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Show HN: HipScript – Run CUDA in the browser with WebAssembly and WebGPU

Published: 2025-01-07 | Origin: Hacker News

The content discusses an online compiler designed for HIP and NVIDIA® CUDA® code that can be utilized with WebGPU. The article is authored by Ben Schattinger and mentions that JavaScript is required to use the tool. Additionally, it likely includes some information about the GPU capabilities relevant to the compiler.

Is XYplorer really written in VB6?

Published: 2025-01-07 | Origin: Hacker News

Visual Basic (VB), introduced in 1991, is one of the most popular programming languages but has garnered a poor reputation due to its accessibility for beginners, leading to the proliferation of poorly written "spaghetti code." The initial versions, VB1 to VB3, contributed to this negative perception. However, advancements in VB4, VB5, and VB6 improved the language's capabilities, with VB5 allowing compilation to native system code, which attracted more skilled programmers and resulted in better applications.

Common misconceptions about the complexity in robotics vs. AI (2024)

Published: 2025-01-07 | Origin: Hacker News

The author reflects on the differences between robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) following the International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) 2024. They highlight the common misconceptions that equate the two fields, particularly due to advancements in large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT. The author addresses a frequent question about why robotics has not advanced as rapidly as AI, emphasizing that sensorimotor tasks in robotics are inherently more complex. They argue that the challenges posed by robotics, exemplified by

Gem Shop: A Vulnerable Rails 8 App for Security Education

Published: 2025-01-07 | Origin: /r/ruby

Gem Shop is an intentionally vulnerable Ruby on Rails 8 project designed for security education, featuring examples of common vulnerabilities such as SQL injection and cross-site scripting (XSS). It serves as a simple e-commerce platform for users to shop for gemstones, allowing learners to explore security issues within a familiar context. The project is open source and available on the Paraxial.io GitHub. Hands-on labs have proven effective for teaching security to web developers, especially if they are already familiar with Ruby on Rails,

Useful things you can do with Rails console

Published: 2025-01-07 | Origin: /r/ruby

The article by Paweł Dąbrowski discusses the importance and utility of the Rails console for developers working with Rails applications, both in production and development settings. It highlights its role in database interaction and other use cases, and emphasizes the ability to customize the console for improved efficiency. Dąbrowski offers tips to enhance comfort while using the console, such as silencing logs to avoid distractions when debugging with `puts`, and utilizing a special variable `_` to access the last printed result

How to Debug Python Code in Visual Studio Code

Published: 2025-01-07 | Origin: Hacker News

Visual Studio Code (VS Code) enhances Python debugging capabilities, moving beyond traditional print statements. Key features include conditional breakpoints, real-time variable tracking, and the ability to pause code execution. Setting up debugging involves configuring the launch.json file, which controls how VS Code runs debug sessions using debugpy. This setup allows for environment variable configurations—especially useful for Flask applications—and supports multiple debug configurations for various scenarios. Users can easily switch between configurations via the debug toolbar, and the launch.json file can be

On 10 years of GenAI Slop and the Unfortunate Absence of Silver Allergens in Softwerewolves

Published: 2025-01-07 | Origin: /r/programming

The article discusses the potential impact of generative AI on the software engineering industry over the next decade, highlighting the optimism among venture capitalists about AI replacing costly human coders. It questions the future of software engineering and whether it will lead to extreme productivity gains or significant job displacement. While AI could enhance coding efficiency, the author notes that only about 40% of a software engineer's time is spent on tasks AI can automate. This limitation suggests modest improvements in development speed, bounded by Amdhal

The short outburst of activity during Ruby Changelog preparation—2025 edition

Published: 2025-01-07 | Origin: /r/ruby

The author reflects on their annual project of updating the Ruby Changes site each December, a task they've undertaken since 2018 to create an annotated changelog of Ruby's syntax, semantics, and core APIs. The 2024 entry, which focuses on Ruby 3.4, involved around 60 hours of work and encompasses over 7,000 words across 30 sections. The author's primary goal is to document all notable changes in each Ruby version, not just the ones they personally favor, emphasizing

Six Sins of Platform Teams

Published: 2025-01-07 | Origin: /r/programming

In the article by Sergey Tselovalnikov, the author discusses the common practice of platform teams in the context of DevOps and the challenges they face. While platform teams can significantly enhance organizational efficiency and value, several subtle "sins" can impede their success. Tselovalnikov, drawing from his experience in platform engineering, outlines these common pitfalls and offers solutions to avoid them, focusing on deeper issues rather than superficial problems like excessive toil. He clarifies the terminology around platform teams, emphasizing their role

Ending our third party fact-checking program and moving to Community Notes model

Published: 2025-01-07 | Origin: Hacker News

Meta's platforms are designed to promote free expression, despite the challenges that come with allowing billions of voices to be heard. In a 2019 speech, Mark Zuckerberg emphasized that freedom of speech drives societal progress, cautioning against moderating content in ways that reinforce existing power structures. Recently, Meta has acknowledged that efforts to manage content moderation have become overly complex and often counterproductive, leading to excessive censorship and user frustration. To address this, Meta is committing to return to its foundational principle of free expression

AdminForth released own components library with a tailwindy look and crispy charts

Published: 2025-01-07 | Origin: /r/programming

AFCL (AdminForth Component Library) consists of reusable components designed to streamline the creation of AdminForth applications, ensuring a consistent design and quicker page development. The components adhere to styling standards and theme colors, with an ever-expanding library anticipated for future updates. Key features include: - A **loader prop** that displays a loader when enabled. - A button that functions like a link, utilizing router-link internally. - Customization options for items and selected items via slots, with the ability

Boosting Performance in a Diagramming App with Quadtrees and Binary Search on Path

Published: 2025-01-07 | Origin: /r/programming

The article by Ivan Shubin discusses the challenges of creating an interactive diagramming app, particularly focusing on implementing connectors in the application Schemio. After initially exploring the use of SVG for building the app, Shubin encounters difficulties with connectors, which are vital for linking objects in a diagram. He highlights the need for these connectors to update dynamically when objects are moved. This requires scanning all objects on the canvas to determine the best attachment points for the connectors, posing a complexity especially in diagrams with numerous elements

Hyperview – Native mobile apps, as easy as creating a website

Published: 2025-01-07 | Origin: Hacker News

Hyperview allows mobile apps to render screens by fetching Hyperview XML (HXML) content from a server, similar to how web pages are rendered using HTML. HXML is designed to match modern mobile interface patterns, and any HTTP server can host a Hyperview app, which can even be deployed as static XML files. This approach facilitates quick updates and eliminates issues with long app store review times, enabling true continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD) for mobile development. Users always access the latest version

RubyApi.org - finally a great reference matching the quality of Ruby itself! Thank you to everyone who worked on it.

Published: 2025-01-07 | Origin: /r/ruby

The content describes several fundamental concepts in Ruby programming: - **String objects**: Represent and manipulate sequences of bytes, usually as characters. - **Whole numbers**: Can be represented using Ruby's numerical types. - **Arrays**: Ordered, integer-indexed collections that can hold any type of object. - **Hashes**: Dictionary-like structures that store unique keys and their corresponding values. - **Symbols**: Represent names and certain strings within the Ruby interpreter. - **Kernel module**: Included

Nvidia's Project Digits is a 'personal AI supercomputer'

Published: 2025-01-07 | Origin: Hacker News

At CES 2025 in Las Vegas, Nvidia introduced Project Digits, a compact "personal AI supercomputer" featuring the Grace Blackwell hardware platform. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang highlighted that this system operates the entire Nvidia AI software stack and serves as a cloud computing platform for desktops. Aimed at AI researchers, data scientists, and students, Project Digits incorporates the new GB10 Grace Blackwell Superchip, capable of delivering nearly a petaflop of performance for developing and running complex AI models.

Roman Empire's use of lead lowered IQ levels across Europe, study finds

Published: 2025-01-07 | Origin: Hacker News

A recent study highlights that metal pollution, particularly from lead emitted by the Roman Empire's extensive mining and metal processing, likely caused a 2- to 3-point drop in IQ across Europe for nearly 180 years during the Pax Romana. Researchers, including Dr. Joseph McConnell from the Desert Research Institute, managed to quantify atmospheric lead pollution from around 2,000 years ago and assess its health impact. Although Roman physicians recognized the dangers of lead poisoning, the metal was commonly used in water

Developer Assistant Showdown! Claude, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Llama, and Copilot

Published: 2025-01-07 | Origin: /r/programming

Eric Low conducted an experiment to evaluate various coding assistants, including Claude and others, to see if Claude still stands out after a previous trial. He created an enterprise-style project using JUnit and Maven and interacted with different AI chatbots, asking each about their models. Low, a senior developer with extensive experience in Java and B2B SaaS, ultimately expressed a preference for Claude. He appreciated Claude’s "Artifacts" feature, which allows it to display large code segments separately for easier review, and

Zig's Comptime Is Bonkers Good

Published: 2025-01-07 | Origin: Hacker News

The text discusses the productivity benefits of programming and highlights metaprogramming, particularly in the context of Zig, a programming language that emphasizes this feature. The author initially struggled with Zig’s metaprogramming capabilities, known as comptime, but eventually found clarity and enjoyment in it. To facilitate understanding, the author presents six different perspectives on comptime, aiming to bridge existing programming knowledge with Zig's features. While these examples reflect valid Zig code, they are conceptual transformations rather than practical implementations. The

How I program with LLMs

Published: 2025-01-07 | Origin: Hacker News

The document summarizes the author's personal experiences using generative models, particularly large language models (LLMs), while programming over the past year. The author actively sought ways to integrate LLMs into their programming workflow and has found that their use has positively impacted productivity, making traditional programming without them feel unpleasant. They are involved in developing a tool called sketch.dev to automate repetitive programming tasks in Go, which has so far yielded positive experiences. The author expresses a fascination with the capabilities of LLMs, comparing

NYC Congestion Pricing Tracker

Published: 2025-01-06 | Origin: Hacker News

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