The hottest Software Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Technology Topics

Essays the size of cathedrals

Escaping Flatland • 1002 implied HN points • 18 Apr 23
📚 Literature Essays Software
  1. Essays and code can intersect, blurring the lines between them.
  2. Projects like interactive visualizations and spaced repetition software show this intersection.
  3. The borderland between essays and code is an underexplored space that offers intriguing possibilities.

The Dart Programming Language Is Underrated

Deus In Machina • 72 implied HN points • 05 Dec 24
🕹 Technology Programming Software Web Development Mobile Apps Computer Science
  1. Dart is a modern programming language that's great for building mobile and web apps, mainly through Flutter. Many developers find it fast and easy to use, especially for creating user interfaces.
  2. Dart has a lot of useful features, like being very object-oriented, supporting asynchronous programming, and offering good tools for development. However, it can also be a bit complex with many keywords to remember.
  3. Despite its strengths, Dart sometimes faces doubts about its future due to Google's history of canceling projects. Nevertheless, its community is growing, and the language continues to evolve and improve.

sqlmesh plan

davidj.substack • 59 implied HN points • 10 Dec 24
🕹 Technology Software Data Management Cloud Computing Analytics Development
  1. Virtual data environments in SQLMesh let you test changes without affecting the main data. This means you can quickly see how something would work before actually doing it.
  2. Using snapshots, you can create different versions of data models easily. Each version is linked to a unique fingerprint, so they don't mess with each other.
  3. Creating and managing development environments is much easier now. With just a command, you can set up a new environment that looks just like production, making development smoother.

LangChain Search AI Agent Using GPT-4o-mini

Cobus Greyling on LLMs, NLU, NLP, chatbots & voicebots • 59 implied HN points • 25 Jul 24
🕹 Technology AI Software Web Development Machine Learning Open Source
  1. The LangChain Search AI Agent uses a tool called Tavily API to search the web and answer questions. It breaks down complex questions into simpler sub-questions for better results.
  2. The GPT-4o-mini model is designed to be fast and cost-effective, making it suitable for tasks that require quick responses. It supports both text and vision inputs, expanding its usability.
  3. Using LangSmith, you can track the execution and costs of each step in processing queries. This feature helps in optimizing the performance of the AI agent.

🐉 Microsoft Layoffs, Dating App Vulnerabilities & Mario Kart Decompilation

ppdispatch • 8 implied HN points • 20 May 25
🕹 Technology Software Gaming Security AI Open Source
  1. Stack Overflow is trying to rebrand because its traffic is dropping a lot. This change is happening as more developers start using AI tools for help instead of asking questions on forums.
  2. A dating app called Cerca has serious security issues that exposed personal data of thousands of users. This issue shows that new companies often risk safety for faster growth.
  3. The Mario Kart 64 game has now been fully decompiled, making it easier to preserve and possibly port the game to other platforms. This is a big win for gaming history and the open-source community.
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ViaGrafix Computer Training Videos

Computer Ads from the Past • 128 implied HN points • 28 Oct 24
🕹 Technology Software Video Training History Advertising
  1. ViaGrafix started in 1990 and grew quickly, offering fun work environments like basketball courts and day care for employees' kids.
  2. They were known for their computer training videos and had over 650 different courses, helping people learn software easily.
  3. In the 90s, their tutorials were popular and endorsed by Microsoft, making learning more convenient than using regular manuals.

Inference is FREE and INSTANT

Source Code by Fume • 22 HN points • 26 Aug 24
🕹 Technology AI Software Computing Data Innovation
  1. Many people have different views on the future of AI; some believe it will change a lot soon, while others think it won't become much smarter. It's suggested that rather than getting smarter, AI will just get cheaper and faster.
  2. There's a concern that large language models (LLMs) might not be improving in reasoning skills as expected. They have become more affordable over time, but that doesn't necessarily mean they are getting better at complex tasks.
  3. The Chinese Room Argument highlights that AI can follow instructions without understanding. Even if AI tools become faster, they might still lack the creativity to generate unique ideas, but they can still help with routine tasks.

The loneliness of the long distance runbook

Wednesday Wisdom • 56 implied HN points • 11 Dec 24
🕹 Technology Software Engineering Documentation Management Processes
  1. Runbooks are often not followed closely because experienced engineers adapt them to their own knowledge and context. This can be good, but it also means runbooks might not be used as intended.
  2. When runbooks have errors or are not up to date, they can cause big problems. It's crucial to review and update runbooks regularly to keep them relevant and accurate.
  3. Don't expect runbooks to be perfect or solve all issues. They should be seen as guidelines rather than strict instructions, and everyone should have an understanding of the system behind them.

Under the microscope: Hang-On GP

Rings of Saturn • 14 implied HN points • 23 Jan 25
🕹 Technology Gaming Software Internet Hardware Digital Media
  1. Some hidden cheat codes for the game Hang-On GP have been discovered after almost 30 years. These codes can unlock special bikes and game modes.
  2. Players can now easily unlock all tracks and unlimited time in Time Trial mode with specific button sequences. This makes the game more fun and accessible.
  3. The cheat codes seem to have varied availability online, and some might still be missing from popular gaming sites. Players can share and help complete these lists.

Code coverage doesn't matter much

Andrew's Substack • 83 implied HN points • 29 Nov 24
🕹 Technology Software Testing Development Engineering Programming
  1. Code coverage alone doesn't indicate whether tests are good or useful. It's more about the quality of the tests than the quantity.
  2. Not all tests are valuable; some can be complex and fail for reasons that don't matter, which can lead to false confidence in the code.
  3. The aim of testing should be to assure that your code works and to catch errors, instead of just trying to raise a coverage percentage.

TTW Extra #7 🔥: All JavaScript talks of 2024 so far...

Tech Talks Weekly • 59 implied HN points • 13 Aug 24
🕹 Technology Software Web Development Programming Languages Conferences JavaScript
  1. There are many JavaScript conferences happening in 2024. Each conference has talks that cover various topics related to JavaScript, making it easy for developers to learn from experts.
  2. Some talks have gained a lot of views, showing they really interest the audience. Watching these popular talks can help you stay updated on new features and best practices in JavaScript.
  3. If you're looking for the best talks, you can check out the top views from conferences like JSNation and React Conf. These talks often cover cutting-edge developments that can improve your skills.

Authorization As A Service

ciamweekly • 62 implied HN points • 02 Dec 24
🕹 Technology Software Security API SaaS Development
  1. Authorization is just as important as authentication. While authentication is about identifying who someone is, authorization defines what they can do in the system.
  2. It's crucial to set clear rules for what users can and cannot access. Users should be able to manage their own data, but not access or delete data that belongs to others.
  3. Using centralized authorization services makes managing access easier and more consistent. This way, applications can quickly check permissions without getting bogged down in complicated code.

The Software Slog

Buck on Software • 884 implied HN points • 20 Mar 23
🕹 Technology Software Tech industry Venture Capital SaaS Investing
  1. The software industry may be facing a period of slow growth and low returns, akin to a tiring and boring slog.
  2. Consensus estimates predict a rebound in SaaS growth, resembling past historical market cycles.
  3. Zombie SaaS companies, sustained by oversized funding, create challenges for non-zombie competitors in terms of price competition and talent acquisition.

Open-source reasoning models, OpenAI's Operator, Bytedance's free Cursor alternative, Spell 3D worlds, Smallest VLM, Perplexity Assistant, open-source native GUI agent model, Kling's Elements & more

AI Brews • 17 implied HN points • 24 Jan 25
🕹 Technology AI Software Open Source Models Innovation
  1. DeepSeek released a new open-source reasoning model that performs as well as some of the top AI systems. It's free to use and has a chat feature on their website.
  2. OpenAI launched a new tool called Operator that can do tasks on the web for you, using its own browser to interact with websites directly.
  3. Hugging Face introduced the smallest Vision Language Model, which can answer questions about images. This could be useful for a lot of applications, especially in learning or assisting with image analysis.

The Story of Nel

Deus In Machina • 72 implied HN points • 29 Nov 24
🕹 Technology Programming Software AI Startups Development
  1. Real programmers often rely on their knowledge and skills rather than on tools like AI and autocomplete features to code. It highlights the importance of understanding the code at a fundamental level.
  2. Having face-to-face conversations and collaboration among team members helped boost productivity when technology failed. Working together led to better problem-solving and learning.
  3. Using simple, effective tools that fit your needs can lead to better coding experiences. Sometimes, going back to the basics can spark creativity and innovation.

Generative AI Cars Coming Soon

Sector 6 | The Newsletter of AIM • 499 implied HN points • 15 Jan 24
🕹 Technology AI Automotive Innovation Software Music
  1. Mercedes-AMG launched a new car feature called MBUX SOUND DRIVE at CES 2024. This feature lets drivers create music based on their driving actions.
  2. The system uses sensors and advanced software to turn driving dynamics like acceleration and braking into musical sounds.
  3. This technology allows drivers to have a unique and immersive experience while driving, blending music with their driving style.

The Sequence Knowledge #478: Speculative RAG is a More Efficient Form of RAG

TheSequence • 147 implied HN points • 28 Jan 25
🕹 Technology AI Software Research Modeling Innovation
  1. Speculative RAG uses two models to improve results. One model specializes in creating content, while the other checks and verifies it.
  2. This new approach makes the overall system more efficient and accurate than traditional methods.
  3. Understanding how Speculative RAG works can help enhance AI technologies and their applications.

Edition 28: ADR v/s Shift-left should be looked at as a "Stock" v/s "Flow" problem

Boring AppSec • 7 implied HN points • 27 Jan 25
🕹 Technology Software Security Development DevOps
  1. ADR focuses on real-time data in production, which helps reduce false positives, while shift-left aims to find issues early in the development process to fix them easily.
  2. You need a balance of both ADR and shift-left strategies. ADR manages existing problems (stock), and shift-left deals with changes being made (flow).
  3. When choosing tools, flow tools should be light and supportive for developers, while stock tools track and analyze existing issues. They both require different management approaches.

sqlmesh test

davidj.substack • 47 implied HN points • 12 Dec 24
🕹 Technology Software Data Engineering Testing Development
  1. Unit tests and data tests are different. Unit tests check if a function works right with set inputs, while data tests check if the data meets certain conditions.
  2. Running tests locally can save costs and speed things up. If you test your code on your own machine, you don’t have to pay for the cloud data warehouse until you’re ready.
  3. Creating external models in sqlmesh can be automated, making it easier to document source tables. You just run a command to generate the necessary files instead of doing it manually.

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.

Weekly Cybersecurity Update: High-Profile Attacks, Arrests, and Emerging Threats

Vigilainte Newsletter • 19 implied HN points • 26 Aug 24
🕹 Technology Cybersecurity Software Data Privacy Malware Regulation
  1. Iranian hackers are using WhatsApp to target U.S. government officials, trying to influence the upcoming presidential election.
  2. The CEO of Telegram was arrested in France over issues with content moderation, showing that messaging apps are under more scrutiny now.
  3. New security threats are rising, like ransomware targeting Google Chrome users and vulnerabilities in smart home devices, highlighting the need for better cybersecurity measures.

Breaking and Non-Breaking Changes

davidj.substack • 47 implied HN points • 11 Dec 24
🕹 Technology Software Development Data Engineering Analytics
  1. When making changes to data models, it's important to identify if they are breaking or non-breaking changes. Breaking changes affect downstream models, while non-breaking changes do not.
  2. SQLMesh automatically analyzes changes to understand their impact on other models. This helps developers avoid manual tracking and reduces the chances of errors.
  3. New features in SQLMesh will allow for more precise tracking of changes at the column level. This means less unnecessary work when something minor is modified.

Yes, little AI agent, you can use my computer

Alex's Personal Blog • 65 implied HN points • 05 Dec 24
🕹 Technology AI Software Cybersecurity Startups Market Trends Productivity
  1. AI is getting better at helping us work by using computers like we do. This means we can give it commands while we work, making tasks easier and faster.
  2. There is a gap between what big tech companies say about AI and what their users experience. Many companies want AI tools, but users often find them disappointing.
  3. SaaS companies are seeing their value go up again, which is a positive sign for the tech market.

XZ Backdoor: Times, damned times, and scams

Rhea's Substack • 254 HN points • 30 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Security Software Analysis Holidays
  1. The recent discovery of a backdoor in the xz/liblzma tarball raises concerns about trust in the free software ecosystem.
  2. Analyzing the time patterns of code commits can reveal valuable insights about a developer's work habits and potential attempts at deception.
  3. Changing time zones to manipulate commit timestamps can be a deceptive tactic in software development, but inconsistencies can ultimately reveal the truth.

#96 — OAI on "wrong side of history", Superglue brings React to Rails, Waiter at Denny's talks about GPUs and future

The Nibble • 4 implied HN points • 04 Feb 25
🕹 Technology AI Software Development Computing Innovation
  1. OpenAI has released a new model called o3-mini, which is faster and cheaper than previous versions. This model is meant to improve reasoning tasks and is available for various subscription plans.
  2. Superglue is a new library that helps combine React and Rails for building web applications. It makes development easier and more efficient by enhancing server-side rendering and dynamic interactions.
  3. The Doomsday clock is now only 89 seconds to midnight, raising concerns about global threats like AI and nuclear weapons. This reflects how urgent these issues have become in today's world.

If I could travel back to 5 years ago, what would I talk to myself about Docker?

VuTrinh. • 299 implied HN points • 09 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Software Development Engineering Infrastructure Cloud
  1. Docker helps you package your applications and everything they need into containers. This makes it easier to deploy and run your apps anywhere.
  2. Containers are lighter than virtual machines because they share the host's operating system, saving resources and simplifying management.
  3. To get started with Docker, install it, then run a simple command to create your first container, like 'docker run hello-world' - it’s that straightforward!

Indian IT’s GenAI Lag

Sector 6 | The Newsletter of AIM • 439 implied HN points • 14 Jan 24
🕹 Technology AI IT Business Analytics Software
  1. Indian IT companies like Infosys and TCS have shown strong financial performance, but they lack confidence in generating revenue from generative AI.
  2. In contrast, Accenture is making notable progress with generative AI, securing significant investments and showcasing strong growth.
  3. Many Indian IT firms are reducing new hiring and focusing more on training current employees, highlighting an emphasis on automation and upskilling rather than bringing on fresh talent.

Announcing the ESP32 ZX Spectrum

Single Board ESP32 ZX Spectrum • 99 implied HN points • 13 Jun 24
🕹 Technology Hardware Software Features Challenges Production
  1. The ESP32 ZX Spectrum is a recreation of the ZXSpectrum using ESP32-S3 based PCB, with unique features like capacitive touch pads and a colorful display.
  2. Challenges faced include variability in displays and the need to improve the keyboard functionality to avoid ghosting of keys.
  3. Production risks include the complexity of larger production runs, the need for a stable display vendor, and the dependence on individual initiative for the project.

How has ChatGPT Changed Your Life?

Sector 6 | The Newsletter of AIM • 459 implied HN points • 05 Jan 24
🕹 Technology AI Productivity Education Software Innovation
  1. ChatGPT has helped many people by providing useful code examples, especially for those who struggle with visual learning. This has made a big difference for students like Aaron, who felt lost before using it.
  2. Users say ChatGPT has made them more productive in tasks like brainstorming, coding, and research. It's like having an assistant that helps with ideas and writing.
  3. Many people have found it easier to learn and create things because of ChatGPT. It has lowered the barriers for those who want to develop applications or tools that seemed impossible before.

Uber was Built in Silicon Valley of India

Sector 6 | The Newsletter of AIM • 439 implied HN points • 03 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Software Innovation Mobile Development Data
  1. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Uber's tech team in Bangalore focused on managing both Uber Ride and Uber Eats effectively.
  2. They realized that they could save resources by combining their tech systems instead of using separate ones.
  3. The team found that some tech functions were useful for both services, which allowed them to make improvements in efficiency and performance.

Expansion hack: Christmas NiGHTS into Sonic

Rings of Saturn • 58 implied HN points • 27 Nov 24
🕹 Technology Gaming Software Development Hacking
  1. A new ROM hack lets Sonic replace NiGHTS in Christmas NiGHTS, allowing him to fly and battle Gillwing. This change brings a fresh experience to fans of the game.
  2. The hack includes custom tweaks, like enabling Sonic to have paraloop trails and using his signature spin attack instead of NiGHTS's drill dash. These updates improve gameplay by making it feel more like a traditional Sonic experience.
  3. Players can quickly access the Sonic present by modifying the game's startup code. This makes it easier for fans to jump right into the action without navigating through menus.

Navigating the Shadows

Rethinking Software • 149 implied HN points • 10 Jan 25
🕹 Technology Programming Software Workplace Career Innovation
  1. Shadow projects are personal work you do on your own time, outside of your usual tasks. They allow you to explore your interests and improve your skills without having to ask for permission.
  2. Working on shadow projects can help you fill gaps that your regular work might overlook. This makes your job more enjoyable while also providing value to your organization.
  3. There is some risk in doing shadow projects, as not all ideas will be accepted. However, they can lead to big opportunities and help you take control of your career.

Bringing Security Out of the Shadows

Resilient Cyber • 99 implied HN points • 06 Jun 24
🕹 Technology Cybersecurity AI Software Compliance Risk management
  1. Shadow usage happens when employees use technology without telling the IT or security teams. This is easy to do, especially with things like personal devices and remote work.
  2. Cybersecurity teams often react to problems instead of staying ahead of technology trends. Instead of waiting for issues to arise, they should explore and adapt new technologies early.
  3. Long-lasting issues between security teams and other departments lead to frustration. If security teams work better with others, they can create a smoother, more productive environment.

Are You Ready for 2024?

Sector 6 | The Newsletter of AIM • 439 implied HN points • 26 Dec 23
🕹 Technology AI Hardware Software Market Trends
  1. AMD is making big strides in AI, partnering with major customers to improve data center capabilities and deploying new technologies like MI300 accelerators.
  2. The market for data center AI accelerators is growing rapidly, with projections increasing from $150 billion to over $400 billion by 2027.
  3. AMD is also enhancing software development tools to better support AI workloads, making it easier for businesses to integrate AI into their operations.

The Sequence Engineering #479: Dify.AI: A Deep Dive into its Open-Source LLM Application Development Platform

TheSequence • 112 implied HN points • 29 Jan 25
🕹 Technology AI Software Development Open Source Platforms
  1. Dify.AI is an open-source platform that helps developers create applications using large language models (LLMs). Its user-friendly setup makes it easier to build AI solutions like chatbots or complex workflows.
  2. The platform is designed to be flexible and keeps evolving to meet the needs of developers in the fast-paced world of generative AI. This adaptability is key when choosing a tech stack for projects.
  3. Dify.AI includes advanced features like Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG), which enhances how applications gather and use information. This makes it a powerful tool for building sophisticated AI applications.