books are still the richest repositories of tried and tested knowledge. so i read something everyday and write about it here. the topics include compilers, application design, os, graphics, networking etc.

programming

the art of programming involves much which goes beyond specific languages or tech. there are many human aspects involved like choice of tools, languages, the approach, project management...

2026-03-19 - providing context in the commit message
2026-03-17 - how beginners should approach long term projects/goals
2026-03-10 - iteration is a feature, not a bug
2026-03-05 - refactors don't have to be messy
2026-03-04 - TUIs are far more flexible than GUIs
2026-01-02 - build systems to help you build habbits
2026-01-02 - making progress on tasks
2025-12-24 - the book printing episode (part 2)
2025-12-16 - knowledge building
2025-11-26 - hackers don't need permission to look at the source
2025-11-26 - read the friendly manual
2025-11-26 - reading comments, manuals, instructions
2025-11-26 - report complete and accurate observations
2025-11-19 - bias and assumptions
2025-11-19 - the initial few hours into a project are a bit scary
2025-11-19 - how to solve any programming problem
2025-11-12 - think at the global scope as you modify some local scope
2025-11-12 - how to fix your code after code reviews
2025-11-11 - experiments lead to deep insights
2025-11-11 - don't rush to get the changes in
2025-11-06 - remote work and staying online
2025-11-01 - tracking progress on assigned projects
2025-11-01 - printf-debugging
2025-10-31 - writing code with a nicely* organized* context
2025-10-28 - haste is bad, think twice before pressing any button
2025-10-28 - the process matters if it gets results (mostly)
2025-10-28 - what editor you use matters!
2025-10-28 - when to ask others to review your patches
2025-10-27 - don't stress about it too much
2025-10-23 - reading other's code
2025-10-23 - only commit messages (and tests) survive the test of time
2025-10-23 - push -> review -> rework -> review cycle, the programming pipeline
2025-10-23 - profiling code in browser
2025-10-23 - writing tests for your code
2025-10-22 - log files are better than stdout
2025-10-12 - focus, attention, reading and deep work
2025-10-11 - searching for help on a disfunctional internet
2025-10-11 - starting the day with a list of tasks
2025-10-11 - a timer is better than a clock for timeboxing
2025-10-11 - comments are better than separate file worklogs
2025-10-02 - approaching big projects
2025-09-26 - no task is easier than other
2025-09-26 - refactoring code
2025-09-19 - data and system security
2025-09-18 - getting things done
2025-09-15 - delay design decisions
2025-09-15 - search the error message on the internet
2025-09-06 - don't delete your code, even if you think it's useless
2025-08-25 - writing code top down
2025-08-24 - programming and questions
2025-08-24 - english for non-natives
2025-08-24 - stages in a programming pipeline
2025-08-23 - the importance of mentors
2025-08-22 - raw tools are better than clicky-cliks
2025-08-22 - testing one last time
2025-08-19 - msys2 is amazing
2025-08-19 - it takes time, don't ^C immediately
2025-08-14 - look around the code you are editing
2025-08-13 - logging macros and programming
2025-08-11 - don't stop at just one change
2025-08-10 - read others code and review their patches
2025-08-02 - the book printing episode
2025-07-31 - levels of abstractions (functions)
2025-07-31 - bad critics should be dealt with
2025-07-31 - reading error messages carefully
2025-07-31 - the natural way of expressing things
2025-07-31 - when learning to program
2025-07-31 - add nice screenshots to the patches
2025-07-31 - shiny object syndrome
2025-07-31 - project planning and time management
2025-07-31 - programming verbally and thinking with language constructs
2025-07-30 - chatbots are not tools, just a search engine at best
2025-07-30 - manpages and documentation are the original sources
2025-07-30 - better tools exist, the cli ones
2025-07-29 - i love unit tests and code reviews
2025-07-29 - sometimes old way is the best way
2025-07-29 - thinking of software and ux from the users' perspective
2025-07-28 - real world bugs are not so simple
2025-07-28 - the risks of copy pasting code
2025-07-28 - don't get lost in the surrounding code
2025-07-28 - the verbose switch
2025-07-26 - self documenting code is a lie, write comments!
2025-07-26 - the art of writing commit messages
2025-07-26 - push changes in a series of clean atomic commits
2025-07-26 - don't write many conditions inside the conditional
2025-07-26 - decoupling data from the processing logic
2025-07-26 - good code vs bad code (and documentation)
2025-07-26 - you own the code you write, thus are responsible for it
2025-07-26 - be the first reviewer before pushing the changes
2025-07-26 - complexity and clever solutions come back to bite you

communication

effective communication is an important part of engineering. an engineer should be able to precisely share what he thinks about the project, the problem, the approach or the comments made by others. it involves quite some learning by observation.

programming books

programming

communication