[HN Gopher] Inside ArXiv
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Inside ArXiv
Author : fprog
Score : 70 points
Date : 2025-04-19 18:42 UTC (4 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (www.wired.com)
(TXT) w3m dump (www.wired.com)
| mitchbob wrote:
| https://archive.ph/2025.03.27-115038/https://www.wired.com/s...
|
| http://web.archive.org/web/20250419005938/https://www.wired....
| westurner wrote:
| ArXiv: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ArXiv
|
| ArXiv accepts .ps (PostScript), .tex (LaTeX source), and .pdf
| (PDF) ScholarlyArticle uploads.
|
| ArXiv docs > Formats for text of submission:
| https://info.arxiv.org/help/submit/index.html#formats-for-te...
|
| The internet and the web are the most transformative platforms in
| all of science, though.
| elashri wrote:
| > I learned Fortran in the 1960s, and real programmers didn't
| document
|
| I have a reason to believe that this is not the first time I
| heard this argument coming from a boomer physicist.
| Y_Y wrote:
| ArXiv has been on a PR blitz lately. Enshittification incoming.
| At least they lasted longer than GitHub.
| MinimalAction wrote:
| arXiv has nothing to gain by a PR blitz. Any academic knows
| what is arXiv exactly for, and there is no intention to grow
| user base or whatever. It's not a social media.
| fogof wrote:
| Not sure I agree with the comment you're responding to. But
| the article discusses some of their funding troubles, and the
| main mage of arxiv.org itself has a donate link. So I think
| perhaps the media presence might be motivated by a desire to
| fundraise (and IMO they absolutely deserve funding because of
| the important work they do).
| MinimalAction wrote:
| You're right. I didn't consider the funding angle at all,
| but only the accusation of "enshittification" which usually
| comes from a VC or an entity that wants to generate more
| profits by expanding. On the other hand, I do think Simons
| Foundations would not let arXiv die. Also, I don't agree
| that arXiv's media presence has ulterior motives after all.
| It might just be that it's getting its share of fame.
| maxbond wrote:
| We're in a political climate where scientific institutions are
| under threat, so of course they will loudly justify their own
| existence and value. It'd be irresponsible of them not to.
| That's not all that similar to a company being acquired and
| subsequently squeezed for value. ArXiv isn't a loss leader for
| a venture backed firm.
| behnamoh wrote:
| arXiv has one of my papers on hold for a long time because their
| team couldn't believe I--someone without a CS degree--was able to
| create a programming language from scratch on my own.
| sundarurfriend wrote:
| The article has a melancholic tone running through it, felt
| especially keenly when you consider it a microcosm of the much
| wider struggles of maintaining a public good: sustaining it while
| keeping its integrity.
|
| When your service is small or not easily visible - while still
| doing significant good - it's hard to find enough people willing
| to spend their time and resources helping you sustain it.
|
| When your service becomes big enough to be noticeable - which is
| the arXiv is in by now - it also becomes attractive to the people
| looking to subvert it to be something else, to enshittify it, and
| so the limiting factor in getting help becomes the risk to its
| integrity.
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(page generated 2025-04-19 23:01 UTC)