software
Stay curious about your systems
As AI changes how engineering work gets done, we still have to build and maintain our understanding of the systems we're responsible for.
Giving DuckDuckGo Another Chance
A few days ago, I wrote about my quest for a better search engine. For the past few months, I had been using Kagi, but I have since canceled the subscription. As a consequence, I returned back to DuckDuckGo. However, I felt it wasn't able to satisfy my needs... but was I right?
Finding a Good Search Engine
From February up until now, I have been using a paid search engine, Kagi. Two weeks ago, I canceled my subscription to try giving DuckDuckGo - or maybe another search engine - a go. However, I still find the search results quite lacking!
Building Software For Fun
Time and time again, I have come across articles about writing "useless" software, or programming as play. These sort of articles always wake up something in me. They focus on programming as a fun, playful thing, instead of making things with a hard purpose.
When The Ware Isn’t Firm
A viral car review by tech-reviewing’s biggest name highlights the all-too-common pitfalls of shipping before the firmware is ready.
Cropping Into A Debate
I took a pretty rough swipe at GIMP last week, and rather than letting sleeping dogs lie, I’d like to explain my POV on the popular open-source image editor.
Hiding in the Basket
A conversation about Easter eggs hiding in software, why they’re fun, and why they might not always be seen as good things by IT admins.
Building for longevity
Argues for considering the long-term maintenance burden when making technical choices. Every dependency, language, and infrastructure decision carries ongoing costs. Choosing boring, stable technology minimizes that burden and lets you focus your limited time on what matters.
Floppy Copy Classics
A few copy-protection schemes, of varying levels of success, you’ve possibly run into over the years. Don’t lose your code wheel.
USA Yesterday
Looking back at a sports-themed online service the now-40-year-old USA Today launched way back in 1989. Not all disks were left unscathed.
These Eyes Are Trackin’
Pondering the tale of Gator, a company that created a password manager way back in 1999, but ruined goodwill by going full spyware. (Oops, I mean adware.)
Change to Custom Directory Alias With Completions in Zsh
For quite some time, I've had a helper function on my Zsh config to quickly be able to cd to specific directories.
Respect Your Power Users
Pondering why, in the internet era, it has become so common for big tech companies to treat their power users like dirt. (Yes, this is about Google Reader.)
Custom GitHub Actions with Docker
A walkthrough of building a custom GitHub Actions workflow using Docker instead of marketplace actions. Covers the action file, Dockerfile, entrypoint script, and workflow configuration for building a Zola site and deploying it to Netlify.
Painting Outside The Lines
Adobe was already a big company when it first sold Photoshop, but its biggest competitor, Paint Shop Pro, was built by an airline pilot in his free time.
What makes an API simple?
Explores the tradeoffs in API design between minimal request inputs and richer contextual data. Argues that 'simple' should mean simple to use correctly, not just simple to look at. When an API encapsulates business logic, shifting complexity onto the API can reduce errors for consumers.
How I'm currently writing Haskell
A walkthrough of a Haskell development environment built on NixOS, Vim, GHCid, and Hoogle. Covers the Nix and Cabal setup, fast compiler feedback with GHCid, testing with hspec, and documentation lookups, all prioritizing simplicity and locally contained tooling.
Let’s Break Up Adobe
Why the creative software giant Adobe deserves a place in the broader discussion of breaking up tech giants like Facebook and Google. It's not just Photoshop.
Close Your Open Tabs
A case in favor of browser tab minimalism, or closing the tabs you’re not using. Sometimes, information overload has its limits.
Clippy Couture
Clip art gets a bad rap as an artform, in part because it’s everywhere. Let’s give it some grudging respect by filling in some historic gaps.
The Other Browser War
Why a new “feature” Opera added to its browser this week really makes me wish they’d ask me to pay them money for the right to use their browser.
Fake Elf News
Back in 1999, the viral game Elf Bowling gained an unfounded, false reputation as a piece of malware and spyware. It was viral, but it wasn’t a virus.
A Eulogy for Eudora
The early graphical client Eudora was how people checked their email in the ’90s. But in the end, only the power users stuck around. Here’s what you missed.
The Original In-App Purchase
It wasn't just about games. In the '80s and '90s, shareware democratized the way computer software was sold. Unfortunately, adware sort of dimmed its charm.
Tales Of The Interwebs
Protecting internet history is an important task, so we've taken it upon ourselves to save some of the best stories.