David Majda
@majda.cz
Software engineer and engineering manager with a passion for programming languages, web technologies, software craftsmanship, and sustainability.
https://majda.cz
https://majda.cz
Last week, a speaker at the Prague Rust meetup created his slides using presenterm. It looks like a nice tool! I especially like how the terminal format constrains visual decisions, yet the result still looks great.
I think I’ll use it for my next technical talk.
mfontanini.github.io/presenterm/
I think I’ll use it for my next technical talk.
mfontanini.github.io/presenterm/
Introduction - presenterm documentation
mfontanini.github.io
November 5, 2025 at 9:06 AM
Last week, a speaker at the Prague Rust meetup created his slides using presenterm. It looks like a nice tool! I especially like how the terminal format constrains visual decisions, yet the result still looks great.
I think I’ll use it for my next technical talk.
mfontanini.github.io/presenterm/
I think I’ll use it for my next technical talk.
mfontanini.github.io/presenterm/
Reposted by David Majda
Politics isn't manipulation and backstabbing. It's understanding how decisions actually get made and learning to navigate that reality.
Refusing to engage doesn't make politics go away. It just means you lose by default.
terriblesoftware.org/2025/10/01/s...
Refusing to engage doesn't make politics go away. It just means you lose by default.
terriblesoftware.org/2025/10/01/s...
Stop Avoiding Politics
Most engineers think workplace politics is dirty. They’re wrong. Refusing to play politics doesn’t make you noble; it makes you ineffective.
terriblesoftware.org
October 1, 2025 at 5:35 PM
Politics isn't manipulation and backstabbing. It's understanding how decisions actually get made and learning to navigate that reality.
Refusing to engage doesn't make politics go away. It just means you lose by default.
terriblesoftware.org/2025/10/01/s...
Refusing to engage doesn't make politics go away. It just means you lose by default.
terriblesoftware.org/2025/10/01/s...
“What happens when something we enjoy doing that took effort becomes effortless? And what happens if that original effort was a foundation on which we saw value in ourselves?”
I have exactly the same feelings regarding AI writing code as the author of this post.
weakty.com/posts/efforts/
I have exactly the same feelings regarding AI writing code as the author of this post.
weakty.com/posts/efforts/
Our efforts, in part, define us
weakty.com
October 1, 2025 at 10:18 AM
“What happens when something we enjoy doing that took effort becomes effortless? And what happens if that original effort was a foundation on which we saw value in ourselves?”
I have exactly the same feelings regarding AI writing code as the author of this post.
weakty.com/posts/efforts/
I have exactly the same feelings regarding AI writing code as the author of this post.
weakty.com/posts/efforts/
This is currently #2 on Hacker News and is worth reading in my opinion:
mathstodon.xyz/@tao/1152599...
mathstodon.xyz/@tao/1152599...
Terence Tao (@[email protected])
Some loosely organized thoughts on the current Zeitgeist. They were inspired by the response to my recent meta-project mentioned in my previous post https://mathstodon.xyz/@tao/115254145226514817, wh...
mathstodon.xyz
September 24, 2025 at 6:24 PM
This is currently #2 on Hacker News and is worth reading in my opinion:
mathstodon.xyz/@tao/1152599...
mathstodon.xyz/@tao/1152599...
My recent talk sparked some discussion (both online and offline) on when to use Rust, especially on the backend. My take in mini-🧵 below.
September 19, 2025 at 9:44 AM
My recent talk sparked some discussion (both online and offline) on when to use Rust, especially on the backend. My take in mini-🧵 below.
Včerejší přednáška o Rustu se mi myslím docela povedla, kompletní slajdy zde:
speakerdeck.com/dmajda/rust-...
speakerdeck.com/dmajda/rust-...
Rust for Python People
You’ve probably heard about Rust — a modern take on a systems programming language. Today, we’ll explore it from the perspective of a Python developer. …
speakerdeck.com
September 18, 2025 at 12:30 PM
Včerejší přednáška o Rustu se mi myslím docela povedla, kompletní slajdy zde:
speakerdeck.com/dmajda/rust-...
speakerdeck.com/dmajda/rust-...
Připomínám svou zítřejší přednášku o Rustu na Pražském Pyvu. A přidávám malou ochutnávku ze slajdů. #python #rust
pyvo.cz/praha-pyvo/2...
pyvo.cz/praha-pyvo/2...
September 16, 2025 at 12:44 PM
Připomínám svou zítřejší přednášku o Rustu na Pražském Pyvu. A přidávám malou ochutnávku ze slajdů. #python #rust
pyvo.cz/praha-pyvo/2...
pyvo.cz/praha-pyvo/2...
Ve středu 17. září budu na Pražském Pyvu povídat o Rustu z pohledu Python vývojáře. Pokud vás zajímá, co vám Rust může nabídnout, jak se v něm ve srovnání s Pythonem programuje a jak ho můžete začlenit do svého projektu, přijďte se podívat. #python #praha #pyvo
pyvo.cz/praha-pyvo/2...
pyvo.cz/praha-pyvo/2...
Pražské Pyvo #172 Rust for Python People
Pyva jsou setkání příznivců programovacího jazyka Python a spřízněných technologií.
pyvo.cz
September 12, 2025 at 2:53 PM
Ve středu 17. září budu na Pražském Pyvu povídat o Rustu z pohledu Python vývojáře. Pokud vás zajímá, co vám Rust může nabídnout, jak se v něm ve srovnání s Pythonem programuje a jak ho můžete začlenit do svého projektu, přijďte se podívat. #python #praha #pyvo
pyvo.cz/praha-pyvo/2...
pyvo.cz/praha-pyvo/2...
In case you think string length is a simple topic, here is a really thorough write-up that should convince you otherwise:
hsivonen.fi/string-length/
hsivonen.fi/string-length/
It’s not wrong that "🤦🏼♂️".length == 7
hsivonen.fi
August 25, 2025 at 11:42 AM
In case you think string length is a simple topic, here is a really thorough write-up that should convince you otherwise:
hsivonen.fi/string-length/
hsivonen.fi/string-length/
Reposted by David Majda
How much of your feedback is actually about performance vs. personal preference?
If you can't point to specific impact, maybe the behavior that needs changing is yours.
terriblesoftware.org/2025/07/18/w...
If you can't point to specific impact, maybe the behavior that needs changing is yours.
terriblesoftware.org/2025/07/18/w...
Why Most Feedback Shouldn’t Exist
Before giving feedback, ask yourself: is there measurable impact? Most manager feedback is just personal preference disguised as professional development. Stop policing personality.
terriblesoftware.org
July 18, 2025 at 4:15 PM
How much of your feedback is actually about performance vs. personal preference?
If you can't point to specific impact, maybe the behavior that needs changing is yours.
terriblesoftware.org/2025/07/18/w...
If you can't point to specific impact, maybe the behavior that needs changing is yours.
terriblesoftware.org/2025/07/18/w...
When I’m programming in Go, I tend to be pragmatic and down-to-earth. When programming in Rust, however, I suddenly become a perfectionist and have to restrain myself from abstracting too much.
I wonder whether this is just a cultural influence or a manifestation of the Sapir–Whorf hypothesis.
I wonder whether this is just a cultural influence or a manifestation of the Sapir–Whorf hypothesis.
July 8, 2025 at 8:04 AM
When I’m programming in Go, I tend to be pragmatic and down-to-earth. When programming in Rust, however, I suddenly become a perfectionist and have to restrain myself from abstracting too much.
I wonder whether this is just a cultural influence or a manifestation of the Sapir–Whorf hypothesis.
I wonder whether this is just a cultural influence or a manifestation of the Sapir–Whorf hypothesis.
So I wrote a small compiler. For fun! And not once, but twice.
See “Story behind the project” in project’s README for the whole story:
github.com/dmajda/wabbi...
See “Story behind the project” in project’s README for the whole story:
github.com/dmajda/wabbi...
GitHub - dmajda/wabbiter: Compiler of the Wabbit language into LLVM IR written in Go
Compiler of the Wabbit language into LLVM IR written in Go - dmajda/wabbiter
github.com
June 18, 2025 at 11:31 AM
So I wrote a small compiler. For fun! And not once, but twice.
See “Story behind the project” in project’s README for the whole story:
github.com/dmajda/wabbi...
See “Story behind the project” in project’s README for the whole story:
github.com/dmajda/wabbi...
Playing with Zed, trying to use it as my primary code editor.
The experience so far has been great. Zed is a bit rough, but much faster and less bloated than VS Code. I think I’ll stick with it.
zed.dev
The experience so far has been great. Zed is a bit rough, but much faster and less bloated than VS Code. I think I’ll stick with it.
zed.dev
Zed — The editor for what's next
Zed is a high-performance, multiplayer code editor from the creators of Atom and Tree-sitter.
zed.dev
April 30, 2025 at 12:30 PM
Playing with Zed, trying to use it as my primary code editor.
The experience so far has been great. Zed is a bit rough, but much faster and less bloated than VS Code. I think I’ll stick with it.
zed.dev
The experience so far has been great. Zed is a bit rough, but much faster and less bloated than VS Code. I think I’ll stick with it.
zed.dev
Reposted by David Majda
I just published "The Hidden Cost of AI Coding"
As AI coding tools make us more productive, are we sacrificing the joy that made us fall in love with programming?
terriblesoftware.org/2025/04/23/t...
As AI coding tools make us more productive, are we sacrificing the joy that made us fall in love with programming?
terriblesoftware.org/2025/04/23/t...
The Hidden Cost of AI Coding
AI coding tools boost productivity but may sacrifice the flow state and deep satisfaction developers experience when writing code by hand. What are we losing?
terriblesoftware.org
April 23, 2025 at 5:31 PM
I just published "The Hidden Cost of AI Coding"
As AI coding tools make us more productive, are we sacrificing the joy that made us fall in love with programming?
terriblesoftware.org/2025/04/23/t...
As AI coding tools make us more productive, are we sacrificing the joy that made us fall in love with programming?
terriblesoftware.org/2025/04/23/t...
Baví mě, že (zřejmě) tréninkové lety policejních vrtulníků často vypadají jako výlet po českých hradech a zámcích. Schválně, kolik jich tady z hlavy dokážete identifikovat?
(Zachyceno náhodně pár týdnů zpátky.)
(Zachyceno náhodně pár týdnů zpátky.)
April 13, 2025 at 7:06 PM
Baví mě, že (zřejmě) tréninkové lety policejních vrtulníků často vypadají jako výlet po českých hradech a zámcích. Schválně, kolik jich tady z hlavy dokážete identifikovat?
(Zachyceno náhodně pár týdnů zpátky.)
(Zachyceno náhodně pár týdnů zpátky.)
“I’ve noticed something interesting about almost every engineer I’ve managed: their biggest strengths and their most frustrating weaknesses are often the exact same trait showing up in different contexts.”
terriblesoftware.org/2025/03/31/y...
So true. Discovered this too a few years ago.
terriblesoftware.org/2025/03/31/y...
So true. Discovered this too a few years ago.
Your Strengths Are Your Weaknesses
The qualities you value most in engineers are also creating your biggest problems. Here’s how to handle this paradox.
terriblesoftware.org
April 13, 2025 at 9:19 AM
“I’ve noticed something interesting about almost every engineer I’ve managed: their biggest strengths and their most frustrating weaknesses are often the exact same trait showing up in different contexts.”
terriblesoftware.org/2025/03/31/y...
So true. Discovered this too a few years ago.
terriblesoftware.org/2025/03/31/y...
So true. Discovered this too a few years ago.
I came across this post about minimalism in programming languages, and it really speaks to my heart:
pointersgonewild.com/2022/05/23/m...
The only part I disagree with is that “everything is an object” is a mistake. But I suspect this may be due to different views on what an object is.
pointersgonewild.com/2022/05/23/m...
The only part I disagree with is that “everything is an object” is a mistake. But I suspect this may be due to different views on what an object is.
Minimalism in Programming Language Design
pointersgonewild.com
January 7, 2025 at 7:36 PM
I came across this post about minimalism in programming languages, and it really speaks to my heart:
pointersgonewild.com/2022/05/23/m...
The only part I disagree with is that “everything is an object” is a mistake. But I suspect this may be due to different views on what an object is.
pointersgonewild.com/2022/05/23/m...
The only part I disagree with is that “everything is an object” is a mistake. But I suspect this may be due to different views on what an object is.
“Complexity […] is fairly zero-sum – there’s a fixed amount of complexity in the problem to be solved, and you can choose to either solve it, or leave it for those downstream of you to solve that problem on their own.”
notes.pault.ag/complex-for-...
notes.pault.ag/complex-for-...
Complex for Whom?
Let's talk about 'Complexity' in software projects and frame the conversations a bit
notes.pault.ag
December 5, 2024 at 9:12 AM
“Complexity […] is fairly zero-sum – there’s a fixed amount of complexity in the problem to be solved, and you can choose to either solve it, or leave it for those downstream of you to solve that problem on their own.”
notes.pault.ag/complex-for-...
notes.pault.ag/complex-for-...
Rust has peekable iterators in the standard library, nice!
Peekable iterators allow you to look at the next value without actually consuming it, which is great e.g. for writing parsers and lexical scanners. In Rust, this functionality is just a method call away.
Peekable iterators allow you to look at the next value without actually consuming it, which is great e.g. for writing parsers and lexical scanners. In Rust, this functionality is just a method call away.
December 3, 2024 at 10:48 AM
Rust has peekable iterators in the standard library, nice!
Peekable iterators allow you to look at the next value without actually consuming it, which is great e.g. for writing parsers and lexical scanners. In Rust, this functionality is just a method call away.
Peekable iterators allow you to look at the next value without actually consuming it, which is great e.g. for writing parsers and lexical scanners. In Rust, this functionality is just a method call away.
“When you remove the judgement of whether a pursuit is ‘worth the time’ you’ll free yourself [to] listen more closely to the inner voice of what interests and matters to you.”
So true. From one of the most inspiring posts I’ve read this year:
heredragonsabound.blogspot.com/2020/02/the-...
So true. From one of the most inspiring posts I’ve read this year:
heredragonsabound.blogspot.com/2020/02/the-...
The Forever Project
“Any writer worth his salt writes to please himself…It’s a self-exploratory operation that is endless.” – Harper Lee, author of To Kill a M...
heredragonsabound.blogspot.com
November 29, 2024 at 12:16 PM
“When you remove the judgement of whether a pursuit is ‘worth the time’ you’ll free yourself [to] listen more closely to the inner voice of what interests and matters to you.”
So true. From one of the most inspiring posts I’ve read this year:
heredragonsabound.blogspot.com/2020/02/the-...
So true. From one of the most inspiring posts I’ve read this year:
heredragonsabound.blogspot.com/2020/02/the-...
I’ve started learning Rust.
More precisely, I’ve started re-learning it, as I already had a brief look at it 8 years ago. But this time I’d like to dive more deeply.
More precisely, I’ve started re-learning it, as I already had a brief look at it 8 years ago. But this time I’d like to dive more deeply.
November 28, 2024 at 11:29 AM
I’ve started learning Rust.
More precisely, I’ve started re-learning it, as I already had a brief look at it 8 years ago. But this time I’d like to dive more deeply.
More precisely, I’ve started re-learning it, as I already had a brief look at it 8 years ago. But this time I’d like to dive more deeply.
Speaking of Macintosh, did you know that you can run all the classic Macintosh systems (1.x–9.x), including many contemporary apps, in your browser?
infinitemac.org
infinitemac.org
November 21, 2024 at 2:30 PM
Speaking of Macintosh, did you know that you can run all the classic Macintosh systems (1.x–9.x), including many contemporary apps, in your browser?
infinitemac.org
infinitemac.org
I’ve been having a lot of fun lately reading stories about the birth of the original Macintosh on folklore.org. Besides being great stories, they show how much ingenuity and crazy engineering went into the project. Recommended!
folklore.org
November 21, 2024 at 2:23 PM
I’ve been having a lot of fun lately reading stories about the birth of the original Macintosh on folklore.org. Besides being great stories, they show how much ingenuity and crazy engineering went into the project. Recommended!
Doposlouchal jsem povedený podcast s bývalými spolupracovníky z Energomonitoru (dnes Energostack). Kdybych tam už dříve několik let nedělal, hned bych se šel hlásit 🙂
Zajímá-li vás komunitní energetika nebo třeba bateriová úložiště, podcast určitě stojí za poslech.
soundcloud.com/czpodcast-1/...
Zajímá-li vás komunitní energetika nebo třeba bateriová úložiště, podcast určitě stojí za poslech.
soundcloud.com/czpodcast-1/...
CZ Podcast 324 - Krocení energie s Energostackem
Tentokráte k nám zaskočil Honza Jiroušek a Pavel Štorek z Energostacku (bývalý Energomonitor). Kam se posunuli, jak to vypadá s lokálními, energeticky soběstačnými komunitami nebo kterak v Čechách klu
soundcloud.com
September 18, 2024 at 1:11 PM
Doposlouchal jsem povedený podcast s bývalými spolupracovníky z Energomonitoru (dnes Energostack). Kdybych tam už dříve několik let nedělal, hned bych se šel hlásit 🙂
Zajímá-li vás komunitní energetika nebo třeba bateriová úložiště, podcast určitě stojí za poslech.
soundcloud.com/czpodcast-1/...
Zajímá-li vás komunitní energetika nebo třeba bateriová úložiště, podcast určitě stojí za poslech.
soundcloud.com/czpodcast-1/...