I'm working on a serious embedded app written in C, and Opus has been invaluable to me. I don't consider myself a C developer, but by carefully reviewing the changes and making lots of my own contributions, I'm finding that I've progressed from junior to intermediate C comprehension. A lot of the idioms are still fuzzy, but I no longer find it intimidating. That's wonderful, because learning C has been something I'd put off for 40 years and microcontrollers were the thing that forced my hand.
I think that there's a real rift between people who use LLMs to rough out large swathes of functionality vs people who took the "vibe coding" brain fart way, way too literally. I'm kind of horrified that there are people out there who attempt to one-shot multiple copies of the same app in different instances and then pick the best one without ever looking at the code because "vibe coding". That was always supposed to be a silly stupid thing you try once, like drinking Tide pods or whatever the kids do for fun... not something people should be debating a year later.
But I have written C in the past, it was almost 20 years ago, and everything seemed to work fine, until the memory leaks.
Of course today I would ask the AI, why is my program leaking memory. I think you have a point, AI would be sort of like having a mentor help you find bad practices in your C code.
You've inspired me to maybe try my hand at Rust, something I've been wanting to do since I heard of it.
I am genuinely baffled by the notion that experienced developers have a moral obligation to mentor junior developers in additional to their actual job-related tasks.
They do not. Mentoring is rewarding work, but it is work.
I also find it objectionable that if you're simply not interested in mentoring, you're a jerk. Some people just aren't good at it, some people are genuinely swamped with existing responsibilities, and some people might just want to focus on their goals... and that's fine. There is no but.
Some folks <gasp> just don't like other people that much, and prefer working alone. Also fine, and kudos for being self-aware enough to not inflict yourself on people who probably wouldn't enjoy your oversight either. This should be celebrated as a communications success.
All of which brings me to the truth: if a company wants to mentor junior developers - and there are many, many excellent reasons to develop talent long-term - then they should make sure that they have suitably experienced people who have opted-in to mentorship, and make sure that their success metrics and remuneration reflect the fact that a significant portion of their time is acknowledged to be dedicated to mentorship. Otherwise, you're describing a recipe for legitimate resentment.
Likewise, if you're a junior developer desperate for mentorship... I understand that your instinct is to take any offer that will have you. But if you're able to have an honest conversation with the recruiter about what kind of mentorship culture exists in a company, you might be saving everyone a lot of pain and frustration.
One thing I haven't seen in the comments so far is any comment about the knobs and sliders. The young kids I know take perverse delight in pulling off knobs and throwing them. Make sure that they are glued down!
Can someone offer an explanation of why this is popular? I don't mean this in a crass way, I'm actually genuinely baffled to see geeks lining up for a Costco-like experience to get stuff that you can easily get online without needing to get into a car.
For me, big box stores just mean markups + staff that know less than most tech reviewers on YouTube. All in an introvert's nightmare. What's the upside?
Ironically the reason why it's popular is that it's got many items that otherwise you can only get online, which is also the reason why you find it useless since you prefer the online experience.
Speaking as an Australian, to me it would be a dream to be able to drive to a place like that and getting those things in store as opposed to ordering online then waiting days or sometimes weeks for delivery.
There is also the factor of being able to see the item in person, and perhaps hold it in your hands, might not be very relevant for something like RAM sticks, but it certainly is for something like a gaming controller for example.
If only you could actually hold things in your hands, though. To me, bringing a shrink-wrapped box to a checkout is like buying food at a grocery store to drive to a food bank, when you could just give them cash.
At least record stores let you listen to an album on headphones before you buy it.
Still, I appreciate your perspective. Different strokes for different folks.
There's loads of things at Microcenter you CAN hold in your hand though, plenty of keyboards, mice, game controllers out on display you can handle and see what you think. Their 3d printer section usually has all the printers running and printing something so you can see the speed and judge how noisy it is. Same with their computer cases, out on display so you get a feel for how big it is or how easy it is to get to the drive cages for example.
There's a lot of products there you can inspect in a way that online just doesn't do.
I bought a 3D printer from my Denver Microcenter a few weeks ago. It's not available on Amazon, and only ships from China (it's a BambuLab H2D). It gives peace of mind that if something goes wrong I can just return it locally rather than deal with shipping a 50 pound printer back to China. Same goes for a MinisForum NAS I bought a few months ago. Plus, whenever I need a one-off USB cable, thumb drive, or printer filament, it's a 15 minute drive.
Also: they're always packed on the weekends. There is definitely demand for a brick and mortar store that focuses on tech/geek hobbies.
Here in Canada, the BambuLab stuff seems to ship from local-ish warehouses... but I get it. Tariffs might also be a factor in this.
Amazon is a reprehensible company that I absolutely order from 3-4 times a week. That 15 minute drive requires a 15 minute drive back, plus a car + insurance + gas. It's 8:59pm local as I type this. If I need a thumb drive, I can order one that will be here by noon tomorrow with free shipping.
TL;DR that hour of your time plus driving surely cancels out any potential savings.
I guess it's good to have options, and late stage capitalism is happy to give them to us.
H2D looks like an amazing printer. I have a P1P and it's great for my needs, but the Bambu stuff is just on a different level from the others I've tried.
The upside is that if you need a particular thing, you can go buy it immediately, not only that you can actually see the product and potential try to a degree before buying it.
For me, its seeing cases in person and being able to see how they compare for size rather than trying to estimate online.
As someone in Australia where we have pretty poor computer electronics stores for PC parts, this place is like heaven on earth.
To you its an introverts nightmare, but clearly for many geeks its not who are lining up.
I generally think of myself as immune to impulse/window shopping, but if I walked by a Fractal North case for the first time, I would prove myself wrong.
Microcenter has a pretty good reputation for having knowledgeable enough staff. Plus, discovery tends to be a lot better in a curated brick and mortar than online. And sometimes you just want to see and buy cool stuff that you didn't know you wanted.
Except (?) that it's not like you can do more than look at shrink-wrapped boxes.
Even record stores generally let you play albums on a private turntable before you buy them.
It's just so weird to me that someone looking to buy a significant component for their desktop machine or whatever wouldn't do loads of research first. Buying a GPU, for example, during window shopping seems almost unhinged. But everyone's experience is different, and that's a good thing.
Not a great comparison, record stores sell exactly that, just records and each record uses the same player to play. They're not going to let you unwrap a $2000 graphics card, but they might let you touch a mouse you're looking to buy. There are clear differences here where not everything at these stores is just their shrink wrapped boxes, but are often on display, its all all black and white.
There's nothing stopping people from doing all of their Youtube research then walking into their Microcenter and buying it in person.
Its not like PC gamers who often use online stores have just forgotten to do any prior research when buying in store as opposed to online. So yeah I would do loads of research, then I'd go instore and buy it and look at what else they have on offer.
The Cambridge, MA location still has an aisle of keyboards and mice outside of their packaging. It's very nice to be able to hold and feel those peripherals as part of the shopping experience.
Interestingly, the items I was looking for (NAS boxes) were actually cheaper at MicroCenter than anywhere else. And I could get them same day with a generous return policy.
> I'm actually genuinely baffled to see geeks lining up for a Costco-like experience to get stuff that you can easily get online without needing to get into a car.
"Why go to a fine restaurant when you can just stick something in the microwave? Why go to the park and fly a kite when you can just pop a pill?" - Kramer, Seinfeld
A big box electronics store is not a fine restaurant or a park. It's just a less-efficient way to purchase identical shrink-wrapped boxes that you should probably research extensively online before buying.
Not everything needs to be completely efficient, experienced through a computer or mobile phone screen, nor does it need to be "researched extensively". Some people prefer the option of a tactile, in-person, sometimes social experience of browsing physical objects.
If you want to build a full pc, they will walk you through every component. They will optimize a build around your budget as well. i’ve had employees hand me replacements in my carts that were both better and cheaper that I overlooked. There is a bunch of overlooked value from businesses like MicroCenter that the younger generation has never even experienced.
Has nothing to do with whether it's art or a shrink-wrapped product, different people value different things. As an example, a vehicle may be an engineering wonder or a work of art to one person and a "silly mass-produced hunk of steel" to another.
And yes, I am romanticizing in-person experiences and interactions over the insistence that more and more things in life are best experienced through a phone or computer.
Isn't it wild that traditional bricks and mortar retail is now considered - not just "dystopian" - but "wildly dystopian" and perusing Amazon while on the toilet is now considered not dystopian? How times have changed!
I have never "established a friendship" while shopping, at least not that I can recall. But I have gone to a store with a friend as a social activity to browse for goods together. Pretty common experience from what I have seen.
Online shopping of fashion items can never replace the experience of physical shopping, especially with friends. Geeks are no different... shopping can be a delightful experience if you are up for it. Part of which might be the thrill of discovering things you are not searching for.
I appreciate the analogy but respectfully I don't think it holds up 1:1.
Love or hate window shopping, the nature of shopping for fashion lends itself far more to in-person evaluation. Every item is slightly different, and so is every person wearing them. This is why you can try on clothes in the store!
Crate digging for vinyl is similar. There's a real joy of discovery, and turntables with headphones for auditioning purchases.
I have a hard time picturing the same dynamic with identical shrink-wrapped boxes.
I wouldn't usually have responded, but "treating a question as an attack or criticism" is a particular bugbear of mine. We can't grow, learn, or understand one another if questions are by-default treated with hostility or defensiveness.
The difference is what while you're waiting to get your tracking number, I've already driven down the road and come back with the item I could've bought online, that I also purchased based on reviews and Youtube videos I watched the night before.
My point is to highlight for the original commenter that whilst buying online is incredibly useful, has more variety and in some a number of cases is cheaper due to being able to shop around. Having a central store like a Micro center has enormous value, there's not many of them around.
For me in Australia, I certainly cannot order something at 9pm and have it at my doorstep in the morning. Nor do we have any places like Microcenter with such variety. Genuinely if I wanted to go into a store to check the size of a particular PC case, I can't do that because there aren't any around and I live in a state capital city.
For a lot of items I’ve looked into, Newegg and Microcenter had comparable prices. Several small items were cheaper at microcenter, presumably because Newegg marked up the prices for low cost items to cover the free shipping.
I was specifically replying to the implication that driving to a big box store was indicative of a life better lived than someone arranging for a home delivery the next day with a total time commitment of under two minutes.
I'd rather be driving. I have a cool car. I love throwing it around the corner. I like it's premium sound system. I can see mountains and sea from where I live. I could even bike to the store. I'm fortunate to live near a micro center at biking distance. That would objectively be a life lived even better than sitting at home. At the store I can interact with a real human. I can experience new and interesting tech hands on. I can pick up fresh ingredients on my way back that I could make Greek salad with. There's honestly so many ways to make a trip to the store worthwhile.
But seriously, online shipping takes longer than driving over to the store and picking the thing up. It's not just being impatient, but sometimes eg your headphones break but you have an important meeting coming up soon.
The other one is,
Amazon, especially, the pictures lie about the object's size after shipping. Especially for. a TVs. Sure you can use a measuring tape, but some people really do just want to see it in person to get a proper feel for how big something is.
Then there's laptops to try out how the keyboard does.
I'm feeling some real hurt seeing this announcement.
I bought the Affinity v1 apps, buying into the vision for a no-BS forever app.
I was surprised to see a v2 app show up a year after I bought into v1 with what I remember was something like a 25% discount. But this was going to be the new forever app, and I understand wanting to get things right on a second pass.
Reading about how v2 will no longer get updates just makes me see red.
Except that their messaging was very much that this was a product designed by people who believed that you should buy something once and that you should be able to use it for a long, long time. Lots of new content and features in the pipeline. The safe harbor from subscription model bloodsuckers we should support with our dollars on principle.
Remember Windows 10 was once marketed as the last Windows? I do.
The real harm here is that every time there's a rug pull, our trust evaporates just a little further while our memories get a little bit longer.
Well this puts them on my blacklist. And I am an educator in precisely the artschool they would profit off catering to.
I refuse to teach my student tools that change the contract once you bought into them.
Adobe is on that list too.
The only major non-open source software that isn't is anything by Black Magic or Steam, both companies that have found healthy sustainable business models and jave acted reliable towards creaters and the open source community they relied on in their humbe beginnings.
I think that there's a real rift between people who use LLMs to rough out large swathes of functionality vs people who took the "vibe coding" brain fart way, way too literally. I'm kind of horrified that there are people out there who attempt to one-shot multiple copies of the same app in different instances and then pick the best one without ever looking at the code because "vibe coding". That was always supposed to be a silly stupid thing you try once, like drinking Tide pods or whatever the kids do for fun... not something people should be debating a year later.
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