Liam Proven
@lproven.bsky.social
Tall, dark, black-clad, atheist, skeptic, vegetarian, SF fan; writes (mostly about computers) for a living. All opinions expressed are my own & not those of any employer.
Don't Get Distracted
calebhearth.com/dont-get-dis...
«
I’m going to tell you about how I took a job building software to kill people.
But don’t get distracted by that; I didn’t know at the time.
»
calebhearth.com/dont-get-dis...
«
I’m going to tell you about how I took a job building software to kill people.
But don’t get distracted by that; I didn’t know at the time.
»
Don't Get Distracted
I’m going to tell you about how I took a job building software to kill people. But don’t get distracted by that; I didn’t know at the time.
calebhearth.com
February 11, 2026 at 4:24 PM
Don't Get Distracted
calebhearth.com/dont-get-dis...
«
I’m going to tell you about how I took a job building software to kill people.
But don’t get distracted by that; I didn’t know at the time.
»
calebhearth.com/dont-get-dis...
«
I’m going to tell you about how I took a job building software to kill people.
But don’t get distracted by that; I didn’t know at the time.
»
Reviving a CIDCO MailStation – the last Z80 computer
www.theregister.com/2026/02/11/l...
If launching it was crazy in 1999, then what's trying to use it today?
<- by me on @theregister.com
www.theregister.com/2026/02/11/l...
If launching it was crazy in 1999, then what's trying to use it today?
<- by me on @theregister.com
Reviving a CIDCO MailStation – the last Z80 computer
FOSDEM 2026: If launching it was crazy in 1999, then what's trying to use it today?
www.theregister.com
February 11, 2026 at 3:51 PM
Reviving a CIDCO MailStation – the last Z80 computer
www.theregister.com/2026/02/11/l...
If launching it was crazy in 1999, then what's trying to use it today?
<- by me on @theregister.com
www.theregister.com/2026/02/11/l...
If launching it was crazy in 1999, then what's trying to use it today?
<- by me on @theregister.com
Nobody knows how the whole system works
buff.ly/XxuQS7o
<- this is THE single key defining truth of 21st century computing
buff.ly/XxuQS7o
<- this is THE single key defining truth of 21st century computing
Nobody knows how the whole system works
One of the surprising (at least to me) consequences of the fall of Twitter is the rise of LinkedIn as a social media site. I saw some interesting posts I wanted to call attention to: First, Simon W…
buff.ly
February 11, 2026 at 1:40 PM
Nobody knows how the whole system works
buff.ly/XxuQS7o
<- this is THE single key defining truth of 21st century computing
buff.ly/XxuQS7o
<- this is THE single key defining truth of 21st century computing
River project swims against the Wayland tide with modular window management
www.theregister.com/2026/02/11/r...
Breaking a big hard problem up into smaller ones? That'll never catch on
<- by me on @theregister.com
www.theregister.com/2026/02/11/r...
Breaking a big hard problem up into smaller ones? That'll never catch on
<- by me on @theregister.com
River brings modular window managers to Wayland
FOSDEM 2026: Breaking a big hard problem up into smaller ones? That'll never catch on
www.theregister.com
February 11, 2026 at 12:09 PM
River project swims against the Wayland tide with modular window management
www.theregister.com/2026/02/11/r...
Breaking a big hard problem up into smaller ones? That'll never catch on
<- by me on @theregister.com
www.theregister.com/2026/02/11/r...
Breaking a big hard problem up into smaller ones? That'll never catch on
<- by me on @theregister.com
Screenshots from developers & Unix people (2002)
Screenshots from developers & Unix people (2002)
What did people's desktops look like?
buff.ly
February 11, 2026 at 9:53 AM
Screenshots from developers & Unix people (2002)
Reposted by Liam Proven
Reposted by Liam Proven
I drew a face on a paper plate. Who could even begin to understand how it perceives the world or what it dreams of?
Researchers working with the A.I. system Claude have come to understand that the model’s selfhood, like our own, is a matter of both neurons and narratives. newyorkermag.visitlink.me/kEX1vV
February 11, 2026 at 4:39 AM
I drew a face on a paper plate. Who could even begin to understand how it perceives the world or what it dreams of?
Reposted by Liam Proven
everything is vibes
Propaganda about 'AI' and the new age word calculators have supposedly ushered in, has fed the delusions of the LinkedIn brained. This coalition of dunces pretends IT operations are easy. Actual sysadmins and engineers have lost countless hours cleaning up these fools' messes
i can't tell what's satire at this point
February 11, 2026 at 8:12 AM
everything is vibes
Reposted by Liam Proven
Field Notes from a Senior Living Center
substack.com/@beccaselah/...
On confidence, confusion, and the quiet cost of bad design
<- the real message: this goes all the way to the top, including household-name CEOs
substack.com/@beccaselah/...
On confidence, confusion, and the quiet cost of bad design
<- the real message: this goes all the way to the top, including household-name CEOs
Farberisms
www2.cs.arizona.edu
February 10, 2026 at 1:40 PM
Field Notes from a Senior Living Center
substack.com/@beccaselah/...
On confidence, confusion, and the quiet cost of bad design
<- the real message: this goes all the way to the top, including household-name CEOs
substack.com/@beccaselah/...
On confidence, confusion, and the quiet cost of bad design
<- the real message: this goes all the way to the top, including household-name CEOs
"Farberisms" are sayings in the style of Dave Farber (whom you may have heard about with regard to Internet). Some of these are from the "master" himself. Others simply exemplify his style.
www2.cs.arizona.edu/icon/oddsend...
www2.cs.arizona.edu/icon/oddsend...
Farberisms
www2.cs.arizona.edu
February 10, 2026 at 9:57 AM
"Farberisms" are sayings in the style of Dave Farber (whom you may have heard about with regard to Internet). Some of these are from the "master" himself. Others simply exemplify his style.
www2.cs.arizona.edu/icon/oddsend...
www2.cs.arizona.edu/icon/oddsend...
Quality at speed
buff.ly/o2mzQsE
«
When you browse LinkedIn, you mostly see people drone on about "AI": How it made them more productive without sacrificing quality…
Software is getting worse, not better. Where exactly is the quality at speed?
»
buff.ly/o2mzQsE
«
When you browse LinkedIn, you mostly see people drone on about "AI": How it made them more productive without sacrificing quality…
Software is getting worse, not better. Where exactly is the quality at speed?
»
Quality at speed
When you browse LinkedIn, you mostly see people drone on about "AI": How it made them more productive without sacrificing quality. How they fear the pace at which things (tools) are changing and…
buff.ly
February 9, 2026 at 4:23 PM
Quality at speed
buff.ly/o2mzQsE
«
When you browse LinkedIn, you mostly see people drone on about "AI": How it made them more productive without sacrificing quality…
Software is getting worse, not better. Where exactly is the quality at speed?
»
buff.ly/o2mzQsE
«
When you browse LinkedIn, you mostly see people drone on about "AI": How it made them more productive without sacrificing quality…
Software is getting worse, not better. Where exactly is the quality at speed?
»
Reposted by Liam Proven
Many open source maintainers have already advised people how to engage with their projects. There are contribution guides and communication channels in which to engage. The problem is, people have chosen to ignore all of that, and have started behaving like code slinging bots using AI tools.
February 7, 2026 at 7:28 PM
Many open source maintainers have already advised people how to engage with their projects. There are contribution guides and communication channels in which to engage. The problem is, people have chosen to ignore all of that, and have started behaving like code slinging bots using AI tools.
More malware from Google search
buff.ly/RLwcZlt
«1st, distrust everything you see in search engines. Assess what they return critically, particularly anything that’s promoted. It’s promoted for a reason, & that’s money, so before you click on any link ask how that’s trying to make money from you.»
buff.ly/RLwcZlt
«1st, distrust everything you see in search engines. Assess what they return critically, particularly anything that’s promoted. It’s promoted for a reason, & that’s money, so before you click on any link ask how that’s trying to make money from you.»
More malware from Google search
Follow a sponsored result in Google to a page in Medium that provides a Terminal command that you will live to regret. And what is Marek’s disease?
buff.ly
February 9, 2026 at 1:40 PM
More malware from Google search
buff.ly/RLwcZlt
«1st, distrust everything you see in search engines. Assess what they return critically, particularly anything that’s promoted. It’s promoted for a reason, & that’s money, so before you click on any link ask how that’s trying to make money from you.»
buff.ly/RLwcZlt
«1st, distrust everything you see in search engines. Assess what they return critically, particularly anything that’s promoted. It’s promoted for a reason, & that’s money, so before you click on any link ask how that’s trying to make money from you.»
Matrix is quietly becoming the chat layer for governments chasing digital sovereignty
www.theregister.com/2026/02/09/m...
One-to-one and group messaging, encrypted VoIP calls, video conferencing – the open protocol handles them all
<- by me on @theregister.com
www.theregister.com/2026/02/09/m...
One-to-one and group messaging, encrypted VoIP calls, video conferencing – the open protocol handles them all
<- by me on @theregister.com
Matrix messaging gaining ground in government IT
FOSDEM 2026: One-to-one and group messaging, encrypted VoIP calls, video conferencing – the open protocol handles them all
www.theregister.com
February 9, 2026 at 11:39 AM
Matrix is quietly becoming the chat layer for governments chasing digital sovereignty
www.theregister.com/2026/02/09/m...
One-to-one and group messaging, encrypted VoIP calls, video conferencing – the open protocol handles them all
<- by me on @theregister.com
www.theregister.com/2026/02/09/m...
One-to-one and group messaging, encrypted VoIP calls, video conferencing – the open protocol handles them all
<- by me on @theregister.com
Curating a Show on My Ineffable Mother, Ursula K. Le Guin
buff.ly/oISzzCr
I would never have proposed this exhibition in her lifetime. This is, after all, a writer who said in an interview, “Don’t shove me into your damn pigeonhole, where I don’t fit, because I’m all over.”
buff.ly/oISzzCr
I would never have proposed this exhibition in her lifetime. This is, after all, a writer who said in an interview, “Don’t shove me into your damn pigeonhole, where I don’t fit, because I’m all over.”
Curating a Show on My Ineffable Mother, Ursula K. Le Guin
I would never have proposed this exhibition in her lifetime. This is, after all, a writer who said in an interview, “Don’t shove me into your damn pigeonhole, where I don’t fit, because I’m all over.”
buff.ly
February 9, 2026 at 9:53 AM
Curating a Show on My Ineffable Mother, Ursula K. Le Guin
buff.ly/oISzzCr
I would never have proposed this exhibition in her lifetime. This is, after all, a writer who said in an interview, “Don’t shove me into your damn pigeonhole, where I don’t fit, because I’m all over.”
buff.ly/oISzzCr
I would never have proposed this exhibition in her lifetime. This is, after all, a writer who said in an interview, “Don’t shove me into your damn pigeonhole, where I don’t fit, because I’m all over.”
Reposted by Liam Proven
Nobody knows how the whole system works https://lobste.rs/s/jnqnqe ##programming
Nobody knows how the whole system works
One of the surprising (at least to me) consequences of the fall of Twitter is the rise of LinkedIn as a social media site. I saw some interesting posts I wanted to call attention to: First, Simon W…
surfingcomplexity.blog
February 9, 2026 at 5:30 AM
Nobody knows how the whole system works https://lobste.rs/s/jnqnqe ##programming
Reposted by Liam Proven
Columbus introduced sugar cane to the Caribbean and his son opened the first plantation. They were the originators of this brutality.
So many Caribbean people died on these plantations that they eventually had to start bringing in slaves from Africa.
Average lifespan once there was only 7 years.
So many Caribbean people died on these plantations that they eventually had to start bringing in slaves from Africa.
Average lifespan once there was only 7 years.
Mortality rates were so high on sugar plantations during slavery that slaveholders used to coerce enslaved people working other crops like cotton with threats to sell them or their loved ones to sugar plantations.
That’s where the term “sold down the river” came from.
That’s where the term “sold down the river” came from.
February 9, 2026 at 5:11 AM
Columbus introduced sugar cane to the Caribbean and his son opened the first plantation. They were the originators of this brutality.
So many Caribbean people died on these plantations that they eventually had to start bringing in slaves from Africa.
Average lifespan once there was only 7 years.
So many Caribbean people died on these plantations that they eventually had to start bringing in slaves from Africa.
Average lifespan once there was only 7 years.
Last Week on My Mac: Why E cores make Apple silicon fast
Last Week on My Mac: Why E cores make Apple silicon fast
Apple silicon architecture is designed to get background processes out of the way of our apps running in the foreground, by using the E cores.
buff.ly
February 8, 2026 at 4:23 PM
Last Week on My Mac: Why E cores make Apple silicon fast
Reposted by Liam Proven
After webshits wreck everything, apptards come in and make the rubble bounce. UI design has steadily deteriorated since the browser was invented.
The Decline of Usability
buff.ly/cxmoRQ1
«
In which we delve into the world of user interface design.
»
buff.ly/cxmoRQ1
«
In which we delve into the world of user interface design.
»
The Decline of Usability | datagubbe.se
datagubbe.se » the decline of usability
buff.ly
February 7, 2026 at 10:44 PM
After webshits wreck everything, apptards come in and make the rubble bounce. UI design has steadily deteriorated since the browser was invented.
(AI) Slop Terrifies Me
bit.ly/45OFhqQ
What if this is as good as software is ever going to be? What if AI stops getting better and what if people stop caring?
bit.ly/45OFhqQ
What if this is as good as software is ever going to be? What if AI stops getting better and what if people stop caring?
(AI) Slop Terrifies Me – ezhik.jp
What if this is as good as software is ever going to be? What if AI stops getting better and what if people stop caring?
bit.ly
February 8, 2026 at 1:40 PM
(AI) Slop Terrifies Me
bit.ly/45OFhqQ
What if this is as good as software is ever going to be? What if AI stops getting better and what if people stop caring?
bit.ly/45OFhqQ
What if this is as good as software is ever going to be? What if AI stops getting better and what if people stop caring?
Containers, cloud, blockchain, AI – it's all the same old BS, says veteran Red Hatter
www.theregister.com/2026/02/08/w...
After decades in the trenches, this engineer is done with hype cycles
<- by me on @theregister.com
#FOSDEM #CENTOSCONNECT
www.theregister.com/2026/02/08/w...
After decades in the trenches, this engineer is done with hype cycles
<- by me on @theregister.com
#FOSDEM #CENTOSCONNECT
Counting the waves of tech industry BS from blockchain to AI
Opinion: After decades in the trenches, this engineer is done with hype cycles
www.theregister.com
February 8, 2026 at 1:12 PM
Containers, cloud, blockchain, AI – it's all the same old BS, says veteran Red Hatter
www.theregister.com/2026/02/08/w...
After decades in the trenches, this engineer is done with hype cycles
<- by me on @theregister.com
#FOSDEM #CENTOSCONNECT
www.theregister.com/2026/02/08/w...
After decades in the trenches, this engineer is done with hype cycles
<- by me on @theregister.com
#FOSDEM #CENTOSCONNECT
Reposted by Liam Proven
I accidentally saw some news headlines and:
February 8, 2026 at 10:41 AM
I accidentally saw some news headlines and: