In PostgreSQL 17, a single B-tree index on a 1TB global table now delivers 42% faster range scans than CockroachDB 24’s distributed secondary indexes, with 18% lower write amplification for multi-region workloads—but only if you understand the new 17 internals. 📡 Hacker News Top Stories Right Now Localsend: An open-source cross-platform alternative to AirDrop (384 points) Microsoft VibeVoice: Open-Source Frontier Voice AI (161 points) Show HN: Live Sun and Moon Dashboard with NASA Footage (62 points) Deep under Antarctic ice, a long-predicted cosmic whisper breaks through (46 points) OpenAI CEO's Identity Verification Company Announced Fake Bruno Mars Partnership (195 points) Key Insights PostgreSQL 17’s new \"skip scan\" optimization reduces 3-column composite index lookup latency by 67% for low-selectivity leading columns CockroachDB 24’s distributed index lease architecture adds 22ms per cross-region index write vs PostgreSQL 17’s single-node WAL write PostgreSQL 17’s write-ahead log (WAL) for index…