Hacker News Reader

subbon Intel Unleashes Its First 8-Core Desktop Processor

That's not true anymore. Most of the AI "thinking" can be multithreaded, physics can be multithreaded, rendering can be multithreaded, even core systems like loading of ressources is heavily multithreaded. It's not easy, but it's a reality for most gamedev now. However, there is a limit of how much can be multithreaded and how well it'll scale. There's a lot of inter dependencies between objects and systems that force some level of serialization, just like any other multithreaded application.

subbon The Benefits of Failing at French

Non dynamic?

subbon How to be a great software developer

That's all very hard to do when your code takes 10 minutes to compile. Yes it's C++.

subbon How is Authorea different from Google Docs?

Where were you the last 5 years?!

subbon Spinal cord work 'is a breakthrough'

It's indeed a bit weird, but I think it reenforce the idea that the spinal chord is an extension of the brain, not just a communication channel.

subbon AeroMobil: Flying car

Mmm, well, more or less. You will indeed keep your speed, but you also keep your direction, so you will basically be "slingshotted" toward space. The effect is similar to a hammer throw at the Olympics. In fact, you will probably be limited by your terminal velocity because of air friction.

subbon AeroMobil: Flying car

"Turning off" gravity is not a good idea. You'll smash yourself in the nearest object as the earth continue to spin and move through space without you.

subbon Primer: Shaders

Either have an abstraction layer (another language or a user interface) or a translator.

subbon WinJS: the Windows Library for JavaScript

Should this be used for "standard" desktop application? Like building the UI for Photoshop for example?

subbon Why Open Source misses the point of Free Software

It weird to me that the free software license is more restrictive than other licenses. GPL maintain the end user freedom, but not the freedom of the programmer.

subbon PowerVR GR6500: Ray tracing is the future and the future is now

Path tracing can be seen as a extension of ray tracing that supports a much broader range of effect like indirect lighting, soft shadows, anti-aliasing, etc. With the correct function for the material, you can simulate subsurface scattering relatively easily too. But, to me, the beauty of this technique goes beyond the effects you can achieve: it's an incredibly compact, uniform way of simulating light. Compared to rasterization, which to get the same result, you need a enormous code base that deals with very effect with caution. Adding a reflection in a rasterized scene might not reflect your shadows, etc. You need care about every possible interaction between every effect.

subbon Zuckerberg Expresses Frustration Over Surveillance

I... don't understand.

I'm not a facebook user, so, is it possible to use Facebook completely privately? Without anybody else than your friend seeing your information, not even third parties?

subbon SR-72

The SR-71 was developed using 20th century technology. It was envisioned with slide rules and paper. It wasn’t managed by millions of lines of software code. And it wasn’t powered by computer chips. All that changes with the SR-72.

Oh oh.

subbon How to be a faster code reviewer

The link to codacy at the bottom doesn't work.

subbon Visual Programming Languages – Snapshots

Cryengine also have VPL similar to Unreal's Kismet. http://media.moddb.com/images/articles/1/25/24522/FG_Tutoria...

There's also Virtools by Dassault Systèmes. http://images.gamedev.net/features/reviews/virtools/Image1.p...

subbon How in-app purchases have destroyed the game industry

To me, this model is closer to gambling than gaming. In fact, some gamedev studio actually build some slot machine games, where you put in real money through in app purchase and you get game money in return. It's disturbingly successful.

subbon Telegram - secure, free messaging

How can this be free? They're not Wikipedia. I'm not sure how they can pay for multiple servers...

subbon Google Play Music on the App Store

Still not available in Canada.

subbon Functional Rendering

This is more "rendering functions" than functional rendering. I was hoping to see something more complex like a game rendering engine, which is extremely hard to do since there's a lot of state management.

subbon Rob Fords Office Hired A Hacker To Destroy The Crack Tape

It's a filter in Photoshop called color halftone.

subbon LinkedIn Intro: Doing the Impossible on iOS

Well, if you hash your password client-side, what's the difference from using clear text? A MITM will intercept your hashed password and use that to login.

subbon What are the Windows A: and B: drives used for?

My uncle told me that two of its nephews play "phone" together by putting their whole hand flat against their ear instead of the usual thumb/pinky finger gesture...

subbon Facebook is using D in production starting today

Well to be honest,

  d = {}

is absolutely not equivalent to a map of int to a vector of ints. Sure in javascript, you can indeed use an object as a map, but you are lacking the type safety that the C++ version provide and all the nice API. Also, in C++11, you can shorten it with auto :

  auto whatever = new std::map<int, std::vector<int>>();

and to be fair with the js, if you want it as short as possible, you could use a using namespace statement for std (although not really recommended) :

  auto whatever = new map<int, vector<int>>();

or maybe not use new :

  map<int, vector<int>> whatever;

I don't think it's that bad. But sure, any dynamic language will be less verbose that a static language because, well, you are removing information...

subbon GTA 5 breaks entertainment records but Online woes continue

It's no different than the current situation.

subbon Ask HN: How do you motivate yourself?

Don't you think it's a bit evil to make a profit out of people's lack of self-motivation? I would prefer to give the money to a good cause...

subbon Google Chromecast

As always with Google, you need to ask "What's the marketing strategy behind this? Why are they making this device?"

My guess : Yet another way to consume more medias / using Google services.

subbon NVidia will license their GPU cores to other hardware manufacturers

So, what does this mean exactly? They will license the design of the GPU cores so others will be able to build the chip themselves?

subbon Miniature Quadruped Robot Is Blazingly Fast

I don't really understand my brain's response to small things.

Small dog/cat -> cute

Tarantula -> horrible

Small robot that goes as fast as a tarantula -> cute?

Anyway, that's pretty cool. They should put some sticky/rubbery material on the tips of the legs to improve traction on smooth surfaces.

subbon Elm at Prezi

Usually, to calm myself, I reword it like this :

For us/In my opinion, the cost of writing Javascript is just too high.

See? Now the rage is gone! I think I'm going to sell this trick...

subbon Pixar's Chris Horne Sheds New Light on Monsters University

I'm still learning on this subject, but I find local and global illumination easier to grasp when using the term direct and indirect illumination.