Hacker News .hnnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit | MBCook's commentslogin

They’re possibly dropping a protocol they’ve been saying they’d drop for years, and tightening connection validation.

This is nothing like the mDNS stuff.


Why? I get it’s popular on Windows. But it’s so incredibly Windows-y, not Mac like at all. And we already have BBEdit and Nova.

Perhaps the site answers past “you like it here it is”, but at the moment we appear to have slashdotted them.


Don't forget TextMate, CotEditor, Chocolat. There are so many mac-native text editors that it's a crowded space for a new entrant sporting a distinctively un-mac-like UX.

New switcher on his brand new MacBook Neo who doesn't want to learn Mac apps and conventions? Guaranteed this person uses a Windows "Alt-tab" style switcher app too.

It sounds like you think this is a bad thing.

The tab switching is one of the main things that annoy me on a mac, and I'd describe myself as a linux tiling window person first, windows user only second.

Also my mac usage is hopefully only temporary, so why adopt to this - to me - inferior way.

And jftr, I don't plan to use this - I kinda like NPP, but I prefer to use TextAdept on Linux and Mac for notes anyway (and not vim, which is weird, but I guess I am weird with my choices).


Can confirm, friend who moved to Mac after 30+ years on Win ecosystem and all of the discussions we have are basically "but on Windows..." They specifically have lamented the unavailability of Notepad++ because of a specific hanging indent behavior they are used to.

Most people do not have the cognitive flexibility to really adapt to a tool that is more or less domain equivalent but different in any way. These small differences create more friction than learning something that doesn't have any close mapping to what you knew before.


wants to use something familiar => does not have cognitive flexibility

It's amazing how people find ways to flaunt their 'superiority'.


Cuts both ways too. I am finding Windoews harder due to using the mac as daily driver. Haven't got the hang of finder yet. I use CLI as much as possible making use rare enough not to master.

Goes for Linux too.

I have the flexibility to adjust to platforms other than macOS but I’d rather not have to. My setup works for me and having to change it is annoying and drags down productivity.

In my case it’s more intense than usual because I’m a visual person and my productivity suffers for things like my desktop environment, theme, etc not looking “right”. When using Linux for anything more “serious” than studying with Anki I get pulled down a bottomless rabbit hole of trying to “fix” everything, which is futile because many of the problems can’t be fixed without a huge number of project forks.


Recent editions of MacOS look so bad that Windows might actually be better designed (if it weren't for all the windows ads and spam).

Gnome is starting to become the nicest desktop environment lol.


I've never seen the appeal of GNOME 3+, the design seems so user-hostile to anyone who has used computers for a while: hiding menus for no reason, having super limited menu options, etc.

I'd rather use LXDE, XFCE, or KDE.


It's great to have the choice but the context was pretty MacOS UIs. There the only competition is Gnome and i was arguing that it's slowly getting nicer than MacOS.

I’ve not been a fan of the Liquid Glass changes, but it’s similar enough that I’ve been able to get used to it.

Fluent on Windows doesn’t look too bad but MS hasn’t made particularly great use of it and parts of the OS still don’t use it.

GNOME/Adwaita get some things right, and other things wrong (the padding everywhere is way too thick, its crusade against menu bars is odd). It’s also so minimal that it makes macOS look maximalist, and as such isn’t my cup of tea.


Gnome is the only linux DE that tries to be consistent (probably due to more centralised decision making). I think that makes it most likely to be most user friendly over time.

The consistency is one of the things it gets right, but it’s undermined by its sheer bare-bonesness, which brings people to try to augment it with extensions, but those constantly break due to functioning by way of monkeypatching GNOME internals.

I think the idea of a “blank slate” DE that you build up with extensions is actually great, but a highly capable stable extension API is non-optional for that to actually work. I can’t have half my customizations vanishing or breaking overnight due to a system update.


Nope. Not even close.

Yeah the Mac GUI has declined.

But it’s still far better than the incoherent mess of the last 15 ways MS were totally the future mashed together in random places.

Windows has had great points. 95 era was fantastic. 2000 too, and I liked XP though third party apps went nuts.

Modern Windows is none of those. I’ll keep my somewhat messed up Mac.


I thought that MS had a good thing going on with the refinements in Aero brought by Windows 7. It nicely balanced a modern theme with a traditional desktop model and it still respected the user while bringing some massive QoL improvements.

Had Windows 8 been further refinement into the Fluent design language along with unifying lingering Win9x style panels into the Vista/7 style, it would’ve been massively popular and more beloved by users than XP or 7. Instead, Microsoft decided to forget non-touch devices entirely and saddle the desktop with an ugly theme reminiscent of Windows 1.0/2.0 in a botched attempt to make it fit in with the flat Metro touch UI bits.


They might have. I moved to the Mac during XP. I never used Windows 7.

I have used the server version that’s designed to be a bit like 8. I may have used 8 too, I can’t remember for sure. I’ve definitely used 10+.

I have a PC at work that I use from time to time, plus I remote into various Windows machines. Between those two I’ve gotten a taste of the more modern versions.


Granted I've only been using MacOS for a few years as my work machine, but am I missing something here? Is the Mac CMD+tab already not nearly identical to to windows alt+tab? Are you just referring to the switcher switching through apps vs windows?

Window previews when switching are also a nice thing when doing heavy multitasking.

There are a few things MacOS X inherited from classic MacOS that I don't think work that well in the modern world, and application-focused task switching is one of them. It made sense in the classic Mac context where many apps used floating windows for toolboxes and other non-document windows. You wanted to switch the whole application, with all of its windows, as a unit. It was also the right technical decision with classic MacOS's modest multitasking abilities.

But the world has since mostly standardised on SDI app design with tools contained within that window, and multiple windows representing different documents. In that context, the macOS app-then-window approach is more roundabout than pure window switching. You get used to it, but when you've got a lot of windows open, it's a small but ever-present drag on usability.

Alt-Tab is one of the first things I install on a new Mac. Hopefully one day Apple will give us a built-in option, much like they eventually did with window tiling and full-screen window zooming.


On Windows alt-tab moves through windows.

On Mac cmd-tab moves through applications. You need cmd-~ to move through an application’s windows.

It’s a small difference but one that really breaks muscle memory.


Porting Windows apps that people like, helps MacBook sales, not hurt them. That certain people use their MacBook in a different way should not be a concern of other users, as at least they are using MacBooks.

Why switch? Thats a huge part of the Mac. The design, UI, and UX conventions exist for a reason.

If you’re going to spend all your time fighting them you’re in for a rough spell.


It doesn’t have to be for everyone.

Lots of people use both operating systems, or stretched from one to the other.

Socrates is about choice, just because I might not see the understanding in something doesn’t mean there isn’t any understanding in it.


I use both operating systems. I hate using things that don’t follow platform standards. It makes them more confusing and causes extra cognitive load.

I simply see no benefit of a copy of very Windows-y app. It’s pure MDI with buttons in a toolbar. It’s a perfect example of a 3.1/95 style app.

It’s not like it has special features missing from the great many editors on Mac. If you want a “same everywhere” experience I’d think you’d want something that sort of lives in its own world like VSCode. It’s not native style anywhere, exactly. But it’s very powerful and popular.

In many cases I get “I want the app I like over here”. I really do. Especially if there is something really special about its design or feature set. In my experience with Notepad++, I have never wished to have it on my Mac once.


>I simply see no benefit of a copy of very Windows-y app.

That's cool, sounds like it's not for you then.

There are plenty of people who would appreciate it though.

I've been using N++ for a long time. I have tried just about every editor out there and I always end up back in N++.

It's old. It is missing a lot of the bells and whistles of newer editors, but I'm still most productive in old faithful :)


Do you see that other people might no share your view and instead find this useful?

Why do anything?

Notepad++ has incredibly easy to use macros with the record/play buttons in the toolbar. It is my preferred tool for quickly munging text files especially ones where you want to change formatting through the file.

First I've heard of Nova. I have used Transmit--also made by Panic--and was impressed with the UX there. I'll have to give Nova a spin.

Yeah this feels similar to PowerShell on Linux.

Is it possible? Sure.

Does it make sense? Not really.


script for ci pipelines beg to differ

What are the advantages of pwsh for this use case?

Note how noone clones bbedit for other oses.

Can't escape the macOS event horizon.

It's FREEEEEE!

And we’ve seen the cases of people trying to use the AIs to train new AIs!

OpenAI: We’re allowed to steal everything to train our AI and you can’t complain

Developer: Ok, I’ll use your AI to train mine

OpenAI: NO NOT LIKE THAT, UNFAIR


I’d say such things are very rare when people feel in control and have a voice in how their life goes. We didn’t see it for decades in the US.

Are they? I heard a presentation from some pro-AI people on Friday to the large company I work at. They said they surveyed people at an AI conference and 93% of people were excited about it.

This was said with a straight face like “people love puppies!”.

No self awareness at all.


Think about what the implication here is for people who answered no to that question. If I were to go up to my boss and say "I'm not interested using AI because I think it's bad for society" I would essentially be saying that I'm not interested in becoming more productive and thus making more money for the company. That's a very poor reputation to be carrying around and most people are going to avoid it. I believe that this, more than any specific actions by AI companies, has contributed to the sense of inevitability that this technology is taking over whether we want it or not.

In consulting firms and corporations you kind of have to pretend to be into it, it's just the culture.

It is hazardous to swim against that tide currently from a career perspective - people rapidly categorise you as generically anti-AI even if you try to express a reasonable nuanced view. It's pretty toxic.

Sometimes an employer will tell you what your view on AI is too, and make you sign an agreement.

Ask anyone who is a gamer what they think of AI. I guarantee you'll get a universally negative reaction because of RAMageddon.

Not just that, they go absolutely fucking ballistic if they in so much as find a single AI generated texture in a game.

See the terrible DLSS 5 fiasco.

> they surveyed people at an AI conference

You can tell that everyone loves chain buffet restaurants by going to Golden Corral and asking everybody if they are enjoying their meals


yes, the Kelvin Benjamin agent

I wonder what result you would get if you run survey about do people love dogs at dog show...

Also, looking at current market situation how many people would be willing to say to their bosses or even publicly that they think AI is quite a lot of bullshit.


Exactly.

My new favorite game at work is "guess if this person is really into AI or they just have to be because their boss is and if they weren't they would get replaced by someone who is" and it's quite hard to say.

And since the "boss" of CEOs are the investors in the stock market, and the stock market is automated to ridiculous degree, is this AI pushing for itself?


it seems to be a case of nonrepresentative sample bias

Obviously. But they’re using it as “evidence” that goes their confirmation bias.

Meanwhile I saw some survey where only something like a third of Gen Z and lower are pro-AI.

Of course the survey also said like 70%+ of them still used it.


> They said they surveyed people at an AI conference and 93% of people were excited about it.

LOL. That's like saying 93% of people who go to Star Wars conventions like Star Wars.


Oh, I love puppies! There's another data point for them.

Then you don’t get to drive on the road. Easy.

To be fair human drivers violate the bike lane thousands of times a day in SF.

I’m not defending Waymo, but the city bears responsibility for failing to create room for pickup and delivery drivers to operate safely.

I rode down Folsom to work every day for a year. The bike lane was blocked by fedex and uber dozens of times per trip. (Which meant I had to ride out into traffic risking death many times a day). Ride along with a UPS driver for a day if you want to count double parking and bike lane violations. I’m guessing that over 90% of deliveries require a traffic violation.

I’m not saying allow Waymo to do it, I’m saying hold everyone to the same standard. I’m not joking when I say we should ban delivery trucks too. You’ll be surprised how quickly “can’t be done” changes to “we figured it out” when SF residents can’t get their Amazon deliveries.


They do. But humans are individuals. You can’t blindly control them, you have to set up positive/negative incentives and try to enforce them. Then just hope for the best.

This is a computer. They’re asking to be able to program it to ignore the law. They could absolutely be 100% compliant without issue. That’s why I’m mad. It’s pure disrespect, thinking they should be above it.

I say go after the delivery vehicles. Amazon wants to sell Ring cameras to everyone for the police to view? Ok. Let the police view them to catch and ticket delivery drivers.


Amen. We can't normalize autonomous AI agents killing us as part of their nominal operation.

This seems obvious.....


I’ve never used this project and don’t know anyone involved.

But it sure seems interesting how every time I hear about someone just doing a “rewrite it all with AI“ they seem to turn out to be a giant jerk.

Maybe not the only one. I don’t know enough backstory to judge how trustworthy this post is.

But the signal to noise ratio on my little test above seems pretty good.


> Experts have warned axolotls should never be bought on impulse as they can "very challenging" to look after.

> This is because they have the same environmental, dietary and behavioural needs in captivity as they do in the wild.

I thought this was just odd. Don’t most animals that aren’t heavily domesticated like that? I mean that’s true of most all pet fish, for example.


Unfortunately, the whole Minecraft thing caused a lot of people to buy them with little understanding of proper care, so I suspect there's some "that's cool but please don't rush in unprepared" in the hard to keep message. There are also some misconceptions around water quality requirements, they really don't like chemical pollutants, but I have no issues with local municipal water, other areas could have issues and require RO water, etc. but there are plenty of tropical fish keepers in this same situation.

And then there's the water temp thing, that caught me off-guard and I was using frozen water bottles for a few weeks until my chiller arrived, if the tank had been located in a different part of the house it might have been required.


From another comment here: "you need to be able to keep the water below 24 Deg C, this means spending some money on chillers even in sub-tropical countries"

I think people anticipate needing heaters for certain types of fish, but I'd never have expected to buy a cooling unit for aquatic life.


Yeah, adding in a chiller makes things way more complicated than just adding a resistive heater. A decent looking chiller for an aquarium is ~$1,000, plus you need temp sensors and control wiring to maintain the setpoint properly, and then you need to pray the electricity doesn’t go out. A 1/3rd HP chiller draws around 1kW including the circ pump

An aquarium backup battery for a simple pump is like $50 for something that'll last a few hours of outage, but for a chiller with that kind of draw, it's a bit more expensive.

Yeah, you’d need a 1500 VA UPS to back it up, plus a decent amount of batteries (I don’t know the math on those, someone else figures that part out for me haha)

Aquarium circ pumps can probably be powered directly by 12VDC? That would make sense if it’s only $50 for battery backup.


That wasn’t much of a concern in the 70s and 80s.

Also, you probably spend much more energy moving the bits around the chip and out to RAM than you do on the actual calculation.

That only says those that fall for it might pay more.

It doesn’t explain why so many more fall for it.


> It doesn’t explain why so many more fall for it.

It's pretty easy: he started out trying to create a "hot girl" influencer, then refined that. It could be his starting point was biased towards filling a certain type of conservative fantasy, but wasn't as easily adaptable to progressives. For instance: it could be that lonely straight progressive men are more neurotic about their sexuality, and thus less-likely to respond positively to a bikini model picture, even if the "model" is flattering their political ideology.

Also there's been a demographic divergence, and young women are much more liberal than men, which means there's less of a supply of "hot girl" conservatives and more unfulfilled demand for them.

I suspect the progressive version of this is something a lot less discoverable by a random slop-making foreign man.


"Progressive fantasy" would be AOC and Bernie, and we already have that in real life.

> "Progressive fantasy" would be AOC and Bernie, and we already have that in real life.

That's not the kind of fantasy I'm talking about. I'm talking about the kind of fantasy person that could cause a progressive to feel some pull towards a para-social relationship. That kind of thing was obviously at play with this character. I don't think you're going to get that from a politician.


Consider applying for YC's Summer 2026 batch! Applications are open till May 4

Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: