Webtagr - Technology News Summarizer

ArkFlow: A High-Performance Rust Stream Processing Engine

2025-03-14

ArkFlow is a high-performance stream processing engine built on Rust and Tokio. It supports multiple data sources like Kafka, MQTT, and HTTP, and offers various processors including SQL queries, JSON processing, and Protobuf encoding/decoding. Its modular design allows for easy extension, and configuration is managed via YAML files. Users can define inputs, pipelines, and outputs to handle diverse stream processing tasks, such as Kafka-to-Kafka data processing or generating and processing test data.

(github.com)

Development

Beyond Cron: Building Robust Scheduled Backups with systemd

2025-03-14

Tired of Cron's limitations? This article shows how to build a more reliable, monitorable, and manageable scheduled backup system using systemd. By creating systemd timer and service files, you can easily schedule the execution of backup scripts and add pre- and post-execution actions, such as sending notifications of backup success or failure, using ExecStartPre and ExecStopPost. systemd's persistence mechanism ensures that backup tasks are reliably executed even after system restarts, while its logging and monitoring capabilities significantly improve system maintainability. Leave Cron's shortcomings behind and embrace the convenience and reliability of systemd!

(yieldcode.blog)

Development scheduled tasks

Writing C Code in Prolog: The C Plus Prolog Project

2025-03-13

The C Plus Prolog project attempts to merge Prolog and C. It leverages non-standard features of SWI-Prolog to translate Prolog code into C. The project uses Prolog's metaprogramming capabilities to implement advanced features like macros and generics. While verbose and error-prone, it explores the possibilities of macros in a systems programming language and demonstrates Prolog's potential for code generation. Despite its quirks, it offers a unique approach to cross-platform C development leveraging Prolog's capabilities.

(github.com)

Development

Expat XML Parser Patches Critical, Long-Standing Vulnerability: A Decade-Long Battle

2025-03-13

After two and a half years of effort, a critical vulnerability (CVE-2024-8176) in the Expat XML parser has finally been patched. The vulnerability, stemming from recursive calls potentially leading to stack overflows and denial-of-service attacks, was addressed in version 2.7.0. Maintainer Sebastian Pipping, after reaching out to numerous companies for assistance, collaborated with Siemens and others for ten months to resolve three variants of the issue. The release also includes other improvements, such as a new fuzzer and 64-bit Windows binaries. This story serves as a reminder of the hidden security risks even in seemingly simple programming techniques, and the importance of open-source community collaboration.

(blog.hartwork.org)

Development XML parser open-source security

Rethinking Functional Tests: A Continuation Tree Approach

2025-03-13

Traditional unit testing often uses a list structure, but this is inefficient for multi-step functional tests, leading to repetitive code. This article proposes a continuation tree approach, organizing test cases into a tree. Each node represents a step, and connections between nodes represent possible user actions. Leveraging database version control, the method creates database copies at each node, avoiding repeated setup and reducing code complexity from O(N²) to O(N). The author demonstrates an Erlang implementation using nested callbacks and highlights advantages like reduced code duplication and easier error localization.

(www.evanmiller.org)

Development functional testing testing methodology

The Myth of the 10x Engineer: Teamwork Trumps Individual Heroism

2025-03-13

This article debunks the myth of the "10x engineer," arguing that a single metric for measuring engineer productivity is misleading and ignores the importance of teamwork. The author points out that software development isn't a stage for individual heroes; the overall efficiency of the team is key. High-performing engineering organizations should enable even ordinary engineers to create significant value and cultivate more excellent engineers through good system design and team culture, rather than over-relying on so-called "geniuses."

(spectrum.ieee.org)

Development

Chasing JIT Compilers: The False Promise of Optimizing Inline Caches

2025-03-13

This paper investigates improving Ahead-of-Time (AoT) compiler performance by adding Dynamic Binary Modification (DBM). Researchers implemented a DBM-based inline cache (IC) optimization in the Hopc AoT JavaScript compiler. However, experiments showed no performance improvement. The study found that reducing memory accesses doesn't always speed up execution on modern architectures, challenging traditional optimization strategies. It concludes that sophisticated compiler optimizations are only worthwhile if the processor can't already accelerate the code, a finding applicable to both AoT and JIT compilers.

(programming-journal.org)

Development dynamic binary modification

Web Dev Log: Cross-Platform Compatibility Headaches

2025-03-13

This is a web development log documenting the creation of a website using Visual Studio Code on Windows 11. The site is a work in progress, with inconsistent content and some paragraphs merely notes. Testing was performed on various devices including Edge and Chrome on Windows 11, Safari on a Mac, and Chrome on a Chromebook. Desktop and laptop experiences are good, but the iPad Mini and phone versions suffer from compatibility issues and awkward rendering.

(www.lostartoflogarithms.com)

Development cross-platform compatibility mobile responsiveness

Tech Career Advice: Take it With a Grain of Salt (Especially From Old-Timers)

2025-03-13

Career advice from seasoned tech professionals may not be relevant for newcomers. The industry changes rapidly, making the experience of veterans less applicable to today's environment. The article highlights that breaking into tech is significantly harder now than before, rendering older advice potentially unhelpful. It suggests that newcomers should focus on the experiences of their peers rather than relying on outdated advice from long-time professionals.

(jacobian.org)

Development

Xata Agent: Your AI-Powered PostgreSQL Expert

2025-03-13

Xata Agent is an open-source AI agent that monitors your PostgreSQL database, identifies root causes of issues, and suggests fixes and improvements. Think of it as a seasoned SRE specializing in Postgres, now part of your team. It watches logs and metrics, proactively suggests configuration tuning, troubleshoots performance problems (including high CPU, memory, and connection counts), offers indexing advice, and even helps with vacuuming. Supporting models from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Deepseek, Xata Agent is easily deployed via Docker. The Xata team already uses it daily to manage numerous active Postgres databases. A cloud version is in development.

(github.com)

Development

Microsoft's Time Travel Debugger: A Deep Dive into TTD

2025-03-13

Microsoft's Time Travel Debugging (TTD) is a powerful user-mode record-and-replay framework enabling developers to debug programs as if traversing a timeline. It injects a DLL to capture every state of a process's execution, storing this in a .trace file. The core is the Nirvana runtime engine, which emulates CPU instructions for fine-grained control. Even with challenges like floating-point operations, memory models, peripheral emulation, and self-modifying code, Nirvana uses dynamic binary translation and code caching for efficiency and accuracy. The article describes a bug encountered while debugging an obfuscated 32-bit PE file using TTD, highlighting the advantage of using the TTD trace file for debugging.

(cloud.google.com)

Development Code Replay

A Gentle History of Math: Strengths and Weaknesses

2025-03-13

This review examines Berlinghoff and Gouvêa's "Math Through the Ages: A Gentle History for Teachers and Others." Instead of a chronological narrative, the book uses 30 independent topical sketches, supplemented by a rich bibliography to facilitate further exploration. While the book contains some inaccuracies, particularly concerning the origins of zero and the history of computing, overall it serves as a reasonably priced and informative introduction to the history of mathematics. It's a good starting point for those developing an interest in the subject, though readers should be aware of potential historical oversimplifications.

(thonyc.wordpress.com)

Development

Statistical Formulas for Programmers: A Cheat Sheet

2025-03-13

This article compiles commonly used statistical formulas for programmers, covering averages, proportions, count data, and distribution comparisons. Each formula is explained concisely with context and references provided for further learning. This practical guide empowers programmers to enhance their data analysis skills, turning raw data into insightful conclusions.

(www.evanmiller.org)

Development statistics

Static Type Analysis for Ruby Without Type Annotations

2025-03-13

Shopify engineers have developed a novel static type analyzer that infers type information for Ruby programs without requiring type annotations. The analyzer leverages an improved Sparse Conditional Constant Propagation (SCCP) algorithm and precise dataflow tracking to efficiently handle interprocedural type analysis, completing analysis in seconds even for programs with a large number of classes. This research offers a new approach to optimizing compilers for dynamic languages and opens up new possibilities for performance improvements in dynamic languages like Ruby.

(railsatscale.com)

Development static type analysis

OODA Loops: Applying Military Strategy to Software Development

2025-03-13

This article explores the application of the OODA loop (Observe, Orient, Decide, Act), a military strategic model, to software development. The author argues that in software development, the primary 'enemy' is ourselves and our environment. By focusing on rapid iteration, plan variety, swift execution, and team harmony, we can accelerate the OODA loop and improve software development efficiency. The article highlights the importance of trust, psychological safety, and initiative in team collaboration, suggesting the adoption of methods from agile development and lean product design, such as MVPs and spikes, to encourage initiative and rapid iteration.

(spin.atomicobject.com)

Development OODA Loop

Ubuntu 25.10 to Ship with Rust-Rewritten Core Utilities

2025-03-13

Ubuntu engineers announced plans to replace core system utilities (e.g., ls, cp, mv) with modern Rust-based versions in Ubuntu 25.10. The goal is enhanced security and stability, not just performance. Rust's type system and borrow checker help mitigate memory safety vulnerabilities. A tool called `oxidizr` facilitates easy switching between implementations. While some compatibility issues exist, the project promises to enhance the overall robustness of the system in future Ubuntu releases.

(discourse.ubuntu.com)

Development System Utilities

Shadeform Hiring Senior Software Engineer for GPU Cloud Marketplace

2025-03-13

Shadeform is hiring a Senior Software Engineer to build core orchestration and managed services for its GPU cloud marketplace. The company provides affordable and reliable GPU compute to Fortune 100 companies, startups, and more. The ideal candidate will have experience with Go programming, orchestration (Kubernetes, Nomad, etc.), cloud (AWS and GCP), and GPU/ML infrastructure. Competitive compensation, equity, and remote work options are offered.

(www.ycombinator.com)

Development GPU cloud computing

Open-Source Morpho: Revolutionizing Soft Material Shape Optimization

2025-03-13

Researchers at Tufts University have developed Morpho, an open-source software designed to tackle shape optimization problems for soft materials. Unlike traditional software that excels with rigid materials, Morpho simulates the response of soft materials like biological tissues, engineered tissues, and shape-shifting fluids under force. This is crucial for applications such as designing artificial hearts, heart valves, and robotic materials mimicking human soft tissue. Morpho's ease of use and broad applicability are revolutionizing the field of soft material design.

(now.tufts.edu)

Development soft materials shape optimization

Improved Atkinson Dithering: Arbitrary Palettes and Linearization

2025-03-13

This post details an improved Atkinson dithering algorithm that supports arbitrary color palettes and correct linearization. Unlike previous algorithms limited to black and white palettes, this one directly handles color images, selecting the closest color by computing the Euclidean distance between the pixel and each color in the palette. Furthermore, it incorporates linearization to address overly bright outputs caused by the non-linearity of the sRGB color space, and considers human perception of different color brightnesses. The post also provides links to relevant resources, including implementations and online tools.

(obrhubr.org)

Development dithering algorithm

Cursor AI Hits a Wall: 800 Lines of Code Too Much?

2025-03-13

A user encountered an issue with the Cursor AI coding assistant: it stopped working after exceeding 750-800 lines of code. The user's Hacker News post sparked a discussion about code organization and AI-assisted programming. Other users suggested splitting large files into smaller, modular components, leveraging Cursor's 'Agent' feature, and applying the Single Responsibility Principle to improve code maintainability and AI processing efficiency.

(forum.cursor.com)

Development

arXivLabs: Community Collaboration on arXiv Feature Development

2025-03-13

arXivLabs is a framework enabling collaborators to build and share new arXiv features directly on the website. Individuals and organizations involved share arXiv's values of openness, community, excellence, and user data privacy. arXiv is committed to these values and only partners with those who adhere to them. Got an idea for a project that will benefit the arXiv community? Learn more about arXivLabs!

(arxiv.org)

Development

A 16-Year-Old's Transputer OS: A 1995 Retrocomputing Odyssey

2025-03-13

In 1995, a 16-year-old author built a self-contained operating system for a Transputer using only 128KB of RAM. This ambitious project included a basic OS, text editor, Small-C compiler, and assembler. He painstakingly extended the compiler, eventually running complex programs like a chess program from the IOCCC and a ray tracer. A 3D polygonal modeler was also developed. Years later, the author revisited this project, detailing the challenges of restoring the OS, including byte order issues, memory management, and floating-point errors. The article culminates in a successful emulation of the OS and provides instructions to rebuild it. This story showcases impressive ingenuity and perseverance in the face of limited resources.

(nanochess.org)

Development Operating System Development

xlskubectl: Manage Your Kubernetes Cluster with a Spreadsheet?

2025-03-13

xlskubectl is a project that boldly integrates Google Spreadsheet with Kubernetes! You can now administer your cluster from the same spreadsheet you use to track expenses. Leveraging the incremental update capabilities of the Kubernetes API and the scripting capabilities of Google Spreadsheet, this seemingly crazy connection has been achieved. While the authors are seeking funding to take the project to the next level, it's an impressive feat that prompts reflection on alternatives to YAML files.

(github.com)

Development

ZeroMQ's C4 Collaboration Protocol: A Reusable Open Source Collaboration Model

2025-03-13

This article details ZeroMQ's C4 collaboration protocol, an open-source project collaboration model built on Git and GitHub. C4 aims to maximize community size and project development speed by reducing friction, clarifying roles (Contributors and Maintainers), and standardizing processes (e.g., pull requests). It emphasizes solving real problems with minimal solutions, avoids branch usage, and employs an optimistic merging strategy to accelerate development. The ultimate goal is a healthier, larger-scale open-source community.

(hintjens.gitbooks.io)

Development open source collaboration

Hacking UX Design: Building Great Experiences Without a Designer

2025-03-12

In startups, speed is key. This article provides a pragmatic approach to UX design for non-designers. The author advocates leveraging existing design patterns from competitors and UI libraries for common functionalities like account creation and password resets. The focus is on usability over novelty, using tools like ChatGPT to identify and address potential pain points in the user flow. By prioritizing established conventions and iterating quickly, startups can achieve a great user experience without the time and resource commitment of hiring a dedicated designer. Innovation should be focused on core value propositions, while leveraging existing best practices for everything else.

(www.tibinotes.com)

Development UX Design

Zinc: A Minimalist Systems Programming Language Prototype

2025-03-12

Zinc is an experimental prototype of a systems programming language aiming to be easier to use than C while retaining low-level capabilities. It features a unique syntax with range conditionals, built-in assertions, and avoids complexities like package managers and garbage collection. Currently in early development, Zinc lacks modules, pointers, and functions, but the author envisions integrating 2D graphics libraries for game development.

(sr.ht)

Development systems programming language low-level language

The Evolution of PuTTY's Icons: From Hand-Drawn to SVG

2025-03-12

This article chronicles the evolution of PuTTY's icons from hand-drawn images in the 1990s to today's scalable SVG vectors. The author initially created 32x32 pixel icons using the MSVC icon editor, constrained by the 16-color palette and display technology of the time. Over time, to accommodate higher resolutions and the needs of various tools, the author refined the process, eventually developing a script that auto-generates icons in multiple sizes and formats. This culminated in SVG versions, achieving true scalability. The design philosophy remains simple and clear, reflecting PuTTY's 'reassuringly old-fashioned' style, and continues to be used to this day.

(www.chiark.greenend.org.uk)

Development Icon Design

From pyenv to uv: My Python Environment Management Upgrade

2025-03-12

Tired of the cumbersome configuration of pyenv, pipx, and other tools? This blog post details a smooth transition from pyenv to uv, a single tool consolidating the functionality of pip, pyenv, pipx, and more. The author meticulously documents uninstalling pyenv, installing uv, installing Python versions, creating symlinks, and using `uv tool install` to manage packages, including a workaround for tox. The result is a streamlined Python environment managed by uv, with plans to remove .python-version files and update project documentation.

(bluesock.org)

Development environment management

Farewell to Complex JS: Building Interactive Websites with Lots of Little HTML Pages

2025-03-12

While updating his blog, the author discovered that using multiple small HTML pages instead of complex JS interactions significantly simplifies the development process. Seamless transitions between pages are achieved using CSS transitions, making features like navigation menus and search functions incredibly easy to implement. This approach reduces complexity and improves maintainability. The author believes this is an effective way to leverage the strengths of the web.

(blog.jim-nielsen.com)

Development

fast-png: A JavaScript PNG Encoder/Decoder

2025-03-12

fast-png is a PNG image decoder and encoder written entirely in JavaScript. It offers options for CRC checking, custom image data, and text chunks. Install via npm and utilize its simple API for reading and writing PNG images. Licensed under MIT.

(github.com)

Development

Category: Development