Programming Leftovers
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The Register UK ☛ The 'nothing-happened' Y2K bug – how the IT industry worked overtime to save world's computers
While conspiracy theorists today might think the world was duped into over reacting to the Millennium bug problem, at the time it was the other way around. There was a hardcore group that refused to be assured that the bulk of the most important Y2K fixes had been done.
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David Benjamin ☛ Passing nothing is surprisingly difficult
Empty lists should not be so complicated. We could change C, C++, and Rust in a few ways to improve things: [...]
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Daniel Miller ☛ How to Create Stand-alone Web Apps in Ubuntu-based Distros
Most web apps are set up as PWAs and can be “installed” easily from the browser. However, on Linux, and IIRC on Mac as well, these windows appear as additional browser windows. There’s not a huge advantage to installing a web app this way except for having less browser chrome. They work much better on mobile devices, which I think is the focus for PWAs anyway.
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Jay Wilson ☛ Waiting to start a new project or a task?
Don’t. Just start it now.
One of the killers of a project is waiting for the perfect time and the longer you wait the harder it might be to start. It’s much easier to continue doing something after you’ve started. Here are 3 ways I like to get started on a project or a task.
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Python
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Adafruit ☛ ICYMI Python on Microcontrollers Newsletter: M7 vs. RP2040 in CircuitPython, CircuitPython 2024, New Linux Drops and More! #CircuitPython #Python #micropython #ICYMI @Raspberry_Pi
If you missed this week’s Python on Microcontrollers Newsletter, here is the ICYMI (in case you missed it) version.
To never miss another issue, subscribe now! – You’ll get one terrific newsletter each Tuesday (which is out before this post). 10,775 subscribers worldwide.
The next newsletter goes out in a week and subscribing is the best way to keep up with all things Python for hardware. No spam, no selling lists, leave any time.
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James G ☛ A comprehensive guide to Python dictionary comprehensions
The Python dictionary comprehension lets you create a dictionary using an iterable. You can also change values or filter values in an existing dictionary. Comprehensions can be on one line, allowing you to consisely represent some logic. The dictionary comprehension is one of my favourite syntax features in Python. I use dictionary comprehensions all the time (although the feature could do with a shorter name!).
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Juha-Matti Santala ☛ I wish Python had Integer.times
An old adage says that we read the code more than we write it. To make code more readable, we pay attention to variable and function naming and the available structures in the language. Sometimes we use the language long enough that we become used to certain mechanisms and how they work.
I was thinking about this last month when I was solving Advent of Code puzzles.
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Seth Michael Larson ☛ Defending against the PyTorch supply chain attack PoC
Last week there which a publication into a proof-of-concept supply chain attack against PyTorch using persistence in self-hosted GitHub runners, capturing tokens from triggerable jobs as a third-party contributor, and modifying workflows. This report was #1 on Hacker News for most of Sunday. In the comments of this publication there was a lot of discussion and folks questioning "how do you defend from this type of attack"?
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LWN ☛ The return of None-aware operators for Python
The saga of the None-aware (or null-coalescing) operators for Python continues. We last looked in on the topic a little over a year ago and noted that either adoption or a clear rejection of the idea might help tamp down its regular recurrence. That has not happened, so, predictably, it was raised again—and does not look any closer to resolution this time around.
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Shell/Bash/Zsh/Ksh
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Ruben Schade ☛ My current favourite terminal colour schemes
I used to change colour schemes constantly, but these have all served me well for a while now. One day I’ll do a colour theory course and codify the teal-forward theme I develop in while I’m dreaming, but not today. Don’t read too much into that.
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Trail of Bits ☛ 30 new Semgrep rules: Ansible, Java, Kotlin, shell scripts, and more
We are publishing a set of 30 custom Semgrep rules for Ansible playbooks, Java/Kotlin code, shell scripts, and Docker Compose configuration files. These rules were created and used to audit for common security vulnerabilities in the listed technologies. This new release of our Semgrep rules joins our public CodeQL queries and Testing Handbook in an effort to share our technical expertise with the security community. This blog post will briefly cover the new Semgrep rules, then go in depth on two lesser-known Semgrep features that were used to create these rules: generic mode and YAML support.
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Education
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Archipylago ☛ Our first sprint in February
For this first event, we picked a theme of automated testing. There won't be a strict program for the day, but rather a 4-hour window where you can join a group of fellow Pythonistas to work on things and learn new things.
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GNOME Desktop/GTK
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Dorothy Kabarozi: Unveiling My Journey:Half way through my Outreachy internship with GNOME
Hello there ! Welcome back!.
As I reach the midpoint of my internship, I’m thrilled to share my journey into the intricate world of end-to-end testing for GNOME OS using the powerful tool, openQA. From initial bafflement to mastering complex tests, it’s been a roller coaster of learning and discovery. Here are a few things i have learned so far along this journey as it unfolds as an Outreachy Intern!
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As I continue this exciting journey, I’m reminded that mastering technology is as much about understanding its complexities as it is about embracing the learning process. To those embarking on a similar path, remember: every challenge is an opportunity to grow. Dive in, stay curious, and enjoy the ride in the world of tech testing!
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