi Linux Still Working on Apple M3 Support, M1n1 Bootloader Going Rust
- Asahi Linux developers continue making progress on Linux support for Apple Silicon devices, working on kernel patches for upcoming releases, transitioning their bootloader to Rust for better safety, improving game compatibility through Wine, and beginning basic M3 support though it's still limited to boot-level functionality.
Linux compatibility concerns on Apple Silicon
Users debate the trade-offs between Mac hardware quality and losing native Linux capabilities. Key issues include WiFi promiscuous mode, loopback devices, and virtualization limitations. Some consider switching to ThinkPads or other Linux-native laptops despite preferring Mac build quality.Asahi Linux project sustainability
Discussion centers on whether the project can keep pace with Apple's yearly chip releases and handle the departure of key developers. Some view it as a Sisyphean task, while others argue M1/M2 hardware remains capable enough for long-term use.Hardware preferences and alternatives
Users compare Apple Silicon Macs to alternatives like ThinkPads, Framework laptops, and XPS models. Debates focus on battery life, performance needs, and whether premium Mac hardware justifies the complexity of running Linux via Asahi versus native Linux laptops.
7Meet the real screen addicts: the elderly
Screen addiction as a widespread pandemic
Discussion centers on whether screen addiction represents the biggest addiction crisis humanity has faced, with debates comparing it to TV addiction of the past, sugar addiction, and other substances. Some argue modern screens are fundamentally different due to portability, algorithmic personalization, and constant notifications.Elderly parents' ironic screen habits
Multiple users share stories of parents who once restricted their children's screen time but now spend hours daily scrolling through social media, YouTube, or iPads. The irony highlights how those who warned against screen addiction have become the most affected demographic.Algorithmic feeds as the core problem
Discussion focuses on how machine-learning algorithms in social media feeds create addiction by appropriating human attention. Users debate whether non-algorithmic feeds like HN are less addictive and whether legislation banning personalized algorithms could help.
8FBI Agents Visit Anti-ICE Protester: "Your name was brought up."
- The FBI is questioning anti-ICE protesters who haven't been charged with crimes, seeking to map out organized Antifa networks. Special-needs teacher Miles Serafini was interrogated about a June protest in Tucson, with agents focusing on who organized it and supplied signs rather than any violence. Under Trump's NSPM-7 directive, federal law enforcement can investigate "extremism on migration" as terrorism indicators without crimes being committed. The questioning had a chilling effect, causing Serafini to skip future protests.
FBI intimidation and chilling effects
Discussion centers on how FBI visits to activists before protests create a chilling effect on free speech, with many expressing concern about political surveillance reminiscent of authoritarian regimes.Legal advice for FBI encounters
Commenters strongly advise never speaking to FBI agents without a lawyer present, sharing strategies for handling such visits and referencing constitutional rights to remain silent.Political engagement and resistance
Users debate how to respond to perceived authoritarianism, discussing options from increased political involvement to strikes, while acknowledging personal risks and constraints.
9React vs. Backbone in 2025
- Despite 15 years of development, React hasn't made as much progress as expected compared to older frameworks like Backbone. While React appears cleaner, it trades explicit simplicity for abstraction complexity, creating mysterious bugs that require deep understanding of React's internals to debug. The author questions whether React's complexity is justified for most apps and wonders if there's a better approach that combines the steadiness of the DOM with intuitive writing and hackability.
React's complexity vs benefits
Developers debate whether React's abstractions (virtual DOM, hooks, unidirectional data flow) genuinely improve development or just trade one set of complexities for another. Many argue React solved real problems with Backbone like state management and DOM updates.Framework adoption and technical merit
Discussion centers on whether React's popularity stems from technical superiority or external factors like Facebook's marketing, hiring trends, and ecosystem effects. Some see dismissing popular tools as arrogant while others question blind adoption.Historical perspective on frontend development
Veterans share experiences transitioning from Backbone to React, emphasizing how painful cascading state changes and bidirectional data flow were before React's unidirectional approach became standard practice.
10Poker fraud used X-ray tables, high-tech glasses and NBA players
- Celebrities and wealthy gamblers were cheated out of at least $7 million in an elaborate mafia-run poker scheme using X-ray tables, rigged shuffling machines, and special contact lenses to read cards. Over 30 people were arrested including NBA coach Chauncey Billups and former player Damon Jones.
Cheating methods and technology
Discussion covers sophisticated cheating techniques including X-ray tables (likely IR cameras), rigged card shufflers, marked cards with special contact lenses, and collusion. Users debate whether "X-ray" is accurate terminology and share technical details about how these systems work.Strategy and economics of the scheme
Debate over whether elaborate cheating was necessary when simply playing better poker against wealthy amateurs would suffice. Some argue the technology enabled psychological manipulation to keep victims engaged longer, while others question the risk-reward ratio.Broader criminal operation theories
Speculation that poker winnings were secondary to a larger scheme involving blackmailing NBA players to fix games for sports betting profits. Users suggest the poker cheating was used to compromise players for leverage in more lucrative betting operations.