Webtagr - Technology News Summarizer

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

Rye Language: A Higher-Level Programming Language Based on Spreadsheets

2024-12-24

Rye is a novel programming language that treats spreadsheets as first-class citizens, aligning more closely with human thinking. This article demonstrates how Rye creates, loads, and manipulates spreadsheets, supporting data import from CSV, SQL, and Excel files. It provides a rich set of functions for data manipulation, including filtering, sorting, and selection. By using spreadsheets as a fundamental data structure, Rye simplifies data operations and provides a more intuitive programming experience, especially when dealing with tabular data, resulting in concise and efficient code that outperforms other languages.

(ryelang.org)

Development spreadsheet

Why HNSW Isn't the Universal Solution for Vector Databases: The Rise of IVF

2024-12-23

HNSW, while popular for its speed and accuracy in vector similarity search, faces limitations in large-scale applications due to its memory-intensive nature. This article argues that disk-based alternatives like IVF (Inverted File Index), especially when combined with quantization techniques (RaBitQ, PQ, SQ, ScaNN), offer superior speed and scalability for massive datasets. IVF, by quantizing and compressing vectors, reduces memory footprint and leverages efficient prefetching and sequential scans for significantly faster search. Insertion and deletion costs are also lower. While HNSW excels in smaller-scale applications, IVF with quantization emerges as the more advantageous choice for massive datasets.

(blog.pgvecto.rs)

Development vector database

Perl Unveils New Camel Logo

2024-12-23

After years of discussion and design, Perl finally has a new official logo: a friendly camel. Designed by Zach Roszczewski and refined through feedback from numerous community members, the logo is released under a CC-BY license. It aims to represent the Perl language and its community, encouraging wider adoption. While not mandatory, the logo seeks to unify the community's image and is expected to be used on platforms like perl.com and metacpan.org in the future.

(perladvent.org)

Development

Phrack Magazine's 40th Anniversary: Call for Papers

2024-12-23

Phrack Magazine, a platform for hackers to share knowledge, seek truth, and push the boundaries of systems, is celebrating its 40th anniversary. They've released a call for papers for issue 72, covering topics such as exploitation, persistence, fuzzing, code analysis, data obfuscation, anti-forensics, web application security, and cloud security. Phrack urges the hacker community to participate, continuing its valuable resources and culture, and contributing to its future development for the next 40 years.

(phrack.org)

Development hacker Phrack Magazine

C++: A Resurgence of Programming Fun

2024-12-23

The author reflects on over a decade of programming, lamenting that languages like JavaScript, Python, and Ruby failed to recapture the joy he felt coding as a child. Recently, while developing a roguelike game using C++, he rediscovered that programming fun. He argues that C++ was once notorious for the overuse of template metaprogramming, but since C++11, the standards committee's efforts have revitalized the language. Additions like auto type inference, nullptr, and range-based for loops have significantly improved developer experience and efficiency. Modern C++ is powerful, boasting rich libraries and tools, yet avoids the negative aspects of excessive popularity. The relatively pure community allows developers to focus on creation, which is the essence of programming enjoyment.

(learncodethehardway.com)

Development

KeyPub.sh: A Privacy-Focused SSH Key Verification Service

2024-12-23

KeyPub.sh is a free, publicly available service requiring no installation or configuration. It leverages your existing SSH public key as your identity, linking it to your email address for simplified authentication. Users register and manage their SSH keys via a simple email verification process, controlling the visibility of their email address. This provides a lightweight, privacy-respecting alternative to OAuth for CLI applications, eliminating the need for developers to build user verification systems while empowering users with control over their privacy.

(keypub.sh)

Development SSH key authentication

Fogus' 2024 Year in Review: Programming, Reading, and Life Reflections

2024-12-23

In his 2024 year-end blog post, Fogus reflects on his year in programming, reading, and life. He shares noteworthy articles and books he enjoyed, covering topics like the Elite game, amateur radio history, Japanese bathroom folklore, and the history of WordStar. He highlights favorite technical books like "And so FORTH" and non-technical books such as "Butcher's Crossing." Fogus details his experiences with the Clojure programming language and explorations into other languages like Joy and Forth. He concludes by outlining his plans for 2025, including the Clojure 1.13 release and continued work on his Juxt project.

(blog.fogus.me)

Development year in review reading recommendations

Spacer CLI Tool: Elegantly Separate Log Outputs

2024-12-23

Spacer is a simple CLI tool that inserts spacers when command output stops. If you're someone who habitually presses enter a few times in your log tail to distinguish between outputs from different requests, then Spacer is for you! By default, it inserts a spacer every 1 second, but you can customize the interval using the `--after` flag (floating-point numbers are supported). Note that Spacer only monitors STDOUT; if your command outputs primarily to STDERR, use `|&` instead of `|` to redirect STDERR to STDOUT.

(github.com)

Development CLI tool log processing terminal

The Subtleties of Memoization in Ruby: A Deep Dive

2024-12-23

This article delves into the complexities of implementing memoization in Ruby. The author walks through various aspects, from simple local variables to sophisticated thread-safe implementations, covering limitations of the memoization operator, argument-aware memoization, building a memoization DSL, and challenges in handling frozen objects, memory management, and thread safety. Weak and soft references are explored, leading to an efficient and thread-safe memoization DSL. The article concludes by emphasizing the importance of using battle-tested libraries and avoiding reinventing the wheel.

(denisdefreyne.com)

Development Memoization

uBlock Origin: A Highly Efficient Ad Blocker

2024-12-23

uBlock Origin (uBO) is a highly efficient and lightweight content blocker for Chromium and Firefox browsers. It blocks ads, trackers, coin miners, and malware by default using multiple filter lists like EasyList and EasyPrivacy. Users can customize blocking rules and choose between a simple or advanced interface. Crucially, uBO emphasizes that using an ad blocker is not theft, but a means of protecting user privacy. The project is open-source and relies on community-maintained filter lists.

(github.com)

Development ad blocker

JMAP Turns 10: A Decade of Open Email Protocol

2024-12-23

Fastmail celebrates the 10th anniversary of JMAP, its open-source email protocol. Over the past decade, JMAP has evolved from initial concept to a mature standard, incorporating email, contacts, and calendar functionalities, through industry workshops, collaborations with developers, and IETF standardization. Looking ahead, Fastmail plans to enhance the Cyrus IMAP server and continue promoting JMAP adoption to improve user experience and make it the industry standard for email.

(www.fastmail.com)

Development open-source protocol email

WebExtension.net Launches Curated Chrome Extension Collections

2024-12-23

WebExtension.net has introduced curated collections of Chrome extensions, offering users a streamlined way to discover and utilize high-quality extensions. The feature allows users to create and share their own curated lists of extensions. Existing collections cover various fields, including language learning, design tools, and front-end development, showcasing essential tools for designers and helpful extensions for front-end developers. This significantly improves user efficiency and workflow.

(webextension.net)

Development Chrome extensions extension collections

Open-Source RAG Logger: RAG-logger Released

2024-12-23

RAG-logger is an open-source logging tool designed specifically for Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) applications. It offers a lightweight alternative to existing solutions, focusing on the specific logging needs of RAG pipelines. Key features include comprehensive logging of the entire RAG process, from query tracking and retrieval results (text and images) to LLM interaction recording and step-by-step performance monitoring. It utilizes a JSON-based log format, organizes logs daily, and handles automatic file management and metadata enrichment. A simple API allows for quick integration; for instance, `logger.log_query()` logs queries, `logger.log_retrieval()` logs retrieval steps, and `logger.log_llm()` logs LLM interactions.

(github.com)

Development logging open-source tool

Litestack: All-in-One Data Infrastructure Gem for Ruby on Rails

2024-12-23

Litestack is a Ruby gem offering a comprehensive data infrastructure solution for Ruby and Ruby on Rails applications. Leveraging SQLite's power, it integrates a full-fledged SQL database, a fast cache, a robust job queue, a reliable message broker, a full-text search engine, and a metrics platform—all in one package. Unlike traditional approaches requiring separate servers and databases, Litestack delivers superior performance, efficiency, ease of use, and cost savings. Its embedded database and cache reduce memory and CPU usage, while its streamlined interface simplifies development. It seamlessly integrates with ActiveRecord and Sequel and automatically optimizes for Fiber-based I/O frameworks.

(github.com)

Development Data Infrastructure

NetBox Launches New Network Discovery Agent for Faster Network Topology Building

2024-12-23

NetBox Labs recently released a public preview of its NetBox Discovery agent. This fully open-source tool quickly and easily discovers networks and devices, ingesting information into NetBox to accelerate building a network source of truth centered around NetBox. Its agent-based architecture is ideal for complex network environments and works with NetBox Assurance to detect and remediate network drift. Currently supporting two discovery modes: network and device discovery, it integrates with the Diode data ingestion engine.

(netboxlabs.com)

Development Network Discovery

Developers in the Age of Reasoning AI: Master or Puppet?

2024-12-23

OpenAI's o3 launch has sparked an identity crisis among developers. o3's ability to generate algorithms like a human developer challenges the traditional developer advantage of abstract logic. The article explores how users, machine learning, and o3 create logic, concluding that o3 mirrors a developer's thought process. The future presents developers with two paths: actively reviewing and refining AI-generated code (proactive), or delegating business problems directly to AI tools (passive). The author advocates for the proactive approach, emphasizing the need for developers to understand and take responsibility for AI-generated logic, lest human reason be superseded by AI.

(near.tl)

Development Developers o3 Model

The Future of Dashboard Design?

2024-12-23

This article explores the shortcomings of current dashboard design. The author points out that existing dashboards are often poorly designed and fail to effectively utilize the human visual system to process large amounts of information. The article reviews cognitive systems engineering research from the 80s and 90s on dashboard design, such as ecological interface design and visual momentum, and notes the current industry's lack of focus on improving dashboard design. The author calls for greater attention to dashboard design, to better integrate query functions and improve information processing efficiency.

(surfingcomplexity.blog)

Development dashboard design observability user interface

JRuby Meets JBang: A Hacky but Powerful Combination

2024-12-22

During the Christmas holidays, the author experimented with combining JRuby and JBang to leverage the performance of the JVM and the productivity of Ruby. While JBang doesn't officially support JRuby, a clever workaround using JBang's dependency management and Java's ProcessBuilder was employed. The result? A functional JRuby application incorporating Javalin, JDBI, SLF4J, and ruby-jwt, achieving CRUD operations on a SQLite database with JWT authentication. This hack demonstrates the potential of combining JRuby with Java ecosystem libraries, with performance validated via Apache Benchmark.

(rockyj-blogs.web.app)

Development

Lessons Learned in Long-Term Software Development

2024-12-22

This article summarizes lessons learned in long-term software development, emphasizing the importance of keeping code simple, carefully choosing dependencies, thorough testing, and strong teamwork. Drawing on interactions with Mastodon users and experiences at the Dutch Electoral Board, the author highlights the significant risks of excessive dependencies, complex code, and frequent team turnover in long-term projects. He advises developers to periodically review dependencies, write extensive test cases, and meticulously document code philosophy and design decisions to address the challenges of long-term maintenance and technological change. The article also underscores the benefits of open source and the importance of simple code, cautioning developers against blindly chasing new technologies and opting instead for time-tested solutions.

(berthub.eu)

Development dependency management code simplicity

Tokenization Problem Proven NP-Complete, Doubling Data Compression Challenges

2024-12-22

A paper published on arXiv proves the NP-completeness of two variants of tokenization, defined as the problem of compressing a dataset to at most δ symbols by either finding a vocabulary directly (direct tokenization) or selecting a sequence of merge operations (bottom-up tokenization). This finding has significant implications for data compression and natural language processing, highlighting the immense challenge of efficiently solving the tokenization problem for large-scale datasets.

(arxiv.org)

Development NP-complete tokenization data compression

Product Managers in the Age of AI: New Tools, Same Core Principles

2024-12-22

Despite the trendy term "AI Product Manager," AI hasn't fundamentally changed product management's core: understanding user needs, creating solutions, and defining tasks. AI provides powerful new tools like Large Language Models (LLMs), but PMs still leverage these tools, not build them. The article explains basic LLM concepts (tokens, context windows, prompts) and advises PMs to learn effective prompting, collaborate closely with engineers, and focus on AI's practical value for the product, avoiding trendy additions. In short, AI is a tool, not a replacement; PMs must embrace AI and enhance their skills to thrive in this era.

(productme.org)

Development Product Management

Meta Fights Spam at Scale with Haskell

2024-12-22

Meta's Sigma system, a crucial weapon in the fight against spam and malware, underwent a two-year overhaul. The system was rewritten in Haskell, a less common choice for large-scale production systems, achieving over one million requests per second. The shift to Haskell leveraged its pure functional and strongly typed nature, and the Haxl framework enabled automatic batching and concurrent data fetching. Performance improvements of 20-30% over the previous FXL-based system were observed. The project also involved significant contributions back to the GHC compiler, resolving several bugs.

(engineering.fb.com)

Development Spam Filtering

GitHub Open Source Project: epub-tts Converts eBooks to Audio

2024-12-22

An open-source project on GitHub called epub-tts converts EPUB ebooks into audio files. Written in Go, it relies on ffmpeg and MacOS's `say` command to parse the EPUB into sections (chapters) and convert each section to an audio file. Currently an alpha release, it provides a simple alternative for when eyes are tired but the mind isn't. Future plans include code optimization, batch conversion, smaller audio file sizes, and support for more languages.

(github.com)

Development ebook audio conversion

twtxt: A Decentralized, Minimalist Microblogging Service

2024-12-22

twtxt is a decentralized, minimalist microblogging service designed for hackers. Its documentation covers installation, quick start, usage, configuration, and API details. Users can follow and unfollow sources, post status updates, view their timelines and feeds from specific sources, and interact with twtxt via the command-line interface (CLI). The source code is hosted on GitHub and contributions are welcome.

(twtxt.readthedocs.io)

Development decentralized

Bloom Filters: The Secret to Making SQLite 10x Faster

2024-12-22

Researchers cleverly used Bloom filters to make SQLite analytical queries 10x faster. They discovered that SQLite's nested loop joins were inefficient, with much time spent on B-tree probes. By using a Bloom filter before the join operation to quickly filter out rows unlikely to match, and then performing B-tree probes only on potential matches, the number of probes was significantly reduced. Bloom filters have minimal memory overhead and were easy to integrate into SQLite's existing query engine, resulting in a significant performance boost. This improvement has been integrated into SQLite v3.38.0.

(avi.im)

Development Bloom filters Database optimization

Category: Development