AskHN Digest

1. Ask HN: What are good high-information density UIs (screenshots, apps, sites)?

Top comment by abound

I didn't see anyone mention the McMaster-Carr website [1]. It may not be the "densest" out there, but it's clean, functional, and nicely presents a lot of information at once.

[1] https://www.mcmaster.com/

2. Ask HN: Hackathons feel fake now

Top comment by gyomu

When I was in college (over 20 years ago now), what we called “hackathons” was a bunch of us (4-6 max) holing up in an apartment for the weekend, and working on our personal projects while ordering pizza and sleeping on couches.

It was really nice having a group of people you could demo what you were working on/ask for help or feedback within immediate range at all times. There was also something really peaceful about coding at 5a on Sunday while everyone else was fast asleep.

When I moved to SF, I was so surprised to find out that there were “professional” hackathons. I went to a couple and came to the same conclusion as you.

I do miss the vibe of the OG hackathons I did with my friends, but I was 19 and we had no commitments back then. Nowadays the best way for me to be productive is to have regular meal, disciplined working hours, and good nights of sleep - so no more sleeping on couches with half empty boxes of pizza by my side.

3. Ask HN: How much better are AI IDEs vs. copy pasting into chat apps?

Top comment by SeanAnderson

I'm a staff software engineer doing a mix of front-end and back-end with emphasis on front-end.

I use both Cursor on Claude 3.7 and ChatGPT on 4o/o3. Cursor seems kind of "dumb" compared to 4o, but it's a good workhorse.

I let Cursor handle the basics - basically acting as a glorified multi-file autocomplete. I think through common problems with 4o, tough problems with o3, I copy all of Svelte's docs into 4o (https://svelte-llm.khromov.se/) to get good Svelte 5-focused feedback, I have 4o code-review what Cursor writes from time to time, I have 4o, sometimes o3, generate "precise" prompts that I'll give to Cursor when me talking off-the-cuff to Cursor doesn't get good results after a few attempts.

I don't consider myself an expert in these areas yet so I might be misusing Cursor, or not making enough use of its rules system, or something. I feel like I get good value for my ChatGPT subscription. I don't feel like I get good value for my Cursor subscription, but I also still feel like keeping it because $20 to type a lot less is still pretty nice. I would be upset if I only had a Cursor subscription and no access to ChatGPT. I am pretty hesitant to pay for AI à la carte. I feel much better about working within the limitations of a known subscription cost.

4. Ask HN: What career will you switch to when AI replaces developers?

Top comment by jareds

I won't have to switch careers since I'm a software engineer instead of a developer that does nothing but implement specifications with no creativity or design work. I will have to keep up with the changing technology landscape though like I have been for my entire career.

5. Ask HN: My company is forcing 1 week sprints. What should I do?

Top comment by giantg2

I would look to leave. If they're that stupid to think a shorter sprint time will increase velocity, then they are likely making other stupid decisions. It also doesn't look good financially if they're grasping at straws to increase velocity like that.

6. Ask HN: Anyone else give up on trying to get rich?

Top comment by WheelsAtLarge

People who can never have enough money don't want the money. What they want is the dopamine hit they get every time they feel they have won. Money is the measuring stick they are using to keep track. No amount of money will make them happy. You can say the same about the elites in any field. It's not about the thing but about winning the competition.

Many of us will hit a point where what we have is enough. If we are lucky enough to hit that point then we will retire or keep doing what needs to be done to maintain that point. Looks like you hit that point. Good for you...

7. Ask HN: Best underrated way to get a job in tech during a hiring slowdown?

Top comment by duxup

Find a small company, there are lots of little software companies that work in niche areas.

They may not pay as much up front but you get your foot in the door and at small organizations you can touch everything.

Don’t be afraid to look at weird industries you might not associate with tech.

8. Ask HN: What Problem Would You Solve with Unlimited Resources? [May 2025]

Top comment by mrtomservo

I live in a city with a large number of unhoused people. I think I would use unlimited resources to buy and renovate old buildings[1] downtown to build housing, and fund support services on-site to help people escape homelessness and addiction.

I would want to solve this because unhoused people are suffering, and downtown (as a neighborhood) has been sort of hollowed out by business choosing to leave for practical reasons (WFH) and because of the perception of "too many" unhoused people. I love downtown, it's just not a pleasant place to spend time, especially at night.

I do not have the resources nor the political acumen for these kinds of initiatives, and I think it would take a great deal of resources to not only buy the land but demolish or renovate the buildings. It would create a lot of jobs (construction at first) but I think there's a large amount of activation energy required to get started.

[1]: https://www.cbs8.com/article/news/local/legal-action-taken-a...

9. Ask HN: How do you obtain software development contracts?

Top comment by rmah

In my experience, contract software development client acquisition is based mostly on reputation, referrals and personal contacts/networks. The biggest risk that clients face is not the cost of the project per-se, but missed delivery and/or poor results. So, in a sense, what you're really selling is not technical acumen, but trust and reliability.

Yes, project failure can often be laid at the feet of the client. But, IMO, good professionals contract developers are responsible for pushing back on vague and/or changing requirements. Part of your job is to look underneath what the client says to discern what he actually needs. The goal should be to and deliver something that is both useful and fulfills the client's goals. All of this is, of course, easier said than done.

10. Ask HN: Did Aliexpress stop shipping to US?

Top comment by mindslight

I squeaked a bunch of Choice (seems to be Ali's managed logistics) products in under the wire. Ten bags of stuff, some arriving just a few days before the de minimis tax exemption went away. All basically meeting or exceeding their delivery estimates - shipping time was about 6-8 days on average. Out of curiosity, I checked on a bunch of those listings a week later. Most were just 2-3x more expensive and said tariffs included. But one or two were unavailable to ship to the US as you saw.

The one item I ordered that wasn't Choice but also not expensive enough to justify Fedex seems to have been shipped but got lost. The tracking stalled long enough that I got an automatically-approved refund. Glad I didn't have to play the blame game for a found item trying to clear customs after the exemption went away.

I'm not planning on ordering anything else at the moment. But I imagine the longer the high tariff taxes stay in place, the more appealing Aliexpress (and specifically Choice) will become. The selection on Amazon and other US warehouses is going to dwindle as sellers avoid fronting the cost of paying high taxes to import items just to sit around, while taking the risk that the Mad King might have a different whim next week. Whereas direct from China purchases can pay the tariffs with cash in hand.