TLDR Dev 2026-05-26
No more dev books 📖, EU bootstrapper’s stack 💻, Dropbox eng advice 📝
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On C extensions, portability, and alternative compilers (9 minute read)
Most real-world C code deviates from strict ISO standards by relying on language extensions and non-standard behaviors to bridge functional gaps or resolve compiler bugs. Alternative compilers face hurdles when attempting to parse system headers. These compatibility issues manifest in complex ways, including specific requirements for packed structures, peculiar header inclusion sequences, and inconsistent inline function semantics across different platforms.
Harness, Scaffold, and the AI Agent Terms Worth Getting Right (11 minute read)
An AI agent is defined as the combination of a core model with a behavior-defining scaffold and an execution-focused harness. These systems use context engineering and sub-agents to manage memory and break down complex objectives into specialized, autonomous tasks. In training scenarios, reinforcement learning structures like rollouts and rewards provide the essential data and scoring mechanisms needed to refine model weights through environmental interaction.
Jen Can Never Leave (6 minute read)
Many organizations depend on a single expert's unique judgment for interpreting complex payroll data, as traditional documentation fails to capture this fluid wisdom. AI systems can solve this by processing standard files and flagging ambiguities for human review, turning experts into force multipliers whose insights are encoded into automated, autonomous rules.
Leave Me Behind (9 minute read)
Traditional software development was a soulful craft rooted in human connection, collaboration, and the expertise gained from trial-and-error. Rejecting generative AI's automation is necessary to preserve this vital human element and maintain programming as an art form.
My Thoughts on AI, Part 2: Agent Setup, Workflow, and Tools (34 minute read)
Redux maintainer Mark Erikson uses an AI coding setup driven by an "Orchestrator" session, prioritizing deliberate control and deterministic workflows over maximizing speed. Although he employs custom tools for context pruning and scripting, he stresses that long-term memory and reliable AI code review remain unsolved gaps in his process.
The context layer for modern engineering teams (Sponsor)
Agents can generate code. Getting it right for your system, team conventions, and past decisions is the hard part. Unblocked is the context layer that turns code, docs, tickets, and conversations into actionable context, so engineers move faster and agents stay on track.
Book a demo.Brownies (GitHub Repo)
Brownies is a lightweight JavaScript library designed to simplify the management of cookies, localStorage, sessionStorage, and IndexedDB. It provides an interface that allows devs to interact with browser storage using standard object property accessors for getting, setting, and deleting data. It has the ability to preserve original data types for stored values while supporting standard iteration methods like Object.keys and for-of loops.
Orval (Website)
Orval is a development tool that converts OpenAPI specifications into type-safe TypeScript clients, mocks, and validators, eliminating boilerplate for efficient API integration. It natively supports major modern frameworks like React Query and Axios, and generates mock data handlers for testing without an active backend.
C Constructs That Still Don't Work in C++ — and a Few That Changed (13 minute read)
C and C++ maintain distinct object models, requiring developers to focus on specific standards (C23 or C++20) for code validity, and while some features align, memory management using C functions like malloc remains risky in C++. Effective cross-language development demands isolating C-specific features and translating them into robust C++ types to guarantee safety and clear ownership.
Nobody Cracks Open a Programming Book Anymore (5 minute read)
Physical programming book sales are declining because generative AI tools and automated coding assistants have replaced printed manuals by offering instant solutions. Although traditional learning from books fostered a deep understanding, this shift toward AI represents a fundamental change in software engineering, moving developers to higher abstraction levels.
Is your mobile release tooling keeping up with AI? (Sponsor)
AI drives up code volume, shifting build vs. buy math for mobile release tooling. Hear how engineers from Monzo, Spotify, Etsy, and Tuist are recalculating. May 28, 1pm ET.
Save your spot.Norway's 2 petabytes of Huawei flash storage and LLM training (6 minute read)
Norway's National Library is using two petabytes of Huawei flash storage to develop a sovereign LLM dedicated to preserving and understanding the country's unique language, history, and culture through a massive digitized data pipeline.
3 Top Takeaways From Dropbox's Former Most Senior Engineer (5 minute read)
Former Dropbox senior engineer James Cowling advises focusing on conceptual problem-solving, aligning team incentives with business goals rather than specific systems, and prioritizing simplicity over complexity.
Axios to WHATWG Fetch (5 minute read)
The `@nodejs/axios-to-whatwg-fetch` codemod automates the migration of HTTP request code from the Axios library to the native Fetch API in Node.js to improve performance and adhere to modern web standards.
The bootstrapper's EU stack for under €10 per month (8 minute read)
Building a complete, privacy-conscious technology stack using European-based services for hosting, email, analytics, and payments is achievable for less than €10 per month by using various free and low-cost tiers, like with Simple Analytics and Tally.
TLDR is hiring a Senior Software Engineer, Applied AI ($250k-$350k, Fully Remote)
TLDR's Applied AI team is tasked with making every process at TLDR legible to code, runnable by anyone, and composable into larger workflows. Join a small, fast moving team using the latest AI tools with an unlimited token budget.
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