v8

To begin , came across this, which I liked: https://archrometects.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/assignment-01-conceptual-architecture-of-google-chrome-archrometects.pdf 

Python Global interpreter lock !

http://www.dabeaz.com/python/UnderstandingGIL.pdf for reference. Amazed. I was falsely under the impression that my python pthreads were speeding things up :S 

Coding challenges

http://eudyptula-challenge.org/ Some hello-world like challenges for linux kernel
http://cryptopals.com/ similar challenges for cryptography

Garbage Collection Design Pattern

http://www.informit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=30309&seqNum=6 

Eller's Maze Algorithm

http://www.neocomputer.org/projects/eller.html

Log processing

https://engineering.linkedin.com/distributed-systems/log-what-every-software-engineer-should-know-about-real-time-datas-unifying

On Software Architecture

Going to make a list of common software architecture patterns, and how does one go about choosing one over another. Here are a few links about this: I think some of these things are overlapping e.g. one can create a layered model using an event driven model for parts of the layer.

http://techbeacon.com/top-5-software-architecture-patterns-how-make-right-choice, where they are listing the models as

1. Layered/n-tier model
2. Event driven model
3. Microkernel/Plug-in Architecture
4. Microservices Architecture
5. Space based architecture/Cloud Architecture

Also came across this interesting book about software architecture paradigms. I believe this would be very useful when it comes to understanding and designing software systems 

https://manohars.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/97-things-every-software-architect-should-know.pdf

How big is the Linux Kernel

http://superuser.com/questions/370586/how-can-a-linux-kernel-be-so-small



Early Linux distributions such as Tom's Root-Boot, MuLinux, Diet-router, (the now defunct) LOAFand many others now departed, all fitted a working Linux system on to one or two 1.44 MB diskettes.

The Linux kernel has grown but don't forget it is modular, kernel modules are loaded as needed. Thus it is still possible to produce a Linux distribution with a very small footprint.
See: Kernel Size Tuning Guide - eLinux.org

If you read Linux_tiny.pdf you will see this
historic 0.99pl15 kernel: Slackware 1.1.2, 1994 301K
Fedora Core 2 1.2M
SuSE 9.1 1.5M
2.6.5-tiny1 test config: IDE, ext2, TCP, NIC 363K

Variation to a theme: Subtraction

Found this pretty cool. Making a note:
http://mathmisery.com/wp/2016/02/21/subtraction-a-variation-on-a-theme/

Thoughts on async programming and Coroutines vs Generators vs Continuations

Here is my understanding of these related ideas.

Here is a model for async programming , where the + is the event loop. I think that one could use such kind of diagrams to model a async call model e.g. as one finds in Javascript, or as one constructs using libevent.



On a slightly different topic about continuations, co-routines, generators and functions, i look upon them as the following. This is still work in progress and I will update as my understanding improves. Something to begin with as a note:



Following is a quick note about how generators exist in python:
Generators in Python:

I have worked with generators in the context of RtmpLite

Generators are used to write non-blocking I/O in synchronous style without all the nesting etc that comes with asynchronous programming.  (ref: http://calculist.org/blog/2011/12/14/why-coroutines-wont-work-on-the-web/) . As shown below, the sleep(1000) will invoke a timer on the event loop and the control will yield back to the caller. Eventually, when the timer event triggers it will be added to the event queue and be executed starting off from where it left.

1 2 3 4 5

Task(function() { console.log('wait... ' + new Date); yield sleep(1000); console.log('ok... ' + new Date); }).run();

Software Systems engineering; old vs new

Liked this discussion. Making a note : https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11099925

Reverse Turing Test

Anyone aware of a reverse Turing test ? I.e. how to prove that one is a machine -- please let me know.

Btw, on the topic here is a funny paper i came across: https://www.msu.edu/~pennock5/courses/ALife/Striegel_Failed_Turing_test.pdf


(also follow up on this game: http://www.engadget.com/2015/04/28/spyparty-new-characters-indie-aa/)