hngrok

Postgres LISTEN/NOTIFY does not scale from recall.ai
290 by davidgu 3d ago | | |

Article: 20 min

The article discusses an issue with PostgreSQL's LISTEN/NOTIFY feature causing scalability problems in Recall.ai's service due to global lock acquisition during COMMIT transactions. This leads to increased load on the database, massive spikes in active sessions, and a drastic drop in CPU and I/O usage. The problem was discovered through monitoring logs that showed a flood of log lines indicating high contention for locks acquired by NOTIFY queries during transaction commits.

Recall.ai experiences downtime due to increased load on the database

Quality:
The article provides a detailed analysis of the issue and its resolution, with clear explanations and evidence.

Discussion (109): 19 min

The discussion revolves around the scalability issues of using LISTEN/NOTIFY in transactional databases, particularly in large-scale applications. Opinions vary on its suitability for different use cases and suggest alternative solutions like Redis, Kafka or NATS for pub/sub scenarios. The debate highlights the importance of considering database performance optimization techniques and application design for high concurrency and scalability.

LISTEN/NOTIFY can cause global serialization of commits during transactions
Alternative solutions like Redis, Kafka or NATS should be considered for pub/sub scenarios

Counterarguments:

In app notifications, which can be disabled. Our triggers were only used to get subsecond job dispatching though.
Assuming you skip select transaction, or require logging on it because your regulated industry had bad auditors, then every transaction changes something.

Database PostgreSQL

Show HN: Pangolin – Open source alternative to Cloudflare Tunnels from github.com/fosrl
26 by miloschwartz 4h ago | |

Article: 9 min

Pangolin is an open-source alternative to Cloudflare Tunnels that provides a self-hosted tunneled reverse proxy server with access control for securely exposing private resources on distributed networks.

Central hub for connecting isolated networks through encrypted tunnels
Supports firewall punching, SSL certificates via LetsEncrypt
Identity and access management system with centralized authentication
Docker-based setup, compatible with any WireGuard client
Simple dashboard UI for managing sites, users, and roles

Discussion (3):

Pangolin is an open source self-hosted tunneled reverse proxy management server designed for secure private resource exposure through encrypted WireGuard tunnels, with features like identity and access control. It offers a user-friendly web UI and can be deployed in about 5 minutes on a VPS.

Software Development Cloud Computing, Security

What is Realtalk’s relationship to AI? (2024) from dynamicland.org
231 by prathyvsh 11h ago | | |

Article: 1 hr 6 min

The Dynamicland Foundation is an independent nonprofit research lab dedicated to creating a humane dynamic medium that enables universal literacy in computing. This involves inventing a new form of computing and developing educational institutions around it. The foundation's flagship invention, Realtalk, is an operating system and programming language designed for collaborative, communal computing where people work together using their hands on physical materials. Dynamicland also operates community spaces like the original Oakland location, which served as a workspace for participants to create projects that could not be made elsewhere. The website itself is created in Realtalk, showcasing its capabilities.

Creating new forms of collaboration and learning through communal computing could lead to more inclusive educational practices and innovative technological advancements that prioritize human interaction and understanding over automation and isolation.

Use of physical materials for creating computational models
Website created entirely within the Realtalk environment

Quality:
The article provides detailed information about the Dynamicland Foundation and its projects, with a focus on technical aspects and mission-driven content.

Discussion (78): 27 min

The comment thread discusses the Dynamicland project, AI's role in education and learning, and the limitations of LLMs. Opinions are mixed on the feasibility of building fully understandable computing systems and the potential of AI as an educational tool.

Dynamicland project aims to make computing systems fully visible and understandable.
LLMs are fundamentally opaque, making them unreliable as trustworthy agents of compute or knowledge.

Counterarguments:

AI as human augmentation has potential to make learning more accessible and enjoyable.
LLMs can aid interoperability by assigning tags or answering binary questions about objects.

Technology Computing & Software Development, Education & Learning, Community Projects

Show HN: Open source alternative to Perplexity Comet from browseros.com
155 by felarof 8h ago | | |

Article:

The article discusses how to prevent malware infections and suggests running an antivirus scan on personal devices or asking network administrators to check shared networks for misconfigured or infected devices.

Run antivirus scans on personal devices

Discussion (52): 8 min

The comment thread discusses the launch of an open-source, privacy-first alternative to Perplexity Comet by a YC startup. Participants express excitement and interest in various aspects such as its AI capabilities, financial sustainability, Linux version availability, and battery life impact. Some users compare it with other projects like nanobrowser and suggest improvements for demonstrating the time-saving potential of AI-driven tasks.

Project's privacy-first approach
Performance advantages over other libraries
Financial sustainability plan for enterprise version

Counterarguments:

Concerns about financial sustainability and development maintenance
Preference for browser extensions over standalone applications
Battery life impact of running AI agents locally
Difficulty and reliability of AI-driven tasks like purchasing toothpaste

Security Cybersecurity, Network Security

Batch Mode in the Gemini API: Process More for Less from developers.googleblog.com
21 by xnx 3d ago | |

Article: 6 min

Gemini API introduces Batch Mode for high-throughput, non-latency-critical workloads, offering cost savings of up to 50% and higher throughput compared to synchronous APIs.

50% discount on pricing for large jobs
Higher rate limits for batch processing
Simplified workflow with no need for client-side queuing or retry logic

Quality:
The article provides clear information and benefits of the Gemini API Batch Mode without any bias or subjective opinions.

Discussion (4):

The comment thread discusses the user's experience with a batch mode API for AI, highlighting its benefits and drawbacks compared to OpenAI's similar service. The user appreciates competition in the field but criticizes the inconsistency of response times.

AI is getting cheaper

Counterarguments:

Previous version of the batch mode didn't work well due to inconsistent response times

Cloud Computing APIs, Cloud Services

FOKS: Federated Open Key Service from foks.pub
176 by ubj 13h ago | | |

Article: 21 min

FOKS: Federated Open Key Service introduces an end-to-end encrypted Git hosting and key-value store service that is federated and utilizes post-quantum secure public-key cryptography. It offers features like device management with full YubiKey support, team management, and a simple key hierarchy for security.

FOKS offers enhanced security for data storage and sharing, potentially reducing the risk of quantum attacks on sensitive information.

Secure, end-to-end encrypted service for data storage and retrieval
Uses modern PQ-secure public-key cryptography
Supports device management with YubiKey integration

Discussion (42): 8 min

The comment thread discusses the FOKS project, a decentralized and open-source alternative to Keybase, with users expressing positive feedback on its potential impact and features. There are concerns about AI-generated images on the website's trustworthiness, requests for clarification or comparison with other projects, and discussions around privacy and security.

FOKS is a decentralized, open-source alternative to Keybase
FOKS aims for more privacy by default compared to Keybase

Counterarguments:

Concerns about AI-generated images on the website

Security Data Security, Cryptography

Graphical Linear Algebra from graphicallinearalgebra.net
179 by hyperbrainer 10h ago | | |

Article: 21 min

This post is a collection of comments and replies discussing various topics related to graphical linear algebra. The main discussion revolves around the use of diagrams in mathematics, particularly in the context of electrical engineering and computer science. There are also inquiries about translating the blog into Spanish, creating a diagrammatic representation for continued fractions, and exploring connections between graphical linear algebra and other mathematical concepts like boolean logic and causal inference.

Discussion on translating mathematical concepts into different languages

Discussion (12):

The comment thread discusses a post on generalizing Transformer models to operate on arbitrary structures, with appreciation for Pawel Sobocinski's contribution. It also explores the power of diagrammatic representation in formal reasoning and its relation to computation.

exploration of machine learning through abstract diagrammatical means

Mathematics Computer Science, Education

Flix – A powerful effect-oriented programming language from flix.dev
216 by freilanzer 12h ago | | |

Discussion (88): 22 min

The comment thread discusses the features, capabilities, and potential of Flix as a new programming language. Opinions vary on its target platform (JVM vs native architectures), side effects in functional programming, and integration with other JVM-based technologies. The community shows moderate agreement and debate intensity while acknowledging the importance of effect systems for managing side effects.

Flix is a principled effect-oriented functional, imperative, and logic programming language
JVM ecosystem is state-of-the-art with multiple open-source implementations, large ecosystem, fast JIT compiler, and robust tooling

Counterarguments:

Flix targets a VM instead of native machine architectures
JVM has millions of eyes for bugs or performance issues and is highly engineered

Measuring the impact of AI on experienced open-source developer productivity from metr.org
514 by dheerajvs 10h ago | | |

Article: 19 min

A randomized controlled trial investigates the impact of AI tools on experienced open-source developers' productivity, finding that using AI results in a significant slowdown.

AI's impact on productivity may influence AI safety policies and regulations in the tech industry.

16 experienced developers from large repositories were recruited for the study.
AI tools, primarily Cursor Pro with Claude 3.5/3.7 Sonnet, were allowed or disallowed while working on issues.
Developers expected AI to speed them up by 24%, but it actually slowed them down by 19%.
The study found evidence that five factors likely contribute to the slowdown.

Quality:
The article provides a detailed and balanced analysis of the study, including its methodology, results, and implications.

Discussion (325): 1 hr 39 min

The discussion revolves around a study that examines the impact of AI tools on experienced open-source developers, revealing mixed results with productivity gains varying significantly based on individual experience and task type. The learning curve for effectively utilizing AI coding assistants is highlighted as substantial, leading to nuanced perceptions among participants.

AI tools have varying impacts on developer productivity depending on experience level and task type.
There is a significant learning curve associated with effectively using AI coding assistants.

Counterarguments:

Some developers attribute their productivity gains to specific aspects of AI usage, such as context management or parallel tasking capabilities.

AI AI Research, Open-Source Development

Belkin ending support for older Wemo products from belkin.com
53 by apparent 7h ago | | |

Article: 10 min

Belkin has announced that it will end technical support for older Wemo smart home products, effective January 31, 2026. This means that several devices will no longer be controllable through the Wemo app or compatible with cloud services like Google Home and Alexa after this date.

Disruption of routines for users

Devices configured with Apple HomeKit before the shutdown date will continue to function via local control.
Wemo's Thread-based products will not be affected by the shutdown.

Quality:
The article provides clear information on the shutdown and its implications, without overly sensationalizing the situation.

Discussion (47): 12 min

The comment thread discusses the disappointment and concerns surrounding Belkin's decision to discontinue Wemo products, with a focus on reliability issues of newer devices compared to older ones. Users suggest alternative brands or technologies for better reliability and longevity, while some express skepticism about HomeKit support in the future.

Wemo products are being discontinued with limited notice.
Older Wemo devices are more reliable than newer ones.

Counterarguments:

Discontinuation of cloud services may not affect older devices if they can still function locally.
HomeKit support is likely to continue, even without Wemo app or cloud services.

Home Automation Smart Home Devices, IoT