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Ok, sorry for being ignorant but I'm not a web developer. So: What is so special about this? Is there some new technology in use? I'm clearly not getting somet

Ok, sorry for being ignorant but I'm not a web developer. So: What is so special about this? Is there some new technology in use? I'm clearly not getting something with this submission.

_pmf_ 13y ago
It runs on "The Web (TM)"[1] without plugin. That makes it very amazing and innovative, apparently. [1] "The Web (TM)" being just the right combination of operating system, specific browser version and graphic card.
- hkmurakami 13y ago
  kind of like the "net" interactive animation with physics in the browser which iirc was done with asm.js (there was a thread on HN about a month ago but I can't seem to find it now)
  - andyjohnson0 13y ago
    Tearable Cloth Simulation in JavaScript https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5592679 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5592679
- smackfu 13y ago
  And the funny thing is that the main things that make these demos possible are: 1) They finally said "ok, you can just update pixels directly like a 1980s computer". 2) Computers are fast enough to run Javascript at decent frame rates now.
olalonde 13y ago
1. Demonstrates a cool algorithm most HNers are not familiar with. 2. It's written in a language most HNers are familiar with. 3. Doesn't require any special environment to watch or play with. 4. It's open source.
- a-nikolaev 13y ago
  I think, the algorithm is not really special btw. In fact this is very basic physics simulation. I could not decipher the JS code, but each lock can be replicated as a chain of connected nodes (i.e. there is a force between them or a constraint to keep them connected) + added radial force from the mouse + small random noise. You keep track of each node's position, and its velocity. If connectedness is simulated as a force, it can be as simple as 1) Compute force {Fx,Fy} for each node, then integrate: 2) vx(t+dt) = vx(t) + (Fx/m) * dt 3) x(t+dt) = x(t) + vx(t+dt) * dt If it is using constraints than the code is more complex though, but for this kind of simulation constraints are overshoot probably. You can add gravity too, it can be a fun addition..
kevincennis 13y ago
I can't really speak to why it would be interesting to non-web developers. But for those of us whose days consist mostly of writing JavaScript, this is pretty cool. Stuff like this hasn't been possible until recently, and I would guess (anecdotally) that most of us don't have much experience with coding graphics/animation. It's not that anyone thinks this is groundbreaking computer science. It's just introducing something interesting and fun to developers who might not have known this kind of thing was even possible.

Ok, sorry for being ignorant but I'm not a web developer. So: What is so special about this? Is there some new technology in use? I'm clearly not getting something with this submission.

_pmf_ 13y ago

It runs on "The Web (TM)"[1] without plugin. That makes it very amazing and innovative, apparently. [1] "The Web (TM)" being just the right combination of operating system, specific browser version and graphic card.

hkmurakami 13y ago
kind of like the "net" interactive animation with physics in the browser which iirc was done with asm.js (there was a thread on HN about a month ago but I can't seem to find it now)
- andyjohnson0 13y ago
  Tearable Cloth Simulation in JavaScript https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5592679 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5592679
smackfu 13y ago
And the funny thing is that the main things that make these demos possible are: 1) They finally said "ok, you can just update pixels directly like a 1980s computer". 2) Computers are fast enough to run Javascript at decent frame rates now.

olalonde 13y ago

1. Demonstrates a cool algorithm most HNers are not familiar with. 2. It's written in a language most HNers are familiar with. 3. Doesn't require any special environment to watch or play with. 4. It's open source.

a-nikolaev 13y ago
I think, the algorithm is not really special btw. In fact this is very basic physics simulation. I could not decipher the JS code, but each lock can be replicated as a chain of connected nodes (i.e. there is a force between them or a constraint to keep them connected) + added radial force from the mouse + small random noise. You keep track of each node's position, and its velocity. If connectedness is simulated as a force, it can be as simple as 1) Compute force {Fx,Fy} for each node, then integrate: 2) vx(t+dt) = vx(t) + (Fx/m) * dt 3) x(t+dt) = x(t) + vx(t+dt) * dt If it is using constraints than the code is more complex though, but for this kind of simulation constraints are overshoot probably. You can add gravity too, it can be a fun addition..

kevincennis 13y ago

I can't really speak to why it would be interesting to non-web developers. But for those of us whose days consist mostly of writing JavaScript, this is pretty cool. Stuff like this hasn't been possible until recently, and I would guess (anecdotally) that most of us don't have much experience with coding graphics/animation. It's not that anyone thinks this is groundbreaking computer science. It's just introducing something interesting and fun to developers who might not have known this kind of thing was even possible.