One File Linux: ~20MB live Linux distro, no installation needed. Copy one file to EFI partition to boot on any UEFI computer. Advantages include no USB required, direct UEFI boot, no boot manager, and compatibility with disk encryption. Useful for Linux on bare metal without USB. Run on Mac by copying to EFI and setting boot option; on PC, use efibootmgr to add NVRAM boot option. Can also run from formatted USB. Build your own version based on Alpine Linux.
1x Engineer: A modest engineer who seeks help online, shares knowledge, maintains work-life balance, collaborates with others, embraces mistakes, values constructive feedback, and supports teammates while being open to admitting limits. They contribute to the community, respect diverse work environments, and remain humble, often accepting corrections gracefully.
AI simplifies programming; expertise still essential. “Vibe coding” emerges as humans communicate with AI instead of traditional coding. While AI assists, it cannot replace programmers; it transforms the profession.
Tech perks dwindled; layoffs increased. Shift from zero interest rates encouraged reckless hiring to prioritizing profitability. COVID gave a short-term boost but wasn’t the main cause. Engineers' personal interests now conflict with company goals, risking job security. The reality: delivering value means retaining jobs; unrealistic perks were an illusion. A realistic approach to engineering simplifies the role but involves navigating tough market conditions.
TLDR: Steve Losh's blog post emphasizes the importance of teaching in writing technical documentation for programming languages and libraries instead of merely stating facts. Good documentation should transform novices into experts by guiding users through a structured learning process. It should include clear, organized sections like First Contact, The Black Triangle, The Hairball, and Reference, avoiding ineffective methods like directing users to source code, tests, or wikis. The focus is on making documentation accessible and engaging for users.
Ethan McCue outlines effective PostgreSQL practices for improved database management. Key recommendations include:
created_at and updated_at for useful record tracking.on update restrict, on delete restrict to foreign keys to prevent unintentional data loss.system_id for critical rows.These strategies collectively enhance PostgreSQL usability and data integrity.
https://mccue.dev/pages/3-11-25-life-altering-postgresql-patterns
Linux networking supports multiple routing tables and advanced features like policy-based routing (PBR), VRFs, and network namespaces. This summary covers basics of routing tables, explaining their structure, routing lookups, source address selection, and special route types. Linux systems come with default tables: local, main, and default, which are checked in sequence for routing decisions. Users interact with routing tables via the ip command. The article also discusses handling ICMP errors and interface link states. Further articles will expand on advanced routing techniques.
Postgres can scale, despite controversy. Challenges include hardware needs and write capacity issues often due to lock contention or idle transactions. A community effort successfully implemented sharding to balance and increase write workloads across multiple databases, aligning with the engineering principle of solving problems fundamentally. The process involved complex steps like synchronizing data and rewriting codes. Ultimately, they created a scalable setup with 36 databases and a tool, PgDog, to automate future scaling. The project aims to demonstrate that Postgres can effectively scale as needed.
Horizon Worlds, Meta's metaverse project, is struggling due to leadership's misunderstanding of the platform, reliance on 2D app developers, and ineffective monetization strategies. Former Meta developers highlight issues like mandatory “dogfooding” leading to automation, lack of VR experience within the team, and an inability to innovate, resulting in a poor user experience. With only about 300,000 users, compared to Second Life's 500,000, Horizon Worlds is at risk of being labeled a failure. A possible solution to revitalize it involves transitioning to an open-source model, allowing developers to innovate freely and regain user interest.
https://nwn.blogs.com/nwn/2025/03/horizon-worlds-meta-why-failed.html
Web Components Overview:
Scott Jehl's course “Web Components Demystified” clarifies concepts around custom elements in web development. Web components consist of custom elements, HTML templates, and shadow DOM. Custom elements are user-defined HTML tags with specific functionalities, while templates facilitate reusable markup hidden from direct rendering. Shadow DOM encapsulates an element's internal structure, isolating it from external styles and scripts.
Key Concepts:
1. Custom Elements: User-defined tags behaving per specifications (e.g.,
2. HTML Templates: Hidden markup for reuse (e.g., ).
3. Shadow DOM: Isolated DOM for styles and scripts (e.g., encapsulated styles).
Development Details:
– Activity in custom elements includes lifecycle management (constructed, connected, and more), utilizing JavaScript for behavior customization.
– Shadow DOM encapsulation requires understanding and techniques to cross-interact with external elements.
– Care should be taken when building web components for forms to ensure accessibility and functionality.
Styling and Attributes: Styling web components can be achieved using regular CSS, while maintaining proper encapsulation and avoiding standard attribute conflicts. Various examples illustrate the practical implementation end-to-end across components.
Overall, the course equips developers with an understanding of creating and managing web components within modern web applications, highlighting both the simplicity and complexity of component architecture.
Systemd Timers for Backups: Systemd offers a robust alternative to cron for scheduling tasks, solving issues like missed runs if the system is down. To create a backup timer, define .timer and .service files in /etc/systemd/system, specifying timer frequency with OnCalendar and whether the timer is persistent. Install and enable the timer with systemctl enable backup.timer. The service file includes the backup command and allows for executing pre/post commands for notifications on the backup status. Use systemctl commands to manage and check the status of timers and services.
XPipe Overview
XPipe is a centralized connection hub for managing remote server infrastructures. It offers SSH support, container and hypervisor integrations, and a remote file browser, enabling users to control multiple systems from their desktop. Key features include flexible terminal integration, a powerful scripting system, customizable shell environments, and a focus on security and privacy through local storage and password manager integration. XPipe supports collaboration through git synchronization and is compatible with various operating systems. Users can also run it in a web-based environment via Docker.
Using Cursor for coding is transformative yet often flawed. To enhance its utility, create a .cursorrules file for efficient coding, keeping it minimal and adaptable. Provide code context for better output, and avoid blindly accepting suggestions. Regularly review your code, manually refactor key parts, and ensure AI understands your requirements before it generates code. While it's effective for quick coding, caution is needed, especially for bug fixes. Overall, experiment with AI as a coding tool, but be mindful of skill atrophy. Your coding experience will vary based on projects and tech stacks.
Anthropic's Claude 3.7 is emerging as the leading coding agent in enterprise AI, focusing on coding capabilities over consumer competition. Its recent release achieved record coding benchmarks, surpassing major competitors like OpenAI. Claude Code and Cursor, an AI-powered code editor, enhance developer productivity and have gained significant traction. Anthropic's strategy prioritizes enterprise needs and features, aiming for a projected $34.5 billion revenue by 2027, largely driven by API business. The success of Claude reflects a shift in software development, enabling both technical and non-technical users to build applications efficiently, while emphasizing security and innovation.
Diátaxis is a systematic approach to technical documentation, focusing on user needs through four documentation types: tutorials, how-to guides, technical references, and explanations. It aids both users and creators by addressing content, style, and organization, and is proven effective in various projects.
