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Reverse engineering tactics 🧑‍💻️, Google prediction markets 🔮, how to ship in Big Tech ⚡️

TLDR Web Dev <dan@tldrnewsletter.com>

November 12, 12:08 pm

TLDR WebDev
You can reverse engineer game data by extracting and decrypting files and scripts to find exploits. You can also analyze network traffic ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ 

TLDR

 TLDR Web Dev 2024-11-12

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Articles & Tutorials

All the data can be yours (5 minute read)

This post goes over various methods for discovering and utilizing undocumented APIs to reverse-engineer web apps. These techniques range from searching GitHub for public code and analyzing fetch requests and robots.txt files to leveraging Google's cached errors and guessing API endpoints based on patterns.
Optimizing a WebGPU Matmul Kernel for 1TFLOP+ Performance (15 minute read)

This article discusses the optimization of a WebGPU matrix multiplication kernel that achieved over 1 TFLOPS performance. It explores each stage of the kernel optimization, starting with a naive implementation and progressing through increasing thread count, 2D workgroups, kernel tiling, and loop unrolling. Through these optimizations, the kernel achieved a performance improvement approaching the theoretical peak of the Apple M2 Pro chip.
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Opinions & Advice

How to ship projects at tech companies (11 minute read)

Shipping projects in big tech companies requires a unique skillset that goes beyond just writing code. The most important aspect of shipping is gaining the trust and approval of company leadership, which means understanding their expectations, communicating well, and proactively addressing potential problems.
Security Is A Useless Controls Problem (9 minute read)

Many security controls are useless because they lack clear, understandable explanations. These controls often arise from compliance requirements or security "best practices" that don't consider their actual value.
Are AI Assistants Making Us Worse Programmers? (11 minute read)

While AI can help with repetitive tasks and code generation, over-reliance can lead to a deterioration of fundamental skills. AI assistants are most beneficial for handling implementation details and tedious aspects of coding so that devs can focus on problem-solving, design, and strategic thinking.
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Launches & Tools

stdilb (GitHub Repo)

stdlib is a standard library for JavaScript and Node.js that focuses on numerical and scientific computation with a fully decomposable architecture.
Skeleton (Website)

Skeleton is an adaptive design system for Tailwind that provides opinionated solutions for themes, colors, typography, and more. It offers both Tailwind-based and framework-specific components.
WebLLM Chat (GitHub Repo)

WebLLM Chat is an open-source, private AI chat interface that runs large language models natively in browsers using WebGPU, ensuring privacy and offline accessibility.
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Miscellaneous

Inside the $20 million business of gutting failed Bay Area tech companies (10 minute read)

Better Source is a $20 million business that specializes in liquidating office furniture from failed Bay Area tech companies. The company has witnessed the rise and fall of numerous tech giants. Its business has boomed in recent years because of the shift to remote work and the changing demands for office spaces.
The Death and Life of Prediction Markets at Google (23 minute read)

Google has experimented with two internal prediction markets, Prophit and Gleangen. Prophit, launched in 2005, was initially popular but ultimately failed to launch publicly due to legal challenges and a shifting regulatory landscape. Gleangen, launched in 2020, has been much more successful internally, with a larger user base and more consistent use, but faces ongoing challenges in proving its value to Google management.
Reverse Engineering: Finding Exploits in Video Games (7 minute read)

You can reverse engineer game data by extracting and decrypting files and scripts to find exploits in video games. You can also analyze network traffic using tools like AssetsTools.NET, Fiddler, and Wireshark. By analyzing the game's authentication flow, packet structures, and opcodes, you can identify vulnerabilities and test for potential exploits.

Quick Links

A new chapter, and thoughts on a pivotal year for C++ (8 minute read)

Herb Sutter, a prominent C++ expert, is leaving his position at Microsoft Visual C++ compiler team to join Citadel Securities, where he will be working on C++ training initiatives and advising on technical strategy.
No more redundant engineering debates: Creating alignment and clarity with ADRs (5 minute read)

Architectural Decision Records (ADRs) are a structured way to document key decisions, align teams, and prevent repetitive debates.
Misguided Apple Intelligence Ads (2 minute read)

Apple's new ads for Apple Intelligence portray the features as tools for laziness, rather than highlighting their potential to help people be more productive and thoughtful, missing an opportunity to showcase the service's positive aspects.
Why do developers love clean code but hate writing documentation? (10 minute read)

Despite loving clean code, developers hate writing documentation - AI-powered tools can automate documentation creation, which is a win-win.

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Thanks for reading,
Priyam Mohanty, Jenny Xu & Ceora Ford


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