The hottest Programming Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Technology Topics

Don’t Use Boolean Arguments, Use Enums

ChughGPT, my personal LLM • 0 implied HN points • 20 Apr 20
🕹 Technology Programming
  1. Avoid using boolean arguments and opt for enums instead to manage states in your code.
  2. Booleans can lead to code complexity, readability issues, and hidden dependencies when handling multiple states.
  3. Enums offer clarity, scalability, and type safety, making them a preferred choice over booleans for managing finite states in code.

The Long Term

The Daily Developer • 0 implied HN points • 07 Aug 23
🕹 Technology Programming
  1. Programming languages shape our thinking and community influences our choices.
  2. Challenge yourself to make better technical decisions by questioning trends and considering long-term tradeoffs.
  3. Embrace the evolving nature of programming languages and frameworks, be open to learning new ones to stay relevant.

Naivety

The Daily Developer • 0 implied HN points • 02 Aug 23
🕹 Technology Programming
  1. Naivety can sometimes lead to innovative solutions because you're not aware of the challenges and limitations.
  2. Taking on complex projects without realizing their difficulty can be beneficial as it allows you to figure things out without being discouraged.
  3. The story of Jobs and Woz building the Apple 1 exemplifies how a bit of naivety can lead to groundbreaking ideas and creations.

Polymath Engineer Weekly #83

Polymath Engineer Weekly • 0 implied HN points • 27 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Programming
  1. Deliberate practice is crucial for improvement. Practicing mindlessly can hinder progress by reinforcing existing habits instead of enhancing them.
  2. Understanding different programming paradigms like supervision trees in Erlang can be beneficial for managing state and processes effectively.
  3. The Black-Scholes/Merton equation, originating from physics, revolutionized finance with trillions of dollars at stake, showcasing the impact of cross-disciplinary knowledge.

🧱 Newsletter #46: what happens when typing in the terminal, sexism in tech in India, pixel art...

Women On Rails Newsletter - International Version • 0 implied HN points • 30 Mar 23
🕹 Technology Programming
  1. Ruby allows modifying existing code with 'Monkey Patching', but it's recommended to use it sparingly to avoid surprising new team members.
  2. Understanding 'heredoc' in Ruby can help in defining multi-line strings while preserving formatting and indentation.
  3. User feedback is important post-launch, but it's crucial to filter and prioritize feedback to avoid becoming overwhelmed.
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🦀 Newsletter #36: The year of the crab, build trust while remote, create good Pull Requests...

Women On Rails Newsletter - International Version • 0 implied HN points • 04 Oct 22
🕹 Technology Programming
  1. Consider using Rust over C and C++ for certain scenarios due to security and reliability concerns.
  2. Building trust in a remote team as a new manager involves focusing on the environment, team, and oneself, as outlined in The 90-Day Plan.
  3. Improving Pull Requests requires creating templates and following best practices to enhance the reviewing process for the team.

🎠 Newsletter #29: a preview for ruby 2.3.0, build your network in tech, some hardware with the NES...

Women On Rails Newsletter - International Version • 0 implied HN points • 12 Apr 22
🕹 Technology Programming
  1. The newsletter covers updates on Ruby and Rails, career advice for Ruby developers, and optimization of ActiveRecords queries.
  2. Tips shared include using the #squeeze method in Ruby, the importance of building and maintaining a strong network in tech, and developing a personal brand.
  3. Some interesting topics discussed are the challenges with carousel designs, self-documenting code with AI, and a dive into the success of the NES in the hardware world.

⚗️ Newsletter Wor #21: yet another React framework, microservices, cats explaining code...

Women On Rails Newsletter - International Version • 0 implied HN points • 30 Nov 21
🕹 Technology Programming
  1. The newsletter discusses new React frameworks like Remix and articles such as 'Rust Is The Future of JavaScript Infrastructure'.
  2. There are tech jobs available that don't require coding skills, such as QA, Technical Writer, etc.
  3. In the technology field, there are innovative approaches like sharing progress openly, explaining complex concepts with fun methods like using cats.

🐛 Newsletter Wor #17: There's a glitch in the Matrix

Women On Rails Newsletter - International Version • 0 implied HN points • 05 Oct 21
🕹 Technology Programming
  1. The newsletter covers Ruby and Rails news, including new releases like Stimulus 3, Turbo 7, Hotwire 1.0, and Rails 7 alpha.
  2. A Ruby tip about the Splat operator in Ruby for defining methods with unnamed parameters.
  3. Articles on web design elements like how to describe a bug effectively, why hyperlinks are blue, and CSS art creation tips.

🌊 Newsletter WomenOnRails: Back at work!

Women On Rails Newsletter - International Version • 0 implied HN points • 21 Sep 21
🕹 Technology Programming
  1. The newsletter announces a second season after a summer break, featuring Ruby and Rails news, tips, and design patterns.
  2. Taking a break from tech news can be beneficial, and learning in public by working on projects and sharing knowledge is highly encouraged.
  3. An introduction to design patterns and a tool for visualizing GitHub repos are highlighted, along with an article about the impact of Lord of the Rings on big-screen battles.

Open-Source: Join up, they said !

Women On Rails Newsletter - International Version • 0 implied HN points • 22 Jun 21
🕹 Technology Programming
  1. The edition discusses open source fatigue and the human cost of maintaining Ruby gems, emphasizing the importance of contributing effectively to open source projects.
  2. To advance in a tech career, one needs not only technical skills but also the ability to navigate company dynamics and work well in teams, as highlighted by a list of skills for senior engineers.
  3. The newsletter sheds light on the experiences of LGBTQIA+ individuals in the tech industry, showcasing testimonies and resources for awareness and support.

On writing bindings in Odin

bumbread • 0 implied HN points • 26 Oct 23
🕹 Technology Programming
  1. Consider the naming problem when writing bindings - changing casing or renaming functions is acceptable for better integration with the language, but avoid renaming to maintain searchability.
  2. Leverage the strengths of the language when creating bindings - use language features like bitsets, tuples, and enums to make the bindings more user-friendly and reduce the need for excessive typecasting.
  3. Be conscious of the usability and integration of bindings - ensure that bindings are well-documented, easy to search, integrate with existing codebases, and offer value beyond just enabling procedure calls.

Polymath Engineer Weekly #84

Polymath Engineer Weekly • 0 implied HN points • 05 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Programming
  1. Rust's fast performance in web frameworks may not always reflect typical use cases due to incentives driving optimization.
  2. Understanding the unique aspects of a Lisp REPL versus an interactive language shell can provide valuable insights and opportunities.
  3. Google's dominance in AI technology faces challenges rooted in cultural factors, such as leadership priorities and values.

Must Learn KQL Part 2: Just Above Sea Level

Rod’s Blog • 0 implied HN points • 31 May 23
🕹 Technology Programming
  1. KQL stands for Kusto Query Language, named after undersea pioneer Jacques Cousteau. Understanding the origin of the name can give insights into the nature and purpose of the query language.
  2. KQL is designed for quickly surfacing critical security information hidden in large datasets. Its performance and simplicity make it a valuable tool for security professionals.
  3. Efficiency, simplicity, and cloud optimization are key factors that distinguish KQL from other query languages, enhancing its ability to help security professionals identify and address threats efficiently.

Independence for Psyth

Rings of Saturn • 0 implied HN points • 07 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Programming
  1. Psyth is a hidden shoot-em-up game within the dating sim 'Tokimeki Memorial: Forever With You', offering players a surprising full-featured sub-game experience.
  2. A patch from SegaXtreme makes it easier to access and play Psyth by allowing it to boot up directly; the game includes a variety of features like multiple shot patterns and a boss battle.
  3. The technical details behind unlocking the sub-games such as Psyth involved specific function calls and patches, shedding light on the effort put into these hidden gems.

Extending the demo: Rabbit

Rings of Saturn • 0 implied HN points • 14 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Programming
  1. The demo version of Rabbit Mihonhin, a 2D fighter game, contains hidden options and a more-or-less complete build of the game, possibly a late prototype.
  2. By making patches to lift demo restrictions, such as unlocking the Options screen and accessing disabled characters, players can explore additional content and characters in the game.
  3. The game has a unique integrity checking function that needed to be disabled to allow for translated files, showcasing the developers' interesting approach towards file loading and error correction.

How to Upgrade a Diamond to Use New State Variables?

EIP-2535 Diamonds • 0 implied HN points • 15 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Programming
  1. In diamond upgrades, you can add, replace, or remove external functions to incorporate new state variables.
  2. When adding new state variables to a shared struct in a diamond, only the external functions that use them need to be replaced.
  3. To upgrade a diamond with new state variables, you only need to add new external functions and replace existing ones that use the new state variables.

YAGNI and DRY — the KISS of Death for Your Software Project

Joseph Gefroh • 0 implied HN points • 11 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Programming
  1. Popular programming mantras like YAGNI, DRY, and KISS can guide thinking towards effective development but can also be misapplied and used as justification for wrong approaches.
  2. KISS, or Keep it Simple, Stupid, promotes simplicity in software development to avoid over-engineering, but following it too strictly can lead to subpar outcomes.
  3. YAGNI, or You Aren't Gonna Need It, prevents over-engineering by focusing on present needs, but misapplication can lead to sloppy work and low-quality outcomes.

How we built the most creative hack of Arcesium Hackathon 2018

Shubhi’s Substack • 0 implied HN points • 17 Mar 19
🕹 Technology Programming
  1. Built a domain-specific language (AXL) to help domain experts write logic, reducing codebase size by 80% and time taken to write code from several days to 2-3 hours.
  2. Focused on creating a DSL with simple, English-like syntax, built-in domain knowledge, and extensibility to allow importing libraries and reusing components.
  3. Implemented the language using Python, with modules for Lexer, Parser, and Interpreter, and developed a UI called 'The AXL Playground' for easier usage by non-technical users.

Video: Beating Big Tech Coding Interviews

Certo Modo • 0 implied HN points • 24 Aug 23
🕹 Technology Programming
  1. The post discusses tactics for excelling in coding interviews at big tech companies.
  2. The video presentation offers valuable insights on preparing for challenging parts of the interview process, particularly focusing on technical aspects.
  3. The talk was delivered at a Vegas Programmers Meetup and acts as a complement to a previous post about obtaining an SRE role.

🎓 Making (reasonably) good decisions quickly; Using a third Entity instead of a Join Table

Become a Senior Engineer • 0 implied HN points • 14 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Programming
  1. Making decisions quickly is crucial for unblocking progress and enabling action, learning, and iteration.
  2. When dealing with complex decisions, prioritize understanding the problem, collaborating with your team, and utilizing prototyping for informed choices.
  3. Using a third entity instead of a join table in relational databases can better reflect domain logic and avoid compatibility issues with frameworks.

🎓 Work on projects you aspire towards; Design Pattern of the Day: Adapter

Become a Senior Engineer • 0 implied HN points • 29 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Programming
  1. Focus on working on projects that inspire you and are beyond your current skill set to grow faster and gain more experience.
  2. The Adapter design pattern in programming acts as a bridge between incompatible interfaces, allowing for cleaner code, quicker development, and flexibility.
  3. To excel in software development, we should strive to work on challenging tasks, be open to learning from others, and not fear pushing beyond our comfort zones.

Any Cables Monthly #15

AnyCable Broadcasts • 0 implied HN points • 07 Nov 23
🕹 Technology Programming
  1. Updates for newsletters are now scheduled for the first Tuesday of every month instead of Friday to better align with reader expectations and schedules.
  2. A new initiative has been announced to bring reliable and scalable real-time features to serverless JavaScript applications using AnyCable, Next.js, Vercel, and Fly.io.
  3. Consider the potential for caching at the WebSocket level to improve performance and efficiency in handling live updates within small-to-medium web applications.

Any Cables Monthly #14

AnyCable Broadcasts • 0 implied HN points • 11 Oct 23
🕹 Technology Programming
  1. The RailsWorld conference in Amsterdam discussed Ruby on Rails and Hotwire's future, showcasing talks on Rails Action Cable and making Rails full-stack applications
  2. Practical advice was shared on making profit from open-source projects, featuring examples from commercial open-source endeavors like AnyCable
  3. Noteworthy updates like the Turbo 8 'refresh' action for live updates and new releases like the Hotwire Cookbook for building reactive Rails applications were highlighted

AnyCable everywhere: real-time visualization streaming for Poll Everywhere

AnyCable Broadcasts • 0 implied HN points • 09 Jun 23
🕹 Technology Programming
  1. Poll Everywhere needed a fast and reliable solution for real-time chart visualizations to engage live audiences effectively during presentations and events.
  2. They switched to AnyCable Pro for faster processing of votes and feedback, improving scalability and reducing latency, especially essential as the user base grew.
  3. Migrating to AnyCable brought better performance, more predictable latency, and eliminated the need for EventMachine, making it a smoother solution for their real-time visualization infrastructure.

Any Cables Monthly #4

AnyCable Broadcasts • 0 implied HN points • 03 Nov 22
🕹 Technology Programming
  1. New gems like Turbo Reflex can handle client-side events triggered by Turbo Frames.
  2. StimulusReflex Patterns is now freemium, offering a course on building reactive Rails apps.
  3. LiveWire in PHP/Laravel offers an interesting alternative with features like wire:poll and upcoming transitions.

Learn to Fly.io with AnyCable

AnyCable Broadcasts • 0 implied HN points • 06 Sep 22
🕹 Technology Programming
  1. The benchmark results showed that AnyCable (RPC-less) handled 2700 concurrent connections, consuming only half of the available RAM (~120MB).
  2. Fly.io deployment guide for AnyCable and Real-time stress: AnyCable, k6, WebSockets, and Yabeda are helpful resources for developers.
  3. Issues like getting an app's Ruby version from the Gemfile have been fixed in recent 'flyctl' versions, and termination of Redis connections is intentional according to Fly docs.

Any Cables Monthly #2

AnyCable Broadcasts • 0 implied HN points • 02 Sep 22
🕹 Technology Programming
  1. AnyCable introduced support for NATS pub/sub, a major feature in August.
  2. A new project called LiveView Native was revealed at ElixirConf, enabling control of native mobile views via Phoenix LiveView components.
  3. Different releases like AnyCable Pro 1.2.1, turbo_ready 0.0.x, and ACLI 0.4.1 improved features like GraphQL support and multiple isolated Action Cable servers in a Rails app.

Turbo Streams vs. consistency

AnyCable Broadcasts • 0 implied HN points • 19 Jul 22
🕹 Technology Programming
  1. The episode discusses making Turbo Streams reliable and switching from 'at-most once' to 'exactly-once' delivery guarantees
  2. The importance of consistency in real-time applications and the pitfalls to avoid are highlighted
  3. A preview of an upcoming AnyCable feature on 'streams history support' is provided at the end of the episode

Multi-tenancy vs. Cables: Introducing Action Cable command callbacks

AnyCable Broadcasts • 0 implied HN points • 05 Jul 22
🕹 Technology Programming
  1. Solving multi-tenancy in web applications involves carefully managing tenants' requests within the execution context, like web requests or background jobs.
  2. Action Cable uses an event loop and a thread pool executor to handle incoming messages, indicating the importance of understanding the execution context for persistent connections.
  3. Rails 7.1 introduces command callbacks for Connection classes in Action Cable, offering a clear and standardized way to execute code before, after, or around channel commands, resolving issues like multi-tenancy setup in a structured manner.

Using anycable-client to auto-refresh tokens

AnyCable Broadcasts • 0 implied HN points • 11 May 22
🕹 Technology Programming
  1. Using AnyCable's JS client can help with auto-refreshing tokens, solving token expiration issues.
  2. Migration process to AnyCable's JS client may involve JavaScript debugging and re-implementing Turbo Rails functionality.
  3. Helpful links provided for AnyCable client, JavaScript and TypeScript client, and JWT identification.

Of users and direct messaging (pt. 2)

AnyCable Broadcasts • 0 implied HN points • 05 Apr 22
🕹 Technology Programming
  1. The post discusses working on a direct messaging feature, including adding channel memberships, 'Current' attributes, and Turbo Streams.
  2. Various links to resources like activerecord-postgres_enum, .create_or_find_by, and Nomnoml are shared within the post.
  3. The content also mentions utilizing Turbo Streams and Current Attributes in the context of developing messaging functionalities.

Of users and direct messaging (pt. 1)

AnyCable Broadcasts • 0 implied HN points • 16 Feb 22
🕹 Technology Programming
  1. The post discusses the preliminary work for adding a direct messaging feature, such as setting up user profiles and authentication via Rails `has_secure_password`.
  2. Links to resources like Rails `has_secure_password` documentation, Turbo Frames, and Stimulus JS are provided for further learning.
  3. The use of Turbo Frames and Stimulus JS for managing state and persisting elements across page loads is highlighted.

Exploring Rails 7, Hotwire and AnyCable speedy streams

AnyCable Broadcasts • 0 implied HN points • 23 Dec 21
🕹 Technology Programming
  1. The post explores building a new Rails 7 application with features like `--css=tailwind`, Turbo Frames and Streams, and configuring AnyCable with JWT authentication and speedy streams.
  2. The screencast series 'AnyCasts' covers real-time web app development using Ruby and other languages, alongside Hotwire and Stimulus Reflex.
  3. Resources include the Rails 7 release announcement, Turbo Frames documentation, AnyCable blog, and plugins like AnyCable Rails JWT for JWT identification in AnyCable.

A call for Pro: Callbell

AnyCable Broadcasts • 0 implied HN points • 03 Aug 21
🕹 Technology Programming
  1. Callbell reduced the number of dyno instances needed on Heroku by half when they switched to AnyCable Pro.
  2. AnyCable Pro provides support for binary communication protocols, beneficial for features in binary formats, which is a key advantage for the Callbell team.
  3. Any Rails app needing real-time WebSocket updates, like messaging or customer support tools, can benefit from AnyCable's scalability while remaining in a familiar environment.

How to Read a File Line by Line in Node.js

Web Dev Explorer • 0 implied HN points • 28 Apr 24
🕹 Technology Programming
  1. Reading a large file at once in Node.js can be memory intensive, particularly for files above 1.4GB.
  2. Utilizing the Readline API in Node.js to read files line by line can significantly reduce memory usage compared to reading the entire file at once.
  3. Consider using npm modules like n-readlines for more advanced file reading needs, as they can efficiently read files line by line without loading the entire content into memory.