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Where do you discuss computer related stuff now?

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Re: Where do you discuss computer related stuff now?

#71

Post by photonerd »

elliotec wrote: post #10
anonzzzies wrote: post #7

It needs a relatively small community with a strong moderator who will warn people once. Not much of they around as it’s a painful job. I would like just an old fashioned, strict (no endless bickering over politics and wars, just hard tech and show offs what you have been hacking this weekend) forum with most people from r/programminglanguages and some of Hn. That’s enough to keep me entertained anyway. I very much d…

What part of this is different from HN as it is?

HN has its positives, but there’s a good reason it’s derisively known as “the angry orange website” in many tech circles.

Re: Where do you discuss computer related stuff now?

#72

Post by Dalewyn »

vouaobrasil wrote: post #42

> So where do you go when you want to geek out? This may be a pessimistic take, but computer stuff I believe has lost the allure that it once had, and here is why I think so: At one point, computer stuff meant being a hacker, having the hacker ethic, which personally to me translated into figuring out how stuff worked and putting it together to do something useful. And, "something useful" to me meant creating somethi…

>computer stuff I believe has lost the allure that it once had,

You're quite right, but your subsequent argument can be summed up much more simply: Computing became mainstream.

Mainstream things aren't fun. Mainstream things are mundane.

>Companies like Google, Apple, Microsoft, IBM, and others are the result of a late-stage technological development fuelled only by greed,

Besides Google and contemporaries like Amazon, those companies like Microsoft and IBM are the companies who led the way during the Computing == Hacker age that you feel nostalgia for.

Obviously companies can and will change over time, but to mindlessly hand wave them away as "greed" is the epitome of rose-colored glasses.

Re: Where do you discuss computer related stuff now?

#73

Post by samwillis »

rkagerer wrote: post #57
vouaobrasil wrote: post #42

> So where do you go when you want to geek out? This may be a pessimistic take, but computer stuff I believe has lost the allure that it once had, and here is why I think so: At one point, computer stuff meant being a hacker, having the hacker ethic, which personally to me translated into figuring out how stuff worked and putting it together to do something useful. And, "something useful" to me meant creating somethi…

I view their failure to put users first as a giant opportunity for someone else to come along and do a better job.

This is very much what the local first movement is about: https://localfirstweb.dev/

Give users control of their data and privacy, moving away from large backend infrastructure, and providing better value to the user. With the bonus of having a more enjoyable development environment and an excited community.

Re: Where do you discuss computer related stuff now?

#74

Post by 36933 »

vouaobrasil wrote: post #42

> So where do you go when you want to geek out? This may be a pessimistic take, but computer stuff I believe has lost the allure that it once had, and here is why I think so: At one point, computer stuff meant being a hacker, having the hacker ethic, which personally to me translated into figuring out how stuff worked and putting it together to do something useful. And, "something useful" to me meant creating somethi…

This is the best take I’ve read about this topic and I don’t think that’s a pessimistic take of you.

What are you doing now, if I may ask?

Re: Where do you discuss computer related stuff now?

#75

Post by vouaobrasil »

Dalewyn wrote: post #72
vouaobrasil wrote: post #42

> So where do you go when you want to geek out? This may be a pessimistic take, but computer stuff I believe has lost the allure that it once had, and here is why I think so: At one point, computer stuff meant being a hacker, having the hacker ethic, which personally to me translated into figuring out how stuff worked and putting it together to do something useful. And, "something useful" to me meant creating somethi…

>computer stuff I believe has lost the allure that it once had, You're quite right, but your subsequent argument can be summed up much more simply: Computing became mainstream. Mainstream things aren't fun. Mainstream things are mundane. >Companies like Google, Apple, Microsoft, IBM, and others are the result of a late-stage technological development fuelled only by greed, Besides Google and contemporaries like Amazo…

You are right in some ways, but I think the situation is a bit more complex than mainstream. Some things do go mainstream, such as protein shakes (at one point, whey was simply discarded), but they don't necessarily lose their enjoyment factor. The point I was trying to make is that not only did computers go mainstream, but they also have certain attributes that make them especially exploitable under the current capitalistic system.

Re: Where do you discuss computer related stuff now?

#76

Post by Zoo3y »

vouaobrasil wrote: post #42

> So where do you go when you want to geek out? This may be a pessimistic take, but computer stuff I believe has lost the allure that it once had, and here is why I think so: At one point, computer stuff meant being a hacker, having the hacker ethic, which personally to me translated into figuring out how stuff worked and putting it together to do something useful. And, "something useful" to me meant creating somethi…

Agreed, it's possible to still like programming as a hobby despite its commodification in the larger scheme of things. Ycombinator in a nutshell.

Re: Where do you discuss computer related stuff now?

#77

Post by vouaobrasil »

a_bonobo wrote: post #65
rkagerer wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I view their failure to put users first as a giant opportunity for someone else to come along and do a better job.

I think that's a direct result of the 'weird' way our economy works: we've moved away from customer satisfaction to investor satisfaction. Nowadays, companies exist to increase their stock value so their managers get bigger bonuses. You don't get more stock by being better to your customers: ruthlessly firing people also increases your stock value. Putting users first might make your company look not worthy of invest…

That is an insightful point, and all too true. And it's not just investor satisfaction, but the satisfaction of short-term investors due to the peculiarities of modern derivative trading which emphasizes short-term gains through extremely complex financial abstractions.

Re: Where do you discuss computer related stuff now?

#78

Post by tptacek »

adamredwoods wrote: post #22
_hypx wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Mastodon plus the rest of the Fediverse is a good idea. See a big list of servers here: https://fedidb.org/network

It's a good idea, but it's not clear how to navigate it. Centralized social media is easier to participate and browse.

I know there's a lot of other opinions here about the benefits of decentralized social media or whatever, but: I don't perceive a difference. I installed Ivory, and I use Mastodon just like Twitter. The only difference to me is that the handles have domain names in them --- they're a little longer. That's it. I don't think about "federation" and "decentralization" at all.

Re: Where do you discuss computer related stuff now?

#79

Post by sph »

elliotec wrote: post #10
anonzzzies wrote: post #7

It needs a relatively small community with a strong moderator who will warn people once. Not much of they around as it’s a painful job. I would like just an old fashioned, strict (no endless bickering over politics and wars, just hard tech and show offs what you have been hacking this weekend) forum with most people from r/programminglanguages and some of Hn. That’s enough to keep me entertained anyway. I very much d…

What part of this is different from HN as it is?

Not many hackers left round these parts. The Eternal September hit hard.

Re: Where do you discuss computer related stuff now?

#80

Post by vouaobrasil »

36933 wrote: post #74
vouaobrasil wrote: post #42

> So where do you go when you want to geek out? This may be a pessimistic take, but computer stuff I believe has lost the allure that it once had, and here is why I think so: At one point, computer stuff meant being a hacker, having the hacker ethic, which personally to me translated into figuring out how stuff worked and putting it together to do something useful. And, "something useful" to me meant creating somethi…

This is the best take I’ve read about this topic and I don’t think that’s a pessimistic take of you. What are you doing now, if I may ask?

Thanks for the comment. After I quit my full-time research job, I became a full-time wildlife photographer and non-fiction writer. It doesn't pay as much but I like it a lot.
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