Popular：
Virtualization DNS security formal verification reachability analysis compiler errors macro conflict web extension development framework Bitmap Graphics API inconsistencies All Tags

Category: Development

Portspoof: Open-Source Port Spoofing Tool Thwarts Port Scans

2024-12-25

Portspoof is an open-source port spoofing tool designed to enhance OS security. It confuses port scanners by always keeping all 65535 TCP ports open and responding with SYN+ACK to every connection attempt. Furthermore, Portspoof boasts a massive database of dynamic service signatures, mimicking various service banners to further hinder attackers from identifying real services. This significantly increases the time and difficulty for attackers to perform port scans and service identification, effectively improving system security without requiring root privileges.

(github.com)
Development port spoofing

Cognitive Load: The Silent Killer in Software Development

2024-12-25

This article explores the importance of cognitive load in software development. Cognitive load refers to the amount of mental effort a developer needs to complete a task; high cognitive load leads to confusion, wasted time, and money. The article analyzes intrinsic and extraneous cognitive load, illustrating how to reduce extraneous load through code examples, such as using meaningful intermediate variables, avoiding nested if statements, and prioritizing composition over inheritance. It also stresses avoiding excessive microservices, choosing appropriate language features, and adhering to the Single Responsibility Principle, noting that excessive abstraction and layered architectures can increase cognitive load. Finally, the article advises developers to focus on code readability and collaborate with junior developers to identify and improve cognitive load issues.

(minds.md)
Development cognitive load code readability

Sherlock Project: Hunt Down Social Media Accounts Across 400+ Networks

2024-12-25

The Sherlock Project is a powerful tool allowing users to search for social media accounts across 400+ networks using only a username. It's easy to get started with simple installation and usage instructions, and supports a wide range of sites. Community contributions are welcome, enabling users to add new sites and improve functionality.

(sherlockproject.xyz)
Development social media search account search Sherlock Project

MDN Learning Resources Get a Major Overhaul: New Learning Experience Launched

2024-12-25

In December 2024, MDN launched a major update to its "Learn Web Development" section, merging the MDN Curriculum with existing learning content to create a more streamlined learning path. This upgrade addresses previous issues like bloated content and unclear learning pathways, providing a clearer and more accessible experience for beginners. The new site uses a modular structure with "Getting Started," "Core," and "Extensions" sections, incorporating clear learning objectives and interactive content. MDN will continue to improve content and design, aiming to deliver even better learning resources in the future.

(developer.mozilla.org)
Development Web Development Learning Learning Resource Upgrade

Microsoft Research Unveils F*: A Proof-Oriented Programming Language

2024-12-25

F* (pronounced F star) is a general-purpose, proof-oriented programming language supporting both purely functional and effectful programming. Combining the expressive power of dependent types with automated proof generation via SMT solving and tactic-based interactive theorem proving, F* defaults to compiling to OCaml. However, it can also be extracted to F#, C, or WebAssembly using KaRaMeL, or to assembly using Vale. Developed and actively maintained by Microsoft Research, Inria, and the community, the open-source F* is used in various projects, including those within Mozilla Firefox and the Linux kernel, showcasing its applications in security, cryptography, and systems development.

(fstar-lang.org)
Development proof-oriented programming dependent types

OKRs: Tool or Trap?

2024-12-25

This article explores the duality of OKRs (Objectives and Key Results). The author points out that many companies misuse OKRs for performance reviews, leading teams to overemphasize measurable metrics while neglecting the actual objectives and external effects. The author uses the example of Alexa to illustrate how blindly pursuing key results can be counterproductive. In contrast, Honeycomb uses OKRs as a tool for communication and reflection, treating key results as clues to observe the world and improve work, rather than ultimate judgment criteria, thus avoiding metric distortion.

(jessitron.com)
Development OKRs performance review goal management

EZRGB: Powering Animated Holiday Light Shows with DBOS

2024-12-25

EZRGB uses DBOS to simplify the creation and deployment of animated holiday light shows. Their EZSequence platform allows users to purchase pre-made sequences and automatically map them to their house layouts, eliminating the complex manual process. Built with WordPress, DBOS Transact, AWS SQS, and S3, the platform offers a scalable and reliable solution, proving that even a niche market can benefit from robust technology.

(www.dbos.dev)
Development animated light shows cloud services

Programmer Builds Native Flame Graph Viewer: Conquering Xlib and Performance Bottlenecks

2024-12-25

A Rust programmer, needing to debug Rust Analyzer, embarked on building a native flame graph viewer. Initial attempts using various GUI toolkits proved too memory-intensive. Instead, he cleverly used Xlib, overcoming challenges like scrolling performance, rendering thousands of buttons, and handling mouse interactions. The result: a lightweight, efficient flame graph viewer. This project showcases excellent programming skills and a deep understanding of performance optimization, offering valuable lessons for other developers.

(laladrik.xyz)
Development flame graph

A Programmer's First Foray into Assembly: Optimizing a Lexer with Bit Vectors

2024-12-25

After reading "Writing an Interpreter in Go," a programmer attempted a rewrite in Zig and Rust, focusing on optimizing lexer performance. He explored several methods: branching, lookup tables, and bit vectors. Bit vectors compress state representation by mapping ASCII characters to bits, reducing memory usage and improving lookup efficiency. While an attempt to utilize SIMD instructions failed, he successfully implemented bit vectors in Zig and achieved good results in benchmarks, gaining valuable experience in assembly programming and performance optimization.

(blog.smidt.dev)
Development assembly language bit vectors

Ruby 3.4.0 Released: Performance Boost and Language Enhancements

2024-12-25

Ruby 3.4.0 is here with exciting updates! Language-wise, it introduces a new syntax for referencing block parameters, improves string literals, keyword splatting, and index assignments, and enhances exception handling. Core classes like Array, Hash, IO::Buffer, Integer, and String have been optimized with new methods added. YJIT has received significant improvements, boosting performance and memory efficiency. The standard library is also updated, including a 1.5x speedup in JSON parsing. This release enhances support for multi-core processors and improves garbage collection efficiency.

(docs.ruby-lang.org)
Development Performance improvements

Ruby 3.4.0 Released: Enhanced Performance and New Features

2024-12-25

Ruby 3.4.0 has been released, boasting significant improvements! Key highlights include a performance-boosted YJIT compiler, a new modular garbage collection mechanism, and the convenient `it` block parameter reference. The default parser has switched to Prism, and the socket library now features Happy Eyeballs V2 for more efficient network connections. Core classes have received updates, and various bugs have been squashed. The release also includes deprecation warnings for string literal modifications and improvements to keyword splatting.

(www.ruby-lang.org)
Development release

ScyllaDB Shifts to Single Enterprise Edition, Offers Free Tier

2024-12-25

ScyllaDB announced a strategic shift to focus on a single release stream: ScyllaDB Enterprise, ending its AGPL-licensed open-source offering. A free tier of ScyllaDB Enterprise will be available to the community, including all performance, efficiency, and security features previously reserved for the Enterprise edition. The free tier is limited to 50 vCPUs and 10TB of total storage. This simplifies the product line while providing a powerful free option for users.

(forum.scylladb.com)
Development

Immutable Linux Distros: Are They Right for You?

2024-12-25

This article explores immutable Linux distributions, which enhance stability and security by locking down the core system as read-only. It explains the concept, advantages, and selection criteria for immutable distros, recommending several desktop and server options like Fedora Silverblue, Vanilla OS, and openSUSE Aeon. The author shares personal experiences and discusses the differences between immutable distros and traditional ones, along with snapshot tools like Timeshift and Btrfs. In essence, immutable Linux distros offer a compelling alternative for users prioritizing stability and security, trading some flexibility for a more maintenance-free experience.

(linuxblog.io)
Development Linux distributions immutable systems system stability

Jujutsu VCS: Streamlining Code Merges and Branch Management

2024-12-25

This article presents a highly efficient workflow for managing code merges and branches using the Jujutsu version control system. The author introduces a 'megamerge' approach: create a merge commit as a working area, and then use `jj squash` to integrate changes into the appropriate parent commits upon completion of each task. Further streamlining is achieved with the `jj absorb` command, which automates this integration process. This workflow allows developers to seamlessly manage multiple parallel streams of work, significantly boosting efficiency, particularly when tackling large, long-running upgrades. The author contrasts this with the complexities of achieving the same results with Git.

(v5.chriskrycho.com)
Development Code Merge

T2 SDE: Major Update for Cross-Architecture OS Development Environment

2024-12-24

T2 SDE is a low-code, ultra-portable package manager and Linux distribution that enables fully automated, reproducible, cross-compilation of custom operating systems across architectures (ARM, x86-64, etc.). The latest release, T2 24.12, boasts 37 pre-compiled ISO images supporting 25 CPU architectures and includes numerous packages like LibreOffice and OpenJDK. It even has proof-of-concept support for the Nintendo Wii U. T2 continues to improve, with a commitment to supporting IA-64 Itanium, enhancing security features like full-disk encryption, and boosting performance through features like hardware video encoding and decoding.

(t2sde.org)
Development Cross-Compilation Package Manager

The AI Backlash: A Necessary Correction for Practical Implementation

2024-12-24

InfoWorld reports a growing developer frustration with the hype surrounding AI, emphasizing the need for practical and easily integrated tools. The article uses the RamaLama project as an example, showcasing how container technology simplifies AI model deployment and usage, and highlights the importance of smaller, more easily understood AI models. Developers want AI to seamlessly integrate into their workflows, not exist as a separate entity. This "AI backlash" presents an opportunity for effective AI implementation.

(www.infoworld.com)
Development AI applications container technology model miniaturization

Real-time ISS Urine Tank Monitor App Launched

2024-12-24

A developer has created pISSStream, a macOS menu bar app that displays the fill level of the International Space Station's urine tank in real time. While not perfect in terms of coding style, the app's unique concept provides a lighthearted look at a detail of life in space. The developer stated they will not be adding any other data, focusing solely on the urine tank's fill level.

(github.com)
Development macOS app International Space Station real-time data

Operational PGP: A Guide to Secure Email Communication

2024-12-24

This guide isn't about installing or using PGP; it's about using it securely. It emphasizes operational security beyond just encrypting email content, covering email composition, storage, key management, and more. It recommends composing emails in a text editor, avoiding saving drafts in email clients; generating and destroying keys frequently; avoiding publishing keys to keyservers; keeping email subjects blank to minimize metadata leakage; using the `gpg --throw-keys` option during encryption; enabling encryption by default and explicitly choosing whether to sign emails. The goal is maximizing PGP's security potential.

(gist.github.com)
Development Email Security Key Management

Wide Events: A Practitioner's Guide to Enhanced Observability

2024-12-24

This article introduces 'Wide Events,' an observability approach that enhances system monitoring and debugging by emitting a single event containing all collectable information for each unit of work. The author details how to choose appropriate tools (like Honeycomb), add rich attributes (including service metadata, instance info, build info, HTTP request/response details, user/customer info, rate limits, caching info, localization info, uptime, metrics, async request summaries, sampling info, and timing info), and handle errors and feature flags. Common concerns like excessive data volume, redundant data, and the relationship with existing metrics are addressed. The article highlights the significant practical value of this approach, showcasing how it simplifies debugging and reveals unexpected system behaviors.

(jeremymorrell.dev)
Development wide events log monitoring

Adding Refinement Types to Rust: A Feasibility Study

2024-12-24

This article explores the feasibility of adding refinement types to the Rust programming language. Drawing on experience with YAIOUOM, a static analyzer that used refinement types to check units of measure, the author examines approaches to implementing refinement types within Rust's type system. Several options are proposed, including modifications to trait resolution, type variable unification, and the introduction of a pluggable keyword mechanism for post-compilation type checking. An optimistic approach—ignoring unit information early in compilation and checking later—is deemed more practical. API design and error message handling are discussed. Future work involves gathering feedback, writing a rustc driver supporting plugins, and implementing several refinement types, potentially including a new version of YAIOUOM and subsets of Flux or Liquid Haskell.

(yoric.github.io)
Development Refinement Types Type System

The Essence of Computing Science: Elegance over Complexity

2024-12-24

This essay by Edsger W. Dijkstra explores the nature of computing science. Dijkstra argues that computing science should be a highly formalized branch of mathematics, emphasizing methodology over factual knowledge, thus bridging the gap between theory and practice. He criticizes the current academic world's pursuit of complexity and the resulting neglect of simple and effective solutions, and calls on computer scientists to pursue elegant solutions and find joy in the process.

(www.cs.utexas.edu)
Development computer science algorithms methodology

AI-Generated Bug Reports Flood Open Source Projects

2024-12-24

Open source maintainers are drowning in low-quality bug reports generated by AI. These reports often waste valuable time and resources, as AI systems currently lack the ability to understand code and frequently produce false or even malicious reports. Seth Larson of the Python Software Foundation and Daniel Stenberg of the Curl project have both highlighted the issue, emphasizing the strain on volunteer maintainers and the risk of overlooking genuine vulnerabilities. The problem necessitates a community-wide effort to improve funding, enhance efficiency, and develop better filtering mechanisms to identify and handle AI-generated junk reports.

(www.theregister.com)
Development Bug Reports

JavaScript Benchmarking: A Mess of JIT Compilers, Engine Differences, and Timing Inaccuracies

2024-12-24

Benchmarking JavaScript performance is notoriously difficult. This article highlights the challenges: the JIT compiler's dynamic optimizations lead to wildly varying results across runs; different JavaScript engines (like V8 and JavaScriptCore) exhibit significant performance disparities, with identical code performing dramatically differently; and browsers intentionally reduce timing accuracy to mitigate timing attacks, making precise measurements difficult. The author suggests using tools like d8 on the server-side for greater control over optimization levels and garbage collection, while browser-side testing relies heavily on the limited information provided by developer tools. In short, JavaScript benchmarking requires careful consideration of JIT compilation, engine variations, and timing precision, making it significantly more complex than in other languages.

(byteofdev.com)
Development JavaScript benchmarking JIT compiler engine differences

Four Surprising Limitations of Rust's Borrow Checker

2024-12-24

This article delves into four surprising limitations of Rust's borrow checker encountered even by experienced Rustaceans. The first limitation involves the borrow checker's inability to fully account for match and return statements, leading to redundant checks when working with HashMaps. The second limitation concerns asynchronous programming, where Rust currently lacks the ability to express certain asynchronous callback type signatures. The third centers around FnMut closures not allowing re-borrowing of captured variables, restricting access to mutable state in async operations. Finally, the Send checker's lack of control flow awareness results in some Futures that should be Send being incorrectly flagged as non-Send. The author illustrates these limitations and their challenges with concrete code examples and workarounds, advocating for improvements to Rust's type system to enhance developer productivity.

(blog.polybdenum.com)
Development borrow checker async programming

Hoarder: A Self-Hostable Bookmark Manager Powered by AI

2024-12-24

Hoarder is a self-hostable bookmarking app that goes beyond simple link saving. It allows you to store links, notes, and images, and uses AI for automatic tagging and full-text search, supporting local models like ollama. Features include OCR, Chrome/Firefox extensions, iOS/Android apps, RSS feed support, a REST API, and full-page archiving to combat link rot. Designed for users who need a better way to manage and retrieve information across multiple platforms, Hoarder is under active development but a demo is available.

(github.com)
Development Bookmark Manager

Npflared: A Free, Self-Hostable Private npm Registry

2024-12-24

Npflared is a free and open-source, self-hostable private npm registry built on Cloudflare's Worker, D1, and R2 services, allowing you to host it for free. Fully compatible with existing npm clients, Npflared provides a secure way for you and your team to manage private npm packages. Get the benefits of a full-fledged private registry with ease and enhance your development workflow.

(npflared.thomas-cogez.fr)
Development private registry

Symbolic Execution by Overloading __bool__

2024-12-24

This article presents a clever technique for symbolic execution of Python code by overloading the __bool__ function in the Z3 Python library. The author leverages Z3's capabilities to translate Python conditional statements into Z3 expressions, enabling path exploration and result analysis. This approach bypasses complex AST traversal and allows direct use within Python code, simplifying symbolic execution.

(www.philipzucker.com)
Development symbolic execution __bool__ overloading

GitHub's New Project AuthorTrail: Track Your Git Contributions

2024-12-24

AuthorTrail is a new GitHub project designed to help developers track all the files they've ever touched in a Git repository. It features search by author email, hierarchical file tree visualization, a built-in code viewer, and quick opening in your default editor. Built using React, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS, and supporting dark mode, AuthorTrail offers a user-friendly interface. Simply clone the repository, install dependencies, and run to start tracking your contributions.

(github.com)
Development code contributions

Demystifying Debuggers: Anatomy of a Running Program

2024-12-24

This article delves into the low-level mechanics of a running program. Using the analogy of a video game cartridge on an NES, it explains how modern operating systems virtualize program execution. Key concepts like virtual address spaces, threads of execution, executable images, loaders, modules, and processes are detailed. The article explains how virtual address spaces, via page tables, map virtual addresses to physical addresses, allowing multiple programs to share physical memory without interference. It also covers thread scheduling, executable image formats (PE and ELF), the loader's role, and dynamic module loading/unloading. Finally, it summarizes the concept of a process, which integrates threads, modules, and virtual address spaces.

(www.rfleury.com)
Development debugger program execution
1 2 … 9 10 11 13 15 16 17 … 22 23