today's programming leftovers

posted by Roy Schestowitz on Aug 25, 2024

• Sean Conner ☛ How to run valgrind on a CGI program in C

  After some thought, I figured out a way. I need to capture the environment the CGI program runs under, so I added the following bit of code to mod_blog to capture the environment:

• Simon Willison ☛ SQL Has Problems. We Can Fix Them: Pipe Syntax In SQL

  A key idea is here is to fix one of the biggest usability problems with standard SQL: the order of the clauses in a query. Starting with SELECT instead of FROM has always been confusing, see SQL queries don't start with SELECT by Julia Evans.

• Rlang ☛ Add Footnote to ggplot2

  Adding a footnote to a ggplot2 plot in R can enhance the information presented by providing additional context or source attribution.

• Rlang ☛ Adding Subtitles in ggplot2

  Adding Subtitles in ggplot2, Data visualization is a critical aspect of data analysis, allowing for the communication of complex data in a manner that is accessible and understandable.

  One of the most popular packages for creating visualizations in R is ggplot2, which stands out for its versatility and ease of use.

  In this article, we will delve into the process of adding subtitles to your ggplot2 visualizations, providing you with three practical examples to enhance the clarity and effectiveness of your plots.

• Rlang ☛ Polar-centred maps by @ellis2013nz

  I stumbled across this page by Brilliant Maps showing settlements with no larger settlement to their north.

• Sean Conner ☛ Murphy's Law as applied to bugs: it is easier to find bugs in production than in development

  Now on to the other error …

• Rlang ☛ Correlation By Group in R

  Calculating the correlation between two variables by group in R is a powerful technique that allows you to analyze the relationships between variables within specific groups.

  In this article, we will explore how to use the dplyr package to calculate the correlation between two variables by group.

• Isosceles Blog ☛ OpenSSH Backdoors

  If you've been paying attention to the security news recently, your mind probably went straight to the attack on the liblzma/xz-utils repository earlier this year, the ultimate aim of which was an OpenSSH backdoor. However the event described above isn't the xz-utils backdoor. It's a little-remembered fact that the xz-utils backdoor was actually the second time OpenSSH had a "near miss" with a backdoor attack. The first time was over 22 years ago, all the way back in 2002. This blog post shares the story of that backdoor, and what we can learn from an attack that happened over two decades ago.

• Medium ☛ Tamnjong Larry Tabeh: Wrapping Up My Outreachy Internship

  As my Outreachy internship comes to a close, I find myself reflecting on the journey with a sense of gratitude. What began with a mix of excitement and fear has turned into a rewarding experience that has shaped my skills, confidence, and passion for open-source contributions.

• Dirk Eddelbuettel ☛ Dirk Eddelbuettel: RcppEigen 0.3.4.0.2 on CRAN: Micro Maintenance

  A new maintenance release of RcppEigen is now algorithms. RcppEigen is used by 460 other CRAN packages, and has been downloaded 31.9 million times just off the mirrors of CRAN keeping logs for counting.

• Shell/Bash/Zsh/Ksh

  • Rlang ☛ Unlocking the Power of the Linux Shell

    As you go into the world of Linux, you’re bound to encounter the term “shell.” If you’re following along with The Linux Command Line: A Complete Introduction by William Shotts, you’re already on the right path. This post will introduce you to the Linux shell, explain its significance, and cover some fundamental commands that will help you start exploring the vast capabilities of Linux. Whether you’re new to Linux or simply looking to strengthen your command-line skills, this guide will set you on the right track.

• Standards/Consortia

  • University of Toronto ☛ JSON is usually the least bad option for machine-readable output formats

    I don't have any particular objection to programs that want to output in their own format (perhaps a simpler one). But I want them to give me an option for JSON too, and most of the time I'm going to go with JSON. I've already written enough ad-hoc text processing things in awk, and a few too many heavy duty text parsing things in Python. I don't really want to write another one just for you. If your program does use only a custom output format, I want there to be a really good reason why you did it, not just that you don't like the aesthetics of JSON. As Rob Pike says, no one likes gofmt's style, but we all like that everyone uses it.

• SaaS/Back End/Databases

  • Rlang ☛ SQL of the Rings: One Language to Query Them All (with R)

    In this article, we start a journey — a quest, if you will — through the realms of SQL and R. Together, we will explore how these two powerful tools can be united to master the ever-growing landscape of data. Whether you are an analyst delving into complex datasets, a data scientist crafting predictive models, or a developer integrating data pipelines, the synergy of SQL and R will guide you to new heights of efficiency and insight.