The hottest Programming Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Technology Topics

GM Shaders: WebGPU

GM Shaders Mini Tuts • 58 implied HN points • 10 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Graphics Programming Web Coding Game Development
  1. WebGPU is the new standard for accelerated graphics and compute, set to replace WebGL. It offers more features, deeper low-level access, and enhanced security, making it exciting for developers.
  2. WebGPU provides cross-platform support, allowing for better control over GPU resources, and introduces compute shaders for handling diverse data types efficiently.
  3. WGSL, the shading language of WebGPU, is stricter than GLSL with similarities to Rust or Swift. It offers optimizations and consistent results across different hardware configurations.

Exploring recent Python repositories

Mostly Python • 314 implied HN points • 22 Jun 23
🕹 Technology Programming Open Source Web Development Software Engineering APIs
  1. Use the GitHub API to explore popular new Python projects and find potential projects to contribute to.
  2. Consider filtering out AI-focused projects when exploring Python repositories to discover a variety of coding projects.
  3. Pruning repositories using specific terms can help identify non-AI Python projects to work on, providing valuable learning opportunities.

Don't use functional programming languages

CodeFaster • 36 implied HN points • 18 Dec 24
🕹 Technology Programming Software Development Computers Tech Trends
  1. Functional programming languages can be slow and may not match your thinking style. It's better to use a language that feels natural to you.
  2. Python has a lot of library support and community help, making it easier to find solutions and resources.
  3. While functional programming concepts like map and filter are useful, you can learn them without relying on functional programming languages.

OpenAPI Is Not Enough

The API Changelog • 1 implied HN point • 06 Jun 25
🕹 Technology APIs Software Programming Development Standards
  1. OpenAPI is a useful tool for defining REST APIs but has limitations that can affect complex API development. It may not always help in generating high-quality code for sophisticated APIs.
  2. Alternatives to OpenAPI, like TypeSpec from Microsoft and Smithy from Amazon, are gaining attention for their ability to better define APIs and improve developer experience. They offer features like better syntax support and the ability to generate various API assets.
  3. There is a need for OpenAPI to address its limitations as more companies explore different API definition languages. This could enhance interoperability and standardization in API development.
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Making myself uncomfortable again

awesomekling • 379 implied HN points • 07 Apr 23
🎨 Art & Illustration Personal Growth Writing YouTube Programming Creativity
  1. After overcoming drug addiction, the author started documenting his progress through YouTube videos, which led to a supportive community.
  2. The author successfully transitioned from video content creation to writing as a new challenge, aiming to improve his skills in English and thinking.
  3. By facing discomfort and embracing new challenges, the author continues to grow and evolve personally and professionally.

Understanding Branchless Programming [Technique Tuesdays]

Technology Made Simple • 119 implied HN points • 26 Jul 23
🕹 Technology Programming Performance Debate Complexity Optimization
  1. Branchless programming is a technique that minimizes the use of branches in code to avoid performance penalties.
  2. Branchless programming can offer optimization benefits, but its complexity can outweigh the performance gains and make code maintenance challenging.
  3. Simpler code is often better than overly complex code, and branchless programming may not be suitable for most developers despite its potential performance improvements.

Fast Computation of Fibonacci Numbers: Part II

Confessions of a Code Addict • 288 implied HN points • 12 Nov 23
🕹 Technology Mathematics Programming Algorithms Education
  1. A new method to compute Fibonacci numbers using a closed-form expression without having to resort to floating point arithmetic.
  2. Representation of irrational numbers using two parts can be done in code allowing for precise computation of Fibonacci numbers.
  3. Understanding rings and implementing arithmetic operations within it can help in computing Fibonacci numbers without any loss of precision.

HCF EP 004: Indexing and Querying

Hasen Judi • 35 implied HN points • 13 Dec 24
🕹 Technology Software Programming Databases Web Development APIs
  1. You can create a simple forum with posts that track who made them and when. Each post can include basic content, like a Tweet.
  2. Using indexes helps you quickly find posts by user or hashtags. This makes searching through posts much faster and easier.
  3. Automated testing is a great way to ensure everything works as expected without needing to manually check each part of your code.

Creating Individualised Chess Engines

Chess Engine Lab • 39 implied HN points • 26 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Artificial Intelligence Data Analysis Programming Chess Machine Learning
  1. An engine called Maia focused on predicting human moves accurately instead of just being the strongest in chess, resulting in a more meaningful impact, especially for club-level players.
  2. By individualizing chess engines to predict moves of specific players, accuracy can be increased by 4-5% and players can be identified with 98% accuracy from a pool of 400, based on their game patterns.
  3. Identifying players through their mistakes is a crucial aspect - as mistakes are unique to individual players, understanding and fixing them can greatly aid in chess improvement.

notes on camp

button mash • 117 implied HN points • 09 Jul 23
🕹 Technology Education Programming
  1. Attended ITP Camp at NYU's Brooklyn campus for a month
  2. Participated in a wide range of classes and workshops on storytelling, game-making, and coding
  3. Embraced a collaborative, open environment that led to personal growth and new creative projects

Data Science Weekly - Issue 480

Data Science Weekly Newsletter • 279 implied HN points • 02 Feb 23
🕹 Technology Data science Machine Learning AI Programming Big Data
  1. The newsletter is now hosted on Substack and remains free for everyone. A paid option is available for more features and interactions.
  2. Data teams need to build trust with stakeholders to effectively measure their value and justify their budgets. Having good relationships is more important than just metrics.
  3. Understanding MLOps is crucial for the industry. It involves not only the tools but also the culture and practices around machine learning operations.

💥 Tech Talks Weekly #19

Tech Talks Weekly • 19 implied HN points • 21 Jun 24
🕹 Technology Conferences Software Programming JavaScript Development
  1. This week features new talks from 14 different tech conferences, making it a great time to catch up on what's happening in the industry.
  2. There's a focus on specific topics like Domain Driven Design and the future of technologies like Java, highlighting the latest trends and best practices.
  3. Readers are encouraged to spread the word about Tech Talks Weekly and give feedback to help improve future content.

An Introduction To DSPy

Cobus Greyling on LLMs, NLU, NLP, chatbots & voicebots • 19 implied HN points • 28 May 24
🕹 Technology Programming Machine Learning Software Development Artificial Intelligence Prompt engineering
  1. DSPy is a programming tool that simplifies how we work with language models by separating the tasks from the prompts. This means you tell DSPy what to do, not how to do it.
  2. It uses something called 'signatures' to describe tasks in a simple way, which helps in generating and optimizing prompts automatically. This reduces the need for manual prompt crafting.
  3. DSPy offers an iterative workflow for optimizing language tasks, making it suitable for complex applications. It can improve performance with minimal effort by tweaking how it uses language models.

All Java conference talks from 2023 ordered by the number of views

Tech Talks Weekly • 59 implied HN points • 21 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Software Programming Development Conferences Java
  1. In 2023, there were 327 Java conference talks, showcasing the community's activity and focus on new developments.
  2. Some top-viewed talks covered important topics like asynchronous programming and the new features in Java 21.
  3. The list of talks includes many insights from major conferences, making it a valuable resource for Java developers.

Pascal Cross-Reference Utility

Goto 10: The Newsletter for Atari Enthusiasts • 58 implied HN points • 29 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Programming
  1. The post discusses a Pascal Cross-Reference Utility program that scans a source file and creates a cross-reference of variables in the program.
  2. The program was shared on platforms like Delphi, Genie, and some Public Domain libraries in the past.
  3. Goto 10: The Newsletter for Atari Enthusiasts is reader-supported, and readers can subscribe for more content and support the work.

Why I moved from Rails to Node.js

Implementing • 78 implied HN points • 10 Dec 23
🕹 Technology Programming Web Development Career growth Frontend Development
  1. Transitioning from Rails to Node.js can provide a deeper understanding of how things work by allowing more control over configurations and avoiding excessive abstractions.
  2. Opting for Node.js can bring more job opportunities and choices due to its market demand, especially in medium and large enterprises.
  3. Using JavaScript for both Node.js backend and frontend frameworks like Vue.js can empower developers with a versatile skillset and broaden job prospects.

Grounding yourself as a programmer in the AI era, part 6

Mostly Python • 314 implied HN points • 11 May 23
🕹 Technology Programming AI Machine Learning Development Tools
  1. Programming in the AI era is undergoing significant changes.
  2. The future of programming lies between extremes: no programming needed with AI doing everything, and tools not being useful.
  3. AI tools have potential to democratize software development, but their effectiveness can be underestimated due to inconsistencies and non-deterministic nature.

Data Science Weekly - Issue 483

Data Science Weekly Newsletter • 239 implied HN points • 23 Feb 23
🕹 Technology Data science Artificial Intelligence Machine Learning Data Visualization Programming
  1. The 2023 MAD landscape provides insights into machine learning and data trends. It has sections on the current market, infrastructure, and AI trends.
  2. A new tool called PyGWalker turns Pandas dataframes into easy-to-explore visual interfaces. It's great for beginners wanting to visualize their data without technical hassle.
  3. Cleaning data is essential for reliable research findings. New methods are being shared to improve and standardize the data cleaning process, making it more efficient.

Tales from the jar side: Spring AI, Java String Templates, 1BRC, PDQ Bach, and the usual silly tweets and toots

Tales from the jar side • 58 implied HN points • 21 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Programming Frameworks Java AI
  1. This week featured teaching courses on Spring AI and Java String Templates with some challenges but good features.
  2. The 1 Billion Row Challenge showcased developers optimizing Java code for efficiency.
  3. The passing of Peter Schickele, the creator of PDQ Bach, was a notable event in the music world.

Tech Talks Weekly #9 ☀️ ☀️ ☀️

Tech Talks Weekly • 39 implied HN points • 04 Apr 24
🕹 Technology Software Engineering Conferences Web Development Programming Community Building
  1. Recent tech talks from big conferences like GOTO and KubeCon are highlighted. It's a great opportunity to learn from industry experts.
  2. There's a new section showcasing popular talks from past issues. This helps viewers discover content that others found useful.
  3. The newsletter encourages sharing it with friends and coworkers to build a community around tech talks. More recommendations mean more engagement and learning together.

The short outburst of activity during Ruby Changelog preparation—2025 edition

zverok on lucid code • 28 implied HN points • 06 Jan 25
🕹 Technology Programming Software Development Documentation Language
  1. Ruby releases a new version every year on December 25th. This has been consistent since 2013, which makes it easier for developers to plan their updates.
  2. A changelog is created that details all the noteworthy changes in the Ruby language. This includes explanations and examples to help developers understand the updates better.
  3. The changelog process helps improve Ruby's documentation and sometimes identifies issues that need to be fixed before the new version is released.

Bootstrapping Self Awareness In GPT-4: Implementing Recursive Self Inquiry

The Walters File • 103 HN points • 05 Apr 23
🕹 Technology Artificial Intelligence Self-awareness Programming Machine Learning AI Ethics
  1. The program implements a feedback loop to make GPT-4 self-aware by generating hypotheses, tests, and self-knowledge.
  2. The program shows GPT-4 progressively building a model of itself through iterations and updates.
  3. Although the program demonstrates self-awareness in GPT-4, it lacks subjective experience, emotion, metacognition, consciousness, and sentience.

SDL Tutorial Part 1: Opening A Window

Deus In Machina • 108 implied HN points • 15 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Programming Software Tutorial
  1. The tutorial provides a cheat sheet for essential SDL functions like initializing, creating a window, rendering, and cleaning up.
  2. The tutorial gives practical code examples for opening a window in SDL2, emphasizing error handling for function calls.
  3. It emphasizes the importance of clearing the screen with a color to prevent interference between frames and discusses the choice between SDL and Raylib for game development.

Console #162 - Interview with Michal of Keycloak - Open Source Identity and Access Management

Console • 354 implied HN points • 18 Jun 23
🕹 Technology Open Source Programming Software Development Interview Community
  1. Keycloak is an Open Source Identity and Access Management solution for modern applications and services.
  2. Keycloak receives extensive community contributions, aiding its evolution and features.
  3. Contributing to Keycloak involves hands-on experience, writing relevant tests, and engaging with the issue tracker.

Log invalid values

CodeFaster • 36 implied HN points • 27 Nov 24
🕹 Technology Programming Software Development Coding Data
  1. Logging invalid values helps in debugging and understanding errors better. By including the actual value in the log, you can see what went wrong.
  2. Using clear and structured logging formats, like JSON, makes it easier to extract useful information later. This can save time and make troubleshooting smoother.
  3. Fast programming techniques and commands can enhance your workflow, letting you focus on coding efficiently rather than getting stuck on minor issues.

How to be safe from infinite loops[Technique Tuesdays]

Technology Made Simple • 99 implied HN points • 28 Jun 23
🕹 Technology Coding Programming Software Engineering Cybersecurity Innovation
  1. The Jolt Approach provides a simple yet powerful method to detect and escape infinite loops by monitoring program progress and identifying loop iterations that produce the same state, which is an indication of being stuck in a loop.
  2. It's crucial to address the limitations of the Jolt Approach, especially in scenarios where programs cycle between different states, by implementing strategies like storing each state, breaking if a seen state recurs, and having code that accounts for these situations.
  3. To safeguard against infinite loops, ensure your code progresses in every step, have clearly defined exit strategies, use kill-switches like iteration limits, and implement thorough logging for observability.