TLDR WEB DEV 2025-03-14

BEYOND REACT.MEMO: SMARTER WAYS TO OPTIMIZE PERFORMANCE

Many React performance issues are from unnecessary re-renders caused by state changes propagating through the component tree. Instead of relying on React.memo, optimize component structure by moving state down and using composition patterns to prevent excessive re-renders. This requires devs to truly understand React's rendering model and use the `children` prop to pass components, as it prevents unnecessary re-renders because React compares element references.

A SOFTWARE ENGINEER'S GUIDE TO READING RESEARCH PAPERS

A good way to properly read research papers is by using a multi-pass strategy. First, get the big picture by focusing on the Abstract, Introduction, Results, and Conclusion. Second, go deeper into the remaining sections, noting unfamiliar terms and references. Lastly, conduct background research and revisit the paper to connect the dots.

HTTP/3 IS EVERYWHERE BUT NOWHERE

Despite standardization and browser support, HTTP/3 adoption is uneven, which creates a divide between hyperscale and long-tail web users. Hyperscale companies are implementing HTTP/3 and QUIC (Quick UDP Internet Connections) for performance gains, while standard libraries and open-source tools lack support. This fragmentation is partly due to OpenSSL's incompatible QUIC API.

WHY "NORMAL" ENGINEERS ARE THE KEY TO GREAT TEAMS

Focusing on individual brilliance, such as on mythical "10x engineers," distracts from building effective systems that allow "normal" engineers to contribute meaningfully. A great engineering organization empowers average engineers to consistently deliver value, make progress for the business, and eventually be world-class talent.

AS AN ENGINEER, I'D RATHER BE CALLED STUPID THAN STAY SILENT

Embracing vulnerability and asking "stupid" questions is necessary for growth in an engineering career. Staying silent out of fear can lead to miscommunication, delays, and suboptimal work, negatively impacting both individual performance and team efficiency.

the Security Journey blog

GOOGLE IS GIVING AWAY GEMINI'S BEST PAID FEATURES FOR FREE — HERE'S THE TOOLS YOU CAN TRY NOW

Google is offering several new Gemini features for free, including personalized responses based on users' Google Search history. Deep Research, an AI research assistant that generates detailed reports, is also now free. Gemini can now connect with Google apps like Calendar, Notes, and Tasks, allowing for complex multi-app requests. It is expanding to Google Photos soon. Custom AI assistants called Gems are being rolled out for free.

AVID

Avid is an AI-powered platform that allows users to quickly and easily create mobile apps in Flutter with prompting.

CARBON

The Carbon Design System is an open-source design system by IBM. This repository has working code, design tools, resources, and guidelines for building UIs.

HOW ENGINEERING TEAMS ARE USING AI

Current AI tools are optimized for greenfield development and single-player workflows, which don't translate well to complex codebases and team environments. Instead, teams use AI as "augmentation" tools that help human developers develop faster rather than replacing them. AI helps reduce toil in areas like testing and documentation.

IO DEVICES AND LATENCY

Non-volatile storage has evolved from tape drives to hard disk drives (HDDs) and solid-state drives (SSDs). While tape storage is cost-effective for large-scale archiving, HDDs and SSDs provide faster access speeds, with SSDs eliminating mechanical components for lower latency. Cloud computing introduced network-attached storage, which is scalable, but introduces latency and IOPS limitations compared to directly attached storage. PlanetScale Metal is a hybrid, using directly-attached NVMe SSDs in a replicated Vitess+MySQL cluster to overcome the shortcomings of network-attached storage.

EVERYONE IN AI IS TALKING ABOUT MANUS. WE PUT IT TO THE TEST

Manus is a general AI agent developed by Butterfly Effect that is gaining attention for its ability to autonomously tackle complex tasks by combining multiple AI models and agents. While still imperfect, it's great for tasks like research and analysis. It gives users a collaborative, transparent experience with the ability to intervene in its process.

I'M TEACHING DATABASES THIS SEMESTER AT BERKELEY

OPENAI ASKS WHITE HOUSE FOR RELIEF FROM STATE AI RULES

OpenAI is urging the Trump administration to offer AI companies relief from state regulations in exchange for voluntarily sharing their AI models with the federal government.

WHY YOUR ‘HARMONIOUS' TEAM IS ACTUALLY FAILING

HOW THE NEW YORK TIMES SYSTEMATICALLY MIGRATED FROM ENZYME INTO REACT TESTING LIBRARY

The New York Times migrated from Enzyme to React Testing Library using a piecemeal approach, starting with simple files and building momentum over time.