Hacker News: MDTHLN

New comment by MDTHLN in "MacBook Neo and how the iPad should be"

MDTHLN — Thu, 23 Apr 2026 08:43:40 +0000

> The iPad is fantastic for, as the author points out, “reading the news and watching YouTube and playing games”

> I think there’s just a kind of techie who desperately wishes they could do everything on an iPad, but really the machine meant for them is a lightweight MacBook (Neo or Air)

Couldn't agree more. I am that person. I spent months deliberating before buying an 11" iPad (with keyboard). Used it for a week for the novelty. But the keyboard, trackpad, and multi-tasking is so janky compared to my Mac that it's sat in a cupboard ever since.

The MacBook Air is so quick and light that it's always just as convenient to get the MacBook out instead.

And that's not even for 'techie' tasks. Basic note-taking, researching, and simple spreadsheets are all easier on the Mac. The only time I reach for the iPad is if I want to watch a video and my girlfriend is already using the TV.

That being said, the iPad mini is a perfect companion if you do want an iPad but already have a decent MacBook. Such a great form-factor and doesn't pretend to be a laptop replacement.

New comment by MDTHLN in "Refactoring – Not on the backlog (2014)"

MDTHLN — Mon, 05 Jan 2026 22:20:53 +0000

The ‘Boy Scout Rule’ and Kent Beck’s idea to “First make the change easy, then make the easy change” are probably the two most important bits of advice I received in my career.

I attribute most of my success to following those rules.

And maybe I’m just applying my own biases, but all the best developers I’ve worked with seem to follow those rules as well.

New comment by MDTHLN in "Vince Zampella, developer of Call of Duty and Battlefield has died"

MDTHLN — Mon, 22 Dec 2025 21:43:47 +0000

Absolutely awful to hear.

His games were a significant part of my teenagehood, as I'm sure they were for many others. Thank you for all the memories Vince.

New comment by MDTHLN in "Microsoft Copilot AI Comes to LG TVs, and Can't Be Deleted"

MDTHLN — Mon, 15 Dec 2025 20:26:46 +0000

I'm not refuting that they don't sell your data, I haven't checked. But your link is not relevant to the discussion.

It's the privacy policy of the Apple TV app, not the Apple TV device.

New comment by MDTHLN in "Gleam OTP – Fault Tolerant Multicore Programs with Actors"

MDTHLN — Mon, 20 Oct 2025 10:47:26 +0000

I love Gleam, but I would start with Elixir if you're interested in learning about how powerful the BEAM & OTP are.

There's not much documentation/resources around OTP in Gleam. When I was playing around with it I often found myself referring to the Elixir docs and then 'translating' that knowledge to Gleam's OTP implementation.

Gleam is still very new so this is totally understandable, and both are great languages so you'll likely have a lot of fun learning either of them.

New comment by MDTHLN in "The social media censorship era is over (for now)"

MDTHLN — Fri, 10 Jan 2025 11:50:10 +0000

DHH posts are starting to read like the ramblings of a mad man.

  people who've traded in their Trump Derangement Syndrome diagnosis for a Musk Derangement Syndrome

  holy tenants of the woke religion

  the day-to-day antics of the meme lord at large

Maybe the political culture is different in America, but I can't imagine anyone in real life ever talking like this. And if they did, you'd have a real concern for their well-being.

New comment by MDTHLN in "Gleam v1.5 Released"

MDTHLN — Fri, 20 Sep 2024 09:44:06 +0000

I'm glad that they've managed to find another corporate sponsor (as well as fly.io returning).

Gleam is such a lovely language to use, and I really hope it catches on.

New comment by MDTHLN in "Ask HN: What is your new year's resolution?"

MDTHLN — Sat, 31 Dec 2022 11:56:12 +0000

This may sound a little odd, but I want to be more hedonistic.

I’ve spent my entire adult life up to now saving and investing so that I could buy a house. Now that I’ve done that it would be nice to indulge just a little bit.

New comment by MDTHLN in "Threeuk is blocking Tutanota"

MDTHLN — Wed, 21 Dec 2022 11:18:32 +0000

In regards to ISP’s, I’ve had a lot of luck with some of the new fibre networks.

HyperOptic (who run their own networks) and Zen Internet (CityFibre) have both been excellent for me.

New comment by MDTHLN in "Aria-label is a code smell"

MDTHLN — Tue, 01 Nov 2022 14:23:20 +0000

> I have not reached the point of why aria label is code smell before giving up

The main point was that they often see it used to label non-interactive elements, when it should only be used for interactive elements. It's a useful point to make, but that's not a code smell, that's faulty code.

The author should have chosen a better title, e.g. "Think twice before using aria-label".

New comment by MDTHLN in "When is short tenure a red flag?"

MDTHLN — Sun, 23 Oct 2022 21:34:34 +0000

This almost certainly depends on the size of the company.

Two years is plenty of time to make an impact at a startup.

New comment by MDTHLN in "Tesla Model 3 = 31% of UK Electric Vehicle Sales"

MDTHLN — Tue, 29 Dec 2020 22:33:36 +0000

I think you’re right but for the opposite reason.

Tesla have shown very little inclination to design cars suitable for European roads (e.g. small-medium sized hatchbacks). B-segment car buyers in Europe will opt for an ID3.

For motorway mile-munchers Tesla still have the advantage of their super-charging network to set them apart.