🐥 YellowDuck.be

🔗 Is agentic AI just automation?

2026-10-02T17:00:00Z

Why are most agents merely flowcharts in disguise? In this insightful piece, Prashant Mudgal critiques the common misconception that agentic AI offers capabilities beyond advanced automation. He delineates a clear distinction: automation handles known unknowns, while agentic AI tackles unknown unknowns. Mudgal presents real-world scenarios, such as aviation maintenance and due diligence, to illustrate how true agentic AI can uncover unprecedented insights, unlike traditional automated systems. He warns organizations that their overly structured processes often suffocate the potential for genuine decision-making. Instead of beginning with predefined use cases, he suggests starting from exceptions observed in workflows. This article is not just theoretical; it is a call to look beyond flowcharts and embrace the chaos where real intelligence can thrive.

Continue reading on towardsdatascience.com

#reading-list #development #best-practice #ai

🔗 WebSockets vs. SSE should be about ordering and correctness

2026-10-02T13:00:00Z

When considering WebSockets and Server-Sent Events (SSE), event ordering and correctness are critical for user experience. For instance, a scenario might arise where user actions like adding or removing tags can lead to chaotic and misleading outcomes if events arrive out of order. The author emphasizes that while many advocate for SSE due to perceived simplicity, the real battle lies in ensuring correct event delivery, which can be better handled by WebSockets. WebSockets allow for bidirectional communication, preventing issues that plague SSE and Fetch interactions, where multiple streams could race against each other. The article concludes by asserting that regardless of the technology choice, the essential question remains: how to ensure events are processed in the correct order to avoid confusing users?

Continue reading on dashbit.co

#reading-list #frontend #best-practice #http

🔗 Balancing flex items with flex-wrap: balance

2026-10-02T08:00:00Z

When flexbox items wrap but result in an orphan item, designers often resort to media queries to fix layout issues. However, this can lead to a fragile design that breaks easily with content changes. With the introduction of flex-wrap: balance in Chrome 150, layouts can appear much more organized. This article provides various solutions to keep flex items balanced, especially in scenarios where they might break into orphan items. Solutions range from using container queries to applying flex-line-count, showcasing the versatility of modern CSS. Each technique addresses responsive design issues without relying solely on problematic media queries. The ease of using flex-wrap: balance can dramatically improve the aesthetics and functionality of web layouts, making it an exciting addition to a web designer's toolkit.

Continue reading on ishadeed.com

#reading-list #frontend #css #best-practice

🔗 My HTML boilerplate in 2026

2026-10-01T17:00:00Z

What does an updated HTML boilerplate look like in 2026? Manuel Matuzović shares his revised foundation for HTML documents, detailing every crucial element along with its purpose. He emphasizes the importance of a correct declaration, character encoding with , and the significance of the lang attribute in ensuring accessibility. With JavaScript support growing, he also discusses using a no-js class to handle non-JS environments. The article covers essential features like viewport settings for responsive design and the growing necessity of manifest files for Progressive Web Applications (PWAs). With an eye on performance and SEO, Matuzović provides a detailed look at the modern expectations of an HTML structure, ensuring it remains efficient and user-friendly. For anyone looking to modernize their HTML approach, this article is a valuable resource for best practices and considerations in 2026.

Continue reading on www.matuzo.at

#reading-list #frontend #best-practice #html

🔗 Build htop for the web with Go + Datastar

2026-10-01T13:00:00Z

How does a backend-driven UI sound? Alex Pliutau showcases how to create an interactive web application using Go and Datastar, focusing on applications where state management occurs entirely on the backend. With Datastar’s hypermedia-first approach, developers can build applications like a monitoring dashboard for host metrics without the need for a complex frontend framework. By leveraging Server-Sent Events (SSE) for updates, it provides a streamlined way to push HTML patches directly from the server to the client. This enables real-time updates with minimal client-side logic. Pliutau dives into practical code examples, including the use of the gopsutil library for resource metrics, demonstrating how to efficiently implement this framework. It's a compelling alternative to traditional frontend frameworks for specific use cases.

Continue reading on packagemain.tech

#reading-list #golang #frontend #http

🔗 Anthropic's Claude now has a browser of its own

2026-10-01T08:00:00Z

Anthropic has unveiled that its AI assistant, Claude, now includes a built-in browser feature. This addition aims to enhance the assistant's capabilities by allowing it to access real-time information from the web. As AI integrates deeper into daily tasks, having a browsing capability could bridge the gap between static responses and dynamic data retrieval. The model can now provide more accurate, up-to-date answers, making it a more powerful tool for users. The development reflects a growing trend in AI where tools are being equipped with functionalities that extend beyond traditional limits. Will this feature redefine how users interact with AI? Only time will tell.

Continue reading on thenewstack.io

#reading-list #ai #announcement

🔗 Speeding up a Phoenix LiveView web app with a CDN

2026-09-30T17:00:00Z

Using a CDN can significantly enhance the performance of Phoenix LiveView web applications, especially those with dynamic content and user sessions. The article outlines an effective way to leverage bunny.net as a CDN, detailing a low-effort configuration that can lead to high rewards. It emphasizes caching strategies through Plug.Static and shows how to configure static asset serving from a CDN domain. By adjusting the static_url in your application's config and ensuring that asset links use the url helper, all your static files can efficiently be served from a designated CDN subdomain. Additionally, the article touches on the importance of optimizing outgoing traffic and page load speeds, making it a valuable resource for developers looking to improve their Phoenix LiveView applications with minimal overhead.

Continue reading on jola.dev

#reading-list #frontend #phoenix #devops

🔗 DuckLabs to join AWS, projects to remain open source

2026-09-30T13:00:00Z

DuckLabs has announced its upcoming partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS), set to take effect in early September. This union is aimed at leveraging AWS’s resources and reach, while ensuring that the open-source initiatives underpinning DuckDB, DuckLake, and Quack remain available under the MIT license. The DuckDB Foundation will continue to oversee these projects, preserving the spirit of community contribution.

With over one million downloads daily, DuckDB has proven to be a crucial tool for developers worldwide. The move to join AWS is seen as a necessary step to scale the technology further, enabling DuckLabs to focus on technical advancements without compromising on the open-source ethos that fueled its success. This collaboration promises even greater opportunities for both the technology and its global community of users, contributors, and advocates as they enter this new chapter together.

Continue reading on ducklabs.com

#reading-list #database #devops #announcement

🔗 The Dutch community where people live on strips of land in a lake

2026-09-30T08:00:00Z

In the Dutch town of Loosdrecht, residents inhabit homes perched on slim islands within a lake. This distinctive living arrangement originated from peat mining that created narrow strips of land meant for drying peat. Though it remained a quirky geographical feature for years, the 20th century saw developers transform these strips into boat-access-only properties. Now, a community enjoys a unique lifestyle that blurs the lines between land and water, epitomizing innovation in how we think about living spaces.

Curious about this fascinating community? Check out the full article to learn more!

scheendijk

Continue reading on www.core77.com

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🔗 Your executable is a SQLite database

2026-09-29T17:00:00Z

Can a SQLite database replace the traditional ELF executable format? In a thought-provoking exploration, Farid Zakaria delves into the potential of employing SQLite as a genuine executable, dubbed SELF (Structured Executable & Linkable Format). By leveraging SQLite's self-describing features, Zakaria argues that an executable format can not only be more efficient but also easier to work with. He demonstrates that key functionalities of ELF can be reimplemented through a relational structure, allowing tools and queries to operate seamlessly without cumbersome overhead. Zakaria's experiments show that this innovation could streamline program execution while simplifying the complexities typically encountered with ELF files, including dynamic linking and symbol resolution. This article is a detailed journey into a radical idea that blurs the lines between databases and executables, highlighting a forward-thinking approach to software architecture.

Continue reading on fzakaria.com

#reading-list #development #database #sqlite

🔗 Feature flags without a SaaS: How OnRotation gates features

2026-09-29T13:00:00Z

OnRotation is streamlining feature deployment without traditional SaaS solutions. By leveraging Elixir and Phoenix, the team implemented a customized feature flag system using a simple table and a function, rather than integrating a more complex library like FunWithFlags. With a small user base and known testers, the solution simplifies control by allowing specific features to be turned on or off for individuals without requiring a full redeployment of the app. Each flag consists of a unique name, description, and a list of allowed emails, making it both straightforward and manageable. The author emphasizes that this approach fits naturally into the context and architecture of the app, showcasing how a small team can effectively meet their needs without overcomplicating the system.

Continue reading on nickstalter.com

#reading-list #development #best-practice #elixir #phoenix

🔗 Do we still need build tools?

2026-09-29T08:00:00Z

How necessary are build tools for frontend development in 2026? The article raises crucial questions about their relevance, particularly for CSS and JavaScript. It examines the effectiveness of tools like Autoprefixer, esbuild, and Lightning CSS for managing vendor prefixes and syntax lowering. While some CSS features have become standardized, tools still provide value in combining files and minifying code. The discussion extends to JavaScript, where module bundlers like Webpack and esbuild are highlighted for their performance advantages, despite potential downsides in caching. With HTTP/2 and HTTP/3 changing the landscape, the necessity of bundlers is increasingly debatable. Ultimately, the article argues that build tools still play an essential role, although there are viable no-build alternatives for smaller projects or specific cases.

Continue reading on olliewilliams.xyz

#reading-list #javascript #development #frontend #css #tools

🔗 PostgreSQL for everything

2026-09-28T17:00:00Z

Contrary to popular belief, the answer to everything is not 42—it’s PostgreSQL. This article by Dr. Raphael A. Bauer outlines the power and versatility of PostgreSQL, showcasing its use throughout his two-decade career starting in 2003. He highlights its strengths such as being rock-solid, easy to install and scale, and simplifying IT setups by effectively replacing multiple systems. PostgreSQL's features allow it to function not only as a traditional database but also as a full-text search engine, document storage, and much more. Dr. Bauer discusses various plugins like TimescaleDB and pgvector that extend PostgreSQL’s capabilities, making it suitable for high volume web analytics, AI workflows, and even non-persistent caching. By examining these advantages, he advocates for considering PostgreSQL before looking for other technologies to address new requirements or challenges.

Continue reading on www.raphaelbauer.com

#reading-list #database #best-practice #postgresql

🔗 Bun 1.4 Rust rewrite is not looking good

2026-09-28T13:00:00Z

Bun, initially a promising project, has faced turmoil during its transition to a Rust-based architecture. Over the past three months, communication has deteriorated into vague promises about version 1.4, with repeated delays frustrating users. Citing over 5,000 open pull requests and heavy reliance on AI, the article highlights concerns about the coding practices adopted during this rewrite. Jarred's initial capabilities drew admiration, but scrutiny has grown as the codebase has shown signs of instability. The expectation that AI could seamlessly upgrade Bun's architecture may be misplaced, raising important questions about the future of AI in software development. As users await the next stable release, the sentiment is clear: perception can shift quickly, and trust can erode even faster.

Based on interviews, many believe that the decision to abandon Zig may have been more about promoting AI capabilities than meeting user needs. With no release in sight, the once-solid foundation of Bun feels precarious.

Continue reading on tipiirai.com

#reading-list #rust #development #ai

🔗 How AI text watermarking works: a visual guide

2026-09-28T08:00:00Z

A watermark in plain text may seem impossible, as text lacks pixels and metadata. However, Google has implemented text watermarking from Gemini, starting in 2024, with new Claude models marking text invisibly and resiliently as of August 2026. These marks reside in the choices between words, not within the characters themselves.

The process involves small word choices made by a model that rolls weighted dice among acceptable options. Each choice can secretly lean toward certain words using a key, which makes counting colored choices easier for detection. The text can still read normally, but marked sections show an imbalance when re-evaluated with the correct key. Even editing alters the marks, as they depend on unbroken runs of original text.

Detection remains private and needs the provider’s key, contrasting with unreliable AI style detectors. This method can indicate whether a text has been processed without confirming authorship. Overall, it highlights the ongoing battle in maintaining and detecting AI-generated information.

Continue reading on declaude.org

#reading-list #best-practice #ai

🔗 Elixir's GenStage demand (a visual explainer)

2026-09-27T13:00:00Z

GenStage is a powerful Elixir abstraction that manages data processing through a simple yet effective concept: demand. As articulated by Andrea Leopardi, the article delves into how GenStage enables efficient data flow between producers and consumers while tackling a common issue in concurrent systems—the problem of unbounded queues. The discussion begins with a real-world example involving message consumption from a queue, illustrating how demand controls the rate at which producers send data. By employing a simple demand structure, consumers can regulate their intake and prevent overwhelming the system. The examination highlights how demand helps manage resources and explores important parameters like max_demand and min_demand, which dictate the rhythm of event processing. With clear explanations and practical examples, the piece offers vital insights for those looking to harness the full potential of GenStage in their applications.

Continue reading on andrealeopardi.com

#reading-list #development #pattern #elixir

🔗 The Elixir hiring paradox: notes from ElixirConf EU 2026

2026-09-27T08:00:00Z

Three common hiring mistakes plague companies looking for Elixir engineers. Arjun Gillard shared insights from his lightning talk at ElixirConf EU 2026 in Málaga, emphasizing that successful hiring requires a clear definition of success in the first 90 days. He noted that recruiters often fail to recognize that volume of applicants doesn't equal quality, and that evaluating candidates based solely on years of experience in Elixir technologies like Phoenix and LiveView misses the more crucial aspect: an applicant's reasoning skills. With Elixir's talent pool being tight-knit and relatively small in Europe, word travels fast when companies implement poor hiring processes. Gillard's observations highlight the importance of thoughtful, community-driven recruitment strategies that engage with candidates' conceptual understanding rather than their memorized skills in the stack.

Continue reading on agtalent.co.uk

#reading-list #best-practice #elixir #announcement

🔗 Japan tried to build an operating system for the entire world, then the US government intervened

2026-09-26T17:00:00Z

There's an alternate history of computing where Windows wasn't the dominant OS. This article reveals how Japan's TRON project aimed to replace traditional file systems with a hypermedia document model, but U.S. government intervention labeled it a trade barrier in 1989. Designed by Ken Sakamura at the University of Tokyo in 1984, TRON included sub-architectures like BTRON for personal computing and ITRON for embedded systems. Despite the ambitious goal of integrating Japan's digital infrastructure, BTRON was ultimately sidelined. Its design features, like a unique document-centric interface and a character encoding system capable of supporting over a million characters, were years ahead of their time. ITRON, however, succeeded in becoming widely used in embedded systems, marking a significant yet often overlooked chapter in technology history and highlighting the impact of global market dynamics on innovation.

Continue reading on www.xda-developers.com

#reading-list #development

🔗 A struct is just a map with rules

2026-09-26T13:00:00Z

Elixir's structs are more than just advanced maps; they enforce rules that prevent typographical errors. When modeling data, like a user profile, using a map can lead to subtle bugs if a key is misspelled — Elixir won't catch it. Bruce Tate points out that structs enable you to define specific keys within a module, allowing the compiler to enforce structure and prevent mistakes. Each struct contains an extra __struct__ key that links it to the module's definitions, ensuring the correct framework is maintained. By contrasting maps and structs, Tate emphasizes that maps are useful for dynamic and flexible data, while structs are designed for fixed data types. This nuanced distinction helps developers make informed choices when structuring Elixir applications, aligning with best practices seen within Elixir's own modules. Using structs can significantly improve code reliability and clarity.

Continue reading on grox.io

#reading-list #development #best-practice #elixir

🔗 The reality of being a CTO

2026-09-26T08:00:00Z

What does being a CTO really entail? James Stanier reveals that the role is often misunderstood. It ranges from a hands-on founder writing code to a board-level executive. The unique challenges include balancing technology with business outcomes and navigating high-stakes conversations beyond engineering. Stanier emphasizes that a successful CTO must bridge the gap between technical prowess and executive responsibility. He shares insights on managing time between team collaboration and conversations with other functional leaders, which is crucial for operating effectively. The evolving nature of AI introduces additional complexities, as it shifts hiring practices and expectations. Ultimately, being a CTO requires strong financial acumen and the ability to prioritize organizational strategy over just technical excellence.

Continue reading on leaddev.com

#reading-list #development #ai

🔗 Full-text search at Contentful just got faster: Why it’s important and how we did it

2026-09-25T17:00:00Z

Full-text search in Contentful just got faster — we improved the median response time by 35%. This is the story of how we did it and why it's important.

Continue reading on www.contentful.com

#reading-list #database #best-practice #devops

🔗 Re: Linking Patchwork with Sashiko?

2026-09-25T13:00:00Z

On July 14, 2026, Linus Torvalds expressed strong opinions about the role of AI in the Linux kernel development process. He countered the notion of an anti-AI stance within the community, making it clear that AI tools, including LLMs, can enhance the work of maintainers rather than hinder it. Torvalds emphasized that dismissing AI outright fails to recognize its utility and that the kernel community prioritizes technological merit above all. He noted that while AI isn't flawless, its capabilities have reached a level where it is undeniably beneficial to the project. He urged contributors to embrace these tools and focus on how they can assist rather than complicate development workflows. Torvalds remains committed to a technology-driven approach for the kernel, rejecting any viewpoints based purely on ideological objections.

Continue reading on lore.kernel.org

#reading-list #development #ai #linux

🔗 Go 1.27 release notes

2026-09-25T08:00:00Z

Go 1.27 has arrived with significant toolchain, runtime, and library updates. It introduces support for generic methods, allowing methods to declare their own type parameters, promoting better data type encapsulation. The math/rand/v2 module now has a generic method signature. Additionally, the release enhances package tools like response file parsing for smoother builds, while deprecating support for bzr version control. In terms of testing and documentation, go test now performs a standard library version check by default, and go doc introduces new syntax for package documentation. It also brings improvements to memory allocation processes and introduces new profiling options, specifically for identifying leaked goroutines. Notably, the addition of new libraries, including encoding/json/v2 and crypto/mldsa, further enriches the Go ecosystem with modernized functionalities. With Go 1.27, programmers can expect an overall improved experience while maintaining compatibility with previous versions.

Continue reading on go.dev

#reading-list #golang #development #announcement

🔗 How Instacart built a modern search infrastructure on PostgreSQL

2026-09-24T17:00:00Z

In a previous blog post “Improving search at Instacart using hybrid recall”, we shared our progress on adaptively combining traditional full text search with embedding-based retrieval. Embarking on this journey required rethinking our search infrastructure to support hybrid recall while ensuring scalability and reliability. In this blog post, we will dive deeper into the architecture and engineering efforts that made this possible and lessons learned along the way.

Continue reading on tech.instacart.com

#reading-list #database #postgresql #devops

🔗 Building distributed systems in Elixir: Part 5 — Supervisor from scratch

2026-09-24T13:00:00Z

In the latest installment of his series, the article breaks down how to create a supervisor from scratch in Elixir, emphasizing the concepts of process links and exit signals. The author illustrates the implementation of a manual supervisor managing two worker processes, highlighting its ability to restart failed workers without affecting healthy ones. The restart policy is simplified to focus only on abnormal exits, mimicking some of the mechanisms provided by OTP without using its built-in features. Through concrete examples, the piece clarifies how to track child processes and respond appropriately to crashes while maintaining the system's resilience. This hands-on approach aids in understanding distributed systems, making the complexities of supervision more approachable for Elixir developers.

Continue reading on dev.to

#reading-list #development #pattern #elixir