When publishing software, you make a promise to your users. This is true outside of software as well of course – nobody wants a beagle when they ordered a bagel. But in software specifically there are a few unique considerations … Read more
A reflection on Bonfire’s journey to 1.0 and an open invitation to shape what comes next. # As we approach the release of Bonfire 1.0, this isn’t your typical launch announcement. Instead, it’s a moment to reflect on how we’ve … Read more
This retro-computing project restores support for x87 floating-point unit (FPU) emulation in the NetBSD kernel, targeting legacy 486SX-class processors without hardware FPUs. It brings back the original MATH_EMULATE option into NetBSD 10.x and beyond, as well as reverts and reworks … Read more
Published 2025-02-03 Four years ago I posted about the same topic. A kind email reminded me its time for another check in. Things I’ve changed my mind on: Things I now believe, which past me would’ve squabbled with: Simple is … Read more
Sometimes bugs have symptoms beyond belief. This is a collection of such stories from around the web. Externally hosted stories: Send me more stories, if you know some. Of course, reddit also has a collection and Hacker Newsers like to … Read more
1. The Story This is the story of system SVC from company ORG. It’s a true story, but I’ve smoothed out the details: by making it generic, I hope that it will be more familiar. ORG relies on an integration … Read more
Animated Holiday Light Shows People have been overdecorating for the holidays for a long time. However, as engineers, we realize that the problem shouldn’t just involve more lights, what we really need is computers! My House Display Without Computers (Above) … Read more
Recently the Dutch Electoral Board (where I am also a very part time advisor) invited me to do a talk reflecting on their open source Abacus vote tabulation software. Much software is now provided as a service, and is typically … Read more
Instagram A profile is emerging of the privately schooled Ivy League graduate who is being questioned over last week’s fatal shooting of United Healthcare’s chief executive in New York City. Police announced on Monday they had arrested Luigi Mangione, 26, … Read more
For this next paper, we are looking at a question I’m sure many will think is pointless. What exactly is software? But by this, we mean something a bit different than offering a definition. The goal here isn’t to figure … Read more