Top posts
Every blog post that took off on Hacker News, ranked by the votes of its best submission. 49,194 posts.
Software Testing Anti-patterns
There are several articles out there that talk about testing anti-patterns in the software development process. Most of them however deal with the low level details of the programming code, and almost always they focus on a specific technology or programming language.
Insights from over 10,000 comments on "Ask HN: Who Is Hiring" using GPT-4o
By structuring the comments on Hacker News using a predefined response_scheme for the LLM, I’ve tried to get a feeling for current job market and trends.
SectorC: A C Compiler in 512 bytes
SectorC ( github ) is a C compiler written in x86-16 assembly that fits within the 512 byte boot sector of an x86 machine. It supports a subset of C that is large enough to write real and interesting programs. It is quite likely the smallest C compiler ever written.
GPT-3.5 crashes when it thinks about useRalativeImagePath too much
Asking it to repeat "ponyuseRal ponyuseRal ponyuseRal pony" makes API requests fail
ChatGPT Explained: A normie's guide to how it works
Once you understand a few core concepts, modern chatbots are less mysterious.
How I discovered a hidden microphone on a Chinese NanoKVM
NanoKVM is a hardware KVM switch developed by the Chinese company Sipeed. Released last year, it enables remote control of a computer or server using a virtu...
A sad update about a scissors maker that went viral
Back in 2014, a lovely short film by Shaun Bloodworth called The Putter went viral. The film shows Cliff Denton making scissors for Ernest Wright & Sons. Denton
Principles of Engineering Management
More than 2 years ago, I decided to try to create a brief, digestible manual on the expectations of management for senior engineers at my company who are considering making the shift. At the time, …
Modern SAT solvers: fast, neat and underused
In the previous two parts we used a SAT solver as a black box that we feed input into, and it will (usually quickly) spit out an answer. In this part, we will look at how SAT solvers work and what heuristics and other tricks they employ in their quest for performance.
A bug that taught me more about PyTorch than years of using it
a loss plateau that looked like my mistake turned out to be a PyTorch bug. tracking it down meant peeling back every layer of abstraction, from optimizer internals to GPU kernels.
Software made me loathe my car
I am the disgruntled owner of a 2015 BMW 320d xDrive. That’s a luxury car, at least to a Dane. And I’m a bit surprised that it’s come to this point. It is, mechanically, a wonderful car. The double-clutch transmission is smooth, it’s easy to drive, the engine is modest, but decent, the milage is great (20 km/l or ~47…
Apple Just Lost Me
AndreGarzia.com website
U.S. stock market returns – a history from the 1870s to 2022
Facts and figures on U.S. stock market returns from 1871 to 2024. Annual returns, likelihood of losing money, best / worst months, and more.
The Factorio Mindset
Plus! The Carbon Rally; The Bridge; Housing and Rates; Full Stack Media; Buying Out Contracts; Diff Jobs
GitFlow considered harmful
GitFlow is the most popular Git branching model. After using it (and, more importantly, after seeing how it is used) for over a year now, I can say with confidence: I hate it. In the article, I try to explain why, and offer a better alternative.
Bill Watterson’s refusal to license Calvin and Hobbes (2016)
When Calvin and Hobbes went out of print twenty years ago, I think most people assumed it would return at some point. I know I certainly did. Calvin and Hobbes was a formative part of my youth - the sly brilliant writing and stark black and white illustrations providing color to my sense of
JavaScript and TypeScript features of the last 3 years
This article goes through almost all of the changes of the last 3 years (and some from earlier) in JavaScript / ECMAScript and TypeScript.
Windows 11, Amazon, and Uncomfortable Questions
Android app development books
I've been advocating for RSS support, and you should too
I've been using Feeder to keep up with the news for awhile now. For a long time, I just checked AllSides. But then I found out NPR in my state supports ...
The most obsolete infrastructure money could buy – my worst job ever
A trip deep into a retrocomputing jungle.
I stood up to my boss, then he got promoted
There is a special feeling I get on a Sunday evening. Sunday is the weekend and I am home relaxing with my family after a well deserved break. But Sunday evening is the end of the weekend, the end of
A Hacker's Replacement for Gmail
Note: Since writing this I’ve replaced Exim with Postfix and Courier with Dovecot. This is outlined in the Addendum, but the main text is unchanged. Please read the whole guide before starting, as you can skip some of the steps and go straight to the final system.
Prompt engineering playbook for programmers
Turn AI coding assistants into more reliable development partners
You can't leak users' data if you don't hold it
When I was still working at Faculty , we took on a new client that was not yet named Matter . We eventually transitioned from an agency-client relationship to a startup relationship, where I became the VP of Technology. This is what I’ve been doing for the past two-ish years.
I trick my well-developed procrastination skills
It took me 10 years to finish my PhD, so I would assume my procrastination skills are not that bad ;) … fortunately, nowadays, I use some basic rules to fight procrastination and have become quite efficient with it. The following three basic rules helped me a lot to organize myself.
It's hard to write code for computers, but it's harder to write code for humans
How to build developer tools for happiness and productivity.
Kottke.org is 25 years old today
I realize how it sounds, but I’m going to say it anyway because it’s the truth. When I first clapped eyes on the World Wide Web, I fell in love. Here’s how I de