Welcome to ISSUE #39 of the Overflow! This newsletter is by developers, for developers, written and curated by the Stack Overflow team and Cassidy Williams at Netlify. It’s a big, round milestone, so we’re celebrating the way we always do: giving you the scoop on future robo-coders, getting names for lonely lists, and marking the moment when Moment.js stopped updating.
From the blog
Neural networks could help computers code themselves: Do we still need human coders? stackoverflow.blog The next big revolution in coding practice might be closer than we think, and it involves helping computers to code themselves. By utilizing natural language processing and neural networks, some researchers think that within a few years we can remove humans entirely from the coding process. If you work as a coder, you’ll be glad to hear that they are wrong.
Podcast 269: What tech is like in “Rest of World” stackoverflow.blog Lending apps that include public shaming and clerics who must certify your code before you can launch. This week we share stories of software from around the globe.
Twilio CodeExchange promotion The CodeExchange is a community-powered library of customizable Twilio code samples. Search for your use case and language, pick a sample, and use the tools and instructions provided to stand up a prototype in minutes.
Interesting questions
Should I only let my TV connect to the guest WiFi? security.stackexchange.com Securing your TV is easy. Finding the remote, not so much
What term describes a list of exactly length 1? softwareengineering.stackexchange.com Even the shortest list is still a list.
Why linear regression assumptions don’t matter in machine learning? stats.stackexchange.com “In machine learning, we often don’t care about how we get the answer.”
Can you use repeating numbers like $\pi$, and $e$, as the Key to OTP ciphers? crypto.stackexchange.com If you are looking for a number to base your password on, don’t pick the most famous one.
Links from around the web
How CSS Perspective Works css-tricks.com The fact that you can manipulate perspective in CSS is incredible. If you want to understand the ins and outs, here’s a great article on how it all works from the ground up.
Read Me: Magazine readymag.com Reading on the web is something that we all do. You’re doing it right now! This is a unique essay with lots of detail on crafting readable text, achieving engaging text layouts, and the evolution of type on the web.
Blue/Green Node.js Deploys with NGINX dev.to A blue/green deployment is a way to achieve zero-downtime deployments by spinning up a new server, and then routing traffic to it before retiring the old server. Here’s an in-depth article about how one developer accomplished that with Nginx and Node!
Project Status momentjs.com Moment.js is “done” now. This is a huge deal for anyone who has messed with dates and JavaScript in the past, as Moment was one of the biggest libraries out there to work with them (and has been around since 2011, which is ancient in terms of web frameworks). Here’s the announcement, and an explanation of why it won’t be continuing.