The web's clipboard, and how it stores data of different types (20 minute read)
The Clipboard API restricts the data types that can be written to the clipboard. While the Clipboard Events API allows for arbitrary data types, it can only be used in user-triggered events. This article goes into the creative solutions employed by web applications like Google Docs and Figma to overcome these limitations, such as by using custom data types and base64 encoding for transmitting information.
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Implementing React From Scratch (26 minute read)
This article details the process of building a React-like library from scratch, providing insights into its internal workings and design decisions. It starts by implementing a core rendering model, including components, virtual DOM, and reconciliation, showing how React constructs and updates the UI. It then goes into the implementation of essential hooks like `useState`, `useRef`, `useEffect`, and `useMemo`. Finally, the article discusses the implementation of `useCallback` and `useContext`, showing off the challenges and solutions involved in managing state and context sharing within a component tree.
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Founder Mode (7 minute read)
Traditional management techniques for scaling startups are fundamentally flawed and detrimental to founder-led success. This post highlights Brian Chesky's experience at Airbnb, where following conventional wisdom led to disastrous results, prompting him to develop a new approach. This new approach, "founder mode," is characterized by closer engagement with the company, even at the detail level, and a willingness to break conventional norms.
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Willingness to look stupid (29 minute read)
Often, people think they are stupid for asking certain questions. They shouldn't mind this, because they should prioritize learning and understanding over appearances. This willingness to ask seemingly "stupid" questions leads to deeper comprehension in the long run.
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Should You Become an Engineering Manager? (4 minute read)
The choice between becoming a manager or staying as an individual contributor depends on your career goals and strengths. Managers focus on people management and team impact but have less control over their career growth, while ICs have more autonomy and career mobility.
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blocks.md (Website)
blocks.md is a tool that takes your Markdown files and turns them into forms and web pages that are customizable, accessible, and fully localizable.
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QRSVG (Website)
QRSVG is a small JavaScript project that renders two-dimensional bitmasks (mostly assumed to be QR codes) into SVG elements with a collection of SVG paths with defined purposes.
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Algora TV (GitHub Repo)
Algora TV is an interactive livestreaming and video sharing service for developers. It's like an open-source Twitch.
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Going fast slowly (5 minute read)
Despite the Varnish cache project having over 150,000 lines of code, the average productivity of the two main developers of the project over ten years is estimated at only 5 lines per hour. This low productivity is a result of prioritizing quality and correctness over speed, as shown by extensive testing, meticulous code style, and a focus on avoiding errors. The lack of user complaints about Varnish suggests that this approach has successfully achieved its goal of producing high-quality software.
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Extreme Pi Boot Optimization (11 minute read)
This article goes over a developer's journey in optimizing the boot time of a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W for a solar-powered WiFi camera. The goal was to minimize energy consumption by reducing both the boot time and the power draw during boot. Various hardware and software techniques were explored, including disabling unnecessary components, adjusting kernel settings, and creating a custom Buildroot system with a stripped-down kernel. By implementing these optimizations, the boot time was reduced from over 12 seconds to less than 3.5 seconds, resulting in a fivefold reduction in energy consumption.
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The Contingency Contingent: My fake job in Y2K preparedness (36 minute read)
In 1998, the author of this essay worked on a Y2K (the Year 2000 bug) preparedness project for a global advertising conglomerate. The project involved documenting the company's technological inventory and making sure it was ready for Y2K. Eventually, they realized the project was largely a sham designed to protect the company from potential legal liabilities.
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StatiCrypt (GitHub Repo)
StatiCrypt allows you to encrypt and password protect the content of public static HTML files, to be decrypted in-browser without any back-end, and serve it over static hosting like Netlify, GitHub pages, etc.
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Thanks for reading,
Priyam Mohanty, Jenny Xu & Ceora Ford
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