A bug with Delphi 7's memory allocator caused cryptic errors due to Windows locking the entire allocation's VAD entry and out-of-memory errors in the kernel.
The article covers various memory allocation techniques, including buddy allocators, slab allocators, and thread-local storage, as well as memory ownership and management in cross-language FFI API calls.
The post provides interactive visuals and advice on optimizing memory allocation and dealing with memory leaks in C programming, with suggestions for further related topics.
After retiring from 26 years of programming work at Apple, the author finds himself drawn back to programming in his spare time.
Initially, there was a sense of relief that he would no longer have to worry about coding, but after four months, he started working on a small project to learn Python and play with e-ink displays.
In 2023, the author finds himself back to programming full-time, discovering a newfound fascination with C and a desire to revisit/rewrite games he created over 30 years ago.
Meta has been fined $1.3 billion for violating EU data protection laws by transferring data to the US, prompting discussions on global governance, data privacy, and international laws.
Meta's potential shutdown of its Irish subsidiary to avoid the fine may be complicated, and the cost and effort to comply with EU regulations far outweigh the proposed fine.
There are differing opinions on data privacy regulations, with some criticizing the low fines imposed on companies like Meta, while others argue that the cost is just an additional expense for doing business and that companies can continue to misuse user privacy and data as long as they conduct a proper cost-benefit analysis.
Meta AI's MMS project expands speech technology to over 1,000 languages with a single multilingual speech recognition model, language identification models, pretrained models, and text-to-speech models.
The project aims to make it easier for people to access information and use devices in their preferred language.
Users can access pretrained models and run inference commands for automatic speech recognition, text-to-speech, and language identification.
Meta AI has announced a multilingual speech code that covers 1000+ languages and is compatible with various language families.
The code is accessible through GitHub, with visualization of language distribution and translations, and is available for download.
Discussions in the comments include a need for more accessible documentation and demos of these models, along with debates on copyright and patentability of models and concerns about hardware requirements and fine-tuning for specific use cases.
Cancelling HP Instant Ink prevents cartridges from being used
HP Instant Ink customers report that cancelling their subscription results in their printers refusing to use cartridges purchased from other sources.
HP Instant Ink is a subscription service that delivers ink to your doorstep when your printer runs low, according to HP.
HP states in their terms of service that "Instant Ink cartridges remain property of HP and must be returned when your service ends.".
HP Instant Ink users cannot use ink after cancelling their subscriptions or when subscriptions expire.
Controversy arises due to users leasing ink rather than owning it, restricting the use of third-party cartridges and alternatives.
HP's Instant Ink subscription service charges users based on the number of pages they print, which some find convenient while others feel it's a scummy practice.
Spain wants to ban encryption for EU-based service providers, according to a leaked document that reveals members' opinions on encryption regulation and scanning private messages for illegal content.
Many EU member states have debated whether end-to-end encrypted platforms should be protected as a way for Europeans to exercise a fundamental right to privacy, or weakened to prevent criminals from communicating outside the reach of law enforcement.
The proposed law would require tech companies to scan their platforms, including users' private messages, to find illegal material, causing concern from cryptographers, technologists, and privacy advocates for its potential impact on end-to-end encryption.
Spain's leaked government document shows a proposal to ban end-to-end encryption, which critics argue violates privacy rights and may not effectively reduce crime or terrorism.
Many EU countries' desire to scan people's messages for illegal content raises concerns about potential government overreach and abuse.
Encryption is a fundamental component of the internet and limiting access to end-to-end encryption may be viewed as a violation of privacy, experts say.
Katherine Maher, the outgoing CEO of the Wikimedia Foundation, received a severance package of $623,286 in 2021, in addition to her salary.
COO Janeen Uzzell received a severance package of $324,748 in 2021, which sets a new record for the Foundation.
The Foundation has announced that it will use a new standardised severance policy for staff at all levels of one month of severance pay for every year of their employment, up to nine months (unless local laws require otherwise) - any exceptions require a joint recommendation by the Head of Talent & Culture and the General Counsel, with final approval from the CEO.
Wikimedia Foundation criticized for paying high salaries and severance packages to top executives despite having ample net assets
Wikimedia defends severance payments as necessary during pandemic and to retain top talent
Debate on whether executive compensation should follow market rate dynamics in non-profit organizations, with some calling for fair compensation but not excessive pay for executives
In the modern work environment, constant notifications and interruptions can steal precious attention needed to solve hard problems.
The prevalence of chat programs, email inboxes, and project management apps make the contemporary workspace a noisy and demanding place, leading to decreased job satisfaction and burnout.
To combat attention drain, individuals and organizations can try techniques like timeboxing, setting notifications and statuses, and reducing notifications by rethinking workflows and collaboration methods.
Modern work can be distracting due to increasingly complex tech stacks, leading to more handovers and less focus on actual work.
The article discusses different organizational philosophies around communication and specialization, and comments suggest solutions such as turning off notifications or using focus time to increase productivity.
Post discusses tips for working remotely and maximizing productivity, including scheduling all work, silencing notifications, being strategic about meetings, working asynchronously, and utilizing documentation and workflow tools.
CloudGuard Spectral discovered several malicious extensions on the Visual Studio Code (VSCode) marketplace, with these extensions allowing for theft of personally identifiable information (PII) and enabling of remote shell access to users' machines. The extensions have been downloaded more than 45,000 times.
The malicious extensions include 'Prettiest java', 'Theme Darcula dark', and 'python-vscode', which were disguised as useful tools or themes but contained harmful code aimed at stealing user data or injecting malicious scripts.
After discovering these extensions, CloudGuard Spectral alerted the VSCode team, leading to the extensions being removed from the marketplace. The event underscores the need for careful verification of all open-source components to avoid security risks.
Israeli firm JFrog found malicious Visual Studio Code extensions in the official marketplace, highlighting the need for verifying open-source components and finding more secure frameworks.
Lack of proper security models in VSCode leaves plug-ins vulnerable, with social signals being unreliable security indicators.
Some users suggest solutions such as explicit opt-in/opt-out for extension telemetry, sandboxing, or only using trusted authors.
The Open Buddhist University is an online resource created by a Buddhist monk and former software engineer.
The website is not accredited as a university and is based on a personal library of Pali Canon materials.
Critiques of the creator's junior rank are countered by supporters focusing on the website's content QA, easy cookie opt-out, zero latency search, and granular RSS feeds.