News Nug
PostgreSQL 18 Beta 1 Released! (cross post from r/postgresql)

Published: 2025-05-08 | Origin: /r/programming

The PostgreSQL Global Development Group has released the first beta version of PostgreSQL 18 for download. This beta includes previews of features expected in the final release, although details may change. Users are encouraged to test the beta version in non-production environments to help identify bugs and issues. The beta testing process is available for review, and feedback is welcomed to ensure stability and reliability. Key features in PostgreSQL 18 include an asynchronous I/O (AIO) subsystem, which enhances I/O throughput and reduces

Announcing Ivar: Ruby’s Missing Instance Variable Typo Warnings

Published: 2025-05-08 | Origin: /r/ruby

Avdi Grimm introduces Ivar, a Ruby gem that checks for typos in instance variables (ivars). In Ruby, referencing an unset ivar returns nil without any warning, which can lead to bugs. Although this behavior allows flexibility in the language, it poses risks of typos going unnoticed. While many developers recommend using accessors (like attr_reader) for safety, this can sacrifice the convenience of direct ivar usage. Grimm mentions his evolving approach to using ivars directly, contrasting it

Reservoir Sampling

Published: 2025-05-08 | Origin: Hacker News

Reservoir sampling is a method for selecting a fair random sample from a set when the total size is unknown. The essay uses the analogy of picking cards to illustrate this concept. Initially, the author describes a basic technique of shuffling 10 playing cards to randomly select 3, which is effective with a small number of items. However, for larger sets, like a million cards, mixing isn't practical, so a random number generator could be employed to select indices directly without needing to shuffle. The essay

Void: Open-source Cursor alternative

Published: 2025-05-08 | Origin: Hacker News

The content emphasizes the importance of user feedback for Void, an open-source alternative to Cursor. Void allows users to leverage AI agents on their codebase while ensuring data privacy by not retaining user data. The repository contains the full source code, and newcomers are welcomed. Key resources include documentation, a roadmap, a changelog, and a website. Users are encouraged to contribute, participate in weekly Discord meetings, and collaborate. Void is based on the vscode repository, and guidance on the codebase is available.

Microservices Are a Tax Your Startup Probably Can’t Afford

Published: 2025-05-08 | Origin: /r/programming

The article discusses the risks of prematurely splitting a codebase, particularly through the use of microservices, in early-stage startups. The author emphasizes that a startup's success hinges on rapid iteration and the ability to deliver value quickly to users. Prematurely adopting microservices can lead to increased complexity, half-finished services, and demoralized teams struggling with over-engineering and maintaining intricate setups. Instead, the author argues that monolithic architecture can be more beneficial in the early stages due to its

How Google Measures and Manages Tech Debt

Published: 2025-05-08 | Origin: /r/programming

Technical debt is a pervasive issue in software development, often defined differently by individuals, leading to confusion about its impact. Google recently conducted internal surveys revealing that a significant portion of their engineers felt hindered by "unnecessary complexity and technical debt." In their paper, "Defining, Measuring, and Managing Technical Debt," engineers Ciera Jaspan and Collin Green aimed to concretely define and measure this concept, as it often gets blamed for productivity issues without precise evaluation. Their research provides strategies for engineering

How to Write a Native x64 Debugger from Scratch • Sy Brand & Tim Misiak

Published: 2025-05-08 | Origin: /r/programming

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Elasticsearch 101: Deep Dive

Published: 2025-05-08 | Origin: /r/programming

The newsletter offers a weekly selection of well-researched articles focused on software engineering, covering topics from coding fundamentals to advanced system design, without any unnecessary content.

Working on Complex Systems: What I Learned Working at Google

Published: 2025-05-08 | Origin: /r/programming

The content discusses the concept of complex systems, drawing from the author's experiences at different organizations, particularly in optimizing driver-passenger matching in ride-hailing and their current role at Google. It distinguishes between complicated and complex problems: - **Complicated problems** are intricate yet predictable, with established solutions (e.g., filing taxes). - **Complex problems** are unique and require adaptive, innovative solutions (e.g., climate change mitigation). The author emphasizes that recognizing whether a system is complicated or complex is

Distributed TinyURL Architecture: How to handle 100K URLs per second

Published: 2025-05-08 | Origin: /r/programming

Rebrandly, a link management platform, developed a service that can generate 100,000 URLs in just one second, which significantly aided their client, WonderCave, in raising substantial funds through an SMS campaign during a hurricane. The Rebrandly team discussed their solution at the AWS AI & Data Conference 2025, highlighting the complexity of designing a scalable URL service, which goes beyond the basic principles illustrated by TinyURL. The article aims to explore the challenges of achieving high URL generation rates

Test & Revise Your Knowledge on Spring Boot Annotations

Published: 2025-05-08 | Origin: /r/programming

The content discusses the importance of understanding Spring Boot annotations for Java developers, especially in the context of enterprise applications. It emphasizes their role in simplifying configuration, reducing boilerplate code, and enhancing application robustness. The article provides a set of multiple-choice questions (MCQs) focused on Spring Boot annotations to help developers prepare for job interviews, certification exams, and to strengthen their understanding of the framework. The MCQs include concept-based, code-based, and scenario-based questions, each with detailed explanations of correct

Ask HN: How much better are AI IDEs vs. copy pasting into chat apps?

Published: 2025-05-08 | Origin: Hacker News

The user is a frequent coder who uses Gemini, ChatGPT, and Copilot but has not explored Cursor or Windsurf. They express frustration with having to manually provide context when using chat-based tools for coding, particularly as larger projects become cumbersome. They note that Copilot lacks the intelligence of advanced chat apps, highlighting the need for AI integrated development environments (IDEs) that can automatically understand context from the codebase, rather than relying on user input. The user shares their experience with Cursor, which

Absolute Zero Reasoner

Published: 2025-05-08 | Origin: Hacker News

Andrew Zhao is seeking full-time research scientist positions, preferably in North America, starting in June 2026. Interested parties can contact him via his email addresses. Yiran Wu is also on the lookout for similar positions beginning at the same time. The current models for reasoning trained using Reinforcement Learning with Verifiable Rewards (RLVR) depend on curated datasets, which poses scalability issues and may hinder AI advancement beyond predefined human tasks. To overcome this, the proposed Absolute Zero paradigm allows a model to autonom

Why devs rely on tests instead of proofs for verification

Published: 2025-05-08 | Origin: /r/programming

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Show HN: US Routing – Python library for fast local routing in the US

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

US Routing is a Python library designed for efficient local routing in the United States, using the North American Roads dataset. It is suitable for scenarios where approximate routing is acceptable. Users can install it via pip or poetry, and the library offers functionality to download and process routing data. It includes a BaseRouter class for building custom routing graphs with a simple API that supports shapefiles with multiple geometries and attributes. Feedback from users is valued, and contributions through Pull Requests are encouraged.

June Huh dropped out to become a poet, now he’s won a Fields Medal (2022)

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

June Huh, a professor of mathematics at Princeton University, has been awarded the Fields Medal for his exceptional ability to navigate and connect diverse areas of mathematics, specifically geometry and combinatorics. Known for taking long, exploratory walks, Huh draws parallels between his observations of nature and his approach to mathematical problems, often finding innovative paths to solve major issues. His journey into mathematics has been marked by exploration and discovery, akin to experiencing "little miracles" as he connects seemingly unrelated mathematical domains.

Ty: an extremely fast Python type checker and language server, written in Rust.

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

The content provides an overview of "ty," an extremely fast Python type checker and language server developed in Rust. It emphasizes that "ty" is pre-release software, not ready for production use, and may have bugs and incomplete features since it is still in active development. Users are encouraged to submit feedback, report bugs, and open issues in the repository. Development occurs in the Ruff repository, where contributions should be made according to the contributing guide. "ty" is licensed under the MIT license, which

Open source Google Analytics replacement

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

Rybbit is an open-source and privacy-friendly web and product analytics tool that serves as an alternative to Google Analytics. It is designed to be user-friendly and can be set up in just a few minutes. Users are encouraged to check the documentation for more information and available qualifiers. Feedback from users is valued and taken seriously.

The Many Types of Polymorphism

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

The article discusses polymorphism, a key concept in programming that enables a single piece of code to work with multiple data types, summarized as "one operation, many types." The piece highlights the evolution of programming languages, noting that early languages like C and Pascal lacked native support for polymorphism, leading to laborious code duplication. It distinguishes between types of polymorphism, including **ad-hoc polymorphism** (or function overloading, supported as early as 1959 by ALGOL) and

PEP 751 Review: The New Standard for Python Dependency Management

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

The content discusses the challenges of dependency management in Python, highlighting the issues caused by multiple non-interoperable lock files, such as Poetry's poetry.lock and pip's requirements.txt. It notes the fragmented landscape and inconsistent security defaults as significant pain points for developers. The text encourages learning and engagement with technology.