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The best problem-solving writing in software engineering — databases, performance, security, frontend and distributed systems, in one feed.

11,839 articles
Networking — How the 2026 World Cup affected Internet traffic

How the 2026 World Cup affected Internet traffic

We analyzed global HTTP traffic to explore how kickoff times, streaming habits, and hydration breaks reshaped online activity worldwide. From late-night traffic surges to halftime browsing spikes, here is how the world connected during the global tournament.

SFSabina, Francisco ContentSabina, Francisco Content·July 21, 2026Networking
Engineering — Quick Hit #160

Quick Hit #160

Firefox 153 improves interoperability for muted and :muted, popover=hint, ::-webkit-scrollbar, and elements nested inside <select> elements.

DSDaniel SchwarzDaniel Schwarz·July 21, 2026Engineering
Frontend — Chat SDK brings agents to your users

Chat SDK brings agents to your users

Chat SDK is a unified TypeScript library for building chat bots that work across Slack, Discord, Teams, and more from a single codebase. Write once, deploy everywhere.

VVercel·July 18, 2026Frontend
Frontend — When It Makes Sense To “Block” The Main Thread — Smashing Magazine

When It Makes Sense To “Block” The Main Thread — Smashing Magazine

The common rule of thumb is to never “block” the browser’s main thread when running JavaScript tasks. But is this a hard rule? Victor Ayomipo describes a use case he encountered involving a screenshot extension where he made an exception to the rule and decided that blocking the main thread was absolutely the right thing to do.

VAVictor AyomipoVictor Ayomipo·July 17, 2026Frontend
AI & ML — The Archaeologist’s Copilot

The Archaeologist’s Copilot

This article explains the approach I used to modernize a Java 1.5 codebase that no longer built reliably on modern machines. My early use of LLMs gave me plausible answers that did not hold up in the codebase. Progress came when I grounded the process in evidence, using AI to support analysis, validation in a stable Docker environment, and gradual refactoring protected by tests. The main takeaway

NMNik Malykhin·July 16, 2026AI & ML
Performance — The Orchestrator's Tax

The Orchestrator's Tax

Subagents get justified by time saved and parallel execution, but that's not what matters most in long-running multi-agent work. Every token in the orchestrator's context is competing for its attention, and the real value of a subagent is what it keeps out of that context, not how fast it runs. I argue that subagents should be treated as a tool for protecting the orchestrator's working memory, off

RGRahul Garg·July 16, 2026Performance