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Don Syme

@dsyme.bsky.social

1.2K followers 160 following 450 posts

GitHub Next. Visiting Professor Kings College London. https://dsyme.net https://linktr.ee/dsyme

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Don Syme @dsyme.bsky.social · Aug 28

dsyme.net/2025/08/27/o...

On Natural Language Programming

I recently found myself arguing with the ghost of Edsger Dijkstra on LinkedIn. This is not a comfortable position for a computer scientist to find themself in. More specifically, I was triggered by…

Don Syme @dsyme.bsky.social · 1d

Ha fantastic!

Reposted by Don Syme

Jo Van Eyck @jovaneyck.bsky.social · 1d

Great idea!
Not serena-related, but I've been working on opening up my fsi.exe sessions over mcp and it has been very fun programming this way: github.com/jovaneyck/fs...

GitHub - jovaneyck/fsi-mcp-server: A wrapper around F# interactive (fsi) that exposes an MCP server endpoint for AI agents allowing for fsi IO.

A wrapper around F# interactive (fsi) that exposes an MCP server endpoint for AI agents allowing for fsi IO. - jovaneyck/fsi-mcp-server

Don Syme @dsyme.bsky.social · 1d

F# folk - I've started a PR to add F# support to the Serena MCP server, that effectively allows the use of the F# language server from coding agents.

github.com/oraios/seren...

Please be welcome to contribute to get this over the line.

cc @chethusk.bsky.social

Thanks
Don

Add F# support using FsAutoComplete LSP by dsyme · Pull Request #662 · oraios/serena

This adds F# support by the usual path, using the standard F# LSP Using Serena with F# Projects This guide demonstrates how to use Serena's tools with F# projects through both the MCP protocol...

Don Syme @dsyme.bsky.social · 4d

Thanks, so pleasant to have an actual rational conversation about this.

Am also Australian, long term immigrant to UK. Also feel that access to social protection should adjust over time. A rising gradient of responsibility and protection.

Don Syme @dsyme.bsky.social · 4d

UBI is a Faragist wet dream

It's not Universal Basic Income. It's National Basic Income. Nationalists will love it.

More details here: bsky.app/profile/dsym...

Don Syme @dsyme.bsky.social · 5d

Universal Basic Income is a foolish thing for those opposed to MAGA/Reform to be pushing. Let me explain why.

Take one moment to imagine UBI in the hands of Farage. Instantly he would transform it to "UBI for UK Citizens only" or "UBI for Britain!". UBI is ready-made for nativist cooption

#UBI

Don Syme @dsyme.bsky.social · 4d

Fletcher, since you're the only guy on Bluesky I could find who seems to be rational about UBI (and not "blithely amplifying" like you say), I'll drop you a link to my analysis here, which is well intentioned. Focusing on the trouble with "Universal" not the economic.

bsky.app/profile/dsym...

Don Syme @dsyme.bsky.social · 5d

Universal Basic Income is a foolish thing for those opposed to MAGA/Reform to be pushing. Let me explain why.

Take one moment to imagine UBI in the hands of Farage. Instantly he would transform it to "UBI for UK Citizens only" or "UBI for Britain!". UBI is ready-made for nativist cooption

#UBI

Don Syme @dsyme.bsky.social · 5d

Rather than replacing or naively augmenting the nuanced social care mechanisms we have with fantasy schemes, we should be celebrating them, explaining them and building solidarity for them.

Because social democracy is a truly wonderful thing.

Don Syme @dsyme.bsky.social · 5d

This means UBI is only cohesive in a world with **very strong boundaries**.

Guess who likes very strong boundaries?

UBI is a Faragist-aligned policy. It's a policy set up for overly simplistic national rigidity, a world of recipients and non recipients. Of Them and Us. Perfect for cooption

Don Syme @dsyme.bsky.social · 5d

Other forms of multi-dimensional, nuanced social support (housing, health, pension, child support,... ) navigate this boundary, making it blurry. Visitors get emergency care, but not operations etc.

But UBI *demands* an extremely rigid qualifying boundary. You get it. Or you don't.

Don Syme @dsyme.bsky.social · 5d

If you push UBI, you need an answer for this. Unless you really mean Universal, which you don't. You don't really mean Universal Basic Income. You mean National Basic Income.

And there needs to be a simple boundary, because it's meant to be simple right?

Don Syme @dsyme.bsky.social · 5d

This is fundamental to UBI. Ask yourself the basic question - what's the boundary of the "universal" here? Who qualifies? The citizen? The resident? The new arrival on 5yr visa? The student? The child? The accompanying family? The person in the country 80 days? 10 days? Who qualifies?

Don Syme @dsyme.bsky.social · 5d

Universal Basic Income is a foolish thing for those opposed to MAGA/Reform to be pushing. Let me explain why.

Take one moment to imagine UBI in the hands of Farage. Instantly he would transform it to "UBI for UK Citizens only" or "UBI for Britain!". UBI is ready-made for nativist cooption

#UBI

Don Syme @dsyme.bsky.social · 6d

Yes but if you argue against UBI, with cohesive arguments that it's aligned with a rigid, Faragist view of the national boundary - you get blocked.

It's a fantasy policy.

Don Syme @dsyme.bsky.social · 6d

Unlike other forms of multi-dimensional, nuanced social support. UBI requires and encourages a nation with a single, extremely rigid qualifying boundary. You get UBI, or you don't.

The policy is 100% aligned with very strong national boundaries. A Faragist nation.

Don Syme @dsyme.bsky.social · 6d

Unlike other forms of multi-dimensional, nuanced social support, you have no possibility of a clear boundary of the universal without extremely rigid qualifying boundary.

The policy is only cohesive in a world with very strong boundaries. A Faragist world. It's a policy set up for rigidity.

Don Syme @dsyme.bsky.social · 6d

The inability of us leftists to think even one move ahead in the game astounds me.

What's your "universal" here? The citizen? The new immigrant on 5yr visa? The student visa? The asylum seeker? The accompanying family? Where exactly is the boundary of the universal fantasy?

Don Syme @dsyme.bsky.social · 6d

UBI is one of the most stupid policies ever imagined by us ever-more-daft leftists.

Take one moment to imagine UBI in the hands of Farage. Instantly he would transform it to "UBI for UK Citizens only" or "UBI for Native British only"

A recipie of nativist cooption. Obvs. 100% stupid.

Reposted by Don Syme

Indivisible ❌👑 @indivisible.org · 6d

When elected leaders, corporations, and other institutions yield to fascism without a fight, we’re there to demand courage and hold them accountable. Our events, organizing, and historic days of action are vital to this movement, and your support makes it all possible. Please pitch in if you can.

Donate to Indivisible Action - Unlimited

Show your support with a contribution.

secure.actblue.com

Don Syme @dsyme.bsky.social · 6d

It's utterly dispicable. Imagine this law in Farage's hands.

Don Syme @dsyme.bsky.social · 27d

Repression is hardly the answer, that's ridiculous. What are we?

We should just do as the Polish centrist coalition did and reclaim the flags abd symbols of our nations, use them everywhere. Give no space for the right to coopt the symbols of the nation. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🇬🇧🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Don Syme @dsyme.bsky.social · 27d

The rise of the racists is primarily the fault of the racists. We must never lose sight of that.

The OG article is very good and makes this clear, even while very delicately skewering Starmer's attempts at triangulating to the right.

Don Syme @dsyme.bsky.social · 29d

Remember, the hypocrisy is the whole point.

For Reform, for MAGA, for Tommy Robinson's mob - the hypocrisy is deliberate and serves a purpose. Again and again, it's very predictable.

Don't let them divide our nations, our cities, our regions, our continents, our world.

bsky.app/profile/dsym...

Don Syme @dsyme.bsky.social · Sep 6

As you watch Reform UK in action, please remember everything they do serves one purpose - to divide the world, and the UK, into an "us" and a "them".

All they care about is that their "us" wins power. Their "us" can be corrupt, violent, criminal, lying - they don't care - as long as their tribe win

Reposted by Don Syme

Gerald Butts @gmbutts.bsky.social · Nov 17

Sure it happens before 4pm, but nice sunset. #London

Don Syme @dsyme.bsky.social · Sep 8

Yes, and robust political institutions, electoral systems, education, media rules etc. are a part of a depth defence of liberalism.

But the primary responsibility and blame for each particular aggrieved, divisive, manipulative, lying political leader is with themselves.

Don Syme @dsyme.bsky.social · Sep 8

This is, of course, why Farage is not held accountable for Brexit. Because someone else is to blame for that catastrophe too 🤷

George Monbiot has sadly fallen for Farage's oldest mind trick. Now Farage is not even to blame for his own actions and ideology. Someone else is to blame for that too.