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Electrobun: Cross-platform desktop applications written in TypeScript

Published: 2024-11-20 | Origin: Hacker News

Electrobun is a comprehensive solution designed for the development, updating, and distribution of lightweight, fast, cross-platform desktop applications in TypeScript. It utilizes Bun for executing the main process and bundling TypeScript for webviews, with native bindings created in Zig. Developers can write TypeScript for both the main process and webviews effortlessly, without compatibility concerns. The platform emphasizes security and performance through process isolation and efficient RPC communication. It produces small, self-extracting app bundles (approximately 12

Weight-loss drug found to shrink heart muscle in mice, human cells

Published: 2024-11-20 | Origin: Hacker News

Researchers at the University of Alberta are cautioning about the potential negative health consequences of popular anti-obesity medications like Ozempic. A new study indicates that these drugs may lead to a reduction in heart muscle mass, alongside the intended weight loss effects. The lead author, Jason Dyck, emphasizes that while the benefits of these medications might outweigh the risks for those with specific health conditions, individuals using them for weight loss but not meeting eligibility criteria should be aware of different risk factors. The study, conducted

Z-Library Helps Students to Overcome Academic Poverty, Study Finds

Published: 2024-11-20 | Origin: Hacker News

A recent study in the Journal of University Teaching & Learning Practice examines the motivations behind the use of Z-Library, a major online shadow library offering free access to millions of books and academic articles. The study highlights the experiences of Chinese postgraduate students who view Z-Library as a means to combat academic poverty, leveraging it to access expensive and limited educational materials. Despite ongoing criminal prosecutions in the U.S., which resulted in the arrest of two operators, Z-Library has managed to continue its operations and

Native compilation of Prolog predicates with Cranelift [pdf]

Published: 2024-11-20 | Origin: /r/programming

The provided content is a portion of a PDF file encoded in binary, specifically beginning with PDF version 1.5 and containing several XObjects of subtype Form. Each object has properties like Type, Subtype, BBox (bounding box dimensions), FormType, Matrix (transformation matrix), Resources, Length, and Filter (indicating data compression). The streams of data represent the content and graphics of the forms, which are compressed with FlateDecode. The objects vary in size and complexity, suggesting

New level of interview hell, part duex

Published: 2024-11-20 | Origin: /r/ruby

The content is about joining LinkedIn, including agreeing to their User Agreement, Privacy Policy, and Cookie Policy. It then transitions to a discussion about an interview process for a software position at Better Stack. A candidate expresses frustration about a coding challenge that involves unfamiliar technologies and the extensive requirements for the task. This post gained significant traction on Reddit, with many users expressing criticism of Better Stack's interview process. Juraj, the Co-Founder and CEO of Better Stack, responds to the criticism, explaining the rationale

DBSP: Automatic Incremental View Maintenance for Rich Query Languages

Published: 2024-11-20 | Origin: /r/programming

The content discusses incremental computation as a revolutionary method for data processing, which focuses on updating results based on small changes in input rather than recomputing everything. It introduces DBSP, a programming language inspired by signal processing, that simplifies complex database queries using just four operators. DBSP operates on streams, represented as infinite vectors indexed by time, and includes mathematical operations and incremental computing operators for processing streams. Unlike differential dataflow, which models time as a lattice for distributed systems while capturing causality and concurrency

How to cope with technology FOMO

Published: 2024-11-20 | Origin: /r/programming

The content discusses the persistent anxiety experienced by web developers regarding the rapid changes in technology, particularly in JavaScript and web development. Avdi Grimm reflects on the concerns highlighted by Ray Bango eight years ago, emphasizing that the situation has not significantly improved. He shares insights for younger developers battling technology churn and fear of missing out (FOMO): 1. **Learn to Learn**: Understand your learning process and what helps you overcome challenges with new technologies. 2. **Be Wary of Hype**

BASIC co-creator Thomas Kurtz hits END at 96

Published: 2024-11-20 | Origin: /r/programming

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The Stride engine is embracing SPIR-V

Published: 2024-11-20 | Origin: /r/programming

The content discusses ongoing research and improvements related to the SDSL compiler and its transition to the SPIR-V compiler within the Stride engine. The author reflects on the complexities of rewriting the shader system, especially given the challenges following the open-sourcing of Stride and the departure of some original developers. Despite these difficulties, the author has received assistance from remaining team members and found the source code to be well-structured, facilitating quicker fixes by contributors. The author admits to starting the project with limited knowledge

Can you translate code quality into business impact?

Published: 2024-11-20 | Origin: /r/programming

The content discusses the challenges of prioritizing refactoring work in software development, noting that less than 10% of IT managers actively focus on mitigating technical debt. This neglect leads to lost productivity for developers, who reportedly waste 23-42% of their time due to poor code quality, which also contributes to stress and missed deadlines. The main issue is a communication gap between engineering and business, as code quality is often seen as an abstract concept by business managers, making it difficult for engineers to advocate

What is the origin of the lake tank image that has become a meme? (2021)

Published: 2024-11-20 | Origin: Hacker News

The Stack Exchange network comprises 183 Q&A communities, with Stack Overflow being the largest and most trusted platform for developers to learn, share knowledge, and advance their careers. It allows users to ask questions and collaborate, particularly through Stack Overflow for Teams, which facilitates knowledge sharing in a structured and searchable environment. Additionally, there is a discussion regarding the "Panzer of the Lake" meme, centered on a historical image of a German Panzer IVD tank, which was lost in 1940 during

This repository contains a comprehensive summary of foundational Linux concepts and core tasks.

Published: 2024-11-20 | Origin: /r/programming

The Linux Basics repository is a comprehensive resource designed to help users understand foundational Linux concepts, core tasks, and best practices. It serves as both a learning tool and a quick reference guide, offering detailed notes on essential commands and tools through a structured Table of Contents. Users are encouraged to contribute suggestions or improvements. To stay updated, it's recommended to star the repository. The project is licensed under the MIT License.

Fargate vs EC2 - When to choose Fargate?

Published: 2024-11-20 | Origin: /r/programming

The article discusses the differences between running containers on AWS EKS (Elastic Kubernetes Service) using EC2 instances versus AWS Fargate. When using Fargate, each pod operates on its own separate node, which can lead to a rapid increase in the number of nodes as the cluster expands. In contrast, using EC2 allows for multiple pods to share fewer nodes, resulting in a more compact resource allocation. The choice between Fargate and EC2 is influenced by the management of resources and the

Flipping FLIP ship saved from scrapyard at last minute

Published: 2024-11-20 | Origin: Hacker News

The US Navy's FLoating Instrument Platform (FLIP) has been saved from being scrapped in Mexico by the undersea design company DEEP. FLIP, designed as a barge for underwater acoustic data collection, features a unique asparagus-like shape and was commissioned in 1962 for the Navy's anti-submarine weapon development. It was in service until its decommissioning in 2023 and became a valuable research platform. After learning of its impending scrapping, DEEP's CEO

Rack for Ruby: Socket Hijacking

Published: 2024-11-20 | Origin: /r/ruby

In the continuation of a series about Rack applications, Ayush Newatia discusses how to manage persistent connections, like WebSockets, by hijacking sockets in Rack. Initially, he explains the basic operation of HTTP connections over TCP sockets, highlighting that typical communication is transient and in plain text. He outlines two methods for socket hijacking in Rack: 1. **Partial Hijacking** via `rack.hijack`, which allows Rack to take control of the socket while still processing HTTP headers properly.

AAA - Analytical Anti-Aliasing

Published: 2024-11-20 | Origin: /r/programming

The content discusses Anti-Aliasing (AA) and focuses on Analytical Anti-Aliasing as a refined approach to eliminate jagged edges in rendered images. It outlines the evolution of AA techniques, from traditional methods like Supersampling Anti-Aliasing (SSAA) to modern strategies using machine learning, such as Deep Learning Anti-Aliasing (DLAA). The goal is to improve visual quality through various methodologies, each offering distinct advantages. The explanation emphasizes implementing Anti-Aliasing algorithms using GLS

Understanding the BM25 full text search algorithm

Published: 2024-11-20 | Origin: Hacker News

BM25, or Best Match 25, is a popular algorithm for full-text search utilized in platforms like Lucene, Elasticsearch, and SQLite. Recently, there has been an emergence of "hybrid search" that combines full-text search with vector similarity search. The author is exploring search algorithms for a personalized content feed that aggregates content relevant to users' interests. Initially using vector similarity search, they found limitations in capturing specific keywords. This led to a deeper examination of BM25 to determine if BM25

Epic Allows Internet Archive to Distribute Unreal and Unreal Tournament Forever

Published: 2024-11-20 | Origin: Hacker News

The preservation of older video games faces significant challenges due to the intersection of intellectual property (IP) rights and the reluctance of some publishers to support or release these games for public access. This situation leads to a paradox where companies maintain copyrights over games that are no longer available, thus undermining the purpose of copyright law, which is to eventually allow works to enter the public domain. The author argues that this violates the copyright contract with the public, and such practices should have consequences. Several theories explain why

Webvm: Virtual Machine for the Web

Published: 2024-11-20 | Origin: Hacker News

The content provides an overview of WebVM, a Linux virtual machine that operates directly in web browsers using HTML5 and WebAssembly. It allows users to run an unmodified Debian distribution along with various development tools, powered by the CheerpX virtualization engine. This technology enables secure execution of x86 binaries in a sandboxed environment and provides networking capabilities through Tailscale. Users can customize their setup by modifying Dockerfiles, with guidance provided for building and deploying specific applications. Feedback from users is encouraged,

Code Exercises and Presentation Slides for RubyConf 2024 2-Hour Workshop "How To Build Basic Desktop Applications in Ruby"

Published: 2024-11-20 | Origin: /r/ruby

The message emphasizes the importance of participant feedback and outlines the resources available for two RubyConf workshops focused on building basic desktop applications using Ruby. It encourages readers to star the Glimmer DSL for LibUI project for future reference, as it is a straightforward tool for Ruby desktop development. The workshops utilize Glimmer DSL for LibUI, noted for its ease of setup, while highlighting that the skills learned are transferable to other Glimmer GUI DSLs. Participants are encouraged to report issues via GitHub or engage in