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
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.
A developer introduces 'cozy', a long-term project to build a new C compiler toolchain with a focus on simplicity, portability, and a human-friendly machine specification format.
A developer explains why C remains their favorite language, highlighting its simplicity, stability, and close mapping to hardware.
Explains Python 3's string and bytes handling, debunking myths about it being worse than Python 2.
An open source maintainer argues that users should fix bugs and add features themselves, not just request them, and provides guidance on how to start contributing.
Sway 0.11 released with security policies for Wayland and a new bounty program to fund feature development.
A beginner-friendly introduction to computer networking concepts, focusing on the OSI model and essential hardware.
A critical essay arguing against using Electron for desktop apps, citing bloat, poor performance, and misuse for simple tools.
A developer details their journey to replace Google services with self-hosted alternatives for email, YouTube, and music, focusing on privacy and customization.
A developer argues for choosing programming languages and tools based on project needs over personal comfort, using examples from personal projects.
Explores the motivations behind proprietary vs. open source software, arguing that understanding developer intent is key to choosing software that serves user interests.
![[VIDEO] Arch Linux with full disk encryption in (about) 15 minutes](https://alldevblogs.blob.core.windows.net/thumbs/article-125ef4772ca1-full-cdbe8fde.webp)
A video tutorial detailing the step-by-step process for installing Arch Linux with full disk encryption for enhanced privacy.
Sway, an i3-compatible Wayland compositor, celebrates its first year with major updates, new features, and community contributions.
Explains how to use the linker's --wrap flag to mock C standard library functions for unit testing, enabling isolated code testing.
