Beyond AI Hype: Why Coding Fundamentals Still Matter
🔥 Put the damn LLM down, programming isn’t that hard!
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Welcome to HackerPulse Dispatch! From elevator breakdowns sparking programming revolutions to Redis rolling the dice on open source again, this week’s roundup has it all.
We’re covering real talk on coding with or without AI, Kotlin finally making its way to VS Code, the rocky road of pair programming, and Rust turning 10 in classic Rust fashion.
Here’s what new:
👀 Just Fucking Code.: A no-nonsense reminder that programming still requires real understanding, and why AI can't replace basic technical competence.
🚻 Rust Turns 10: How a Broken Elevator Changed Software Forever: What started as one dev’s frustration with a broken elevator became a global movement to make safer, better software.
🉐 Kotlin Language Server and Plugin for Visual Studio Code: JetBrains has released a pre-alpha Kotlin plugin for Visual Studio Code, offering core language features for JVM Gradle projects with plans for future open-sourcing.
🧦 How Pair Programming Made Me a Better Developer (And Why I Almost Quit After Day 1): Pair programming initially felt frustrating and slow, but ultimately helped the developer improve code quality and collaboration skills.
🎲 Redis Bets Big on an Open Source Return: Redis’ return to an open source license sparks healthy competition with cloud providers, driving innovation and enabling both Redis and its forks to thrive in distinct markets.
Just F**king Code. (🔗 Read Paper)
In a world where everyone with a WordPress admin panel calls themselves an engineer, the bar for real software craftsmanship has sunk so low it’s practically underground.
But if you’re still using your brain and your hands, congratulations, you’ve cleared it. This article isn’t anti-AI, it’s anti-bullshit: the type that confuses prompt engineering with programming, or vibe coding with copy-pasting from ChatGPT.
It’s a brutally honest reminder that code isn’t supposed to be written by machines for people who can’t code. So if you can’t invert a binary tree without Googling, maybe keep your oatmilk latte and rethink your job title.
Key Points
Soft hands, hard truths: Programming is a luxury job with elite pay, not a welfare program for people who break down when the API goes down. If you’re not delivering actual value, you're making life harder for those who are.
Reading code is hell: Most developers write garbage, and AI is just making us read more of it. Reviewing generated slop is not a substitute for understanding, it’s a shortcut to collective mediocrity.
English is the real legacy code: Natural language is a mess; programming languages are simpler. If you think prompting replaces knowing code, you probably failed both 6th grade math and basic HTML.
Rust Turns 10: How a Broken Elevator Changed Software Forever (🔗 Read Paper)
Rust began with one developer’s frustration over a broken elevator, but over the past decade, it's become one of the most admired and technically ambitious programming languages in the world.
Created by Mozilla engineer Graydon Hoare to eliminate memory bugs common in languages like C and C++, Rust aimed to combine performance with safety. The result? A language that helps developers write secure, concurrent systems code with confidence.
From its roots as a side project to its widespread use in major platforms, Rust's evolution has been driven by a passionate, global community. Ten years since its first stable release, Rust has become a critical infrastructure.
Key Points
A safer foundation: Rust introduced a memory-safe alternative to C and C++ through its ownership system, preventing whole classes of bugs at compile time. Its concurrency model also prevents race conditions before code ever runs.
From niche to necessary: Once backed solely by Mozilla, Rust is now used by tech giants like Google, Microsoft, and Meta for building essential systems components. Its ecosystem has exploded, with over 180,000 packages and a stable, fast-moving release cycle.
Learning curve, lasting impact: Despite a steeper learning curve, Rust has earned its place as the most loved language for eight years running. Its growing adoption, including in the Linux kernel, is reshaping how devs think about systems programming.
Kotlin Language Server and Plugin for Visual Studio Code (🔗 Read Paper)
JetBrains has quietly launched a pre-alpha release of official Kotlin support for Visual Studio Code, marking a significant step toward broader tooling for Kotlin developers outside IntelliJ.
The language server is based on IntelliJ IDEA and supports many essential developer features, such as navigation, completion, and refactoring. For now, it only works with JVM-only Kotlin Gradle projects and is best suited for experimentation rather than daily production use.
The current implementation remains partially closed-source, with plans to open-source it after stabilization. JetBrains emphasizes fast iteration, and feedback is welcome, though direct code contributions are currently restricted.
Key Points
A major first step: The pre-alpha release brings Kotlin’s IntelliJ-powered language features into Visual Studio Code for the first time. Although experimental, it already supports syntax highlighting, refactoring, and code completion.
Limitations and platform scope: Only JVM-based Gradle projects are supported out of the box, and stability is not guaranteed. The tool works best on macOS and Linux for now, with manual setup required for other editors.
Path to open source: While the extension code is publicly mirrored, core parts of the language server are temporarily closed-source. JetBrains plans to decouple and open source the implementation once the feature set is more stable.
How Pair Programming Made Me a Better Developer (And Why I Almost Quit After Day 1) (🔗 Read Paper)
In the hustle of software development, collaboration can sometimes feel more like a speed bump than a boost. This was exactly the experience of the author who, after transitioning to pair programming, found the process frustrating and slow at first.
However, what started as a challenge quickly turned into a profound learning opportunity, reshaping their approach to coding and teamwork. Pair programming, which involves two devs working together at a single workstation, not only improved code quality but also fostered deeper communication and shared understanding.
This experience highlights how stepping out of solo coding comfort zones can accelerate professional growth and skill mastery.
Key Points
Initial frustration with pair programming: The author struggled with the slower pace and constant scrutiny of pair programming, nearly quitting after the first day due to the discomfort and challenges it presented.
Unexpected learning and improvement: Over time, the collaborative approach helped the author catch mistakes earlier, refine thinking, and absorb new perspectives, which significantly enhanced their coding abilities.
Long-term benefits for devs: Beyond better code, pair programming strengthened communication skills and teamwork, underscoring its value in both individual and team growth despite the initial hurdles.
Redis Bets Big on an Open Source Return (🔗 Read Paper)
Redis has made a significant shift by releasing Redis 8 under the AGPLv3 license, returning to its open source roots after a complex licensing journey.
This move follows Elastic’s similar licensing change in August 2024 and signals a renewed commitment to open source philosophy.
Redis CEO Rowan Trollope highlights how the licensing change has leveled the playing field with cloud providers like AWS and Google, who now maintain their own forks. This competition is driving innovation, allowing Redis to focus on shipping high-quality features with the original Redis team at the helm.
The shift demonstrates that licensing changes and the resulting forks can benefit devs, companies, and customers alike.
Key Points
Forking sparks innovation: Redis CEO Rowan Trollope states that AWS and Google maintaining their own Redis forks creates healthy competition focused on product excellence. This environment encourages Redis to innovate rapidly, with new features like vector sets emerging from the original development team.
Business growth despite forks: Despite concerns, Redis has experienced record growth since adopting the AGPLv3 license. Trollope explains that the license change stopped cloud providers from profiting off Redis innovations without contributing back, clarifying Redis’s market position.
More choices for devs: The emergence of forks like Valkey offers developers meaningful choices depending on their needs. While Redis positions itself as a real-time AI data platform, Valkey focuses on scalability and performance improvements for cloud use, exemplifying the diversity and flexibility inherent in open source.
🎬 And that's a wrap. Stay tuned for the latest in tech!