These sources are about the ordinary work of shipping software. This page lists 30 sources, oldest first where dated.
How To Not Die By A Thousand Cuts. Or, How To Think About Software Quality.
The essay is an opinion piece drawn from about twenty years of the author's work. It treats quality as an organisational trait, not a testing stage. It offers an ASCII diagram, lists of scenarios and a reading list, but no data.
Cursorless is alien magic from the future
The thread discusses an xeiaso.net article about coding by voice with Talon and Cursorless. Most comments are personal stories about repetitive strain injury and what helped. The article's author joins in to answer questions.
Speeding Up My ZSH Shell
The post is a short walkthrough of one person's shell fix. It shows the profiler output, the config lines changed and a before and after table. The evidence is the author's own setup and rough timings.
Curate your shell history
The post responds to Simon Tatham's habit of disabling shell history. Benjamin Esham disagrees but agrees that failed commands are clutter. The only evidence is the author's own habits and a short zsh function.
Modal editing is a weird historical contingency we have through sheer happenstance
The post argues from history and quotes. It cites Bill Joy on Bravo and on why vi spread. It has no data on editor use beyond one download count. Reader comments follow, and some add older editor history.
Show HN: I built a macOS tool for network engineers – it's called NetViews
The thread is a launch post plus replies from the developer. It has a feature list, build notes, and comments on pricing and distribution. The evidence is the developer's own account and user reports. It had 243 points when saved.
Bun Runtime Security Considerations: Speed vs. Safety Trade-offs
The post is a short overview of where Bun's design helps or hurts security. It compares Bun with Node.js and Deno on install scripts, permissions and native code. It has no tests or measurements. It ends with a pitch for the vendor's scanner.
Life is too short for a slow terminal
The post lists zsh habits: no framework, cached completions, lazy loading, async prompt. The evidence is the author's own timing runs. A note at the top says a reader challenged the measuring and some advice.
TIL: You can make HTTP requests without curl using Bash /dev/TCP
The thread starts with the post author's own summary and three lines of Bash. Most of the replies are corrections, caveats and war stories. A long side argument covers minimal and distroless container images. It had 548 points when saved.
Satteri: A Markdown pipeline forged in Rust for the JavaScript world
The thread is very short, with a handful of comments. It explains what the library is for and notes its use in Astro 7. The maintainer joins to take questions. It had 45 points when saved.
The git history command deserves more attention
The post is a personal walk-through of three subcommands, with before and after commit diagrams. The author says repeated tries at the jj tool did not stick. The evidence is the author's own use, not tests.
A Practical Guide to SSH Tunnels: Local and Remote Port Forwarding
The tutorial is written by the creator of the site that hosts it. It walks through each tunnel type with commands and output on a four-host network. It ends with mnemonics for the flags.
EasyEffects can improve laptop speaker sound quality
The thread is mostly user reports and a debate over whether speaker sound is subjective. Framework laptop owners share presets and say the change is large. Others raise latency, setup difficulty and microphone-based tuning. It had 222 points when saved.
.gitignore everything by default
Only the opening of the post is public. It names the problem of committing junk files and poses the inverted approach. The method itself sits behind the paywall.
Small programming tricks
The thread drifts well beyond the post. Topics include hand coding, branch-free code, shell history tools and daily tips at work. Commenters add many of their own tricks. It had 681 points when saved.
atuinsh/atuin: magical shell history
The README is a project pitch plus quickstart. It lists features, supported shells and community channels. It claims history sync is fully encrypted, with no independent check shown.
ast-grep | structural search/rewrite tool for many languages
The page is a short project landing page. It lists what the tool does and gives one example command. It makes claims about speed and language support without showing measurements.
I hate packaging my software for Linux
The post is a first-person complaint on the blog of the Fresh terminal editor. It lists each Linux packaging channel the author tried and what went wrong. It offers anecdotes from the project and no measurements beyond download size.
h3nock/remux: A native iOS client for remote tmux workspaces
The README is a short feature list and build guide. It says the app connects by direct SSH with no relay or account. It cites no tests of those claims.
A receipt printer cured my procrastination
The author says video games hold attention through a fast loop with strong feedback. The post turns that idea into a task system, then a printer. Evidence is the author's own experience. The post ends by pointing to the author's app, Colonnes.
Sample Videos
The README is a table of preview animations and links to MP4 clips. File names suggest detection and recognition tasks, such as people, cars, bolts and faces. The README has no prose, so it states no purpose or licence.
jdx/mise: dev tools, env vars, task runner
The README is a project overview and quickstart. It shows a sample mise.toml and a table of everyday commands. It also describes a machine setup feature called bootstrap.
Markwhen
This is a short landing page. It defines the format in one line and shows sample parsed JSON. It also lists companion tools and repositories. It makes no comparisons and offers no data.
medialab/xan: The CSV magician
The README is long and tutorial-like. It tours the commands on a corpus of 478 French media sites. It lists command groups, formats and install routes.
zmx: session attach/detach for the terminal
The README is a very short feature list, with links to docs and two demos. It states what the tool does not do. No evidence is given.
Nix & NixOS | Reproducible builds and deployments
The page is a short project landing page. It states what Nix and NixOS are and lists three headline properties. It links to downloads, documentation and community pages. It offers claims, not tests.
Youtube-to-Webpage
This is a very short README. It gives one command, two dependencies and the layout of the output folder. It offers no tests or measurements.
Welcome to Infat
The README is a usage guide with commands, a sample TOML config and install steps. A notice at the top says the project now lives on Tangled. The GitHub copy is a mirror.
WaveDigger
The README describes a Next.js and deck.gl app that maps Wi-Fi BSSIDs and cell towers. It says the lookups use Apple's location API, based on others' reverse engineering. It lists features, setup steps and a roadmap.
kage
The README is a long manual with commands, flags and a short design overview. It claims a page can be kept as plain files that run no code. It shows no benchmarks, though it names one caveat about search.
Glossary
- .DS_Store
- A hidden file macOS creates in folders.
- .gitignore
- A file listing paths that git should not track.
- /dev/tcp
- A special path that Bash treats as a network connection, not a real file.
- 802.1X
- A standard for logging devices in to a wired or wireless network.
- AGPL
- A licence requiring source release when modified code runs as a network service.
- AppImage
- A single-file Linux app format that runs without installation.
- ARP
- A protocol that maps a network address to a hardware address locally.
- AST
- Abstract syntax tree: a structured view of code as nested parts rather than plain text.
- Astro
- A web framework for building content sites.
- Async prompt
- A prompt that draws at once and fills in slow details later.
- Atuin
- A tool that stores shell history in a searchable database.
- AUR
- The Arch User Repository, where users share package build recipes for Arch Linux.
- Bastion host
- A public-facing server used as a stepping stone into a private network.
- Bisphenols
- Chemicals found in some receipt paper that may harm health.
- Branchless code
- Code written to avoid if-statements, mainly to help processor speed.
- BSSID
- The unique hardware address of a Wi-Fi access point.
- Chorded shortcut
- A command made by holding several keys together, such as ctrl-x.
- CI
- Continuous integration: automated builds and tests run on a server.
- Closed captions
- Text of the speech in a video, shown on screen as subtitles.
- Codemod
- A program that makes the same edit across many source files.
- Compinit
- The zsh command that sets up tab completion.
- Corner-cut
- A shortcut that saves time now and costs more later.
- CSV
- A plain-text table format with values separated by commas.
- Cursorless
- A VS Code extension for editing code by speaking, using colored marks on words.
- CVE
- A public identifier for a known security flaw.
- Deck.gl
- A web library for drawing large datasets on maps.
- Declarative
- Describing the end state you want, not the steps to reach it.
- Detection
- Finding and labelling objects in an image or video.
- Distroless image
- A container image with almost no operating system files besides the application.
- Dolby Atmos
- A sound brand whose laptop drivers include built-in tuning.
- DOM
- The structured form of a web page that a browser builds after loading it.
- Dotfiles
- Hidden config files in a home folder, such as .zshrc.
- EasyEffects
- A Linux app that applies equalizers and other effects to system sound.
- End-to-end encrypted
- Encrypted so that only the user's own machines can read the data.
- Equalizer
- A control that boosts or cuts parts of the sound spectrum.
- Exit code
- A number a command returns to say whether it succeeded.
- Ffmpeg
- A free command line program for converting and cutting video and audio.
- Flatpak
- A Linux system for sandboxed desktop apps.
- Flow
- A state of full focus in which time seems to pass unnoticed.
- FUSE
- A Linux feature that lets programs provide their own filesystems.
- Fzf
- A command-line tool for fuzzy searching through lists.
- Game loop
- The short repeating cycle of action and result at the heart of a game.
- Gantt chart
- A bar chart that shows tasks laid out along a timeline.
- GatewayPorts
- An sshd setting that lets forwarded ports listen on public addresses.
- Ghostty
- A terminal emulator whose core this app reuses.
- Headless Chrome
- The Chrome browser run without a visible window, so a program can control it.
- Health check
- A small request that tests whether a service is running.
- HISTFILE
- A shell variable naming the file where command history is saved.
- Homebrew
- A package manager for installing software on macOS.
- Hunk
- One contiguous block of changed lines in a diff.
- ICMP
- The protocol behind ping, used to test whether a device is reachable.
- Inference
- Running a trained model on new input to get predictions.
- JavaScriptCore
- The JavaScript engine from WebKit, used in Safari.
- Jj
- An alternative version control tool that works with git repositories.
- Kiwix
- A project that carries Wikipedia and other sites offline.
- Language server
- A background program that gives editors features like errors and navigation.
- Launch Services
- The macOS system that decides which app opens which file.
- Lazy loading
- Delaying setup of a tool until it is first used.
- Lexicometry
- Counting and measuring words in text corpora.
- Lifecycle script
- A command a package runs automatically during install.
- Lockfile
- A file recording exact versions so installs repeat the same way.
- Loopback
- A network address that a machine uses to talk to itself.
- Markdown
- A plain-text format for writing headings, links and lists that converts to HTML.
- MDNS
- A way for devices on a local network to announce names without a central server.
- Merge commit
- A commit that joins two lines of history.
- Mise.toml
- The config file where mise records a project's tools, variables and tasks.
- Modal editing
- Editing where the same key does different things depending on the current mode.
- MP4
- A common video file format.
- Musl
- A small C library that makes static Linux binaries easy to build.
- Netcat
- A command-line tool for sending raw data over network connections.
- Nixpkgs
- The large collection of package recipes used by Nix.
- Node_modules
- The folder where JavaScript projects keep downloaded libraries.
- Oh-My-Zsh
- A popular framework for managing zsh plugins and themes.
- OODA
- Observe, orient, decide, act, a loop for responding to change.
- Package manager
- A tool that installs, upgrades and removes software.
- Parquet
- A column-oriented file format for large data tables.
- Parser
- A program that reads text in a format and turns it into structured data.
- PipeWire
- The sound system on modern Linux desktops.
- POSIX
- A standard that Unix-like systems follow so programs run across them.
- Psychosomatic
- Physical symptoms that a person's mind helps cause.
- QA
- Quality assurance, the work of making sure a product meets its goals.
- Rebase
- Rewriting a series of commits so they sit on a different base.
- Reproducible build
- A build that gives the same result on any machine.
- Robots.txt
- A file where a site tells crawlers which pages to avoid.
- RSI
- Repetitive strain injury, pain caused by repeated movements such as typing.
- SBOM
- A software bill of materials, a list of a product's components.
- Scrollback
- The record of earlier terminal output that you can scroll back through.
- Seccomp
- A Linux feature that limits which system calls a process may make.
- Secure Enclave
- A protected chip area on Apple devices that holds keys that cannot be exported.
- Session attach/detach
- Leaving a running terminal session and returning to it later.
- Shell
- The program that reads typed commands in a terminal.
- Shell history
- The list of commands a terminal shell remembers from past use.
- SIMD
- Hardware that applies one instruction to many values at once.
- SLA
- A service level agreement, a promise about uptime or performance.
- SOCKS proxy
- A relay that lets each connection name its own destination.
- Spaceship
- A customizable prompt theme for zsh.
- SQLite
- A small database stored in a single file on disk.
- SSH
- A protocol for securely logging in to a remote machine.
- Sshd
- The server program that accepts SSH connections.
- Static linking
- Building a program with its libraries included so it needs none installed.
- Talon
- Voice control software that lets people operate a computer and write code by speaking.
- Tangled
- A code hosting site that is an alternative to GitHub.
- Technical debt
- The future cost of shortcuts taken in building software.
- Thermal receipt printer
- A printer that prints on heat-sensitive paper and needs no ink.
- Timezone
- A region that shares one standard clock time.
- Tmux
- A terminal program that keeps sessions, windows and panes running on a server.
- TOML
- A plain text format for configuration files.
- Tree-sitter
- A library that parses source code into syntax trees for many languages.
- Undici
- The HTTP client library inside Node.
- Unimodal
- Having only one mode, so keys always act the same way.
- URL scheme
- The start of a link, such as mailto, that decides which app opens it.
- VST
- A plugin format for audio effects.
- VTT
- A plain text file format for video captions with timestamps.
- WASM
- WebAssembly, a format that lets compiled code run in browsers.
- WLOC
- Apple's undocumented service that returns locations for wireless identifiers.
- Yt-dlp
- A command line program that downloads videos from YouTube and similar sites.
- Zig
- A systems programming language used to build this tool.
- ZIM
- An open file format that packs a whole website into one compressed read-only file.
- Zoxide
- A tool that remembers visited folders and jumps to them by partial name.
- Zprof
- A zsh module that profiles which parts of startup are slow.
- Zsh
- A popular command-line shell, the default on recent macOS.