Changelog News
The promise of hackable software
Feb 5, 2024
Geoffrey Litt on the underrated potential of browser extensions, Adolfo Ochagavía on the tension between generalists and specialists in the tech industry. Terence Eden tries to rebuild FourSquare for ActivityPub using OpenStreetMap. Sebastien Dubois teaches us how to connect ideas together using knowledge graphs and tools like obsidian.
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Quick takeaways
- Browser extensions provide deep control over computer usage, allowing users to modify apps creatively.
- Being a generalist software engineer maximizes impact and minimizes risk, but presenting oneself as a specialist initially establishes trust with clients.
Deep dives
Browser extensions as underrated hackable software
Jeffrey Litt argues that browser extensions are a rare exception among major software platforms that allow users to modify apps creatively. Unlike smartphone or desktop platforms, browser extensions provide deep control over computer usage. Tim Berners-Lee, the creator of the World Wide Web, envisioned the web as a platform for easy sharing and learning. Openness and hackability emerged naturally in the web platform. Jeffrey highlights the importance of not taking hackability for granted and discusses his work on malleable software powered by AI for end user programmability.
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