HN user
Tenured prof here. Every paper of mine goes on Arxiv with no exceptions, published under CC BY-NC-ND licenses. Some of us are working hard to overcome the system (e.g. look at the IACR's efforts). Unfortunately, academics are still hindered by institutional inertia; in fact, many prefer the status quo, usually those who rely on prestige over actual quality to advance their careers.
Use HTML rather then PDF.
Tenured prof here. Academics don't use HTML, despite its obvious advantages. The incentive system is deeply broken. No big-name journal or conference will accept a well-formatted HTML over their proprietary Latex/Word format. Latex to PDF converters generally suck.
It's important to note that most ECC is not quantum-resistant and will be obsoleted in the coming years following completion of NIST's post-quantum cryptography competition.
Indeed, OpenSSH recently enabled PQC by default (NTRU Prime over X25519) [1]. ECC has, at best, a short-to-medium term lifespan right now.
1. https://www.zdnet.com/article/openssh-now-defaults-to-protec...
Sadly, this omits a hard truth that impactful research requires near-total dedication. The payoff is highly non-linear versus time invested; conducting research part-time is a recipe for underperformance, which is (partly) why research funders often contractually cap the hours one may work externally while a staff researcher or PhD student.
This thread resonates a lot having graduated in 2013. I've worked for several years in three major European cities — London, Cambridge and Brussels — on above average salaries as a data scientist in the financial sector. I'm also a former Samsung employee; I received a good hand from life's lottery.
Yet, a modest family home is out of my reach once childcare and other bills are considered. This is in sharp contrast to my parents who school without degrees, bought a 3-bedroom house in their early 20s and who are now both retired.
What went wrong?