Hacker News: spicybbq

New comment by spicybbq in "Honda is killing its EVs"

spicybbq — Sun, 15 Mar 2026 20:53:37 +0000

> Do people really want "software defined vehicles"?

Absolutely, the sooner the better. The truth is, auto companies can track you, show you ads, and otherwise jerk you around without going all the way to having a "software defined vehicle." You just get a worse user experience.

New comment by spicybbq in "Scala 3 slowed us down?"

spicybbq — Mon, 08 Dec 2025 15:41:15 +0000

> And if you are starting a new project, why would you pick Java over Kotlin?

I've written multiple production services in Kotlin Spring Boot. Now, we're building a new system and using Java 21 (25 soon).

Why? Kotlin the language is great, but there are corresponding tradeoffs in interop. Meanwhile, Java the language has improved to the point that it's good enough, and Java feels like it's headed in the right direction. In my opinion, AI models are better at Java than Kotlin. If you prefer a weaker claim, the models are trained on more Java code than Kotlin code.

Finally, from an enterprise perspective, it is a safer long-term investment for a Java shop to own an application written in Java rather than in Kotlin.

New comment by spicybbq in "Jony Ive's OpenAI Device Barred From Using 'io' Name"

spicybbq — Fri, 05 Dec 2025 19:04:03 +0000

Reading about it, I see some characteristics: no screen, possibly something you can carry in your pocket, possibly has ai-driven awareness of its environment.

OpenAI wants to get into the hardware business, so they came up with something. Is it going to be something people actually want? I am skeptical, but as a consumer it's cool that so companies are trying out various new devices even if most of them are no good.

New comment by spicybbq in "OpenAI declares 'code red' as Google catches up in AI race"

spicybbq — Tue, 02 Dec 2025 19:31:52 +0000

It's a fun idea but there's ample public reporting about how Google reacted to the rise of ChatGPT. There is reporting that Google was taken by surprise. You can be skeptical of that, but that's what the reporting says. ChatGPT went viral in Nov/Dec 2022, and by February or March Google was scrambling to stand up Bard as a viable competitor.

https://web.archive.org/web/20221221100606/https://www.nytim...

https://web.archive.org/web/20230512133437/https://www.theve...

New comment by spicybbq in "People are using iPad OS features on their iPhones"

spicybbq — Thu, 27 Nov 2025 03:22:20 +0000

Maybe try having a conversation instead of being so defensive.

New comment by spicybbq in "Python is not a great language for data science"

spicybbq — Tue, 25 Nov 2025 19:38:05 +0000

Part 2 is here:

https://blog.genesmindsmachines.com/p/python-is-not-a-great-...

New comment by spicybbq in "People are using iPad OS features on their iPhones"

spicybbq — Mon, 17 Nov 2025 22:37:40 +0000

What I get from this is a description of how it is locked down, but not really an explanation of what you wish to do but cannot.

New comment by spicybbq in "Toyota "Can Barely Cover the Demand" for Its Cars"

spicybbq — Thu, 06 Nov 2025 17:33:08 +0000

I had a 2021 Accord Hybrid, and it is not like what you describe. I think it has a different design than older Honda hybrids. It has two electric motor-generators. Below about 40 mph, propulsion is entirely electric. There is a single speed "transmission" and clutch that engages at higher speeds, where the gas motor provides direct drive.

New comment by spicybbq in "EVs are depreciating faster than gas-powered cars"

spicybbq — Fri, 17 Oct 2025 21:12:41 +0000

Anyone who has comparison shopped new and used Teslas over the last few years can tell you that the price of <1 year old, low mileage Teslas runs very close to the new price minus $7500.

New comment by spicybbq in "Top Programming Languages 2025"

spicybbq — Wed, 24 Sep 2025 15:25:02 +0000

> Java is the new COBOL.

What do you mean by this? To me it sounds like people are saying they are both "old" languages, but I don't know what you mean.

I work in a shop that has lots of both Java and COBOL. We are not "actively migrating" COBOL code to Java. It looks like mainframes will continue to exist for decades to come (i.e. >20 more years). Obviously, brand new applications here are not written in COBOL.

New comment by spicybbq in "China bans one-pedal driving in default modes by 2027"

spicybbq — Fri, 12 Sep 2025 18:27:38 +0000

I find it odd that Tesla removed creep mode as an option. For newer vehicles, there is only one-pedal mode. I've heard it increases the rated mileage, but not sure if that's the reason.

New comment by spicybbq in "A love letter to the CSV format (2024)"

spicybbq — Wed, 10 Sep 2025 15:00:06 +0000

One of my first tasks as a junior dev was replacing an incorrect/incomplete "roll your own" CSV parsing regex (which broke in production) with a library.

New comment by spicybbq in "iPhone Air"

spicybbq — Tue, 09 Sep 2025 20:53:43 +0000

The Pro Max was the best-selling model of the last couple of generations, then the Pro, the the base. I agree with you, and I bet the Air will not be in 4th place like the Plus and Mini models.

New comment by spicybbq in "iPhone Air"

spicybbq — Tue, 09 Sep 2025 20:51:54 +0000

> This is something that really surprised me to realise a couple of years ago - that unless they work in tech, most households (I don't know if most isn't an exaggeration, but a large proportion) don't have a laptop or desktop between them now.

This is noticeable when you interact with consumer software where the mobile app is clearly the preferred or only way to perform some action.

New comment by spicybbq in "iPhone Air"

spicybbq — Tue, 09 Sep 2025 20:47:59 +0000

It says 165g. It's lighter than the base model.

New comment by spicybbq in "Compare the New iPhone Models"

spicybbq — Tue, 09 Sep 2025 19:35:11 +0000

233g for pro max, 206g for pro, 165g for the Air. That's a big difference. I figure the Air will be a more compelling in person.

It also replaces the worst selling model of the four. The 15 plus and 16 plus models did not sell very well. The pro max is the top seller.

https://9to5mac.com/2025/01/22/this-iphone-16-model-got-sale...

Previously, the fourth iphone was the mini, which did not sell well in the 13 series:

https://www.macrumors.com/2022/04/21/iphone-13-mini-unpopula...

New comment by spicybbq in "I bought the cheapest EV, a used Nissan Leaf"

spicybbq — Fri, 05 Sep 2025 19:19:34 +0000

It could also lead to people buying cheap, potentially defective chargers online instead of getting a more reliable manufacturer-included one.

New comment by spicybbq in "Mark Zuckerberg freezes AI hiring amid bubble fears"

spicybbq — Thu, 21 Aug 2025 17:40:23 +0000

Since "AI bubble" has become part of the discourse, people are watching for any signs of trouble. Up to this point, we have seen lots of AI hype. Now, more than in the past, we are going to see extra attention paid to "man bites dog" stories about how AI investment is going to collapse.

New comment by spicybbq in "How much do electric car batteries degrade?"

spicybbq — Mon, 18 Aug 2025 21:17:16 +0000

I'm curious about battery replacement (1.5%) compared to the rate of engine replacement for ICE vehicles.

New comment by spicybbq in "What happens when housing prices go down?"

spicybbq — Mon, 21 Jul 2025 14:03:07 +0000

In the long run, yeah. In the short run, owners can carry unsold inventory for quite a while, hoping conditions improve, before there is pressure to do something (e.g. a balloon payment).