DefiantEmbassy's recent activity

  1. Comment on The Claude C Compiler: what it reveals about the future of software in ~tech

    DefiantEmbassy
    Link Parent
    It’s also simultaneously true that the author is Chris Lattner, who is one of the most experienced people in the world to be commenting on compilers. You can interpret the article with both lenses.

    It’s also simultaneously true that the author is Chris Lattner, who is one of the most experienced people in the world to be commenting on compilers. You can interpret the article with both lenses.

    6 votes

  2. Comment on Phil Spencer is leaving Microsoft/Xbox in ~games

    DefiantEmbassy
    Link Parent
    Hot take: can't be the best without gyro.

    Hot take: can't be the best without gyro.

    6 votes

  3. Comment on Hold on to your hardware in ~tech

    DefiantEmbassy
    Link Parent
    The JS file is pretty easy to read, although it's actually just a copy of what is on disable-javascript.org. Or in table format! Title Favicon Official Church of Scientology: Difficulties on the...

    The JS file is pretty easy to read, although it's actually just a copy of what is on disable-javascript.org.

    Or in table format!
    Title Favicon
    Official Church of Scientology: Difficulties on the Job - Online Course /images/killjs/sy.png
    Ask HN: How could I safely contact drug cartels? /images/killjs/hn.png
    The internet used to be fun /images/killjs/hn.png
    am I boring - Google Search /images/killjs/go.ico
    what is punycode - Google Search /images/killjs/go.ico
    arguments for HN comment - Google Search /images/killjs/go.ico
    how to hack coworker's phone - Google Search /images/killjs/go.ico
    censorship on hacker news - Google Search /images/killjs/go.ico
    rust programming socks - Google Shopping /images/killjs/go.ico
    Adult entertainment clubs - Google Maps /images/killjs/gm.png
    Pick up lines suggestions - ChatGPT /images/killjs/cgpt.png
    Online debate argument suggestions - ChatGPT /images/killjs/cgpt.png
    The Flat Earth Society /images/killjs/fes.png
    Amazon.com: taylor swift merch /images/killjs/az.ico
    Amazon.com: waifu pillow /images/killjs/az.ico
    /adv/ - topple government - Advice - 4chan /images/killjs/fc.png
    r/wallstreetbets on Reddit /images/killjs/rd.png
    Infowars: There's a War on For Your Mind! /images/killjs/iw.png
    birds aren't real at DuckDuckGo /images/killjs/ddg.ico
    Lincoln MT Cabins For Sale - Zillow /images/killjs/zw.ico
    The Anarchist Cookbook by William Powell | Goodreads /images/killjs/gr.png
    Fifty Shades of Grey | Netflix /images/killjs/nx.ico
    jeff bezos nudes - Google Image Search /images/killjs/go.ico
    zuckerberg nudes - Google Image Search /images/killjs/go.ico
    bigfoot nudes - Google Image Search /images/killjs/go.ico
    Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up - YouTube /images/killjs/yt.ico
    Pennsylvania Bigfoot Conference - Channel 5 - YouTube /images/killjs/yt.ico
    Linus goes into a real girl's bedroom - Linus Tech Tips - YouTube /images/killjs/yt.ico
    MrBeast en Español - YouTube /images/killjs/yt.ico
    FTX Cryptocurrency Exchange /images/killjs/ftx.png
    7 votes

  4. Comment on Phil Spencer is leaving Microsoft/Xbox in ~games

    DefiantEmbassy
    Link
    Bond definitely got fired. As for Asha Sharma, Microsoft also threw away their lead in AI in quite a massive way, so not particularly impressed by anyone attached to that.

    Bond definitely got fired. As for Asha Sharma, Microsoft also threw away their lead in AI in quite a massive way, so not particularly impressed by anyone attached to that.

    9 votes

  5. Comment on Hold on to your hardware in ~tech

    DefiantEmbassy
    Link
    Very true. I bought a PC from a system integrator that wasn't immediately passing on the price increases (i.e. they were selling their parts inventory based on what they paid for it, not the...

    Also, realize that the best time to upgrade your hardware was yesterday and that the second best time is now. If you can afford sensible upgrades, especially RAM and SSD capacity, it may be worth doing sooner rather than later.

    Very true. I bought a PC from a system integrator that wasn't immediately passing on the price increases (i.e. they were selling their parts inventory based on what they paid for it, not the market value), largely because of the Moore's Law is Dead article. It has, effectively, doubled in value in the month I've had it.

    16 votes

  6. Comment on Reddit overtakes TikTok in UK thanks to search algorithms and gen Z in ~tech

  7. Comment on Reddit overtakes TikTok in UK thanks to search algorithms and gen Z in ~tech

    DefiantEmbassy
    Link Parent
    One of the interesting subtle things about modern reddit is that new subreddits can grow rapidly. The end result is that, if a subreddit has moderation that even a small % of the userbase find...

    One of the interesting subtle things about modern reddit is that new subreddits can grow rapidly. The end result is that, if a subreddit has moderation that even a small % of the userbase find annoying, they can rapidly spin up an alternative that tears down those rules. The continual effect of this is that moderation on the site has plummeted. (I've been ranting about this for a minute).

    16 votes

  8. Comment on The Wes Cook archive in ~arts

    DefiantEmbassy
    Link
    Strong recommendation to watch the video, it is fantastic.

    Strong recommendation to watch the video, it is fantastic.

    3 votes

  9. Comment on CBS News pulls report on “brutal and torturous conditions” at El Salvador prison where Donald Trump Administration sent deportees in ~tv

  10. Comment on Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2025 - Race Weekend Discussion in ~sports.motorsports

    DefiantEmbassy
    Link Parent
    Watching Oscar's meltdown was so painful I had to stop watching F1 for a bit. Was really rooting for him to win it. Oh well. At least it wasn't Max, again.

    Watching Oscar's meltdown was so painful I had to stop watching F1 for a bit. Was really rooting for him to win it.

    Oh well. At least it wasn't Max, again.

    3 votes

  11. Comment on I fixed my lactose intolerance -- by chugging all the lactose in ~health

  12. Comment on Building the perfect Linux PC with Linus Torvalds in ~tech

    DefiantEmbassy
    Link Parent
    It’s explained in the pinned comment.

    It’s explained in the pinned comment.

    1 vote

  13. Comment on The realities of being a pop star in ~music

  14. Comment on Battlefield 6 developer issues report on kernel-level anti-cheat, citing success in ~games

    DefiantEmbassy
    Link Parent
    Anti-cheats are some of the most audited software in the world. That's because they are under constant surveillance by cheat developers. 11 years ago, VAC came under scrutiny, because cheat...

    Anti-cheats are some of the most audited software in the world. That's because they are under constant surveillance by cheat developers. 11 years ago, VAC came under scrutiny, because cheat developers found that Valve was checking users' DNS cache, and spread the word around. Cheat developers actively want to sow mistrust here.

    3 votes

  15. Comment on Battlefield 6 developer issues report on kernel-level anti-cheat, citing success in ~games

    DefiantEmbassy
    Link Parent
    Because what kernel-mode gives you visibility into is other kernel-mode processes, not user-space. But you're not running any of your computing in the kernel, you're running it in user-mode. You...

    Firstly why would they even bother with kernel code if they could accomplish their spying in user mode equivalently.

    Because what kernel-mode gives you visibility into is other kernel-mode processes, not user-space. But you're not running any of your computing in the kernel, you're running it in user-mode. You can basically spy on anything else in user-mode from user-mode.

    The other benefit here is being able to attest the status of the environment.

    Secondly whilst user mode software does exist that can do those things, such programs tend not to be quasi mandatory and installed in a sidecar type way, and most software I’d install wouldn’t be specifically designed to spy on me.

    Vanguard specifically tells you what you're installing. It doesn't silently do anything.

    VAC (Valve Anti-Cheat) is far more surreptitious. It installs silently alongside Steam or a VAC-required game. It is performing signature scans on your computer for hacks, without you having any control over it. The only difference is that it is entirely in user-mode.

    Ultimately, you have to trust whatever software is running on your computer, whether it is "designed for spying" or not (I think most vendors would dispute that claim, anyway). If you do not trust a game vendor... you shouldn't be worried about the anti-cheat, you should be worried about the game itself. The game you install can steal your files, and key log you. There is no need to even go into the kernel-level there.

    2 votes

  16. Comment on Battlefield 6 developer issues report on kernel-level anti-cheat, citing success in ~games

    DefiantEmbassy
    Link Parent
    … in your hypothetical example where a three-letter agency could insert code into any software under their purview… you’d take Chrome a hundred times before exploring these relatively niche...

    … in your hypothetical example where a three-letter agency could insert code into any software under their purview… you’d take Chrome a hundred times before exploring these relatively niche clients. Probably Edge and VSCode, next.

    2 votes

  17. Comment on Battlefield 6 developer issues report on kernel-level anti-cheat, citing success in ~games

    DefiantEmbassy
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    Do you separate your activity into multiple user accounts? If you don’t, then the reality is that any user mode software (on Windows) can surreptitiously key log you, or steal files on your...

    Do you separate your activity into multiple user accounts? If you don’t, then the reality is that any user mode software (on Windows) can surreptitiously key log you, or steal files on your computer not stored in an admin-only directly.

    (I do advocate for better sandboxing here, but the reality is that it isn’t currently the case.)

    The reality is that for a lot of people (including me), kernel-level ACs quite literally presents no difference in security and privacy. Not to mention the effectiveness.

    3 votes

  18. Comment on Battlefield 6 developer issues report on kernel-level anti-cheat, citing success in ~games

  19. Comment on Windows: Linux GPU gaming benchmarks on Bazzite in ~games

    DefiantEmbassy
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    I mean, I would love it if all detection was server-side and effective. I just don't think that this is at all feasible. (Also, one point I didn't mention: none of this would cover informational...

    Disclaimer, I don't have a strong opinion on where cheat detection should be done.

    I mean, I would love it if all detection was server-side and effective. I just don't think that this is at all feasible.

    (Also, one point I didn't mention: none of this would cover informational cheats, like wallhacks. Developers should do the basics here, but there is a limit, as at some point the client has to know where the enemy is. If you make that point the literal moment they are visible, the pop-in is really bad.)

    In a similar sense, expanding anti-cheat detection on the server means that you need to maintain a lot more of the game state and situation on the server. Not only that, you need to then also do a lot of extra calculations on the server as well.

    So, maintaining the game state actually provides user-value in replay solutions, something which the Counter-Strike series has had since the 90s, and VALORANT is getting soon due to user-demand.

    Like, fair, there is a cost to observing and analysing behaviour, but I'm still not convinced that cost is more than having to maintain a kernel-level solution, buying and observing cheats to develop signatures for detection, etc.

    It merely comments on the state back then. I am not entirely sure if Valve actually invested all that much in anti-cheat detection since then. Again, a bit cynical, but it just needs to be "good enough" for people to not walk away from the game.

    GDC talk from 2018 that goes more into depth about their solution. Data mining indicates they've even recently acquired NVIDIA H200s, which is frontier tier tech. Not to mention their active branding of the solution as VAC Live for the launch of CS2. I'd say it is pretty clear they are actively investing into it.

    Also, don't discount inertia in big companies to simply keep doing things that they are already doing. Moving everything server side requires different expertise which needs to be built up.

    But there has been a change here. For Battlefield, they used to use PunkBuster (a third-party non-kernel anti-cheat), before adding FairFight (a third party behavioural anti-cheat), before abandoning all of those to create an in-house team to develop EA AntiCheat. Similarly, CoD migrated from PunkBuster to VAC, to I think an in-house non-kernel solution, and finally to developing their own in-house solution.

    These companies historically contracted out, but are now developing internal capabilities for securing their games.

    1 vote

  20. Comment on Windows: Linux GPU gaming benchmarks on Bazzite in ~games

    DefiantEmbassy
    Link Parent
    I find this to be a particularly unconvincing argument. a) The idea that every single live service developer decided that they could do server-side detection, but instead decide to invest time,...

    I find this to be a particularly unconvincing argument.

    a) The idea that every single live service developer decided that they could do server-side detection, but instead decide to invest time, money, and serious reputational damage on creating a kernel-level anti cheat does not add up to me. I do not see why a game developer would go this route, if another route existed.

    b) Valve has, for the past 8 years attempted to do ML-based server side detection, along with ML-based user classification based on non-game activity. They also have the greatest incentive to make this work. Yet, despite this, the system is largely a failure. Cheaters are rampant at higher ranks, and the leaderboard has at many points served as a mechanism for cheaters to boast. Also, there was a point you could get banned for spinning your mouse too fast.

    c) For a Linux CS2 player, there is no viable way for them to become a professional, and qualify for a Valve-sponsored event, and get their signature into the game. Every step beyond in-game matchmaking requires a kernel-level anti cheat, whether it is for the external MM service used by pros, FACEIT (or any of their competitors like GamersClub or ESPORTAL), or to play in online competitive tournaments. Prior to Valve abandoning direct qualifiers, all qualifiers hosted for Major qualifications required a kernel-level anti cheat.

    5 votes