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IBM AI ('Bob') Downloads and Executes Malware Published: 2026-01-08 | Origin: /r/programming The content discusses vulnerabilities in IBM's AI coding agent, 'Bob,' which has been found to be susceptible to malware execution through command validation bypasses using indirect prompt injection. This vulnerability enables malicious users to download and execute malware without human approval if certain command settings, like 'always allow,' are configured. The article highlights that both the Bob CLI and the Bob IDE have weaknesses that can be exploited, particularly regarding data exfiltration. IBM warns that auto-approving commands poses a high risk for harmful |
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Newer AI Coding Assistants Are Failing in Insidious Ways Published: 2026-01-08 | Origin: /r/programming Jamie Twiss, a banker and data scientist, has observed a concerning trend in AI coding assistants, particularly in 2025, where the performance of these models seems to have plateaued and even declined. Tasks that previously took five hours with AI assistance are now taking longer, leading Twiss to revert to older large language models (LLMs). In his role at Carrington Labs, where he leverages AI-generated code for predictive-analytics risk models, he has noticed a shift from common syntax issues |
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Tailwind just laid off 75% of their engineering team Published: 2026-01-08 | Origin: /r/programming The content discusses several issues related to a project on GitHub, including the importance of user feedback and the documentation available for qualifiers. It also indicates multiple instances of errors while loading pages and suggests reloading them. Users are encouraged to sign up for a GitHub account to ask questions or raise issues, and the text includes communication among team members regarding a commit and a review process. Overall, there are repeated notifications about loading errors, signaling technical difficulties. |
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Announcing rv clean-install Published: 2026-01-08 | Origin: /r/ruby On January 7, 2026, the Spinel blog announced the release of a new feature for the Ruby project management tool, rv version 0.4, called "clean-install." This feature allows users to install project packages from a fresh state, facilitating fresh checkouts or continuous integration tests. The introduction of clean-install is inspired by tools like npm and orogene and marks a significant step towards more comprehensive gem management capabilities, such as downloading, caching, and compiling gems. While the tool |
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Bose has released API docs and opened the API for its EoL SoundTouch speakers Published: 2026-01-08 | Origin: Hacker News Bose has announced that its SoundTouch speakers will effectively become non-functional in terms of cloud connectivity after February 18, losing access to security updates, the companion app, and music integration features. This news disappointed many customers who have invested in these devices. However, in a recent update, Bose revealed that after the end-of-life (EoL) date, users will still be able to utilize AirPlay and Spotify Connect with their SoundTouch speakers, providing some ongoing wireless capabilities. Moreover, the |
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Python Typing Survey 2025: Code Quality and Flexibility As Top Reasons for Typing Adoption Published: 2026-01-08 | Origin: /r/programming The 2025 Typed Python Survey, conducted by JetBrains, Meta, and the Python typing community, surveyed 1,241 participants (a 15% increase from the previous year) to assess the state of Python's type system and developer tooling. The survey was widely distributed through social media and platforms like Reddit, email newsletters, and LinkedIn, with Reddit being the most effective channel. The majority of respondents were experienced Python developers, with nearly half having over a decade of experience. Most participants |
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Some ecologists fear their field is losing touch with nature Published: 2026-01-08 | Origin: Hacker News The article discusses the shift in ecological research methods, highlighting the work of Tadeo Ramirez-Parada, who utilized a machine-learning algorithm to analyze one million digitized herbarium specimens to study changes in plant flowering times due to rising temperatures. This approach has revealed that plants are adjusting their flowering times rather than evolving through natural selection. Ramirez-Parada, who conducted his research at the University of California, Santa Barbara, notes that his work has been primarily computer-based with minimal fieldwork involved. The trend |
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Linus Torvalds: "The AI slop issue is *NOT* going to be solved with documentation" Published: 2026-01-08 | Origin: /r/programming Michael Larabel is the founder and main author of Phoronix.com, established in 2004 to enhance the Linux hardware experience. He has authored over 20,000 articles on Linux hardware support, performance, graphics drivers, and more. Additionally, he is the lead developer of the Phoronix Test Suite, Phoromatic, and OpenBenchmarking.org. Users can follow him on Twitter and LinkedIn or contact him through MichaelLarabel.com. Phoronix Premium offers ad-free browsing |
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Ruby 4.0 released – but its best new features are not production ready Published: 2026-01-08 | Origin: /r/ruby Ruby 4.0 was released on December 25, 2023, coinciding with its 30th anniversary. Key features include an experimental isolation tool called Ruby Box, a new just-in-time compiler (ZJIT), and an improved experimental Ractor for concurrent programming. While the first public version was released in December 1995, Ruby 1.0 came out on Christmas 1996. Created by Yukihiro Matsumoto ("Matz"), Ruby is designed to be |
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A new worst coder has entered the chat: vibe coding without code knowledge Published: 2026-01-08 | Origin: /r/programming In the era of AI, creating applications and coding has become more accessible, though the quality of these outputs raises questions. The concept of "vibe coding," which emerged in early 2025, allows individuals without technical skills to build apps using platforms like Bolt, raising discussions about its effectiveness and impact on the tech industry. The author, who has no formal coding experience, shares their own experience of creating an app through vibe coding, emphasizing both its simplicity and the potential anxiety it creates for developers, |
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Project Patchouli: Open-source electromagnetic drawing tablet hardware Published: 2026-01-08 | Origin: Hacker News Project Patchouli is an open-source initiative focused on creating an electro-magnetic drawing tablet hardware implementation. It features a coil array, an RF front end using commercially available components, and digital signal processing algorithms. The design supports various commercial pens, providing ultra-low-latency input for custom hardware projects. The project also includes extensive documentation on EMR technology, detailing mechanisms, circuit implementation, signal processing, and pen protocols from different vendors. It is supported by the NLnet Foundation NGI Zero Core Fund |
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Go.sum is not a lockfile Published: 2026-01-08 | Origin: Hacker News The author emphasizes that the `go.sum` file should not be used to analyze Go dependency graphs, as it is not a lockfile and has no impact on version resolution. Instead, `go.sum` serves as a local cache for the Go Checksum Database, mapping module versions to cryptographic hashes for security purposes, ensuring consistency across module versions. The correct file to reference for dependency versions is `go.mod`, which explicitly lists the versions of all dependencies, including transitive ones since Go 1 |
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Open Infrastructure Map Published: 2026-01-08 | Origin: Hacker News Sure! Please provide the content you'd like me to summarize. |
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Chase to become new issuer of Apple Card Published: 2026-01-08 | Origin: Hacker News JPMorgan Chase is actively involved in community initiatives and recent milestones. The company supports Fire-Dex, which provides protective equipment to first responders in 100 countries, ensuring their safety globally. Additionally, they highlight U.S. Army veteran Ashley Wigfall's transition into a tech role, facilitated by mentorship and training at their Plano, Texas tech hub. Furthermore, JPMorgan Chase recently inaugurated its new global headquarters at 270 Park Avenue, reaffirming its commitment to New York City. In a significant |
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Kernel bugs hide for 2 years on average. Some hide for 20 Published: 2026-01-08 | Origin: Hacker News The analysis of kernel bugs in the Linux operating system reveals that many bugs remain undetected for extended periods. By examining 125,183 bugs with traceable "Fixes:" tags over two decades, it was found that the average kernel bug takes 2.1 years to be discovered, with some subsystems like CAN bus drivers averaging 4.2 years. Notably, a buffer overflow bug in ethtool persisted for 20.7 years, while a refcount leak in netfilter |
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Play Aardwolf MUD Published: 2026-01-07 | Origin: Hacker News Aardwolf RPG is a free text-based roleplaying game set in the fantasy world of Andolor, featuring magic and countless realms to explore. Players can create characters from 28 different classes, including both fighter and magic-based options. The game allows for solo or group play, with activities such as quests, puzzles, casino games, and player-vs-player combat. Aardwolf includes a detailed in-game help system and a guiding starting area called "The Aylorian Academy" for new players |
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Tailscale state file encryption no longer enabled by default Published: 2026-01-07 | Origin: Hacker News The Tailscale client and service have received several updates, including new releases for the Tailscale container image, Kubernetes Operator, and tsrecorder. Users can download the Tailscale container image from Docker Hub or GitHub packages repository. The Kubernetes Operator update includes installation and update guidance as per the provided instructions. Notably, several of the recent releases contain no changes beyond library updates, and certain versions were designated for testing or internal purposes only. |
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A 2025 Retrospective: How Often Executives Predicted the End of Software Engineering Published: 2026-01-07 | Origin: /r/programming Linus Torvalds has expressed a cautious view on AI-assisted programming, distinguishing between its use in experimentation and production. While some developers may be using AI tools in kernel work, Torvalds himself is not testing them. He raised concerns about disruptions caused by crawlers that collect source code and create misleading vulnerability reports, which he finds particularly troubling for projects like curl. Although he supports "vibe coding" for learning and completing tasks, he believes it is unsuitable for critical systems like the Linux kernel |
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Devaluation of work Published: 2026-01-07 | Origin: /r/programming The author discusses the growing trend of developers receiving code generated by Large Language Models (LLMs) and raises concerns about the implications of this shift. They emphasize that the focus has become more about producing visually appealing code rather than ensuring functional, readable, and maintainable software. The use of common programming languages is important for producing understandable specifications, and unreadable machine-generated code can lead to "instant legacy software." The author observes that while developers may feel faster using LLMs, they may actually be slower |
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Eat Real Food Published: 2026-01-07 | Origin: Hacker News The new Dietary Guidelines for Americans emphasize the importance of whole, nutrient-dense foods over highly processed options, which have contributed to rising chronic disease rates. The guidelines advocate for prioritizing quality protein from both animal and plant sources, along with healthy fats from whole foods. Recommended protein intake is approximately 0.54–0.73 grams per pound of body weight per day. A variety of vegetables (3 servings per day) and fruits (2 servings per day) should be consumed, with an emphasis |