12 articles with this tag
The QR code generator industry charges subscription fees for an open standard that takes three lines of code to implement. Dynamic QR codes are redirect servers that create artificial dependency — can...
A contrarian defense of Make (1976) over modern JavaScript build tools. Make is boring, understood, and still works. Modern tools are complex, break often, and solve problems Make already solved....
Static sites load faster, cost less, and break less than dynamic alternatives. Here's why the simplest web architecture keeps winning against modern complexity....
SQLite runs on more devices than any software in history. After 45 years watching technology disappoint, here's why SQLite is the rare project that delivered on its promises....
A monolith with good tests is better than 50 microservices with distributed debugging nightmares. When to use microservices: when you've proven you need them....
ORMs hide the database until they don't, create performance traps, and solve the wrong problem. SQL is the better abstraction. A contrarian take from 30 years of database work....
Dependencies are liabilities, not assets. From left-pad breaking the internet to Log4j's endemic vulnerability, every package you add expands your attack surface and maintenance burden....
Why modern languages prioritize developer experience over runtime efficiency. The trade-offs we accepted and forgot. Where Rust tries to have it both ways....
The hardest skill in software engineering isn't writing code - it's knowing when to delete it. Stories of systems that improved by subtraction....
Build tool complexity has gotten out of control. A 50-line shell script often does the job better than any framework....
For decades we buried databases under layers of abstraction. Tools like PostgREST and Supabase show that PostgreSQL with Row-Level Security is often the best API you'll ever write....
Build systems have become black boxes that nobody understands. When they break, teams are helpless. Here's the case for simpler builds that engineers actually control....