Vlad-Stefan Harbuz
@vlad.website
→ https://vlad.website
Researcher working on software & philosophy that contributes to the public good, in Edinburgh.
❄ Building @opensourcepledge.com, endowment.dev
❄ Philosophy PhD researcher: ethics & epistemology of Open Source
❄ Love cats + birds
Researcher working on software & philosophy that contributes to the public good, in Edinburgh.
❄ Building @opensourcepledge.com, endowment.dev
❄ Philosophy PhD researcher: ethics & epistemology of Open Source
❄ Love cats + birds
Reposted by Vlad-Stefan Harbuz
A Dark-eyed Junco (slate-colored subspecies) on a snowy day. The amount of brown points to this bird being a female hatch-year bird. I wonder what she thinks of her first winter?
February 10, 2026 at 11:52 PM
A Dark-eyed Junco (slate-colored subspecies) on a snowy day. The amount of brown points to this bird being a female hatch-year bird. I wonder what she thinks of her first winter?
“Sovereignty is not about where a company is headquartered or where software was originally written. It is about who ultimately controls the technology.
The right question to ask about any technology: can someone take the software away from me?”
The right question to ask about any technology: can someone take the software away from me?”
The Software Sovereignty Scale
Digital sovereignty depends less on where software comes from and more on who controls it. This post introduces a scale showing which technologies can never be taken away.
dri.es
February 10, 2026 at 8:55 PM
“Sovereignty is not about where a company is headquartered or where software was originally written. It is about who ultimately controls the technology.
The right question to ask about any technology: can someone take the software away from me?”
The right question to ask about any technology: can someone take the software away from me?”
Reposted by Vlad-Stefan Harbuz
Are there any Pokémon people on here who can 1. Give me tips on acquiring non-scalped trading cards and or 2 suggest a cool gift idea for a teen Pokémon lover that isn’t the new legos — kid went on a tear making fun of the two that are in my birthday budget. Thanks!
February 7, 2026 at 1:32 PM
Are there any Pokémon people on here who can 1. Give me tips on acquiring non-scalped trading cards and or 2 suggest a cool gift idea for a teen Pokémon lover that isn’t the new legos — kid went on a tear making fun of the two that are in my birthday budget. Thanks!
Huge thanks to @andrewnez.bsky.social and @sethmlarson.dev for their help 🙏
February 7, 2026 at 12:13 AM
Huge thanks to @andrewnez.bsky.social and @sethmlarson.dev for their help 🙏
We need better tools for uncovering phantom binary dependencies. Not having these tools makes our global tech infrastructure less secure, and puts a strain on the Open Source maintainers we rely on.
I collected some resources on this topic in this new post.
I collected some resources on this topic in this new post.
Binary Dependencies: Identifying the Hidden Packages We All Depend On
Download the mp4 video. Or watch on YouTube On 31 Jan 2026, I gave a talk at FOSDEM 2026 on phantom binary dependencies — packages that we depend on in binary form, even though these dependency relati...
vlad.website
February 7, 2026 at 12:12 AM
We need better tools for uncovering phantom binary dependencies. Not having these tools makes our global tech infrastructure less secure, and puts a strain on the Open Source maintainers we rely on.
I collected some resources on this topic in this new post.
I collected some resources on this topic in this new post.
Reposted by Vlad-Stefan Harbuz
Scotland has passed a law that all new buildings must install ‘swift bricks’ which are hollowed out bricks to help nesting swifts and other endangered birds! Swifts are especially endangered because so many chimneys now have chimney caps. Swifts return to the same nesting spot year after year.
February 6, 2026 at 3:01 AM
Scotland has passed a law that all new buildings must install ‘swift bricks’ which are hollowed out bricks to help nesting swifts and other endangered birds! Swifts are especially endangered because so many chimneys now have chimney caps. Swifts return to the same nesting spot year after year.
Here's my FOSDEM 2026 talk about phantom binary dependencies 👻 — software packages we depend on without realising it, which leads to security and sustainability issues.
Binary Dependencies: Identifying the Hidden Packages We All Depend On · Vlad-Stefan Harbuz
YouTube video by Vlad-Stefan Harbuz
www.youtube.com
February 4, 2026 at 6:04 PM
Here's my FOSDEM 2026 talk about phantom binary dependencies 👻 — software packages we depend on without realising it, which leads to security and sustainability issues.
Reposted by Vlad-Stefan Harbuz
I can officially confirm that the snow in NC is roughly one (1) corgi deep
January 31, 2026 at 9:46 PM
I can officially confirm that the snow in NC is roughly one (1) corgi deep
I recommend reading the paper to get the full context
arxiv.org
February 3, 2026 at 10:32 AM
I recommend reading the paper to get the full context
Anthropic, makers of Claude, have published a report saying that “AI use impairs conceptual understanding, code reading, and debugging abilities, without delivering significant efficiency gains on average”; for Claude Code specifically, they expect even “more pronounced” impacts on learning
How AI assistance impacts the formation of coding skills
Anthropic is an AI safety and research company that's working to build reliable, interpretable, and steerable AI systems.
www.anthropic.com
February 3, 2026 at 10:30 AM
Anthropic, makers of Claude, have published a report saying that “AI use impairs conceptual understanding, code reading, and debugging abilities, without delivering significant efficiency gains on average”; for Claude Code specifically, they expect even “more pronounced” impacts on learning
Reposted by Vlad-Stefan Harbuz
A Black-capped Chickadee showcasing winter fashion by donning a snowflake accessory.
January 31, 2026 at 11:12 PM
A Black-capped Chickadee showcasing winter fashion by donning a snowflake accessory.
Reposted by Vlad-Stefan Harbuz
This is something really special, from one of my favorite science communicators, but also one of my favorite cultural commentators. Do yourself a favor and set aside some time to watch it. Your dishwasher will thank you.
February 2, 2026 at 7:31 AM
This is something really special, from one of my favorite science communicators, but also one of my favorite cultural commentators. Do yourself a favor and set aside some time to watch it. Your dishwasher will thank you.
Reposted by Vlad-Stefan Harbuz
You are being misled about renewable energy technology.
YouTube video by Technology Connections
www.youtube.com
January 30, 2026 at 5:27 PM
good luck @patak.dev, I admire your commitment to these projects and I hope everything goes well :) hope I can contribute too when I get home
February 1, 2026 at 8:57 PM
good luck @patak.dev, I admire your commitment to these projects and I hope everything goes well :) hope I can contribute too when I get home
it was a great talk 😊 let me know if you ever want to grab lunch in Edinburgh
January 31, 2026 at 6:27 PM
it was a great talk 😊 let me know if you ever want to grab lunch in Edinburgh
Reposted by Vlad-Stefan Harbuz
Now listening to @vlad.website talk about 👻 phantom dependencies in the context of funding initiatives like @opensourcepledge.com
#FOSDEM
#FOSDEM
January 31, 2026 at 12:23 PM
Now listening to @vlad.website talk about 👻 phantom dependencies in the context of funding initiatives like @opensourcepledge.com
#FOSDEM
#FOSDEM
Reposted by Vlad-Stefan Harbuz
"Luchs speaks five languages: English, French, Italian, and some German and Russian. She approached grasping Gen Z parlance like she was learning another language.
...An Instagram commenter wrote: 'She’s so natural with it too like it’s not even cringe.'"
...An Instagram commenter wrote: 'She’s so natural with it too like it’s not even cringe.'"
Alison Luchs, who has worked at the National Gallery of Art for 47 years, agreed to learn Gen Z slang and make videos because she wanted to raise interest in the museum’s art.
She never expected to slay. https://wapo.st/45BXc3S
She never expected to slay. https://wapo.st/45BXc3S
January 30, 2026 at 5:14 AM
"Luchs speaks five languages: English, French, Italian, and some German and Russian. She approached grasping Gen Z parlance like she was learning another language.
...An Instagram commenter wrote: 'She’s so natural with it too like it’s not even cringe.'"
...An Instagram commenter wrote: 'She’s so natural with it too like it’s not even cringe.'"
“A package’s value isn’t primarily its implementation code. Anyone can rewrite curl in a weekend. They can’t rewrite years of bug reports, arguments in issue threads that eventually settled on the right behavior. That knowledge is spread across the package’s history…no [AI] prompt captures it.”
Follow me way too far down the rabbit hole of what a “prompt registry” might end up looking like and why it won’t solve anything.
nesbitt.io/2026/01/30/w...
nesbitt.io/2026/01/30/w...
Will AI Make Package Managers Redundant?
Following the prompt registry idea to its logical conclusion.
nesbitt.io
January 30, 2026 at 12:06 PM
“A package’s value isn’t primarily its implementation code. Anyone can rewrite curl in a weekend. They can’t rewrite years of bug reports, arguments in issue threads that eventually settled on the right behavior. That knowledge is spread across the package’s history…no [AI] prompt captures it.”
Come to my FOSDEM talk on Saturday to hear a terrifying tale about _phantom dependencies_! 👻
FOSDEM 2026 - Binary Dependencies: Identifying the Hidden Packages We All Depend On
fosdem.org
January 29, 2026 at 7:07 PM
Come to my FOSDEM talk on Saturday to hear a terrifying tale about _phantom dependencies_! 👻
Reposted by Vlad-Stefan Harbuz
Welcome aboard! 👏 We are now up over $3M ARR from Pledge members to OSS maintainers. 💪💃
January 29, 2026 at 6:48 PM
Welcome aboard! 👏 We are now up over $3M ARR from Pledge members to OSS maintainers. 💪💃
Reposted by Vlad-Stefan Harbuz
I didn’t realise just how US centric all of package management was until I made these tables 😅
The Dependency Layer in Digital Sovereignty: nesbitt.io/2026/01/28/t...
The Dependency Layer in Digital Sovereignty: nesbitt.io/2026/01/28/t...
The Dependency Layer in Digital Sovereignty
Where package management fits in the digital sovereignty discussion.
nesbitt.io
January 28, 2026 at 1:17 PM
I didn’t realise just how US centric all of package management was until I made these tables 😅
The Dependency Layer in Digital Sovereignty: nesbitt.io/2026/01/28/t...
The Dependency Layer in Digital Sovereignty: nesbitt.io/2026/01/28/t...
Reposted by Vlad-Stefan Harbuz
The C-Shaped Hole in Package Management: nesbitt.io/2026/01/27/t...
The C-Shaped Hole in Package Management
System package managers and language package managers are solving different problems that happen to overlap in the middle.
nesbitt.io
January 27, 2026 at 11:04 AM
The C-Shaped Hole in Package Management: nesbitt.io/2026/01/27/t...
Reposted by Vlad-Stefan Harbuz
Can you help me make a list of people/orgs working on problems that cause burnout in OSS to share at FOSDEM?
Looking for work on: OSS advocacy, OSS value metrics, payment and governance models, dependencies research, community events/spaces, mentor schemes, codes of conduct, AI attestation & more!
Looking for work on: OSS advocacy, OSS value metrics, payment and governance models, dependencies research, community events/spaces, mentor schemes, codes of conduct, AI attestation & more!
January 25, 2026 at 8:10 PM
Can you help me make a list of people/orgs working on problems that cause burnout in OSS to share at FOSDEM?
Looking for work on: OSS advocacy, OSS value metrics, payment and governance models, dependencies research, community events/spaces, mentor schemes, codes of conduct, AI attestation & more!
Looking for work on: OSS advocacy, OSS value metrics, payment and governance models, dependencies research, community events/spaces, mentor schemes, codes of conduct, AI attestation & more!