The hottest Coding Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Technology Topics

[Solution]Problem 11: Counts nodes in Complete Binary Tree [Amazon]

Technology Made Simple • 19 implied HN points • 31 Oct 21
🕹 Technology Coding
  1. Given a complete binary tree, counting the number of nodes can be done faster than O(n) by leveraging the properties of complete binary trees.
  2. For a full binary tree, the number of nodes can be calculated using a simple formula of 2^(depth + 1) - 1, which allows for efficient calculation in O(h) operations.
  3. By recognizing the characteristics of complete binary trees, such as the presence of full sub-trees, one can strategically cut down recursion and analyze only half of the tree at each depth for faster computation.

[Solution]Problem 10: Discover minimum transmission range [Spotify]

Technology Made Simple • 19 implied HN points • 25 Oct 21
🕹 Technology Coding
  1. The problem involves determining the minimum broadcast range for radio towers to cover all listeners along a line.
  2. The initial approach might involve iterating through users and towers, but it could result in a higher time complexity.
  3. To optimize the solution, it's important to think about ways to reduce time complexity, such as finding more efficient algorithms or data structures.

Hexceptional Encoding: Mastering the Art of Hex Conversion in Rust

Aayushya’s Substack • 1 HN point • 20 Apr 24
🕹 Technology Coding
  1. Hex encoding is essential for storing or transmitting binary data in formats like json, xml. It is widely used for checksums, hash digests, and ensuring data integrity.
  2. Minimizing memory allocations can significantly improve performance in operations involving heavy processing of data, like databases or real-time data processing.
  3. Using dedicated crates like hex and faster-hex in Rust can provide substantial speed enhancements compared to traditional string concatenation methods for hex encoding.
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[Solution]Problem 8: Maximum Stock Profit[Facebook]

Technology Made Simple • 19 implied HN points • 08 Oct 21
🕹 Technology Coding
  1. The problem involves finding the maximum profit from buying and selling a stock once based on historical prices.
  2. The initial brute force solution checks all possible pairs of buy and sell points, but we can optimize this approach.
  3. Analyzing the given context shows that we have all price data up front, and we only need to optimize a single trade, not overall profit.

Problem 8: Maximum Stock Profit[Facebook]

Technology Made Simple • 19 implied HN points • 06 Oct 21
🚌 Education Coding
  1. The problem discussed is about calculating the maximum profit from buying and selling stocks in chronological order.
  2. It's important to buy the stock before selling it to maximize profit.
  3. Subscription to the publication can provide access to solutions for similar problems and more content.

[Solution]Problem 7: Merge Binary Trees [Salesforce]

Technology Made Simple • 19 implied HN points • 01 Oct 21
🕹 Technology Coding
  1. When solving tree problems recursively, finding the base cases first helps in organizing the solution and demonstrates a structured problem-solving approach to the interviewer.
  2. Merging two binary trees involves summing up corresponding nodes from input trees and creating a new tree based on the sum values.
  3. The time complexity of merging two binary trees recursively is O(m+n), where m and n are the number of nodes in each of the input trees.

The sad state of software testing

Brick by Brick • 27 implied HN points • 27 Feb 23
🕹 Technology Coding
  1. Software testing is critical but often lacks scientific rigor.
  2. Well-tested code bases can lead to increased developer productivity and easier maintenance.
  3. There is a lack of reliable methods to measure the effectiveness of testing efforts in the software industry.

Problem 5: Generate Random Numbers According to Probability [TripleByte]

Technology Made Simple • 19 implied HN points • 12 Sep 21
🕹 Technology Coding
  1. Given 'n' numbers and corresponding probabilities that sum to 1, a function can be written to generate a number based on its probability.
  2. Random numbers between 0 and 1 can be generated uniformly to solve the problem of generating random numbers according to probability.
  3. Access to solutions to coding problems and breakdowns can often be obtained by subscribing to relevant publications.

[Solution]Problem 4: ZigZag String [PayPal]

Technology Made Simple • 19 implied HN points • 05 Sep 21
🕹 Technology Coding
  1. The post discusses a coding problem involving zigzag printing of a string in a specified format, similar to diagonals.
  2. The problem statement includes a scenario of printing 'thisisazigzag' in a zigzag form with a specific k value.
  3. To read more about this interesting coding problem solution and similar topics, consider subscribing to Technology Made Simple.

Problem 4: ZigZag String [PayPal]

Technology Made Simple • 19 implied HN points • 04 Sep 21
🚌 Education Coding
  1. The ZigZag String problem involves printing a string diagonally in a zigzag pattern based on the number of lines specified.
  2. This problem was asked by PayPal, demonstrating the type of coding challenges that may be encountered in job interviews.
  3. For access to solutions and breakdowns of similar problems, subscribing to coding publications may offer valuable resources for improving coding skills.

Problem 3: Square Elements of Sorted List and return in Sorted Order [Google]

Technology Made Simple • 19 implied HN points • 28 Aug 21
🚌 Education Coding
  1. This post discusses a coding problem posed by Google. It involves squaring the elements of a sorted list of integers and returning them in sorted order.
  2. The problem requires taking a sorted list of integers, squaring each element, and outputting the results in a sorted array.
  3. Sample input given is [-9, -2, 0, 2, 3], which should result in the output [0, 4, 4, 9, 81].

Problem 2(Microsoft): Find Substring Occurences

Technology Made Simple • 19 implied HN points • 21 Aug 21
🕹 Technology Coding
  1. The post discusses a coding problem from Microsoft that involves finding starting indices of a pattern within a given string.
  2. Readers are encouraged to sign up for the newsletter to access solutions to such coding problems and improve their coding interview skills with practical examples.
  3. The post provides a link to share interesting problems or solutions with the author for a chance of a shoutout and additional subscription time.

💀 Life & Death (?) of Stack Overflow

HackerPulse Dispatch • 8 implied HN points • 20 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Coding
  1. Understanding popular Stack Overflow questions reveals insights on efficiency, mastering tools, and effective problem-solving in coding.
  2. Monitoring Stack Overflow questions can provide developers with valuable signals for documentation improvements and API enhancements.
  3. The emergence of AI, like OpenAI's Codex and GitHub Copilot, is impacting traditional coding platforms like Stack Overflow, causing a decline in traffic and engagement.

The Nuanced (and Slightly Chaotic) Reality of 'Vibe Coding'

Kathy PM • 2 implied HN points • 31 Mar 25
🕹 Technology Coding
  1. Vibe coding uses AI to help people create software faster and easier, but it's important to understand the basics of coding too. Just like using a camera, you need to know how it works to get the best results.
  2. While vibe coding is fun and allows for quick project development, it can lead to unfinished projects and potential security issues. Learning more about how software functions can prevent these risks.
  3. This new way of coding encourages more people to build and create, which is exciting. However, it's still essential to have some structure and understanding of coding to ensure the software is reliable and effective.

Microservices - Getting started

Overflow • 2 HN points • 20 May 23
🕹 Technology Coding
  1. Monolithic applications have tightly coupled code, making it difficult to add new features and scale beyond a point.
  2. Microservices architecture involves breaking down applications into smaller, independent services to solve problems like scalability and deployment dependencies.
  3. Common problems with monolithic applications include challenges in adding new features, intimidating codebase for new team members, and difficulties in updating technology stack.

The Lure of Graphical Programming

Bzogramming • 7 implied HN points • 13 Mar 23
🕹 Technology Coding
  1. Visual programming languages with colored boxes and lines may not necessarily make code easier to understand.
  2. Human vision focuses on categorizing small pieces of images at a time, similar to how code should be structured.
  3. Text-based programming already utilizes spatial conveyance of meaning through features like indentation, highlighting the importance of enhancing visual tools in coding.

What is StarCoder?

Machine Economy Press • 6 implied HN points • 08 May 23
🕹 Technology Coding
  1. Hugging Face and ServiceNow released StarCoder, a free code-generating model.
  2. StarCoder is an alternative to other code-generating AI systems like GitHub's Copilot and Google PaLM.
  3. StarCoder is at the intersection of coding and LLMs.

Is Devin the future of Coding?

Machine Economy Press • 3 implied HN points • 15 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Coding
  1. Devin, a tool by Cognition AI, is being hailed as a breakthrough in computer reasoning, utilizing generative AI like GPT-4.
  2. Despite claims that Devin can make thousands of decisions, recall context, learn, and correct code mistakes, skepticism exists among software engineers.
  3. The tech sector is witnessing an increase in AI startups and coding assistants/agents like Devin, showcasing the growing interest in machine learning, particularly among Asian developers.

Unnecessary Complicated Calculator

Judson’s Substack • 5 implied HN points • 10 Jul 23
🕹 Technology Coding
  1. Encountering issues with code? Sometimes a fresh start can solve the problem.
  2. Creating a calculator program sometimes involves defining variables and functions in a specific order.
  3. To handle different mathematical operations, use conditional statements like if-else based on user input.

Memory - Week #4

Judson’s Substack • 5 implied HN points • 19 Jun 23
🕹 Technology Coding
  1. Computers use a system of hexadecimal values to understand numbers and characters beyond 10.
  2. Every piece of data on a computer has a specific address that can be accessed through pointers.
  3. Misusing memory or data addresses in programming can lead to bugs and code instability.

State Farming

FREST Substack • 2 HN points • 14 Jul 24
🕹 Technology Coding
  1. Coding can be seen as managing bits of information, or 'state', rather than just writing long programs. This means we need to handle and connect these pieces carefully to avoid complicated issues.
  2. Using coding languages that are too complex can introduce many problems like bugs and slow performance. It's better to use simpler methods when possible to make our code cleaner and easier to maintain.
  3. Relying more on databases and simpler query languages can help us streamline our coding. This way, we can focus on essential computations and reduce the amount of complex code we need to write.

Refactoring BabyAGI - Code Quality and LLMs

Laszlo’s Newsletter • 5 implied HN points • 08 May 23
🕹 Technology Coding
  1. The main change in refactoring the Task class is simplifying the code to improve clarity.
  2. Changes in database structures were made to accommodate the new Task class, showing the importance of maintaining consistency.
  3. Goals of implementing Clean Architecture and introducing the Task class were successfully achieved through refactoring, improving code maintainability and expressiveness.