Unix

simple is not small

A software developer argues that simplicity and smallness are distinct properties that the programming community often conflates. Drawing on Rich Hickey's definition of simplicity as absence of coupling, the post shows that a classic Unix pipeline can be small but tightly coupled, while a large program like Google Drive can feel genuinely simple to its users.

Blog post · Software Design · Complexity · Unix · Clojure

Why pipes sometimes get "stuck": bufferingOriginal article link with an AI-written directory summary

Why output can appear to stop when programs are connected through a pipe. Julia Evans explains buffering behavior and shows how understanding the programs on either side helps diagnose delayed output.

Guide · Command Line · Unix