The blog post explores the possibility of High Dynamic Range (HDR) emoji. The author notes that while emoji are widely supported, the current specification lacks the color depth and brightness capabilities of HDR, limiting their visual richness. They propose leveraging existing color formats like HDR10 and Dolby Vision, already prevalent in video content, to enhance emoji expression and vibrancy, especially in dark mode. The post also suggests encoding HDR emoji using the relatively small HEIF image format, offering a balance between image quality and file size. While acknowledging potential implementation challenges and the need for updated rendering engines, the author believes HDR emoji could significantly improve visual communication.
Code page 437, the original character set for the IBM PC, includes a small house character (⌂) because it was intended for general business use, not just programming. Inspired by the pre-existing PETSCII character set, IBM included symbols useful for forms, diagrams, and even simple games. The house, specifically, was likely included to represent "home" in directory structures or for drawing simple diagrams, similar to how other box-drawing characters are utilized. This practicality over pure programming focus explains many of 437's seemingly unusual choices.
HN commenters discuss various aspects of Code Page 437. Some recall using it in early PC gaming and the limitations it imposed on game design. Others delve into the history of character sets and code pages, including the inclusion of box-drawing characters for creating UI elements in text-based environments. Several speculate about the specific inclusion of the "house" character (⌂), suggesting it might be a remnant of a planned but never implemented feature, potentially related to home banking or smart home technologies nascent at the time. A few commenters point out its resemblance to Japanese family crests (kamon) or stylized depictions of Shinto shrines. The impracticality of representing a real house address with a single character is also mentioned.
Internationalization-puzzles.com offers daily programming challenges focused on the complexities of internationalization (i18n). Similar in format to Advent of Code, each puzzle presents a real-world i18n problem that requires coding solutions, covering areas like character encoding, locale handling, text directionality, and date/time formatting. The site provides immediate feedback and solutions in multiple languages, encouraging developers to learn and practice the often-overlooked nuances of building globally accessible software.
Hacker News users generally expressed enthusiasm for the Internationalization-puzzles site, comparing it favorably to Advent of Code and praising its focus on practical i18n problem-solving. Several commenters highlighted the educational value of the puzzles, noting that they offer a fun way to learn about common i18n pitfalls. Some suggested potential improvements, like adding hints or explanations and expanding the range of languages and frameworks covered. A few users also shared their own experiences with i18n challenges, reinforcing the importance of the topic. The overall sentiment was positive, with many expressing interest in trying the puzzles themselves.
Some Windows filenames appear unreadable due to the way Windows handles characters outside the Basic Multilingual Plane (BMP). While newer versions support Unicode, older NTFS implementations only understand UTF-16, which uses surrogate pairs to represent these extended characters. A surrogate pair is two special 16-bit code units that together represent a single character outside the BMP. If a filename contains such a character and is accessed by a system or application that doesn't properly interpret surrogate pairs, it can't reconstruct the intended character, resulting in a garbled or unreadable filename. This issue primarily arises with older software or when transferring files between systems with different Unicode handling capabilities.
HN users discuss various aspects of surrogate pairs and Unicode. Several commenters highlight the complexity and nuances of Unicode handling, particularly in different programming languages and operating systems. Some mention the challenges of correctly processing and displaying these characters, with specific examples of issues encountered in Windows and other environments. The discussion also touches upon the historical context of surrogate pairs, the difference between UTF-16 and UTF-8, and the importance of proper encoding and decoding. A few commenters offer practical advice and resources for dealing with surrogate pairs, including libraries and tools. There's a general agreement that handling Unicode correctly requires careful attention and a deep understanding of its intricacies.
QR codes encode data using several error correction levels. Higher error correction allows for more damage or obstruction while still remaining readable, but requires more modules (the black and white squares). Uppercase letters, numbers, and some symbols use the alphanumeric mode, which is more efficient than the byte mode used for lowercase letters and other characters. Since alphanumeric mode requires fewer bits to encode the same information, a QR code with uppercase letters can achieve the same error correction level with fewer modules, making it smaller.
Hacker News users discussed the trade-off between QR code size and error correction level. Several commenters pointed out that uppercase letters require less data than lowercase due to fewer bits needed in the alphanumeric mode. This smaller data size allows for a smaller QR code with the same error correction level or a higher error correction level for the same size. One commenter highlighted the importance of the QR code standard's details in understanding this phenomenon. Some also mentioned practical considerations, like the prevalence of uppercase URLs in certain contexts and the lack of visual difference in small QR codes. A few users suggested that the blog post's explanation was overly simplified, failing to fully explain the encoding mechanism and the impact of error correction. Finally, a commenter noted that different QR code generators may have varying implementations impacting resulting size.
The blog post explores encoding arbitrary data within seemingly innocuous emojis. By exploiting the variation selectors and zero-width joiners in Unicode, the author demonstrates how to embed invisible data into an emoji sequence. This hidden data can be later extracted by specifically looking for these normally unseen characters. While seemingly a novelty, the author highlights potential security implications, suggesting possibilities like bypassing filters or exfiltrating data subtly. This hidden channel could be used in scenarios where visible communication is restricted or monitored.
Several Hacker News commenters express skepticism about the practicality of the emoji data smuggling technique described in the article. They point out the significant overhead and inefficiency introduced by the encoding scheme, making it impractical for any substantial data transfer. Some suggest that simpler methods like steganography within image files would be far more efficient. Others question the real-world applications, arguing that such a convoluted method would likely be easily detected by any monitoring system looking for unusual patterns. A few commenters note the cleverness of the technique from a theoretical perspective, while acknowledging its limited usefulness in practice. One commenter raises a concern about the potential abuse of such techniques for bypassing content filters or censorship.
Some websites display boxes instead of flag emojis in Chrome on Windows due to a font substitution issue. Windows uses its own Segoe UI Emoji font for most emoji, but defaults to a lower-quality bitmap font called "Segoe UI Symbol" specifically for flag emojis. This bitmap font lacks the necessary glyphs for many flag combinations, resulting in the missing emoji. Websites can force Chrome to use the correct, vector-based Segoe UI Emoji font by explicitly specifying it in their CSS, ensuring flags render properly.
Commenters on Hacker News largely discuss the technical details behind the issue, focusing on the surprising interaction between Chrome, Windows, and the specific way flags are rendered using two combined code points. Several point out the complexity and unexpected behaviors that arise from combining characters, particularly when dealing with different systems and fonts. Some users express frustration with the inconsistency and lack of clear documentation around emoji rendering. A few commenters offer potential workarounds or solutions, including using a fallback font or pre-rendering the flags as images. Others delve into the history and evolution of emoji standards and the challenges of maintaining compatibility across platforms. A compelling comment thread explores the tradeoffs between using the combined code points for flags versus using dedicated single code points, highlighting the performance implications and rendering complexities. Another interesting discussion revolves around the role of fonts and the challenges of designing fonts that support a rapidly expanding set of emojis.
This post explores optimizing UTF-8 encoding by eliminating branches. The author demonstrates how bit manipulation and clever masking can be used to determine the correct number of bytes needed to represent a Unicode code point and to subsequently encode it into UTF-8, all without conditional branches. This branchless approach leverages the predictable structure of UTF-8 encoding and aims to improve performance by reducing branch mispredictions, which can be costly on modern CPUs. The author provides C++ code examples demonstrating both a naive branched implementation and the optimized branchless version. While acknowledging potential compiler optimizations, the post argues that explicit branchless code can offer more predictable performance characteristics across different compilers and architectures.
Hacker News users discussed the cleverness of the branchless UTF-8 encoding technique presented, with some expressing admiration for its conciseness and efficiency. Several commenters delved into the performance implications, debating whether the branchless approach truly offered benefits over branch-based methods in modern CPUs with advanced branch prediction. Some pointed out potential downsides, like increased code size and complexity, which could offset performance gains in certain scenarios. Others shared alternative implementations and optimizations, including using lookup tables. The discussion also touched upon the trade-offs between performance, code readability, and maintainability, with some advocating for simpler, more understandable code even at a slight performance cost. A few users questioned the practical relevance of optimizing UTF-8 encoding, suggesting it's rarely a bottleneck in real-world applications.
Summary of Comments ( 11 )
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43717606
Hacker News users discussed the technical challenges and potential benefits of HDR emoji. Some questioned the practicality, citing the limited support for HDR across devices and platforms, and the minimal visual impact on small emoji. Others pointed out potential issues with color accuracy and the increased file sizes of HDR images. However, some expressed enthusiasm for the possibility of more vibrant and nuanced emoji, especially in messaging apps that already support HDR images. The discussion also touched on the artistic considerations of designing HDR emoji, and the need for careful implementation to avoid overly bright or distracting results. Several commenters highlighted the fact that Apple already utilizes a wide color gamut for emoji, suggesting the actual benefit of true HDR might be less significant than perceived.
The Hacker News post "HDR‑Infused Emoji" discussing the blog post about HDR emoji generated a moderate amount of discussion, with several commenters exploring various aspects of the topic.
Some users questioned the practical value and necessity of HDR emoji, particularly given the small display size and limited dynamic range of most devices where emoji are commonly viewed. One commenter pointed out the irony of using HDR in such a small format, suggesting it's akin to "HDR for ants." Another user questioned whether the perceived benefits would be noticeable at all, especially on devices not equipped with HDR displays.
Others expressed skepticism about the technical implementation and potential compatibility issues. Concerns were raised about the increased file sizes of HDR emoji and the potential impact on performance and bandwidth usage. One commenter highlighted the lack of widespread adoption of HDR across platforms, raising doubts about the practicality of the technology for emoji. Another user suggested that the extra data required for HDR might negate the benefits of small emoji file sizes.
Several commenters discussed the existing challenges with emoji rendering and consistency across different platforms. One user noted the already-existing issues with emoji variation and how HDR could potentially exacerbate these problems. Another pointed out that improving the basic rendering and consistency of emoji across platforms should be prioritized over adding features like HDR.
A few commenters explored the potential future applications of HDR emoji, suggesting that they could be useful in augmented reality (AR) or virtual reality (VR) environments. One commenter speculated about potential applications in messaging apps like iMessage, though acknowledged the current technical limitations. Another suggested the potential for animated stickers with HDR, potentially opening up new avenues for creative expression.
There was also a brief discussion about the technical details of HDR, with one user explaining the limitations of the Rec. 2020 color space. Another comment offered insights into the RGB nature of emoji and the potential complexities of applying HDR to them.
Finally, some users expressed general disinterest or amusement at the concept, with one commenter sarcastically suggesting "HDR toast notifications" as the next logical step. Another user simply stated, "This is absurd," reflecting a sentiment shared by some regarding the practicality of HDR emoji.