Hacker News
1Android and iPhone users can now share files, starting with the Pixel 10
- Google is introducing Quick Share compatibility with AirDrop, making file transfers easier between iPhones and Android devices. The feature launches today for Pixel 10 devices with security safeguards and will expand to more Android devices later.
Wi-Fi aware technology and EU regulation
Discussion centers on how this feature uses Wi-Fi Aware instead of Apple's proprietary AWDL protocol, prompted by EU's Digital Markets Act forcing Apple to adopt industry standards. Some debate whether Google reverse-engineered AirDrop or if Apple was forced to cooperate.Vendor lock-in and interoperability
Users express frustration that basic file sharing between devices took decades to achieve due to Apple's walled garden approach. Many reminisce about Bluetooth file transfer capabilities that existed before smartphones and praise EU regulation for forcing compatibility.Technical implementation and rollout
Questions about why the feature is limited to Pixel 10 initially, with speculation about hardware requirements, Google's staged rollout strategy, and comparisons to alternative solutions like LocalSend and Bump that Google previously acquired and killed.
2Microsoft makes Zork open-source
- Microsoft, Xbox, and Activision have released the source code for the classic text adventure games Zork I, II, and III under the MIT License for educational purposes. The games, originally created by Infocom, were revolutionary for using the Z-Machine virtual engine that made them cross-platform compatible across early home computers. The source code is now preserved in historical repositories for students, teachers, and developers to study and learn from this important piece of gaming history.
Nostalgic experiences with Infocom
Multiple users shared childhood memories of writing to Infocom proposing games, receiving polite rejection letters, and attempting to create their own text adventures in BASIC. The discussion highlighted Infocom's respectful treatment of young fans and the company's positive reputation.Source code history and versions
Discussion about different versions of Zork source code, including the original MIT MDL version, ZIL commercial versions, and various translations through FORTRAN to C. Users clarified the lineage from the original mainframe "Dungeon" to commercial Zork releases.Microsoft's ownership and open source approach
Users discussed how Microsoft acquired Zork rights through the Activision purchase, with some skepticism about releasing old, obsolete code versus more meaningful open source contributions. The discussion touched on Microsoft's pattern of open sourcing legacy software.
3Red Alert 2 in web browser
- A beta version of a game is now available with fully working multiplayer and all original maps. The game requires a 64-bit OS, 4GB RAM minimum (8GB recommended), Intel Atom CPU or better, and runs on modern web browsers with Chrome, Firefox, Edge or Safari supported.
Lost source code for Red Alert 2
The original Red Alert 2 source code is rumored to be lost, making the Chrono Divide project remarkable. EA released source for other C&C games but not RA2/Tiberian Sun. Poor asset retention was common in gaming pre-2010, with examples like Silent Hill 2/3, WoW early patches, and Panzer Dragoon Saga also being lost.2D vs 3D graphics in RTS games
Many players feel 2D RTS games like Red Alert 2 look better than modern 3D ones. The perspective warping and reduced readability of 3D cameras make pattern detection harder. 2D graphics communicate intent through symbolism while 3D focuses on realism, often making gameplay less clear.RTS genre decline and esports focus
Red Alert 2 represented the pinnacle of single-player RTS with its cheesy story and fun mechanics. StarCraft's Korean success shifted the genre toward multiplayer balance and esports, hurting campaign-focused games. Modern RTS titles prioritize competitive balance over creative unit design and engaging single-player experiences.
4Show HN: Wealthfolio 2.0- Open source investment tracker. Now Mobile and Docker
- The creator of Wealthfolio shared an update about their app's progress over the past year. The app has expanded to support multiple platforms including mobile iOS, desktop across macOS Windows and Linux, plus self-hosted Docker with Android coming soon. They also added an addon system for custom extensions and integrations while maintaining their core philosophy of privacy transparency and open source development.
Privacy vs automation trade-offs
Users appreciate keeping finances private and local but struggle with giving up automated data syncing. Many have too many accounts to manually track, creating tension between privacy benefits and convenience of automatic updates.Alternative financial tracking tools
Extensive discussion of various options including YNAB, ActualBudget, Monarch, beancount, hledger, and others. Users share experiences with different tools, noting trade-offs between features, pricing models, and local vs cloud hosting.Manual data import challenges
Major concern that lack of broker/bank integration limits adoption. Users find manual CSV imports and transaction entry too burdensome for daily use, though some suggest solutions like Plaid integration or automated email parsing.
5How a French judge was digitally cut off by the USA
- French ICC judge Nicolas Guillou, sanctioned by the US for issuing arrest warrants against Israeli officials, describes being digitally excluded from modern life. His accounts with US companies like Amazon, PayPal, and Airbnb were closed, payment systems blocked, and banking severely restricted. He advocates for EU digital sovereignty to protect the rule of law from US influence.
Economic leverage and sanctions effectiveness
Debate over whether US sanctions ultimately backfire by spurring domestic alternatives in targeted countries. Some argue China's chip restrictions led to indigenous semiconductor development, while others contend current EUV blockades remain effective due to China's technological limitations.EU response to US extraterritorial jurisdiction
Discussion of EU's potential activation of blocking regulations to counter US sanctions affecting European interests. Debate centers on whether EU will actually implement these countermeasures or remain passive due to geopolitical pressures and dependencies.Impact on sanctioned individuals
Examination of how US sanctions affect daily life, including automatic closure of accounts with US companies like Amazon, PayPal, and Airbnb. Users question the legality and appropriateness of such broad restrictions on foreign individuals.
6'Calvin and Hobbes' at 40
- Forty years ago, the beloved comic strip Calvin and Hobbes debuted, featuring 6-year-old Calvin and his stuffed tiger Hobbes who comes alive in Calvin's imagination. Creator Bill Watterson ended the strip in 1995 at its peak popularity, combining silly and profound themes that resonated with readers through Calvin's adventures and philosophical conversations with his tiger companion.
Calvin as problematic role model
A discussion about how Calvin influenced childhood behavior, with commenters reflecting on adopting his contrarian and anti-social attitudes. Some argue Calvin wasn't meant as a role model but as a foil to learn from, while others note the broader cultural impact of sarcastic anti-heroes in media.Watterson's artistic integrity
Praise for Bill Watterson's decision to end the strip at its peak and resist commercialization. Commenters discuss how he fought publishers over licensing, maintained creative control, and stopped before cynicism overtook the childlike wonder that defined the series.Copyright enforcement challenges
Concerns about increasing difficulty accessing Calvin & Hobbes online due to takedown notices. The irony that a strip known for resisting commercialization now faces strict copyright enforcement, forcing fans to seek alternative ways to share and enjoy the comics.
7Firefox 147 Will Support the XDG Base Directory Specification
- Firefox 147 will finally support the XDG Base Directory specification after a 21-year-old bug report was addressed. This means Firefox will organize files in proper Linux directories like ~/.config and ~/.local/share instead of putting everything under ~/.mozilla, bringing it in line with other Linux applications.
Implementation details and migration concerns
Users analyzed the code changes, finding that Firefox will use existing ~/.mozilla if present or MOZ_LEGACY_HOME is set, otherwise defaults to XDG directories. No automatic migration occurs, and the implementation doesn't properly split cache/config/data as per full XDG spec.Long-overdue bug fixes and development pace
Discussion highlighted Mozilla's slow development, with this 21-year-old XDG bug finally being addressed alongside other ancient issues like customizable keyboard shortcuts. Users expressed mixed feelings about Mozilla's priorities and development speed.XDG compliance importance and adoption challenges
Users celebrated Firefox's XDG adoption as meaningful progress for reducing home directory pollution, while discussing broader software compliance issues and security concerns some developers raise about XDG standards.
8Helping Valve to power up Steam devices
- Valve unveiled three new gaming devices: Steam Frame VR headset, Steam Machine console, and Steam Controller. Igalia partnered with Valve to develop software for these devices, focusing on ARM-based technology for the Frame using translation layers and graphics drivers. Their work on open-source projects like Mesa3D Turnip and FEX benefits the broader Linux gaming community.
Valve's open source contributions
Discussion centers on Valve funding Mesa3D Turnip driver development for Qualcomm GPUs, with praise for their FOSS approach contrasted against typical industry practices. Users debate Valve's motivations - whether genuinely altruistic or strategic for their gaming platform.Steam Deck 2 ARM speculation
Users speculate about Valve potentially making an ARM-based Steam Deck 2, discussing current ARM chip limitations compared to x86 performance, and possibilities for multiple device variants including a smaller "Steam Deck Mini" form factor.Qualcomm driver quality issues
Technical discussion about poor ARM GPU driver support, particularly Qualcomm's proprietary drivers being described as "hot garbage" and disabled Vulkan support in many devices, highlighting broader industry problems with ARM graphics.
9Adversarial poetry as a universal single-turn jailbreak mechanism in LLMs
- Researchers discovered that adversarial poetry serves as an effective jailbreak technique for Large Language Models, achieving attack success rates up to 90% across 25 different models. Converting harmful prompts into poetic verse increased success rates by up to 18 times compared to regular text, demonstrating that simple stylistic changes can bypass AI safety mechanisms and revealing fundamental vulnerabilities in current alignment methods.
Poetry as AI jailbreaking technique
Researchers found that formatting malicious prompts as poetry bypasses AI safety measures with 62% success rate for hand-crafted poems. Discussion covers how formal poetry structure helps evade guardrails and jokes about English majors becoming cybersecurity experts.Academic paper transparency concerns
Multiple commenters criticize papers that withhold methodology details for "safety" reasons, making reproduction impossible. Debate centers on whether this protects against misuse or simply prevents verification of claims.LLM safety as surface-level pattern matching
Discussion explores how AI safety measures appear to rely on recognizing stylistic features rather than semantic content, suggesting current guardrails are easily fooled by formatting changes rather than understanding actual meaning.
10Olmo 3: Charting a path through the model flow to lead open-source AI
- AI2 has released Olmo 3, a family of fully open-source language models at 7B and 32B parameters. Unlike typical model releases that only share final weights, Olmo 3 provides complete transparency with all training data, code, and development processes. The family includes Olmo 3-Base for general use, Olmo 3-Think for reasoning tasks, Olmo 3-Instruct for chat applications, and Olmo 3-RL Zero for reinforcement learning research. These models achieve competitive performance with leading open-weight models while offering unprecedented openness for research and development.
Open source AI terminology and transparency
Discussion about how "open source AI" has been co-opted to mean just releasing weights, with calls for rebranding truly open models as "transparent models." Also covers the need for fully-traceable AI inference steps to maintain public control and understanding of AI systems.Model performance and practical usage
Users share experiences testing OLMo models, including issues with factual accuracy (giraffe kosher example), software compatibility problems, and comparisons to other models like Qwen3-30B-VL for daily tasks requiring speed over sophistication.Technical implementation and optimization
Discussions about prompt engineering techniques for smaller models, optimal model sizes for different GPU configurations (7B for 8GB, 20B for 16GB, 32B for 24GB), and the trade-offs between dense models and MoE architectures for local deployment.