Software Unscripted Securing Evolving Software with Noah Hall
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Sep 20, 2025 Noah Hall, a programming language creator and technical leader at Norway's largest news company, shares insights on the evolution of software. He discusses the benefits of moving from complex platforms like WordPress to simple HTML for increased security and lower maintenance. Noah dives into the trade-offs between building custom solutions and using frameworks, highlighting performance vs. security risks with examples like Spectre. He also examines the impact of generative AI on software development, balancing accessibility with governance needs.
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Replacing WordPress With Static Pages
- Noah rewrote a charity's hacked WordPress site into static HTML/CSS without JavaScript to reduce complexity and security risk.
- He completed the replacement quickly because the site only needed infrequent updates.
Framework Bloat Raises Risk And Complexity
- Many projects pick feature-rich frameworks like WordPress even when the needs are simple, increasing complexity and attack surface.
- Excess functionality forces extra infrastructure: databases, PHP runtimes, and plugin maintenance.
Choose Goals Before Building Frameworks
- If your goal is to produce content, optimize for the easiest way to create that content rather than building reusable frameworks.
- Only build a generic engine when you truly want the engine itself as the project.