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Ask HN: What tech that's right around the corner are you most excited about?

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241–250 of 362 posts

Re: Ask HN: What tech that's right around the corner are you most excited about?

#241
post #68

Without doubt, GraphQL is the next technologo I will learn. The idea is so brillant compared to REST. If you are convinced by SQL and in general by Domain Specific Languages, I think you should give GraphQL a try.

By what factor does using GraphQL accelerate development time?

I couldn't put a number on it, but it greatly accelerates development on the front-end. The API call gets you back all the data you need, only the data you need, in the format or structure that you need.

If there were GraphQL for Spotify's API and you wanted an artist's discography, you don't have to make multiple calls to endpoints and work through huge objects where 90-95% of the data is not needed.

For the front-end, it's a no-brainer. I've read that it is a bit more involved on the server-side but Apollo seems to be making great tooling for it.

Re: Ask HN: What tech that's right around the corner are you most excited about?

#242

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it's a crypto-utopian view that election fraud can be fixed with a better record. Election fraud is a fairly small problem in countries like the US and the problems are around voters not voting in the right place, having a new address, losing their proof of identity, etc. The security community thinks a paper trail is essential - less computers, not more - not a public database. I'm not an expert, but I tend…

> I'm not an expert, but I tend to trust them. and blockchain proponents want an infallible system audit-able by the public, instead of having to trust anyone. they haven't figured it out completely, they push towards it. in any case blockchain networks can function without computers. very cumbersome though.

Voting systems are hard because most democracies expect ballots to be confidential. Is there a blockchain-based voting system that allows a voter to have high confidence that their vote was counted, but doesn't allow someone else to be able to know how that voter voted?

Re: Ask HN: What tech that's right around the corner are you most excited about?

#243

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some people would do it in a heartbeat.

No doubt they would. Just like some people will base jump and put magnets under their skin.

Hi ! Very strange juxtaposition of your examples of "irrational" or "stupidity without established merit".

Subdermal magnets aside, BASE comes in many forms. You may think of it as guys in wing suits zooming past the ground and 5' clearance and killing themselves in droves - and you could be forgiven for this perspective, as it's the one most focused on by media / movies / etc.

It's a sport, performed on the overwhelming whole by highly trained, cogniscent people, in a legal context, in situations well within tolerance, and that's that. Instead of jumping from a plane, it's a fixed point.

Re: Ask HN: What tech that's right around the corner are you most excited about?

#244

Earlier quoted context omitted.

From crystal-lang.org, Crystal is a compiled language I never understood the phrase compiled language .

Do you genuinely not understand what they mean (that it produces binaries and isn't run in an interpreter or VM)?

What I understand is that they invented a language called Crystal. And they made a compiler for it. The phrase "compiled language" is not very meaningful. It is quite possible for someone to make a Crystal interpreter.

Re: Ask HN: What tech that's right around the corner are you most excited about?

#245
post #95

Self-driving cars that really work and are safe. Google/Waymo is just about there. Automatic language translation everywhere. Big Brother everywhere. (Excited about, yes; happy about, no.) Batteries + solar as the predominant energy source. Electric cars getting some real market share.

I'm curious as to what exactly excites you about Big Brother being everywhere?

[deleted]

Re: Ask HN: What tech that's right around the corner are you most excited about?

#246
post #68

Without doubt, GraphQL is the next technologo I will learn. The idea is so brillant compared to REST. If you are convinced by SQL and in general by Domain Specific Languages, I think you should give GraphQL a try.

By what factor does using GraphQL accelerate development time?

4.3875321

Re: Ask HN: What tech that's right around the corner are you most excited about?

#247
post #232

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I actually think ARkit will be big precisely because it's not a headset. You can just hold it in your hand. Imagine the Metaverse exists, fully fledged, and there are two products which can access it: 1) A headset that you strap on your head, and you're "inside" 2) A picture frame that you can hold up and look through, and the Metaverse appears on the other side. You can reach behind the frame with your other hand, a…

What is the Metaverse and why do I want to go there?

I think there are a few different opinions on this, one is a total emersion world with streets of your own and it's own landscape. See Snow Crash https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_Crash

Another version would be something like the "darknet" in the book Daemon/Freedom by Daniel Suarez https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom%E2%84%A2

Re: Ask HN: What tech that's right around the corner are you most excited about?

#248

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you genuinely not understand what they mean (that it produces binaries and isn't run in an interpreter or VM)?

What I understand is that they invented a language called Crystal. And they made a compiler for it. The phrase "compiled language" is not very meaningful. It is quite possible for someone to make a Crystal interpreter.

Sure, but the goal of the language creator is to create a compiled Ruby-like language. As such, Crystal is by design meant to be compiled. Which is also the case for languages like C, C++, Go, etc.

Re: Ask HN: What tech that's right around the corner are you most excited about?

#249

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why do you think AR will become a "thing"? Do people really want to run around wearing glasses/headsets all the time? If you'd ask me, this idea could just as well end the same way as 3D TV.

I actually think ARkit will be big precisely because it's not a headset. You can just hold it in your hand. Imagine the Metaverse exists, fully fledged, and there are two products which can access it: 1) A headset that you strap on your head, and you're "inside" 2) A picture frame that you can hold up and look through, and the Metaverse appears on the other side. You can reach behind the frame with your other hand, a…

Maybe I am misunderstanding your point, but I believe what you are describing is what is referred to as VR (Virtual Reality), not AR (Augmented Reality).

From what I understand, I believe other commenters in this thread refer to AR as a combination of 'real' reality and computer generated overlays. This is opposed to VR where all of reality is generated. So when we talk about AR headsets we're talking about things akin to Google Glass or Microsoft Hololens if you're familiar with these products. In that sense you are never 'inside' AR (with a headset or phone), it simply augments what you currently experience with extra data. With a true AR headset it is still possible to interact with people in the real world, you can turn on/off the extra data easily (since you are still immersed in the real world) and the computer generated overlays fit in with your real surroundings in a way that is simple and intuitive. Granted such a headset does not yet exist, but I believe that is the end goal.

What you describe as 'stepping inside the Metaverse' with no possibility of interacting with the real world is exactly what VR is all about (full immersion). (As an aside, the Metaverse as described in Snow Crash is exactly this: a Virtual Reality.)

As for the headset vs phone debate, personally I believe that the applications of AR in a non-headset configuration will be limited. There are definitely applications for one-off utilities which don't require constant use (ie. don't require gorilla arm), but having it available at all times and transparently via some sort of headset is where I believe it will really be useful.

Re: Ask HN: What tech that's right around the corner are you most excited about?

#250

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A compiled language uses a compiler to create a executable binary as opposed to a runtime that interprets or just-in-time compiles the language as it runs. Ruby is interpreted, C is compiled. Generally speaking, compiled languages are more performant but lack some of the flexibility of having a runtime available. Crystal sacrifices some of Ruby's metaprogramming capabilities for performance and static type assurances…

There are many C interpreters.

I'm aware of PicoC, Cling (nee CINT), and Ch (commercial), but that's only three. What others are there? I'm curious about canonical C interpreters as well as things that aren't quite interpreting C but are somehow related.
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