1. CLI text processing with GNU awk
Total comment counts : 21
Summary
This article provides an overview of awk syntax and provides examples of filtering and substitution using awk. It explains how to use regular expressions to filter and match strings, and demonstrates the use of the sub and gsub functions for substitution. The article also covers field processing in awk, including accessing specific fields and performing actions based on field values. It explains the structure of an awk one-liner and how to use BEGIN and END blocks. The article concludes with an explanation of how awk handles strings and numbers, including the use of variables and literals.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The author expresses their love for the programming language awk and how they use it frequently. They highlight one specific use case where awk is helpful for matching lines with specific conditions, particularly when a line is preceded by another line. They provide an example of using awk to create a linter for checking migration files. The author explains that since SQL statements can be spread across multiple lines, it was difficult to write a direct match, but awk’s ability to track state across multiple lines helped them achieve the desired result. They have been using this approach successfully for about a year.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article is about a thread on Hacker News titled “Ask HN: Share a shell script you like” that didn’t receive as many comments as the author had hoped. The link to the thread is provided.
2. Federal study links testicular cancer to ‘forever chemicals’
Total comment counts : 16
Summary
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Top 1 Comment Summary
This article is a common correlational study with large confidence intervals that do not effectively prove the null hypothesis. The study found weak and statistically insignificant associations with PFOS in the first/only samples. However, elevated concentrations of perfluorononanoic acid were inversely associated with TGCT, while other PFAS results were inconclusive. Overall, this study is not considered noteworthy.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The author expresses concern about the use of chemicals that do not break down and last forever. They believe that it is important to ensure the safety of such chemicals through thorough research. The author also criticizes the ease with which companies are able to create negative consequences for society and suggests that it should be more challenging for them to do so.
3. That Old NetBSD Server, Running Since 2010
Total comment counts : 26
Summary
The article recounts the author’s experience setting up a network for a client using NetBSD 5.1, despite the client’s preference for Windows 2008 Server. The author describes the challenges faced, including using consumer-grade hardware and the limited time frame. Despite the initial skepticism, the server proved to be reliable and remained operational for nine years with minimal maintenance. The author expresses their satisfaction with stable and reliable solutions and praises NetBSD for its lightweight, stable, secure, and efficient performance.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The author of the article explains why they believe they will never be rich. They prefer stable and reliable solutions, but their previous employer saw this as less profitable because unstable solutions requiring frequent maintenance would generate more revenue. The author believes that a job is well-done when it consistently works, not when it constantly needs fixing. They also mention that teams with constant downtimes are often seen as heroes, while those who have services running smoothly are the first to be let go in difficult financial times. Despite this, the author views their approach as the right thing to do, as it prioritizes quality over excitement.
Top 2 Comment Summary
This article discusses the author’s experience using a large copier that had a function to scan and email documents. The email delivery stopped working, despite using Gmail. The person responsible for the Gmail administration tried various troubleshooting methods, but nothing worked. Instead of relying on others or dealing with Gmail’s proprietary issues, the author decided to set up an SMTP server using a $12 PogoPlug and a few hours of work. This allowed the copier to scan and deliver emails through a public SMTP server. The author emphasizes that people sometimes dismiss certain tasks as a waste of time because they don’t know how to do them or because they assume everyone does things differently. The author concludes by mentioning that years later, someone from the company offered to return the PogoPlug, which had been used for several years before they replaced the copier.
4. West Point discovers time capsule from 1828
Total comment counts : 20
Summary
The US Military Academy at West Point will open a nearly 200-year-old time capsule that was discovered in the base of the Thaddeus Kosciuszko monument during renovations. The capsule, placed by cadets 26 years after the academy’s founding, will be unveiled on August 28. The contents of the sealed lead time capsule, measuring about one square foot, are expected to add to the West Point story and showcase the connection between past and future generations of cadets. The academy plans to continue the tradition by placing a new time capsule in the rebuilt base of the monument.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article mentions notable students at an academy in 1828, including Robert E Lee and Jefferson Davis. It highlights Charles Mason as the valedictorian in 1929, who had the highest scores in the academy’s history, surpassing Lee in second place. Douglas MacArthur became the third highest scoring student many years later.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article contains a link to a video opening, but there is no actual text to summarize.
5. Writing Linux Modules in Ada (2016)
Total comment counts : 12
Summary
The article discusses the author’s attempts to write Linux modules using the Ada programming language. Linux modules are binary files that can be dynamically loaded and linked into the Kernel, often used for device drivers. Traditionally, these modules are written in C, but the author explores using Ada instead, as it is designed for embedded safety critical applications. The author investigates the process of writing and building modules and explores the possibility of using a gpr file for compilation and linkage. However, they find the existing makefiles of the kbuild system too complex to understand and imitate. Instead, they propose a strategy where the logic of the module resides in Ada functions compiled into a static library, and the main file consists of C wrappers that call these Ada functions. The author addresses the issue of missing symbols when building the module and the challenges of linking with the standard run time. They propose building a custom, degraded run time known as a “Zero Footprint” run time. The article concludes by mentioning the author’s intention to write a more useful kernel module in future articles.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses the author’s past experience working as an Email consultant and their intention to develop a secure collection of Email tools using the programming language Ada. The author had started developing a basic SMTP daemon but ultimately decided to leave the Email business due to the challenges associated with it. Despite this, the author expresses a fondness for Ada and believes it allows for writing efficient code.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article is a tutorial about Ada programming for low-level and systems programming. It includes explanations on bit fiddling in Ada data structures. The tutorial can be found at “https://learn.adacore.com/courses/intro-to-embedded-sys-prog/index.html".
6. 111,111.1 meters is reliably 1 degree of latitude
Total comment counts : 7
Summary
The article discusses the request for an algorithm that can determine a new coordinate based on a latitude and longitude pair and a vector translation in meters. The author suggests using a quick estimation formula for small displacements, but mentions that for higher accuracy and larger displacements, more complex formulas are needed. Several resources and code examples are provided for different programming languages.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses the redefinition of the meter in 1791 as one ten-millionth of the quarter-meridian or ninety degrees of arc through Paris. It explains that one degree is equivalent to 111,111.111… meters and that the circumference of the Earth is approximately forty million meters or 40,000 kilometers. The article also mentions that the initial definition of the meter was the length of a seconds pendulum. Additionally, it explains a formula related to the period of a pendulum and the value of the acceleration due to gravity. The article concludes by highlighting the relationship between the value of gravity and π², and the historical definition of the gram being based on the weight of one cubic centimeter of water.
Top 2 Comment Summary
This article discusses the concept of a nautical mile, which is equivalent to one minute of arc at the Earth’s equator, measuring approximately 6076 feet. The author expresses a preference for nautical miles as a unit of measurement, as opposed to regular miles.
7. Netbirdio/netbird: Connect devices into a single private WireGuard mesh network
Total comment counts : 10
Summary
This article discusses NetBird, a platform that combines a configuration-free peer-to-peer private network with a centralized access control system. It allows users to create secure private networks for organizations or homes by automatically connecting devices over an encrypted tunnel. NetBird eliminates the need for opening ports, complex firewall rules, and VPN gateways. It enables secure remote access and offers granular access policies that can be managed from a single platform. NetBird is compatible with any infrastructure and can be set up in about five minutes. The platform utilizes open-source technologies like WireGuard, Pion ICE, Coturn, and Rosenpass. NetBird has joined the StartUpSecure program sponsored by The Federal Ministry of Education and Research of The Federal Republic of Germany.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses performance issues experienced with a networking tool called tailscaled on an openwrt platform. The author suggests using another tool called netbird with direct mode, which improves throughput and latency on both embedded openwrt and desktop platforms. However, they also mention that netbird has some bugs and recommend using tailscale for multi-user setups due to its reliability.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article praises the development of Wireguard and mentions the use of a self-hosted version called headscale. The author finds it inconvenient to have only one non-Linux machine on the network because Tailscale, the software used, is designed for userspace, while Wireguard requires minimal CPU usage on Linux.
8. Running WASI binaries from your HTML using Web Components
Total comment counts : 8
Summary
This article is about a passion project called Runno, created by Ben Taylor. The source code for the project is available on GitHub. The article also provides an email address (runno@taybenlor.com) to contact Ben Taylor for further discussions about Runno.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses the advancements in web development and game development, particularly with the introduction of technologies like WebAssembly (Wasm) and WebAssembly System Interface (WASI). These technologies are making web apps and tools more exciting by reducing the reliance on JavaScript frameworks and allowing for more interesting native functionality. The article also praises a specific tool called Runno, which allows for the creation of runnable code examples that can be embedded in web pages. Runno is commended for its ability to run code directly in the browser without the need for scary tools or a server, and for its customizability with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Overall, the article highlights the possibilities and convenience that these technologies, including Wasm and Runno, bring to web development.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article is not provided, so I cannot summarize it. However, the author is willing to answer any questions related to the article.
9. Fortran
Total comment counts : 24
Summary
The article promotes the use of Fortran, a high-performance parallel programming language, for computationally intensive applications in science and engineering. It highlights the language’s mature and battle-tested compilers and libraries, its static and strong typing capabilities that catch programming errors early on, and its ease of learning and use. Fortran is noted for its versatility, allowing developers to choose the programming style that best fits their problem, and its native parallelism, enabling code to run on various systems. The article also addresses common questions about the status and use of Fortran and encourages readers to contribute to the language’s development through proposals, tools, and software.
Top 1 Comment Summary
A recent report by Los Alamos National Lab evaluates the risks associated with relying on the Fortran programming language for mission-critical codes over the next 15 years. The assessment highlights seven distinct risks, including difficulties staffing Fortran projects with top-rate computer scientists and engineers, potential maintenance costs, poor performance on future CPU technologies, and inhibiting the use of advances in computing technology. It is suggested that Fortran is becoming less popular in the field of high-performance computing, as scientists are increasingly using languages like C++ and Python for code development.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses the current state of Fortran in the technology landscape, specifically in the context of high performance computing (HPC) and artificial intelligence (AI). Historically, Fortran was used for HPC and was largely funded by the government. However, with the rise of AI, other programming languages such as Python have gained prominence. Despite this, Fortran still has its advantages in terms of easy-to-read code and optimal performance. The article questions whether Fortran can regain its position or if new contenders will take over.
10. ChatGPT Enterprise
Total comment counts : 51
Summary
OpenAI is launching ChatGPT Enterprise, a version of ChatGPT that provides enterprise-grade security, privacy, and additional features. It offers unlimited high-speed access to GPT-4, longer context windows for processing longer inputs, advanced data analysis capabilities, customization options, and more. The aim is to assist and enhance various aspects of work, making teams more productive and creative. ChatGPT has already been adopted by over 80% of Fortune 500 companies, and early users of ChatGPT Enterprise, such as Block, Canva, Carlyle, The Estée Lauder Companies, PwC, and Zapier, are reaping its benefits. Security and privacy are prioritized, with businesses retaining ownership and control of their data. ChatGPT Enterprise is SOC 2 compliant, encrypting conversations in transit and at rest. The new admin console simplifies team management and enables large-scale deployment. Usage caps are removed, and performance is improved. Advanced data analysis capabilities and shared chat templates are included, with the option to extend OpenAI into a fully custom solution using the API. ChatGPT Enterprise has already proven to increase productivity and accelerate various tasks. OpenAI looks forward to onboarding more enterprises and evolving the ChatGPT Enterprise based on feedback.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses a new chatbot service called ChatGPT that allows users to pay for a chatbot that can generate fictional information about their company and its products. The author expresses caution about the lack of veracity in the generated content and raises concerns about the potential consequences of relying solely on AI-generated responses. They suggest that while generative AI may be suitable for some tasks, there are situations where human review and procedural logic are necessary to prevent harm and maintain control. The author also mentions the impressive capabilities of LLM-based systems but warns that they can be difficult to distinguish from genuine information, even for domain experts.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses the importance of addressing privacy concerns of enterprises when using ChatGPT. It emphasizes the need for explicit assurance that enterprise data will not be used for training and highlights the significance of SOC2 compliance. The author shares their experience in selling their LLM apps platform to enterprises and how sensitive these organizations are about sharing their data. The article also mentions that some companies opted for Azure’s OpenAI offering due to its claim of not using user data. As a result, the author integrated support for Azure’s OpenAI offering into their platform and open-sourced their engine for on-prem deployments to address privacy concerns.