TLDR Index
TLDR Web Dev

TLDR WEB DEV 2023-06-21

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01ARTICLES & TUTORIALS

HASHING

As a programmer, you use hash functions every day. They're used in databases to optimize queries, in data structures to make things faster, and in security to keep data safe. Almost every interaction you have with technology will involve hash functions in one way or another. This article is a visual guide to hash functions. It starts by looking at a simple hash function, then teaches how to test if a hash function is good or not, and finally looks at a real-world use for hash functions: the hash map.

samwho.dev16 min read

EXPERIMENTING AT SCALE, THE SPOTIFY HOME WAY

One of Spotify’s key competitive advantages is their personalization. This article describes how Spotify continues to improve their personalization platform through a scalable experimentation platform that can serve over 250+ tests annually on the home surface alone. The goal of the platform is to experiment with velocity and quality. In the article, Spotify engineers describe the 5 tools they used to achieve these two goals.

engineering.atspotify.com4 min read

HOW TO BUILD SERVER-SIDE RENDERED (SSR) SVELTE APPS WITH SVELTEKIT

SvelteKit is a framework for building apps using Svelte. This article shows you how to build a server-side rendered SvelteKit application and deploy it to Netlify step-by-step. SvelteKit streamlines things by handling the complexity of the server and client on its own, allowing you to focus squarely on developing the app. There’s no need to maintain two applications or do a tightrope walk sharing data between the two. The tutorial builds out a job board as an example application.

smashingmagazine.com15 min read

02OPINIONS & ADVICE

HOW TO MAKE DIFFICULT TECHNICAL DECISIONS

Making difficult technical decisions is something that all engineers have to do. However, there are ways to make sure the decision made is the right one, such as writing a doc of all options and acting as the end-user. An important aspect to assess is how reversible a decision is, as an irreversible decision can be much more costly down the line.

careercutler.substack.com4 min read

SHOULD YOU START A GENERATIVE AI COMPANY?

This HBR article poses two critical questions for entrepreneurs considering starting generative AI companies: Can you compete on increasingly commoditized foundational models or should you differentiate on an application that leverages these models? The author suggests that while starting such a company may seem easy, the ease of entry could also mean increased competition.

hbr.org7 min read

03LAUNCHES & TOOLS

MOTION CANVAS

Motion Canvas is a TypeScript library that uses generators to program animations and an editor providing a real-time preview of those animations.

github.comGitHub repository

UNDB

undb is a private, unified, self-hosted no-code database. It’s built with SvelteKit, Vite, Tailwind, and Nest.js. undb comes with various features, such as being lightweight and developer friendly. It also provides support for OpenAPI, webhooks, real-time subscriptions, and more.

github.comGitHub repository

LANGUAGE MODELS

Language Models provides Python building blocks to explore large language models on any computer with 512MB of RAM. This package is designed to be as simple as possible for learners and educators exploring how large language models intersect with modern software development. The interfaces to this package are all simple functions using standard types. It hides the complexity of large language models from view while providing free local inference using light-weight, open models. All included models are free for educational use, no API keys are required, and all inference is performed locally by default.

github.comGitHub repository

04MISCELLANEOUS

THE HOTTEST NEW THING IN TECH IS FREEDOM

It used to be that Big Tech companies like Google, Meta, and Apple led the way when it came to workplace advantages. However, recently these companies have dialed back on many on-site perks and, more importantly, have called workers back to the office. The return-to-office mandate has been met with resistance by those who prefer to work from home. In order to compete, smaller tech companies have since picked up the mantle of remote work, making them more attractive to many tech workers.

vox.com5 min read

8 TACTICS TO IMPROVE THE FREE TRIAL EXPERIENCE

This blog post provides eight tactics to improve the free trial experience for users, with the aim of increasing conversion rates. These tactics include techniques for discouraging day-one cancellations, offering incentives or penalties, offering temporary discounts post-trial, and optimizing trial length. The post also offers advice for proper user onboarding, keeping users engaged, and improving product value. The author emphasizes that long-term success lies in continually enhancing the product's value proposition.

blog.logrocket.com6 min read

‘BLACK MIRROR’

"Streamberry" from the sixth season of "Black Mirror" may be coming to life. Netflix has launched Streamberry.tv, an exact replica of the fictional platform, featuring characters from the show. It also launched youareawful.com for users to upload their own photos to become the subject of a Streamberry show. The creation of these sites follows the viral success of the first episode of the season, which satirically depicted Netflix. Users are warned that their uploaded photos may end up on a billboard and they must consent to Netflix's use of their image for its marketing campaign.

techcrunch.com2 min read