News Nug
Tracing the roots of the 8086 instruction set to the Datapoint 2200 minicomputer

Published: 2025-07-06 | Origin: /r/programming

The content discusses the evolution of computer architecture, specifically focusing on the Intel 8086 processor, which initiated the widely used x86 architecture. Notable features of the 8086 include its little-endian format, a parity flag, and the use of explicit I/O instructions, along with specific register configurations for memory indexing. These characteristics are linked to the earlier Datapoint 2200, a minicomputer that functioned as a low-cost terminal and introduced processing capabilities that made data entry more

Hidden interface controls are affecting usability

Published: 2025-07-05 | Origin: Hacker News

In the early 1960s, Douglas Engelbart introduced the distinction between "knowledge in the world" and "knowledge in the head" in relation to computer interfaces, which Donald Norman later popularized in his book *The Psychology of Everyday Things*. "Knowledge in the world" refers to making controls visible and intuitive, allowing users to rely on recognition rather than recall, exemplified by modern drop-down menus. In contrast, "knowledge in the head" necessitates users to memorize commands and operations,

What a Hacker Stole from Me

Published: 2025-07-05 | Origin: Hacker News

The blog serves as a platform for the author to connect with supporters of the myNoise project, which relies on their contributions. The author reflects on their dream to create a positive online space amidst chaos and shares "behind the scenes" stories. Recently, the website faced a malicious attack, where an entity attempted to inject code and later flooded the server by repeatedly downloading sound files, wasting bandwidth. Despite being built from scratch, the site managed to withstand the initial attack. The author emphasizes their commitment to environmental

How to Network as an Introvert

Published: 2025-07-05 | Origin: Hacker News

The blog post discusses the challenges introverts face when networking at events and offers a guide to improve their experience. The author reflects on their feelings of invisibility at gatherings and emphasizes that introverts possess social skills but may struggle in traditional networking environments. They provide practical steps for upcoming events, with credit given to Leil Lowndes' book "How to Talk to Anyone." Key strategies include eating beforehand to stay focused, wearing a distinctive item to spark conversations, staying updated on current events for easy discussion

The Two Towers MUD

Published: 2025-07-05 | Origin: Hacker News

The Date is March 15, 3019 in the Third Age, and Sauron has unleashed war upon the Free Peoples of Middle-earth, engaging in a significant battle at the gates of Minas Tirith, while also threatening Lothlorien, Thranduil's Kingdom, Dale, and Erebor. Players have the choice to align with Sauron or resist him. The Two Towers MUD is a free Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Game based on Tolkien's world during the 'Lord of

Eastern Baltic cod grow much smaller than they did due to overfishing

Published: 2025-07-05 | Origin: Hacker News

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Rails 8 adds comparable option to serialized attributes

Published: 2025-07-05 | Origin: /r/ruby

Rails 8 introduces a new "comparable" option for serialized attributes, addressing a long-standing issue where changes in serialization could trigger unnecessary database updates, even if the actual data remained unchanged. This option allows comparisons based on deserialized objects rather than their string representations, reducing the risk of phantom updates, especially important for applications syncing data with external sources or utilizing serialized configurations. The comparable option is compatible with custom serializers as well. However, guidelines on when to use or avoid the option are provided, emphasizing

The messy reality of SIMD (vector) functions

Published: 2025-07-05 | Origin: /r/programming

Johnny's Software Lab focuses on enhancing software performance through the use of SIMD (Single Instruction, Multiple Data) functions. These functions can process multiple data elements at once, unlike traditional functions that handle single data inputs, improving efficiency. The article discusses how compilers can automatically optimize code by vectorizing loops, opting for vector functions to boost performance when processing larger data sets. It highlights the importance of declaring and defining vector functions and notes that compilers manage vectorization directives, such as OpenMP pragmas,

Trying uv: The Future of Python Package Management

Published: 2025-07-05 | Origin: /r/programming

The article discusses the author's experience as a full-stack engineer utilizing Python for backend development and React for frontend development. The author expresses dissatisfaction with Python's package management tools compared to the efficiency of JavaScript's ecosystem, noting that alternatives like pip-tools and Poetry still leave much to be desired. However, after discovering “uv,” a new Python package manager written in Rust, the author has renewed enthusiasm for Python. Uv unifies functionalities of various tools into a single binary, boasting significant performance improvements over traditional

I want to leave tech: what do I do?

Published: 2025-07-05 | Origin: /r/programming

The article addresses individuals in technical roles who are considering leaving the tech industry to pursue more meaningful careers. Motivations for this transition may include feelings that the industry lacks value, ethical concerns about the impact of their work, dissatisfaction with individualistic culture, or a desire to avoid future regrets. The author acknowledges the diversity of readers' circumstances—varying skills, financial situations, and geographic locations—and aims to provide guidance on finding alternative career paths that utilize tech skills. The article promises to offer insights and resources

Local First Software Is Easier to Scale

Published: 2025-07-05 | Origin: /r/programming

The post discusses the concept of "local-first" or "edge-first" software, specifically focusing on Harper, a grammar checking tool that recently experienced a significant surge in traffic after being featured on Hacker News. The author expresses excitement about this free exposure and reflects on the benefits of running software as close to users as possible, which allows for faster response times and minimal resource usage. Unlike other software, such as LanguageTool, which relies on heavy server infrastructure and scaling to manage increased user load, Harper's

Local-first software (2019)

Published: 2025-07-05 | Origin: Hacker News

The article discusses the concept of "local-first software," which aims to provide users with both collaboration capabilities and data ownership, contrasting with the centralized model of cloud applications like Google Docs and Trello. While these cloud apps facilitate real-time access and collaboration across devices, they also pose risks such as loss of data and functionality if the service is discontinued. Local-first software allows users to work offline and collaborate on multiple devices, enhancing security, privacy, and long-term data retention. The article reviews various data

'I'm being paid to fix issues caused by AI'

Published: 2025-07-05 | Origin: /r/programming

Sarah Skidd, a product marketing manager, shares her experience with AI and its impact on her work. Recently, she was hired to rewrite AI-generated copy for a hospitality client's website, which she found to be "vanilla" and unengaging. Spending around 20 hours on the rewrite at $100 per hour, she believes that while AI is increasingly used, skilled writers will still find opportunities. Many writers are now focused on refining AI-generated content, indicating a niche market created by these mis

Why do software teams slow down as they grow? (Observation and opinionated piece)

Published: 2025-07-05 | Origin: /r/programming

"Readers Club" is a publication focused on providing valuable insights on various topics, allowing writers to easily submit their work without delays. It fosters a dynamic environment for sharing impactful stories. The content discusses the dynamics within engineering teams as they grow. Initially, smaller teams collaborate smoothly, rapidly shipping features while sharing casual interactions. However, as the team expands, communication becomes strained, decisions take longer, and a change in team dynamics occurs, often leading to inefficiencies. The author reflects on their experiences within

Structured Concurrency: Hierarchical Cancellation & Error Handling • James Ward

Published: 2025-07-05 | Origin: /r/programming

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Emmett - Event Sourcing made practical, fun and straightforward

Published: 2025-07-05 | Origin: /r/programming

The content discusses Event Sourcing, highlighting its importance in software architecture for managing decisions and historical data. It emphasizes that events, which capture the sequence of actions in a system, are crucial to making informed decisions, optimizing read models, integrating systems, and improving analytics. The approach is presented as a way to simplify development by breaking down applications into smaller, more manageable components, reducing cognitive load and coupling. The author introduces "Emmett," a tool designed to streamline the incorporation of Event Sourcing into

The ITTAGE indirect branch predictor

Published: 2025-07-05 | Origin: /r/programming

In July 2025, an exploration of the performance of Python 3.14's tail-calling interpreter led to the discovery that modern CPUs effectively predict indirect jumps in bytecode interpreters. This ability is enhanced in stable bytecode environments, allowing for high accuracy in dispatch predictions even in typical interpreter loops. The author delved into branch prediction mechanics, emphasizing that they are not a hardware engineer but are presenting interesting high-level concepts. Notably, while detailed information on modern CPU branch predictors is limited

Ruby 3.4 Frozen String Literals: What Rails Developers Actually Need to Know

Published: 2025-07-05 | Origin: /r/ruby

Ruby 3.4 begins a gradual transition to making string literals frozen by default, with the aim of improving performance through deduplication of identical string literals. Although existing code will function as usual, developers can optionally enable deprecation warnings to prepare for this change. Notably, Ruby 3.4 introduces "chilled strings" for files lacking the frozen_string_literal pragma, which helps manage strings in a more efficient way without the need for magic comments. The transition is designed to be developer-friendly

OBBB signed: Reinstates immediate expensing for U.S.-based R&D

Published: 2025-07-05 | Origin: Hacker News

On July 3, 2025, the House passed the Senate’s version of the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBBA), which significantly alters federal tax policy towards domestic production and pro-business initiatives. Key changes include the restoration of 100% bonus depreciation, immediate expensing for U.S.-based research and development (R&D), the termination of several clean energy programs established under the Inflation Reduction Act, and the permanent extension of individual tax cuts. New incentives for middle-class families

GitHub - LukaJCB/ts-mls: A MLS library for TypeScript

Published: 2025-07-04 | Origin: /r/programming

The content discusses a TypeScript implementation of Messaging Layer Security (RFC 9420, MLS), emphasizing immutability and type safety. This project is designed to work in browsers, Node.js, or serverless environments and incorporates Post Quantum public-key algorithms. It has a single dependency, @hpke/core, but additional libraries may be needed for specific cipher suites, such as @noble/curves for the MLS_128_DHKEMX25519_AES128GCM_SHA256_Ed