Drew DeVault’s blog features sharp commentary on open source, software engineering, programming languages, ethics in tech, and the social impact of technology.
354 articles from this blog
Argues for using your Linux distro's native package manager over language-specific tools like pip/npm for better system integration and deployment.
A critique of the Unix fork() system call, arguing it's a flawed design that leads to issues like the OOM killer and file descriptor management problems.
Announcement of the wlroots whitepaper release, with blog excerpts on topics like blocking LLMs, Hare language meetups, and Wayland OS development.
A critique of Mozilla's recent decisions to include ads and sponsored content in Firefox, arguing it violates user trust and the browser's core purpose.
A guide to extending smartphone lifespan through DIY repairs, custom ROMs, and choosing user-serviceable hardware.
Explains software portability, emphasizing the importance of standards like POSIX for running code across many systems and fostering innovation.
Sway developer explains why future versions will drop Nvidia proprietary driver support, criticizing Nvidia's lack of open standards support.
Announces sway 0.15-rc1 and the upcoming 1.0 release, detailing the migration to the new wlroots library for the Wayland compositor.
An analysis of Hacker News moderation tools and practices, based on data scraped from the site's API.
A developer critiques modern software complexity, arguing that overengineered tools like Docker and Gulp create more problems than they solve.
Explains why complex regexes are often wrong and unmaintainable, advocating for simpler, more robust validation methods.
August 2017 update on Sway, an i3-compatible Wayland compositor, covering new features like tray icons, bug fixes, and project stats.
A technical article discussing the problem of link rot on the internet and advocating for personal archiving strategies using tools like wget and cron jobs.
A practical introduction to the Wayland protocol, explaining its core concepts, resource management, and how to write a basic Wayland client.
Explores a C programming pattern using incomplete struct types to achieve generic-like behavior, improving type safety over void pointers.
Introducing pass-rotate, a tool for bulk password rotation after security breaches, automating password changes across multiple websites.
A developer shares their journey and principles for building a custom, self-hosting Linux distribution from scratch, detailing the bootstrapping process.
An update on Sway, an i3-compatible Wayland compositor, covering recent releases, new features, development stats, and future plans.
Analysis of CVE-2016-10229, a serious Linux kernel vulnerability in MSG_PEEK, urging immediate updates for affected systems.
A guide to disciplined C programming, emphasizing maintainability, simplicity, and avoiding dangerous patterns for writing robust code.
