1. –libcurl
Total comment counts : 31
Summary
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Top 1 Comment Summary
The author of the article explains a useful pattern they like to use when working with the browser’s network tab. They open the network tab, find the request they are interested in, and then use the “copy as curl” feature to generate an equivalent curl command. They then use a tool like curlconverter.com to convert the curl command into code in the programming language they are using. The author describes curl as an “intermediate representation” that can be easily translated into any programming language.
Top 2 Comment Summary
This article discusses the use of a flag in a command line interface that displays the source code of the program, allowing users to understand how it works and make changes to suit their needs. This customization aspect enhances user-friendly experience and provides users with the power to personalize the program.
2. New Renderers for GTK
Total comment counts : 12
Summary
The article discusses the recent development of two new renderers for the GTK toolkit: one for GL (OpenGL) and one for Vulkan. These renderers, called “ngl” and “vulkan,” are built from the same source and are unified renderers. They follow the Vulkan APIs but have abstractions to cover the differences between Vulkan and GL. The article proposes the possibility of extending this unified approach to create renderers for Metal-based on macOS or DirectX-based on Windows, but mentions that it would require duplicating shaders or using a translation tool like SPIRV-Cross.
The new unified renderers have per-node shaders and use complex shaders that interpret data from a buffer. This approach allows for more varied rendernode trees. The article highlights some of the benefits of the unified renderers, including better handling of antialiasing, fractional scaling, and arbitrary gradients. It also mentions the support for dmabufs (direct memory access buffers) and graphics offloading.
The article mentions some caveats for app developers using the new renderers. It states that the new renderers do not support glshader nodes, and developers should be aware of potential issues with fractional positions and driver problems.
Overall, the article discusses the development of new renderers for GTK that offer new features and capabilities, but also mentions some considerations and potential challenges for app developers using these renderers.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article mentions an experimental HTML renderer from around 2010 that could open a GTK app in a browser using plain HTML and CSS. This was considered impressive at the time, as it predates popular tools like Atom, VS Code, Electron, and possibly NodeJS. The current status of the HTML renderer is uncertain.
Top 2 Comment Summary
This complaint is about GTK’s trend of allowing widgets in the titlebar, which results in less space for app and file names. The complaint is not specific to GTK.
3. Ruby’s exceptional creatures
Total comment counts : 14
Summary
The article discusses the role of errors in the daily lives of Ruby developers. It emphasizes that errors are not always the developers’ fault, but rather can be hidden within the code. The article introduces the concept of “Exceptional Creatures,” which are personified representations of exceptions in Ruby. The purpose of this concept is to help developers understand and handle exceptions more effectively. The article also mentions the availability of resources and documentation to further explore Ruby’s exception system.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article praises the Ruby community for creating enjoyable and cheerful documentation, which the author finds delightful.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The mentioned article expresses nostalgia for working with Ruby on a daily basis.
4. Two handy GDB breakpoint tricks
Total comment counts : 11
Summary
The article discusses some helpful tricks for working with GDB breakpoints. The author suggests alternative definitions for certain C macros that behave better under debuggers. They mention the int3 instruction in the MSVC ecosystem and the __builtin_debugtrap intrinsic in Clang as solutions for inserting breakpoints. However, they also mention that GDB does not currently understand the int3 instruction, causing it to break in the wrong places. To resolve this issue, the author suggests adding a nop instruction after the int3, which eliminates the problems with GDB. The article also discusses different classes of breakpoint positions in GDB and suggests using temporary line numbers as a workaround for breakpoints that might become incorrect due to source code changes. Overall, the article provides useful insights for working with GDB breakpoints.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The author is advising readers not to use silly tricks and instead use proper code, which includes the following:
#include <signal.h>
int main() {
signal(SIGTRAP, SIG_IGN);
raise(SIGTRAP);
}
When this code is run without a debugger, the raised SIGTRAP signal will be ignored. However, when running the code inside a debugger, requests to ignore SIGTRAP will have no effect. This is because SIGTRAP is specifically designed for debugging purposes.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses the use of assert statements in code and their effects on program execution. It presents three different assert statements and explains that only two of them have the property of immediately halting the program in case of a defect. The __builtin_unreachable() statement informs the compiler that a specific code path is assumed to never execute, allowing the compiler to optimize the code accordingly. The author mentions that the compiler will likely deduce that the loop condition will never be true and eliminate the loop entirely. The article also notes that similar issues are present in other posts by the same author. The citation at the end is a link to the GDB documentation related to jumping in code.
5. Harmonics Explorer
Total comment counts : 17
Summary
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Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses the concept of overtone or harmonic throat singing and its connection to vowel sounds. It explains that vowels are perceived based on different harmonic distributions, and that the human voice can be understood as a harmonic chord with varying levels of harmonics. The article also provides a link for further information on the topic.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The author expresses a liking for something, but notes that it lacks the aspect they enjoyed teaching the most, which is phase. While most people understand that white noise has all frequencies at the same intensity, those who learn Fourier mathematics also know that the same concept can create a pulse. The distinction lies in the phase information, and the author argues that the commonly applied Nyquist-Shannon sampling theorem is incorrect.
6. Why is Maxwell’s theory so hard to understand? (2007) [pdf]
Total comment counts : 33
Summary
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Top 1 Comment Summary
This article discusses the usefulness of computer-generated 3D animation for visualizing complex concepts, specifically in the field of physics. The author mentions Eugene Khutoryansky, who creates animations focused on physics, particularly Maxwell’s equations. The article concludes by providing a link to one of Khutoryansky’s animations on YouTube.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The author’s proudest moment in high school was achieving a 5/5 on the calculus-based AP Physics C exams without having knowledge of calculus or advanced algebra. This experience influenced the author’s thinking and led them to use thorough visual imagination to solve problems. This practice was useful throughout their EE degree’s vector fields courses. The author believes that understanding Maxwell’s reworked equations requires a strong ability to visualize idealized objects with flows and symmetries. They emphasize the importance of imagining the infinitely small and the continuous. The author expresses ongoing fascination with the concept of treating areas of interest as continuous, even when they are technically discrete, to explore unexpected outcomes. They also express interest in hearing examples of similar approaches in areas such as mathematical finance.
7. Japan: Moon lander Slim comes back to life and resumes mission
Total comment counts : 14
Summary
Japan’s Moon lander, the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (Slim), has resumed operations after a power supply issue caused it to shut down for a week. The glitch has been fixed, and the lander’s solar cells are now working again after a change in lighting conditions allowed it to catch sunlight. Japan is the fifth country to achieve a soft touchdown on the Moon, and Slim landed at the edge of an equatorial crater called Shioli. The lander will analyze rock compositions to uncover clues about the Moon’s origin. The successful landing could pave the way for future exploration of hilly Moon poles, which are potential sources of fuel, water, and oxygen.
Top 1 Comment Summary
In this article, Scott Manly explains that during the final part of its descent, a lander lost a rocket nozzle, resulting in a loss of thrust on one side. However, the lander’s software adjusted to the situation and allowed it to land softly, although it couldn’t prevent it from pitching over. Despite this issue, the spacecraft landed within 50m of its target, which is considered highly accurate and a complete success for that part of its mission. The problem with the rocket nozzle may be due to a stuck valve or another issue, and it seems that a similar incident has occurred with a similar design in the past.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article mentions that the spacecraft ran on battery power for a few hours before being turned off to wait for a change in sunlight. The lander’s purpose is to analyze the composition of moon rocks to find information about the moon’s origin. The question is raised whether the lander’s orientation needs to be corrected, or if it can still perform some camera work while toppled over. It is also noted that the mission may face constraints due to the limited availability of solar power.
8. Appearances of MIT in Anime
Total comment counts : 16
Summary
The article discusses the frequent mentions of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in anime and manga. MIT is often used as a symbol of advanced technology and science outside of Japan. Various references to MIT are highlighted, such as the appearance of MIT vice-president and dean Vannevar Bush in “Serial Experiments Lain” and the mention of MIT in “Nadesico.” MIT also appears in “The end of Evangelion,” “Patlabor,” “Ayashi no Ceres,” “Bubblegum Crisis,” “Pretty Sammy Tenchi Muyo,” “Paniponi Dash,” “Hanaukyo Maid Tai,” “Amazing Nurse Nanako,” “Beck,” and “Boku no Sexual Harassment.”
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article mentions a connection between the Labor virus in the Patlabor movie and efforts to eradicate it by people at MIT. The author also recalls suggesting to RMS, likely referring to Richard Stallman, that the movie could serve as a lesson on the significance of using free software in public-works infrastructure. Stallman expressed interest but noted the challenge of finding a VHS copy.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses a favorite anime/MIT association called the “SICP anime opening”. It provides a link to a YouTube video showcasing this association.
9. Multi-database support in DuckDB
Total comment counts : 15
Summary
DuckDB now supports attaching MySQL, Postgres, and SQLite databases, allowing data to be easily read and moved between these systems. Previously, DuckDB only supported reading and writing data to files. The new pluggable storage and transactional layer allows for advanced operations on the native storage format of DuckDB, including deleting rows, updating values, and altering table schemas. The extensions for MySQL, Postgres, and SQLite enable features such as attaching different databases, querying different databases together, and copying data between them. Transactions are supported in all storage engines, ensuring data consistency and allowing for reading and writing data. However, writing to multiple attached databases in a single transaction is currently not supported.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The person is asking if the pluggable storage engine supports query pushdown. They explain that query pushdown involves pushing down certain parts of a query to the underlying database so that the whole table does not need to be scanned. They mention examples such as the key predicate, ORDER BY, joins, LIMIT, and OFFSET. They also mention that it would be beneficial if the optimizer could be aware of table/column statistics for joins between foreign tables from different sources. They note that while Sqlite has a mechanism for plugging in a custom engine, it is relatively simplistic when it comes to query pushdown.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The author is impressed with the quality of life improvements brought by the DuckDB team and is curious about the size of the team.
10. Meta AI releases Code Llama 70B
Total comment counts : 22
Summary
This is not an article. It is a message asking the user to switch to a supported browser to continue using Twitter. It also mentions that a list of supported browsers can be found in the Help Center and provides links to the Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy, and Imprint. The message is copyright protected by X Corp.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article mentions a Jetbrains plugin called CodeGPT that allows for local running. The plugin can be found on the Jetbrains plugin store.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The author of the article mentions that they are a user of ChatGPT and GitHub Copilot but are not familiar with how to use these models. They are interested in leveraging a similar model in VS Code but are overwhelmed by the numerous GPT wrapper extensions available. Many of these extensions either seem unreliable or require a paid plan. The author is curious about alternative methods for achieving code completion similar to GitHub Copilot without using Copilot itself.