Ask HN

A new project called Thoreau BASIC is drawing attention on Hacker News, asking what programming might look like today had BASIC not fallen out of fashion. The site presents a modern take on the classic beginner-friendly language, and commenters are debating BASIC's legacy, its role in teaching a generation to code, and whether a revived version could still have a place.

The monthly 'Who is hiring?' thread has opened, inviting companies to post their open tech roles for October 2026. Employers list positions with locations and remote options, while job seekers browse the comments and a companion 'freelancer' thread for opportunities. It remains a popular way for startups and established firms alike to reach engineering and product talent directly.

A Hacker News question asking what people run on a $5 virtual private server that justifies staying online 24/7 has drawn attention. The prompt invites developers and hobbyists to share the small, low-cost services they keep hosted permanently, from personal projects to side tools. Replies typically cover things like personal sites, monitoring, bots and self-hosted utilities.

A question circulating among developers asks whether anyone is genuinely producing good code with AI coding agents. The discussion taps into ongoing debate about whether tools like these improve productivity or create more maintenance burden than they save, with many engineers sharing mixed experiences.

A discussion thread on Hacker News invites readers to share the books they are currently reading. Hundreds of people have joined in, swapping recommendations across fiction, non-fiction and technical titles. Such threads regularly surface reading lists that circulate widely in tech circles and spark follow-up conversations about new releases and classics.

The monthly 'Who wants to be hired?' thread has opened on Hacker News for October 2026, inviting job seekers to post their skills, experience and what kind of work they are looking for. Employers and recruiters browse the thread to find candidates directly. It is the latest edition of the long-running series run by the whoishiring account, which also hosts companion threads for employers and freelancers each month.

A question on Hacker News is asking whether AI models exist that can generate sounds based on a text prompt and a reference audio sample. The discussion touches on the state of text-to-audio generation tools, such as models for sound effects and environmental audio, and whether reference-based conditioning is practically available. Responses and interest suggest growing curiosity about audio generation capabilities beyond music and speech.

A user on Hacker News is asking whether their email could have been leaked or exposed while traveling abroad, prompting a discussion about cross-border email security. Commenters are weighing in on risks from unfamiliar networks, provider access rules, and how to check whether an account has been compromised while overseas.

A Hacker News user is asking which games people play religiously, meaning habitually, on their phone browser. The thread invites readers to share the simple browser-based games they return to every day, and commenters are swapping recommendations and routines.

A question circulating among readers asks people to describe what their romantic relationship actually brings them, moving past clichés about love and companionship. Respondents are reflecting on the practical and emotional value of partnership, from daily support to personal growth, and the discussion has drawn thoughtful personal answers.

A Hacker News discussion is asking whether people still own a printer, drawing replies about how households handle printing in an increasingly paperless world. Commenters debate whether occasional needs like forms, tickets and school paperwork justify keeping a device that mostly sits idle, or whether printing at work, libraries and shops has replaced owning one entirely.

A question posted on Hacker News asks why the Ask HN section is displaying only 14 posts instead of the usual longer list. The query has drawn attention from other users of the developer community, who are speculating about whether the limited count is due to filtering, a bug, or a change to how the site ranks and displays front-page content.

A Hacker News discussion thread asks who still runs DOS machines that their business genuinely depends on. The prompt invites stories of legacy computing: factories, labs, or offices keeping decades-old MS-DOS or PC DOS systems alive because critical software or hardware was never ported to modern platforms. Commenters typically share examples of industrial controllers, embedded equipment, and the challenges of maintaining obsolete hardware, with debate over why such systems persist and how risky they are.

A question circulating among technologists asks how people would feel if Google were taken into public ownership and run as a state enterprise. The prompt has drawn engaged debate, touching on antitrust frustration, the scale of Google's control over search and advertising, and fears about government control of critical information infrastructure versus the power of private tech monopolies.

A question asking people to name their favorite TV show has drawn responses on Hacker News. Threads like this on the site typically turn into long comment lists where readers recommend dramas, comedies and sci-fi series, with a few titles repeatedly cited. There is no single news event behind it; it is a general community discussion about television preferences.

A question is circulating on Hacker News asking what a fitting job title for a software engineer is in the current era. The discussion reflects ongoing debate in the tech industry about whether traditional titles like 'software engineer' still fit, as roles expand to cover AI tooling, full-stack work and broader product responsibilities. Commenters are weighing in with alternatives and arguing over which title best reflects the work.

A discussion thread is asking how the AI endgame will unfold, drawing engagement from technologists debating the long-term trajectory of artificial intelligence. Participants are weighing scenarios ranging from continued incremental progress to more transformative outcomes, reflecting ongoing uncertainty in the field about where rapid advances in AI models ultimately lead.

A question on Hacker News is asking users to share their personal data backup methods, inviting discussion of the strategies, tools and routines people use to protect their files. Respondents are expected to weigh in on approaches such as the 3-2-1 rule, local drives versus cloud services, and automated scheduling with tools like crontab.

A discussion thread asks how people would feel if a hypothetical, benevolent US government passed a Constitutional amendment to nationalize Alphabet, turning Google into public property. The prompt has drawn arguments over state control of core internet infrastructure, censorship risks, and whether private tech monopolies should face similar public ownership instead.

A question on Hacker News is asking which frontier AI models are capable of performing code security reviews. The discussion seeks recommendations on which large language models can reliably audit code for vulnerabilities. With few replies so far, the thread reflects a broader interest among developers in using AI tools for security analysis.

The October 2026 edition of the recurring 'Who wants to be hired?' thread is live, inviting job seekers to post their location, remote and relocation preferences, technologies, résumé and contact email in a standard format. Employers and recruiters are asked to use the addresses only for genuine work opportunities. The monthly thread is a staple for developers seeking roles.

A developer has launched Thoreau BASIC, a new project asking what programming might look like if BASIC had never fallen out of fashion. The site, shared on Hacker News, is drawing attention from programmers nostalgic for the language that introduced generations to computing in the 1970s and 1980s. Early reaction focuses on curiosity about its design choices.

A question circulating among developers asks whether AI agents should be granted access to cloud-hosted files under a least-privilege security model, meaning each agent gets only the minimum permissions needed for its task. The discussion touches on how to sandbox autonomous software, audit its actions, and prevent data leaks as more teams let agents read and write to production storage.

The monthly Hacker News 'Who is hiring?' thread for October 2026 is open, with the usual rules: only direct hiring managers may post, and listings must state location, flagging REMOTE, REMOTE (US) or ONSITE where relevant. The thread is a key monthly venue for tech job seekers and startups to find roles and candidates.

A Hacker News discussion is asking how founders get their first users for a minimum viable product. Readers are weighing in with their own approaches to early distribution, cold outreach, communities and word of mouth, swapping tactics for turning a rough prototype into an initial customer base and debating what actually works versus what wastes time.

Hacker News has opened its monthly 'Who is hiring?' thread for October 2026, where companies post job openings and developers look for work. The recurring thread is a fixture of the tech industry's hiring cycle, drawing hundreds of listings each month and giving recruiters and candidates a direct, no-agency channel to connect.