Webtagr - Technology News Summarizer

Austral: A Systems Programming Language Focused on Simplicity and Strictness

2025-03-20

Austral is a new systems programming language designed for simplicity and strictness. Think of it as Rust's essential features or a modernized, stripped-down Ada. Key features include a strong static type system, linear types, capability-based security, and strong modularity. Linear types enforce correct resource lifecycle management, preventing memory leaks and other errors, while capability-based security mitigates supply chain attacks. Austral eschews features like NULLs, garbage collection, and exceptions to maximize safety and predictability.

(borretti.me)

Development linear types capability security

The Broken Incentives of Mass-Market Non-Fiction

2025-02-11

Most mass-market non-fiction books prioritize authorial status and intellectual legitimacy over genuine knowledge dissemination. Authors focus on press tours, interviews, and reviews rather than the book's actual content. This misalignment of incentives leads to a flood of verbose, low-value books polluting the information environment. Readers crave concise, useful essays, not 200-page expansions of a single idea.

(borretti.me)

Misc non-fiction writing information pollution

Composable SQL: A Functional Approach to Solving SQL Testing and Business Logic Problems

2025-01-29

This article explores the shortcomings of SQL in testing and reusing business logic, proposing a solution called "functors"—composable SQL fragments. By parameterizing queries and relying on interfaces instead of concrete tables, functors solve the challenges of SQL testing and allow for business logic reuse across queries, improving code readability, testability, and reusability. The author also discusses extensions such as generics, generalizing business logic, and avoiding global variables, ultimately achieving efficient, testable, and understandable SQL queries.

(borretti.me)

Development

My Experience with Claude 3.6: A Quantum Leap in AI Assistance

2025-01-02

Since Anthropic released Claude 3.6, my usage has skyrocketed. It's a significant improvement across the board, particularly in accuracy and reliability. I analyzed my usage data, showing a multi-hundred percent increase in conversations, messages, and words inputted. Claude helps me solve problems, from overcoming anxiety and decision paralysis to sparking creativity in exploring ideas, coding, and writing. It's even fun to interact with, like conversing with a brilliant scholar. Claude 3.6 is more than a tool; it's a highly capable partner that boosts productivity and expands horizons.

(borretti.me)

AI Productivity Tool

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