2025-04-14 Hacker News Top Stories

1. Nice things with SVG

https://fuma-nama.vercel.app/blog/svg-art

This article discusses how to utilize SVG technology to achieve animation effects and create interactive table of contents. The author demonstrates how to implement animation effects using SVG’s lines, paths, and mask attributes, and methods for creating complex effects using gradients and animations. Additionally, the author explains how to server-side render table of contents outlines and achieve interactive highlighting effects through SVG paths and the CSS mask-image property. The article also mentions the application of SVG’s d attribute and URI encoding, providing source code links for reference.

HN Score: 537 points | Comments: 96 | Author: fmerian | 1 day ago

• SVG still has a lot of untapped potential, and Sarah Drasner’s talk “SVG Can Do That?” is still worth a watch.
• Some recommended tools in SVG books may be outdated, but some concepts are still useful.
• The entity mechanism in SVG can be used to define constants, but this method may not be supported by all tools.
• SVG elements can be used to reuse graphics, but the entity mechanism is more like a preprocessor directive.
• SVG was originally designed to replace Flash, but there is still no editor and scene/object coding solution like Flash.

2. A Reddit bot drove me insane

https://posthuman.blog/this-reddit-post-fried-my-brain/

This article describes a strange phenomenon the author encountered on Reddit. While browsing Reddit, the author came across a post titled “Anyone else feel like the internet is just… broken now?” which received nearly 6,000 upvotes and hundreds of comments. The post expressed disappointment and despair about the current state of the internet, suggesting that all online content has become unreal. The author resonated with the post’s content, but upon further investigation, discovered that the post’s author was a typical bot account, posting a large amount of low-quality content and never engaging in comments. The post contained a hyperlink leading to a site called “rddit.org,” which is actually an anonymously registered domain that could redirect anywhere. After clicking the link, the author was redirected to an Amazon product page selling a book titled “Propaganda.” The author suspects this may be a bot masquerading as a human, exploiting people’s sympathy to promote products. This phenomenon unsettled the author, leading to concerns that the internet may have been completely controlled by bots and algorithms, with online interactions merely a cycle of bot interactions.

HN Score: 453 points | Comments: 218 | Author: erhmmmm | 12 hours ago

• Reddit has become a platform filled with astroturfing and ads, losing its original charm.
• The rise and fall of internet communities is a cyclical process, with new platforms replacing old ones.
• Reddit’s user growth may be driven by bots and alts rather than real users.
• Reddit’s voting and karma system optimizes for the wrong content, leading to echo chamber effects.
• Many Reddit interest groups have turned into consumerism platforms, where people only care about buying and showcasing new products.

3. BPS is a GPS alternative that nobody’s heard of

https://www.jeffgeerling.com/blog/2025/bps-gps-alternative-nobodys-heard

This article introduces an experimental timing standard called BPS (Broadcast Positioning System), which may be incorporated into the US ATSC 3.0 broadcast standard. BPS is a ground-based broadcast timing system that can provide backup support when GPS signals are disrupted, showcasing its potential in synchronization accuracy and multi-domain applications.

HN Comments: 158 | Author: sksxihve | 23 hours ago

• The new features of ATSC 3.0 are primarily for the benefit of broadcasters and advertisers, not consumers.
• The DRM and continuous internet connection requirements of ATSC 3.0 may lead to the decline of OTA television.
• The adoption rate of ATSC 3.0 may be affected as it requires new hardware and decoders.
• Broadcasters and advertisers are trying to control consumer behavior and gain advertising revenue through DRM.
• The promotion of ATSC 3.0 may be met with indifference from younger generations, as they no longer care about traditional television.

4. Experimental release of GrapheneOS for Pixel 9a

https://grapheneos.social/@GrapheneOS/114327666433966529

GrapheneOS is a mobile operating system focused on security and privacy, compatible with Android applications. The system has released an experimental version for the Pixel 9a, supporting command line and web installation, with basic functionalities like Wi-Fi, camera, and audio tested. The development team has also tested the over-the-air upgrade path and released the first incremental update package. The experimental version is no longer considered highly experimental and can be accessed on the regular production site.

HN Comments: 228 | Author: moelf | 23 hours ago

• GrapheneOS users believe that Google’s Play Integrity API prevents wireless payment functionality, making Google Pay unusable.
• Some suggest using Curve Pay or other banks’ own payment apps for wireless payments.
• A Dutch bank once developed its own payment system iDeal, but is now promoting the use of Google Pay.
• NFC payments have security issues, such as man-in-the-middle attacks, while QR code payments can avoid such problems.
• Dynamic QR codes can provide better security, while static QR codes may pose security risks.

5. I ditched my laptop for a pocketable mini PC and a pair of AR glasses

https://www.tomsguide.com/computing/i-ditched-my-laptop-for-a-pocketable-mini-pc-and-a-pair-of-ar-glasses-heres-what-happened

The author shares their experience using the mini PC Khadas Mind 2S and AR glasses Xreal One. They abandoned their laptop in favor of this 5.75 x 4.13 x 0.79-inch mini PC paired with AR glasses, creating a unique mobile workstation. The mini PC is powerful, and the AR glasses provide a screen size of up to 147 inches and a 50-degree field of view. This setup allows them to work efficiently anywhere.

Top Hacker News Stories from April 14, 2025

HN Score: 314 points | Comments: 198 | Author: T-A | 1 day ago

• The head tracking feature of Xreal glasses is good, but there may be drift issues causing the screen center to not be directly in front.
• When using Xreal glasses, a database needs to be designed to accommodate its distributed architecture, or performance issues may arise.
• Distributed databases like YugabyteDB and CockroachDB have shortcomings in performance and functionality, possibly not being as good as PostgreSQL.
• Using a distributed database may require significant resources and complex design, which may not be suitable for all application scenarios.
• In some cases, using traditional PostgreSQL with replication and load balancing may be a better choice.

6. WebTUI – A CSS Library That Brings the Beauty of Terminal UIs to the Browser

https://webtui.ironclad.sh

WebTUI is a modular CSS library designed to bring the beauty of terminal UIs to the browser. It offers a rich set of components and plugins to help developers easily create terminal-style user interfaces. WebTUI’s design emphasizes modularity and customization, supporting style adjustments through CSS variables and providing various theme plugins like Nord and Catppuccin. The library also comes with detailed documentation and examples to help developers get started quickly.

HN Score: 293 points | Comments: 122 | Author: IroncladDev | 1 day ago

• 1980s terminal interfaces are not necessarily the best choice for modern CLI or portable UIs.
• Keyboard-driven interfaces can be faster and more efficient, but this is not necessarily because they are terminal-based.
• Good GUI applications can also have many keyboard shortcuts for quick operations.
• Well-designed GUI applications can be faster and easier to use than terminal interfaces.
• Terminal interfaces may seem simple, but they can actually be difficult to use, especially for new users.

7. Anubis Works

https://xeiaso.net/notes/2025/anubis-works/

This article discusses the “Anubis” project, which has been deployed by the United Nations. The author expresses shock and lists several large project deployments, including Linux kernel mailing list archives, FreeBSD’s SVN, SourceHut, etc. The author also mentions hopes to support the project full-time through Patreon and reminds readers to verify the accuracy of facts.

HN Comments: 183 | Author: evacchi | 1 day ago

• Anubis Works is a tool for preventing AI crawlers by using proof-of-work challenges to ensure the client is a modern browser capable of calculating SHA-256 checksums.
• A significant portion of traffic on some websites comes from AI crawlers, increasing server load, necessitating tools like Anubis to prevent this.
• Some websites experience performance issues due to misconfiguration, and tools like Anubis can help address this.
• Some believe that using tools like Anubis to prevent AI crawlers is not the best solution and that other methods should be employed.
• Some people think that AI crawler traffic is not a concern for all websites, only specific types of sites are affected.

8. The dark side of the Moomins

https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/books/2025/04/dark-side-of-the-moomins-tove-jansson

This article reviews the “Moomin” series created by Finnish artist Tove Jansson, exploring the dark elements hidden behind it. The series, first published in 1945, reflects the fears of war and displacement. Through the adventures of the Moomin family, Tove Jansson expresses a profound exploration of complex emotions and challenges in life. Despite the light-hearted style of the stories, their content delves into family relationships, the reality of flaws and mistakes, showcasing the truth and depth of life.

HN Comments: 70 | Author: SebaSeba | 11 hours ago

• The dark elements in the Moomin stories are often overinterpreted; the essence of the stories is the resilience and unity of family in the face of challenges.
• The Moomin stories do have dark elements, but these are also an integral part of family life.
• The Moomin stories uniquely showcase the complexities and challenges of family life.
• The characters’ flaws and mistakes in the Moomin stories are also an important part of family life.
• The Moomin stories are not just a celebration of family life but also an exploration of its complexities.

9. Whenever – typed and DST-safe datetimes for Python

https://github.com/ariebovenberg/whenever

This article introduces a Python library called Whenever, designed to address the limitations of the standard library’s datetime module, especially in handling daylight saving time and timezone conversions. The Whenever library provides DST-safe arithmetic operations, a type-safe API, and fixes shortcomings of other libraries like Arrow and Pendulum. It also supports nanosecond precision, Rust, and pure Python options, and offers detailed documentation and testing support. The article includes a quick start guide and comparisons with other libraries, emphasizing its performance and reliability.

HN Comments: 120 | Author: pkkm | 15 hours ago

• The standard library’s datetime in Python has some issues, such as datetime inheriting from date but not being directly comparable to datetime and date.
• Using third-party libraries can solve some of datetime’s issues, but one must also consider the maintenance and security of dependency libraries.
• Dependency libraries can alleviate the developer’s burden, but the quality and security of these libraries need careful evaluation and testing.
• Using the standard library requires careful reading of documentation and changelogs to avoid common pitfalls and issues.
• Third-party libraries can provide better solutions with fewer pitfalls, but choosing the right library and version is crucial.

10. Why is there a “small house” in IBM’s Code page 437?

https://blog.glyphdrawing.club/why-is-there-a-small-house-in-ibm-s-code-page-437/

This article explores a strange symbol in IBM Code Page 437—a small house (⌂), which appears at code position 0x7F, originally the position for the delete (DEL) control character. The author investigates that this symbol was one of the “non-serious” characters designed by IBM PC designers for use in text games. It has also been widely used in ASCII art to create complex graphics and has been assigned various meanings in different games and applications.

HN Comments: 47 | Author: m_walden | 1 day ago

• The explanation of the “small house” symbol in IBM Code Page 437 is interesting; it may represent DELta or a misunderstood symbol.
• The symbol may have been intended to depict a triangle due to pixel limitations, but ended up looking like a house.
• Some believe this symbol relates to tab or indent markers from mechanical typewriters.
• Code Page 437 contains many mathematical symbols and Greek letters, but the design of the DELta symbol may have turned into a “small house” due to miscommunication or technical limitations.
• This symbol may also have been used as a cursor or pointer symbol, common in early computer systems.

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Hacker News Highlights and Translations

Google is winning on every AI front

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43662083

Google is winning on every front except… marketing (Google has a chatbot?), trust (who knew the founding fathers were so diverse?), safety (where’s the 2.5 Pro model card?), market share (fully one in ten internet users on the planet are weekly ChatGPT users), and, well, vibes (who’s rooting for big G, exactly?).

But I will admit, Gemini Pro 2.5 is a legit good model. So, hats off for that.

levocardia

谷歌几乎在每个领域都占据优势，除了……营销（谷歌竟然有一个聊天机器人？）、信任（谁知道创始人如此多样化？）、安全（2.5 Pro型号的模型卡去了哪里？）、市场份额（地球上十分之一的互联网用户每周都是ChatGPT的用户），还有，嗯，气氛（到底谁在支持大G呢？）。

但是，我会承认，Gemini Pro 2.5是个很棒的模型。所以，为此献上掌声。

Trump exempts phones, computers, chips from ‘recip…

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43664967

This is the only explanation that has made sense to me so far. And it makes even more sense based on these exemptions.

https://www.instagram.com/share/_jW_V1hwM

This is Senator Chris Murphy explaining it’s not economic policy, it’s an attempt to blackmail corporations into submission by making a deal with him in return for sanctions relief.

Keep an eye out for what Apple and nvidia might have agreed to give.

jonplackett

这是我迄今为止看到的唯一有意义的解释，而且根据这些豁免规定，这个解释的道理更加充分：