frontpage.
newsnewestaskshowjobs

Made with ♥ by @iamnishanth

Open Source @Github

fp.

Open in hackernews

Ask HN: Which function definition keyword do you prefer, def or fn?

1•winwang•8mo ago
I'm curious about what people think of `def` vs `fn`, two short keywords for starting function definitions.

...Or maybe we should subscribe to the church of `df`, haha.

Comments

sitkack•8mo ago
def could be for lots of things, fn is for functions. I don't think it matters much as long as you have one. C would have been so much easier to parse. Just copy Zig or Rust.
butlersean•8mo ago
def means define, could be used to define all kinds of things

fn isnt a legitimate short form of function

fun doesnt work because of the amusement factor

func is the only alternative we have left

sitkack•8mo ago
How about unicode or emojis?

These don't have the full fidelity as hn scrubs emojis

add = (a, b) -> a + b

a, b ⟹ a + b

λ add(a, b): ↪ a + b

johncoltrane•8mo ago
"def" is too generic.

"fn" is too cryptic.

"function" is better than the two.

MultifokalHirn•8mo ago
Agreed

The Project

https://zenodo.org/records/18357627
1•KaoruAK•3m ago•0 comments

Ancient giant kangaroos could hop when they needed to

https://phys.org/news/2026-01-ancient-giant-kangaroos-hindlimb.html
1•gmays•6m ago•0 comments

I produced a better way to get agents to make quality code, not just syntax

https://ai-lint.dosaygo.com
1•keepamovin•13m ago•0 comments

Shark attack truth: Why experts won't admit population boom

https://www.news.com.au/technology/science/animals/shark-attack-truth-why-experts-wont-admit-popu...
1•SirLJ•34m ago•0 comments

The 2026 Linux Summer Games [video]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URbW3j_GYKg
1•zdw•36m ago•0 comments

Yat Another HTTP Proxy Analyzer

https://github.com/jp/Hermes-Proxy
1•gros_pigeon•41m ago•1 comments

ICE flew 2-year-old to Texas despite court order to release her from custody

https://kstp.com/kstp-news/top-news/ice-flew-2-year-old-to-texas-despite-court-order-to-release-h...
6•therobots927•43m ago•0 comments

Nvidia and Linux, a Question

1•mashally•44m ago•2 comments

Europeans Can Turn 2 Car Seats into 4 Child Seats, but It's Illegal in America

https://www.theautopian.com/why-europeans-can-convert-two-car-seats-into-four-child-seats-but-its...
6•josephcsible•45m ago•1 comments

Need Feedback for Idea

1•molozey•46m ago•0 comments

"People are going to stop and ask you, 'How can I help?' Let them."

https://www.npr.org/2026/01/20/nx-s1-5683170/let-them-the-small-bit-of-advice-that-made-a-big-dif...
1•NaOH•51m ago•0 comments

NASA about to send people to the moon – in a spacecraft not everyone thinks safe

https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/23/science/artemis-2-orion-capsule-heat-shield
2•everybodyknows•55m ago•1 comments

Have We Been Wrong About Language for 70 Years? New Study Challenges Theory

https://scitechdaily.com/have-we-been-wrong-about-language-for-70-years-new-study-challenges-long...
1•mikhael•1h ago•0 comments

Health insurance execs shift blame for costly, confusing health care system

https://www.statnews.com/2026/01/22/health-insurance-execs-blame-high-costs-hospitals-doctors-pha...
2•brandonb•1h ago•0 comments

Get Shit Done

https://github.com/glittercowboy/get-shit-done
1•davidkimai•1h ago•0 comments

Fuggerei

https://www.fugger.de/en/fuggerei
1•thunderbong•1h ago•0 comments

Ask HN: How are you enforcing permissions for AI agent tool calls in production?

1•amjadfatmi1•1h ago•0 comments

Caroline Ellison Former Alameda CEO Released from Prison After 440 Days

https://www.sec.gov/enforcement-litigation/litigation-releases/lr-26450
42•sizzle•1h ago•8 comments

The Epic Survey of Mason and Dixon

https://www.nspe.org/career-growth/pe-magazine/march-2014/the-epic-survey-mason-dixon
1•MrBuddyCasino•1h ago•0 comments

Agency Recruiters can sell retained searches

https://talnet.co/posts/how-agency-recruiters-can-sell-retained-searches-20260242311174
1•bouia•1h ago•0 comments

Turn any developer into a low performer

https://pipify.lovable.app/
1•thedeep_mind•1h ago•1 comments

Agents.md as a Dark Signal

https://joshmock.com/post/2026-agents-md-as-a-dark-signal/
1•vinhnx•1h ago•0 comments

December in Servo

https://servo.org/blog/2026/01/23/december-in-servo/
1•todsacerdoti•1h ago•0 comments

Ditching Flickr for Immich, Protecting My Kids

https://ericcaron.com/securing-memories-upgrading-privacy/
1•ecaron•1h ago•0 comments

A new direction for students in an AI world: Prosper, prepare, protect

https://www.brookings.edu/articles/a-new-direction-for-students-in-an-ai-world-prosper-prepare-pr...
1•gmays•1h ago•0 comments

AI can 10x developers in creating tech debt

https://stackoverflow.blog/2026/01/23/ai-can-10x-developers-in-creating-tech-debt/
8•thebeardisred•1h ago•3 comments

Why a God Can't Play a Link to the Past [video]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQ6e2_QKnmg
1•todsacerdoti•1h ago•0 comments

Show HN: A simple algorithm for shifting solid-color image backgrounds (WASM)

https://github.com/ufoym/bgcolor-shift
4•ufoym•1h ago•0 comments

Customer growth is slow. Who do I talk to?

1•alance•1h ago•2 comments

The End of Discovery?

https://write.as/thoughts-on-nanofactories/the-end-of-discovery
1•soundworlds•1h ago•0 comments