The hottest Software Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Technology Topics

My year 2023 in review

Martin Kleppmann’s Blog • 0 implied HN points • 04 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Software
  1. The author had an eventful year in 2023, with milestones like having a baby and starting a new job at Cambridge.
  2. Successfully collaborated with Automerge and Bluesky.
  3. Made progress on the second edition of a book and published new research papers.

NSA Open Sourcing Tools?

Barn Lab • 0 implied HN points • 10 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Software
  1. NSA released Ghidra as an open-source reverse engineering tool, making it popular in college curriculums and cybersecurity operations.
  2. Ghidra is valued for its ability to analyze and secure software without running potentially malicious code directly on the host system.
  3. Tools like BinWalk for firmware extraction and platforms like Crackmes.One offer resources for legal software cracking and reverse engineering exploration.

Polymath Engineer Weekly #81

Polymath Engineer Weekly • 0 implied HN points • 12 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Software
  1. Consider the reasons behind choosing programming languages like Go over Rust, and how they impact problem-solving strategies.
  2. Explore innovative approaches like decoder-only foundation models for time-series forecasting to achieve high performance with less complexity.
  3. Reflect on the impact of intentional choices on software development, understanding tools like TLA+ for formal method and the importance of thoughtful deployment automation.

Friday Forum: Letting go of Control

peoplefirstengineering • 0 implied HN points • 16 Feb 24
💼 Business Software
  1. Letting go of control in leadership is important for allowing teams to thrive and be self-organized.
  2. Over-controlling managers can hinder team progress by reducing agency and creating unnecessary bottlenecks.
  3. Trusting individuals and teams, and providing clear direction, fosters a positive team dynamic where people rise to expectations.

Fight to Repair Daily: July 20, 2022

Fight to Repair • 0 implied HN points • 20 Jul 22
🕹 Technology Software
  1. AirPods repair advocate modified AirPods with a USB-C port for increased repairability, offering free access to 3D printing and PCB files.
  2. iFixit is expanding its operations with a new service facility and warehouse in Chattanooga, TN, aiming to create over 200 jobs in the next five years.
  3. Actions are being taken to prevent copyright and software rules from hindering the right to repair by ensuring access to repair information and addressing limitations created by design rules.
Get a weekly roundup of the best Substack posts, by hacker news affinity:

Mechanomy's Fifth Birthday!

Mechanomy’s Substack • 0 implied HN points • 16 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Software
  1. Mechanomy is celebrating its fifth birthday today, focusing on developing prototype tools and navigating market challenges
  2. Market needs are challenging to pinpoint, making product development decisions risky
  3. An outside-in iterative approach will be taken, involving readers in critiquing proposed solutions for better understanding and possible Mechanomy offerings

Sectrend Completes Tens of Millions in Pre-A+ Funding

CyberSecurityMew • 0 implied HN points • 13 Jun 23
💼 Business Software
  1. Sectrend completed a large Pre-A+ funding round, raising tens of millions of yuan to enhance their software supply chain security products.
  2. Their products address Software Composition Analysis (SCA) needs and Static Application Security Testing (SAST), catering to enterprise clients' security and compliance requirements.
  3. Sectrend's growth in commercialization is significant, with clients like Tencent, Alibaba, and Baidu using their services, and the company plans to further improve products and expand their customer base.

On writing bindings in Odin

bumbread • 0 implied HN points • 26 Oct 23
🕹 Technology Software
  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.

Two New Features Sneak into the Microsoft Sentinel Incident Experience

Rod’s Blog • 0 implied HN points • 14 Feb 23
🕹 Technology Software
  1. Microsoft Sentinel's new Incident experience received positive feedback and more capabilities are being added based on customer input.
  2. New features in the Incident Logs panel include enhanced export options for query results and a convenient link to open the full Log Analytics experience in a new browser tab.
  3. Further enhancements are in the works to continue improving the Microsoft Sentinel Incident experience.

Top New Incident Experience Features for Microsoft Sentinel

Rod’s Blog • 0 implied HN points • 17 Jan 23
🕹 Technology Software
  1. The new Microsoft Sentinel Incident experience features a new rollout model that allows users to switch between old and new experiences.
  2. The new Incident experience includes enhancements like an Activity Log accessible from the Incident menu and the ability to add comments directly in the panel overlay.
  3. Another important feature is the Incident Actions option which provides quick access to running Playbooks, creating Automation Rules, and setting up Teams channels for collaborative scenarios.

How to Quickly Tell Which Microsoft Sentinel Tables are Configured as Basic Logs

Rod’s Blog • 0 implied HN points • 12 Jan 23
🕹 Technology Software
  1. Basic Logs in Microsoft Sentinel is a preview feature that offers a cheaper way to ingest logs, but with some limitations.
  2. Currently, there are UI and code-based methods to identify tables configured as Basic Logs, with a new method on the way.
  3. A new feature in preview will introduce a Tables blade in the Log Analytics workspace to filter tables by plan, making it easier to distinguish Basic Logs configured tables.

How to Get the KQL Query Created by the New 365 Defender Query Builder

Rod’s Blog • 0 implied HN points • 09 Jan 23
🕹 Technology Software
  1. The new KQL Query Builder for 365 Defender is in public preview, allowing users to create and execute KQL queries without writing code.
  2. Despite the availability of the Query Builder, it's still important to learn KQL as a crucial skill, similar to knowing PowerShell.
  3. The Query Builder also serves as a useful learning tool, as users can still access the KQL query that powers the search results, helping them understand and improve their KQL skills.

The Easy Way to Get the ARM Deployment Template for a Microsoft Sentinel Solution

Rod’s Blog • 0 implied HN points • 06 Jan 23
🕹 Technology Software
  1. You can easily obtain the ARM deployment template for a Microsoft Sentinel Solution through the UI.
  2. During the normal installation process of the Solution, choose 'Download template for automation' at the end of the installation wizard.
  3. The generated template allows you to download it, add it to your ARM template library, adjust parameters, variables, and resources, and deploy it as needed.

Creating an URL Detonation Demo for Microsoft Sentinel

Rod’s Blog • 0 implied HN points • 06 Jan 23
🕹 Technology Software
  1. URL Detonation in Microsoft Sentinel provides deeper insights for quicker alert triage, eliminating the need for other tools
  2. Creating a demo for URL Detonation involves using a Watchlist with customizable URLs and an Analytics Rule for mapping
  3. Detonated URLs from the Watchlist show up in the Investigation graph, aiding in incident analysis

In the Age of AI, Build "Platforms," Not "Products"

Equal Ventures • 0 implied HN points • 30 Aug 23
💼 Business Software
  1. Legacy software product companies are at risk of becoming obsolete due to the impact of AI on software production.
  2. The concept of building platforms instead of products is crucial in the age of AI for long-term success in the tech sector.
  3. Platforms leverage data, distribution, and development to create increasing returns to scale, making them more valuable and defensible than traditional product-centric companies.

Opportunities for Innovation in the Insurance Agency Software Stack

Equal Ventures • 0 implied HN points • 09 Mar 23
🕹 Technology Software
  1. Legacy insurance agency software systems are often outdated and do not provide an optimal user experience for agents and customers.
  2. There is a need for innovation in digitizing agency workflows, with a focus on areas like prospecting, sales, placement, and servicing to enhance efficiency.
  3. Opportunities exist for technology solutions to improve agency infrastructure, customer experience, and operational efficiency in the insurance industry.

What does Snyk do?

Technically • 0 implied HN points • 06 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Software
  1. Snyk helps developers ensure their code is secure and free of vulnerabilities by finding and fixing code weaknesses that hackers can exploit.
  2. Code vulnerabilities are weaknesses in code that hackers could potentially exploit, which Snyk helps to identify and resolve.
  3. Snyk can be used to secure app code, containers, infrastructure code, and more.

Extending the demo: Rabbit

Rings of Saturn • 0 implied HN points • 14 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Software
  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.

The Knight of the wind

Rings of Saturn • 0 implied HN points • 16 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Software
  1. Clockwork Knight 2 introduces a new game mechanic with the Barobaro stages, which usually have automatic scrolling but a patch exists to play as Pepper and disable the scrolling.
  2. The technical details reveal that character selection in the game relies on specific codes and files, showcasing how modifications can alter the gameplay experience.
  3. Playing as Pepper in certain levels has some limitations like malfunctioning track bends, getting stuck at certain points, and crashes when losing all gears, but overall the gameplay is functional.

Commentary: How to write a post-mortem that always blames Terry

Bad Software Advice • 0 implied HN points • 18 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Software
  1. In incident management, avoid blame and focus on process and organizational factors. Blameless post-mortems are crucial.
  2. Consider power dynamics in post-mortems. Allow a separate group to handle incidents to prevent bias and promote improvement.
  3. Incidents rarely have a single root cause. Embrace a more complex root cause analysis to understand the multifaceted reasons behind failures.

Google Marketing API, Tavus $18M, Microsoft Patches 60+ Issues

The API Changelog • 0 implied HN points • 19 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Software
  1. Google introduced a new API enhancing administrative control over analytics properties, merging organization details for easier management.
  2. Tavus, a generative AI video firm, raised $18 million and unveiled its Developer Platform with Replica API for text-to-video and digital replica creation.
  3. Microsoft patched over 60 security issues including critical vulnerabilities in HyperV and Open Management Infrastructure to ensure user safety.

Slight Reliability Ep 82: CI/CD

Certo Modo • 0 implied HN points • 13 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Software
  1. The post discusses the basics of CI/CD, including change management, running a Change Advisory Board, testing in production, and managing test/deploy infrastructure.
  2. It highlights the importance of understanding and implementing CI/CD processes for efficient software development and deployment.
  3. The post provides insights into how to effectively manage and optimize the test and deployment infrastructure for software projects.

SRE Essentials

Certo Modo • 0 implied HN points • 06 Mar 23
🕹 Technology Software
  1. Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) teams drive higher operational maturity, remove sources of toil, and improve service reliability.
  2. Establishing strong SRE practices involves shared operational responsibility, measuring customer success, using error budgets to prioritize work, and learning from failures in a blameless manner.
  3. Properly staffing on-call rotations and ensuring humane work-life balance are essential for SRE team success.

Observability in a Box

Certo Modo • 0 implied HN points • 14 Feb 23
🕹 Technology Software
  1. Observability tools provide metrics, dashboards, and notifications without software licensing fees.
  2. Some observability tools focus on cloud-native infrastructure, making setup challenging for non-cloud businesses.
  3. O11y-in-a-box simplifies monitoring by providing Prometheus, Loki, and Grafana for performance, availability, log analysis, and alerting on a single-host system.

I’m a Mac, You’re a PC. There really is a difference.

Joshua Gans' Newsletter • 0 implied HN points • 15 Feb 13
🕹 Technology Software
  1. The type of person you are, Mac or PC, really matters in relation to personal computing devices like tablets and laptops.
  2. Mac users tend to appreciate smooth animations, gestures, and a natural feel in their devices, while PC users value practical features like integrated keyboards and familiar software optimizations.
  3. Understanding and accepting that there are fundamental differences in consumer types helps in evaluating products better and catering to different market segments effectively.

🎓 Get more productivity, fewer distractions from Slack; Reduce tech debt by automating dependency updates

Become a Senior Engineer • 0 implied HN points • 07 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Software
  1. Improve communication on Slack by using channels, threads, private channels, and useful integrations to keep discussions organized and effective.
  2. Minimize distractions on Slack by adjusting notifications, turning on Do Not Disturb mode, and unsubscribing from noisy threads to focus on your work.
  3. Automating dependency updates can save time, reduce security risks, and improve efficiency for engineers by automating the process of tracking and updating project dependencies.

A Story of Failure; BASE Tech: Full Text Search Engines

Become a Senior Engineer • 0 implied HN points • 14 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Software
  1. Mistakes happen in engineering, and it's important to have a positive culture that supports learning from failures without blame.
  2. Implementing a full-text search engine in your app can greatly enhance the search experience for users by offering advanced features like relevance ranking and language analysis.
  3. When adding a full-text search feature, make sure to gather requirements, choose the right engine, build a robust implementation plan, and continuously test and optimize for performance and user feedback.

Tabs on tabs on tabs on tabs

Links I Would Gchat You If We Were Friends • 0 implied HN points • 01 Jun 15
🕹 Technology Software
  1. We hate them, we fear them: They persist anyway - those pesky error messages are a major software development issue.
  2. Inside the very grim world of 'assassination bets' - a dark place on the Dark Net where people bet on world leaders' deaths.
  3. The future of therapy might be on your phone - a new service connects you to therapists via text to democratize health services.

The Cycles of Bundling and Unbundling to Unleash the Public Sector's Creativity

Bold & Open • 0 implied HN points • 28 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Software
  1. Investing in external consultancies or centralised and proprietary systems weakens the capacity of public agents and citizens, hindering influence over tools.
  2. Investing in open source technologies empowers the public sector to control their tools, collaborate with other actors, and amplify tech capabilities.
  3. To challenge monopolies, investing in new open standards or supporting smaller startups developing open alternatives can foster innovation and competition.

AnyCable everywhere: real-time visualization streaming for Poll Everywhere

AnyCable Broadcasts • 0 implied HN points • 09 Jun 23
🕹 Technology Software
  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.

Flying multi-regionally with NATS

AnyCable Broadcasts • 0 implied HN points • 24 Mar 23
🕹 Technology Software
  1. Embedded NATS support in AnyCable-Go simplifies building multi-regional Rails/AnyCable applications on Fly.io.
  2. Switching from Redis to embedded NATS for pub/sub is a topic covered in the video.
  3. The use of ACLI to debug and test AnyCable applications from the command line is highlighted.

Making real-time chat functionality Healthie-r with AnyCable Pro

AnyCable Broadcasts • 0 implied HN points • 29 Jun 22
🕹 Technology Software
  1. Healthie successfully migrated from Action Cable to AnyCable Pro to improve real-time chat functionality, benefiting from dual broadcast strategy support.
  2. Usage of AnyCable Pro bypassed starting with the open-source version, showcasing its benefits immediately for Healthie's infrastructure.
  3. Healthie's critical chat system now heavily relies on AnyCable for 1-1 and group chats between healthcare professionals and clients, available on web and mobile platforms.

Of users and direct messaging (pt. 2)

AnyCable Broadcasts • 0 implied HN points • 05 Apr 22
🕹 Technology Software
  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.

A call for Pro: Callbell

AnyCable Broadcasts • 0 implied HN points • 03 Aug 21
🕹 Technology Software
  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.

Release notes 04/05/2024

The Open-Source Blueprint • 0 implied HN points • 05 Apr 24
🕹 Technology Software
  1. Latitude has released a new npm package for React, featuring a `useQuery` hook for fetching and managing server data with ease.
  2. A new Select component is now available that can dynamically populate options using data from queries, allowing for versatile user interactions.
  3. Latitude now supports downloading query results in CSV format by adding a simple query parameter, making it easier for users to work with data outside the platform.

Software Is Eating The VC World

Venture Prose • 0 implied HN points • 28 Jun 16
💼 Business Software
  1. Kima Ventures uses software to streamline their venture capital operations and manage deal flow efficiently.
  2. The goal of Kima Ventures is to develop high-quality software that can revolutionize the VC world and benefit entrepreneurs.
  3. They plan to share their software with other VC firms and investors to enhance the industry as a whole.

Being Swift, Nice & Straight.

Venture Prose • 0 implied HN points • 22 Sep 15
💼 Business Software
  1. In the world of dealing with entrepreneurs and managing portfolios, it's crucial to care about people.
  2. At Kima Ventures, governance is strong, ensuring decisions are made collectively and responsibly.
  3. Discipline, proactivity, software, and support are keys to smooth operations in venture capital, aiding in getting things done efficiently.

Introducing Software and the Energy Transition

Software and the energy transition • 0 implied HN points • 23 Apr 24
🕹 Technology Software
  1. The climate crisis is a serious concern due to carbon emissions from fossil fuels, and transitioning to renewable energy sources like solar and wind is crucial.
  2. Software plays a vital role in managing energy transition by orchestrating smarter grids, controlling home appliances, and forecasting renewable energy capacity.
  3. Newsletter focuses on software systems aiding the energy transition, particularly in cloud technologies and grid management tools.