DanLuu.com is the personal blog of Dan Luu, known for long-form essays that mix systems thinking with careful measurement and clear writing. The topics range from computer latency and input lag, testing versus informal reasoning, and concurrency bugs, to industry pieces on developer compensation and curated lists of programming blogs worth reading. Many posts include data, historical context, and reproducible reasoning, which is why the site is often cited in courses and shared across the developer community. The design is intentionally minimal, which puts all attention on the ideas.
128 articles from this blog
An experiment testing if players with feminine usernames receive different in-game chat comments than those with masculine names in Overwatch.
Analysis of the 'fsyncgate' email thread discussing PostgreSQL's unsafe handling of fsync errors that can lead to data corruption.
A technical analysis measuring computer latency from 1977-2017, finding that some modern machines are slower than 40-year-old computers.
Analyzes decision-making quality in sports and board games, where clear data reveals the high cost of poor choices.
Analyzes Android device fragmentation using market share data to show how outdated devices accumulate over time.
The article critiques poor UI changes in apps like Zulip and Facebook, comparing them to confusing physical designs like doors.
Analyzing filesystem error handling by reproducing past studies on modern systems like ext4 and btrfs.
An investigation into keyboard latency claims, comparing modern gaming keyboards to older computers using high-speed measurements.
An introduction to CPU branch prediction, explaining its purpose and classic algorithms to understand modern research.
An explanation of Sattolo's algorithm for generating a random permutation with a single cycle, aimed at those without a strong math background.
The article explores the impact of input latency on user experience in tablets, VR, and computers, debunking the myth of instant response.
Debunks widely cited studies claiming the mouse is always faster than the keyboard, arguing for a task-specific approach to input efficiency.
Analyzes the true value of startup stock options versus cash compensation, questioning if the risk-reward for employees is justified.
The article explores how modern web bloat, like heavy CSS and JavaScript, makes websites unusable for people with slow, dialup-like internet connections.
A critical analysis of Hacker News comments, highlighting their flaws but arguing it's still the best source for niche technical insights.
A critical guide to programming books, offering specific recommendations and anti-recommendations for topics like algorithms and data structures.
Analyzes Joel Spolsky's 'lemons' hiring theory, questioning why great developers are supposedly rare on the job market if they are easy to identify.
Debunks the myth that complex software like Google Search is easy to build, explaining why it requires vast engineering resources.
Analyzes if software developer compensation is becoming bimodal, like in law, using salary data and trends.
A personal story about an unconventional path into programming, challenging the myth of the 'natural born' programmer.
