The hottest Programming Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Technology Topics

Under the Hood

Sarah's Newsletter • 59 implied HN points • 29 Mar 22
🕹 Technology Programming Data Analysis Data Management No-Code Tools Cloud Computing
  1. Python's popularity is due to its ease of use and readability, making it one of the top 5 most popular languages.
  2. Abstractions like AWS Lambda can be efficient but may become harmful if not managed properly, leading to issues like security and cost concerns.
  3. Using SQL GUI tools for data aggregation can speed up the process but may lead to inaccurate results and wrong decisions due to lack of testing and QA processes.

Problem 51:Happy Number[IBM]

Technology Made Simple • 39 implied HN points • 10 Aug 22
🕹 Technology Programming Coding Newsletter Interviews Algorithms
  1. The problem highlighted focuses on determining if a number is a happy number through a specific process involving the sum of squares of its digits.
  2. A happy number reaches 1 through the process described, whereas some numbers loop endlessly without reaching 1.
  3. The post also mentions a newsletter aimed at helping individuals succeed in tech interviews by providing valuable resources and techniques.

Why and How Does Python Use Bloom Filters in String Processing?

Confessions of a Code Addict • 46 HN points • 14 Sep 23
🕹 Technology Programming Data Structures Implementation Python
  1. Python uses Bloom filters in its string data structure to speed up certain string processing functions like strip and splitlines.
  2. The unique Bloom filter implementation in CPython uses an unsigned long type to represent the bit vector, making storing and querying items more efficient.
  3. CPython determines the position in the bit vector for adding and querying characters by using the lower n-bits of the character, avoiding costly hash computations.

Power Function in logarithmic time [Technique Tuesdays]

Technology Made Simple • 39 implied HN points • 09 Aug 22
🕹 Technology Programming Algorithms Interviews Tutorials Optimization
  1. Optimizing the power function using logarithmic time can be a game-changer, making computations quicker and efficient.
  2. Understanding and applying mathematical tricks like leveraging even and odd numbers can significantly reduce the number of instructions needed to solve a problem.
  3. Learning to optimize algorithms using divide and conquer techniques, such as in the power function example, can enhance problem-solving skills and overall coding proficiency.
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🐍 Open-Source Debates, Storage Options, & the Python Dependency Mess

ppdispatch • 5 implied HN points • 03 Dec 24
🕹 Technology Open Source Programming Web Development Innovation
  1. Redis Inc. is trying to take control of open-source Redis libraries, raising concerns about the future of community-driven development. This situation highlights the tension between corporate interests and open-source values.
  2. Deno is working to cancel Oracle's trademark on 'JavaScript' to make the name freely usable for everyone. This could remove legal barriers for developers and simplify naming in the tech community.
  3. There are many options for browser storage, like cookies, localStorage, and IndexedDB, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. Choosing the right one depends on what you're building and how you want to handle data.

ChatGPT have killed my passion project and I am fine

zverok on lucid code • 28 implied HN points • 08 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Artificial Intelligence Software Development Programming Machine Learning Open Source
  1. The author's passion project was rendered irrelevant by ChatGPT and other language models.
  2. The author's project aimed to make common knowledge accessible programmatically through a universal API.
  3. Despite challenges and lack of community engagement, the author gained valuable experience and understanding through years spent on the project.

The art of making Simplifying Assumptions[Technique Tuesdays]

Technology Made Simple • 39 implied HN points • 26 Jul 22
🕹 Technology Problem Solving Math Programming Artificial Intelligence Software Engineering
  1. The technique of making simplifying assumptions can help in problem-solving in various areas like System Design, Competitive Programming, and Math.
  2. Loosening computational constraints and accepting tradeoffs in performance metrics can lead to more optimal solutions by focusing on key aspects rather than trying to solve everything at once.
  3. Reducing scale, simplifying input, and picking optimal battlegrounds are strategies to make problem-solving more manageable and effective by breaking down complex problems into simpler components.

2024-06-14-Smallness

Paul’s Substack • 2 HN points • 14 Jun 24
🕹 Technology Programming Functional Programming Efficiency
  1. Simplify type checks to optimize CPU performance. For example, using indices for type testing can be more efficient than complex branching.
  2. Functional Programming allocates data on a stack in LIFO order, simplifying garbage collection. This approach can lead to more efficient memory management.
  3. Atom interning, creating atoms only once, can be optimized using hash-table strategies for memory efficiency.

Saturday 16th September, 2023 - Wonderfull and Strange Nerdy Discussions (Issue #132)

Mark Smith’s Newsletter • 19 implied HN points • 16 Sep 23
🕹 Technology Podcasts Programming Innovation Web Development Space Exploration
  1. Podcasts covered a wide range of strange and fascinating topics like AI religions and the history of British schooling system through the lens of Harry Potter.
  2. Typescript can make programming more difficult and elitist by adding extra cognitive load and tooling complexity, shutting out some individuals from learning.
  3. There is a call to make JavaScript easy again and more accessible for all to learn and experiment with.

A new coding regime is being created

Sunday Letters • 1 HN point • 21 Jul 24
🕹 Technology Software Development Programming Artificial Intelligence Internet
  1. Coding has evolved from a simple one-person setup to complex applications that multiple users can access at the same time. This shift has changed how we think about what an application really is.
  2. The arrival of the internet brought new challenges like data outages and scaling issues, leading to new practices like Agile development. This adaptation took time and created many best practices that we now rely on.
  3. With the rise of AI and LLM-based coding, we face new questions about how to create and maintain software. It's crucial to remain open and adaptable as the industry figures this out.

What I learned after surveying 150 ChatGPT users

aiproinsights • 5 HN points • 26 Mar 24
🕹 Technology AI Generative AI Programming Productivity
  1. 90% of participants in the study used ChatGPT, a popular Generative AI tool for tasks like coding, bug-finding, test case writing, and more.
  2. Programming was the top use case among participants, with developers utilizing ChatGPT to save time in writing code, finding bugs, creating test cases, and generating code documentation.
  3. Users reported an average time saving of 1 hour and 20 minutes per session using Generative AI tools, showcasing significant productivity gains in completing programming tasks.

Don't lie to the computer

Sunday Letters • 79 implied HN points • 21 Feb 22
🕹 Technology Software Programming Design Algorithms Engineering
  1. Lying to computers can lead to big problems. Computers take everything at face value and won't understand when you're not being honest.
  2. This can happen in many areas, like bug reporting or software design. For example, making up a fake bug level instead of addressing real issues is misleading.
  3. It's easy to want to cut corners to save time, but being dishonest can cause issues down the line. Just like in personal relationships, honesty is usually the best policy.

In C++ We Rust

Sector 6 | The Newsletter of AIM • 19 implied HN points • 07 Jun 23
🕹 Technology Programming Software Development Languages Trends
  1. C++ is becoming less popular, with many developers focusing on newer languages like Rust and Python. It’s like learning a language that’s not used much anymore.
  2. The only people still learning C++ seem to be those interested in its history or looking to write books about it. Most developers just want to get their work done quickly.
  3. Having complete knowledge of C++ is seen as a bold claim nowadays, as many believe that there are more relevant skills to focus on in programming today.

Society's Technical Debt and Software's Gutenberg Moment

Irregular Ideas with Paul Kedrosky & Eric Norlin of SKV • 63 HN points • 21 Mar 23
🕹 Technology AI Economics Automation Programming
  1. Every wave of technological innovation is triggered by something once costly becoming cheap enough to waste.
  2. Software production has been too complex and costly, leading to society-wide technical debt.
  3. The cost and complexity of software production are collapsing, leading to a dramatic wave of innovation with AI playing a significant role in reshaping the software industry.

Flexibility of plang programming language

Ingig • 3 HN points • 05 May 24
🕹 Technology Programming Apps Syntax Algebra
  1. The Plang programming language offers great flexibility, allowing for simplified and personalized app development without the need for extensive programming.
  2. FoodDiaryApp in Plang demonstrates how job-related tasks can be efficiently accomplished with minimal user input.
  3. Plang allows for the creation of variables within user input, showcasing a unique approach to designing personalized applications with user-defined logic.

[Solution]Problem 41: Create your own Datastructure with O(1) Time complexity (Dropbox)

Technology Made Simple • 39 implied HN points • 11 Jun 22
🕹 Technology Data Structures Logic Programming Algorithms Software Engineering
  1. Creating a data structure with O(1) time complexity involves implementing functions like plus, minus, get_max, and get_min efficiently.
  2. Utilizing a Doubly Linked List allows for maintaining a sorted collection of keys, enabling quick access to elements with the lowest and highest values.
  3. Developing algorithms to handle key count increments and decrements while preserving the sorted order of the linked list is crucial for a functional solution.

Why Go is currently my main programming language

Polymath Engineer Weekly • 31 implied HN points • 28 Nov 23
🕹 Technology Programming Developer Experience Stability Performance Tooling
  1. Go is a productive language with simple syntax and easy readability, making it accessible for new contributors.
  2. Go has fast build times, statically linked binaries for easy distribution, and a stable language ecosystem.
  3. Go offers good performance, low memory footprint, and useful built-in tooling for an awesome developer experience.

Transposing a Matrix using RISC-V Vector

Fprox’s Substack • 27 HN points • 09 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Programming Hardware Algorithms Benchmarking Software Development
  1. Transposing a matrix in linear algebra is a common operation to switch row-major and column-major layouts to optimize computations.
  2. Different techniques like strided vector operations and in-register methods can be used to efficiently transpose matrices using RISC-V Vector instructions.
  3. Implementations with segmented memory variants and vector strided operations can be more efficient in terms of retired instructions compared to in-register methods for matrix transpose.

Christopher Strachey and the Dawn of Interactive Text

50 Years of Text Games • 49 HN points • 16 May 23
🕹 Technology Computing Programming History
  1. Computers evolved quickly in their early years, with innovations being made and lost before becoming standardized.
  2. Computer games with text came before those with graphics, highlighting the initial challenge of dealing with language.
  3. Christopher Strachey, an early computer programmer, paved the way for text-based computer games and made significant contributions to the field of computer science.

Recursive Leap of Faith [Technique Tuesdays]

Technology Made Simple • 39 implied HN points • 18 May 22
🕹 Technology Programming Recursion Dynamic Programming Algorithms Software Development
  1. The 'Recursive Leap of Faith' technique is a powerful approach in recursion where we assume our recursive calls will work as expected, simplifying our problem-solving process.
  2. By using the Leap of Faith, we can break down recursive problems into base cases and recursive steps, making it easier to navigate through complex coding challenges.
  3. To master the Recursive Leap of Faith technique, consistent practice is key. Breaking down problems into base cases and making assumptions about recursive calls helps build proficiency over time.

Memory Management Every Programmer Should Know

Web Dev Explorer • 3 HN points • 29 Apr 24
🕹 Technology Programming Memory management Data Structures Web Development
  1. Data stored on the stack is static, fixed in size, with a fixed lifecycle, and cannot be referenced across different stack frames.
  2. Data stored on the heap is dynamic, not fixed in size, has a flexible lifecycle, and can be referenced across different stack frames.
  3. Various programming languages use different memory management approaches, like manual management in C, garbage collection in Java, ARC in Objective-C and Swift, and ownership mechanism in Rust.

The hottest new programming language is English! Or maybe not.

Marcus on AI • 21 HN points • 15 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Programming Language AI Software Engineering
  1. Programming in English is a concept that has been explored but faces challenges in implementation.
  2. Despite the allure of programming in English, classical programming languages exist for their precision and necessity.
  3. Machine learning models like LLMs provide a glimpse of programming in English but have limitations in practical application.

💎Crystal the language for humans💎

Deus In Machina • 36 implied HN points • 27 Apr 23
🕹 Technology Programming Documentation Community Debugging
  1. Crystal programming language aims to be a 'batteries included language' with a rich standard library that mimics Ruby behavior.
  2. Crystal has good cross-platform support, with macOS and Linux well-supported and Windows improving.
  3. Crystal makes documentation and testing easy, using markdown for comments and providing a built-in testing framework.

Newsletter #8: HuggingGPT

Decoding Coding • 19 implied HN points • 06 Apr 23
🕹 Technology Artificial Intelligence Machine Learning Software Development Programming Automation
  1. HuggingGPT helps solve complex tasks by breaking them down into smaller steps. It uses different AI models to handle each part, making the whole process easier and more organized.
  2. Current AI models struggle with processing various types of data and managing multiple tasks at once. HuggingGPT aims to improve this by using LLMs to plan and execute tasks more efficiently.
  3. The model operates in four main stages: planning tasks, selecting the right model for each task, executing them, and generating a final response. This structured approach makes coding more productive.

[Solution]Problem 34: Find Safe States[Microsoft]

Technology Made Simple • 39 implied HN points • 22 Apr 22
🕹 Technology Graphs DFS Algorithm Coding Programming
  1. The problem involves identifying safe nodes in a directed graph, which are nodes where all paths lead to terminal nodes. These safe nodes cannot be part of a cycle.
  2. The algorithm for identifying safe nodes can utilize DFS (Depth First Search) to traverse the graph efficiently and detect cycles or terminal nodes.
  3. Traversing the graph step-by-step, checking if each node is safe based on its neighbors, and building the solution methodically is key to solving the problem effectively.

The cheat code to getting good at Recursive Programming[Technique Tuesday]

Technology Made Simple • 39 implied HN points • 20 Apr 22
🕹 Technology Programming Functional Programming Computer Science Coding Algorithm
  1. Understanding recursion is crucial for coding at top tech companies, and it's a powerful concept in Computer Science.
  2. To improve at recursive programming, practice more recursion by solving specific types of questions such as sorting, list operations, and classic recursive functions.
  3. Getting exposure to Functional Programming can significantly enhance your recursive programming skills by encouraging a purely recursive way of thinking.

Today’s Top 5 HN posts

Top 5 HN Posts of the day • 2 HN points • 26 May 24
🕹 Technology Security Programming Development Open Source Remote Jobs
  1. Cloudflare took down a site demanding $120k within 24 hours - a shocking story that highlights issues with online service providers.
  2. Home Assistant is being used for protection against missile and drone attacks - showing the diverse applications of technology for security purposes.
  3. Hurl, an Exceptional Language, is a topic of interest on HackerNews - showcasing the community's curiosity about new programming languages and tools.

Design a Tic-Tac-Toe Game [with Code]

The ZenMode • 42 implied HN points • 15 Feb 23
🕹 Technology Design Programming System Design Game Development Web Development
  1. Designing a Tic-Tac-Toe game involves creating a user interface with components like a game board, player information, game status, and start/restart buttons.
  2. Implementing game logic requires components like game state, move validation, win condition detection, tie condition detection, and player management.
  3. For scalability, maintainability, and extensibility, consider using components like load balancer, cloud-based infrastructure, modular architecture, clean code, and automated testing.

Newsletter #7: Advanced Prompt Engineering

Decoding Coding • 19 implied HN points • 30 Mar 23
🕹 Technology AI Machine Learning Programming Natural Language Data science
  1. Zero-shot prompting lets a model answer questions without examples. It's useful when there's no data to guide the model.
  2. Few-shot prompting gives the model a few examples to improve its answers. This helps the model understand the context better.
  3. Chain-of-thought prompting breaks down complex problems into steps. It helps the model reason through tasks more effectively.