Ben

Expected top uses of claude code :
Writing boiler plate, checking specs, code gen.

Actual top uses of claude code :
Build scripts, fixing messy git repos, deal with virtual environments and containers.

It's actually removing the stuff that's just in the way of me writing code...

I got carried away when I finally got to play with Cpp corotines.
I built a Web framework from kqueue upwards.
Claude code helped with the typing, but mostly it seemed to attempt to use mutexs and synchronous code everywhere.
AI makes life easier but it doesn't remove thought.

Tis been quite the off couple of weeks, but Stargate sg1 is back on Netflix, so things are looking up😁

Using Librdkafka in @ziglang has been completely doable, but it's causing me enough issues that I want a cleaner lib...
Time to build a zig native kafka sdk.
Will open source when I get the last few APIs implementation (queues)

The fact that the new EU Digital Operational Resilience Act (#DORA)
Semantically overlaps with Devops Research and Assessment (#DORA) metrics is going to cause a lot of AI driven confusion.
The naming doesn't help😅

I know databricks has revenue, but their current funding drive is kinda crazy. I wonder who they are buying up next....

AI can do so many things, but it's ability to do ascii art on command line tools can not be under stated

I'm starting to use claude code differently as I run into the same issues again and again. The biggest one is file size bloat... It's totally fixable by hand but The AI can't deal with 6k lines of code...

I'm calling it a Smithers loop, as I'm giving it a different context each time we loop

Writing a sql query engine is a compiler. Except the language is mostly pre-defined, the users are mostly other tools and everyone thinks it's a solved problem (use postgres)

Today's challenge :
Teach an AI how to use kcache grind.
So far my AI Dev tools can use dtrace, valgrind and perf. But we need to go deeper....
Performance is one of the few ways to reduce TCO cleanly so performance is everyone's problem.

There's a new dresden files book.
It's one of those: "am I still reading it because it's good, or because I'm invested".
I enjoyed the earlier books at the time as a fun ride through a magical power fantasy, but on reflection I do wonder a bit.
Still bought it, but this is the last auto buy

I've been writing a database from scratch over the last few months with claude code and it's definitely an experience.

The most telling thing is that it really doesn't know anything you don't tell it.

It's a good faster keyboard but it's even remotely good at stuff with lots of moving parts

An enduring CS memory: a uni computer lab, ~2007.
I was failing at printf and realising how weird it is.
Nearby, students a year ahead were learning Java. I overhear: “wait… that’s printf.”
Turns out one of them had implemented ALL of printf in Java—rather than just learning how println works...

Claude code makes CMake only the worst thing in my day once a week rather than every day I work on a Cpp project.

It's weird what software tests can and can't catch. Especially with AI.

Unit coverage always feels like a vanity metric, as compilers and types should do most of that for you.

When it comes to feature level testing, you can end up catching all kinds of odd behaviour with randomised inputs

I'm all in on UV for this reason

Is this a test? It sounds like a test?

Real-Time Data & Apache Flink® — NYC Meetup, Thu, Jan 15, 2026, 6:00 PM | Meetup Join Ververica and open-source practitioners in New York for a casual, technical evening dedicated to real-time data processing and Apache Flink®. This meetup is designed

Meet up link :

www.meetup.com/new-york-apa...

First trip of the new year! I'm in #NYC for the week, talking data, AI and all things distributed!
We're also hosting a meetup (link in next post) on Thursday so please come and say hello, or message for a coffee!

The new year started out on a deep freeze and then getting sick.
It's been very un fun.

GitHub - Ugbot/flink-clj: A clojure dev kit for apache flink A clojure dev kit for apache flink. Contribute to Ugbot/flink-clj development by creating an account on GitHub.

Had some fun this month making #clojure work with you apache flink:
github.com/Ugbot/flink-...

90% of my performance issues are contention. Faster algos do Exsist but they are rarely as hard to implement, or as obviously a good fix.
Most optimisation journeys are just pushing until you reach the next piece of contention

I'm in the wierd space of evaluating the costs of mutexs vs CAS.
Most of my time is spent removing mutexs, with CAS being the replacement. But you really shouldn't have too many spin locks...
Currently working back through my assumptions of what and where to be fast....

Personal productivity says no

The main reason I actively hate c++ is dispite all the issues with it, there's no limit to perf you can get out of it.
Even with the horrible ergonomics, the foot guns, the bonkers approach of the committee and the bazantye over engineering everyone seems to commit to, you can go so fast.

LinkedIn Pulse

With uber publishing cool ideas around moving to flink and IBM playing catchup by scooping up confluent, here's my take : www.linkedin.com/pulse/being-...

With the CFPs for current london and bengaluru running, wondering what to submit:
Would ppl prefer to hear about AI & memory, consensus and replication, performance and compute, apache Fluss and data lakes, a how to on common usecases, or something entirely different?

A drawing of the Enterprise E from behind, with a pinky/purpley space backdrop including a large planet just poking into frame from above. Text says: "Much like the Federation, I too have lofty ideals and no money."

Yeay... oomed my macbook again...
Seriously need to upgrade at some point 😅

Some plane rides later, I'm working with our partners @factorhouse.io in #melbourne!
Time to talk about Streaming data and drink good coffee!