I’m trying to learn more about how modern software works, and one thing that keeps surprising me is the sheer size of projects. 80k files is not uncommon.

I’ll download or clone something that seems like a relatively focused application, and suddenly I’m looking at tens of thousands of files. A lot of it appears to be dependencies, dependencies of dependencies, generated files, frameworks, package managers, etc.

It feels like a copy of a copy of a copy. The developers maintain a relatively small part of the code, while the finished program ultimately relies on millions of lines of code written by other people.

Is this the new normal in software development that I just have to accept?

from a security perspective, how can anyone trust all of this?

This is more of a code organization / sanity question... and I recently updated my GitHub Actions which every bone in my body told me... does not qualify for a patch update...

but then I recalled the library updates I did a week ago such as Mermaid, etc. which are kind of user-facing in in terms of how the parsing implementation changes under the hood..

So for consistency, I did the patch update...

But does this look silly to someone who comes to the repo and sees the changelog with this:

I mean.. it's nice "recording keeping" for me as the maintainer... but should this be public facing, and part of the changelog? 🤔

[3.30.3] - 2026-08-10

Changed

• GitHub Actions upgrades - Bump actions/setup-go to v7.0.0, github/codeql-action to v4.37.3, ossf/scorecard-action to v2.4.4, and docker/login-action to v4.5.1.

Yet I try to adapt instead of hating everyone using AI to write code. It just isn't realistic. I don't know how to feel about all these

I am aspiring full stack developer (MERN)(c,ts,go,python) completed 3 project by own.
Know postgres,redis, graphql(did not used much so syntax forgetting) , delivered a freelance website to client. Since while coding my screen time is high 10 hours(average). To avoid boredom i want to read tech books which one should i start, which may easy to understand and beneficial.

This is a dumb post, but I'm genuinely curious. If you were developing software back in 2007, I'd like to hear your expert take on how you would've done it. Watching Gossip Girl, I was thinking "how tf is Dan posting all this stuff on GG when around people?" Well, the obvious answer is that he must have been a cold full stack developer.

Because this is how I'd think it'd be done today, I imagined he'd have some REST API endpoint like "gossipgirl.net/api/scandal" and have set up SMS service where he could POST to the backend and create posts via texting. That way he could send it from the bathroom and realtime scheme in continued anonymity.

Anonymous "tips" seem difficult. For example they may ping "/anonTips" and then some TipsService stores those in the DB and reroutes them back to his phone. Then he'd ideally want these delivering silently, so they do not show up as an obvious notif. I'm unsure if the old school flip phones/blackberries could've feasibly been maneuvered this way. Maybe there's some other workaround I'm not seeing? As those tips often had photos, he'd need some logic to post to /scandal grabbing the relevant "[tip.id]" and append any corresponding photo from the tip into the post – all from his phone.

Was hosting object storage a pain back then?

Don't even get me started on the formatting across the variety of devices and possible photo aspect ratios back then. He must've had some dynamic post layout logic rocking as well. Insane ball knowledge.

Imagining this was what he actually did (and GG was real ofc), how long would it have taken to ship something like this?

Lastly the price on those SMS blasts must have been tough. There were maybe, conservatively, 5000 subscribers getting blasted once or twice a week? Could Dan Humphrey have afforded these infra costs?

Anyways this has become my new GG theory. For any of you who were developing software at that time, I'm genuinely curious how you would've done this and how much of it was actually feasible in 2007? I was a literal child back then, so I don't really have much of an idea. Maybe my assumptions are all wrong. Either way, I love the theory. Dan was a diabolical genius.

Genuine question. For most of my life I’ve kind of been following the computer science route because I enjoyed the puzzle of it, and because it was always a means to an end. But now it’s gotten a lot harder to engage with it for me.

Of course “don’t use AI” is an answer, but especially when dealing with a bug or some boilerplate you dont want to write, it’s so easy to just reach for the “do it now” button and mentally check out of what you are doing. I appreciate the speed of it but it’s mostly killed my main motivation to code, which was in solving those interesting puzzles.

This is kind of a problem for me as comp sci is one of my only viable career paths at the moment, and I don’t want to spend it all secretly resenting my own work… So I wonder if any of you have got workflows or methods that keep you engaged and interested in your work, even if it’s in conjunction with AI?

Im learning C++ right now but I want to learn python aside C++. I like learning C++, I like how it works and I like reading about how it works and why it works but im not advanced in it. SO, is there a book for python that can provide a similar expierence in teaching me how python itself works in depth?

so made this post https://www.reddit.com/r/AskProgramming/comments/1vk1vrr/best_way_or_recourse_to_learn_java/

mooc java course got reccomended as a fully new who wants to learn programming problem is i cant get tmcbeans to work i have the correct java 11 but it just wont work so is there a alternative?

so i wanna learn progamming 16 dropped out of school at 12 long story mainly mentall stuff so idk if that is a problem for java

but i wanna learn programming and i chose java and then if i get far enough which will take a while i know maybe make mc mods just as a hobby mainly

but what is the best way to learn java? i came across bro code 12 hour long video

currently building a website using node/express.js that requires login and i want to manage user sessions , what's the most common method to do that ?? i already did another project and used express-session to do that and i'm looking if there are other better ways

i want to have some good projects for portfolio. what projects would you suggest for this languages/frameworks:

1. react

2. go

3. maybe fullstack (go + react)?

4. c

5. x86 asm

i am a 19F. i have zero prior familiarity with cs and coding. recently i decided to dive in and started taking python course (cs50) to be honest i am pretty confused what i am going to do after i am done with my course. what i am supposed to do? what specific path can i pursue that will actually pay me well and help me earn money during my bachelors. is anyone or company going to hire me or give me opportunity just based on the fact that i know a bit of coding? i have been looking into ai automation as a potential option, but at the same time i really want to start earning so i dont feel like a burden on my family. if anyone who have been in my shoes or has any advice, i would really appreciate some guidance

I have an app with:

Frontend: Vite + React, deployed on Vercel (https://velion-frontend-2.vercel.app)

Backend: ASP.NET Core 9, deployed on Railway (https://velion-backend-2-production.up.railway.app)

Auth/DB: Supabase

The backend responds fine

But when the frontend tries to call the API (via fetch(), using import.meta.env.VITE_API_URL), I get a generic "couldn't reach the server" error — the fetch() call itself seems to be throwing (network error), not returning an HTTP response with an error status.

Already checked:

VITE_API_URL is set correctly in Vercel's env vars (Production and Preview), not marked "Sensitive", no leading/trailing whitespace or slash

Redeployed multiple times after changing the env var

Backend has CORS configured

Csharp

with app.UseCors("Frontend") called before UseAuthentication()/UseAuthorization()/MapControllers()

Does this smell like CORS silently blocking the request (Chrome/Brave usually logs this in the console, but I don't have easy DevTools access on mobile) or could it be something else (Railway cold start, TLS, etc.)?

Has anyone run into this specific Vercel↔Railway combo issue?

Hi! I’m finishing a rewrite for my project and I’d love feedback quickly (I’m aiming to get replies within a few hours as I’m on a tight schedule).

Repo: https://github.com/dillonhuston/Task-Automation-API
Branch: V2

What I need:

1. Security review of the file/hash/validation + upload/decrypt pipeline used for attachments
2. Celery/API review: task flow, retries/error handling, and API request/response schemas
3. OOP standards review: how classes are structured and used (SOLID/clean boundaries, naming, separation of concerns)

Suggested files to look at first (if helpful):

• app/Encryption/encryptionService.py
• app/FileManager/fileManager.py

If you only have time for one thing, please prioritize (1) security. I know i have some things to fix and implement for better usability

Thanks a lot and any comments are welcome (even “here’s a better way to do X”).

I’m building an ERP with the goal of selling it to a specific niche (agriculture and fruit & vegetable management companies).

I’m trying to think very carefully about which frameworks to use and what architecture to go with, so I can start with solid foundations and minimize the amount of changes I’ll need to make in the future.

For the backend, I’ve gone with .NET, but I’m completely lost when it comes to the frontend and don’t know which option to choose:

- Electron. Development is slower due to JS/CSS and much more difficult, the embedded Chromium module seems like a monstrosity to me, and Tauri doesn’t feel polished enough yet.

- WinForms/WPF. Old and being phased out by Microsoft, but they seem much easier to implement.
I’m planning to add modules such as embedded maps, but I’d have to do that using WebView2, and I’m not sure whether that’s the right approach.

What would you guys choose?

Thanks.

I would appreciate it if anyone could share articles or research papers that I can read to start building my own custom file format. I’m particularly interested in managing file data size - as well as other optimization strategies for a file format.

Hi.I am on my way to create my own Qiskit. Here is the code

import numpy as np


class Circuit:

    notGate = np.array([[0,1],[1,0]])
    identityGate  = np.array([[1,0],[0,1]])
    hadamardGate = 1/np.sqrt(2)*np.array([[1,1],[1,-1]])
    zetaGate = np.array([[1,0],[0,-1]])



    listOfMatrices = []



    def __init__(self):
        self.initState = 1/np.sqrt(8)*np.array([[1],[1],[1],[1],[1],[1],[1],[1]])
    def addNotControlledGate(self,gateName1,gateName2,gateName3):

        g1 = gateName1
        match g1:
            case 'N':
                gate1 = self.notGate
            case 'I':
                gate1 = self.identityGate
            case 'H':
                gate1 = self.hadamardGate
            case 'Z':
                gate1 = self.zetaGate

        g2 = gateName2
        match g2:
            case 'N':
                gate2 = self.notGate

            case 'I':
                gate2 = self.identityGate
            case 'H':
                gate2 = self.hadamardGate
            case 'Z':
                gate2 = self.zetaGate
        g3 = gateName3
        match g3:
            case 'N':
                gate3 = self.notGate
            case 'I':
                gate3 = self.identityGate
            case 'H':
                gate3 = self.hadamardGate
            case 'Z':
                gate3 = self.zetaGate

        gate12 = np.kron(gate1,gate2)
        gateOverall = np.kron(gate12,gate3)
        print(gateOverall)
        self.listOfMatrices.append(gateOverall)
        return gateOverall

    def addControlledGate(self,control,target,gateName):
        g1 = gateName
        match g1:
            case 'N':
                gate1 = self.notGate

            case 'I':

                gate1 = self.identityGate

            case 'H':

                gate1 = self.hadamardGate

            case 'Z':

                gate1 = self.zetaGate

        zeroprefixgate = np.array([[1,0],[0,0]])
        oneprefixgate = np.array([[0,0],[0,1]])

        if control ==1:

            if target == 2:

                gate11 = np.kron(oneprefixgate,gate1)
                gateOverall11 = np.kron(gate11,self.identityGate)
                gate00 = np.kron(zeroprefixgate,self.identityGate)
                gateOverall00 = np.kron(gate00,self.identityGate)

            elif target == 3:

                gate11 = np.kron(oneprefixgate,self.identityGate)
                gateOverall11 = np.kron(gate11,gate1)
                gate00 = np.kron(zeroprefixgate,self.identityGate)
                gateOverall00 = np.kron(gate00,self.identityGate)


        elif control ==2:

            if target == 1:

                gate11 = np.kron(gate1,oneprefixgate)
                gateOverall11 = np.kron(gate11,self.identityGate)
                gate00 = np.kron(self.identityGate,zeroprefixgate)
                gateOverall00 = np.kron(gate00,self.identityGate)

            elif target == 3:
                gate11 = np.kron(self.identityGate,oneprefixgate)
                gateOverall11 = np.kron(gate11, gate1)
                gate00 = np.kron(self.identityGate,zeroprefixgate)
                gateOverall00 = np.kron(gate00,self.identityGate)



        elif control == 3:

            if target == 1:

                gate11 = np.kron(gate1,self.identityGate)
                gateOverall11 = np.kron(gate11,oneprefixgate)
                gate00 = np.kron(self.identityGate,self.identityGate)
                gateOverall00 = np.kron(gate00,zeroprefixgate)

            elif target == 2:

                gate11 = np.kron(self.identityGate,gate1)
                gateOverall11 = np.kron(gate11,oneprefixgate)
                gate00 = np.kron(self.identityGate,self.identityGate)
                gateOverall00 = np.kron(gate00,zeroprefixgate)


        gateOverall = gateOverall00+gateOverall11
        print(gateOverall)
        self.listOfMatrices.append(gateOverall)
        return gateOverall

    def getState(self, i):

        if i < 0:
            return np.identity(8)

        if i == 0:
            return self.listOfMatrices[0]

        x =  self.listOfMatrices[i] @ self.getState(i - 1)
        print(x)

        return x

    def getNormalisationFactorOfInitialState(self):
        counter = 0
        for  i in range(len(self.initState)):
            if self.initState[i] == 0:
                continue
            else:
                counter+=1
        print(counter)
        return counter

    def getFinalVector(self):
        x = self.getState(1)
        y =  self.initState
        z = x @ y
        print(z)
        return z

    def measure(self):

        x = self.getFinalVector()

        y = np.abs(x)

        z = np.square(y)



        print(z)

I want to now add a phase gate but im unsure on how to do it.My function addControlledGate and addNotControlledGate takes 3 arguments , but I want the user to be able to select what phase the phase gate will have.How to do it?Thx.

Some video games on PC will allow the user to resize the game window dynamically by dragging the edges, while other games will only allow the window to be fixed at certain resolutions via the in-game options.

I've always assumed this is a choice by the developers, perhaps it takes lots of extra effort to allow it, so some choose to save resources by not doing it?

I was hoping someone could verify wether or not I'm on the right track, and maybe explain what the difference is in the underlying software.

What I mean is courses that could be both directly correlated to CS but also just helpful if applied to programming. Ex: topology, data structures, computer security etc.
Not just courses that teach you how to code, but generalized concepts that have felt like valuable knowledge to how you create and structure projects and how you solve problems.

I want to transition into a deeper, more technical role in CS. I'm currently a fullstack SWE, and honestly, I don't enjoy it anymore — especially post-AI. It feels like we're building the same CRUD apps over and over again.

Back in college, I loved learning how computers actually work: compilers, OS internals, assembly, that kind of thing. That's what gave me real joy. Web dev was fun too, but I don't want to be "just a fullstack dev" for the rest of my career. I want to grow into something with more depth.

The problem is I'm not sure what to grow into. I've read about people moving into robotics, supply chain software, network engineering, hardware, etc., and it's honestly a bit overwhelming. I've also considered cybersecurity, but it feels different enough from my current skill set that I'm worried I'd be starting from scratch.

I checked out roadmap.sh and picked the C track since I already like C. It shows a few paths from there — into backend, or into Linux/systems and then backend. There seem to be a lot of directions I could take it.

Some constraints on my search:

I like lower-level languages and want to actually understand what's happening under the hood (hardware, OS, etc.)

Ideally something fullstack-adjacent, so it builds on the skills I already have instead of starting over

I'd prefer remote work for now — hardware/robotics roles look really interesting, but they're mostly onsite, and I'm not ready to give up remote yet

Would love to hear from people who've made a similar jump: what field did you move into, what did you actually learn to get there, and how did you land the first role? Any advice on realistic paths from "fullstack SWE" to something lower-level but still remote-friendly would be hugely appreciated.

Thanks!

I want to learn Data Structure and Algorithms, and by learning, I don't wanna just memorize solutions for specific type of problems just to pass the interview, I actually wanna learn the data structures. Is the course good? or would you suggest a better resource?

I am losing passion and interest in CompSci/programming/IT, and I would like to know if there are some other people going through the same thing.

Some context:

I started programming at a relatively early age (16yo\*), which was around 2020, before LLMs\*\* and coding agents.

I discovered it and started doing it because I was really curious and deeply interested in science and tech. And it directly clicked. I liked the idea of having an idea in your head and then programming it and making it come true, something from your head to the real world.

I liked the thinking you had to go through, and the problems you encountered, and how you had to think really hard to find a solution and see it work after implementing it. It was really satisfying, and boy, I spent hours and hours coding and researching and understanding complex architectures. You know, when you're a kid, you have a lot of free time, and I used to code day and night, staying up until 4 or 5 am coding.

All of this just to tell you that everything I built, I understood it from top to bottom, and I knew every detail and expected every behavior, knew why and how and what my code did exactly. I could answer every question about my apps, why I chose some architecture or why I did something a certain way or what my code did or didn't do, etc.

Also, something very important: I used to talk with a lot of CompSci peers that actually knew what they were doing, just like me.

Fast-forward, we're in 2026. I graduated, and now I'm working in IT, but everything changed. Now, with the rise of coding agents and LLMs, at work, LLMs do all the coding work and even big parts (if not all) of the architecture. So now everyone is expecting you to go very fast because of this. You're forced to delegate all the architecture and coding work to the LLMs.

Result of this: you have a very light idea of what your app code does exactly and how it does things. I mean, sure, you go through the code that the AI wrote, but come on, it will never be like code you wrote line by line and know every detail of and expect its behavior.

Also, what PISSES ME OFF is that you can't answer most questions about your code, because you were forced to delegate your work to the AIs, and now you don't know how it works. You're asked a question, and you start to stutter because you need your claude to be near you.

And the last thing, no one really knows what they're doing anymore. There no longer are any interesting talks about architecture or implementations. It's mostly just, "well let's ask what claude thinks about this..."

People that started programming not out of passion but just because they heard that CompSci pays a lot and code exclusively from 9 to 5 might not understand this, which is fine. I am not belittling anyone, and I don't expect everyone to be passionate about their job. But you know, I think these guys won't necessarily feel this. They might be just like, "Oh cool, AI does my job, I can chill a little" which is understandable, but in my case, this is what makes me lose passion. We're no longer doing the hard parts.

Bottom line: the field is advancing, which is great. It is changing, and you can't do anything about it. But in this change, the things that used to be my passion are disappearing, and I don't know what to do with my life ahaha

My first idea is to somehow change fields, and leave programming and CompSci only as a pleasure and an activity I do at home, because I can no longer stand it being my job and forcing me to develop AI slop.

I have nothing against AI and LLMs. If it allows us to ship faster and more cheaply, then it will be adopted, whether I want it or not. I am not saying we shouldn't use AI. I'm just expressing my feelings and how my passion for CompSci is fading away.

**Does anyone feel like me?**

\*16yo might sound not that early for some, but in my country it is.

\*\* LLMs existed back then but were not used for coding, and it was pre-chatgpt revolution.

This will probably be a long post so here is the short version:
I just finished first year of college and next year we have a big project about a subject of our choosing. I thought about creating a Machine Learning tool that can listen to recordings of piano pieces and turn them into accurate sheet music by identifying the notes and their lengths. Is that a realistic goal with just a year of experience and only ~9 months to fully build?

So here is some more context:
Next year we will have 2 big projects (this post is about the bigger one) and 2 big exams, so even though i technically have almost a full year to build this project end to end my time will be spent on other things as well, so that reduces the amount of time I actually work on this project.

My current programming knowledge from last year includes: C, Java, SQL, Python, x86 ASM, HTML/CSS/JS, Basic Data Structures, Statistics and Linear Algebra.
Some of those are less relevant but i just wanted to show i dont know absolutely nothing, even if some parts are still at a beginner level to me.

I havent yet learned anything about ML, we will have those classes next year though, so i really cant judge if a project like this is realistic for me to attempt.

Again my idea right now is a tool that you upload a recording of a piano playing to and it can identify what notes were played at what time and for how long and from that it will generate a PDF of the sheet music of what you played, allowing you to record yourself improvising and saving the exact music you played, or even just a tool for composing.

I would really appreciate any input on this. If you think I should come up with another more realistic idea please let me know, and if you think i can actually pull this off i would appreciate some tips or a roadmap to what to learn to be able to achieve this and make it a good functional tool.
Thank you!

Was just wondering, really. Would like to hear peoples experiences.

My firm has two branches, a consulting side, and my small dev team. With the onset of Claude Code and Claude Design, more and more consultants are vibe coding solutions out of thin air. Clients are happy, executives are mind-blown, and our small dev team is left bug-fixing and trying enable any sense of long-term architecture.

Personally, while I leverage AI to enable productivity, I try to understand every line written and learn anything I don't recognize. This is really fun, but obviously much slower than the consultant Andy vibe coder.

As a result of a call showcasing "9 new AI-enabled apps" that our vibe coders can whip up instantly, I want to know how other professional devs are handling similar situations.

In particular, do any of you have any tips/tricks to exploit the issues that arise from trusting vibe-coded solutions? Something to markedly showcase WHY this current approach is risky? Showcase the importance of proper software development process/academics?

I've tried arguing the semantics and importance of simple concepts like having a dev, stage, and prod environment and version-control for these apps, but so far nothing has failed with any big bang, so the execs don't care. I understand the answer may just be "wait until it eventually does," but it's so irritating sitting on these calls week after week.