Drew DeVault’s blog features sharp commentary on open source, software engineering, programming languages, ethics in tech, and the social impact of technology.
374 articles from this blog
Explores federation as a scalable, decentralized alternative to centralized and P2P systems for internet communication and governance.
A developer's monthly update on progress with SourceHut's GraphQL APIs, OAuth 2.0, and other free software projects.
Explores the deeply distributed nature of Linux kernel development, using the MAINTAINERS file and DRM subsystem as examples.
Critique of Microsoft's 'Embrace, Extend, Extinguish' strategy regarding GitHub, git, and open source, promoting alternative platforms like sourcehut.
An article exploring the concept of 'yak shaving' in software engineering, encouraging engineers to tackle complex, nested problems methodically.
A developer's monthly update covering BARE encoding progress, SourceHut infrastructure improvements, and a snippet of low-level I/O code.
A critique arguing that web browsers have become bloated with unnecessary features and APIs, calling for a focus on performance and stability instead.
Advice for aspiring open-source contributors: focus on solving your own problems and building skills, not just contributing to popular projects.
A critical analysis of pkg.go.dev's engineering flaws, its centralized design, and Google's approach to open source and privacy in the Go ecosystem.
Debunks common misconceptions about the AGPL license, explaining its actual requirements and criticizing Google's portrayal of it.
Monthly FOSS development update covering SourceHut CI features, BARE message format, and technical blog posts.
A technical exploration of date/time complexities, timezone changes, and edge cases in software scheduling, framed as a historical scenario.
The article critiques modern OS design, arguing that Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS now prioritize vendor interests over user needs, coining the term 'vendor-purpose OS'.
Introducing BARE, a new binary encoding format designed to create compact, efficient stateless tokens for APIs and web services.
A developer's monthly update covering progress on aerc email client, Wayland/wlroots improvements, and SourceHut GraphQL API work.
Exploring client-side certificates as a simpler, more secure alternative to OAuth for API authentication.
Explains the purpose and best practices for using a 'contrib' directory in open-source projects to manage community contributions.
Monthly update on Wayland, wlroots, Sway, aerc email client, Alps webmail, and SourceHut developments including CI and GraphQL API.
A software engineer argues that tech workers are morally complicit in their employers' harmful actions and have an obligation to leave unethical companies.
Explores strategies and technologies for reliable, permanent data storage, comparing cold vs. hot storage and analyzing mediums like hard drives and RAID.
