The hottest Cloud Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Technology Topics
Cloud Irregular 2956 implied HN points 20 Jan 25
  1. Nix is a tool that helps you set up your software environment the same way every time, making deployments easier. It's designed to manage software dependencies reliably.
  2. Nix can be complex to learn, especially because it uses functional programming concepts. This makes some programmers hesitant to adopt it.
  3. While Docker is useful for containerization, Nix offers better reproducibility for builds by focusing on what the environment should look like, rather than just the steps to create it.
Dana Blankenhorn: Facing the Future 39 implied HN points 30 Oct 24
  1. Nvidia's rise marked the start of the AI boom, with companies heavily buying chips for AI tools. This growth continues, and Nvidia is now a leading company.
  2. Google's cloud revenue is growing quickly at 35%, while overall revenue growth is slower at 15%. This shows strong demand for AI services from Google.
  3. Despite revenue growth, Google's search revenue isn't doing as well, rising only 12%. This could mean they are losing some of their search market share.
Leading Developers 57 implied HN points 21 Jan 25
  1. Developers can avoid being blocked by working directly on DevOps tasks themselves, like opening Pull Requests instead of just making requests. This way, they learn and the DevOps team gets involved faster.
  2. Instead of just asking for help, it's better to ask intriguing questions that engage the DevOps team. It makes them think more creatively and motivates them to assist.
  3. Developers should create their own alerts for their applications. This helps them understand their changes better and ensures that they take responsibility for their work.
davidj.substack 119 implied HN points 13 Dec 24
  1. Sqlmesh offers various command-line interface commands that help manage and maintain your data projects effectively. For example, the `clean` command helps fix any issues that might arise during execution.
  2. The new tool has unique features that improve development, like automatic data contract handling and optimized incremental models, making it easier to work with large datasets without unnecessary costs.
  3. Competition in the data transformation space is healthy. It pushes tools like dbt and sqlmesh to improve, ultimately benefiting users by providing better features and experiences.
ciamweekly 62 implied HN points 30 Dec 24
  1. CIAM software is similar across different platforms, which makes it easy to use but also complex in its features.
  2. CIAM is very important for security since it manages sensitive data like passwords and personal information.
  3. Using managed services like CIAM helps developers save time and focus on building better software instead of handling complex login systems.
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Curious Devs Corner 1 HN point 03 Oct 24
  1. Helm makes using Kubernetes easier for beginners by simplifying the process of installing and managing applications. It helps users avoid the confusion of typing many commands to deploy different parts of an app.
  2. With Helm, you can package all the parts of your application into one bundle called a 'chart'. This makes it much simpler to distribute and manage apps on Kubernetes, similar to how apps are managed on computers.
  3. Helm focuses on security and customization. It verifies the integrity of packages and allows users to customize charts, making it a flexible tool for deploying applications according to their specific needs.
Resilient Cyber 59 implied HN points 30 Jul 24
  1. The U.S. has released its first comprehensive report on cybersecurity, highlighting key risks like ransomware and the need for better incident preparedness.
  2. Many American companies are lacking strong cybersecurity leadership, which leads to vulnerabilities and incidents. Board members often need more expertise in digital systems.
  3. To secure cloud services and open source software, it's important to learn from past mistakes and implement better governance and security measures.
VuTrinh. 299 implied HN points 09 Mar 24
  1. Docker helps you package your applications and everything they need into containers. This makes it easier to deploy and run your apps anywhere.
  2. Containers are lighter than virtual machines because they share the host's operating system, saving resources and simplifying management.
  3. To get started with Docker, install it, then run a simple command to create your first container, like 'docker run hello-world' - it’s that straightforward!
Cobus Greyling on LLMs, NLU, NLP, chatbots & voicebots 39 implied HN points 03 Jul 24
  1. LangGraph helps in creating a flow for conversational applications, allowing for both structured and flexible designs. This means you can manage how chatbots interact without forcing them into a rigid structure.
  2. With LangGraph Studio, users can visualize and control how their AI agents work. It provides tools to track performance, test different scenarios, and optimize interactions effectively.
  3. LangGraph Cloud allows developers to deploy their projects from GitHub and test them in a user-friendly environment. This makes it easier to understand and improve the behavior of AI agents in real-time.
Frankly Speaking 305 implied HN points 15 Feb 24
  1. Crowdstrike initially succeeded by focusing on incident response, not just products, which differentiated them from competitors like Symantec.
  2. The company's expansion into adjacencies and acquisitions, like PAM and logging, is an effort to move from endpoint protection to a broader platform play for sustained growth.
  3. Crowdstrike may face challenges if they don't adapt successfully to selling to DevOps, security engineers, and managing acquisitions, risking plateauing growth and loss of market interest.
The GameDiscoverCo newsletter 294 implied HN points 15 May 23
  1. Consider that the best-converting PC genre tag is 'Escape Room', but creating these games may pose challenges like online co-op mechanics.
  2. While 'Sports' is another well-converting genre, success in niche games might not guarantee significant financial results.
  3. Cloud gaming competition concerns arise as Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard is cleared by the EU, with conditions, amid regulatory scrutiny.
Sunday Letters 59 implied HN points 12 May 24
  1. Modern AI systems have a random element, making them sometimes unpredictable or unreliable. This means they can give different answers even to the same question, which is a challenge for creating consistent outputs.
  2. Just like the early cloud systems, we need to use smart software solutions to make our current AI technologies more reliable. Instead of relying solely on the AI itself, we should layer software to handle and fix errors.
  3. To build better AI systems, it’s important to explore structured approaches, like guided conversations or iterative processes. This way, we can combine the strengths of AI with reliable system design.
Console 413 implied HN points 08 Oct 23
  1. Top open source projects featured in Console #178 this week include Clickvote, gpt-pilot, and Kestra.
  2. Projects cover a range of languages like TypeScript, Python, and Java, offering various functionalities from upvotes to workflow orchestrating.
  3. The projects highlighted have a significant number of stars and recent commits, showcasing ongoing development and community interest.
Kosmik’s Newsletter 98 implied HN points 18 Jan 24
  1. The development of the desktop metaphor started with making computers more approachable and user-friendly.
  2. Over time, the desktop evolved to include features like Mission Control to help users manage an increasing number of apps and files.
  3. Advancements in web technologies have led to a shift towards cloud-based desktop environments like Kosmik 2.0, offering users a more flexible and productive digital habitat.
Interconnected 385 implied HN points 07 Jun 23
  1. The author provides a re-introduction of their background in three phases: US Politics, Foreign Policy, Washington DC; Cloud Infrastructure, Open Source, Startup Operator; Global Lens, GitHub, Investing and Writing.
  2. Their experience ranges from working in the Obama administration, studying law and computer science, to engaging in early stage investing and working at GitHub.
  3. They emphasize the importance of achieving bilingual information symmetry between English and Chinese through their writing.
Detection at Scale 39 implied HN points 02 Apr 24
  1. A security breach was discovered in xz-utils versions 5.6.0 and 5.6.1, allowing unauthorized remote access.
  2. Detection methods include monitoring cloud instances, correlating processes, KQL queries for Sentinel, binary analysis with YARA, Osquery, and Sysdig Falco.
  3. Reproducing the attack can be done using resources like Kali Blog and Xzbot, while there are infographics summarizing the background and timeline of the backdoor incident.
Rod’s Blog 99 implied HN points 17 Oct 23
  1. Microsoft Sentinel helps in detecting and mitigating brute-force attacks on VIP accounts, which are high-level privileged user accounts in organizations.
  2. Brute-force attacks involve trying multiple passwords to gain unauthorized access to accounts or systems, making VIP accounts attractive targets.
  3. Organizations can use Microsoft Sentinel to set thresholds for failed logon attempts, create custom detection rules, investigate alerts triggered by VIP accounts, and take necessary response actions.
Irrational Analysis 39 implied HN points 08 Mar 24
  1. Marvell and Broadcom both faced challenges after recent earnings, with Marvell experiencing a bigger drop due to exposure to the struggling 5G industry.
  2. The 5G technology's promised new use cases beyond smartphones have largely failed to materialize, leading to decreased demand and implications for companies like Marvell.
  3. Broadcom, on the other hand, showed strength in custom AI accelerators and networking revenue growth, positioning themselves well for the future.
Interconnected 200 implied HN points 14 Aug 23
  1. Generative AI requires a significant amount of electricity and power for training, leading to data centers being located near cheap energy sources.
  2. Open source technologies are challenging closed source in the generative AI space, with implications for competition and innovation.
  3. Chinese AI model makers are emerging in unexpected places like niche internet companies and academic research institutes, showing diversity in the AI landscape.
Vasu’s Newsletter 13 implied HN points 18 Oct 24
  1. Use Supervisor to keep your Java application running smoothly. It automatically restarts your app if it crashes.
  2. Set up log rotation to manage log files effectively. This helps prevent your system from running out of disk space by rotating and compressing logs.
  3. Make sure to test both the application and the log rotation. Checking logs regularly ensures everything is working as expected.
HackerPulse Dispatch 8 implied HN points 19 Nov 24
  1. There are new file types called recursive and loopy zip files that can unzip forever or loop between two files. This changes how we think about file compression.
  2. The new .NET 9 is a powerful tool for developers, making it easier to create fast and secure applications, especially with built-in AI features.
  3. Some exciting software trends focus on local data storage, faster web apps with WebAssembly, and SQLite's revival, all moving away from just relying on big language models.
Rod’s Blog 59 implied HN points 08 Dec 23
  1. Microsoft Security Copilot is an AI-powered security solution that supports security professionals in various scenarios like incident response and threat hunting, using plugins for wider threat visibility and context.
  2. Security Copilot integrates seamlessly with Microsoft Intune, aiding in managing user access to organizational resources, simplifying device management, and supporting the Zero Trust security model.
  3. Security Copilot helps analysts manage identities and devices, deploy apps, and monitor compliance and security posture using natural language commands, queries, and AI-generated dashboards and reports.
Frankly Speaking 203 implied HN points 22 Mar 23
  1. Establishing a foundational security strategy integrated into the engineering process is crucial for tech companies.
  2. The rise of security engineering leaders will be inevitable for growth companies of all sizes.
  3. Strong security design and fast iteration processes require a security engineering team rather than a traditional risk-focused security organization.
Rod’s Blog 39 implied HN points 06 Dec 23
  1. Security teams face challenges such as complexity in handling large volumes of security data from various sources like logs and alerts, making analysis overwhelming, especially during cyberattacks.
  2. There is a skills gap in the market for skilled security professionals, leading to a lack of resources and expertise within security teams to manage all security tasks effectively.
  3. To address challenges, security teams need solutions that simplify security data and tasks, empower them with AI and machine learning capabilities, and protect the organization from cyberthreats by leveraging the latest threat intelligence.
Sector 6 | The Newsletter of AIM 39 implied HN points 29 Nov 23
  1. Big tech companies are competing to showcase new technologies, trying to outdo each other with better innovations.
  2. AWS has introduced a new chatbot named Q, which is designed for their customers to chat and generate content easily.
  3. AWS Q can be customized to work with various software used by organizations, making it flexible for different business needs.
Sector 6 | The Newsletter of AIM 19 implied HN points 06 Mar 24
  1. Claude 3 has made competition in the cloud market very intense, especially between Microsoft, Google, and Amazon. Each company is trying to outdo the others by adding new AI features.
  2. OpenAI is under pressure to release GPT-5 as Claude 3 shows strong performance. This situation is causing some confusion for Microsoft Azure.
  3. Anthropic's Claude 3 outperformed OpenAI's GPT-4 in several tests and is now available for businesses on platforms like Amazon Bedrock and Google Cloud. This gives businesses more options for AI tools.
Interesting Data Gigs Weekly 19 implied HN points 10 Feb 24
  1. Rob Mee and his team at Mechanical Orchard are leveraging Generative AI to modernize critical, old code running on mainframes efficiently and properly.
  2. Legacy systems in the U.S. still heavily rely on languages like COBOL, offering job opportunities for those skilled in it.
  3. Mechanical Orchard's use of COBOL and Elixir highlights the demand for modernizing old systems and the potential for increased profits after such modernization.
Sector 6 | The Newsletter of AIM 39 implied HN points 25 Jun 23
  1. Indian IT companies are actively developing generative AI solutions to tap into new business opportunities. They are innovating and expanding their offerings in this area.
  2. Wipro started its generative AI practice two years ago and is working with various companies to create centers of excellence. They are also collaborating with academic institutions to boost their research.
  3. Partnerships with tech giants like Google Cloud are helping companies like Wipro advance the use of generative AI in enterprises. This supports businesses in adopting these new technologies effectively.
The API Changelog 4 implied HN points 02 Nov 24
  1. APIs can be categorized based on their usage and management status. Knowing if an API is 'orphan', 'shadow', or 'zombie' helps understand if it's being used or managed properly.
  2. An 'orphan' API is one that is documented but not used, wasting resources without serving a purpose.
  3. A 'shadow' API is used but not documented or managed, while a 'zombie' API is outdated but still running, consuming resources without support.
Laszlo’s Newsletter 37 implied HN points 03 Jan 24
  1. Cloud computing provides flexibility in resources and enables experimentation without high upfront costs.
  2. Establishing a strong data stack is crucial before implementing AI/GenAI to ensure data quality and reliable insights.
  3. Traditional AI involves well-defined tools for extracting business-relevant information from data, while generative AI like Prompt Engineering and Finetuning require sophisticated infrastructures and specific business goals.