Published: 2024-09-08 | Origin: /r/programming

In Go programming, a common practice is to defer the `Close()` method for values that implement the `io.Closer` interface after checking for errors. This is frequently seen when handling HTTP requests or files. However, this idiom can lead to issues, particularly with writable files, as deferring a function call ignores its potential return value, which may include errors. Errors from the `Close()` method can occur even if previous `Write()` calls succeed, due to the nature of computer architecture

Published: 2024-09-08 | Origin: /r/programming

The article discusses the challenges faced by early-stage startups when adopting microservices architecture too soon. While microservices are praised for their scalability and flexibility, they are more suitable for large companies like Google and Netflix. Startups, often operating with limited resources and small teams, may encounter unnecessary complexity by breaking their products into too many microservices, resulting in what the author terms "nano-services." This approach can lead to problems such as operational overhead and difficulties in managing a fragmented architecture, ultimately hindering the startup

Published: 2024-09-08 | Origin: /r/programming

The content discusses a PostgreSQL extension called `jsonb_apply` that enables users to apply functions to JSONB objects both dynamically and recursively. It highlights the capability to also work on sub-objects using the `json_extract_path` function. The extension currently supports functions with a specific signature where the first argument is of type text (representing the JSONB string or array element being processed), and additional variadic arguments can be passed to the function. The search for the appropriate function in the catalog relies

Published: 2024-09-08 | Origin: /r/programming

Estimating software projects is notoriously difficult, as highlighted by various studies, such as one from Harvard Business Review showing that one in six IT projects experience cost overruns of over 200% and delays of around 70%. McKinsey's findings reveal that IT projects, on average, exceed budgets by 45% and schedules by 7%, with larger projects (over $15M) suffering even greater overruns. This challenge is often familiar to software professionals who find themselves underestimating project timelines

Published: 2024-09-08 | Origin: Hacker News

The article argues that the complexity often associated with APIs is not inherent to the APIs themselves but arises from the surrounding tools, processes, and technical jargon. Some businesses thrive by perpetuating this complexity for profit, particularly in the realm of API security, where ongoing challenges keep security companies in business. The piece references Gartner's 2023 hype cycle, noting that API security testing is currently viewed as overhyped and navigating a phase of disillusionment, yet interest remains high due to recent investments and partnerships

Published: 2024-09-08 | Origin: /r/programming

Colm Campbell expresses his internal conflict about critiquing two prominent figures in his field, Martin Fowler and Dave Farley, who he feels are exhibiting closed-mindedness regarding certain data that challenges their "Agile-only" perspective. Campbell admires both for their significant contributions to Software Engineering and has benefited from their work over the years, making the critique difficult. Despite his reluctance, he feels compelled to voice his disagreement after witnessing ineffective responses to data suggesting high failure rates in Agile projects. He reflects

Published: 2024-09-08 | Origin: Hacker News

The author shares a nostalgic reflection on their childhood experience with VHS tapes and contrasts it with their current digital movie collection for their children. To recreate a tangible aspect of that experience, they developed a system where their eldest son can actively choose movies using laminated movie covers embedded with NFC tags. By placing a selected cover on an NFC reader connected to an ESP32 board, Home Assistant facilitates the movie playback. The author details the process of creating this prototype using electronics kits, including an NFC reader and ESPHome software

Published: 2024-09-08 | Origin: Hacker News

The provided text appears to be a fragment of a corrupted or incorrectly rendered PDF file, as evident from the PDF structure syntax and the presence of unreadable characters. The content includes references to various objects and data streams but lacks coherent or interpretable text. Consequently, it does not convey any specific information or message and is likely not useful for summarization in its current state.

Published: 2024-09-08 | Origin: /r/programming

The content describes a successful migration of three frontend projects from Parcel to Vite, highlighting that the process was smooth. It also encourages readers to stay updated on product updates, development insights, blogs, and research articles.

Published: 2024-09-08 | Origin: Hacker News

Chatbots powered by large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, Claude, and Grok have become highly sophisticated, often generating conversation-like text that blurs the distinction between human and machine responses. Despite their complexity, LLMs are essentially mathematical models that lack true understanding or the ability to recognize meaningful dialogue, leading them to persist in nonsensical conversations longer than a human would. This article explores an experiment involving the Llama 3.1 LLM, which was tested against four

Published: 2024-09-08 | Origin: /r/programming

Leadership in the tech world transcends formal titles and positions; it revolves around the ability to influence others without authority. This skill involves motivating colleagues through expertise, relationships, and effective communication, especially as organizations flatten hierarchies. Influence is distinct from authority; it derives from actions and relationships rather than titles. For instance, a senior engineer may be respected and follow their insights despite not being the official team lead. Key factors in building influence include: 1. **Consistent Delivery**: Meeting

Published: 2024-09-08 | Origin: Hacker News

There is a growing concern over the presence of questionable research papers created using generative AI, particularly ChatGPT, in academic journals and repositories. These papers often mimic scientific writing and cover contentious topics such as the environment, health, and computing, which are particularly vulnerable to misinformation. The integration of these AI-generated papers into platforms like Google Scholar raises issues regarding research integrity, as they can be found alongside reputable studies. Ongoing discussions and resources are being developed to track papers suspected of misuse, while legitimate applications

Published: 2024-09-08 | Origin: Hacker News

The author expresses a desire to simply draw pixels on a screen without getting bogged down in complex graphics libraries like SDL or OpenGL. They introduce "fenster," a lightweight 2D canvas library by Serge Zaitsev, which is a header-only C/C++ file consisting of around 400 lines of readable code compatible with WinAPI, Cocoa, and X11. It also manages keyboard and mouse input. For slightly more complex needs, like creating menus or buttons without dealing with SDL, the

Published: 2024-09-07 | Origin: Hacker News

Access to the resource on the server is denied. LiteSpeed Technologies Inc. is not a web hosting company and does not control the site's content.

Published: 2024-09-07 | Origin: Hacker News

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) headquarters in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, serves as a popular photo spot for hikers aiming to complete the Appalachian Trail (A.T.), as it offers official recognition by maintaining the 2,000-miler registry. A grant from the Quimby Family Foundation and volunteer efforts led by Terry Harley Wilson have allowed both previous Polaroid and current digital photos of hikers to be digitized and viewed online since the A.T. Museum opened in 2010

Published: 2024-09-07 | Origin: /r/programming

The article discusses the complexities teams face when deciding whether to split shared source repositories or keep them combined, specifically referencing the Kubernetes project. It outlines the benefits and drawbacks of both approaches, influenced by various factors such as version control systems, tooling, build systems, CI platforms, programming languages, and organizational structures like Conway’s Law. Kubernetes utilizes Git, a popular distributed version-control system, which allows developers to work on local copies of repositories. Changes are made through pull or merge requests, simplifying the integration

Published: 2024-09-07 | Origin: Hacker News

TheHigherGeometer recently received an email from mathematician Bogdan Grechuk regarding his new book, "Polynomial Diophantine Equations: A Systematic Approach." The book presents a novel method for studying Diophantine equations by defining the equations' size, ordering them, and solving them methodically. It begins with simple cases but carefully progresses to more complex equations, categorizing them and developing solutions systematically. Grechuk outlines an algorithm with approximately 21 main cases and highlights the

Published: 2024-09-07 | Origin: Hacker News

The author strives to enhance the user experience on their website by focusing on accessibility and ensuring functionality without JavaScript. They prioritize page load times, especially for pages with large illustrations, by minifying HTML. However, a significant challenge arises from the lack of Brotli compression support on GitHub Pages, which hinders traffic reduction and increases load times. While gzip is commonly enabled due to its low resource cost, Brotli is more efficient but not supported by GitHub. The author notes that their longest blog

Published: 2024-09-07 | Origin: Hacker News

The author recounts a unique experience of discovering and decrypting code integral to the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa. This code facilitated secure communication during Operation Vula in the late 1980s, which aimed to integrate ANC leaders and resources into the country. The operation relied on one-time pad encryption and various 8-bit computing technologies. The key encryption system, developed by Tim Jenkin, had not been open-sourced until recently because Jenkin had forgotten the password he set for a

Published: 2024-09-07 | Origin: /r/programming

The Git Query Language (GQL) is a SQL-like syntax designed for querying .git files. It supports most SQL features, including grouping, ordering, and aggregation functions, and operates using a lightweight engine that allows for on-the-fly execution of queries without needing to convert .git files into another format. Additionally, all keywords in GQL are case-insensitive, similar to SQL. Feedback from users is highly valued and taken seriously. For more details, users are encouraged to consult the documentation.