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Category: Development

Netflix Asks Writers to Have Characters Announce Their Actions

2024-12-28

Netflix is instructing its writers to have characters explicitly state their actions and plans, a move aimed at ensuring viewers don't miss plot points even if they're only casually watching. This approach, while generating controversy among some writers who see it as a violation of established storytelling principles, highlights Netflix's concern over dwindling viewer attention spans. This follows a previous request for more dramatic opening scenes within the first five minutes of its productions, further underscoring the platform's focus on viewer retention.

(www.worldofreel.com)
Development screenwriting viewer attention

libobscura: Tackling the Challenges of Camera Programming on Linux

2024-12-28

Using cameras on Linux isn't easy, leading to the creation of libobscura. This project aims to simplify the Video4Linux interface, providing a user-friendly point-and-shoot API. Born from experience developing the camera stack for the Librem 5 and addressing the complexities of libcamera, the talk dives into the intricate details of modern camera control. From pixel formats and depths to media entities, sensitivity, denoising, and more, the challenges are numerous. Funded by the Prototype Fund, libobscura seeks to navigate these complexities, ultimately creating a more accessible camera API for Linux users.

(media.ccc.de)
Development camera

LLMs: The Biggest Mistake in Computing?

2024-12-28

The author criticizes Large Language Models (LLMs), arguing they are not the future of computing but a potential setback. For decades, corporations prioritized profit over software quality and user experience, resulting in slow, bloated, and buggy software. LLMs perpetuate this trend, being slow, expensive, and unreliable. The author worries that massive investments will prevent their abandonment, leading to a computing world dominated by a few giants, stifling innovation, and depriving future generations of high-quality software.

(crys.site)
Development Tech Ethics

Free Software Needs Free Tools: An Ethical Dilemma in Open Source Development

2024-12-28

This article explores the ethical dilemma faced by free software developers who use non-free development tools. The author argues that, for efficiency's sake, many developers have opted for proprietary tools or network services like BitKeeper, SourceForge, and GitHub, sacrificing the freedom of both developers and users. The author uses the example of the Linux kernel's move to BitKeeper and the subsequent forced development of Git to illustrate the risks of relying on proprietary tools. Using non-free tools, the author emphasizes, not only harms the credibility of the open-source movement but also restricts software freedom, ultimately resulting in software that isn't truly free. The author calls on developers to prioritize free and open-source development tools, upholding the values of open-source software and avoiding the sacrifice of freedom for efficiency.

(mako.cc)
Development development tools

Ada's Dependent Types: An Unexpected Coincidence

2024-12-28

This article explores the lesser-known dependent types feature in the Ada programming language. The author argues that Ada's design goal of avoiding unnecessary dynamic memory allocation led to its unique implementation of dependent types: using a second non-call stack to return data of unknown compile-time size, cleverly circumventing the need for dynamic allocation. This unexpectedly coincides with the formal definition of dependent types, showcasing an unforeseen serendipity in Ada's design. The article further explains concepts in Ada's type system such as derived types, subtypes, discriminated records, and type predicates, demonstrating how these features enable the implementation of dependent types. Finally, the author discusses the interesting interplay between Ada's design philosophy and academic research on type theory, suggesting that many of Ada's type system features didn't originate directly from type theory research, but rather evolved naturally to meet specific needs.

(nytpu.com)
Development

Beware of Over-Abstraction: The Hidden Costs in Software Development

2024-12-28

Overuse of abstraction layers in software development can lead to performance degradation and code complexity. The article argues that good abstractions should hide underlying complexity, such as the TCP protocol. However, many so-called abstractions merely add extra layers of indirection without providing real value, increasing cognitive load, debugging difficulty, and performance overhead. The author advises developers to use abstractions judiciously, prioritizing code simplicity and performance, and avoiding abstraction for abstraction's sake.

(fhur.me)
Development abstraction

Mixin: A Powerful Bytecode Weaving Framework for Java

2024-12-28

Mixin is a trait/mixin and bytecode weaving framework for Java using ASM, hooking into the runtime classloading process via pluggable services. It supports Mojang's LegacyLauncher (deprecated in favor of the more extensible ModLauncher), and is compatible with Java 8 and later. Mixin offers extensive documentation, Maven repositories, and tooling, including an Annotation Processor for handling obfuscation tasks, and integration with Eclipse and IntelliJ IDEA. Its version history details feature additions and bug fixes, aiding developers in choosing the appropriate version.

(github.com)
Development bytecode Mixin framework

Ghostty Terminal Emulator Reaches 1.0: A Journey of Challenges and Triumphs

2024-12-28

Mitchell Hashimoto's journey to release Ghostty 1.0, his terminal emulator, spanned two years and overcame numerous challenges. Initially a personal project to explore Zig and graphics programming, Ghostty unexpectedly gained significant traction. To balance family life and development, Hashimoto employed a private beta, yielding invaluable community feedback but also resulting in frustration from those excluded. Ghostty 1.0 distinguishes itself with its unique tech stack (Zig core and platform-specific GUIs) and impressive performance. Future plans include open-sourcing the core library, libghostty, to further expand Ghostty's impact.

(mitchellh.com)
Development

Caravan: A Flexible Transport-Based Logging System for JavaScript/TypeScript

2024-12-28

Caravan is a flexible, transport-based logging system for JavaScript/TypeScript applications. It supports multiple transports (console, file, Datadog, BetterStack, etc.), log level filtering, context binding through forked loggers, and data redaction. Developers can easily log basic messages, metadata, and context-aware information, improving debugging and monitoring. Its TypeScript-first design enhances developer experience.

(github.com)
Development logging system

SBCL Compiler Optimization: Speeding Up Compilation of (lambda () nil)

2024-12-28

The SBCL compiler received a significant optimization that dramatically improves the compilation speed of empty functions like `(lambda () nil)`. Previously, compilation generated many redundant functions. This optimization identifies and handles these special cases, directly returning a predefined empty function, thus avoiding unnecessary computation and significantly increasing compilation speed. This improvement is especially effective when dealing with large amounts of code containing empty functions, reducing compilation time and boosting developer productivity.

(github.com)
Development compiler optimization lambda function

HTML/ZIP/PNG Polyglot Files: A Clever Format Fusion

2024-12-28

This article details a clever method for creating HTML/ZIP/PNG polyglot files. By cleverly utilizing the flexible structure of the ZIP format and the fault tolerance of HTML, along with the characteristics of PNG files, web pages and their resources are packaged into a self-extracting PNG file. The article explains in detail how to handle character encoding, data reading, and cross-format compatibility issues, ultimately achieving an efficient and compact web archiving scheme. This demonstrates programmer ingenuity and a deep understanding of data formats.

(gildas-lormeau.github.io)
Development polyglot files

Demystifying Common Microcontroller Debug Protocols

2024-12-27

This talk delves into common microcontroller debugging protocols like JTAG and SWD. Starting from the physical signals, it explains how these protocols work, covering common mechanisms for managing embedded processors and interacting with various microcontrollers. The presentation explores the meaning of debugging embedded software, building a list of requirements for a comfortable debugging environment, and referencing existing custom debug approaches. Examples range from FPGA cores to tiny 8-bit microcontrollers. Common abstractions like ARM's ADI and RISC-V DMI are also covered, bridging the gap between protocols and core control. Finally, it explains common tasks like flash programming, watchpoints, and single-stepping.

(media.ccc.de)
Development Microcontroller Debugging

Kando: The Efficiency Tool That Redefines Productivity

2024-12-27

Kando is an open-source, free efficiency tool available for Windows, macOS, and Linux. It uses gesture recognition to let you select tools and actions in milliseconds, even navigating deeply nested menus with ease. Kando makes your entire screen a clickable target; no more precise aiming at tiny buttons! The latest release boasts a fantastic new icon, with details of the design process available on Ko-fi. Try it today!

(kando.menu)
Development efficiency tool gesture recognition

Pseudonymity in Academic Publishing: A Wikipedia Edit Sparks Debate

2024-12-27

A paper on editing mathematics on Wikipedia has sparked a debate about pseudonymity in academic publishing. One of the authors used the Wikipedia pseudonym "XOR'easter," but the American Mathematical Society (AMS) refused to publish the paper because they didn't know the author's real-world identity. This highlights the conflict between internet pseudonymity and traditional academic publishing, and the question of how readily academia accepts anonymous publications. The authors argue that Wikipedia's pseudonymity policy protects editors, and that academia needs to rethink the meaning of anonymous publication.

(11011110.github.io)
Development academic publishing pseudonymity wikipedia

NeatShift: A Modern Windows File Organization Tool

2024-12-27

NeatShift is a modern Windows application designed to help users organize their files and folders efficiently and safely using symbolic links. It features a clean interface, drag-and-drop functionality, link management, and error prevention. The application is easy to install and run, requiring no additional dependencies. Currently in testing, it includes automatic system restore point creation for safety, though manual backups are strongly recommended.

(github.com)
Development file management symbolic links Windows utility

Programming Lewis Carroll's *Memoria Technica*

2024-12-27

This article explores Lewis Carroll's *Memoria Technica*, a cipher he devised to aid in remembering numbers. The cipher maps consonants to digits, ignoring vowels and punctuation. The article describes the cipher's mechanics, presents online tools for encoding and decoding, and discusses its potential use in steganography. The authors detail their TypeScript implementation, highlighting optimizations for efficiency. Examples illustrate encoding and decoding, and the article analyzes the cipher's strengths and weaknesses as a steganographic technique, including a potential vulnerability related to letter and digit frequency discrepancies.

(ztoz.blog)
Development Steganography

DivestOS Mobile Ends 10-Year Run, Developer Announces End of Updates

2024-12-27

DivestOS, a privacy-focused mobile operating system, announced the end of its updates on its tenth anniversary. The project, boasting over 7,000 git commits, achieved significant success, but due to sustainability concerns, developer Tavi has decided to cease maintenance. DivestOS and its apps will receive no further updates, and Hypatia and Carrion will no longer receive database updates. Non-mobile Divested projects (e.g., Brace, D-WRT) will continue to be maintained. Thank you to all users, contributors, and donors for your support.

(divestos.org)
Development mobile OS end of updates

Houseplant: Streamlining ClickHouse Database Migrations

2024-12-27

Houseplant is a command-line tool designed to simplify ClickHouse database migration management. It allows developers to write migrations in a user-friendly YAML format, making them easy to read and maintain. Simple commands like `houseplant init`, `houseplant generate`, and `houseplant migrate` enable initialization, migration generation, execution, and rollback. Houseplant supports various environment configurations and offers an intuitive command-line interface for seamless ClickHouse schema management.

(houseplant.readthedocs.io)
Development Database Migrations

WordPress Co-founder's Christmas Eve Joke Sparks Community Outrage

2024-12-27

On Christmas Eve, Matt Mullenweg, co-founder of WordPress, stirred up controversy on Reddit by asking for suggestions on what "drama" he should create in 2025 for WordPress. The post, suggesting changes like altering release naming conventions or design, was met with significant backlash from the community. Many felt the post was disrespectful and urged him to focus on resolving ongoing legal issues and restoring community stability. Mullenweg responded that he was merely aiming to spark creativity and hinted at future developments in Gutenberg. The controversy highlights concerns within the WordPress community regarding leadership and the future direction of the platform.

(wptavern.com)
Development community controversy

A Programmer's Lesson: Always Bundle a Proposal with a Complaint

2024-12-27

In 1988 at Apple, a young, cocky engineer, Kent Beck, was summoned to Jean-Louis Gassée's office after sending an email complaining about a company decision. Instead of anger, Gassée challenged Beck to consider his perspective and rewrite the email as a proposal for a solution. This experience taught Beck three valuable lessons: most problems aren't as big as they seem; always include a solution with a complaint; and effective communication requires empathy. This anecdote highlights crucial workplace communication skills and the importance of understanding different viewpoints.

(tidyfirst.substack.com)
Development workplace communication proposal empathy

GitHub Repo Visualization Tool: GitDiagram

2024-12-27

GitDiagram is a powerful tool that transforms any GitHub repository into an interactive diagram for quick and intuitive project visualization. Simply replace 'hub' with 'diagram' in any GitHub URL to generate the diagram. It supports popular frameworks like FastAPI, Streamlit, and Flask, making it easy for developers to use.

(gitdiagram.com)
Development

Invariants: Advances in Computation and Applications

2024-12-27

A tutorial paper published in the proceedings of ISSAC 2023 explores the computation and applications of invariants in mathematics. The paper focuses on the interplay between differential and algebraic invariant theories, presenting an algebraic adaptation of the moving frame method from differential geometry to compute a generating set of rational invariants. It also discusses the role of differential invariant signatures in solving equivalence problems in geometry and algebra, and the challenges in designing algorithms based on this concept.

(arxiv.org)
Development invariants differential geometry

Arcan OS: A Revolutionary Approach to Operating System Design

2024-12-27

Arcan is a single-user, user-facing, networked overlay operating system designed to provide users with complete autonomy over their computing devices. Independent of Linux or BSD kernels, it operates as a 'vagabond' across various ecosystems. Arcan utilizes a shared memory interface (SHMIF) and the A12 network protocol for efficient inter-process communication, employing 'frameservers' to isolate security-sensitive tasks. Its programmable interface ALT, Appl application model, and diverse user interfaces (Console, Durden, Safespaces) create a flexible and powerful system. Arcan aims to counter the network lock-in and security threats posed by large platforms, enhancing user autonomy and security.

(arcan-fe.com)
Development autonomy

Web3 Insider Confesses: I Barely Use Web3

2024-12-27

A Web3 veteran since 2018 confesses to rarely using crypto, highlighting the industry's stagnation. Despite billions invested, Web3 products fail to meet the needs of non-crypto users, largely offering volatility and online entertainment. The author reflects on the industry's focus on developer tools over consumer products, noting the shortcomings of traditional finance—high fees, inefficiency—without driving mass crypto adoption. Personal concerns about compliance, wallet management, time constraints, and risk aversion lead him to prioritize simpler investment strategies. He suggests Web3 might be better suited for a future generation.

(research.auditless.com)
Development cryptocurrency industry development

GitHub Project: Daily Dutch Vocabulary Email Automation

2024-12-27

This GitHub project automates the daily delivery of an email containing three C1-level Dutch words, their English translations, and example sentences. The author created this project due to a lack of suitable learning tools, leveraging ChatGPT for word suggestions and AWS services (including Lambda, DynamoDB, and SES) for automation. The project architecture is straightforward but offers room for improvement, such as refactoring the Python code for better performance.

(github.com)
Development automation dutch learning

Implementing the SM-2 Algorithm in Rust: An Improved Spaced Repetition System

2024-12-27

The author implemented the SuperMemo SM-2 algorithm, a modified version used in the spaced repetition software Mochi, in Rust. This algorithm dynamically adjusts review intervals based on user performance ratings to optimize learning efficiency. The article details the algorithm's mechanics, including the calculation of the ease factor (EF), determining review intervals, and how user ratings affect algorithm parameters. Rust code is provided with explanations of key design choices.

(borretti.me)
Development spaced repetition SM-2 algorithm

Simple Live Calculator using Tree-sitter and Cranelift JIT

2024-12-27

This GitHub project demonstrates a simple live calculator built with Tree-sitter and Cranelift JIT. The core code is highly integrated for ease of understanding. The project includes the grammar, a REPL interface, stress tests, and benchmarks. Modifying the grammar automatically updates the main binary. Syntax highlighting is used as an example of Tree-sitter's capabilities.

(github.com)
Development Live Calculator

The Gap Between Strong and Weak Engineers

2024-12-27

This article explores the capabilities that differentiate strong engineers from average ones. Strong engineers can accomplish tasks that weaker engineers cannot, such as resolving complex bugs, improving legacy code, and undertaking significant architectural overhauls. Weaker engineers struggle with these tasks even with ample time. The article highlights that strong engineers are not simply more efficient but possess the ability to solve complex problems, while weaker engineers are virtually incapable of completing most engineering tasks. The article also offers advice on collaborating with weaker senior engineers, emphasizing the need to be kind but protective of one's time, avoiding excessive demands.

(www.seangoedecke.com)
Development engineer capabilities

Quiver: A Modern Commutative Diagram Editor for the Web

2024-12-27

Quiver is a modern web-based editor for creating commutative diagrams. It allows for rapid creation of complex diagrams, rendering them in high quality for screen viewing and exporting to LaTeX via tikz-cd. Features include intuitive interface, support for pullbacks, pushouts, adjunctions, and higher cells, multiple selection, history, custom macros, and HTML embedding for easy sharing. Creating diagrams is significantly faster than writing equivalent LaTeX by hand.

(github.com)
Development commutative diagram web editor

SkunkHTML: A GitHub Pages Static Site Generator

2024-12-27

SkunkHTML is a static site generator powered by GitHub Actions, enabling users to quickly create and deploy personal blogs or websites to GitHub Pages using Markdown files. Simply upload your Markdown files to the `/markdown-blog/` folder, and GitHub Actions automatically builds and deploys the updated site. SkunkHTML supports the Giscus commenting system and provides detailed documentation and examples. The project is completely open-source and can be forked directly on GitHub without needing a local download.

(github.com)
Development static site generator
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