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
Developer's monthly update on Hare language projects, including a GameBoy emulator, TLS implementation, and progress on the Helios OS.
A developer envisions a perfect digital note-taking app with infinite grids, multi-format objects, and seamless input/export, hoping to inspire its creation.
Discusses the importance of conciseness and direct communication in software development and open-source communities.
A personal reflection on the successes and failures of open hardware projects, examining challenges like non-free components and supply issues.
A developer explains the advantages of using email workflows for code review and patch management, comparing it to platforms like GitHub.
A developer's July 2022 update on FOSS projects, including new Hare libraries for templating and graphics, and progress on the Helios kernel.
A critical analysis of the Fediverse (Mastodon, Pleroma) highlighting its benefits as a decentralized social network but also its toxic, Twitter-like dynamics.
A developer details the process of porting the classic game Doom to the Helios micro-kernel as a test of its design and capabilities.
An analysis of GitHub Copilot's ethical and legal implications regarding open source licensing, arguing it facilitates the laundering of free software into proprietary code.
Introducing Himitsu, a new Unix key/value store and protocol for managing secrets like passwords and SSH keys, with a focus on extensibility and user consent.
A developer's monthly update on experimental projects, focusing on the Helios kernel, Himitsu security tool, and the Hare programming language.
A developer introduces Helios, a new capability-based microkernel written in Hare, detailing its design, current features, and future plans for a complete OS.
Google's Go Module Mirror crawlers are causing excessive load on SourceHut's git servers by repeatedly cloning repositories, acting like a DDoS.
The author announces the public release of the Hare programming language and details several new projects built with it, including a micro-kernel and a secret storage system.
Explains how to generate ioctl numbers for the Hare programming language using code generation, as Hare lacks C-style macros.
Article critiques modern package managers (npm, Cargo, PyPI) for supply-chain attacks and advocates for distribution-based package management.
A technical deep dive into implementing SSH primitives and decoding OpenSSH private keys in the Hare programming language.
Announcement of the Hare programming language, a new systems programming language, with community updates and related tech blog posts.
Developer updates on free software projects, including a new secret storage system called Himitsu and progress on a custom programming language.
A humorous April Fool's project for printing git commits on paper and mailing them, with a look at the prototype code.
