A Realization Of Why Email Is Critical Infrastructure For The Internet
- Chris Siebenmann tl;dr: "The prospect for another federated, Internet wide communication system seem very remote at this point in time, so email is it." Email is our only reliable communication method between different organizations and, at this point, companies have something to lose if companies try to replace email.featured in #279
featured in #272
The Monstrosity Email Has Become
- Lionel Dricot tl;dr: "I’m an inbox 0 extremist. I unsubscribe from everything that contains an unsubscribe link. I spent the last two years sending GDPR removing requests to every company sending me an unwanted email." Lionel describes how the technical underpinnings of email have made it user unfriendly.featured in #268
Complexity Is Killing Software Developers
- Scott Carey tl;dr: "The explosion of choice and the pace of development make it challenging for developers to keep up with the zeitgeist, with many developers getting caught in the headlights.” The movement towards microservices and a rapid increase in business demands have created more complexity and burden for developers.featured in #266
A World Ordered Only By Search
- Michael Sacasas tl;dr: An essay of how the ordering of the world interacts with our experience of the self: "a discussion of models and metaphors for ordering knowledge, memory, the ubiquity of search, the habits and assumptions of medieval reading, and how information loses its body."featured in #258
What Is This “Product” You Speak Of?
- Jessica Kerr tl;dr: Software doesn't fall into either traditional economic bucket of product or service. In economics 101, a product is tangible, and has a one-off capital expenditure e.g. a rug. A service is non-tangible has a recurring cost e.g. cleaning. Software is neither. "Software is not done when it first works," it requires substantial costs to maintain and improve.featured in #252
My Love-hate Affair With Technology
- Nolan Lawson tl;dr: Nolan swung from having the latest tech 10 years ago, to practicing a form of "tech veganism."He doesn't have a smart speaker or watch. His smart TV is hooked to an old PC for Netflix, Hulu, etc... This is driven by a believe that software should be "privacy-respecting, open-source, controlled by the user." He feels the benefits of this "asceticism," but maintains concern by the fact tjat others cannot live like this because they don't have the technical know how.featured in #251
The Rise Of User-Hostile Software
- Den Delimarsky tl;dr: “Modern software doesn’t really care about the needs of the user but, rather, about the needs of the developer,” and are driven by the need for more user data, accounts, access, etc... all infringing the users' experience. He outlines a "Hippocratic Oath for engineers:" (1) Always start with customer needs. (2) Don’t impose artificial limitations on the customer. (3) Respect user choices. (4) Think beyond the “right now,” and more.featured in #248
Letters To A Young Technologist
tl;dr: "Technologists hold an increasingly important position in society, with the capability to change billions of peoples’ life experiences." Yet, the ideologies or life-philosophies on offer to most people pursuing a career in tech are "surprisingly shallow." These essays are a step in a different direction - "an ethic that prioritizes technologists’ agency, the need for self-reflection, and the importance of historical inquiry."featured in #246
The Web Browser As A Tool Of Thought
- Linus Lee tl;dr: "The vision of the web browser that excites me the most is one where the browser is a medium for creativity, learning, and thinking deeply that spans personal and public spheres of knowledge." Linus illustrates his vision in this post.featured in #246