My mum is not very tech savvy but wants to improve her skills. Her expectations aren't very high: she wants to be able to use office, do basic internet searches, use social media and generally feel more comfortable on a computer.
She has some free time now and has asked me to find her a good course on using office and also the aforementioned general computer skills. Also, she's living in Equatorial Guinea so there are no local courses there, meaning it must be an online course. Can anyone recommend any free or paid courses on this?"},"title":{"fullyHighlighted":false,"matchLevel":"full","matchedWords":["general","compute"],"value":"Ask HN: Best office/general computer skills course for my mum?"}},"_tags":["story","author_jimmygatz","story_11007835","ask_hn"],"author":"jimmygatz","children":[11007849],"created_at":"2016-01-31T20:12:41Z","created_at_i":1454271161,"num_comments":2,"objectID":"11007835","points":3,"story_id":11007835,"story_text":"Hello HN,
My mum is not very tech savvy but wants to improve her skills. Her expectations aren't very high: she wants to be able to use office, do basic internet searches, use social media and generally feel more comfortable on a computer.
She has some free time now and has asked me to find her a good course on using office and also the aforementioned general computer skills. Also, she's living in Equatorial Guinea so there are no local courses there, meaning it must be an online course. Can anyone recommend any free or paid courses on this?","title":"Ask HN: Best office/general computer skills course for my mum?","updated_at":"2024-09-19T22:44:01Z"},{"_highlightResult":{"author":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"ghosh"},"title":{"fullyHighlighted":false,"matchLevel":"full","matchedWords":["general","compute"],"value":"NSA declares war on general purpose computers"},"url":{"fullyHighlighted":false,"matchLevel":"partial","matchedWords":["general"],"value":"http://boingboing.net/2015/04/13/nsa-declares-war-on-general-pu.html?utm_content=buffer025df&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer"}},"_tags":["story","author_ghosh","story_9372399"],"author":"ghosh","created_at":"2015-04-14T06:13:38Z","created_at_i":1428992018,"num_comments":0,"objectID":"9372399","points":3,"story_id":9372399,"title":"NSA declares war on general purpose computers","updated_at":"2024-09-19T21:49:58Z","url":"http://boingboing.net/2015/04/13/nsa-declares-war-on-general-pu.html?utm_content=buffer025df&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer"},{"_highlightResult":{"author":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"r0h1n"},"story_text":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":""},"title":{"fullyHighlighted":false,"matchLevel":"full","matchedWords":["general","compute"],"value":"Class War Meets the War on General Purpose Computers"},"url":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"http://boingboing.net/2014/09/25/class-war-meets-the-war-on-gen.html"}},"_tags":["story","author_r0h1n","story_8371042"],"author":"r0h1n","created_at":"2014-09-26T02:34:10Z","created_at_i":1411698850,"num_comments":0,"objectID":"8371042","points":3,"story_id":8371042,"story_text":"","title":"Class War Meets the War on General Purpose 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computer"},"url":{"fullyHighlighted":false,"matchLevel":"full","matchedWords":["general","compute"],"value":"https://text.sourcegraph.com/the-ibm-system-360-the-first-modular-general-purpose-computer-98caeb0c9d1b#.330ka69pt"}},"_tags":["story","author_joeyespo","story_12367221"],"author":"joeyespo","created_at":"2016-08-26T16:14:46Z","created_at_i":1472228086,"num_comments":0,"objectID":"12367221","points":1,"story_id":12367221,"title":"The IBM System/360: the first modular, general-purpose computer","updated_at":"2024-09-19T23:38:51Z","url":"https://text.sourcegraph.com/the-ibm-system-360-the-first-modular-general-purpose-computer-98caeb0c9d1b#.330ka69pt"},{"_highlightResult":{"author":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"vincentjiang"},"story_text":{"fullyHighlighted":false,"matchLevel":"full","matchedWords":["general","compute"],"value":"Hi HN,
I\u2019m Vincent from Aden. We spent 4 years building ERP automation for construction (PO/invoice reconciliation). We had real enterprise customers but hit a technical wall: Chatbots aren't for real work. Accountants don't want to chat; they want the ledger reconciled while they sleep. They want services, not tools.
Existing agent frameworks (LangChain, AutoGPT) failed in production - brittle, looping, and unable to handle messy data. General Computer Use (GCU) frameworks were even worse. My reflections:
1. The "Toy App" Ceiling & GCU Trap\nMost frameworks assume synchronous sessions. If the tab closes, state is lost. You can't fit 2 weeks of asynchronous business state into an ephemeral chat session.
The GCU hype (agents "looking" at screens) is skeuomorphic. It\u2019s slow (screenshots), expensive (tokens), and fragile (UI changes = crash). It mimics human constraints rather than leveraging machine speed. Real automation should be headless.
2. Inversion of Control: OODA > DAGs\nTraditional DAGs are deterministic; if a step fails, the program crashes. In the AI era, the Goal is the law, not the Code. We use an OODA loop to manage stochastic behavior:
- Observe: Exceptions are observations (FileNotFound = new state), not crashes.
- Orient: Adjust strategy based on Memory and - Traits.
- Decide: Generate new code at runtime.
- Act: Execute.
The topology shouldn't be hardcoded; it should emerge from the task's entropy.
3. Reliability: The "Synthetic" SLA\nYou can't guarantee one inference ($k=1$) is correct, but you can guarantee a System of Inference ($k=n$) converges on correctness. Reliability is now a function of compute budget. By wrapping an 80% accurate model in a "Best-of-3" verification loop, we mathematically force the error rate down\u2014trading Latency/Tokens for Certainty.
4. Biology & Psychology in Code\n"Hard Logic" can't solve "Soft Problems." We map cognition to architectural primitives:\nHomeostasis: Solving "Perseveration" (infinite loops) via a "Stress" metric. If an action fails 3x, "neuroplasticity" drops, forcing a strategy shift.\nTraits: Personality as a constraint. "High Conscientiousness" increases verification; "High Risk" executes DROP TABLE without asking.
For the industry, we need engineers interested in the intersection of biology, psychology, and distributed systems to help us move beyond brittle scripts. It'd be great to have you roasting my codes and sharing feedback.
Repo: https://github.com/adenhq/hive"},"title":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"Show HN: Agent framework that generates its own topology and evolves at runtime"},"url":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"https://github.com/adenhq/hive/blob/main/README.md"}},"_tags":["story","author_vincentjiang","story_46979781","show_hn"],"author":"vincentjiang","children":[46979829,46982575,46982586,46982863,46983301,46983313,46983530,46984074,46984427,46984441,46984556,46984721,46984731,46984748,46984927,46985003,46985026,46985061,46985133,46985184,46985231,46985243,46985278,46985290,46985302,46985463,46985688,46985739,46985824,46986043,46986266,46986448,46986672,46986893,46987006,46988099,46995150,47021914,47021920,47023564,47023581,47034782],"created_at":"2026-02-11T19:39:43Z","created_at_i":1770838783,"num_comments":35,"objectID":"46979781","points":107,"story_id":46979781,"story_text":"Hi HN,
I\u2019m Vincent from Aden. We spent 4 years building ERP automation for construction (PO/invoice reconciliation). We had real enterprise customers but hit a technical wall: Chatbots aren't for real work. Accountants don't want to chat; they want the ledger reconciled while they sleep. They want services, not tools.
Existing agent frameworks (LangChain, AutoGPT) failed in production - brittle, looping, and unable to handle messy data. General Computer Use (GCU) frameworks were even worse. My reflections:
1. The "Toy App" Ceiling & GCU Trap\nMost frameworks assume synchronous sessions. If the tab closes, state is lost. You can't fit 2 weeks of asynchronous business state into an ephemeral chat session.
The GCU hype (agents "looking" at screens) is skeuomorphic. It\u2019s slow (screenshots), expensive (tokens), and fragile (UI changes = crash). It mimics human constraints rather than leveraging machine speed. Real automation should be headless.
2. Inversion of Control: OODA > DAGs\nTraditional DAGs are deterministic; if a step fails, the program crashes. In the AI era, the Goal is the law, not the Code. We use an OODA loop to manage stochastic behavior:
- Observe: Exceptions are observations (FileNotFound = new state), not crashes.
- Orient: Adjust strategy based on Memory and - Traits.
- Decide: Generate new code at runtime.
- Act: Execute.
The topology shouldn't be hardcoded; it should emerge from the task's entropy.
3. Reliability: The "Synthetic" SLA\nYou can't guarantee one inference ($k=1$) is correct, but you can guarantee a System of Inference ($k=n$) converges on correctness. Reliability is now a function of compute budget. By wrapping an 80% accurate model in a "Best-of-3" verification loop, we mathematically force the error rate down\u2014trading Latency/Tokens for Certainty.
4. Biology & Psychology in Code\n"Hard Logic" can't solve "Soft Problems." We map cognition to architectural primitives:\nHomeostasis: Solving "Perseveration" (infinite loops) via a "Stress" metric. If an action fails 3x, "neuroplasticity" drops, forcing a strategy shift.\nTraits: Personality as a constraint. "High Conscientiousness" increases verification; "High Risk" executes DROP TABLE without asking.
For the industry, we need engineers interested in the intersection of biology, psychology, and distributed systems to help us move beyond brittle scripts. It'd be great to have you roasting my codes and sharing feedback.
Repo: https://github.com/adenhq/hive","title":"Show HN: Agent framework that generates its own topology and evolves at runtime","updated_at":"2026-04-03T21:47:38Z","url":"https://github.com/adenhq/hive/blob/main/README.md"},{"_highlightResult":{"author":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"frognumber"},"story_text":{"fullyHighlighted":false,"matchLevel":"full","matchedWords":["general","compute"],"value":"What is the status of GPUs for general compute?
Last I looked, NVidia worked well, and AMD was horrible. Right now, it looks like the major limiting factor (if you don't care about a \u22483x difference in performance, which I don't) is RAM. More is better, and good models need >10GB, while LLMs can be up to 350GB.
* Intel Arc A770 has 16GB for <$300. I have no idea about compatibility with Hugging Face, Blender, etc.
* NVidia 4060 has 16GB for <$500. 100% compatible with everything.
* Older NVidia (e.g. Pascal era) can be had with 24GB for <$300 used, without a graphics port. Not clear how CUDA compute capability lines up to what's needed for modern tools, or how well things work without a graphics port.
* Several cards may or may not work together. I'm not sure.
Is there any way to figure this stuff out, and what's reasonable / practical / easy? Something which explains CUDA compute levels, vendor compatibility, multi-card compatibility, and all that jazz. It'd be nice to have a generic enough guide to understand both pro and amateur use, e.g.:
- A770 x21, if someone got it working, could handle Facebook's OPT-175 for <$10k via Alpa. That brings it into "rich hobbyist" or "justifiable business expense" range. Not clear if that's practical.
- Kids learning AI would be much easier if it's cheaper (e.g. A770)
- "General compute" also includes things like Blender or accelerating rendering in kdenlive, etc.
- Etc.
This stuff is getting useful to a broader and broader audience, but it's confusing."},"title":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"Reasonable GPUs"}},"_tags":["story","author_frognumber","story_38422807","ask_hn"],"author":"frognumber","children":[38422845,38423441,38423510,38423517,38423533,38423632,38423742,38423753,38423755,38423818,38424424,38424676,38424700,38424763,38426223,38427772,38435820,38537129],"created_at":"2023-11-26T16:26:57Z","created_at_i":1701016017,"num_comments":48,"objectID":"38422807","points":72,"story_id":38422807,"story_text":"What is the status of GPUs for general compute?
Last I looked, NVidia worked well, and AMD was horrible. Right now, it looks like the major limiting factor (if you don't care about a \u22483x difference in performance, which I don't) is RAM. More is better, and good models need >10GB, while LLMs can be up to 350GB.
* Intel Arc A770 has 16GB for <$300. I have no idea about compatibility with Hugging Face, Blender, etc.
* NVidia 4060 has 16GB for <$500. 100% compatible with everything.
* Older NVidia (e.g. Pascal era) can be had with 24GB for <$300 used, without a graphics port. Not clear how CUDA compute capability lines up to what's needed for modern tools, or how well things work without a graphics port.
* Several cards may or may not work together. I'm not sure.
Is there any way to figure this stuff out, and what's reasonable / practical / easy? Something which explains CUDA compute levels, vendor compatibility, multi-card compatibility, and all that jazz. It'd be nice to have a generic enough guide to understand both pro and amateur use, e.g.:
- A770 x21, if someone got it working, could handle Facebook's OPT-175 for <$10k via Alpa. That brings it into "rich hobbyist" or "justifiable business expense" range. Not clear if that's practical.
- Kids learning AI would be much easier if it's cheaper (e.g. A770)
- "General compute" also includes things like Blender or accelerating rendering in kdenlive, etc.
- Etc.
This stuff is getting useful to a broader and broader audience, but it's confusing.","title":"Reasonable GPUs","updated_at":"2024-09-20T15:46:11Z"},{"_highlightResult":{"author":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"robdoherty2"},"story_text":{"fullyHighlighted":false,"matchLevel":"full","matchedWords":["general","compute"],"value":"My younger brother who is a high school freshman wants to get started learning how to code.
He has no experience with writing code and little general computer knowledge about stuff like OS's file systems, etc. Basically he would be starting from scratch.
What would be a good place for him to get started? I'd like to give him some resources so he can learn at his own pace, but I also don't want him to get overwhelmed and decide coding is too hard.
Thanks"},"title":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"Ask HN: Advice for 14-year-old who wants to learn to code?"},"url":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":""}},"_tags":["story","author_robdoherty2","story_8815315","ask_hn"],"author":"robdoherty2","children":[8815503,8815534,8815752,8816215,8816450,8816467,8816638,8817157,8817192,8817214,8817236,8817276,8817356,8817363,8817371,8817469,8817599,8817797,8817929,8818015,8818674,8818838,8820021,8820151,8820302,8821956],"created_at":"2014-12-30T16:45:26Z","created_at_i":1419957926,"num_comments":32,"objectID":"8815315","points":17,"story_id":8815315,"story_text":"My younger brother who is a high school freshman wants to get started learning how to code.
He has no experience with writing code and little general computer knowledge about stuff like OS's file systems, etc. Basically he would be starting from scratch.
What would be a good place for him to get started? I'd like to give him some resources so he can learn at his own pace, but I also don't want him to get overwhelmed and decide coding is too hard.
Thanks","title":"Ask HN: Advice for 14-year-old who wants to learn to code?","updated_at":"2023-09-06T23:09:53Z","url":""},{"_highlightResult":{"author":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"foobar_"},"story_text":{"fullyHighlighted":false,"matchLevel":"full","matchedWords":["general","compute"],"value":"Considering the following markets
- Embedded / IoT
- Server / Web / Cloud
- Gaming Console
- Mobile
- Enterprise Software
- Desktop
In all the markets except desktop open source software has > 50% market share.
If you consider Mac and Chrome OS, Virtual Machine Installs, Desktop reinstalls, people using both Windows and Linux at $work ... I would wager that FOSS Desktop Market share is well over 15%.
Based on that would you say FOSS has won ?
On a side note would you consider carpentry / IKEA as a model of OSS, where openness is obvious ?
Where FOSS has failed IMO is closed computing and closed data.
Reducing a general purpose computer to a vendor purpose computer by means of special firmware (the Apple CPU being the new culprit on the block). This also happens on the cloud. This is why Mac or Playstation are still considered closed source as compared to Android which allows you to install ROMs for the most part.
For some strange reason it is acceptable for data to be closed source. It is clearly where the money is. The user owns the data and the more I look at it ... the idea of transferable copyright for perpetuity is absurd."},"title":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"Ask HN: Has FOSS Software Won?"}},"_tags":["story","author_foobar_","story_23673867","ask_hn"],"author":"foobar_","children":[23674289,23674799,23676022,23676444],"created_at":"2020-06-29T02:39:05Z","created_at_i":1593398345,"num_comments":9,"objectID":"23673867","points":10,"story_id":23673867,"story_text":"Considering the following markets
- Embedded / IoT
- Server / Web / Cloud
- Gaming Console
- Mobile
- Enterprise Software
- Desktop
In all the markets except desktop open source software has > 50% market share.
If you consider Mac and Chrome OS, Virtual Machine Installs, Desktop reinstalls, people using both Windows and Linux at $work ... I would wager that FOSS Desktop Market share is well over 15%.
Based on that would you say FOSS has won ?
On a side note would you consider carpentry / IKEA as a model of OSS, where openness is obvious ?
Where FOSS has failed IMO is closed computing and closed data.
Reducing a general purpose computer to a vendor purpose computer by means of special firmware (the Apple CPU being the new culprit on the block). This also happens on the cloud. This is why Mac or Playstation are still considered closed source as compared to Android which allows you to install ROMs for the most part.
For some strange reason it is acceptable for data to be closed source. It is clearly where the money is. The user owns the data and the more I look at it ... the idea of transferable copyright for perpetuity is absurd.","title":"Ask HN: Has FOSS Software Won?","updated_at":"2024-09-20T06:28:54Z"},{"_highlightResult":{"author":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"asyx"},"story_text":{"fullyHighlighted":false,"matchLevel":"full","matchedWords":["general","compute"],"value":"I went on a nostalgia trip recently and got my old gaming systems from my mother's attic / bought new ones of the systems I sold trying to make a little game for them.
I was wondering what your most fun experience was writing homebrew games or apps for systems that are not current gen. I'd not define "fun" more specifically. Doesn't matter if the hardware itself is fun, very good dev tools, a system that is just very suited to your project or just a crazy nostalgia trip that made you feel warm and fuzzy. Any project where you enjoyed your time is interesting to me.
I'd include everything up to including PS4 / XBOne (including handhelds) and any general purpose computer where the experience is distinctly different from a modern computer.
Thanks!"},"title":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"Ask HN: What's the most fun you've had developing for an older gaming system?"}},"_tags":["story","author_asyx","story_41128346","ask_hn"],"author":"asyx","children":[41173119,41173149,41173212,41173454,41174368,41175469],"created_at":"2024-08-01T12:11:49Z","created_at_i":1722514309,"num_comments":6,"objectID":"41128346","points":10,"story_id":41128346,"story_text":"I went on a nostalgia trip recently and got my old gaming systems from my mother's attic / bought new ones of the systems I sold trying to make a little game for them.
I was wondering what your most fun experience was writing homebrew games or apps for systems that are not current gen. I'd not define "fun" more specifically. Doesn't matter if the hardware itself is fun, very good dev tools, a system that is just very suited to your project or just a crazy nostalgia trip that made you feel warm and fuzzy. Any project where you enjoyed your time is interesting to me.
I'd include everything up to including PS4 / XBOne (including handhelds) and any general purpose computer where the experience is distinctly different from a modern computer.
Thanks!","title":"Ask HN: What's the most fun you've had developing for an older gaming system?","updated_at":"2024-09-20T17:32:15Z"},{"_highlightResult":{"author":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"kdievdjsjav"},"story_text":{"fullyHighlighted":false,"matchLevel":"full","matchedWords":["general","compute"],"value":"Is there a place to discuss scientific papers (in general or computer science papers in specific)?"},"title":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"Ask HN: Where to find discussions on CS papers?"},"url":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":""}},"_tags":["story","author_kdievdjsjav","story_9557324","ask_hn"],"author":"kdievdjsjav","children":[9560568],"created_at":"2015-05-16T19:34:40Z","created_at_i":1431804880,"num_comments":1,"objectID":"9557324","points":8,"story_id":9557324,"story_text":"Is there a place to discuss scientific papers (in general or computer science papers in specific)?","title":"Ask HN: Where to find discussions on CS papers?","updated_at":"2023-09-07T02:46:10Z","url":""},{"_highlightResult":{"author":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"kaens"},"story_text":{"fullyHighlighted":false,"matchLevel":"full","matchedWords":["general","compute"],"value":"This is something I've wanted to do for a long time, and I'd really like to be devoting my time to getting it up and running. It's the future, a well-done service like this is something I really think should exist. It would definitely be a benefit to myself, and to a lot of Linux users I know, let alone general computer users.
Please check out the indiegogo campaign at http://igg.me/p/212585?a=1092744 -- any feedback would be greatly appreciated!"},"title":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"I'm trying to make it easy for people to generate Linux live and install images."},"url":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":""}},"_tags":["story","author_kaens","story_4440894","ask_hn"],"author":"kaens","children":[4441167,4441605],"created_at":"2012-08-27T21:00:05Z","created_at_i":1346101205,"num_comments":3,"objectID":"4440894","points":6,"story_id":4440894,"story_text":"This is something I've wanted to do for a long time, and I'd really like to be devoting my time to getting it up and running. It's the future, a well-done service like this is something I really think should exist. It would definitely be a benefit to myself, and to a lot of Linux users I know, let alone general computer users.
Please check out the indiegogo campaign at http://igg.me/p/212585?a=1092744 -- any feedback would be greatly appreciated!","title":"I'm trying to make it easy for people to generate Linux live and install images.","updated_at":"2024-09-19T18:47:54Z","url":""},{"_highlightResult":{"author":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"memcpy"},"story_text":{"fullyHighlighted":false,"matchLevel":"full","matchedWords":["general","compute"],"value":"Today, most computation is still done with general-purpose computers. These machines, primarily laptops and desktops, are \"open\" in that you can install and run on them whatever you like, and you can build for them whatever applications you like and distribute them in whatever manner you like. The inherent openness of these platforms has also served to make them incompatible with each other and even with themselves; just getting an application to run on different versions of the same platform (eg windows) can be a pain. For this (and for other) reasons, over the last few years much application development has shifted to the web.
But now it seems the tide has begun to recede. Application development is heading back towards native apps, particularly native apps for a single, closed platform. It appears we may be entering a future where the whole technological landscape will be partitioned into any number of walled-gardens.
My question is basically this: if the future is the iOS and other closed platforms like it, does it still make sense to build a business based on web apps with the expectation that such a business will still make sense two, three or five years from now, or is one better off taking the plunge and basing your business on a platform like the AppStore instead?"},"title":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"Do independent web apps have a future in world divided into walled gardens?"},"url":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":""}},"_tags":["story","author_memcpy","story_1452485","ask_hn"],"author":"memcpy","children":[1452552,1452736,1453385],"created_at":"2010-06-22T17:24:16Z","created_at_i":1277227456,"num_comments":3,"objectID":"1452485","points":6,"story_id":1452485,"story_text":"Today, most computation is still done with general-purpose computers. These machines, primarily laptops and desktops, are \"open\" in that you can install and run on them whatever you like, and you can build for them whatever applications you like and distribute them in whatever manner you like. The inherent openness of these platforms has also served to make them incompatible with each other and even with themselves; just getting an application to run on different versions of the same platform (eg windows) can be a pain. For this (and for other) reasons, over the last few years much application development has shifted to the web.
But now it seems the tide has begun to recede. Application development is heading back towards native apps, particularly native apps for a single, closed platform. It appears we may be entering a future where the whole technological landscape will be partitioned into any number of walled-gardens.
My question is basically this: if the future is the iOS and other closed platforms like it, does it still make sense to build a business based on web apps with the expectation that such a business will still make sense two, three or five years from now, or is one better off taking the plunge and basing your business on a platform like the AppStore instead?","title":"Do independent web apps have a future in world divided into walled gardens?","updated_at":"2024-09-19T17:03:27Z","url":""},{"_highlightResult":{"author":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"zerojames"},"story_text":{"fullyHighlighted":false,"matchLevel":"full","matchedWords":["general","compute"],"value":"I was considering that a lot of modern computers have favoured slim keyboards, touchpads, and touch screens over more tactile experiences.
What factors caused this shift? Are there general-purpose computers that come with more tactile controls (think OP-1 synth level controls)?"},"title":{"fullyHighlighted":false,"matchLevel":"full","matchedWords":["general","compute"],"value":"Ask HN: Are there general-purpose tactile computers?"}},"_tags":["story","author_zerojames","story_31538666","ask_hn"],"author":"zerojames","children":[31544369],"created_at":"2022-05-28T08:37:37Z","created_at_i":1653727057,"num_comments":1,"objectID":"31538666","points":6,"story_id":31538666,"story_text":"I was considering that a lot of modern computers have favoured slim keyboards, touchpads, and touch screens over more tactile experiences.
What factors caused this shift? Are there general-purpose computers that come with more tactile controls (think OP-1 synth level controls)?","title":"Ask HN: Are there general-purpose tactile computers?","updated_at":"2024-09-20T11:14:22Z"},{"_highlightResult":{"author":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"twoodeep"},"story_text":{"fullyHighlighted":false,"matchLevel":"full","matchedWords":["general","compute"],"value":"Ideally I would love a platform or medium that facilitated something along the lines of: I, the (more) experienced dev, have a couple free hours and want to provide my time to field questions on general computer science/programming for junior developers. Before anyone suggest to just go answer Stack questions, I'm specifically looking for 1:1 or conversation style dialogue.
For example, a very new programmer recently came to me with frustrations about the feeling of confusion (that we've all had) about how a React app or Python print statement is somehow eventually just 1's and 0's. That sort of topic I think is very helpful to learn through conversation, and personally I tend to learn a lot myself when eventually questions arise that I hadn't thought of/learned yet.
On a related note if anybody here is a curious junior dev - I have a couple free hours and want to provide my time to field questions on general computer science/programming for junior developers"},"title":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"Ask HN: A good platform for volunteering time to mentor novice programmers?"}},"_tags":["story","author_twoodeep","story_15266548","ask_hn"],"author":"twoodeep","children":[15266575,15268703,15274889],"created_at":"2017-09-16T20:23:11Z","created_at_i":1505593391,"num_comments":7,"objectID":"15266548","points":4,"story_id":15266548,"story_text":"Ideally I would love a platform or medium that facilitated something along the lines of: I, the (more) experienced dev, have a couple free hours and want to provide my time to field questions on general computer science/programming for junior developers. Before anyone suggest to just go answer Stack questions, I'm specifically looking for 1:1 or conversation style dialogue.
For example, a very new programmer recently came to me with frustrations about the feeling of confusion (that we've all had) about how a React app or Python print statement is somehow eventually just 1's and 0's. That sort of topic I think is very helpful to learn through conversation, and personally I tend to learn a lot myself when eventually questions arise that I hadn't thought of/learned yet.
On a related note if anybody here is a curious junior dev - I have a couple free hours and want to provide my time to field questions on general computer science/programming for junior developers","title":"Ask HN: A good platform for volunteering time to mentor novice programmers?","updated_at":"2024-09-20T01:22:01Z"},{"_highlightResult":{"author":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"Folcon"},"story_text":{"fullyHighlighted":false,"matchLevel":"full","matchedWords":["general","compute"],"value":"I'm currently looking for a new dev machine and I'm looking at what's currently being offered by Apple which was my vendor of choice and I'm worried.
It looks like if I go with a new Macbook Pro for the next decade, I'm signing up to a device that will increasingly get locked down.
The direction of development appears to be iOS in a laptop form factor.
Don't get me wrong, I like having a phone, but I want a general-purpose computer too.
It's a bit sad in a way, I picked up my current machine because the sentiment at the time was that the Macbook Pro was a professional's machine and one of the groups of professional's that it would cater to was developers.
What Apple expected for that was those professionals being willing to pay at a higher price point to get that power. That expectation seems to be bearing out less and less these days.
I still want that deal. Just a little bit of shiny, but all the power that gets out of my way and I pay for it...
So I'm wondering, am I in a minority here? What do others in this ecosystem want? (and yes I'm fully aware that this ecosystem isn't very big)
Are people ok with their main dev machine being a more locked-down system? I see some people jumping into developing on iPad's in the cloud.
So I'm wondering am I the minority of a minority?
Or is there a chance that there are enough people who feel like I do that some company out there can serve our needs and make a decent bank doing it?
Or perhaps I'm mistaken =)..."},"title":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"Ask HN: Anyone want the old Apple deal? A premium dev machine for professionals?"}},"_tags":["story","author_Folcon","story_23628042","ask_hn"],"author":"Folcon","children":[23628103,23628122,23638760],"created_at":"2020-06-24T14:10:15Z","created_at_i":1593007815,"num_comments":6,"objectID":"23628042","points":4,"story_id":23628042,"story_text":"I'm currently looking for a new dev machine and I'm looking at what's currently being offered by Apple which was my vendor of choice and I'm worried.
It looks like if I go with a new Macbook Pro for the next decade, I'm signing up to a device that will increasingly get locked down.
The direction of development appears to be iOS in a laptop form factor.
Don't get me wrong, I like having a phone, but I want a general-purpose computer too.
It's a bit sad in a way, I picked up my current machine because the sentiment at the time was that the Macbook Pro was a professional's machine and one of the groups of professional's that it would cater to was developers.
What Apple expected for that was those professionals being willing to pay at a higher price point to get that power. That expectation seems to be bearing out less and less these days.
I still want that deal. Just a little bit of shiny, but all the power that gets out of my way and I pay for it...
So I'm wondering, am I in a minority here? What do others in this ecosystem want? (and yes I'm fully aware that this ecosystem isn't very big)
Are people ok with their main dev machine being a more locked-down system? I see some people jumping into developing on iPad's in the cloud.
So I'm wondering am I the minority of a minority?
Or is there a chance that there are enough people who feel like I do that some company out there can serve our needs and make a decent bank doing it?
Or perhaps I'm mistaken =)...","title":"Ask HN: Anyone want the old Apple deal? A premium dev machine for professionals?","updated_at":"2024-09-20T06:24:41Z"},{"_highlightResult":{"author":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"bhollan"},"story_text":{"fullyHighlighted":false,"matchLevel":"full","matchedWords":["general","compute"],"value":"I've been asked to help with the construction and opening of a computer lab in Belize. The plan is to have it used by the remedial school that will host it[1], but also available for use by the public. The target audience/content is more literacy-oriented than tech-oriented (think GED, not SWE).
I'm sure this is not the first one of these in existence, so I'd love to hear any tips/tricks or recommendations/precautions (both for the "developing nation" side and general "public computer lab" side). My personal background is more EE/SWE than IT.
[1] https://www.facebook.com/groups/740055676147398/"},"title":{"fullyHighlighted":false,"matchLevel":"partial","matchedWords":["compute"],"value":"Ask HN: Computer Lab in Developing Nation"}},"_tags":["story","author_bhollan","story_35967119","ask_hn"],"author":"bhollan","children":[35967397,35968333],"created_at":"2023-05-16T20:11:45Z","created_at_i":1684267905,"num_comments":5,"objectID":"35967119","points":4,"story_id":35967119,"story_text":"I've been asked to help with the construction and opening of a computer lab in Belize. The plan is to have it used by the remedial school that will host it[1], but also available for use by the public. The target audience/content is more literacy-oriented than tech-oriented (think GED, not SWE).
I'm sure this is not the first one of these in existence, so I'd love to hear any tips/tricks or recommendations/precautions (both for the "developing nation" side and general "public computer lab" side). My personal background is more EE/SWE than IT.
[1] https://www.facebook.com/groups/740055676147398/","title":"Ask HN: Computer Lab in Developing Nation","updated_at":"2024-09-20T14:04:42Z"},{"_highlightResult":{"author":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"bgroat"},"story_text":{"fullyHighlighted":false,"matchLevel":"full","matchedWords":["general","compute"],"value":"I want to spend a year doing more focused, dedicated studying.
That means avoiding checking websites regularly (including this one) and avoiding following the big shiny things.
However, I want to keep growing as a developer.
I'm currently employed as a web developer (React) however, I'm also interested in AI, Distributed Systems, Security, and general computer science (I'm a self-taught coder).
What are your favourite (paper) resources for studying these subjects?"},"title":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"Ask HN: What should I read while offline for a year?"}},"_tags":["story","author_bgroat","story_21908048","ask_hn"],"author":"bgroat","children":[21908840,21914986],"created_at":"2019-12-29T19:56:45Z","created_at_i":1577649405,"num_comments":2,"objectID":"21908048","points":4,"story_id":21908048,"story_text":"I want to spend a year doing more focused, dedicated studying.
That means avoiding checking websites regularly (including this one) and avoiding following the big shiny things.
However, I want to keep growing as a developer.
I'm currently employed as a web developer (React) however, I'm also interested in AI, Distributed Systems, Security, and general computer science (I'm a self-taught coder).
What are your favourite (paper) resources for studying these subjects?","title":"Ask HN: What should I read while offline for a year?","updated_at":"2024-09-20T05:27:11Z"},{"_highlightResult":{"author":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"nlweb"},"story_text":{"fullyHighlighted":false,"matchLevel":"full","matchedWords":["general","compute"],"value":"I began working for my fathers computer business when I was 8 years old. I started by working in the shop building computers after school and on weekends.\nSince then I have grown to a lot more responsibilities running the shop. I am 26 and I have been selling service contracts, setting up networks(2-100+ computers), Server 2000/2003/2008 with Active Directory Domains, MSSQL Management, and design internal network apps in PHP and Python (around 20+ satisfied customers using apps), along with the general computer repair tasks. (Virus removal, upgrades, network security, etc...)
My question to the gurus in the biz, even though I skipped college but still have certifications, would I still be able to get a job in IT at a small to large company without a BS in computer science if things went sour? Everything I see online says a BS is a must. However we have had people working for us who have MORE than that, who I have had to train myself.
Footnote in case: I am MSCE, MCSA, A+, Network+, Security+, and Linux+ certified."},"title":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"Do you need a BS in CS to land job?"},"url":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":""}},"_tags":["story","author_nlweb","story_4991564","ask_hn"],"author":"nlweb","children":[4991581,4991826,4992084,4992095,4992126],"created_at":"2013-01-01T01:32:13Z","created_at_i":1357003933,"num_comments":6,"objectID":"4991564","points":3,"story_id":4991564,"story_text":"I began working for my fathers computer business when I was 8 years old. I started by working in the shop building computers after school and on weekends.\nSince then I have grown to a lot more responsibilities running the shop. I am 26 and I have been selling service contracts, setting up networks(2-100+ computers), Server 2000/2003/2008 with Active Directory Domains, MSSQL Management, and design internal network apps in PHP and Python (around 20+ satisfied customers using apps), along with the general computer repair tasks. (Virus removal, upgrades, network security, etc...)
My question to the gurus in the biz, even though I skipped college but still have certifications, would I still be able to get a job in IT at a small to large company without a BS in computer science if things went sour? Everything I see online says a BS is a must. However we have had people working for us who have MORE than that, who I have had to train myself.
Footnote in case: I am MSCE, MCSA, A+, Network+, Security+, and Linux+ certified.","title":"Do you need a BS in CS to land job?","updated_at":"2024-09-19T19:11:11Z","url":""},{"_highlightResult":{"author":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"freedomben"},"story_text":{"fullyHighlighted":false,"matchLevel":"full","matchedWords":["general","compute"],"value":"We're a Linux household, and as my kids have gotten older I've wanted them to learn to use a general-purpose computer. However, there are tools that parental controls can give that greatly assist. It can be as simple as a time-limit, or web filtering, or allowing certain apps, etc. I've looked for things and haven't had much success, but I can't imagine I'm the only person with this problem. Gnome has recently been starting a project[1] that looks really good, but it's still very early days.
Are there any existing options out there? What are other caretakers using? If you were desparate and considering starting to build your own tools, what tech stack would you look at, or where would you target the implementation?
[1]: https://wiki.gnome.org/Design/OS/ParentalControls"},"title":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"Ask HN: Parental Controls for Linux?"}},"_tags":["story","author_freedomben","story_36788657","ask_hn"],"author":"freedomben","children":[36788730],"created_at":"2023-07-19T16:05:40Z","created_at_i":1689782740,"num_comments":3,"objectID":"36788657","points":3,"story_id":36788657,"story_text":"We're a Linux household, and as my kids have gotten older I've wanted them to learn to use a general-purpose computer. However, there are tools that parental controls can give that greatly assist. It can be as simple as a time-limit, or web filtering, or allowing certain apps, etc. I've looked for things and haven't had much success, but I can't imagine I'm the only person with this problem. Gnome has recently been starting a project[1] that looks really good, but it's still very early days.
Are there any existing options out there? What are other caretakers using? If you were desparate and considering starting to build your own tools, what tech stack would you look at, or where would you target the implementation?
[1]: https://wiki.gnome.org/Design/OS/ParentalControls","title":"Ask HN: Parental Controls for Linux?","updated_at":"2024-09-20T14:42:40Z"},{"_highlightResult":{"author":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"orph4nus"},"story_text":{"fullyHighlighted":false,"matchLevel":"full","matchedWords":["general","compute"],"value":"TLDR: Where to find organizations/companies that recruit hackers (as volunteers or payed employees), to develop products (hardware/software) to help others around the world or the local community where it is based?
I became a nomad last Christmas, in order to be able to explore more. Such that there is a better balance between my time where I discover new, while working and studying. This turned out to be great, and after 6 months I'm very happy how it all turned out and has evolved so far.
So enough about that. My educational background is a cross between electrical engineering, artistic education, game development and general computer science. Most of it is learned on my own, and I continue to learn alone or within an (online) community.
I always wanted to help other people, but never really have done so, beyond some local stuff. In the last months I did start doing volunteering, but I never could use my hacker skills (Hardware + (mostly) Software) while doing so.
This website/community often gives me great ideas because of articles shared or questions asked by other people. Therefore I would like to ask a question of my own:
Are there any specific websites/communities where I can find more information about organizations and companies that recruit "hackers" to help them, help others. Could be both on a volunteering, freelance or permanent basis. I'm also location independent, so it could be pretty much anywhere on this planet."},"title":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"Ask HN: How to use your hacker skills for good?"}},"_tags":["story","author_orph4nus","story_11901348","ask_hn"],"author":"orph4nus","children":[11901418,11904562],"created_at":"2016-06-14T11:49:58Z","created_at_i":1465904998,"num_comments":3,"objectID":"11901348","points":3,"story_id":11901348,"story_text":"TLDR: Where to find organizations/companies that recruit hackers (as volunteers or payed employees), to develop products (hardware/software) to help others around the world or the local community where it is based?
I became a nomad last Christmas, in order to be able to explore more. Such that there is a better balance between my time where I discover new, while working and studying. This turned out to be great, and after 6 months I'm very happy how it all turned out and has evolved so far.
So enough about that. My educational background is a cross between electrical engineering, artistic education, game development and general computer science. Most of it is learned on my own, and I continue to learn alone or within an (online) community.
I always wanted to help other people, but never really have done so, beyond some local stuff. In the last months I did start doing volunteering, but I never could use my hacker skills (Hardware + (mostly) Software) while doing so.
This website/community often gives me great ideas because of articles shared or questions asked by other people. Therefore I would like to ask a question of my own:
Are there any specific websites/communities where I can find more information about organizations and companies that recruit "hackers" to help them, help others. Could be both on a volunteering, freelance or permanent basis. I'm also location independent, so it could be pretty much anywhere on this planet.","title":"Ask HN: How to use your hacker skills for good?","updated_at":"2024-09-19T23:16:41Z"},{"_highlightResult":{"author":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"December_Stars"},"story_text":{"fullyHighlighted":false,"matchLevel":"full","matchedWords":["general","compute"],"value":"I am a high school senior choosing between 2 universities in Purdue and UNC Charlotte. My interests are in cybersecurity, networking and operating systems. My ultimate goal is a high salary, I was thinking a FAANG company.
One of them, Purdue, is out of state and is offering admittance into their polytechnic school. This would mean I would do cybersecurity applications hands on from the very start. It would offer a technology degree over an engineering one, in cybersecurity. Here is the cybersecurity course of study - https://catalog.purdue.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=13&poid=16668
One of them, UNC Charlotte, is in state and is offering admittance into their general computer science program. This would start with theory and give a computer science degree. It does have a cybersecurity program for master's so I can do that after i get the computer science degree. I could also more easily transfer to a better program from here if I so desire - most notably, UNC Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University are closer to home and offer better programs. Here is the UNC Charlotte CCI course curriculum - https://cci.uncc.edu/academics/computer-science/undergraduate-programs/courses
How woould CS into cybersecurity affect my career decisions? How would doing cybersecurity from the get-go affect them? What career choices are best for earning a high salary?"},"title":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"Ask HN: Career paths going to college: cybersec, CS+cybersec, or something else"}},"_tags":["story","author_December_Stars","story_26960143","ask_hn"],"author":"December_Stars","created_at":"2021-04-27T19:12:28Z","created_at_i":1619550748,"num_comments":0,"objectID":"26960143","points":3,"story_id":26960143,"story_text":"I am a high school senior choosing between 2 universities in Purdue and UNC Charlotte. My interests are in cybersecurity, networking and operating systems. My ultimate goal is a high salary, I was thinking a FAANG company.
One of them, Purdue, is out of state and is offering admittance into their polytechnic school. This would mean I would do cybersecurity applications hands on from the very start. It would offer a technology degree over an engineering one, in cybersecurity. Here is the cybersecurity course of study - https://catalog.purdue.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=13&poid=16668
One of them, UNC Charlotte, is in state and is offering admittance into their general computer science program. This would start with theory and give a computer science degree. It does have a cybersecurity program for master's so I can do that after i get the computer science degree. I could also more easily transfer to a better program from here if I so desire - most notably, UNC Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University are closer to home and offer better programs. Here is the UNC Charlotte CCI course curriculum - https://cci.uncc.edu/academics/computer-science/undergraduate-programs/courses
How woould CS into cybersecurity affect my career decisions? How would doing cybersecurity from the get-go affect them? What career choices are best for earning a high salary?","title":"Ask HN: Career paths going to college: cybersec, CS+cybersec, or something else","updated_at":"2024-09-20T08:27:48Z"}],"hitsPerPage":50,"nbHits":763,"nbPages":16,"page":0,"params":"query=General+Compute&tags=story&hitsPerPage=50&advancedSyntax=true&analyticsTags=backend","processingTimeMS":14,"processingTimingsMS":{"_request":{"roundTrip":15},"afterFetch":{"format":{"highlighting":2,"total":2},"merge":{"mergeLoop":{"prepareNextHit":3,"total":3},"total":3},"total":3},"fetch":{"query":5,"scanning":3,"total":9},"total":14},"query":"General Compute","serverTimeMS":17}